|
|
|
last online Jan 14, 2020 17:37:19 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Nov 23, 2010 18:46:10 GMT -5
Post by Jace on Nov 23, 2010 18:46:10 GMT -5
Being an assassin always had its edgy moments, and this was one of them. She had killed enough people in Republic space to know that if her identity was ever discovered, she would be in jail for quite a long time. Of course she hadn't survived in this business for so long because she was careless. Eva had a variety of wide ranging identities that kept her safe, not to mention she was tapped into local and federal files that allowed her to track the authorities progress on her. That being said, an embassy was always risky business.
It was unavoidable sometimes though, and she was too professional to express any anxiety that she had. Embassies were some of the most well guarded places in the galaxy. It meant they were hard to get into but it also meant that once you were inside they were quite secure. Thus it came as no surprise that she did a decent amount of business at embassies. Of course that was partly because she often did off book contracts for the Republic.
Half the people that tended to work at embassies were just agents for the government. Eva couldn't identify every single one, the Republic wasn't totally incompetent after all. Today she was here because she had a meeting with one of those agents, sensitive details could only be delivered by hand in many cases. She didn't really relish the idea of coming out here but a job was a job and these ones tended to pay pretty good.
Eva felt somewhat naked without her standard pistol and other weapons but that couldn't be helped. The assassin wasn't helpless though, she was trained into hand to hand combat after all. Though, getting into a fight in a Republic embassy was the last thing she wanted to happen. Of course the likelihood of anything happening here were quite remote. Even so, Eva was cautious by nature and scanned the embassy as she approached the front desk.
"I am here to see Mr.Foster" stated the assassin to the receptionist.
"Just a minute" was the response.
The woman made a call to confirm the appointment and then stood up and motioned for Eva to follow her. She looked around, scanning the lobby once more before heading after the receptionist. Chances were that she was being watched, some of these agents were just too paranoid. Though she couldn't exactly blame them, they were in an embassy after all.
What was the worst that could happen?
|
|
|
|
|
Kuhblam
I've got two guns, one for each of ya'.
|
|
last online Sept 7, 2013 15:30:01 GMT -5
Guardian
|
|
|
Nov 23, 2010 23:09:53 GMT -5
Post by Kuhblam on Nov 23, 2010 23:09:53 GMT -5
An odd job in an odd climate.
Admittedly, Ferrus had never dreamed nor desired to be in the middle of a high-security Republic embassy. Neither had he dreamed nor desired to be on Rodia, a giant stinking mudhole and one the least worthy planets in the Mid Rim. Of course, his line of work had a way of pulling Ferrus into the most odd of places. Not two months ago had he been escorting a dinosaur and a rainbow-colored exotic through the family-friendly jungles of Ord Vaug. That particular ordeal was not something he wished to repeat.
Deadly predators weren't maybe as apparent in the embassy, but Ferrus knew better than to assume he wasn't being watched just like every other visitor. His armor was not exactly lacking in the amount of attention it was drawing; it was only by pulling a few heavy favors had he landed the job in escorting a simple politician without being arrested on sight. However, the simple credits he would be earning were simply not simple. The politician was heavily influential in the Rodian government; of course, with that kind of power came numerous death threats from other clans and a heightened level of adrenaline; normally such things were just bark and no bite, but the intelligence was heavily reliable and the politician's speech in the next few hours was extremely important to his campaign. While the squid was holed up in the Embassy before waiting to move to his motorcade for a major public appearance, Ferrus was his personal bodyguard for the day.
Weapons weren't exactly favored upon by embassy security guards both visible and secretive, and Ferrus was making due with the bare essentials; his pistols, a combat knife, his flexisteel garrote cord and the gadgets on his armor he had managed to smuggle inside to name the few rather a few. Ferrus almost felt naked at how little he was armed; it was as if he was just starting in the game. Ammunition for his pistols wasn't in great abundance, either; he had the necessary power packs for a holdout action, but until they left the actual embassy grounds, it was what he had on him. A feeling inside Ferrus said that there weren't going to be any crazed terrorist attacks on the compound, but at any rate he had trained from childhood to be accurate with a firearm; his eyesight and muscle reflexes were well-drilled portions of his body.
It wasn't exactly his idea of action, but the credits were enormous; the politician, a dark green Rodian named Javeet Chattza, was obviously worried about being targeted for assassination. Ferrus eyed his quarry through his helmet's T-Visor as the Rodian fumbled with buttons on an archaic datapad, frantically pressing different keyes in a very nervous manner. Still shadowing him as they headed for the turbolift to the second floor, Ferrus accosted Javeet for the fourth time.
"Mr. Chattza, you should calm down. That twitch will get you killed if something happens; more importantly, it might have the adverse effect of getting me killed in the process."
His distasteful sarcasm didn't help the cowardly politician, who grunted back in a fearful dialect of Basic.
"Quiet. I'm more worried about the press if those fools from the Adebsu clan actually try something. Not everyone is a fan of your patented approach of 'Shoot first, shoot later, shoot some more, and then ask questions once everyone is dead.' What will the public think when I have a bulky Mandalorian firing away in my defense? It'll be a PR nightmare!"
Ferrus chuckled behind his helmet as he listened to the Rodian's excuses. Maybe it was part that, but it was also part instinctual fear; Mr. Chattza was scared for his own life just as much as he was for his political career. Ferrus had done some preliminary research on his client much like very other employer he had ever had; Javeet was not exactly the most pure of heart.
"You should have thought of that before you agreed to hire me. However, I encourage you to think of it this way; there will be a pile of dead Adebsu before you even so much as have a single drop of blood on your suit."
His continued sarcasm did not reassure Javeet, who countered with equal witty sarcasm.
"Fantastic. Now I know that at the very least I'll be clean for action photos when the corpses are done piling up. Just don't speak when we meet with Senator Reeven at the board meeting."
As they reached the turbolift entrance, Ferrus positioned himself against the wall with his arms against his back, looking down the hallway from which they had just strode through. The secretary whom he had met earlier was leading another woman toward their direction. Ferrus could tell that there was something unnatural about the receptionist's accompaniment; he couldn't place his thumb on it, but there was intuitive natural reasoning to suspect her as a possible security threat. His hands still behind his back, Ferrus turned back indifferently to face the turbolift doors as they opened up and he ghosted Mr. Chattza inside.
|
|
|
|
|
Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
6,347 posts
1,102 likes
Friendly neighborhood CEO
|
|
last online Jan 12, 2024 11:24:20 GMT -5
Administrator
|
|
|
Nov 29, 2010 23:37:10 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Nov 29, 2010 23:37:10 GMT -5
Asyr had known today would be an interesting one.
From the moment he'd gotten that mysterious note from the courier, he'd none. What he hadn't known was the brand of interesting it would be. Then again, how could he have predicted what happened? How could he have known that, upon going to the third room on the first floor at the appointed time, he'd be greeted by some (cute) woman and given a robotic droid with some strange nuclear-powered laser on its tail?
Now, as the pirate strode out of room 103, with the laser-tail-wielding droid perched easily on his shoulder, he wasn't sure what to make of it. On the one hand, acquiring REA #14--or Flitch, as Asyr was taking to calling him--could be of tremendous use. If the strength of the laser matched up to what he'd been told, then the little droid would make punching through hulls and blast doors on ships a breeze. That could only be a good thing, and Lordura would surely appreciate it. But on the other hand, part of a Asyr was still a bit worried about how these people had managed to find him.
There probably wasn't anything to worry about, though.
But what if there was?
Asyr grunted. "Just need to get out of this place."
Flitch stirred on his shoulder, stretching his large holographic eagle wings that were presently a ghostly grey. "Is something wrong, Asyr."
"I'm gonna smell like Republic if I don't get out of here," Asyr muttered under his breath as he continued on, hands in the pockets of his long red overcoat.
"Smell like Republic?" Flitch lifted his draconic head, peering about. Their current hall was relatively empty. "How do you gain the scent of a governmental orga-"
"It was a figure of speech, Flitch," Asyr said, cutting the droid short. Though they'd only been together for a few minutes, Asyr was already starting to notice that the familiar didn't handle sarcasm very well. Or figures of speech. Or jokes. The little thing was surprisingly stoic, and as stony as a quarry. He didn't even seem to have a sense of humor.
Was it even possible for a droid to have a sense of humor?
"Oh, I see." Flitch shifted on Asyr's shoulder. "Is there something about this place that makes you uncomfortable?"
Asyr chuckled gruffly. "I can't smoke in here, for starters." They rounded a corner, leading to yet another corridor that Asyr didn't recognize from the trip in. I think I took a wrong turn... "The other thing will have to wait until we're out of here. I have my reasons, though." Yes, that colonnade definitely hadn't been outside that window that hadn't been there on the way in. Neither had that atrium.
"Ah, dammit."
Flitch made a questioning sound.
"Went the wrong way. Now I'm not sure where we are." He glanced down at his chrono. "Still have time, though, so it's no big deal."
"Time? For what?"
"To get back to the ship, of course." Asyr grinned up at the little droid. "We're part of a crew, you and I. And if we don't get back in time, we're going to be stranded here."
Flitch's wings ruffled over his back. "Ah, yes. Your mercenary work. Your file said youd do as much."
A slight, knowing grin grew on Asyr's face. "You could say something like that, yes. Anyway, it shouldn't take too long to get on the right path to get out of here. Let's get going."
|
|
|
|
|
Jazen
Beelzaboot
1,617 posts
86 likes
Rocking from the Great White North
|
|
last online Apr 20, 2022 19:46:47 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Nov 30, 2010 14:33:08 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Nov 30, 2010 14:33:08 GMT -5
Of all the places he could have picked to meet me, why did it have to be a Republic Embassy?
That thought ran rampant through Shine's mind, along with a few others, as he wandered about the main lobby of the Republic's diplomatic embassy on Rodia. Now don't get him wrong, Shine had no quarrel with the Republic. In fact, most of the time he agreed with how they handled the protection of the worlds they owned and the laws they had in place. It was better to say that he didn't have a problem with them as a whole; maybe a problem here and there with how their offices ran things on the outta stretches of their territory, but otherwise no real issue. Except, of course, when he had to get past them in order to complete a job. Then he did hate them a little, even if he knew they were just doing their job while he was doing his. Still, they couldn't make a little easier for a simple man merely trying to make his own way in the universe? Nah, where would be the fun in that.
Still, it didn't mean he was exactly all warm and cuddly with the thought of discussing some illegal business from within the halls of a heavily secured Republic building. However, his contact had told him that this was the easiest place to discuss said the job without having the "wrong" kind of people poking around and possibly distributing the talk. So, if he wanted the paycheck to pay for those new converter cells, the details had to be flushed out while they were surrounded by the lovely workers of the Republic government. Good times.
At least Shine had some company in his waiting. Perched firmly on his shoulder was his newest companion, Vistal. Two weeks ago he had gone to Kuat for a job, which low and behold, had gone south. In his effort to avoid being frelled by the one's who spoiled the job, Shine had ended up falling into an underground lake, where he had met Vis. After a small journey through a vast underground network with the little fellow, Shine had run into Vis's creators. Some things had been said and done during that meeting and the result? Shine now had a robot companion that was as lively as any being of flesh and blood that he had met. And most the times far more useful. The little guy could go through hundreds of files in an instant, and that was just the easy stuff. Needless to say, Shine welcomed the aid he willingly gave.
Shine was in the process of admiring the embassy's infrastructure when his contact, a lower Rodian senator, finally managed to find the time to approach him. You had to love the Republic's skill regarding building's of importance; the thing was practically a fortress. It would be hard pressed to get in here and even more so to control the entire inner workings if someone managed to find a way to get past its thick shell. He had to admit, it was a good place to talk about business, if you were careful about who was eavesdropping. A pat on his free shoulder from Daryr brought him back to the matter at hand, and he followed his friend to an empty office, Shine shutting the door firmly behind him.
"So Daryr, what kind of job did you have in mind?"
The Rodian twitched his mouth several times, fussing with his molted green robes for a moment, before taking a seat and indicating for Shine to sit. Shine didn't take up the offer, he wanted to hear the details and be on his way as fast as possible. Vis, however, hopped onto the desk in front of him and sat on his hind legs, twitching his receptors to focus on the Rodian.
"Ah, straight to business as always. Nice to see you too. Anyway, its a simple task. All you gotta do is fly a senator that's residing here back to Coruscant."
"Oh, just dump of a Senator huh? Oh lord that's gonna be........wait....what?!" Shine's mouth almost dropped open in shock at this. There had to be more to this....there just had to be. Fate never made it so easy. "I mean.....really? That's all you called me here to do? What is illegal about ferrying a senator back to the Republic capital?"
A chuckle found its way from Daryr's lips to Shine's ears. The Rodian stood and indicated for Shine to come around to the side of the desk. "I never said illegal, Shine. I called you here for a job that I said would require your skills. I just never said it was your smuggling skills that I wanted." Daryr waited a moment to let that sink in, then continued. "I need your piloting skills and your ruddy Corellian luck, that's why I called you here for this job."
Vis obviously found some amusement in that statement, as he couldn't help but snicker as well. Shine patted him on the head, then folded his arms and turned back to Daryr. "Okay, now your buttering me up. You wouldn't have called me out here to escort a senator unless there was something out of the ordinary; otherwise, I'm sure whoever it is would be much better flying in their own personal craft, complete with waiting handmaidens and delicious food. So what's the catch?"
