Du Riechst So Gut

[Allard Keever]

Theme​

Once you were off the beaten trail, Ord Cantrell was just like every other planet in the Galaxy, meaning that it adhered to the Galactic truth...

There's always a slum. Always.

And just as the saying went, there was a rather large slum neighbourhood behind the tourist trap that was the rest of Ord Cantrell and, to the surprise of no one, it was the foothold of the Crimson Dawn terrorist group. Specifically, the base the politician had told them about, their main base of operations?

Well it was hidden behind the local market.

Allard frowned a little bit behind the helmet of his combat armour but otherwise didn't react even as he checked his rifle was in full working order before turning back to those who had signed up for this strike on the terrorist base.

"Civilians are still in the area and they likely will be in the line of fire - terrorists don't care after all. But I DO care so watch your shots." he declared firmly, "That being said... your lives are more important than anyone else in this slum. Do I make myself clear?"

He tapped the side of his helmet,

"Keep in com contact even when together - if we split up I don't want to have us to waste time turning them on." he held his rifle at the ready as he nodded to them once more, "Let's get moving."

Moving forwards towards the base, Allard kept his rifle up and himself alert... no doubt the Crimson Dawn had gotten word about them by now.

Players: @Catbert @Ecclessey @Armcore @Minuteman75 @GABA
DM: @Faster Than Light
Time Frame: 48 hours per round guys!

 

[Kal Titch]

Kal only half listened to Allard Keever while looking at his own reflection on Allard’s helmet. How did a dozen Blackrow Guard Armor outfits end up in the warehouse on Ord Mantell? He couldn’t complain because it was better protection than what he usually had, not to mention his other piece of technically illegal equipment: the XGR-1 Adjudicator. Of course his own blaster pistol was tucked neatly into a shoulder holster to finish the odd combination, the pistol clearly being out of place with its white and blue against the black of the armor and rifle. He felt a knot in his stomach as he stared at his own reflection, but he knew he was doing what was necessary to survive in a cruel galaxy. He could all too vividly remember his row with the crew of the Omani Gamble when he said he was going to help solve the Crimson Dawn problem so they’d finally open up the spaceport for merchant shipping again. A crew with their tonnage couldn’t afford such a long delay and they were at risk missing their drop of engine parts on Canonica if the port remained closed for another two days. Missing that drop meant unemployment for the crew and the scrapyard for the Gamble.

That’s how Kal, who never before wore armor or shot a rifle in his life, had geared up with Allard Keever and others to bring an end to the Crimson Dawn. ”Alright so to keep in coms I need to keep the helmet on, right.” his voice betrayed how nervous he was. very. ”I hope they’re easily identifiable.”

 

[Ras Klaar]

Crimson Dawn, eh? Gang members or not, the name made Ras shiver. Not because he was scared of course, but because the name sounded eerily similar to him. He didn't know why, but it reminded him of something he didn't know about or didn't remember. At least it was the name of a terrorist group the guild was going after right now.

Terrorists.

Gang members were already cowards in Ras' opinion, but terrorists were on another level completely. So Ras was quite happy when he got a chance to mess them up a bit. Killing civilians wasn't Ras' thing. And it was why he hated terrorists. They always targeted people that could do nothing to them. Cowards. That was what they really were.

Ras looked at his KI-33. The weapon had served him well so far and was Ras' favorite one. Checking if it was turned on and fine overall, Ras looked around. There were people he didn't know and people he didn't know too well. If he wasn't himself he would've wanted to know the people better and talked to them, but because he was usually the silent one he stayed quiet, occasionally looking at the other people around him to make sure nobody was talking to him without him noticing.

​

 

[Nolan Kodd]

Nolan thought back to the events of the past days and still couldn't figure out how he had got involved in this: a mercenary operation in the slums on some planet that he had never visited before. It sure was a long way from serving as a co-pilot on a smuggler's freighter. Out of place again? Sounded just about right; it had been that way ever since Nolan set foot on that resort planet for the first time.

The smuggler checked his weapons and equipment: the usual armor (without a poncho or jacket to cover it this time); a belt with 2 concussion grenades, a holster with the trusty 4C blaster pistol on his hip, and the last but not least, the 2L blaster rifle on a sling over his shoulder. That weapon was new him, but the choice was justified: bringing a stun baton into a gunfight didn't make sense anyway. Besides, the previous owner would've approved the purpose it'd be used for today.

