Just a Drill

[MoreThanSane]

"Imbecile." Crinlin Syphex wiped a grease smudge from his coat with great fervor, silently cursing himself. He should have known to remove the incredibly expensive garment before he started shifting crates with the rest of the soldiers. Unfortunately, though, he was an absolute imbecile. Nevertheless, he succeeded in calming himself and set it on a box in the room's far end, then grabbed another crate and carried it to one of the many shuttles waiting in the hangar.

He'd been working alongside the Alliance base personnel for almost four hours, prepping a ship here, helping a tech there; all in all assisting in the evacuation effort any way he could. That was the mission, after all.

Actually, he amended, the mission was to stop the mercenaries. But the base commander hadn't exactly cared what his mission was. He was determined to get his people off-planet immediately. They'd already suffered thoroughly, and Crinlin could certainly understand the man's motivations. So he and Holiday had thrown themselves into the fray with all their strength.

Holiday....

He glanced around the hangar, looking for the Miralukan Initiate. They'd only just met upon her arrival at the Temple on Tython, but they'd hit it off, and Crinlin enjoyed her company. He snorted. That's something he'd not done for quite some time. Actually enjoying another's company when not in a group.

He found her coming in from one of the connecting corridors, a large box clutched between her arms. He jumped forward and took the opposite end, surprised that she'd managed the weight this far.

"So," he flashed a grin at her over the top of the box as he backpedaled, "I hope you're enjoying yourself?"

 

[Holiday]

Holiday chuckled dryly at Crinlin's attempt to be witty. She was too exhausted from carrying the load by herself, and was certainly​

appreciative that she finally had some assistance. After a couple of quiet moments carrying the box together, allowing her to catch her breath, Holiday decided to try and be witty back.

"You know it," she said with obvious sarcasm thick in her voice. "Nothing quite like lifting and carrying boxes to evacuate a station we​

were sent to protect." Holiday had been perplexed as to why the commander had decided to evacuate the station after she and Crinlin had arrived. She surmised that perhaps he had never intended to stay at all, and instead just wanted the extra hands to help them get out of there faster. Either way it wouldn't matter if the bandits raided while they were working. They would have to drop whatever they were doing in order to defend the workers while they continued to load up everything.

Holiday kept wondering when, and if, the bandits would raid. She had been given a standardised lightsabre to fight with, though she had​

practically no training with it. She had only been given it because of her adept level with the Force, which would allow her some ability to wield the weapon, the same as it allowed her to see. She could feel the smooth, cold metal of the item tapping against her leg every time she took a step. She was eager to test it out, finally having the weapon of a Jedi in her grasp. She knew that this one was only temporary, and it was only by a stroke of luck that she acquired it. Regardless, she was still glad to have it by her side.

"What do you think about all of this?" Holiday asked as they were finally able to set down the titanic crate they had been carrying. "We​

arrive and the commannder still wants to evacuate... you would think he would stay, like his request said he would..."

 

[MoreThanSane]

Crinlin shrugged, rubbing absently at a torn callus on his hand. He hated torn calluses. Feeling moisture, he looked down to see it bleeding slightly and sighed, frustrated. He snatched a rag from a nearby tech's jumpsuit pocket and rubbed the fluid from his hand.

"I'll admit this seems like a rather horrid waste of resources, but if the commander feels this is his only choice," he glanced around at the weary Alliance personnel skittering about all around, "then I suppose it's our duty to defer to his judgement. There is great pain and exhaustion here." He paused, glancing down at his wounded hand and grimacing at the bloodied rag. "How a mere mercenary group causes so much trouble for a Galactic Alliance installment, though, is quite beyond this simple lawyer. Dressel has never been the safest of member worlds, but even so, this seems a bit out of the ordinary."

Crime was on the rise across the galaxy, quite truly, yet he still found it surprising that any gang would have the nerve to attack a government with a galaxy-spanning military. Or perhaps that was in fact why the GA was being harassed by crime groups so often; with the large majority of their forces tied up in war they were more likely to overlook the smaller violations such as these. He shuddered, remembering the rumors surrounding that mission from which Jedi Armstrong had returned a couple months before, nearly dead. That had supposedly been the result of a brush with mercenaries as well.