"The catch? There is none at all. But if you want a reason for why I'm asking you to do it, there's this. There has been a string of pirate raids lately, not enough to cause panic, but enough to make travelers weary. And as amazing as her craft is, it also stands out as a target. Think of its having a giant display saying "important ship, attack me." Her consorts are worried about this. Luckily, I was just happening by and offered her assistance in the matter, saying I knew someone who could transport her to Coruscant without worry of pirate attack. Hence, where you come in."
"Oh really? Pirates? Vis, do your thing and see if there's any truth to these pirates." The little droid nodded, hopped over to the computer terminal in the office and quickly hooked in.
"Let's see here. Pirates.....pirates.....I'm finding reports of a group of children pirates causing trouble in town...no, that's a play preview.....also....clean between your toes today with Fungus-Be-Gone....oops, went into the wrong stream. Here it is......Mr Rodian is speaking the truth. I'm finding isolated reports on secure channels about pirates appearing and crippling ships about to enter hyperspace. Mostly, the ships are one's belonging to more prominent beings, while the civilian ships are heckled, but allowed to continue on after only minor damage." Unplugging himself from the computer, Vis shook his head and clambered back onto Shine's shoulder. "If my reading of what Mr Rodian is asking us, he believes a beat up smuggler ship will have a better chance of making it past the pirate vessels than a decked out Senatorial ship."
Daryr suppressed a laugh with a cough, tilting to his hide the amusement creasing those wide eyes of his. Shine flicked Vis on the nose, trying not to laugh himself. "Hey, don't go badmouthing the Cat. She might take offense to that the next time you plug into her. But anyway, is my little buddy right in his assumptions? You want me cause my ship doesn't scream "rob me?"
"Well, I wouldn't have put it that way, but more or less. And even if they do pester your craft, I have the utmost faith in your piloting abilities to get you past that little hurdle. And of course, the strange string of luck that your people seemed to be born with."
"Indeed. His luck seems to never end. It's about the only thing I can find that can explain how he's managed to survive this long. Although.....it does also mean that his luck likes to fail him first..." This prompted Shine to shake his shoulder, sending Vis into a sprawl to keep from falling from his perch.
"My luck is what it is. My skill beats it out every time though. So, I assume that when you say its a simple task like this that I won't be getting that big paycheck you said would come with the job. Incentive to get me here and all that."
"Oh no, I meant that. The pay should cover the cost of your repairs and the parts you have been looking for, with enough left over to handle the basic needs and all that. I was very truthful about that. So.....are you in?" Both Vis and Daryr regarded him with eyes that reminded Shine of great black holes; slowly sucking him into them with no chance of escape.
"You'd be pretty foolish to decline such a..." Vis started to say before Shine silenced him with a wave of his hand. "Sure, why not. I could use something that doesn't involve me getting shot for once. What are the finer details?" Daryr grinned, then produced a small chip for Shine's datapad, which Shine took quickly.
"You'll find all the finer details on that. She's just finishing up some matters upstairs and then she'll be along. You're free to mingle about the embassy until then. Someone will ping you when she's on her way. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other duties to attend to. Good day Shine and best of luck." With a pat on the back, Daryr shuffled out of the small office and down the hall. Fingering the small chip in his fingers, he plugged the thing into his pad, then messaged the information to Vis for safe keeping.
"Come on Vis, let's go wander then. I hope you remembered to download the blueprints of this place when you were plugged into the computer."
"Why would I need to do that? Have I missed something?"
"Of course. How else am I going to find the ruddy bathroom in a place this big otherwise? Come on Vis, think." He didn't give Vis a chance to answer that, merely patted his little friend on the head, chuckled and took off down the first hall outside the room. He had a job, a really easy and well paying job. An HONEST job at that. For once, things really looked like they were going to go well. Now if he could only find that confounded bathroom.
|
|
|
|
|
Mara
nothing worth anything ever goes down easy
9,275 posts
55 likes
the one and only
|
|
last online May 2, 2022 22:30:17 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Dec 10, 2010 20:34:38 GMT -5
Post by Mara on Dec 10, 2010 20:34:38 GMT -5
(((I'm here! Finally! ))) [...from Corporate Unrest] Really, Ina couldn't understand why the senators had wanted to hold their committee meeting here in the Republic embassy in the Rodia capital. It was just some boring sub-committee on finances or something. Probably a localized finance issue, as the whole Senate would discuss the Republic's financial situation. Honestly, she just was bored by the whole thing, though she never showed it out in the open. Why she should care what the Chancellor's secretary spent on office supplies was beyond her. Though, the actual topic of the meeting was not what was actually bothering her. It would have been much easier for them to meet back on Coruscant. A session had just ended, and they were all still there. At least she assumed so. Ina herself rarely left to go back to Arkania, partly because she was still new and didn't want to cross any lines, partly because all she had left there was her father, and he was generally busy working on his medical research projects. They spoke often enough via vidcomm, and she would just get in the way or be stuck alone in his apartment. But, no, the Rodian senator on the committee had already left for his home. Apparently he was one in a growing group of senators who spent as little time on Coruscant as possible. The senators Ina looked down on in private, discussing their shortcomings with Ofi. And the others had been more than willing to join him there for the meeting. It was a humid planet, filled with jungles everywhere industrialization hadn't yet taken over. Ina couldn't really see the planet as a vacation destination. Ostensibly the Falleen senator had agreed because his home planet was just a hop and a skip away. As for the senators from Malastare and Bakura, she had no idea. Perhaps they had other business in the Rodian capital. Or perhaps they didn't want to risk anything either, just as Ina was doing. As the most junior senator of the group of five, Ina had been forced to go along with the plan, however, again trying not to step on too many toes, not yet anyway. Not sure how long the meeting would last, hoping that she wasn't making the trip all the way out to the Mid Rim for two hours of crunching numbers, she had packed enough supplies, mostly clothing, for about a week, not counting round-trip travel time. It wasn't that Ina was a vain being; she just liked to be prepared. And what woman didn't like to dress in nice things? At the moment she wished she was back on the Equalizer, doing anything but listening to the other senators drone on. Even though the suit she was wearing was comfortable enough, the shoes were chafing her feet a bit. She couldn't paint or anything, but she had brought a few medical journals to read, trying to keep up with her father's work. Even though she had thought ahead and packed for a few days, hoping that it wouldn't be a huge waste of resources, she still hadn't wanted to check into any hotels in the capital city. It would be a lot cheaper for her to stay aboard and not rack up a huge bill at a fancy hotel like a senator was supposed to. And when the meeting was over, she could be up and on her way home a lot more quickly. It wasn't her ship by any means, but the one she had acquired for the purposes of traveling to the meeting. Generally she didn't like to bother, wanting to save the Republic's money and traveling with the public, but time was of the essence since all the other senators were already on their way. Ina wasn't sure if she had gotten the message about the meeting on Rodia late on purpose or not, but it wouldn't bode well for her to arrive late. Especially when timely arrivals weren't always her strongest trait. A pilot had been scrounged up, a small screw, and Ina had boarded with herself, Ofi, and all her luggage. Ofi had been with her in the meeting, her only means of being able to communicate with the other senators. Though she could be speaking a completely obscure foreign language for as much as they actually listened to her. Ofi was AER-05, originally a droid trained for assassination, but now the little bird-like robotic creature was Ina's translator. And friend. And still completely deadly if she needed to be, which she hadn't in the ten years they had been together. The six of them had been sitting in a small conference room in the back of the embassy's main floor. Ina tried to listen, which in her case entailed reading her datapad as Ofi fed her information, and pay attention while the senator of Falleen and Malastare were arguing about something petty. She really didn't really remember any more--it had been going on for 15 minutes--and didn't care enough to scroll back through her datapad to figure it out. Besides, any time had tried to get in a comment it was either ignored or just waved away as a stupid idea. This prejudice, she thought, had to be more than just simple hazing of a new senator; but the thought that even more planets than Arkania had something against Offshoots was even more ghastly to believe. Thankfully the Rodian senator had soon gotten sick of the arguing himself and suggested they all take a break for an hour or two, grab something to eat, refresh a bit, before they resumed their discussions. And no sooner than they had all agreed to the recess than he had gathered his things and hurried out of the room. Ina found it suspicious; Ofi put forth the thought that perhaps the senator had an overflowing bladder. Resisting the urge to laugh silently, Ina had gathered her own notes and followed the others out after Ofi had settled herself into her friend's oversized shoulder bag. Now Ina and Ofi were trying to find their way around the embassy. The Rodian senator had mentioned there was a commissary somewhere, but the droid hadn't been able to locate it. They were both wondering if it actually existed and was just another trick played against her. They tried the next floors up and just ran into more restricted areas, apologizing as they backpedaled out of there. Thinking it there was one, it had to be on the main floor, they went back down, trying another hallway. She was getting frustrated and beginning to wonder if she should just go back to the Equalizer and check out its galley when she turned a corner and walked straight into a moving wall that turned out to be a human male. In the chaos she had dropped her datapad, and it went skidding across the smooth floor. Ofi had also popped out of the bag, perhaps on purpose, and landed at her friend's' feet. And as if it couldn't be any worse, the senator from Bakura had been walking by with her aide, and they snickered at Ina as they walked by. On reflex, she began quickly apologizing to the man, her fingers flying in complex maneuvers, not realizing that of course he wouldn't be able to understand her. Ina knew she wasn't a clumsy person; it was just a little awkward when she had to carry her datapad to listen to Ofi, steady the shoulder bag, and also try to look around for a sign for the commissary. When she had calmed down enough and noticed her mistake, her cheeks reddened slightly. No longer concentrating on her words, she finally had a couple moments to actually notice the man in front of her. He looked very familiar, and although she couldn't place his name, she felt she had met him at the strange meeting a few weeks ago on Kuat. Immediately Ina went looking around for Ofi, signing to her for help. The little droid-bird clutched up the datapad and then took wing, dropping the device into Ina's hands before perching on her shoulder. "The senator wishes to apologize for running into you, good sir," spoke Ofi in her strange metallic female voice. "And hopes she hasn't been an inconvenience." Added Ofi.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Jan 14, 2020 17:37:19 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Dec 15, 2010 0:17:51 GMT -5
Post by Jace on Dec 15, 2010 0:17:51 GMT -5
Eva shortly found herself in the office of a one Mr.Foster. She looked around and wasn't surprised by what she saw. It was a rather typical and bare office, the type of office in which one doesn't spend much time. Chances were that there wasn't anything of great importance here, too many people passed through this building. Surely a cunning and daring thief could walk away with some hefty Republic secrets.
Now wouldn't those sell for a pretty penny mused Eva
The assassin took a moment to study the man before her. He looked as if he was in his late forties and was beginning to show it. She assumed he was a case officer of some sort for Republic intelligence. It didn't do well for her to dig around too much. She liked to know who she was dealing with but too much information made you a liability. The last thing she needed was to be hunted by Republic spies, they were some of her best customers.
He tossed her a datapad unceremoniously and Eva began to scan through the files. As she did so, Foster began to explain who the target was and were he would be located. Retzner, Apparently he was a dedicated soldier but after being abandoned by the Republic on a mission, went AWOL. He resurfaced years later as a mercenary, running an veteran outfit. Apparently he was sympathetic to the Sith Empire's cause, and his group is now considered a terrorist outfit. He fell off the grid again but apparently the Republic had reliable intelligence on his location. Eva was known to walk away from certain missions, and she didn't like the way this was looking. She also wasn't going to like what was about to happen next.
Just as she was about to decline the job, she heard the unmistakable sound of breaking glass, followed by a large bang. Next came the blaster fire, followed by the screaming. Foster's office had a window which looked out on the lobby from the 2nd floor and she could see everything clearly. She then heard the sound of glass breaking behind them and the sound of another flashbang. The assassins' instincts saved her as she dropped to the ground a split second before blaster fire tore through the office. Foster had not been so lucky, and now lay dead on the floor.
All this trouble for a job I was going to decline
It seemed that the office was no longer the target of someone's trigger happy finger so she took a moment to look carefully out the window and down at the lobby. Bodies were sprawled on the floor, some people injured, others dead. She could count at least four heavily armed people in the center of the lobby. They didn't seem to worried about covering their faces which made Eva' stomach drop just a little bit. This could be real bad thought the assassin as she bit her lip. Then she saw one man giving orders, and it only took a moments look to know he was no amateur, none of them were. His face seemed so familiar, and then she turned back and saw the datapad on the floor.
Well Mr.Foster, I guess I may be taking this job after all
She still had no idea how many of them there were but based on the data she had been given earlier it could be anywhere from ten to fifty. Before she had time to consider her options, Retzner's voice resounded through the building.
"This Embassy is now under our control. Many of your friends are dead, probably more will die. We have more than a sufficient amount of hostages to accomplish what we need to..."
"And what is that?" came the shaky voice from one of the men on the floor. Retzner turned to regard the man laying face down, his eyes were bright, determined.
"For Rodia to remove itself from the Republic and join the Sith Empire" stated the terrorist in a cold but matter of fact way.
This really isn't good...
