Ask Ryloth Executive Decisions

[Lorcan]

Ranger Lorcan was a long ways from home.

As a sector ranger he had taken missions away from the core, of course, but Ryloth was probably about as far out as he had ever been at this point in his life. Normally he would assume he was here to break up one of the innumerable slavery rings that operated on the planet despite massive efforts to stop them. Or maybe just breaking up some smugglers or something like that.

He never expected his first visit to Ryloth to be industrial espionage. Though he supposed espionage of this caliber was supposed to be something that he didn't do anywhere in the Galaxy. But he didn't know who he could trust with this information so he couldn't go to the local police force on Coruscant and he was still hesitant about bringing the other rangers into the whole thing too. Of course the rookie was in on the first part but that hadn't been his decision; if it had been up to him then the rookie would have been safely at home when he discovered that place.

Oh well, the past was set.

Stood in front of the company's main office in the outer rim, Lorcan waited for the Doc to arrive. The Doc was a freelancer he had contacted and didn't mind bringing into this web; if they went down they were both going to prison and he honestly didn't care if the Doc went to prison. Still, she was getting paid for this and she seemed intrigued.

Hopefully that would be enough for her to show up.

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

Doc had a feeling she would get called in to more than what she bargained for the moment she stepped out from Nar Shaddaa, but being called out by the Masked Mysterio was less charming than most would have assumed.

Especially to Ryloth of all places.

She loathed the heat, the dust and the general atmosphere here; the blatant sexism, too, didn't hurt.

But the malaise, the general ill will that dwelled in the atmosphere...?

She breathed it in with a deep-lunged sigh, half-mask pulled over her mouth, long white hair braided down her back. She didn't dress in professional threads, but a simple black shirt over her blaster vest, long black slacks with her boots, and a long grey overcoat. Her heavy stun was holstered at the small of her back, her vibroblades stashed away.

All other equipment with her professional armor had been retrofitted with what she wore now; suffice to say she had the feeling these extra credits would mean intense danger her way, and she had to be prepared.

As always, she had her kit on hand in the disguise of a briefcase.

Just what did that grunt have in mind?

@Nefieslab

 

[Lorcan]

Waving briefly to her once she came into view, Lorcan moved over to a bench not far from the building with good sight lines to the building itself. He gestured for her to sit down beside him as he kept an eye both on her and the target building. As much as she was useful, the Doc was a risk. She was a useful tool, just like a good blaster was but he never really trusted his blasters until he had gotten to know them inside and out either.

One of his quirks he was sure his superiors would say.

"Glad you could make it Doc." he greeted her cordially, "How are you liking Ryloth so far?"

Trick question really; Ryloth was a shithole and literally everyone on the planet and in the Galaxy knew it. There were parts of Ryloth that were truly lovely and all they did was make it 'such a shame' about the rest of it. He nodded towards the building casually, trying to keep from drawing too much attention.

"That's the building there - I've got a meeting under a false name with one of the middle management. Idea is we use that to gain access to the building and the files I need." he told her before tilting his head to the side slightly, "Any good at slicing?"

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

She stared blankly at him for a moment... before settling by his side, gaze flicking over towards the building in question. He didn't trust her to show his face... true shocker, that. What, was he unbearably hideous? She snorted at his question of Ryloth, already aching for another cigara. But she resisted, instead blinking. "...A true vacation home. Really, you shouldn't have," she replied in a deadpan monotone, lips pursed faintly beneath her mask.

She blinked again at his question... then tilted her head, giving him a full, amber-eyed stare towards his helmeted features.

"...You brought along a doctor to slice into a business."

She sighed, then slumped back into her chair, pinching her brow. "Sure..." she finally mumbled out, then peered at him. "On one condition."

She paused, then stared at him levelly.

"You pay my dry-cleaning bill when we're done, this dust is murderous."

@Nefieslab

 

[Lorcan]

Pay her dry cleaning bill huh? Well he had heard of people accepting stupider things for payment for much worse so he wasn't going to hold it against her. Instead he simply nodded to himself and made to stand from the bench, ready to start the work that they had come here to actually complete.

