Industrial Affairs

[Tomic Domin]

So they were on Czerka's side in these matters and to prove that they were... breaking into one of their labs.

Alright so the mission was one of those that sounded simple and complicated at the same time but, in reality, was just political and that was the only reason it was complicated at all. The lab was secure, apparently, but it would be his and Inheris' job to see just how secure the place actually was.

The guards were not alerted and they had been given permission by Czerka to kill their guards if needs be. It was telling as to what kind of employer Czerka was but Tomic was confident that they shouldn't need to actually kill any of the guards since the Empire had agreed to use non-lethal methods instead.

Some of them were likely to "die", of course, but some of them may yet live. All that mattered was getting into the lab and reaching the objective. Once they had reached the objective, the exercise would be over and they would be given leave to get back to Sith space and the remaining guards would be stood down.

His ammo had been swapped out for paintballs to simulate kill shots on the guards he hit but otherwise remained unchanged. Inheris' lightsabers were to be set in training mode as well. He checked over his weapons again.

"Suggestions on entry?" he asked Inheris with a frown behind his helmet, "I really hope you're not the type of Sith to suggest 'through the front door'..."

He paused for just a second before adding.

"My Lady."

@Nightfall

 

[Darth Inheris]

It wasn’t often members of the Sith found themselves ‘contracted’ out for things like this. But diplomacy came in many forms, and if the budding romance between Czerka and the Sith Empire required a few little kinks to get it there she wasn’t exactly going to protest.

That, and this was her sort of operation anyhow.

It had been an odd twist of her life she had not foreseen, spending so much time in the company of soldiers. But her and her battalions had seen far more action than most, and that meant she’d come to appreciate working alongside the armed forces more than she might have expected in her youth. Still, Tomic was a new face, it remained to be seen how the pair of them would run together,

“Rest assured the frontlines were never my style” she responded with a smirk assessing the Czerka labs fortifications,

“But if experience has told me anything, it’s that people don’t often look up” Inheris added, gesturing to the upper floors “if we can scale a floor or two up, we should find a significantly lower concentration of security, cut through to a storage room or ventilation, avoid any alarms” Inheris was looking out over the buildings far side, the side face of the facility should be a cleaner entrance in, and the rear felt too obvious an ‘alternative entrance’, even for this ‘performance of espionage. Didn’t mean they could be riskier though. If they meant to play the enemy then they’d do it properly, or risk falling out of favour with one of the most powerful businesses in the galaxy.

No pressure then.

Inheris, besides her lightsaber, has brought along one of the paint-pistols as well. If she’d use it out there she’d practice with it here. That, and the sorts of people infiltrating Czerka for real were more likely to be wielding them anyway. Still, a little lesson from a Sith and soldier wouldn’t go astray anyhow.

@Nefieslab


OOC: sorry for formatting, had to phone post this one.

 

[Tomic Domin]

The frontlines were never her style?

Alright so that was telling; either they had stuck him with a black ops Sith or they had stuck him with a former political type from the old Imperial Republica. From her accent she was from that neck of the woods which was... alarming. Either he was working with a Sith who excelled in backstabbing or he was working with one who preferred to use words rather than her weapons. Neither option filled him with comfort but he put it out of his mind for now.

It was, most likely, because he was being paranoid again.

Hopefully.

"The straight edge of the building has too many windows to be useful." he ruled out one side of the building before gesturing to the sloped side, "That bit there though? The bit at an angle?"

He nodded to himself as he picked up a small grappling gun he had brought along with him to this point. If he needed it, he was going to be taking it and climbing up a wall? That meant grappling. He nodded towards Inheris before beginning the trek over to the perimeter fence.

"Cut through the fence or go over?"

@Nightfall

 

[Darth Inheris]

Inheris followed Tomic's finger across the building to the other side. The slope would make it much easier to scale, and hopefully meant the strange angle would mess with guards if they did get spotted, throw them off a little and give them an element to play with in a fight.

Hopefully it wouldn't come to that,

"Agreed. On your lead then" she gave the man a nod and let him begin over to the fenceline. So far so good, but they hadn't really gotten started yet,

"Over, if there's enemies on the other side we can still drop back down this way, they see us cutting and there's no going back" Inheris replied thoughtfully, her eyes flicking across the top of the wall.