Trained men don't walk in and shoot a place up like this unless they have a clear exit strategy or they came here knowing they would likely die. Their exit strategy seemed to their endgame and it didn't seem likely that the Republic was going to acquiesce to such a demand. Hopefully they would try to take some sort of military action against these fanatics. Eva suddenly felt very lonely without her pistol, or any of her other weapons. She kept her cool though, and began to work out her various options. If worst came to worst, things were going to get very messy soon.
|
|
|
|
|
Kuhblam
I've got two guns, one for each of ya'.
|
|
last online Sept 7, 2013 15:30:01 GMT -5
Guardian
|
|
|
Dec 17, 2010 23:37:33 GMT -5
Post by Kuhblam on Dec 17, 2010 23:37:33 GMT -5
They had been sitting in a lounge room for a short time after leaving the turbolift. On the far side of the room, Ferrus stood attentively with armored hands clasped behind his back. It was relatively quiet, save for Mr. Chattza fidgeting about with his datapad like he had been before. Life on the second floor was particularly boring, especially when a certain person a bodyguard's contractor was waiting for hadn't showed up for a certain meeting.
I could grow old here, start a family, almost.
The thought was an entertaining one to say the least. But first, in a bittersweet sort of sense, Ferrus had to stop his life of crime; the joke immediately turned sour. He wasn't about to have a third love get shot down in cold blood by anyone.
His fears of dying of old age in the lounge room were somewhat alleviated by the crackle of weapons fire from the first floor below accompanied by the usual screams associated with the presence of the former. Instead of panicking like a crazed weakling Republic citizen, however, Ferrus' adrenaline kicked in like a mule refusing to allow itself to be branded. His eyes awakened from their slumber behind his dark T-Visor, and Ferrus reflexively scanned for targets as his Rodian employer dove behind the sofa, his head and fingers popping over the top as he half-crouched.
"Terrorists?! Hired Guns?! I told you, the Adebsu are coming for me!"
The PA system operated from the front desk seemed to indicate otherwise to Ferrus, who had since drawn one of his Corvlic 44s and loaded a power pack into the base of the handle before flicking off the safety. He briefly perused and admired its sleek yet practical design as threats blared over the intercom.
"This Embassy is now under our control. Many of your friends are dead, probably more will die. We have more than a sufficient amount of hostages to accomplish what we need to..."
"That's no pompous Rodian clan leader speaking..."
The voice was too human, too clear. It had a distinct but gruff military crispness to it, the kind someone only found on ex-military or more specifically paramilitary. Whoever it was, he probably knew what he was doing; the blaster-fire was automatic, which meant carbines or just the opposite. It also meant these boys were packing heat and most likely had something heavier since this leader sound pretty intent on seizing the embassy. Quickly, Ferrus jogged forward for the door to the lounge room, and shut the blinders on the two transparisteel windows allowing someone to see inside. However, Ferrus purposely left the door unlocked. He turned back to Mr. Chattza, and picked him up by the suit collar as he dragged him towards the lone coat closet in the room.
"W-W-What are you doing?! We're all going to die!"
"Doing my job. You're gonna owe me extra after this is all over."
He shoved the cowardly Rodian into the closet, and drew one of the two combat knives on his person, tossing it handle end first to the Rodian who caught it in a confused manner.
"Wha-What do you want me to do with this?! Where are you going? Don't leave me!"
"Anyone opens up that closet door, you stab em' until their bowels are lying in a heap in front of you."
The Rodian nodded, although still too exaggeratedly shocked to understand what was going on. Ferrus shook his head as he shut the door with a quiet latching sound. The shooting hadn't even reached the second floor of the embassy yet. He tip-toed as quietly as his armor would let him towards the door, crouching underneath the blinded window next to it. Outside, he could hear the distinctive jogging of combat boots and blaster fire accompanied by more screams as whoever was attacking extended their control to the floors above. Drawing his other combat knife, he dexterously switched it in a reverse-grip and waited for the next person to come inside. He'd do a little investigating of his own, but not until things settled down. Then these captors of his would see who was the real hostage. Ferrus had noted seeing a couple other peculiar figures around here earlier; quickly, he made a mental note to look for them once it was time for stealthy ninja-stalking to commence. He wasn't one for hero moments, but the more allies he had, the easier it would be to walk out of the embassy with a bag full of credits.
|
|
|
|
|
Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
6,347 posts
1,102 likes
Friendly neighborhood CEO
|
|
last online Jan 12, 2024 11:24:20 GMT -5
Administrator
|
|
|
Dec 21, 2010 16:49:55 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Dec 21, 2010 16:49:55 GMT -5
It hadn't taken long to get turned around and onto the right path to get out of the embassy. The building, while large, fairly straightforward in its layout. Asyr had taken a wrong turn; the simple solution was to turn around and go back the way he'd come. Eventually he'd get to the right place.
Father was right about the importance of education, he mused, grinning stupidly to himself for a moment. I might never have made it out if I didn't have to go the very best school and be the very best in my class. There was sarcasm there, along with a fair touch of bitterness. Despite the way it had happened, Asyr had only been too happy to get out from other his father's overbearing thumb.
Once he got off of Taris, anyway.
He fished around in one of the pockets on the inside of his coat. When his hand came out it held a cig case made from smooth, polished silver with the crest of some Corellian family emblazoned in gold on the front of it. It wasn't his, of course--he wasn't Corellian--but he'd taken it on a raid not long after joining Lordura's crew. It was a very nice case. Solid, heavier than it looked, and waterproof. Being a pirate certainly had its perks.
As he rounded a corner, he hit a switch on the side of the case and the top swung open, revealing the precious cargo that was within. He plucked a cig out nonchalantly and then the case was closed, locked and tucked away into his pocket in a single, smooth, well-practiced motion. Asyr didn't light the cig--the embassy was a non-smoking facility as far as he was aware--but he'd be fine with just having the cig in his mouth; he could just light her up once he got outside again.
A few moments later, and he was striding into the front lobby. "Almost out of here," he muttered. Then he stopped. He could see a group of men approaching through the glass panels on the two great doors that led into the embassy. As one of them opened the door, he saw that they were armed men.
"You have got to be kidding me."
Flitch tilted his head to the side, looking down at Asyr from his shoulder perch. "Huh? Asyr, is everything al-"
The droid was promptly cut off and forced to hold on when Asyr turned on his heel and started up the nearby stairs. He didn't know who the men were or what they were up to, but something in the pit of his stomach made him wary. That was an instinct he'd learned to trust a long time ago; pirates, or smugglers for that matter, didn't live long when they ignored warning signs of danger.
True, it could very well be nothing. But better safe than sorry, the old saying went.
Unfortunately, his gut was right. These men were trouble.
The sound of blaster fire erupted in the lobby behind him, and his brisk walk up the stairs turned into an outright run. Flitch's claws dug into his the muscles of his shoulder as the little dragon fought to keep from falling off, and he could hear the alarmed questions that were pouring forth, but he didn't pay either of those much mind. He ducked down, covering his head with his hands when he heard the sound of a few bolts of plasma hitting the railing and the steps near him. Then he was at the top of the stairs, away from the balcony that ran around the lobby, around a corner and out of sight.
Once he was in a place of relative safety, he stopped and leaned against the wall, trying to calm down so his heard would stop trying to pound its way out of his chest. "What the hell was that?!" The question wasn't meant for anyone, but there were other people around--diplomats and couriers and other such types. None of them seemed to have an answer. They all looked terrified. They'd heard the shooting.
Flitch, ever willing to help, did. "Asyr," he said, hopping deftly down from the Echani's shoulder to the polished floor below, "based on their actions, and the knowledge that this is an embassy for the Galactic Republic it is my assumption that those men are some sort of ne'er do wells. A PMC hired by dissidents perhaps, or maybe a Sith strike team. It is also highly probable that they are some sort of terro-"
Then the announcement came over the PA system, cutting Flitch short.
"Terrorists." Asyr looked down at Flitch. "They're terrorists. And we're stuck here." He slid down until he was sitting on the floor, back propped up against the wall and ran his hands through his hair. "I knew I shouldn't have come here."
Now he was trapped, and he was very much missing his weapons. He looked up at the men and women around him. If he'd thought they looked terrified before, he was wrong. Now they looked terrified.
Asyr sighed and shook his head and then looked to Flitch. An idea dawned.
"Flitch, I have an idea. You'll have to be careful, though."
Flitch perked his head up, rustling his now-silver wings. "What is it?"
"Go back there," Asyr started, motioning toward the balcony that surrounded the lobby, "and look down. See what you can see down there and come back. Don't stay there long; I don't need you getting shot."
Flitch nodded. "Right." Without another word, he scampered off to look.
He returned a short while later, unharmed. "The view was obstructed, but I could make out at least six men below. They were armed and were blindfolding some of the people they caught in the lobby."
Hostages. Asyr's body tensed. "Alright. Did you see anything else."
"Saw? No. But I heard one of them talking to others. More of them are preparing to spread through the building, to take more hostages and make sure they have it secured."
Asyr swore. "Come on." Flitch jumped back up to his perch as Asyr stood to his feet. All he wanted to do was get out. He didn't care about the politics or whatever it was that was behind all of this, but Lordura was planning to leave port today. She didn't wait on late crew members, and he'd been stranded far too many times in his life to want to experience it again.
"You should all probably find some safe room and get into it," he said to the people in the hallway as he started off. "Don't just stand out here all ripe for the plucking." Why did he care? He didn't know them, and didn't care one way or the other about the embassy.
Don't worry about it, he told himself as he broke into a run. He stopped near the end of the hallway and slipped around a corner. The sound of men moving up a stairwell could be heard, and he paused before continuing on around the second floor. He wasn't sure what he was doing or what he was looking for, but he had an idea. He was going to fight back.
But he'd need help for that.
|
|
|
|
|
Jazen
Beelzaboot
1,617 posts
86 likes
Rocking from the Great White North
|
|
last online Apr 20, 2022 19:46:47 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Dec 24, 2010 15:13:28 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Dec 24, 2010 15:13:28 GMT -5
After a short while, Shine had given up looking for the bathroom on his own; instead he had deemed to ask passerby's as he came across them. The first, another Rodian, didn't understand Basic in the slightest, so all Shine got was a rabble of Rodese and a glare. At least, he thought it was a glare; the Rodian's face had squinted together at him, so it was anyone's guess if that was a glare or something else entirely. In any case, the Rodian had shuffled onward, leaving Shine again with no clue where he was going and a full bladder yet. Sighing, he had taken off again. The next person gave him a little better luck; the person was a normal human like he was(at least, they looked normal) and after a few quick words with her, including a couple of charming quirks, Shine managed to get an answer...along with a phone number but hey, that wasn't his fault at least.
Vis had, during this time, been quietly uploading the data from Shine's datapad into his database, copying all the information regarding his latest job for future use. Shine had to admit, he liked that about his new companion. The droid not only had a wide variety of uses, but also had an extensive achieve stored within his tiny metal body, a database that allowed him to provide information about a grand number of things should the need ever arise. And every chance the two of them got, they added to that achieve; including when Vis had plugged into that console. He may not have gotten a map, but he had downloaded various other snippets about the world and such, something Shine hoped would come in handy should he ever run into a problem here. But of course, he also hoped that he never ran into a problem at all. Too much of that late, thank you very much.
The bathroom was, as the woman had told him, a level above his current location(at least the nearest one without him having to backtrack), so Shine had taken a lift up to reach it, then proceeded down the hall till he reached a junction, where he turned left. And lo and behold, there it was, a strange pair of symbols above the doors to indicate male and female. Shine tapped Vis on the head, breaking him from his internal work, and pointed to them. It was obvious that he wanted to know which one was meant for him, even though he didn't exactly mind having to find out the hard way. The little droid sighed, went silent for a moment, then pointed to the rightmost door. Shine chuckled and shuffled inside, returning a few moments later. And all he could do was sigh in relief.
"Oh my lord, that's so much better. You'd think they'd leave directions or something to these things right?"
'Seeing as I do not need the use of this facilities, I do not believe my opinion on it matters. But....perhaps they should leave a map somewhere so that they can be found. Then again, that would give people an outline, no matter how vague, about the building's design. A security measure, without a doubt and one I'm sure they do not wish to risk."
"Aye, that makes sense. But really, you'd think they'd give you something to help find them. This place isn't exactly small nor direct; how they don't' get lost in this place, what with all its same-looking corridors and halls is beyond me. "
Vis was about to say something else, something perhaps regarding how he noticed all the little differences in the vast number of hallways that allowed him to know they were elsewhere, when someone came around the corner they were just about to turn. Flesh met flesh as Shine collided with whoever it was who had popped out and it was by sure luck and an amazing sense of balance that Shine did not end up on his derriere. Vis, however, wasn't so lucky, as the droid bounced from his shoulder to land on the floor before Shine, warbling his surprise as he bounced with an "ompf" Blinking to shake off the surprise, Shine quickly took stock of the situation before him. He'd collided with a woman, an Arkanian woman at that, who had also managed to remain on her feet. Whatever she had been holding had suddenly flown from her hands, hands which now were a flurry of motion. It took Shine a moment to realize that those motions had a purpose rather than random movements; sign language as it was. Apologies flew from her mouth as well.