It was at that precise moment that the front of the building exploded into flames.

Glass shattered, the doors splintered in an explosion and there were screams of bystanders and victims alike. The entire building was not on fire but it looked like it was only a matter of time before the damage was beyond salvage. As he was thinking this, he watched as a squad of five charged into the flaming building through the open doorway.

He mentally called them a "squad" for one simple reason; he'd never seen a fire brigade that needed combat armor and weaponry to fight a fire.

"Shit." he cursed firmly under his breath as he stood, "They must be trying to destroy any evidence that was left behind - come on!"

He was NOT about to let some jack-booted thugs ruin his investigation! Without waiting to see if the Doctor would be joining him, Lorcan rushed the distance. Drawing his blaster pistol as he ran, Lorcan charged straight through the flames that had sprung up in the doorway.

Barreling through the flames without injury, his luck came to an abrupt end as he slammed right into one of the squad who had elected to stay in the atrium alone. And the two of them were sent sprawling, dazed, by the collision.

Spoiler: Dice

Dynamic Entry!

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

Inwardly, she groaned, reluctantly rising at the sight of the fire.

Why couldn't things remain simple?

As he would dive into action so would she, also dragging out her stun blaster and diving through afterwards, the heat biting, but blessedly muted by the thermal undersuit she wore beneath her armor. She narrowly missed careening into her partner and his newfound companion, but it looked like they weren't really alone. She staggered to the side, then, before the thug could rise, she lowered her blaster and hit them square in the chest.

The heat was beginning to mount behind them, they would have to move quickly before it caught up to them in the atrium.

Another entered, drawn by the sound of blaster fire, and caught another shot as she was about to kneel to help her stunned companion, and she huffed out in irritation.

"Come on," she urged in a calm tone, hefting her blaster in her left and offering her right hand.

They were going to run out of time if they didn't catch up and get what they needed, and fast. That's when it occurred to her.

...There weren't any staff. So why had he scored an appointment? Were they hoping the two of them would be caught in the fire?

She seriously hoped not, but she wasn't going to linger to find out.

Spoiler: dice

Rousing Success

@Nefieslab

 

[Lorcan]

Alright so the lack of staff was something that weighed on his mind but it was nothing compared to the objective. Being knocked around a bit sucked but, again, the objective had to come first. Gritting his teeth, he prepared to struggled to the death with the enemy until the Doc managed to stun them.

Leaving them stunned in a building that was burning down was as good as killing him but Lorcan could not bring himself to care. The data he needed was at risk - he would come back and drag the man out of the fire on their way out if there was time but right now the fate of more than a single life was a stake.

"Thanks."

Taking the offered hand, he climbed to his feet and started off down the hall, dodging through the patches of fire as best he could at speed. He had seen the layout of the building in the old building plans before they had arrived so he knew which room was the physical data-tapes storage facility.

Sometimes physical was just more secure.

The door was, as expected, locked but Lorcan wasn't going to let that stop him. Without much skill in slicing, Lorcan had brought a pair of computer spikes instead. Jamming one into the computerized lock, the door opened to reveal the room beyond. There were stacks upon stacks of data-tapes and the four men were in there already, indiscriminately blasting away.

Sounding a wordless cry, Lorcan charged, barreling into one of the men as they rolled around the room fighting over their weapons and positioning. Lorcan gritted his teeth as he managed to find himself atop the enemy with his hands around his throat - but his right arm rather close to some fire. It was burning hot against his right forearm but he couldn't afford to stop.

Spoiler: Dice

Break into the file room

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

She followed on his heels; he seemed to know the layout intimately, and she didn't, and it left more questions in its' wake. Heat licked at her heels and overhead; she didn't increase her gait, but rather held her blaster in a two-hand grip, and when he broke in she idly wondered why Helmet Head even needed her at all.

Oh no. Wait. She knew. He was intent for being blaster fodder, and quite frankly, she was fine with that.

His crashing through brought their attention from their task, and two of them swung in their direction, about to take aim at him and their downed companion, when she came skidding through.

"Kark!"