"Check, you read me?" Nolan adjusted a headset his right ear, which served as a comlink for him since he didn't have the helmet. When Allard issued the order to move, Nolan took the rifle and followed, but at a distance of several meters. The young man had a very bad feeling about this, but it was too late to back down.

 

[Vilkas]

Vilkas could never in his life fathom worlds like Ord Cantrell. The way it’s looks on the outside and what was conceals underneath reminded him of a mask hiding a face. The Nelvannian had loaded his Adjudicator rifle with a clip. Along with his other weaonpry, the Wolfman had concealed his features with a tan hood now attached to the gunslinger armor he wore. Vilkas stood close by Allard as he defined out the rules of engagement to their team.

The merc had to suppress a sigh, comprehending the fact that combat in this den of filth will be bloody for all. He already knew the leader and Ras but the others were complete strangers to him. Regardless they all had a task to complete and the tribal exile had no personal objections to them.

A group that calls itself Crimson Dawn is trying to be known. I fought pirates, bandits, and different warriors before but not terrorists until now. The way aliens describe them they sound more like rapid beasts than combatants.

It reinforced his notion of the madness of ‘civilized’ societies. Keeping it to himself, Vilkas advanced with gun at the ready behind Allard. He heard the man called Nolan test out the comms. Must be nervous. Was the blue canine’s silent opinion.

 

[Marcella Wren]

Ord Mantell was foreign to Marcella, she never had a reason until now, and it seemed like a fairly good reason. A terrorist group, defined commonly across systems as not welcomed and Marci was more than happy to help out. This group though decided to call themselves Crimson Dawn and the Mando rolled her eyes, an ominous name, yet for they act in a noble cause. She felt a little out of place, not too many Mandalorians ventured out past their homeworld and in her armor, her lineage easily rolled off their tongues.

She pulled her blaster, signaling she was ready as Allard finished their brief instructions; she didn't like the idea of civilians getting in the way but it felt good to know that the team would let nothing happen to one another if it came between them and everyone else. However, as the new guy, she felt like she was dropping a lot of trust into strangers she had just met, but Allard seemed reassuring about his team.

Her gaze fell on each of them in the group before she looked past them as she studied her surroundings. At the very least it would be like back at home, drills with her brothers, strike teams handling minor clan disputes. As they moved towards the base, Marci focused, keeping her eyes peeled for anything that seemed out of sorts in order to avoid the terrorists jumping them first.

 

[The Storyteller]

There was no doubt indeed that the Crimson Dawn terrorist group has gotten word that things aren't going as good as they should be. Their main base in the slums, on the surface looks like a larger than average shack that spans two stories with has is set up that the second floor is good for observing. Also has a dish that gets the only source of holonet signal in the slums. But it's not the building that's the base. That's just for everyone to look at. The real base is underground and it's quite an impressive network down there. They are effectively hidden in plain sight with everyone none the wiser... until that politician spilled the beans. They got word about this and have taken steps to ready themselves to fight by any means necessary.

As Allard's group so boldly strode through the slums, a bunch of heavily armed and armored men would stick out like sore thumbs. The Crimson Dawn had a fair amount of influence in the slums. There is a resident here and there who is sympathetic to their cause. One of them, who looks like just an ordinary resident on the slums to the side, he would be carrying a bag of goods from the shabby bazaar in the opposite direction of the tourist trap market. After Allard's group would pass, the slum-goer would turn in a different direction off to the side and out of site, and then pull out a handheld radio and then voice of the channels. "There coming."

With that notice, five men (who were already knew that people would be coming for them sooner or later), armed with 2L Blaster Rifles would enter the free, with 3 of them on the second floor balconies guarding the entrance, and two them outside on the ground also guarding the front door on either side. They would be wearing various robes and rags, but would have full chest and back protection. They are devoted freedom fighters for the Crismon Dawn and they will repel the Free Trade Guild members.

@GABA @Nefieslab! @Minuteman75 @Catbert @Ecclessey

 

[Allard Keever]

And it seemed that they were expected.

The shack that heralded the base was visible and it was not undefended... which meant that it was time to go loud. They weren't too close yet which meant that some of the people he was bringing didn't have weapons that would be effective at this range. He spoke through the coms,

"Ras - hit them up top, you've got range on them. Kal - our rifles have the range too, you take the other. If you can't kill? Suppress."

Turning to Vilkas, he nodded to the other man,

"You and I will suppress those down on the ground floor."