Shine finally managed to bring his head back down to earth and with a wave of his hand, attempted to dispel her worries. "Frell, that hurt a little. Hey hey, no need to apologize now. I'm as much at fault here for not coming down the middle of the hall, which would have allowed me to dodge around you. I should really be the one saying sorry to you, since I could have....." When she looked at him though, his mind automatically clicked as her facial features triggered a past memory in his mind. He knew that face.....recently too. But where.....KUAT!!! Now he remembered; she was one of the people present at that strange underground facility he had stumbled on, where he had acquired Vis. What was her name again......Irrina was it? Yes, he remembered her now.....and the fact that she was deaf. He stalled, at a loss now how to speak to her, when something hopped onto her shoulder; one of the bird like droids several of those at the meeting had on them. Vis's brothers and sisters, his older one's at least.
"Well, tell the senator her apology is unneeded, my little friend. Nor has she been an inconvenience. Irrina was it? Do you remember me? I'm Shine Albatros; we meet on Kuat remember? Where I got this guy." He pointed down to indicate Vis, who had managed to scrabble back up onto Shine's shoulder. The little droid looked at the bird on Irrina's shoulder for a moment, his photoreceptors blinking what could be seen as surprise before he hopped a little on Shine's shoulder.
"05, what a pleasant surprise. I did not expect to run into a fellow on this world. I suppose the galaxy is full of surprises though; I'm learning this more everyday. I hope you've been well."
Shine tried not to smile at Vis's comments, but he really couldn't help it. The little guy hadn't seen as much of the galaxy at the bird on Irrina's shoulder probably had. He was new off the test bed when Shine had gotten him, more or less. He was about to make a comment regarding how the galaxy was just one giant surprise waiting to happen when something caught his ear. If Irrina or 05 was saying something, he would lift his hand up to silence her with a stop motion, his head tilting back as he listened. At first, all he heard was quiet.......and then he heard what had caught his attention. Screams....screams loud enough to be heard from a distance. And those were never good. No one screamed like that for a good reason.....and the thought of what could make several people scream loud enough for him to hear from where he was really couldn't be good.
"Looks like something's up. 05...no, you must have a name like Vis here. Anyway, you two stay close to me. And if possible, see if there's anything being reported over the radio channels. Vis, plug into that terminal over there. See what you can make of what's going on...and get me a ruddy map of this place this time." Shine then shuffled over to the wall where the terminal lay, his eyes darting back and forth to the various directions to corridor went. He didn't like this location, too many ways for something to come...but he needed to get info first. Course...they could have always hid in the bathroom..... Vis, as ordered, hobbled over to the terminal on the wall, a public access one for making requests. Within seconds, he had plugged himself into the system, quickly breaking down walls to access a said map and to see if he could locate information based on what was going on.
"I have the map. But this terminal does not connect to anything major, therefore I am unable to grasp the current situation within the building. Although.....I'm getting....one second. There we go, a Holonet access. It appears as if.....armed men have entered the building. Motives unknown, but they're saying there have been deaths. And all communication with the outside world has been cut off. In fact, the holonet feed I'm getting is from someone inside the building; their signal is being bounced back as it tries to escape however. Effectively....we are trapped."
"Come to Rodia, its an easy job that needs your skills. There won't be a problem. Yea, thanks a lot Daryr. Okay Vis, unplug. We'll think of what to do after we find a better location with which to do so. This place is too exposed; if any of those men come......get down!" Shine spun to the sound of footsteps, indicating to Vis to prepare that shock device he held within his body as he eyed the man who came round the bend. Golden eyes quickly took in the white haired man, along with the oddly familiar droid on his shoulder, but his tension didn't lessen at that. Still, Shine had to get the droid to power down. Shine couldn't do anything to the man; he had a familiar and by that oath he took on Kuat, he couldn't harm him.
"Well well, fancy meeting you here. I'd make a witty comment about not trying anything funny, but since I lack a blaster and since you've got a Familar, I find myself unable to do so. It's always a darn shame when that happens, eh? So, I'll go with who are you, what's going on and who is your friend there? We're a little in the dark here and all, as you can tell, so any information you have would be appreciated...and I ask nicely of course." Vis, having powered down and returned to Shine's shoulder, whispered "its 14" into his ear, which made Shine frown internally. Let's just pray that he's as caught up as us in this, instead of part of it. I really need to stop picking the ruddy jobs; they always seem to get worse.
|
|
|
|
|
Mara
nothing worth anything ever goes down easy
9,275 posts
55 likes
the one and only
|
|
last online May 2, 2022 22:30:17 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Jan 14, 2011 19:35:02 GMT -5
Post by Mara on Jan 14, 2011 19:35:02 GMT -5
Though her cheeks were no longer flushed and had returned back to her normal skin tone of a pale white, Ina was still feeling a bit foolish for what had just happened. She wasn't exactly embarrassed about running into the familiar man--she thought his name was Al something, or maybe something Al--but she also knew it wasn't the classiest of things for a senator to have done. Just something else to chalk up to the troubles her new position was innately causing her. Obviously she should have been looking where she was walking, or at least walking more slowly. But she had allowed herself to get distracted while looking for the commissary. And that was when she realized the man was staring at her, having completely missed that he had been speaking earlier, during the run-in. Embarrassment began to creep slowly up again as she felt his eyes on her. Quickly, she surveyed herself, wondering if she had somehow ripped her clothes in the confusion, checking her hair to make sure it was still all right. Everything with her appearance seemed in sorts, and yet he was still looking at her. And so she looked back, more confused than anything. Still there was that familiarity, that she had met him at that strange meeting on Kuat. Usually so good with names, she seemed to have misplaced his, and the reason he had been there. Luckily, though, Ofi had taken some initiative and apologized for her, breaking the awkward silence and breaking into her thoughts, as she saw the words scrolling across the datapad that the little droid had brought back to her. She smiled gratefully. And now things seemed to be getting back under control or at least more controlled than chaos. Hopefully they could just shake things off and go their separate ways. She had lifted her hands, tucking her datapad under an arm, preparing to add something else when the man began to speak again. Almost immediately his words were also transferred to the device in her hands as Ofi wirelessly translated for her, and Ina forwent more apologies and excuses to read his words. So he was the same man; at least, he remembered her name. And yes, Shine Albartos, now she recognized the name. Ina nodded at Shine in response, not really needed to speak more, and not knowing what else to say either. Things were just getting crazier here on Rodia. Never did she think she would meet any of the fellows from Kuat ever again. And now here she was, colliding into one. And despite the elapsed time, her stomach still feeling slightly flustered. Ina felt a strange vibration, and belatedly realized it was coming from Shine's droid, the one he must have been on Kuat for. But his was not a bird but more mammal-like. And it was speaking. She had realized that she felt a subtle mechanical hum sometimes when Ofi was nearby but had gotten used to it. This other's was different, and must be she had felt it, deep within, almost like her pendant on her necklace. She read the translation, but then looked to Ofi, as the other droid was speaking to her companion, instead. Ofi was silent and didn't respond. Though recovered from the shock at returning to Kuat after so much time and being immersed again with various PF droids, Ina had noticed that Ofi was given to bouts of silence and contemplation more often. And she wondered what it had to do with her friends. Realizing that Ofi wasn't going to speak, Ina shrugged at Shine and the other droid, hoping they would get the message that Ofi was... temperamental at times. The silence didn't seem to bother either one of them, though, and so Ina was relieved. It was enough to have run into the pair; she didn't need Ofi being intentionally rude to them. Again, she made a mental note to ask the droid about Kuat, and about her seeming indifference to all other PF droids. Thinking about apologizing anyway, Ina prepared to tuck away her datapad for ease of signing, but Shine threw up his hand. Any future pleasantries had been forgotten. She turned her head to look where he was looking but saw nothing. He was staring at the and appeared to be listening to something that Ina couldn't hear. A questioning look to Ofi revealed a startling truth on the datapad in jilted but complete thoughts from the smart droid: A commotion in the lobby, many beings injured or dead, the rest hostages, a team of mercenaries or terrorists. Ina's eyes widened, and no longer was she feeling flustered. She was terrified. A simple trip to Rodia for a senate committee meeting had turned into something much, much worse. And she was stuck in the middle of it without her hearing and only two droids and Shine, a man she barely knew, for company and protection. Clutching her datapad with white knuckles, she closed her eyes in a prayer. So scared, so tightly holding onto the device, she didn't notice right away that Shine was speaking again, trying to take control of the situation. With the words dancing in her shaking fingers, she read Ofi's transcript of what he was saying. The words seemed relatively calm to her. Obviously she couldn't hear any inflection in his voice, but the words themselves spoke volumes. His description and Ofi's earlier one didn't seem to match up very well, and the senator was inclined to believe her friend more than Shine who probably was just trying to keep everyone calm. Which was not working in Ina's case. As he moved over to the terminal, Ina made sure to follow closely behind. If she did anything, she would listen to him. Even if she might not believe the lack of seriousness in the situation he was conveying, she was not about to be left behind. She knew that Ofi was a capable fighter with all kinds of hidden contraptions, but if her report was true, even the droid wouldn't be able to hold up a whole group of terrorists. Staying with her new companions seemed the best choice for the moment. "Call me Ofi. There's nothing on the radio. But I picked up something else." Apparently Ofi had no problems responding to Shine but preferred to ignore this Vis droid. "I will retransmit them." The next words out of Ofi's mouth were in a strange man's tones, as she played the message straight from its source. If Ina could have heard them the traditional way, she would have been a little more than weirded out at hearing her friend's voice in such unfriendly words. "This Embassy is now under our control. Many of your friends are dead, probably more will die. We have more than a sufficient amount of hostages to accomplish what we need to..." Another man's voice cried out, "And what is that?" There was a pause before the first man, the terrorist spoke again, still coming from Ofi's mouth: "For Rodia to remove itself from the Republic and join the Sith Empire."Reading those words off her datapad, Ina started shaking again. She was never going to get off Rodia alive. All her hard work for her people, for equal rights, all of it was never going to come to fruition. Everyone she loved, she would never see again. Her father would be devastated. Her friend Riqi. Even Ofi would be sad, after spending so much time with her the last ten years. In some detached part of her mind she wondered what would become of the droid after her death. Would she be reassigned? Or sent back to Kuat never to see another world again? A sudden movement from Shine brought her out of her depressing thoughts, and she belatedly glanced at her datapad, only reading the more current words, nothing bothering with the earlier mass from Vis. In a situation like this, she felt, what was past was past, and only the present mattered. So much could change in an instant. She ducked down behind the man, scared out of her wits, clutching the datapad like a lifeline, Ofi digging in her claws into her shoulder to stay upright. No, she couldn't die now. No, no, no. Any few survival instincts she had had were kicking in, and no longer was she feeling sorry for herself but now thinking ahead. If Shine could dispatch of this man who was coming around the corner to kill them, maybe they could-- Shine was speaking to the man who also seemed to have a PF droid. Ina's eyes widened in surprise, and she stood back up, still standing slightly behind Shine. What was going on here? Some kind of convention? And then adding in the terrorists to the mix. The Offshoot didn'tk now what to think anymore and was glad she didn't have to speak. With steadier hands, she read what Shine was saying. He didn't seem to know the man and also wasn't exactly relaxing. Decades of living without her hearing had given Ina time to see other ways that people communicated, and Shine's body language was telling her that he wasn't quite trusting this new man. But he wasn't attacking him either. Ina watched curiously, and oddly not afraid. He had a Familiar, he couldn't be a terrorist. Right? (((Blarg, it's long and it sucks, but I did it. )))
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Jan 14, 2020 17:37:19 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Feb 2, 2011 15:25:53 GMT -5
Post by Jace on Feb 2, 2011 15:25:53 GMT -5
The adrenaline that had initially kicked in was slowly starting to fade away. Eva's mind began to focus more effectively on the task at hand. She first considered her current position in the office and its various implications. The assassin considered just waiting in the office, in which case she would be possibly overlooked. Everything she had seen from these terrorists told her otherwise. Determined, skilled, and thorough not to mention heavily armed. Chances were that they would make a proper sweep of the building. Eva still had no idea how many of them there were.
A glance out the window told her that she was running out of time. One of the terrorists was beginning a sweep of the offices on the floor. The question was whether they were looking for hostages or just cleaning up. She heard the distinctive sound of a door sliding open followed by desperate pleading and finally a blaster bolt. It seemed that they had all the hostages they needed, these men held a serious grudge against the Republic. She winced ever so slightly as another shot rang out.
The terrorist was now only one office down, this was her chance to get away. Even as the door slide open and the terrorist stepped into the adjacent room, Eva slipped out of the room she was in. She was about to make a quick dash down the hallway when she heard the woman's voice pleading.
"P-P-Please don't do this, I haven't done anything." was the desperate plea.
Eva was an assassin, she had no illusions about what her job required. She had lived around death her whole life, they were old friends. On top of all that, she didn't even know these people, they should mean nothing to her. She just wanted to leave but the indiscriminate killing of these civilians made her angry. Then the woman who had built her life around logic decided to do something stupid.
The assassin quietly slipped into the adjacent room, the terrorists back was to her. She could see the woman on the floor, her horror struck face. It was then that the woman spotted Eva and her eyes widened.
