Ask 1 Thot 2 Thot

[Kaisa Solus]

The cockpit of Kaisa's ship - well it wasn't "her ship" exactly, just one she had "borrowed" for the sake of anonymity - was small but not cramped, just big enough for the pilot and passenger seat to be occupied comfortably. They'd been traveling for more than a few hours now, having left Lothal awhile ago and headed for somewhere near the core. More specifically, the Cato Neimoidia system down the Quellor run about halfway between Talasea and Lankashiir.

Kaisa made it a habit a long time ago to keep contacts from the jobs she did over the years. Most of the time the information they'd give her wasn't particularly exciting, but every once in awhile she'd get a little golden nugget. Today was one of those times.

So lets go over the whole thing again, Kaisa said, breaking the long but not uncomfortable silence that had settled between her and her sole passenger: her brother Nox. My contact told me the Neimodians are having trouble with pirates along the Quellor route, especially on the long stretch. They've added a couple pirate hunter ships along the route, but have had trouble finding enough bodies to run them optimally, especially if they have to do any boarding. So they've hired us as mercenaries.

A few beeps on her ship's console told Kaisa that they were closing in on their destination, a lone raider class corvette sitting in the inky blackness of space, just outside the main hyperspace route.

My contact tells me this ship is running on a total skeleton crew, maybe thirty guys. We're going to - and I cannot stress this enough, brother - stealthily and discreetly take out what crew they do have and commandeer this mother fucker. Kaisa paused for a moment, starting Nox straight in his eyes through her t-visor to emphasize her point. It only takes two people to fly it. By the time they realize what's going on, we'll be halfway to somewhere they'll never find.

Their ship floated lazily towards the corvette, landing in small but empty hanger, blast doors sealing behind them. As they headed for the ramp to exit, Kaisa looked at Nox and spoke again. I figure they'll probably have someone greet us and show us around. The first time they take us somewhere discreet, we take them out and then we get to work.

The plan itself was relatively straightforward, almost simple. Of course, Kaisa was smart enough to know that nothing was ever simple. Life would be terribly boring if it was.

@Orbit

 

[Nox Solus]

It had been a remarkable journey so far. Kaisa told him to meet her at some location and eventually showed up half an hour later before telling him to get on a ship she had commandeered. She told him the plan when they were already in the sky and Nox was ready to land the ship himself at that moment but the more he thought about it, the more he could see the usefulness of such a craft would have for them. There wasn't a problem with the objective for him, it was how his sister's plans were usually left to a whim and worked for her until somehow it didn't.

Nox had his feet up on the console, taking whatever space he could to extend his limbs with his height. He had his arms crossed and almost appeared asleep as they traveled toward the corvette that she informed him about. When she spoke however, he tilted his head slightly so that his T-visor at least met her's. At being descreet and stealthy, he leaned back slightly and Kaisa would know there was a look of slight surprise on his face, "I'm being told to be discreet and steathly? You can trust me sister."

There was had only been a few times when Nox had lost his cool and while it was a sight to behold, it was still only a few. It generally only happened when someone threatened one of his clan or if someone attempted to remove his helmet. Both led to an unfortunate outcome to that person but he suspected that wouldn't be an issue for this little adventure.

After an uneventful flight, the corvette finally came to view as they directed themselves toward the hangar. "Thirty against two. I think any Solus appreciates those odds." In stories of the past, they had faced even worse then that. When their ship finally landed and both of them made their way to the exit ramp as she told him the rest of the plan, Nox just gave a nod, "Understood." There wasn't much to add and it would be up to what was presented to them how the plan would go.

 

[Kaisa Solus]

Almost immediately after Nox and Kaisa's boots hit the end of the ramp they were met by a greeting party of three. The leader of the trio was a Neimoidian and he was flanked by two gruff looking Weequay mercenaries. Or at least, Kaisa assumed the were mercenaries - they had that look about them. They definitely weren't proper soldiers, their armor was too haphazard and their demeanor didn't have that stiff quality that professionals typically had.

