Ask A New Edge

[Kalique Baize]

The adrenaline from the fight and the continous traps pumped through her veins as she reached the Lieutenant and his platoon again, her gaze meeting his. "Are you sure you want to bring them? I can handle it. I don't want to see anyone else hurt". There was geuine concern in her voice as she had no intention of bringing them into danger, yet Max seemed very convinced to accompany her.

She hadn't suggested to leave them here, but she did want them out, actually. "I will end them. But upon first sight on my armor, they'll focus on hurting you all" she did tell him, clarifying her opinion. If he still insisted on backing her up, she would reluctantly nod before she'd take the lead, her senses on full alert as she did breach the door.

His troops split up and she rushed in, following her senses on where their main problem was, but she soon realized that they were hunkering in the basement. "The dark sider is down below. I'm moving in. Secure the entrances so we won't get ambushed!" she instructed, immediately heading for the stairs. If they still caught them off guard by their direct advances they had an advantage. Yet, before she disappeared into the lower levels, she checked whether they were still doing fine.

@Alhon

 

[Max Dram]

Max and his men swept into the entry way, stepping over two dead cultists blown apart by the grenades.

While a small part of him would have gladly sent Kalique in alone and kept his men in safety, it was neither protocol nor good strategy. The dead bodies in this room were proof that the building was occupied by numerous enemies and she would be hopelessly outnumbered. He was also not about to rest the whole mission on her. She had also shattered his trust early on and it would take more than apparent worry for his men's safety to win it back.

"Fuck the entrances" he replied, bristling at the way she issued commands with no acknowledgement of his specialty or experience. "This is an occupied building Captain. The danger is in here with us, not back out there".

He leaned around the door that led further inside, noting a stairwell that led both up and down. "If your dark sider is down below, best head on down or you'll be late for your date. We'll take the upper levels, they're probably crawling with more cultists. I say again, we're here to wipe them out".

Max did not wait for her response, motioning to his men and heading up the stairwell. They crept quickly through the gloom, moving silently with weapons cocked and ready. They reached a door at the top and the Lieutenant paused to listen. Nothing. With any luck they would catch the remaining cultists eating or abed. With a nod, Max's second kicked open the door and the Imperials stormed into the room, rifles trained.

Unfortunately, the cultists had been ready since they heard the mines exploding in the distance. Half a dozen of them squatted behind an upturned table, their own weapons trained on the intruders.

"Cover!" Max shouted, as a hail of blaster fire loosed in both directions. He saw two of his men go down in his peripheral vision, twisting and landing a glancing blow on a cultist's leg before throwing himself behind a pillar. What was with all his bad luck today.

@LadyRen

8/20 for storming success

 

[Kalique Baize]

What Kalique absolutely didn't like was how Dram kept disobeying her orders and just disagreeing with everything she said like he was in charge, which he absolutely wasn't. She angrily glared at him, however not saying a single word in terms of that and only replied, "Of course it's inside here, that's why I was repeatedly advising you and your men to leave" she growled, shaking her head before she let her lightsaber snap back into her hand.

"Don't fucking die up here" she curtly added, almost ordering it before she headed downwards, ignoring his obnoxious commentary about her 'date' and simply focusing on the task at hand. This would all end up in the report, but what was already fairly obvious was that the two of them simply didn't click.

Hurrying downwards and following that dark, deep rumble within the Force, she soon had to violently blast a door opened before she neared her target. From what she perceived through the Force, the dark sider had started a ritual and she intended to stop that before they'd achieve whatever they were trying to do.

Thus, she sprinted through the hallways, her orange ignited blade being the only source of light down here before she slid into the chamber with the dark sider, immediately unleashing a wild storm of fire into the cultist's direction so that the walls stopped rumbling. She was still hoping Max up there was managing to fight back as he had intended to as she could sense quite a commotion up there.

@Alhon

 

[Max Dram]

Max pressed himself against the pillar, trying to take in the various positions of his remaining men and the sight lines to the enemy. The cultists were grouped behind the upturned table at the far end of the room, with a clear range of vision to Max and his comrades. It would be a difficult approach.

Scattered fire flew past, whipping past Max’s cover and ricocheting off the far wall. More distantly, somewhere down below, Max thought he heard a profound bang and rumble. The Knight Captain was engaged too perhaps.

He cocked his rifle, risking a glance around the pillar, half expecting the cultists to be advancing on them. But the clump of them were still ensconced behind their own cover, making poor use of their numbers. Max had an idea that would never normally work with even half sensible opponents, but maybe it was time for a stroke of luck.

He reached down to his belt, pulling off a grenade, flipping the pin and tossing the thing right towards the enemy. The grenade hit the wall behind the cultists, bouncing perfectly into their midst just as the timer expired. The blast echoed like a cannon in the confined space, the force of the grenade tearing the cultists and their cover apart in a maelstrom of blood and wood.

Max stepped around cautiously, laser sight scanning through the dust and gloom. But all their enemies were well and truly down.

”All clear!” He shouted to his men, helping an injured corporal to his feet. “Cultists are down up here” he commed to Kalique “making our way down if you need any support”. He had no particular desire to help the Knight Captain, but every one of the insurgents needed neutralising if they were to assure the locals of no further attacks.