Damn
She shot into motion with fluidity that only a lithe woman who had trained in unarmed combat for years could achieve. Eva's leg shot out and connected with the back of the man's knee, causing him to cry out. His knee buckled and he fell to the ground, but Eva wasn't done just yet. Luckily for her, he had stepped closer to the desk to get a clear shot at the woman. Her hand grasped the back of his head, and shoved it violently forward right into the edge of the desk. The rather wet thud indicated that part of the man's head was now part of the desk.
The sight of the man's limp body and caved in forehead was more than enough to cause the woman to faint.
"This is what I get for trying to be a big damn hero" muttered Eva to herself
Eva went over to the terrorists body, she needed to gather whatever she could. The assassin grabbed the man's comm unit and his blaster pistol. The rifle would just hinder her movement at this stage. She also found a combat knife which she thought would prove quite handy. After she had retrieved all that she needed she stood up and considered her current situation. It wouldn't be long before they realized this man was dead and sent someone up to check on him. So the first thing she did was drag the unconscious woman back to the initial room Eva was in.
There was no way out of this now, she was going to have to fight her way out. She needed to make the first strike, the element of surprise was all the assassin had on her side, it may be all she needed though. Even as she carefully made her way through the hallway of the second floor, she kept coming to the same conclusions.
She was going to need help.
|
|
|
|
|
Kuhblam
I've got two guns, one for each of ya'.
|
|
last online Sept 7, 2013 15:30:01 GMT -5
Guardian
|
|
|
Feb 16, 2011 19:38:54 GMT -5
Post by Kuhblam on Feb 16, 2011 19:38:54 GMT -5
(OOC: Sorry for the short post.)
He made the decision to leave the room. In his thinking, Ferrus had decided that his remaining pistol would do him absolutely no good; he'd have to go silent completely if there was to be any chance of success. This, he had determined in the last five seconds or so. One shot popped off, and there would be a half dozen terrorists armed much more heavily than himself searching every inch of the second floor. He'd be dead before he hit the floor, provided on the number of shots his armor could take. Yep, it'd have to be commando-style with a blade minus the being naked part. He'd get up close and personal, take them out one at a time, return for that cowardly Rodian, and then make off with the cash. Quietly, he moved an armored finger to press in the key codes for the sliding electronic door. The keys rang silently like doorbells as he un-locked the door: 3, 4, 1, 7, 9, 1-AA-H.
As it slid open, he popped his helmeted head and took a peek either way. There were three options; he could go left, right or forward. His first option would have to be a no-go; two guards in ballistic combat vests armed with what looked to be light repeating blasters. He could overpower one, but the other would get him for sure and then the alarm would be raised. The second option wasn't promising; it ended at a caution-taped auxiliary turbolift. Even if it had been in order, it would have alerted too much attention; he frowned for a moment before moving his head back inside the camouflage of the doorway and looked forward to the adjoining corridor. One guard, similarly armed as the others, but he was alone, and that was the important part. The killing played through his head; approach silently from behind, get him into a choke-hold, and drive that vibroblade home into his neck. The blood would be a tall tale for whoever came by, it wouldn't nearly be as noticeable as a body.
He poked his head back down the left corridor; the two guards weren't paying any attention. This was good; quietly, he stood up from his crouching position and tip-toed ironically in his armor until he was out of their line of sight should they turn around. Now, it was just the guard ahead of him. He still had his knife in hand, held in a reverse grip with his thumb on the bottom of the handle. However, at the last moment he decided to sheath it. Killing him would only increase the sound of the struggle and alert more possible tangos. No, he would knock him unconscious, stop his air supply, and shove him in a side closet for local authorities to discover later. His heart slowly began to speed up, matching the stress of his mind as he came up behind the guard. His entire body was racing; the adrenaline pump threatened to make him flinch or hesitate. He had to get him now, before anyone in the adjacent hallways appeared and witnessed the attack. Three feet away... two feet away... one foot away...
Now or never.
He grappled the man with a powerful arm around his neck, covering his mouth with his hand as the insurgent struggled against this new opponent. He was muscular, but lacked coordination to rip himself free of Ferrus' choke-hold. His arms dropped the blaster rifle he had been carrying, and it clattered to the floor but did not go off. Ferrus' other arm locked around in reverse even as the man tried to pry him off his collar.. The rest was history; even as he brought an elbow to knock the wind from his stomach, he did not let go. Rather, he increased the intensity of his grip until the man ceased to struggle. Quietly, he laid the man forward, dropping to one knee so as not to let him fall. Ferrus brought two fingers to his neck; he was alive, merely unconscious. No blood, no messy encounters. It had been efficient and undetected. This was good. Quietly, he policed the weapon and threw it by the sling over his shoulder. He looked to the left at the end of the new hallway, and then... looked left.
Osik.
This was exactly what he had feared with the risks to his plan. There was a woman, young but resolute, walking down the hallway to him. He was still crouched over the unconscious terrorist, whose upper half was still visible sticking out from the adjoining middle hallway. She was obviously not a regular civilian, from his quick observation. This female had the mannerisms of a military servicemen, and she was lean but muscular. No, she could not be a terrorist. She lacked their fatigue uniforms and wasn't armed what-so-ever. Moreover, she looked like she was alert, almost like she was looking for someone. No, she could not be a member of the terrorist group. Ripping his T-Visor helmet off so she could see his face, he raised a gloved finger to his lips in the universal "Shhhhsh" sign as he stood up and grabbed the limp terrorist by the shoulders, pulling him towards an adjacent door. Hopefully she'd get the hint... or maybe she would do the exact opposite and was actually a member of the insurgents.
Let's up hope for luck.
|
|
|
|
|
Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
6,347 posts
1,102 likes
Friendly neighborhood CEO
|
|
last online Jan 12, 2024 11:24:20 GMT -5
Administrator
|
|
|
Feb 25, 2011 13:11:45 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Feb 25, 2011 13:11:45 GMT -5
Someone, someone, gotta find someone. Asyr's footsteps called out softly as he rushed down the embassy's hallways. But who? Where? Taking the fight back to these people would be hard enough with help, and almost certainly suicidal if he tried it alone. Who would help him, though? Most of the types here were plain civilians, not people that knew how to fight back in the way they'd need to. He might not have cared overmuch about what happened to them in the long run, but he sure as hell wasn't planning on leading some counter effort that would go down in memory as a foolish, suicidal run; those had ways of just making life absolutely miserable.
They also had ways of making one very, very dead. Asyr had no intentions of leaving the place as a corpse, but neither did he intend to miss the Bohemian's launch. Not getting stranded again. Been through that too many damn times. Of course, the fact that he actually liked the Bohemian crew helped fuel a sense of urgency.
It also sparked an idea.
Slowing to a halt as he came to the edge of a corner, Asyr lowered himself into a crouch and glanced around. The way was clear. Good. He'd need a few moments of peace.
"Say Flitch," he said to his little companion, ever keeping a look out for approaching people, "you can send messages, right? And encode them?"
"I can, yes." The Familiar's holographic eagle wings stretched out and resettled as Flitch resettled on Asyr's shoulder. They'd been a light, wary orange ever since the attack began.
"Good." Asyr dug into one of his coat pockets and produced a datapad. "There's a message I want you to send. Encrypt it."
"I will do so. Simply give me the message."
"Hold on, hold on." He was tapping away on the datapad, finishing the message and putting in the correct frequency to have it forwarded to the Bohemian.
"Lordrua, this is Asyr. At the embassy. Everything's gone to hell. Terrorist raid. Don't leave without me."
There was a break in the message, and then:
"And tell Jaleqe if he tries to take the opportunity to steal any of my stuff I'll punch him in the face" Honor among thieves be damned.
"Here Flitch. Send it."
The Familiar connected to the datapad. There was a momentary moment of silence, and then...
"Message sent, Asyr."
A momentary bit of relief washed over Asyr. At least he had some reason to hope now. It was better than not getting any kind of word out to Lordura. Stars only knew the woman would leave him; she didn't play about such things.
With the message away, Asyr could return his mind to the more pressing matters at hand. He stood up, gave a final glance around him to ensure that he was still in the clear and turned the corner. On he went, until he saw two people approaching. There was a man and a woman. Asyr's muscles tensed at first sight of them and adrenaline spiked. Where they threats? No, the woman didn't look to be one at least; she looked too official for that, with the way she was dressed. Doesn't mean anything, though. Not yet... The man, though. Asyr had seen his type before. He watched them warily as they approached, even with the droids on their shoulders. 05 and 15, as Flitch informed him. Asyr still didn't let his guard down.
Oath or not, people could lie. Asyr's entire living centered on that, to a degree.
"Well well, fancy meeting you here. I'd make a witty comment about not trying anything funny, but since I lack a blaster and since you've got a Familar, I find myself unable to do so. It's always a darn shame when that happens, eh? So, I'll go with who are you, what's going on and who is your friend there? We're a little in the dark here and all, as you can tell, so any information you have would be appreciated...and I ask nicely of course."
Asyr's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he appraised the man. "Good thing for you don't have a blaster. Not a good idea to go pointin' weapons at people in times like this. Might get you hurt." He snorted softly, stepping a bit closer to them, making no sudden movements and keeping his hands visible, even if his body was ready to react in an instant. Both were noticeably shorter than he, the man more so than the woman. "Name's Asyr. Don't believe I caught yours
"As for what's goin' on, you probably know about as much as I do. Terrorists are in, and I want out. Nice droids, by the way. Looks like they're in style."
Flitch, who'd been stirring on his shoulder, finally spoke up. "15, 05, it is a pleasure to see you both again. Though, I regret the... dire circumstances that surround our reunion. I hope that you have both been well?"
Asyr suppressed a little chuckle as he shook his head slightly and started to walk past them, toward a nearby corner. Conversation or no, he wasn't going to stop keeping a lookout. "Anyway, I'm gettin' out of here, one way or another. I'll need help, th-"
As he stuck his head around the corner to check for enemies, he found himself staring another man in the face. His face was hidden beneath a balaclava, and he had vest on with weapons strapped to it. There was a pistol in his hand.
The man yelled something and started raising his pistol. Asyr, however, was already moving, and didn't give the poor sap time to finish. One hand reached out and took the man by the wrist of the arm that held the pistol and twisted it up and over. The other hand slapped the gun free before the man tried to counter with a punch at Asyr's head. The Echani read him like a book, however, and easily ducked the blow. His counter was swift and merciless--a hard strike to the man's trachea with his hand. The fellow crumpled to the ground, wheezing and clutching at his throat.
Asyr snorted softly and dropped the man's wrist. "See?" He looked back to the man and the woman as he crouched down. "Told you pointin' weapons at people could get you hurt."
Let's see what you've got... His fingers combed over the body. The pistol was good. He picked it up. There was another pistol on the man's person, as well as a few extra packs of ammunition and some grenades. Asyr took some of the packs of ammo and two of the grenades. A combat knife was sheathed at the man's waist. Asyr removed it and inspected the blade. IT was good. Solid, serated. He looked down at the gagging man beneath him.
Better to remove a threat now than have to deal with it later... It was a cruel fact perhaps, but it was a fact he'd grown used to dealing with on raids. So he did what he felt he had to do. The cut across the man's throat was swift, as was his death.
"Look," he said, looking back to the duo as he crouched there over the dying terrorrist, wiping blood from the knife onto the man's vest, "I plan on getting out of here, and that's gonna involve taking some of the fight back to these terrorrists. But I'm gonna need some help to do that. If you," he looked to Shine, "can handle yourself in a fight, grab a weapon and come with me. But you," now his attention turned to Irrina, "if you're as... official as I think you are, you need to find somewhere to hide and stay there. This isn't for you."
Of course, he didn't really care what happened to the woman. But if she wasn't ready for what was coming, she'd only get in the way, and that was most definitely not something Asyr wanted to deal with.
|
|
|
|
|
Jazen
Beelzaboot
1,617 posts
86 likes
Rocking from the Great White North
|
|
last online Apr 20, 2022 19:46:47 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Feb 27, 2011 6:25:30 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Feb 27, 2011 6:25:30 GMT -5
Irrina was defiantly not a fighter. It only took one simple look at her, at the way she was responding to what happened around her, to tell him that. She was scared. Before, she'd been embarrassed about running headfirst into him in the hall but now, with the situation as it was, that had been replaced by a feeling of fear. She shook, held that datapad which appeared to be her only way of understanding what the outside world was telling her hard to her chest, her eyes clearly showing that her thoughts were in shambles. He couldn't blame her, Shine figured; she was a senator. Their battleground led to the death of their careers, not their lives. She fought on the political battlefield, he fought on the physical one.
But still, he had to focus on the task at hand. Her Familiar, the bird like sister to Vis who had identified herself as Ofi had just given him the clearest picture of the situation at hand. Terrorists had seized the Embassy, taken those inside hostage and were now demanding for an order that would never be filled. Rodia wouldn't desert the Republic over the few lives that these men had taken hostage; handing themselves over to the Sith was an even worse fate, one which he didn't doubt other senators and the Rodian government would do everything in their power to avoid. That meant those trapped below...and himself and Irrina as well, were basically expendable if it came right down to it. Well frell me on the side, didn't I pick a lovely day to visit. Note to self, stay outta well known places for a month. Maybe then I'll shake this ruddy case of bad luck.