Greetings, Mandalorians. I am Gune Haako and I've been tasked with introducing you to your assignments aboard this vessel.

Kaisa wasn't a racist by many standards, but one thing she couldn't stand was Neimodian voices. They always sounded like they were talking with mouths full of honey.

Follow me.

At least they weren't going to be wasting any time. Gune and his goons lead Kaisa and nox down a long hallway, and Kaisa couldn't help but notice that there was almost no one around, not eve mechanics or custodial crew which you always seemed to find meandering about large vessels like a raider class. Her intel about the skeleton crew seemed to be legit, which was good.

Eventually, they were lead to a dead end hallway with rooms on either side. Kaisa was sure that Nox was smart enough to notice that they hadn't seen anyone else so far, and down this hall with nowhere to run seemed like a really good spot to start step one of their plan.

This is where you will be sleeping, Gune said, motioning to the room on the left. If you have any personal items on your ship, you can keep them here.

When Gune looked away from them to reach into his pocket for something, Kaisa decided to make her move. Reaching down to her belt, she attempted quick draw her DE-10 to take out one of the Weequay. Instead, in a very rare instance of unfortunate luck, she fumbled her draw and sort of.. launched her gun at Gune, hitting him in the leg with it.

The Weequay, having figured out what Kaisa's intent was, went to draw their own weapons while Gune attempted to hide behind them.

Fuck. Was the only word Kaisa's brain could muster.

@Orbit

 

[Nox Solus]

Gune insisted the two follow after his brief greeting, the two Weequay offering no words. His sister's information was accurate at least about the size of the crew, able to scope it out themselves as they walked through the ship. There were no mechanics rushing about, no general buzz of bodies in a ship. It really was a skeleton crew and that was reassuring to the Mandalorian as it would make their job slightly easier and indicated that the two of them could navigate it.

They were led to a dead-end and then to a room designated as their sleeping quarters for the rest of their "stay" on the ship. Nox had been examining the room before he turned when Gune had nearly finished his words. At that point, he just saw Kaisa's gun fly and just hit the man in the leg like a wet noodle. His expectation had been for them to do some recon at least, figure out where most of the crew was while they had anonymity, not right when they found a lone spot to take their welcoming party out.

Nox's head lifted and stared into the Weequay's eyes as did the Weequay to his T-visor. They both looked at each other for the briefest of seconds, almost dumbfounded at what had happened. Then the guard drew his blaster and Nox did at the same time. The Weequay's shot went right into the Mando's shoulder as he leaned into his draw and fired back, his own bolt striking the alien in the stomach and taking him out of the fight.

The other one didn't aim at either Mando but when he saw what went down, he aimed at the one still with the gun and fired. Nox stumbled back into a nearby wall and fired a second time but instead of hitting the merc in the chest, he hit the alien in his shooting arm. It made him drop the gun and opened him up for Kaisa as he stumbled away from the Numidian.

Gune tried to leave the room but Nox aimed briefly this time and shot the alien in the leg. The shot struck its mark and the Numidian collapsed to the ground before he could reach outside the room.

 

[Kaisa Solus]

Luckily, at least one of the Solus' present aboard this ship was capable. Kaisa couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief as Nox was able to take out at least one of the bodyguards and incapacitate the other two. At least that left Kaisa with something to do so she didn't appear as totally stupid and incompetent as she currently felt.

Deciding to forego guns for now - both in an effort to lower the sounds of battle, as well as hoping to avoid earlier mistakes - Kaisa drew her beskad and moved towards the two remaining men.

Kaisa's beskad was a weapon designed for a very specific purpose. The blade was thick and heavy, it was not built for swift movements and beating an opponent through dexterity or flair. It was a hammer as much as it was a sword, meant for cleaving and hacking. And in Kaisa's hand it was truly a terrible weapon to behold.

Moving quickly, Kaisa went for the still living Weequay first. As he stumbled from the wound to his shooting arm, Kaisa swung her beskad and caught the Weequay firmly in his un-armored forehead. The beskad sunk easily into the man's skull with a wet thwunk, killing him easily.