"Oh well, dearest Holly," he smiled and tied the rag securely around his hand, "it isn't our job to debate the wisdom of Gee-Ay military commanders' tactical decisions, but to save lives. If moving these crates faster can succeed in that regard, then I suggest we renew our efforts." He winked and beckoned her follow.

 

[Bubbles]

Bubbles stretched her arms above her head in a lazy motion. She wasn't exactly bored. She was just content. This was her first official job with the Alliance and everything had gone according to plan. Pick up a bunch of crates on Corellia, fly undetected to the Mid Rim and deliver her cargo to a military base on Dressel. This was an easy mission that any freighter pilot could complete in their sleep and Bubbles felt somewhat underused. But the smuggler didn't complain. The job was easy and the pay was... well, appropriate. It wasn't like working for the Hutts, but at least, she had the satisfaction of knowing she was helping a good cause.

As soon as the last crate was unloaded from the cargo hold, the togruta started to check, double check and triple check The Dealer's Cards engines, thrusters, hyperdrive and auxiliary systems. Sure, her behavior could be seen as obsessive, but knowing that her ship, her livelihood, was running smoothly, comforted her more than anything in the galaxy. "It's not because today is a lucky day that the other half will be too..." she thought. She knew how to survive.

Her survival instincts kicked in when Bubbles saw them. Two jedi. Their presence calmed her and left her on edge at the same time. She sighed. The smuggler was ready to head out.

 

[Holiday]

"You're right," admitted Holiday. Suddenly she felt somewhat ashamed that she had seemingly acted so selfishly. She realized her fault,​

being more concerned about what her and Crinlin were doing than the well being of the personnel on this base. She sighed and wiped away a stray drop of sweat beginning to bead on her forehead, looking around the hangar a bit more. She spotted the togruta quickly, her curiosity peaking.

A smuggler? she thought to herself. She could tell she was a smuggler from her uncanny dress, and her ship. Both were trademarks of a​

smuggler, and she was wondering what a smuggler was doing here. She had the feeling that she was under the employ of the Galactic Alliance, otherwise it was unlikely she would be here. The Galactic Alliance really is taking everyone they can get, aren't they? she thought to herself. She thought it even more droll that the smuggler was sitting around, not doing anything.

"Excuse me," Holiday called over to the togruta lazing about, beckoning her over with a motion of her hand. "Mind helping us for a​

moment?" she inquired, motioning to Crinlin and the stockpiled crates they still had yet to load. Holiday doubted that she would come along so easily, but it was worth a shot anyway. She knew the nature of smugglers; that more times than not, they were only interested in what was in it for them, most commonly the credits. She hoped that this smuggler was not like the rest of them.

 

[Bubbles]

Bubbles couldn't help but cringe when the young jedi asked for assistance with moving the cargo. The purple-hair miraluka had been very polite, but the smuggler felt she had just been mistaken for a pack animal. This wasn't exactly in her job description. "Ohhh..." the togruta started in a surprised tone, "You know...", she fumbled, "I wish I could, but you see, I don't want to."

Bubbles didn't need the Force to know what was going through the jedi's head at that moment. The smuggler could tell she was disappointed, but not exactly surprised. And this made the togruta angry. How could people just look at her and have such low expectations! "Aaahhh," she sighed while tugging defensively on her montrals, "FINE. I'll help, but only because you promised to buy me a drink." And without letting the young miraluka reply, Bubbles grabbed the nearest crate and turned around.

It was heavy and awkward. The togruta wasn't really built strong, but she was proud and didn't want to show weakness. She hoped no one would notice her struggle.

 

[MoreThanSane]

"I believe that that, my dear," said Crinlin with a smile, "is what one would call sass." He winked at Holiday before watching the freighter captain grab a crate seemingly at random and begin moving it toward the nearest shuttle. He had to chuckle as he watched her struggle under the weight.

"Let's give her a hand, shall we?" He wondered what such a Togruta was doing at an Alliance military base on the eve of evacuation. Perhaps she was simply dropping off a load. Or perhaps she was a more unsavory individual than she looked, hoping to snag some of the GA equipment in the chaos. He would have to keep an eye on that possibility. The GA didn't need to be losing any assets, however trivial, during a war like this one.