A glance to Vis after the message had played had confirmed that his little friend had heard the same message, confirming that at least it was real. That gave Shine two points of knowledge; that the terrorists likely were holding the hostages in the main foyer, where it would be easy to stand guard over them all. That meant that the main entrance, the only way he knew in and out of this massive place, was going to be under heavy guard. Wouldn't be getting out that way. The other point was that they would likely send men to patrol the halls of the Embassy, to look for anyone they missed in the initial attack and bring them to the others. Or worse. That left him with little time to think of what to do. If only he could find a security booth or the control station...then maybe he might have been able to get an idea on what to do...and how to get out.
For now though, his attention was on the man who had come around the corner. The man was bigger then him...not only in the taller sense of mind, but also on the physique side as well. He lucked out that the man was not only a part of Project Familiar, but that he had simply been caught up in this like Shine and Irrina had. That made him a potential ally...and one that Shine would gladly take compared to the frail Irrina at his back. He did have to chuckle slightly at Asyr's first comment to him, especially considering the truth behind it.
"True enough, but considering the circumstances, I'd rather have the bead on someone before they get a bead on me right? Name's Shine by the way..and this lady here is Irrina. I guess your friend there knows these guys; mine's called Vistal and her's Ofi. You can call mine Vis for short; saves time and breath."
The little companion at his side looked up to 14 when the strange, dragonese droid addressed him and his brother Ofi, his whiskers flicking in response as they took on a shade of green. Had the little fellow had the proper circuits, gears and motors, he might have been smiling at running into two of his fellows at the same time. Even if it was under unexceptional circumstances. "Greetings to you as well 14. I see you have found an owner in the short time I've been gone; I'm glad to see it. But indeed, I wish our meeting again had come under.....less stressing a situation. I am well though, thank you for inquiring."
Shine shook his head at the little droid before bending down to lift him to his shoulder. He had to hand it to Vis; the little guy probably was the most relaxed out of all of them in the current situation, although Vis had shaken slightly at the arrival of Asyr and Irrina. His fellows he was good with...new people, not so much. He'd lighten up though, provided they lived long enough for that to happen. No, they would live long enough for that; Shine just had to keep his guard up and his toes on edge.
Shine brought his attention back to Asyr as the bigger man stalked past, following into step beside him as he motioned for Irrina to come. "Hey, I'm all for getting outta here but we'll need to find....." Shine was cut off before he could finish as Asyr walked straight into a masked man....and there was no doubt who the man was and what his purpose here was either. Instinct took over and Shine readied himself for a possible fight, making sure to place himself between the man and Irrina. He even heard the small whine of Vis powering up that small shock device of his. At least the little fellow was good at reading the situation.
Neither him nor Vis had to do anything though; Asyr dropped the man so fast that Shine had to blink twice to be sure he had seen what had happened right. Asyr had seen the man, shattered his wrist in one deft move, countered the man's feeble counter attack and then ended him with a heavy and crushing blow to the windpipe. His comment went slightly unnoticed as Shine watched the wheezing man on the ground for a moment longer before shaking his head back to reality and moving over to squat down beside Asyr. "Point taken. Nice moves by the way; very professional. You have to introduce me to your trainer."
He winced as Asyr used the knife he had just taken to end the crippled man's life but Shine put that part of his mind aside. The man had likely killed before, killed today in fact. And with his windpipe shattered, it would have been a slow painful death anyway. Asyr had done the man an act of mercy. At Asyr's further comments, Shine would merely nod and take what Asyr had not; the blaster, the remaining power packs, the last of the grenades and strangely enough, the balaclava and vest. Stuffing the balaclava into his pocket, he strode over to Irrina and handed the vest to her. The vest was standard, but it had some meshing under its outer coverings; it would at least guarantee some protection.
"Ofi, tell her to put this on, it'll come in handy." Turning back to Asyr, Shine spun the pistol in his hand...then rose the weapon up and fired a single shot. Asyr would no doubt wonder what had happened...until the man that had been coming up the corridor hit the ground with a thud. Spinning the pistol again, Shine slid it into the holster at his side, grinning slightly. "Call that a favor repaid. Anyway, I'm with you on getting outta here, except one thing. She's gotta come with us. She would know this place better then either of us and we'll need her to find a possible exit. Plus, I'm sure her friend there as a surprise or two, just like Vis does, just like 14 there likely has. The more firepower we got, the better here."
Signaling for Irrina, he looked at Ofi for a moment, then back to her. "That man is Asyr; he's an ally okay. Now, we need to find a way out. Do you know of any other then the main entrance; if you don't, I need you to show us to the nearest guard booth or the central security or frell it, the office of a big shot. We can find a way out that way through the blueprints. And whatever happens, stay close and watch me for signals. The quieter we are, the better, kay?" He'd pat her reassuringly ont he shoulder, then turn back to stand beside Asyr.
"Well, that's my plan. If she doesn't know a way out, we'll patch in and find one. If that works for you, then on her direction, we'll head off." Now all he had to do was wait...and hope Irrina could prove her use right at that moment. They would need Asyr to get out...and he had a feeling that they would need him for a lot more then that in the coming time.
|
|
|
|
|
Mara
nothing worth anything ever goes down easy
9,275 posts
55 likes
the one and only
|
|
last online May 2, 2022 22:30:17 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Mar 26, 2011 3:10:23 GMT -5
Post by Mara on Mar 26, 2011 3:10:23 GMT -5
Though still wary, Ina moved a bit away from Shine in order to see this new stranger better. Feeling that her friend was relaxing a bit, Ofi did so also, loosening her death grip on Ina's shoulder and turning back to her facade of calm and innocent bird droid. Ina smiled at her friend and help up a hand in silent thanks. A gesture that also told the droid to be patient and see where this new situation went for the moment. For all intents and purposes, they may have gathered two more allies with them against the terrorists. Though, rather sadly, she realized she was hardly an ally. Perhaps Ofi would be enough to sway the others. She steadied the datapad in her hand and waited for a reply from the stranger.
She read her datapad as the other man rambled on his version of platitudes and advice for what they should be doing. Ina couldn't understand why not Shine shouldn't be pointing a blaster if he had had one. They had no idea if this guy was friendly or not. Not right away at least. Him having a Familiar droid was a start... but not duracrete proof as to his innocence. Though willing to give him the benefit of the doubt--keeping Shine between him and herself, of course--Ina was still wary. Her whole life had taught her that even the most friendly beings could stab you in the back. This man might be doing the same thing.
The man, who identified himself as Asyr, she read off the information sent by Ofi, went on to tell them about the terrorists. She glanced at Shine before turning back to the device. They already knew about the terrorists. So far, this Asyr wasn't telling them anything new. Except to the fact that he was apparently impressed that both she and Shine also had PF droids. Unfortunately for Ina, sarcasm did not translate well onto her datapad. Most of the time there was too much going on for Ofi to translate more than the bare words without using descriptors.
Ofi ignored 14 when he spoke up, saying hello to her and 15. It wasn't simply because she was AER and they were not. There was just some deep-rooted disgust she had for the whole group of droids. Something that Ina had wondered about since Kuat, and had never gotten a straight answer out of her friend. Ina had even thought that perhaps Ofi didn't even know the reason for her snubbing, that she had been doing it so long, the motive had be lost. But at the current moment, none of that mattered. Terrorists mattered.
Ina had just been looking down to read Asyr's latest when suddenly the man went around the corner. She couldn't hear what was happening but saw part of it. If she could have, she would have gasped, but for her, she simply opened her mouth in silent horror. He appeared to be fighting with another being. Thinking it was one of the terrorists, Ina moved back again, back behind Shine. But instead of gripping her tightly as when Asyr first appeared, Ofi seemed to relax farther, even unfolding her wings. The senator was too busy to notice this.
Despite any preconceived notions she had had about this Asyr, she was willing to bet now that he was on their side. Unless it was still a mighty ruse, but even she didn't think this tall Echani was smart enough to be a double agent. He seemed rather more... primal and brute force than lacking complex intelligence. Seeing the enemy thus dispatched, Ofi folded her wings back up. She had actually be looking slightly forward to doing more than act as interpretive for Ina. Not that she didn't love Ina--as much as a droid could love an organic--but sometimes she thought of her original purpose. A purpose she rarely got to utilize. Ofi would defend Ina to her deactivation, but thus far, despite Ina's controversial ideas, right here on Rodia was the most dangerous situation she had been involved in, in the decade they had been together. If only that Asyr fellow hadn't been so fast... Perhaps the next enemy could be her victim. She just had to wait. And start transmitting back to Ina; the man was speaking again.
Reading the words, after getting over the shock of the quick attack, Ina let them go. Just more commentary to his earlier words about Shine and his lack of blaster being something preferable. She was more focused with looking at the being Asyr was now ransacking, basically, depriving him of anything useful. Ina was a bit horrified at it. Yes, they were effectively at war, but was there no peace for the dead, of any side? It actually kind of disgusted her but she refrained from saying anything. In fact, she had been quiet this whole time since Asyr had come up to them. A rather odd position for her, who loved to talk.
And then--Ina had to look away as Asyr put the man out of his misery. Something she understood, but why with a knife? Couldn't a quick blaster bolt been quicker and less painful. She sighed, quietly as well as a deaf woman could shy. This simple trip to Rodia was turning out to be a whole lot more than she had bargained for. And her eyes were seeing a lot more than she had planned on. So much violence.... But then again, she had figured Asyr for more of a brute force than anything else. Maybe this was all he knew--killing.
Asyr was speaking again, and reading his words made Ina's blood boil. Useless! She was not useless. Perhaps she was not a mindless killer, but she could do plenty! And she had Ofi, whose skills she knew were related to assassination, but over the years Ina had forgotten the details given to her when the droid had come into her possession. Certainly she, and the other two droids as well, could do something. Just leave her here for the terrorists? She looked up and glared at Asyr, the knuckles holding her datapad turning white. Ina had half a mind to go up to the white-haired freak and show him what was what. No matter if he might be on their side; maybe he wasn't and just wanted to isolate her for a hostage or something for his terrorist friends.
Sensing her friend's emotion by feeling the change in her posture, Ofi turned her red eyes at Ina, then back to the beings around her. She held steady at her position on her friend's shoulder, gently nudging her to calm down. This was no place for a fight, a fight Ina could not win, but Ofi was sure to win. And despite the man's gruffness, the droid was sure they would need Asyr for later. She didn't want to kill him.
Thankfully before she did something she would regret, Shine came to the rescue and interrupted her death stare at Asyr. She hadn't caught the words but understood the gesture, putting on the vest he offered her. It clashed a bit with the business suit she had on and was a bit baggy on her, but she was glad of the safety it offered. She tucked a strange of almost-white hair behind her partially ear and turned back to her datapad, catching up to the conversation Shine was having. Ina smiled at him, glad for the defense of her status in the 'group.' Perhaps they could put this all behind them and get somewhere safer.
But before she could voice that thought, Shine was speaking to her. She raised an eyebrow as he started explaining things about Asyr. Ina already knew his name from an earlier transmission from Ofi, but that was fine. Somehow, she found this courtesy of Shine's endearing. He was the only man here that wanted her presence her. She couldn't say the same of Asyr.
When she read Shine's plan, all the blood drained from her face, making her even more pale than she normally was, and anything she was feeling a moment before was gone. She looked at him with a blank look, after she had reread what he had said a couple more times. Ina had no idea where half of these hallways and rooms went. She had only come here for a meeting with the other senators; that was the only part of the embassy she knew. How was she to know of another entrance, for certain? It was obvious there might be one, for the dignitaries to leave secretly but where it was, she had no idea. Leading them on a fool's errand wasn't something she wanted to do. It suddenly hit her that Asyr was right; maybe she was worthless to them.
A ping from her pendant alerted her to a message on her datapad. Confused, knowing Shine was no longer speaking to her but Asyr, she looked down. It was from Ofi; it read simply "Senator Daryr's office." Of course, the Rodian she had been meeting with; she knew that part of the embassy. Now only if she could find her way back... She signed to Ofi, her hands flying. They spoke back and forth for a bit, hands to datapad, before Ina turned to Shine and signed to him and then shrugged.
"The senator is unsure of the entire layout of the embassy, but she has an idea. The Rodian senator she was meeting with, she knows where his office was. It's near the conference room the senators were speaking in. She wonders if he may have information in there. It's a long shot, though, she understands. Both rooms are on the main floor, in the back. This is the senator's first visit to the embassy, and it's still new to her." Ofi paused then before speaking again, this time voicing her own thoughts. "I personally believe we should find a secure location and hold our ground, take the terrorists out, instead of running." She flexed her wings, showing her blades briefly before hiding them again, her eyes glowing brighter red.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Jan 14, 2020 17:37:19 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
May 24, 2011 23:50:01 GMT -5
Post by Jace on May 24, 2011 23:50:01 GMT -5
(Kuhblam, I ignored your character in my post because I heard you weren't going to be posting with this charrie anymore. If I was mistaken, just let me know and I'll edit the post)
Armed with a blaster pistol and limited knowledge of her foes, Eva was in a very precarious situation. She was an assassin, her success was largely dependent on knowing everything there was to know about her target. All she knew was that she was dealing with highly trained terrorists, and had little in the way of weaponry. Her first thought had gone to escape, she had studied the blueprints of the embassy extensively. It also occurred to her that these terrorists had done the same, so it looked unlikely that any escape would be easy. As she continued to stalk through the hallway, she saw the frightened faces of those who were unlucky enough to be in the embassy at the time it was raided. Eva didn't hesitate to kill, but she also had the luxury of picking and choosing her own jobs, she had become more of a vigilante than an assassin...just an extremely well paid one.