He dropped to one knee beside a market stall before leaning out. He raised his rifle and began to suppress those on the ground floor. He was still aiming to kill with two shots towards the chest of two of the three on the ground floor.

"Nolan - Merci - you guys take advantage and move up while they're suppressed and take them out at close range." he paused before adding, "If anyone has better plans I'm very open though!"

Players: @Catbert @Ecclessey @Armcore @Minuteman75 @GABA
DM: @Faster Than Light
Time Frame: 48 hours per round guys!

 

[Nolan Kodd]

Nolan cursed in his mind: Some strategist! Sending the only guy without a helmet up close. Sure, it could work in those entertainment vids that were broadcasted over HoloNet, but there was one difference—the heroes there didn't need any helmets because they had plot armor. Naturally, Nolan couldn't boast any of that.

Yet the young man didn't say anything; there were plenty of strangers here, so Nolan had to save face. Hard to do it when you're sent into the fray without the helmet, Allard!

After giving the glorious strategist a brief questioning look, Nolan made a hesitant nod and peeked out from cover to duck quickly again: three people up above, two by the entrance to the buiding. Should be doable, especially if the others were good at keeping the enemies pinned.

First Nolan intended to rain down some fire from cover just as Allard did, and then duck from cover to cover, taking occasional shots at the enemies. But then something clicked in his mind. Maybe it was his fear speaking, or maybe the intuition. But it appeared that there was a flaw in the strategy.

Then he realized: there were 6 attackers and 5 defenders. Yet by Allard's plan, only 4 attackers would be laying down suppressing fire. One of the enemies could be left unpinned; and that enemy would be the one on the top floor, at a vantage point. Hopefully, it required no explanation what this oversight could result in. Even if those "Kal" and "Ras" guys were good at their job, they were still outgunned 3 to 2.

"Scratch that, change of plan!" Nolan replied all of a sudden. "Allard, pin the remaining guy at the top floor, I've got one on the ground," Nolan then looked at the unfamiliar female Mandalorian, referring to her the way Allard had called her, after a brief pause: "Marci, you move forward, take cover and shoot so that I can push too. We'll move from cover to cover and take turns until we're there." With that said, Nolan prepared to substitute Allard and suppress one of the guys on the ground. Hopefully, nobody would be against that slight change.

 

[Vilkas]

Vilkas continued the march with the team. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but the mercenary had a sinking feeling they were being watched but by whom was a mystery. There was no time to figure that out when five Crimson Dawn terrorist appeared from their various positions. Swiftly Vilkas took cover behind a wall corner next to Allard’s stall as the firing started.

Hearing the leader’s plan, the Nelvaanian leaned out from the corner. Firing two toward a terrorist’s center mass on the left hand side on the ground. He unleashed another two shots at the second enemy in the same matter on the opposite side before falling back to shelter behind the wall corridor. It was at that point Vilkas picked up Nolan’s alternative plan on the comms, causing him to grimace.

Spirits they need to make up their minds fast! He thought, reloading a fresh clip into his rifle.

 

[Ras Klaar]

Ras looked up at the bright sky and took a deep breath. He knew well, that there was going to be a good fight soon, so appreciating the peace and quiet was something he thought would be a good thing to do. A blue sky. It just looked so beautiful to him. So taking his eyes off it was hard in a way to him. Hit them up top, eh? Ras looked down and around himself. He tried to find just anything he could use as a cover. He was glad in a way that staying a bit more far away from the fight was possible. It wasn't cowardice in his opinion. It was just a tactic of sorts.

Hiding behind a cracked wall of sorts, Ras hit his weapon with his fist a few times to wish it luck. He took a deep breath again and leaned towards the wall behind him. Calming down. Nothing going through his mind.

Nolan? Merci? Oh well. Ras had never learned to remember names, but these ones he tried to keep in his mind. At least for now. Repeating the names in a whisper to himself, Ras listened to the blaster sounds coming from behind him. He peeked around the wall to see what was happening. He knew the people on the ground were pinned by Allard and some other people, but the guys on the upper floor were all potential targets to him.

When Ras heard one of his new companions telling Allard to suppress the guy on the top floor, he made it his own duty. Aiming towards the unsuspecting man, Ras spoke through the coms and to his companions for the first time on the whole mission.