She seethed, and pulled the trigger twice. One fell, tagged in the chest, the other caught it in the shoulder and spun away, leaving two to complete their objective.. but one of them was currently stuck between either helping his companion or finishing their objective, and time was ticking fast.

She darted to the side right when they began firing, diving towards one end of the files. Physical databanks always had a computerized entry.. hopefully her companion would finish his own opponent before hers caught up with her and made her life difficult. As it was, she couldn't access anything with her own personal thug about to overtake her cover.

She had to hope they didn't fire first if that was the case... and that they could get the files before this portion of the building caught any more afire.

Thank the Force she had on a thermal suit, things were getting uncomfortable already.

@Nefieslab

Spoiler: dice

Success

 

[Lorcan]

Struggling with the damned bugger underneath him, Lorcan knew that he was going to need to do something drastic. The two of them were struggling mightily and the fire was close enough to be too hot to be comfortable on his right forearm. In the split second the both of them knew that one of them was going to do something and win the fight.

And live.

The enemy reached down to his waist to draw his pistol and Lorcan knew he had seconds at most. Instead of attempting to stop the grab for the blaster, Lorcan instead gripped the man's head in both hands as tightly as he could. The fire lept and sparked, catching his coat alight along his right forearm. Roaring in anger and pain as his flesh was burned, Lorcan gripped the man's head tightly and twisted as suddenly and as violently as he could.

There was a sickening snap and the enemy was gone.

Rolling away from the body and the fire, Lorcan managed to put the flames out but his right forearm was now burned.

Spoiler: Dice

Get the kill and the burn

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

She heard her companion bellow, and would have helped him out, but there wasn't any time. The moment her enemy engaged and came around the corner, she crouched and fired; once in the shoulder, twice in the chest, and they fell like a sack of rocks to the ground. She sprang up and didn't even bother checking them to see if they were still conscious; instead, the final one she tagged in the shoulder was still struggling feebly to aim a shot at her companion. One last stun bolt was enough to cut that thought short.

She didn't even wait to confirm if he was seriously injured or not; they were running out of time. She could investigate later; but right now, she had to find a computer terminal to put all the information into an access stick. "If you can, get the bodies out of here, I'll do my best to crack the system," she answered in clipped tones.

She was reluctant to have those stunned die by immolation; even she had standards for quality of life.

@Nefieslab

Spoiler: dice

Success

 

[Lorcan]

His burn hurt like hells but he was alive and the enemy wasn't. That was good enough for him for the moment. Standing took a second or two but he could deal with that. Staggering to his feet he grimaced but noticed that his accomplice had done what she needed to do and was even now working on getting the files they needed.

He noticed that she had stunned the enemies she had defeated and he felt his heart leap into his throat. If only she had killed them... then it would make this next bit so much easier.

Lorcan knew that if he left them to safely recover from the stun bolts they would rouse themselves and their employer would know who was onto them and how much information they had. If they died "in the fire" then it would take longer for that to happen. But even with the knowledge that it was for the investigation... killing didn't sit well with him.

He'd done it not moments ago in a moment where it was kill or be killed - clear cut self defense - but this wasn't going to be like that. This was going to be murder.

Taking the stunned enemies out of the room they were in currently, he quickly spread them throughout the facility as though they were workers. And then be cut their throats out with his vibroknife to spare them having to die in the fire itself. Returning to the file room, he looked around urgently at the state of the fire.

"Lets get moving Doc!"

@Killa Ree

 

[Dr Ilana Morata]

She had been about to answer, but a sudden gust of air caused one of the blazes to flare... and it caught on her back. She let out a muffled cry, and twisted around, rolling to put out the flames, and a beep of alarm came from the databank. She had breached some of the information... but most of it was passcode protected, and they didn't have time to hunt down more information.

Hopefully, it would be enough.

She managed to put out the flames, but her back twinged and ached in pain as burns bubbled on sensitive flesh. She let out a ragged cough, then removed the datastick and computer spike, looking up at Lorcan over the edge of her mask. "I got some, no time to stay. We need to move!"

@Nefieslab

Spoiler: dice

Mild Fail