Turning to Gune, Kaisa didn't even give the Neimodian a chance to plead for his life, even though he started to try. Another quick, heavy downward swing lodged her beskad into the side of his head. Kneeling down, Kaisa rifled through Gune's pockets in the hopes of finding a security card or anything useful, but her search came up empty handed.

Sheathing her beskad, Kaisa drug the three bodies into the room that was supposed to be her and Nox's, shutting the door and shattering the keypad with her fist as she exited so that it would be much harder for someone to get in and see the slaughter.

Walking towards Nox, Kaisa tilted her head in slight concern, hoping that whatever injury Nox had sustained wouldn't impede him too much. They had a lot of work to do.

Well, that could have gone better. Kaisa said, picking up her blaster that she'd given the toss earlier and putting it back in its place. The bridge should be at the far end of the ship. It might be worth trying to find a security terminal first, we can disable their comm array. But it will take time.

Walking back towards the way they had come, Aadya peered around the corner and found the hallway just as empty as before.

We should get moving.

@Orbit

 

[Nox Solus]

The Mandalorian's back had hit against the metal wall as he used it for support. His assistance gave Kaisa an opening to participate in the combat and have even the slightest of chances to make up for what got them in the situation in the first place. She took care of the rest of the opposition quickly and thankfully she didn't need his help as he didn't offer any.

Nox quickly got his legs under him once more and straightened out with an audible growl of pain as she did that. He paced around the room afterward, a small trail of smoke emanating from his shoulder and specifically where he was struck. The bolt had struck the plate, it absorbing most of the blast but it still hurt like hell. With a quick and wide circle with the arm that had the injured shoulder, he seethed as he did it, a sharp burn running down the length of his arm but it could be moved.

Kaisa approached after she collected her weaponry, giving him a curious look that he knew meant to ask if his injury was something to be concerned about. When she mentioned that it could have gone better, Nox just stared at her for the briefest of moments but would be able to even feel his burning his gaze then. "Let's just go." He just stepped past her and into the hallway, his blaster pistol out and in his hand instead of his rifle, it much more situated for close quarters.

Navigating back the way they came, Nox would take his time to scope out the area before proceeding. When they turned down another hallway, he nearly ran into a CP3 unit before coming to a halt. Both of them gazed upon each other before the droid threw up its hands and spun around quickly, "Oh!" It exclaimed as well. Without hesitating, the Mando grabbed onto the droid's shoulder before slamming it into the wall. His left arm went to the droid's throat and just kept it pinned there while his right held his blaster a few feet away from its head. "Take us to your command center or whatever type of security station."

Nox would have rather preferred to just wipe out the security himself instead of mess with a terminal.

 

[Kaisa Solus]

Kaisa could very easily tell that Nox was not enthused with how things were going. Granted, Kaisa wasn't either, but all things considered things could have definitely been worse. The smoking shoulder not withstanding, at least none of them were gravely injured.. except maybe in their pride.

As they walked out into the hallway, Kaisa kept her pistol drawn as well, although she wasn't really sure they needed to have weapons hot. As far as most of the ship was concerned, they were supposed to be here. They were technically hired mercenaries after all.

Before Kaisa could share this sentiment, though, Nox nearly bulldozed straight into a protocol droid and subsequently put his hand to its throat like the droid was some sleemo that owed him money. Rolling her eyes, Kaisa switched over to the private com channel between her and Nox.

You don't have to manhandle the droid, Nox. As far as anyone on this ship is concerned, we're supposed to be here. Calm yourself down before you do something stupid.

Luckily, the protocol droid was apparently built with some submissive subroutines, and the droid was willing to honor Nox's request. Yes of course. It said, freeing itself from Nox's grip and leading them towards the main security station.

After a few moments of walking, the droid stopped and pointed towards a large blast door that was currently closed. The main security room is behind this door. Due to being short staffed, it is currently the only station manned by personnel at this time. Returning to my other duties now. The droid then shuffled off.