With a deep breath she drew the Force to herself and sent it flowing into her legs, leaping up the side of the perimeter wall and gripping onto the topmost ledge as she drew herself up slowly, peering across into the buildings flank courtyard. But from all she could see, there had been little reason to be so subtle. The wall itself wasn't patrolled, not here at least, and the bay areas beyond were scarcely patrolled at all, and if there were cameras she couldn't see them. They'd have free reign to drop down without a pair of eyes in sight.

Signing the all clear, she waited till Tomic joined her,

"Perimeter clear then, looks like we've got a straight shot" she said with almost a sense of humour breaking through,

"No matter how todaygoes, this is going on the report"


Dice

@Nefieslab

 

[Tomic Domin]

Of course the Sith wanted to scale the fence.

Sighing a little bit, Tomic nodded to himself at what he had expected before beginning his careful climb. Unlike Inheris, he had no special skill to help him hop over the fence like it was nothing but a molehill and he was armoured. If he fell it would be loud, it would be awkward and it would probably hurt as well so instead of investing in making it fast, he began to make his ascent. Taking his time as he was, he still made it over in good time because he wasn't in bad shape at all.

Dropping onto the other side of the fence with Inheris, he nodded to her.

"I would expect nothing less."

Tomic was, when it came to military ops, incredibly by the book. In his opinion there was a reason why the book even existed so it deserved to be followed. With their destination ahead of him, Tomic nodded to the Sith before beginning to make his way towards the base.

He made it only a few hundred yards before the first trap activated.

A mine propelled itself up out of the ground to head height between Tomic and Inheris before detonating. Thankfully for the both of them it was a sonic mine, leaving them almost deaf immediately and causing blinding pain in their ears but nothing too damaging directly... it did, however, complete ruin the idea of stealth.

Spoiler: Dice

Rolling for successful approach... it was not successful.

@Nightfall

 

[Darth Inheris]

Czerka was smarter than she'd given them credit for, apparently.

That thought though didn't stop the ringing in her ears as the mine sonic mine burst beyond them and rocketed waves of sound directly into their ears. No, it wasn't lethal, but it was loud, and it stung in a way Inheris hadn't experienced before. She shook her head, trying to gather her senses once more following the blast, hopefully Tomic wasn't too shaken either.

There wouldn't be much time though to check in.

Glancing to the side as her hearing slowly faded back in, she caught the faintest echoes in the distance, footsteps and voices dashing toward their location from the lab. Getting caught so early wasn't exactly part of the plan, she had to admit.

In her haze she searched around the courtyard, crates, shipping containers, and all manner of other items dotted the courtyard-come-loading bay they were making their way through. They needed the guards off their scent. Reaching out with the force, Inheris threw crates from their stacks, knocking them about and setting off anohter mine further along, desperately trying to give the impression that they were moving the other direction, while she and Tomic could flee the other, and get back on with the infiltration.

A moment passed. Apparently, it worked.

Patting Tomic on the shoulder, she began to usher them away and again toward the wall, from the corner of her eye spying the last of the search team splitting off south, away from them.

A close call, but one they could recover from. Though it might take their ears a little longer than expected.

@Nefieslab

Spoiler: Dice

Roll to distract the search party, successful

 

[Tomic Domin]

Tomic was trying his best not to actually speak or vocalize anything because his ears were still ringing so strongly, so loudly, that he had no idea how loud he was saying anything. He could think he was whispering and actually he was speaking at a regular volume and they would be caught. It was annoying since he had the strangest urge to go 'mawp' at varying degrees of volume for some reason - was that supposed to get his hearing back on track?

He felt like it would, despite the fact that it made no medical sense that he was aware of.

Whatever, it seemed that his Sith ally had managed to get the first search party off their back with some misdirection but it was clear to the security forces now that they were here. They were just going to need to find out where exactly they were... which was something to avoid even if Tomic was pretty sure they would win in a fight.

He drew the grappling gun that he had packed and charged across the distance towards the wall they had highlighted as their best point of access before things had started exploding. Even now they were the best bet. Cursing when blaster bolts started to come their way, Tomic was a little bit annoyed to note that only some of the guards had remembered they were supposed to be firing stun weaponry.

Arse.

Firing the grappling hook up the wall, he cursed despite his rule about not speaking as he got clipped on the back slightly by a stun round. His armour there dulled the shot but he could still feel himself beginning to go numb.