" I have the guy up there in my sights, man. And I'm taking him y'know"

Ras took the shot as soon as he could, hoping it would hit the man and possibly kill him. If it missed he would call it suppressing.​

 

[Kal Titch]

Oh kriff, Oh kriff and Oh Kriff

Kal felt uncomfortable like hell, wearing a helmet was all too unfamiliar and he had really only ever seen a rifle and never actually held one. Walking along with the others he felt immensily out of place among soldiers, making clear that he belonged either in a cockpit or behind a desk.

When Allard told him to shoot someone his heart suddenly went crazy, beating almost out of his chest in a sudden spurt of adrenaline. Was he excited or did he dread the necessity of it? Time would tell soon enough, "Shoot the windows, got it."

Taking aim once he was in range, Kal pressed the trigger just as they had explained to him when they were suiting up. Breathe slowly and pull the trigger even slower.. be surprised by your shot.

and oh boy, did his own first shot scared the shit out of him. Aimed at one of the guards in the window, Kal fired five shots in slow succession and with the best aim he cpuld muster at the distance.

 

[Marcella Wren]

The structure blended in with the rest of the buildings in the area, Marci would have never guessed unless it was pointed out as it were. Allard chimed in over the comms, giving orders where he wanted them to strike; she would go with the young smuggler named Nolan while the rest suppressed fire, but Nolan seemed to have a better idea. She quirked an eyebrow beneath her helmet but took cover behind the side of a stand.

Allard was aiming at the two on the ground floor along with Vilkas, taking care of the ground floor crew, it would draw their attention, as well as those on the third floor. The remaining two men were shooting at the guards on the third floor. With a pause in shots, Marci moved from her spot, “Lets go Nolan!” She commanded her blaster aimed for the third guard on the second floor, five consecutive shots to the guard, making sure she could hit through his armor.

Marci was swift, if for whatever reason Allard’s and Vilkas’ fire didn’t take out the two guards at the bottom level, her own blaster would be readied and fired as she took cover under the overhang of the bottom level door. She stood against the wall, ready to crouch in case surprise guards came out from other places, hell, she half expected someone to pop out from one of the boxes.

With her blaster in one hand, she grabbed her vibrosword with the other, ready for more close quarters combat.

 

[Nolan Kodd]

One way or another, the plan unfolded somewhat akin to what Nolan had suggested. Of course, in the heat of battle it was hard to say who was shooting whom, but that's the thing with the suppressive fire, isn't it?

The female Mandalorian sure knew how to lead by example, and Nolan had nothing left to do but follow. Going with his own plan, he'd take a shot at one of the hostiles at the ground level (assuming they hadn't been taken out yet), then swiftly move behind the wall of a nearby building.

There Nolan would get his brief moment of safety, his back to the wall and his rifle pointing up, as he held it in both hands close to himself. The wall provided enough cover to take a quick, yet deep breath before going into the fray again.

Assuming that the enemies hadn't been taken out by the storm of blaster bolts from the team's guns, Nolan would approach the building in quick dashes from cover to cover, prepared to shoot at any hostile who'd even think of training their guns on him or Marci.

If everything went according to the plan, Nolan wouldn't have to fire more shots until he'd take cover by the door with the Mandalorian, but on the opposite side. He couldn't but stare with some degree of surprise at the woman's choice of weapon: bringing a sword into a gunfight wasn't the best idea in Nolan's book. On the other hand, who was he to judge? From what little Nolan had seen, Marci looked more than capable.

Nolan brought his blaster pistol just in case, but decided to go with the rifle for now; you never know when you need a backup weapon, and the pistol was just that. Still holding his rifle, Nolan pressed his side against the wall, prepared to rush through the door when necessary.

The saying "Ladies first" seemed to come in effect here, as the lady was better armored and armed for close-quarter combat. Nolan with his rifle would only get in the way of her blade. Then again, if he was told to go in first, he wouldn't argue.

 

[Ras Klaar]

Ras took a quick glance at his new companions. They were quite effective in his opinion. At least more effective than any god damn gang members he had seen on Nar Shaddaa. Those guys usually just went in and tried to kill people without a plan or anything remotely similar, usually dying first in the process. Cautiously lowering his weapon, Ras looked behind himself to check if anyone was trying to sneak up on him.

Ras decided, that moving forward with the others was the best thing he could do. Mainly, because he didn't want to be left alone as a target, but also because he wanted to help the people he was friends with. Ras didn't know any of them too well to be honest, but he still felt like he had to help them for some reason or another.

Quickly moving towards the base, Ras looked around continuously. Something to hide behind was something he was always looking for. A protective barrier. His brother was that to him when he was around. Always taking the worst hits.