Looking at Nox, Kaisa shrugged her shoulders. Since my plan didn't work so well last time, why don't you take the lead on this part. At least if we succeed, you can have a reason to give me such dirty looks from underneath that bucket, you grumpy ass.

Kaisa's tone was clearly joking, but also not really. Nox's sense of humor always left a little to be desired. Maybe spending more time together could remove the stick that always seemed shoved up his butt.

@Orbit

 

[Nox Solus]

Kaisa's voice came through his comms and pulled him out slightly from his haze of anger. Instead of letting the droid free itself, he simply grabbed onto the droid's shoulder before throwing it in front of them, it nearly falling until it caught itself. The Mandalorian let out a soft sigh before turning his gaze over to Kaisa, I'd hate to be the one to do something stupid. It hadn't been forgotten what had transpired a couple of minutes ago when they first arrived.

Before it could get too far after leading them to the door, Nox reached out and placed a hand on its shoulder, and spun it back around and forcing it to stay in place. "You remain here. With us." It knew more about the ship than him and that was valuable. Nox turned to the door then as Kaisa explained he could take point this time. Even though his anger, she would be able to hear his modulated chuckle, "As if I never have a reason to give you dirty looks." They always butted heads in a friendly and competitive sort of way ever since they met each other.

The Mandalorian opened the door then, three humans and a Twi'lek on the other side assigned to different stations. The Twi'lek glanced over with a questioning gaze, "What are you doing?" Nox jutted his head toward the room in general in response, "New security. Scoping the place out." They didn't have clearance or proof of that but he figured his armor would be. The Twi'lek nodded and turned to his computer system and proceeded with whatever he was doing.

Nox walked to the front of the room, expecting Kaisa to take another part. When he neared one of the guards in the seat, he leaned against the console, inspecting the security cameras as he waited for his sister to get in position. It also allowed him to see if any other roaming mercs were close enough and when the coast seemed clear, he leaned back and pulled out his smoke grenade, activating it and dropping it to the floor.

Thick smoke started to billow out from the device. The human near Nox glanced at the device but before he could react much, the Mandalorian used his free hand and grabbed the back of the man's head before smashing it into the console and knocking him out as the machine dented and sparked. He spun around afterward, his blaster pistol out and at the ready. But when he turned, the Twi'lek was already aimed at him while the other two focused on Kaisa. A shot was fired at Nox and he flung his gauntlet up, deflecting the bolt with his beskar.

His ass hit the console and instead of stopping, he rolled backward and over it as he landed on the other side and took cover. He was about to turn on his thermals but then the smoke started to vent out of the room, one of the guards able to activate the vent system.

 

[Kaisa Solus]

Taking the hint as Nox moved to one side of the security room, Kaisa moved to the opposite end, glancing at the occupied stations to see if they displayed any relevant information. There wasn't much on their displays, just basic information mostly. There were a few cameras but they didn't show anything interesting.

Looking over to Nox, Kaisa saw him pull out the smoke grenade. Silently pulling out her vibroknife, Kaisa jammed it into the neck of the human she was currently standing behind. It sunk in easily, Kaisa ripped it back out and then shoving the guy's head hard into the console, though he was probably already dead.

Turning to the other human, Kaisa gripped her blade and hurled it at him hoping to imbed it deep into the guy's chest. Unfortunately, the human's armor was stronger than Kaisa had assumed, and the knife simply deflected off of it. Before Kaisa could draw another weapon, the security guard pulled out a blaster and shot at as the smoke began to clear from the room.

The blaster shot caught Kaisa directly in the head, though fortunately for her and her desire to remain alive, her helmet was made of beskar - pretty much the only reason she was not currently dead. The force of the shot sent her reeling back into the wall, her vision blurred from the pain of impact.

Thinking quickly, the guard slapped a button on the console and activated the ship's alarm. Almost instantly, a loud blaring noise filled the room. Figuring there was no reason to remain stealthy at this point, Kaisa did the first thing that came to mind.