Spoiler: Dice

Rolling to use the grapple

@Nightfall

 

[Darth Inheris]

The guards arrival was a setback earlier in the day than Inheris had hoped for. As bolts struck the surfaces around them, one even whipping into Tomic's rear armour, she sneered across at the figures that rushed them, pulling her lightsaber from her belt.

She wasn't planning to use it this early. Might make them more of a target. Though that probably didn't matter now.

Keeping pace with Tomic and following his lead, she pulled up the side of the building along with him, her red blade shimmering and sparking as its batted away bolts back toward their sources, forcing the security forces back behind crates and into cover. It bought them time, but their precarious position would mean such safety could not last long.

She was impressed though, she had to admit, with the soldiers resolve. A stun bolt to the back was nothing so easily forgotten. to carry on climbing despite it? Most impressive. Assuming their were no further accidents, there was a valuable asset in the making.

Still, she needed to worry about her own skin for the moment.

A renewed bevy of blaster bolts rocketed into the space above them, blanketing the area in lasers that'd end their trip up for sure. They had come so close,

"Inside, we need to get away from their fire" she called up, while throwing her arm across and piercing the glass window to their current level. It wasn't as high as they needed to get, floors would have to be scaled inside, but they could still complete it.

It was a complication, yes. But it wasn't over yet either.

@Nefieslab

Spoiler: Dice

Rolling to defend their ascent

 

[Tomic Domin]

So yeah.

Being inside would be great now.

The incoming fire wasn't very accurate because they were getting further and further away from the shooters but even bad shots could hit with enough luck. Reaching a level up the side of the building that he was happy enough with, Tomic drew his vibroblade with one hand and thrust it forwards into the window.

Unlike a lightsaber, which would have cleanly cut a hole into the glass, the vibrations of the vibroblade shattered the window completely, leaving nothing in the way of Tomic and Inheris swinging on inside the building.

Dropping his vibroblade, Tomic drew his rifle from his back with the practiced ease of a professional soldier and brought it against the current residents of the room. Gunning two of them down with stun rounds, he cursed as he looked backwards slightly and realized that he had dropped his vibroblade out the shattered-open window.

Kark.

Spoiler: Dice

Roll to clear entry room

@Nightfall

 

[Darth Inheris]

A pair of clean shots from Tomic were enough to breach the room and bring down whatever security might have attempted to stop them. They had to keep that same momentum up and force themselves through to their end goal, if they slowed down there was a chance they'd finally be caught.

To that end, as Tomic downed the first occupants, Inheris rushed ahead in the burst of violence. Passing out the door from the laboratory, she entered the facilities main hall, looking down over the vast space from the overhanging walkways that ran the length of its edge. Glancing up she could see it, their objective: Czerka's Central Processor. A computer storing detailed plans over every blueprint and production technique Czerka kept hidden away. A breach to it in reality could see theft, deletion, or the loss of choice trade secrets. Not that they'd be taking them today, but again, the attempt to make it in with it was valuable in itself.

Still, they had to get there.

To her left she spotted the staircase that would lead them onto the upper walkway that led to their objective, but with the facility alert now it was hardly a simple effort to charge headfirst into it. But desperate times and all that.

Falling into a sprint, Inheris threw herself forwards with great effort, ripping a pair of rifles from the hands of security before scoring clean hits on both, her lightsaber in training mode causing spasms as the stun effect dulled their muscles and effectively incapacitated them. Her leg muscles pulsing after the climb up the exterior left her feeling tired, sluggish as she forced herself up the stairs. It had been too long since she was in the field, she knew now she'd lost a step. Even though it were only a test, she could feel the shame inside her as she realised it. This would not stand after today.

While she had left a path for the two of them, dropping right on the final walkway, she caught a glimpse of a pair of security teams that blocked either side of the final crossing to the central room. She'd been too slow to beat them, and a ripple of stun energy kept her locked down behind her lightsaber to defend. Unless one of them could think of something, they were stuck.

So close, and yet so far.

@Nefieslab

Spoiler: Dice

Roll to push up stairs to the objective

 

[Tomic Domin]

Tomic followed on after his Sith ally.

She was running faster than him and she was pushing further ahead. It was going to be a rather strange fight if she kept pushing herself forwards as some sort of vanguard. As near as Tomic could tell, Inheris was a strong Sith but she wasn't in the same category as someone like the Emperor, who had the raw power and skill to throw himself into the frontlines without backup and come out without a scratch.