@LadyRen

20/20 for attack success

 

[Kalique Baize]

Engulfed in flames, the cultist soon found his focus broken and the ritual thus stopped. As she was still running, she reached him a second later, and as his concentration was still in pieces, the only reaction he could come up with was to quickly draw the Sith Sword he was carrying on his side.

The weapon was drenched in darkness, yet it mattered little as while the two weapons met, her focus was still fully on point and so she used her free hand to hurl yet another ball of fire right into the hooded face. The cultist screeched, however reeled in its anger as he called on the total darkness within him again.

Kalique had quite some experience with cultists, so that she knew exactly what this would entail. He'd double down on offense in a powerful display of his powers, fully giving himself in to the darkside, but the blind rage and emotional outburst would also entail less considerations, control and strategic thinking.

He spun wildly, trying to slash at her somehow, before he jumped back. She was on the defense, hence parried until he brought some distance between then and watched him closely, knowing she couldn't underestimate him. She readied her stance as the first sparks of electricity cackled, which meant that he needed all of his focus yet again while his wild emotions channeled the darkness, so that she didn't hesitate any longer.

While the second lightsaber snapped into her hand, she hurled her first lightsaber at the cultist, aiming it right at his torso and hitting him right before the conjured lightning could be launched. With one quick flick of her wrist, the blade spun in just the right moment, thus bisecting the darksider as he slumped down.

She took a deep breath before she called her blade back just when Dram reached her through the comms. "No need. Coming back up, he's dead". Admittedly, he was still fidgeting, yellow eyes directed at her, but this oppressive darkness was continously fading. She immediately ended his suffering by stabbing his head before she took a quick look around, keeping an eye open for any artifacts the ISB might want to keep concealed, but there wasn't anything useful around, so she jogged back up. "Are you alright? For now it seems like there have just been these two".

@Alhon

Spoiler: roll

17/20

 

[Max Dram]

Max was pleasantly surprised to find the Knight-Captain had dealt with the head cultist without undue difficulty. It seemed the worst of their luck had been fighting their way to the front door and fortune had favored them once inside.

The return journey back to GrenTech was far more straightforward than their initial approach, with the enemy neutralised and free reign for the Imperial forces. Despite their causalities, the success of the mission boosted morale and poured cold water on the friction that had bubbled between Max and Kalique. They returned to the warehouse a relatively united front.

"I would reinstate or demolish the pumping station if I were you" Max advised, relaying all that had happened to the company officials. "We killed every cultist we found, but it is possible others in their network will still be drawn here. Deprive them of safe harbor and they will likely leave this world for good".

"We are so very grateful to you and your men" the regional vice president fawned, looking from Max to Kalique "to all of you. We are indebted to the Empire". The man produced a small datapad, offering it to Max "we have noted your...condition..." he said nervously, nodding to the Lieutenant's metal arm. "GrenTech can offer some potential improvements, if they might be of interest". Max thanked the official, quietly pocketing the pad, eager to study it later.

"and you, Madam Demici" the vice president said, turning to Kalique "we will pleased to provide resource to the Empire, but is there anything we might offer you personally in thanks?".

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

The whole building seemed clear and thus Kalique assumed this cell was blown. The question was whether they'd return at some point, but for now they had done anything they could, so it was time for them to head back to GrenTech and report.

They did exactly that and Kalique briefly described what they had encountered at the pumping station before Lieutenant Dram advised them to destroy the station. "If you hear anything similar or experience similar occurrences, don't hesitate to inform us". If more cultists needed to be exterminated, the Knights would be ready.

Kalique was a little surprised by the sudden offer. Of course, it was their personal specialty, but such individual rewards were relatively rare. "I thank you kindly, but I must decline. I'm serving the Empire, hence I'm content with your kind offer about the resources" she replied, giving him a soft smile.

"We are glad we could help, but Lieutenant Dram has a point. This seemed to serve as a base and by destroying it, they'll have to regroup, but we'd still caution you to take care". They still had to be warned and Kalique was convinced with a destroyed base, they wouldn't be too happy unless they'd just leave.

For now though, their mission had been successful and their work was done, so after the chat, the Imperials were good to go. "Thank you, Lieutenant. Your platoon is dismissed. I'll stay for another few days and check out the surroundings to make sure they're not reforming in the remains of the pumping station".

Despite their rough start, they had accomplished their objective, so the mission had still been successful after all. "I do have to apologize for my earlier behavior again though. That wasn't right at all" he had dealt with it half-professionally, but it was probably better to part right away and his services weren't needed anymore anyway.

@Alhon

 

[Max Dram]

Max listened closely to the discussion about resource, casting his eye of the details the vice-president's aide was clutching. The main prize seemed to be unmanned defense satellites for some Imperial-held worlds, a huge boon when they were they were still rebuilding both their fleet and personnel.

Kalique to her credit did not require any personal reward even when offered, which made Max raise an eyebrow at least. Her further apology too softened his feelings about the whole mission somewhat, though he would still include the facts in his report.

"Very well, Knight-Captain" he replied, formally dismissed. "Thank you for your help restoring order here". She had been an asset for sure, even if they had not got on like a house on fire.

Max headed back towards his men and gave the order to head out. Columex at least was now purged of the Sith's influence.

/End

@LadyRen