Pointing her wrist gauntlet at the console, she fired off a rocket that struck it directly, exploding in a flurry of sparks and shrapnel. The security guard was eviscerated, though the alarm remained blaring. Hopefully by this point Nox was able to kill the Twi'lek, and they could figure out what in the fuck they were going to do now.

@Orbit

 

[Nox Solus]

With an expression of annoyance underneath his helmet, the smoke simply filtered out from the room, the Mandalorian almost able to swear that he saw it waving goodbye as it did. "Goddamnit." An angry huff came from him as one of the screens had been shot out and offered a shattered but reflective screen for him to peek through. With the angle, the Twi'lek was visible as the guard stared at where he was, waiting for him to pop out after watching the first shot connect.

But after a few seconds, with the commotion from Kaisa and believing that the first shot must have found its mark; the Twi'lek turned to aim his gun at the second Mandalorian. Nox stood up then and spun to face the guard, his blaster pistol aimed and fired as it took out the alien and sent him crumbling. Before the next target could be evaluated, a piercing alarm struck his ears as it sliced through any noise that dared to interrupt it, the room routinely flashing red lights being part of the alarm system.

Nox swung his head to meet with Kaisa's but then he saw her lift her arm before firing a rocket right into the console that had activated the security system. The console exploded from the impact as he attempted to raise his cape in order to shield him from most of the blast. Because of his proximity, the shockwave of it sent him in the air as his back slammed against the metal wall before he fell to the ground. Nox's head spun and he tasted blood and specifically an iron sort of metallic taste, most likely biting his tongue when he made his collision. It took a few moments for him to clear his head as he gave it a quick shake.

With a slow grunt, he pushed his arms out and made a sort of pushup position as he himself to his feet with the help of all his limbs. A small fire erupted from the center console and lit the room in an orange glow. Nox returned his gaze once more to Kaisa as his voice came through the comm, "Let's not damage the ship were trying to take for ourselves." While it wasn't catastrophic what was inflicted, they didn't need anymore after this. It was difficult to tell what type of emotion was layered within his words after what happened but it was quite a few.

The security room was cleared but their presence was known throughout the ship and that certainly wasn't going to make their job easier. The rocket had shut down most of the security systems and that meant they would have to clear the ship old-fashioned.

Approaching the door, Nox motioned for the droid from earlier to lead the way. When they stepped outside of the room, they were immediately being shot at from the opposite side of the hallway they walked in. It most likely would have been his death if it hadn't been for the droid right in front of him and shielding him involuntarily. The droid sparked and smoked and would have fallen over if it wasn't for Nox holding it up with one hand, using it to reach the other side as he blindly fired over it's to cover himself. Diving for the cover next to him when he was on the other side, the droid simply fell afterward and left the two separated.

 

[Kaisa Solus]

Kaisa couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh at the way things were unfolding. Normally she was not this sloppy when it came to doing what Mandalorians do, though a small part of her was happy that she wasn't alone in her repeated flubs. Nox seemed to be having an off day too. Shaking the excess thoughts from her head, Kaisa refocused herself as she pulled out her blaster rifle and followed Nox as he stepped out of the room.

Genuine surprised painted itself across Kaisa's face as the blaster fire started immediately after Nox made his way out. Even with the skeleton crew, the response time of the ship crew was respectably fast. Oh well, that just meant she and Nox wouldn't have to play hide and go seek to find them. They were just funneling themselves into the meat grinder.

Bracing herself, Kaisa whipped around the corner so that just the barrel of her rifle and a small portion of herself were visible; just enough so she could see where she was shooting. The thermal mode of her vision was on, making it easier for her to see the figures at the end of the hallway.

Just as she went to pull the trigger, Kaisa felt her rifle jam up, the weapon doing nothing but shooting steam out of its vents and nothing else. Rolling her eyes in frustration, Kaisa wanted to do nothing else than take the gun and snap it in half over her fucking knee. Everything about this entire endeavor was turning out to be total and complete bullshit.

Looking at one of the corpses inside of the security room, Kaisa noticed that one of the mercs had a smoke grenade on his belt. Grabbing it, Kaisa gave it a hurl as she went back to the door. At least her and Nox could get some cover while they tried to regroup from the immense amount of failure that was occuring.