Some rumours of the Emperor's service reckon had reached even the lowest of ranks after all.

Reaching the top of the stairs, he could see that Inheris was pinned down beneath some withering fire and their objective was so close and yet so far all at the same time. The enemy pinning them down was another detachment of guards and they really needed to be dealt with.

Grabbing one of his concussion grenades from his waist, Tagal threw it into their midst but his planned push up was halted by the fire from them that caused him to grab cover a lot sooner than he had initially planned. The majority of the guards were still caught up in the concussion grenade's effects however.

Spoiler: Dice

Roll for grenade

@Nightfall

 

[Darth Inheris]

This, Inheris would admit, had not been her plan.

Her rush up the stairs had been predicated on the goal of sprinting through, dealing with a straggler or two perhaps, but hitting the room and ending the test as soon as possible. She should have known better than that. She did, force damn it, she did. She'd led soldiers before, fought herself. But of course, there was a large difference between command and on the ground, she'd admitted as much earlier to Tomic. She had been foolish. No matter how this day turned out there would be something learnt, something to seethe about later, when she made her skills a higher priority.

For now though, there was little time to think beyond their immediate situation. Watching Tomic's grenade roll and catch the guards was the moment she needed. Her free hand pulled her quickdraw from her holster, meaning to fire a heavy spread and knock them down before they could recover.

She hadn't counted on them to be such a good shot.

As she leveled her blaster a sudden shock shot through her hand, causing her to drop it. A stun blast from one of the unaffected guards found its mark, forcing her back behind the wall to her side.

It wasn't in the nature of Sith to apologise, not as a general rule. But after her little display she felt like she may owe Tomic one.

@Nefieslab

Spoiler: Dice

Rolling to take down the last of the guards

 

[Tomic Domin]

Tomic was just about done with the guards being actually competent - who the hell actually hired skilled guards? No company he had ever had the good fortune of dealing with save for Czerka it seemed. Annoying but nothing he hadn't expected. Czerka were a step above the rabble when it came to bringing the goods after all.

They would never tolerate sub-par quality in their guards but Tomic would be happy to put in his report that the guards had acquited themselves rather well... even if they weren't going to be winning the day.

Leaning out of cover, Tomic began to plug the gaps as it were. Stepping out of cover, he blasted away with his burst rifle, each pull of the trigger downing even the armour guards with stun rounds through the fact that each pull of the trigger fired three rounds. Stunning each of the guards on the floor at the moment, he paused for a second.

Turning around, he pointed his rifle at a seemingly innocent door.

The door burst open and three guards came in with their rifles raised - unfortunately for them, they charge right into his blasts as he put them down as well. Their plan of attack, to emerge from a side entrance to the room, was good but it was something Tomic could account for - because it was exactly what he would have done.

But the floor was clear of guards.

"Clear." he informed the Darth, "Guards are former Imperial military - tactics match."

Spoiler: Dice

Roll for final guard kills

@Nightfall

 

[Darth Inheris]

With the guards attacks pressinginto her, she caught from the corner of her eye Tomic managing to break cover and fire, his blasts tearing through the squad of security that had placed itself between them and their objective. Not only that, but his quick wits had managed to keep their last ditch attempt to surprise them from their flank from being effective,

“Shame to have let such men go then” Inheris replies, pulling herself up from cover and moving to the objective centre,

“You handle yourself well” she said with an approving mid at the soldier. He’d done extremely well, a man she’d like to continue serving in the Imperial military for a long time. Perhaps she’d offer him a position in the Kuati 9th if they ever had the need. Still, today though then would be hailed as a success,

“Just one last thing...” she said, trailing off. As she entered the central room, Inheris hands followed the control desk to the power button and pulled it off, the system shutting down in a display of lights and sound.

Around them moans of pain as guardsmen began to pull themselves up and shuffle off with their injuries in tow. Czerka has been breached. A success, in a sense, and the Sith Empire has proven its worth to Czerka too now, further cementing their relationship. And, given their success, proving they were not ones to be trifled with to the megacorp.

Inheris was relieved to see it done. A reminder to her to pull her skills back up to par before she tried moving on once more in the Sith Empire.

@Nefieslab

Spoiler: Dice

Final roll to breach final room phone post so link to thread not roll sorry!

/EndThread