Well, not always, but he still took them.

Ras found himself behind cover again pretty fast. This time, he was kneeling behind a ruined market stall, catching his breath to make his aim a bit better when it was needed. Ras' weapon was still hot as he got up and looked through the scope attached to it. He wanted to know what the others were doing, just to make sure they were...

Safe.

Huh. Ras had never actually protected anyone from anything. He had always been the one to be protected from.

A paid killer.​

 

[Vilkas]

It seemed the initial attack paid off. Vilkas’ target on the left hand fell in a heap with the other ones on the right slain by Allard. Watching and hearing the others advanced Vilkas striped out of cover, with the rifle still aimed. Strangely enough this reminded him of a hunting party back on Nelvaan.

Do not think of it now. The mission is what matters!

Vilkas reminded silently, approaching cautiously toward the hideout. He had a feeling the fight was only beginning.

 

[Allard Keever]

And despite this changing of tactics and targets?

Everything seemed to be working out alright.

Nolan and Marci had moved up successfully, Vilkas had managed to get a kill as well and Ras was moving up cautiously but with a mind of keeping himself ready to take a good shot. He himself had shot twice at two of the men on the ground floor and had been rewarded with screams being cut short and both men he'd taken a shot at had died without much fuss.

He wasn't going to complain.

Using the advantage of his rifle's range, Allard would lay down two shots on any of the terrorists left alive, once again aiming to kill but happy enough if they were just suppressed.

@Ecclessey @GABA
@Faster Than Light

 

[Ras Klaar]

Ras was quite sure that his companions knew what they were doing and he didn't have to watch over them like a big brother. He tried to find a hostile target instead. A terrorist. A coward. Just anyone that would try to hurt him or his colleagues.

Ras was the kind of person that usually worked alone and was glad he did. His few experiences of working with a partner before he joined the guild were pretty bad in his opinion. Sure, he... or they got the job done both times, but neither Ras or his companion knew which one of them was the leader.

Leader. That was probably the reason why he enjoyed being in the guild. He had a leader. Someone that for the most part made the decisions for him. Or rather planned everything out.

Ras shook his head a bit. He knew the mission mattered a lot more than his oh so precious thoughts, so he decided to keep them away from his head for now.

For now at least.​

 

[Kal Titch]

Fire erupted in a way that had Kal slightly panicking and yet as his body began to shudder he ran as quick as he could towards the building Allard had told him to shoot at. After the initial volley the sounds of blaster fire was drawn out by the cries of panic stricken bystanders and that of dying terrorists. "Nothing prevents the Omani Gamble from leaving port!" he couldn't help but shout as he took cover against the hideout's outer walls. He was strangely excited, for despite his obvious fear of dying and his heart pumping due to his quick dash for cover he was enjoying it.

Pointing his rifle towards the nearest hideout entry, Kal nodded towards Allard (@Nefieslab) "I have a deadline." There was a strange sensation of being untouchable that he wasn't accustomed to and that, without a doubt, made it possible for him to be so short with the infamous Allard Keever.

Leaving no time for Allard to pause, Kal pointed his rifle at the door's lock and pulled the trigger, blasting the lock and forcing the door to swing wide open. If Allard and his men went in immediately they could probably stun all the terrorists before taking any casualties themselves.

 

[Marcella Wren]

Nolan suggested her to go first and she was more than happy to do so; one of the men (@Ecclessey) pointed their rifle at the locked door, blasting it open, the terrorists inside were waiting for the group, firing their weapons before anyone could enter. Marci pulled a frag grenade, activated the weapon and tossed it inside. There it followed with the boom; there were certainly less yells from the terrorisits inside and the blaster fire stopped as Marci went inside; the walls were scorched and many who took position to defend the entrance now lay dead.

Those who had survived the blast at the mercy of their commrades now were at the mercy of the Mandalorian warrior, her blaster rung with several shots as she spotted the moving bodies through the dwindling smoke, "CLEAR!" she shouted, letting the others know they could enter. She pulled out her vibrosword, ready for any dummy to come charging and she would welcome it, the fight was honorable, if you died protecting that you were passionate about, Marci was gladly there to give them that death. Her thumb toggled the switch on the sword, activating the subtle hum it gave as she swiftly moved passed the first inside line of defense.

The woman plundered a couple of grenades off one of the corpses before coming to a corner of a t-intersection; one end was clear, but she wouldn't need to wait for the others to check on the other as she heard footsteps coming.