This ship is fucking cursed, Nox. Kaisa shouted, pulling out her pistol and hoping to the god Kad Ha'rangir that the piece of shit would work when she tried to fire it. We need to get to the bridge as fast as possible. The longer we get bogged down, the higher chance one of these morons gets a lucky shot in and splatters our brains against the durasteel.

@Orbit

 

[Nox Solus]

It was pretty evident things were not going to plan and he wondered if it was just Kaisa's luck that did this to them or if it was a combination of theirs. The fire was relentless down the hall and after a malfunction, a smoke grenade from a guard was resorted to as it eventually filled the meat grinder, which was for them apparently, to be filled with smoke.

Standing up quickly, Nox holstered his rifle onto his back and just agreed with his sister, deciding that if he gave comment about it that it would only turn out worse for them. Spinning around, he made a brisk pace down the hallway with her, attempting to put distance between them and their assailants. Thankfully, the ship held up signs and painted lines that directed where different parts of the ship were and they followed the one that would lead to the bridge.

As they rushed toward it, they would enter a hallway that would lead into the last section of the ship and to the bridge. There were guards behind a blast door and when they spotted the pair, one of them rapidly started pressing buttons, "Shit! Shit!" The other of the two aimed his rifle, "Close the goddamn door!" Instead of slowing down to shoot, Nox would pick up speed and sprint as fast as he could towards them.

There wasn't time for him to shoot so he expected and hoped Kaisa would cover him, otherwise, it wasn't going to be fun at all. By the time he would reach the door, he would simply leap forward and dive through, it snapped shut right behind him and locking Kaisa in the hallway. Nox would crash into the one by the controls, the full weight of his armor smashing into him as they both would hit the wall.

Before the Mando could stand up, the other pirate reached down and picked him up off the ground, throwing him into the nearby wall and then into the one opposite of him. It left Kaisa to fend for herself until he got the door open.

 

[Kaisa Solus]

As they pushed through the ship and headed toward the bridge, Kaisa found herself struggling. Not physically, her Mandalorian upbringing made sure of that, but mentally. Never in her life had she made so many mistakes or been so unlucky. When Kaisa saw Nox start his rush towards the closing blast door, though, she pushed those thoughts from her mind. There was no time for that now.

Raising her blaster, Kaisa fired past Nox and into the bridge area. Her bolts missed the men inside but did cause them to scatter, so at the very least Nox wasn't going to end up a piece of swiss cheese. Then the door snapped close behind him and Kaisa was alone in the hallway.

Before long, Kaisa could hear the sounds of several pairs of boots thumping on the durasteel. There was a group of mercs heading for her, from the sounds of it maybe three guys. Not the best of odds, but she'd dealt with worse before.

As the first merc came into view, Kaisa fired off three shots from her blaster and caught him with two, sending the guy into the dirt, dead as a doorstop. Gripping her beskad, Kaisa started her own charge towards the other two, pistol in one hand, sword in the other, and hoped that at least one of these idiots would have a security card on them.

She hoped Nox was faring alright behind the blast doors.

@Orbit

 

[Nox Solus]

It didn't go well for him on the other side. After he had been thrown into the wall, the pirate, whoever was doing it, was ridiculously strong as the Mandalorian was picked up once more. This time it was from the back as he was forced to face the other man in the room, the one charging right at him with a knife while he was held. Off reaction, Nox launched himself off the floor with his feet as he was still being constricted and made him act like a lever.

Both of his boots went right into the first one's chest and made him stumble backward as he tried to catch his breath. Instead of dropping back down after, his legs shot out and caught themselves on the wall and put him in a horizontal position in the air. With another sharp push, Nox sent him and the pirate that held onto him backward and into a console behind them, his bes'kar helmet striking the man in his nose with a sickening crunch, breaking it easily.

Nox dropped to the floor but quickly spun around in a crouched position, his own knife in hand because of the close quarter's nature with the pirate beside him already moving towards him, knife in hand as well. If he could take him out before the other, all that would be left would be to open the door.