Eva ducked into one of the offices quickly as she heard the sound of approaching footsteps. She needed to buy time to think, and she needed to find allies. Even with a full laid out plan, and weeks of preparation, she wouldn't be able to deal with these terrorists by herself. The assassin looked at the blaster pistol in her hand and let out an audible sigh. This no doubt perplexed the occupants of the office, who were unsure of what to think of their temporary new roommate. Eva didn't give any signs that she would hurt them, so they just cowered in the corner, leaving her to her own thoughts. It wouldn't be long before the terrorist she had killed absence had been recognized. She needed to move quickly, and quietly, and the time for her next move had come.
The footsteps of the next terrorist were approaching, cautious, careful as not to proceed too quickly. Eva had to give them respect albeit grudgingly, their training was superb. Even in such a highly tense scenario, they adhered to their training. That being said, they weren't the only highly trained confident people in the building. Eva crouched down, and pushed her back against the wall. She replaced the pistol in her hand with the knife she had taken from the dead terrorist. The footsteps got louder, it almost seemed to be in sync with her heartbeat. She had to wait just until he passed, she couldn't mask the sound of the door sliding open.
Now
The assassin hit the button to open the door, and dashed out towards the terrorist as fast as she could. As expected, the terrorist swerved around, bringing his blaster rifle to bear. Eva's hand flashed out, and steel cut into flesh. Unfortunately, the cutting of the man's tendons caused his finger to reflex and pull the gun's trigger. The sound of the blaster going off echoed loudly through the embassy, causing Eva to cringe. She spun to the left, ducking under the terrorist's wild haymaker. Eva lashed out with the knife once again but the terrorist managed to step back, dodging the strike.
Eva could hear the sounds of others yelling, no doubt terrorists on their way up here. If she was still here when they arrived, her chances of survival were not optimistic. The pair went back and forth for a few strikes, and it was in those moments that Eva realized how dumb she had been. The assassin brought her blade down in a vertical strike and as she had hoped, the terrorist easily grabbed her wrist. Her left hand flashed to her side and came right back up, this time with a blaster pistol in hand. The barrel of the pistol pressed right under the man's chin. All she saw in his eyes was defiance. A true soldier she thought just before she squeezed the trigger.
She was already moving before his body even hit the ground. Footsteps were approaching, and she needed to get away. The second floor would be too risky now, she needed to get to the main floor. She quickly turned into another hallway, and sprinted down it as fast as she could. Eva had made her way around the main reinforcements, and they had left one guard at the stairs. He was vigilant but even wasn't fast enough to dodge a knife that had been thrown at his throat. She quickly removed the bloody knife from the terrorist's throat and headed down towards the main floor. It wouldn't be long before all the terrorists were on her trail, she really did need some help.
|
|
|
|
|
Rugs
The ring-dang-doo, now what is that?
6,347 posts
1,102 likes
Friendly neighborhood CEO
|
|
last online Jan 12, 2024 11:24:20 GMT -5
Administrator
|
|
|
Jun 4, 2011 1:19:58 GMT -5
Post by Rugs on Jun 4, 2011 1:19:58 GMT -5
Asyr grunted softly as he looked over his stolen blaster pistol and tried not to shake his head. This Shine fellow seemed to be able to handle himself, which was good, but for some reason, he seemed to want to bring the Senator--this Irrina woman--along with them. It didn't make a lick of sense.
He glanced back over his shoulder at the same moment Shine shot the fellow that had been unfortunate enough to appear at the end of the same hall they were on. He'd heard his footsteps, but with the fellow dispatched, there was no need to stand up from what he was doing. The blaster seemed decent enough; not as good as his own heavy blaster or revolver (though few things had the power of that beast), but it was a nice find, all things considered. After an idle though, he dug out the man's wallet and stuffed the credits within into his own pocket. Weren't gonna do a dead man any good.
"Look Shine," Asyr said calmly as he popped the power pack out and replaced it with a fresh one, "I can appreciate your respect for the woman, I really can." He set the blaster down for a moment, then started to put the few grenades he'd picked up into his coat. He looked up at them both with his silver-blue eyes. "I'm sure she does an outstanding job doing whatever duties she has to the Republic.
"But this isn't her place, not for something like this. If the droid can be used, then bring the droid. Her battlefield, however, is elsewhere. If we need a map, one of the droids can plug into the embassy's system and get one. So, if you want to bring the droid, bring the droid. She needs to find somewhere safe and bunker down until this storm has passed, and we don't need, well..." his eyes flicked to the Senator and then to Shine again, "deadweight dragging us down."
Picking the pistol back up from the floor, he stood up to his full height and looked down at them, as if studying them. He noted the looks Irrina gave him, but he didn't care. If the woman was upset about him speaking his mind, they wouldn't get along; he was a pirate, not a diplomat. Sometimes a diplomatic pirate, but he wasn't trying to set up a job at the moment--he was trying to get back to the Bohemian with his heart still beating.
"Then again," he said, turning to Shine, "I come from a military family. So forgive me if I think of the efficiency of the group over looking nice for our current circumstances." His tone said he wasn't sorry about it at all. Any other time, he wouldn't mind having Irrina along--she didn't look half bad--but there were some circumstances where his tendencies to give in to such were trumped by his tendency to want to stay alive. This was one of them. Because if you wanted to take care of her, you'd leave her somewhere safe instead of dragging her into hell's foyer.
"The senator is unsure of the entire layout of the embassy, but she has an idea."
Well there goes that, Asyr thought, giving Shine a flat look for a moment. So much for the Senator knowing where to take them.
"The Rodian senator she was meeting with, she knows where his office was. It's near the conference room the senators were speaking in. She wonders if he may have information in there. It's a long shot, though, she understands. Both rooms are on the main floor, in the back. This is the senator's first visit to the embassy, and it's still new to her."
It was an interesting thought. "Information for what?" Asyr inquired. He didn't particularly care about why the terrorists were here; he wanted to get out. But if heading to that office proved to be a step in that direction, he'd take it.
"I personally believe we should find a secure location and hold our ground, take the terrorists out, instead of running."
"That's a lovely idea," Asyr said. "Until the terrorists figure where he are and we have a tide of them on our asses. Two and a half barely equipped people aren't going to hold off a flood of them. Especially if they don't care about causing damage to the Embassy. And forgive me if I don't exactly have faith in the Republic's ability to deal with this before we're all dead..." He shook his head. "If we're gonna do anything, we need to move, and quickly. They're probably wondering what's going on with these two buffoons." He motioned to the two dead men on the ground.
Flitch shifted on Asyr's shoulder slighlty. "Before I was brought to this Embassy for delivery, I had a map loaded to me."
Asry looked up at the dragon on his shoulder. "You could've mentioned that earlier.
Flitch 'shrugged' slightly, raising his pearly wings briefly and resettling them. "You never asked." Asyr shook his head and Flitch kept talking. "The main security office is on the first floor, also near the back. There may be armaments there, as well as the controls to the camera system. We may be able to use it to gauge to what extent the terrorists control the embassy."
"I'd be surprised if they didn't have people there," Asyr mulled. "But we need to move, and we need to get to ground level before we get trapped up here. And the security offices might have some weapons inside. Could use the extra firepower. And some more vests if they have any... Looks like both suggestions are in the back of the place anyway. So let's go."
He started to turn, then walked over to Shine, speaking with his voice lowered out of habit, despite the fact that the senator was deaf. "If she's coming, she's your problem. I'm not sticking my neck out to save someone who shouldn't be in a fight in the first place." He glanced back to Irrina. "Gods above, she's not even armed."
Moving down the hall, he picked a pistol up from the man Shine shot and tossed it to Shine. "Hand that to her." Now she could at least pretend to be a threat to someone.
Motioning for at least Shine to follow, he led them on, sticking close to one of the walls. When they reached a stairwell, he paused and then looked around the corner, to see another terrorist moving up. Asyr kicked him in the chest before he could raise his gun and put his lights out with a shot to the head when he hit the floor at the bottom of the stairs. Asyr paused again near the body and took the vest, putting it on himself.
"There'll be more of 'em on the ground floor," he muttered to the others. "Keep your guard up."
He led them down the rest of the way and paused at the bottom of the stairwell as the door slid open. He peeked out and looked either way. Another hallway, clear for the time being. "Come on. We've got a ways t- Wait." Footsteps drew his eyes down the left.
A woman burst into the hallway, clearly running from something. Asyr ducked back into the stairwell, then stopped when he heard more footsteps behind the woman. It was terrorists. There was a small not of them, chasing after the woman--who had a gun and a bloody knife in hand. She might be useful, he thought.
"Terrorists coming down the hall," he said to Shine. "Four of them, chasing a woman. We can take 'em out, on my mark." Flitch began to charge the laser on his tail.
Asyr counted down from three, and on one, motioned for Shine to move with him as he burst into the hall right after the woman passed and came down to a crouch, blaster leveled. Before he could even pull the trigger on his gun, Flitch fired his laser, right at the group that was coming directly at them. The searing red beam burned right through two of the terrorists, melting through armor and flesh like butter and erupting from the back of the second. Both of them dropped dead. "Holy hell!" He didn't drop his pistol, but Shine or the other woman were taking care of the other two. If not, Asyr certainly would, with two well-placed shots.
|
|
|
|
|
Jazen
Beelzaboot
1,617 posts
86 likes
Rocking from the Great White North
|
|
last online Apr 20, 2022 19:46:47 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Jun 4, 2011 13:26:16 GMT -5
Post by Jazen on Jun 4, 2011 13:26:16 GMT -5
Somehow, Shine felt like he was going to have to be the middleman in this small group they'd formed. He couldn't fault Asyr for saying that Ina would be better off holding up and waiting for help, just as he couldn't fault him for wanting to get out of here. But there was just something about leaving her to hide, where they didn't even know for themselves if help would arrive or not, that didn't sit well with Shine. They were planning on getting out of here, not defeating the terrorists and saving the day; did Ina not deserve a chance to get out as well? Sure, they'd likely come across more foes as they went along, but Shine had been in a situation where someone in the group wasn't a fighter. She just had to duck and let them take care of it, simple as that.
Obviously, being referred to as useless didn't sit well with Ina either. She'd been death glaring Asyr when Shine had intercepted on her behalf, something Shine knew was not the time for. They weren't each others enemies...and hell, the minute they started arguing amongst themselves, the faster they'd run into even bigger problems. Something Asyr thought wouldn't happen if they left her behind...but again, Shine just wasn't that sort of person. If she could be even the slightest bit helpful, then it was worth a shot.
Besides, he'd seen people do some pretty amazing things when forced into a situation like this. Maybe Ina would do the same....or her droid would prove to be a valid reason for bringing her along.
After she'd taken the vest, Shine had turned his attention back to Asyr. Even he rose an eyebrow when Asyr looted the man again, this time pocketing any credits he could find. Not that he didn't get that money did a dead man no good but.....for someone who wanted to go as fast as possible, not entirely time well spent. "Look, Asyr, I get it. You don't want to have someone to babysit. Personally, neither do I. But I can't, in good conscience, leave her in a room and hope that someone arrives to save the day before the terrorists find her or what not. You want out, so do I...and she deserves a chance to get out as well.
And didn't you get through that oath when you got Flitch? We can't really just take her droid and be off. If Ofi is like Flitch or Vis at all, she's gonna go with Ina. So we want the bird, we gotta take the woman as well. Way it works; bit of a pain at times but considering what they can do....not completely useless."
Shine fussed his brow and huffed a sigh when Asyr made that comment about her being deadweight. That was just rude....again, something Shine knew that wasn't completely untrue, but he could have kept it to himself. "Hey hey, no name calling now. Let's all play nice here....now, hearing that Asyr, I really understand what your thinking. But I come from a family of police and from a flight squad myself; it means I've been brought up to help those I can and watch the backs of my fellows. So, tell you what; you don't want to have to look out for her, fine. I'll watch her...and your back. Just don't go leaving us in the lurch and I'll make up the work for two people."
He tossed a look to watch as Ofi spoke for the senator, wincing at most of the things said. She didn't know the layout....well, there was one reason for keeping her out the window. The droids would just have to find a layout then. The idea about holding up...was likely from Ofi's personal desire to protect her owner and partner. Obviously, they'd been a pair far longer then Vis and Shine were, or Asyr and Flitch. But holding up....as Asyr noted, was a bad idea. "He's got it right there; a squid will find a way to get a fish when its inside a corked bottle soon enough. We're best on the move, where it'll be harder to pin us down."
But she did give them something.....a direction to go for information. And it was away from the terrorists main gathering, which meant that their search teams might not be lurking there yet. Heck, might even be a way out that way too. "That might be worth a shot. Most of the terminals around here don't give us much to work with...but a senator's terminal, one that works here, should have better access to the layout of the building. It's at least worth a look. So its a start."