But as he raised his right arm and stood up, the pirate behind had recovered more quickly than he suspected and lashed out when he saw his opportunity. Where Nox would feel the pressure of his plates on his right arm, the weight of his flesh and the bone, the sweat that poured down his skin, it would suddenly all evaporate within a snap. When his arm shot forward, there was supposed to be a limb and a blade at the end but connected. Instead, the limb from the elbow down flew past him like dead weight, his knife hitting the wall and a blood splatter following through with a wet splash. It was the only sound he could still clearly hear.

It was a pain he had never experienced before and one he could possibly never imagine again. At first, it only began where his arm had been cut, a fire that burned that was just embers as he almost couldn't register the feeling but it transformed into a blaze once the wind caught it, the pain radiating throughout his entire body without discern. There wasn't even a moment for him to fully appreciate what happened, the corner of his eye just catching his arm sliding across the ground as he was still in a fight for his life.

Before he could open his mouth to speak, scream, or whatever his mind could conjure at that moment, the pirate in front of him had still been charging at him and took the opening as he slammed his knife right into the ribs of Nox. The alien didn't even have to perform a dodge to pull it off, the only thing coming at him being the Mandalorian's stump and a constant gushing of crimson blood. The guard would hold Nox up by his other shoulder to keep him standing, believing that the injuries sustained would take him out of the fight.

The pirate in front of him didn't separate their close proximity as he chose to instead twist the knife in his gut, eliciting a pained gasp from the Solus that cut off anything else that threatened to bubble up. Criminal eyes' stared into the T-visor with a grin plastered on his face, inches between them.

 

[Kaisa Solus]

The two mercs rounded the corner and were instantly met by Kaisa and her weapons. With a swift pull of her trigger she was able to put bolts into body of the first, but the second man was a little faster than she anticipated. Everything that had occurred on this gods forsaken ship had been something other than she anticipated.

With swift movements, the one merc left standing was able to swing his blunt melee weapon - it looked like some sort of stun rod, perhaps - and catch Kaisa directly across her t-visor. The impact sent he reeling backwards, pain shooting lightning bolts up and down her face. Despite the beskar helmet, she was seeing stars and more than a little rattled.

The merc got in another hit, this time with the stun portion. He aimed it in the area on Kaisa's ribs that wasn't as protected as the rest and she feel to the floor. Even Mandalorian training couldn't help when who knows how many volts of electricity were sent coursing through your body.

Thinking he had won, the merc loomed over Kaisa, a sick grin plastered across his ugly, pock marked face. Numerous plans were running through Kaisa's mind as to what she could do to get out of it, but the pain in her face and the electricity rattling her brain sort of kept her brain in a heavy fog.

Then the mercenary made a mistake and gave her an opening. Deciding to put his baton away and retrieve a gun to kill her with, the merc gave Kaisa enough time to formulate a plan, however potentially shitty that it was. Reaching to her wrist, Kaisa activated her jetpack which sent her careening back away from the mercenary.

Aiming her wrist rocket, she fired it at his feet. It killed him nearly instantly, but she still hadn't been quite far away enough, and parts of the shrapnel embedded in her chest armor, some even catching her in her body suit and cutting through. Nothing life threatening, but still painful.

Slowly crawling to her feet, Kaisa approached the merc she had killed first and rifled through his pockets - and by the grace of Kad, found a security key. Approaching the door, blaster still in hand but beskad left laying on the ground behind her, Kaisa waved the keycard, the doors opening with a hiss.

The image laid bare before her made her blood run cold. Instinct taking over, Kaisa raised her blaster and let out a single shot, catching the man holding Nox dead in the face. Rushing over to her brother, Kaisa looked at him and tears began to well in her eyes, much to her own chagrin.

Stay with me, Nox, Kaisa said, her voice coming out thick and muddled. She needed to spit out the blood that kept pooling in her mouth - instead, she could only swallow it. Thinking quickly, she looked down at her brother, and could only say one thing more. I'm going to save you, but it's going to fucking hurt.