Almost in time, Flitch mentioned having a map given to him before he'd arrived. And right on cue, Vis spoke up as well. "I managed to get a partial map from the terminal before. I have that office listed as well.....but I also know its keyed to only open to assigned personal. I don't see how we'd get in, let alone the terrorists. Unless of course, they managed to get a guard to open if for them.....which I do not believe would happen so easily."
Shine patted his droid fellow on the head and chuckled a little, though he spoke flatly. "You'd be surprised what a man will do with a blaster to his head. Besides...not a stretch to think they had an inside man already or could just blow the door. But now that he we have at least two locations to possibly check out, perhaps we should move. When these guys don't report back, more trouble will be coming. And I'd rather be a little better armed or secure then I am now when that happens." He motioned for Ina to follow them, then started off to follow Asyr. He sighed again at what Asyr said to him, but that was what Shine had said earlier; he'd look out for her.
Snatching the pistol from the air, he tested it in his grip, then handed Ina the blaster he'd had before. It was lighter then this new pistol, she'd be able to hold it easier. He keyed the safety off and noted to Ofi to remind her of that before he spoke calmly and quietly to her.
"Alright, listen. Stick close to me, hug the wall. I make these motions," he said, indicating a fist in the air, then a flat hand slowly going down, then a motion forward with his fingers and finally a finger to his lip, "means in that order, stop, get down, follow me and be silent. Nod once if you understand. As for this.....remember, its point, aim, shoot. Use it only if you think you can or need to; we'll be doing most the shooting anyway. Just try not to hit us in the back.
Ofi was it? You guys are our eyes in the back. You see something coming up behind us, um....squawk. It'll at least keep Asyr quiet about the efficiency for the group if your watching our rears. Now, let's see if we can't get out of here."
Making sure she followed, he stepped up to pace with Asyr, sticking to his six. A police family had its benefits...he kept that pistol trained up just slightly, in case he needed to raise it quickly. He watched his corners, checked behind him now and then, eyed every door with caution. Quietly, he whispered to Asyr, if only because of the gloom that was over the group. "Admit it....she's cute." Lightly chuckling to himself, he followed Asyr as he lead them down the staircase to the lower level, watching the sides as Asyr checked through the door. When he noted it was clear, Shine followed him through the threshold.
And then he stopped suddenly. Shine froze and glanced where Asyr was looking...and heard the sound of footsteps. Fast moving footsteps...someone rushing. Instantly, he lifted his hand up and made a fist to Ina, then turned to her and pressed a finger to his lip. Since she was still within the stairwell, she was safe...for now. Then he turned his eyes back towards the hallway.....just in time to see a woman come rushing out. He followed suit when Asyr ducked back in, training the blaster her way. He had a shot if he had to take it....
And then four men came rushing out behind her, blasters raised and trained on her...and now them, since they were in the direction the woman was running. Shine turned his head to listen as Asyr started counting, tensing the muscles in his legs to spring at his count. Blaster charged....one. Where he would go after bursting out for cover if need be....two....and into the hallway on three. Shine blasted out of the hallway, snapping the blaster to take a bead on the leading terrorist....and was was just barely missed by a searing red beam that impaled two of the men on its unholy light.
He heard Asyr curse, just in time with his shout of surprise and laugh. "Holy sticks!!! Warning before you fire the death laser next time please!!" The sudden beam of surprise had caught the other two men off guard, which gave Shine the time to level his blaster on the one of the right, snapping a bolt clean through his unprotected head. Lucky shot. He was turning to train on the other one when a noise behind him had him spinning to see a man suddenly lurching from a nearby room descend on him. And he had a knife in hand. Shine cursed, was spinning to try and get a bead on the man as he attempted to roll clear...but the knife never came.
Vis, like a small but vicious predator, had used the surroundings to scale to a more appropriate height, then pounced. Since he'd been staying back with the senator so Shine could move more effectively, he'd seen the door hissing open when Shine was focused down the hall. And he'd acted, using the only weapons available to him. His agility and climbing. The man, suddenly lacking line of sight, flailed and tried to grab at Vis at first. Failing that, he brought the knife around and was in the process of bringing it in when Shine shouted at him.
"Vis, give him a jolt!" Vis didn't need to be told that....he had already been preparing the small emitter within his body that delivered, on his command, a small charge of electricity to wherever he directed the emitter. Normally, it would be nothing but a painful nuisance, though it would numb wherever it hit. But in this case, he was on the man's head. So when that jolt burst forth, catching the man squarely in the eye, the man jerked and flailed, the knife dropping before it even came close to Vis's skin. Damage to the brain....the jolt had interrupted the man's nerve ending and the signals to the body. Effective.
Vis jumped clear at another shout from Shine, who slammed the pistol into the man's chest and dumped two bolts into him. The man, with two new smoking holes in him, dropped to the floor. Shine flicked a thumbs up to Vis and pulled him over with his foot as he spun to check for additional threats. There weren't any though, as either the woman or Asyr had dropped the four man, who was laying on the ground next to his fellows. Sighing, Shine shuffled over to Asyr as the woman came towards them, motioning with his fingers for Ina to come out of her hiding place.
"Well, that was wonderful. Death laser vs a tiny little shocker....I think they were about equal. Nicely done Flitch...and Vis, I owe you whatever you want for that save. Didn't' know you could be such an effective fighter."
"Combat is not really my specialty....but I can adapt. I do believe that man has both bathed in a while...my paws are slick with something I cannot describe yet is brown." Chuckling, he turned to Asyr, shrugged and turned his attention to the woman.
"Seeing as they were chasing you and firing, I don't think your buddy buddy with those guys as any of us are. So if you're not on a personal agenda and are just looking to get out of here like the rest of us, you know the saying. The more the merrier. Shine, by the way, and the little fellow currently taking up space on my shoulder is Vis. I'll leave the others to introduce themselves...but in flight please. I'm pretty sure someone had to have heard that...especially the super laser.....so after you miss." And with that, he'd let them lead on if they chose to take his advice.
|
|
|
|
|
Mara
nothing worth anything ever goes down easy
9,275 posts
55 likes
the one and only
|
|
last online May 2, 2022 22:30:17 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Jun 18, 2011 2:34:48 GMT -5
Post by Mara on Jun 18, 2011 2:34:48 GMT -5
She stood quietly, waiting to see how Shine or Asyr would respond to her information or really, lack thereof. It was like she said, though, a long shot. Ina really had no reason to think she would be very helpful to the rest of them. The embassy was a new building for her; she had only been in a couple rooms not including the main entrance and lobby. Maybe the information would spark a plan, but more than likely it would just fall on deaf ears, a pun she did not find at all funny. She had the thought that if Ofi hadn't been with her the two men would have most definitely left her to the wolves.
Feeling even more dejected now about her position, she busied her with checking out the vest Shine had given her a bit more thoroughly. She had noticed that Asyr had begun speaking again, along with his droid, later joined by Shin and his, but quite easily tuned them out and ignored them. Finding an empty pocket large enough, she slipped her datapad inside of it to have both hands free for her mini investigation. There were a few more pockets and hideaways, but they were all empty; obviously earlier Asyr had already taken anything of value. She signed and stared down the hallway, not noticing the reactions of her friend to the ongoing conversation, wondering if she should just depart and take her chances with the terrorists and her position as senator.
Ofi, still perched on Ina's shoulder, was listening rather intently to the small argument going on between the two men about what was to be done about a plan. And consequently a growing dislike this Asyr had for Ina. The droid was starting to strongly reconsider her earlier thought that he would be a better use to them alive than dead. She didn't care rather he would offer additional firepower to aid in their escape. He seemed just the type to let his utter rejection of the senator distract him. Ofi figured he might be better off just shot on sight here, instead of later. But she couldn't do that. She was no longer truly and purely assassination droid; Asyr was not her target. Plus, despite his vile nature, Ofi had to begrudge him some sort of talent. At least for the moment.
No matter what she thought, a plan had seemed to have been formed, and she gripped her talons slightly harder on Ina's shoulder for a brief moment, alerting her to some changes. Ofi had noticed she put the datapad away and effectively hadn't been paying attention to what had been said. That was fine; the stupid oaf called Asyr had appeared to want to include Ina anyway, so it would have been wasted space for her to "listen" in on the conversation.
However, despite her own misgivings also about this Shine fellow, Ofi made a mental note to tell Ina later about his rather chivalrous, though unneeded in the droid's mind, efforts to argue for Ina's continued stay with the group. Perhaps out of the two, only one of them would deserve her disdain. Shine could go on the "okay" list while Asyr would be moved to join various others on her little fantasy hit list. Gods help the man if she ever met him outside of this little adventure at the embassy.
At the nudge from Ofi, Ina looked back to the group. Just in time to see Shine reach out to her with something in his hand. Curious, she reached out her own to receive it, until she realized what it was. Her blue eyes widened in surprise, her pale hand shrank back from what he was offering. A blaster pistol. She stared at the man with a look of scarcely contained horror. The Offshoot was a peaceful being; she had never even held a weapon in all her life, yet alone used one. She never believed that violence was ever the right answer, though, like now, it usually appeared to be the only one. Ina had earlier been continue to follow along with the others, never thinking she would ever have to fight herself.
Her eyes focusing a bit more clearly, she realized he was speaking to her and quickly pulled out her datapad from where she had stored it in the vest. Ina flicked her face back and forth from the screen to Shine, trying to follow the instructions. She had reconciled herself to the fact that she must carry it if she were to keep traveling with the protection of the others, though she would not like it in the least. It would be best if she learned not to shoot her foot off by accident. Unfortunately instructions related to the weapon were short-lived, but she surmised that they were easy enough to follow and rather self-explanatory. She had seen enough holos and even know watched Shine and Asyr more recently.
Ina paid a bit more attention to Shine's motions, his own little version of sign language, she thought to herself. In any other situation she might have found it humorous, but now it was merely a tool to help harden the pit in her stomach that had been forming ever since she had found about about the terrorists, replacing her hunger. She nodded at him after he was finished, signaling that she had understood. Preparing to move on then, she put away the datapad, gingerly holding the blaster in her right hand, fingers as far from the trigger as she could manage without dropping the thing.
"Will do." Ofi quirked her head in as close to a humanoid nod as was possible by her figure. Though she found it odd that Shine would let her and Ina come last in the group, it didn't bother her. She would be enough protection for the two of them if any terrorists came up behind them. She had just thought that with the recent history this Shine would feel a bit more protective. But perhaps she had just been crossing her signals. What could a droid possibly really understand about the brain of a male human?
As they started moving, Ofi made sure to get a surer grip on Ina's shoulder, turning on her full sensor array to keep track of any moving targets that were not before her optical sensors. At the same time, she kept transmitting what she heard from the others, though her friend was no longer paying attention to her datapad and was instead focused on following Shine and the others. Though Ina might be deaf, Ofi was the complete opposite and heard quite clearly the comment that Shine whispered to Asyr. Again, even more thoroughly confusing the droid. She flexed her wings a couple of times as if shrugging, but at the same time was preparing herself to attack if need be.
Things continued uneventfully for the next few minutes as the trio of humans and droids made their way down the stairs and onto the main level. That is, until Asyr had opened the door and all hell broke loose. Shine turned and motioned Ina to stay put, which she did rather grateful, pausing on the bottom step. The two men moved out into the hallway, so Ina took the moment to sit down on the steps, leaning against the wall further from where where they men had run. Gladly she let go of the pistol, laying it on the step near her leg. She couldn't hear any of the commotion going on, but there were some heavy vibrations being picked up by her pendant. The senator could tell that something was going on. She just didn't know what... and whether it was good or bad.
Trying to decide whether to help or stay with Ina, Ofi prepped herself for flight and unhinged but didn't open the panel in her breast. By the sounds she was beginning to her it would seem that her hidden blaster might prove more useful than her blade feathers. They would be better in close combat, and it didn't sound as if she would have the chance for that unless she risked harming one of their allies. Which in the case of Asyr wouldn't be so heartbreaking to Ofi.
With a second glance at Ina, Ofi took the chance and took to the air, just briefly enough to land softly outside of the door and in the hallway. Quickly she took a tally. Five enemies, four male, one female; Asyr and 14, Shine and 15. But wait, the female didn't seem to be fighting with the other men, but against them. So count that four enemies, three (organic) allies. A much more fair fight. Perhaps she wouldn't be needed after all, but she primed her small pistol anyway, still keeping her hatch closed.
It was all over in a rush of chaotic movement. Flashes of blaster bolts, knives, weapons fired from the droids. Including a quick fire from Ofi's own blaster that fell the last of the four men that went unnoticed from the rest of them in the chaos. Using a brief threat assessment on the woman, it appeared safe for the time being, so she went back to get Ina, leaving the men to deal with her, and not bothering to translate the words to her datapad. If she wasn't paying attention, it was rather hard to do so.
Seeing her friend return made Ina smile in relief and stand up from her sitting position. She hadn't noticed right away that Ofi had left, but when she had, she had gotten worried. Ina knew what the droid was capable of, theoretically, but had never seen her in action. Nor had she now. But it didn't matter; she was back with her. Ofi hopped up next to her for a moment, then flew back out into the hallway. Ina got the hint and made her way to the doorway. She had gotten almost through it when she remembered the blaster. Hurrying, she ran back and grabbed it, rushing through the door and into the hallway to see Asyr and Shine standing with a woman. And four dead bodies.
|
|
|
|