Grabbing a discarded vibroknife from the ground, Kaisa activated her jetpack again. She held the weapon underneath the flames until it glowed white hot, and then looked to her brother again. If Nox could see her face, he would see the eyes of someone who was so sorry for what was about to happen.

Taking the knife, Kaisa jammed it onto Nox's severed stump, cauterizing the wound. It smoked and sizzled and eventually it stopped bleeding, though the smell of burnt flesh was almost too much to bear.

Leaving Nox for now, Kaisa went over to the main control panel of the ship which was still unlocked. Shutting and sealing the blast doors to the bridge, Kaisa gave the command to open all of the other ports, effectively venting the rest of the ship. Hopefully, that took care of any lingering mercenaries still on board.

Unsure of what else she should do, Kaisa punched in some hyper coordinates that would simply send the duo out into the Outer Rim - somewhere near the planet of Karazak. Kaisa knew its coordinates - roughly - and knew that there was a space station there generally used by smugglers. It had an infirmary that didn't ask too many questions, and was generally liberal with the kolto if you were liberal with the credits.

She just hoped Nox could hang on long enough for them to get there.

@Orbit

 

[Nox Solus]

The two stared at each other, Nox preoccupied more with the shock of the loss of his limb and the fact that he was stabbed over anything else. Even though the wounds, somehow through his clouded vision, his training and instincts still kicked in. The merc was busy contemplating over the fact that he had most likely killed a Mandalorian, just staring into the black T-visor as he imagined on his own head.

But his dreams would be cut short as Nox's left arm jutted out and his concealed blade sprung forth from his gauntlet. There was barely any time to react for the pirate, ready to have yanked the blade free from his ribs but not quick enough. With their proximity, the concealed blade punctured right through the man's collar bone and deep into the flesh. A gasp was let out from him as the Solus simply nudged his weight forward, falling towards the ground with the dead body acting as a cushion for him.

When they hit the floor, Nox let out a grunt but reached for the blaster pistol still in the pirate's holster. He pulled out after a few jostles and spun around onto his back, practically drenched from just that effort and almost wheezing. Not only his helmet fogged but his vision was blurry as well, salty tears of sweat not helping. The last of the remaining mercs charged at him and he pulled the trigger once, missing the shot to the wide right and readjusting after. Before the trigger could be pulled again, the door opened and Kaisa stepped through as she quickly dispatched the remaining threat with a bolt.

As her gaze would find Nox, she would find him simply dropping the blaster before using his one arm to push himself to the wall. Blood poured freely from the wound and onto the floor and clearly the most pressing threat to his life. At that point, words weren't able to be formed by him, the Mandalorian having an internal panic as he was beginning to lose his sight and the ability to easily talk, the result just heavy breathes and wheezes.

When his back touched the wall, he slumped against it as he sank down a little bit. Kaisa had somehow appeared over him at that point and he didn't even remember her walking over. Her lips moved and words came out but they didn't make any sense to him. When he blinked again, he saw her jetpack on the ground and her holding a knife underneath the flames. Nox slammed his head against the wall behind, attempting to come to grips that this was actually reality and not a bad dream.

The last thing he remembered before his eyes closed again was him trying to toss the medical supplies in his utility belt but he didn't know if he was successful or not. When his eyes open next, he nearly saw stars as a searing burning hot pain shot through him and straight to his chest. The smell of his own burnt flesh filled his nostrils and one of his fists would slam into a metal panel beside him, denting it as he let out an agony and adrenaline-fueled scream, his legs kicking back and forth.

Nox couldn't recall when he passed out but he did, everything going black just one moment and staying that way thankfully as he was no longer pulled back into only pain. For everyone else's view, he would just be laying next to the door and on his side, his stump towards the air as he would be laying in a pool of his own blood, sweat, and tears. The knife still his stomach to prevent any further bleeding. Whatever happened past that point, it was completely in Kaisa's control as he couldn't offer anything for her except his deadweight.