"Can I help you with that, perhaps?" He didn't wait for an answer, instead grabbing the crate's edge and smiling at her. "It's very gracious of you to assist, Miss...?"

 

[Cassanova]

At that awkward moment, a group of approximately twenty five armed mercenaries began to form up along the edge of the jungle which lined the permacrete landing deck. The leader of the group, wearing some mis-matched armour set from what appeared to be all eras, had a hand-painted name written across the back, 'Blood'. A few sharp hand signals, and a silent communications link to a low-flying dropship in the area, had the men formed up in a semi-circle around the open dock's doorways.

Within a matter of seconds, an orchestra of confirmations chimed onto Blood's commlink. Upon confirmation of the dropship beginning its run, he, and his men, brought to bear some of the black market's most powerful weapons. The next few moments passed, as his men silently adjusted their weapons, all communicating their targets. The silence was broken when the dropship growled into the airspace above the open-air dock, and opened fire with its on-board weaponry. From three hatches on the ships sides and rear, men slid out mounted turrets, and added to the barrage.

In the confusion and disarray, Blood signalled his men to move forward, and they all rose out of the shrubbery, weapons raised, and began to move forward, selectively, and accurately firing upon the base's personnel.

 

[Bubbles]

"The name's Bubbles", she breathed out as the human jedi picked up most of the weight from the crate. "Thanks," she mumbled. If they clearly didn't need her help with moving the stupid cargo, she had no idea why they asked in the first place. But in an instant, the smuggler went from grumpy to grateful. It all happened so suddenly. Explosions, weapon fire and chaos. If she had remained near her ship, Bubbles would have been blown to pieces. She felt thankful to the miraluka and wondered if somehow, the Force, or whatever the jedi believed in, had told her to save the smuggler's life.

The togruta gave her ship one last look and patted herself on the back for investing in a reinforced hull. "This looks dangerous," she said to both jedi, "how about you go first?" Then, she ducked behind a crate and grabbed her blaster.

 

[Holiday]

Holiday immediately set down the crate she was carrying at the first sound of the blaster fire. Her instincts from the Sene Seekers​

overtook her, almost immediately knowing just what to do. She began barking orders at some of the Galactic Alliance personnel who were lost in confusion.

"Find cover immediately!" she shouted as she ducked into her own cover close to Crinlin. She took her lightsabre from her waist and​

clenched it in her hand firmly, though refrained from activating it just yet. This was the combat scenario she was waiting for, and she hoped that she would do as well as she had imagined herself doing. She watched as some of the personnel in the base were immediately cut down without having the opportunity to react, and with any luck they wouldn't lose many more.

"How many do you suspect there are?" she asked Crinlin, risking a quick peak over her cover. She saw their forms through her Force​

vision, counting somewhere in the twenties. She sighed heavily as she palmed her lightsabre a bit more is hesitation, then looked up at Crinlin. "Well, Crin, I'm the one with the lightsabre here. I would stand a better chance in attempting to confront them. Do you think you and the others could adequately cover me?" she asked. She felt comfortable enough attempting to confront the marauders, but she knew that she couldn't do it alone; she wasn't that skilled. She would need all the help she could take, and she felt confident that Crinlin and this smuggler, Bubbles, along with the other Galactic Alliance personnel, had her back.

 

[MoreThanSane]

Crinlin was fast. His danger sense flared half a second before blasterfire erupted and his hand immediately snaked to his pistol, ripping it free as he spun toward the appearing mercenaries. With an aim borne of years of regular use, Crinlin squeezed off as many rounds as he could manage before the dropship began laying waste to the area, unsure as to the fate of those he'd aimed for.

The former lawyer shrugged, pressed up behind a crate between Holiday and the smuggler Bubbles. He looked at the Togruta with new-found interest, even amid the chaos. What kind of name was "Bubbles?" He supposed now was not the time to find out.

"I don't know how good you are, Holly, but I'm not certain now is a good time to be drawing undue attention to yourself. Not with that dropship buzzing about," he flung a hand toward the sky. "That's priority number one, all right?" He looked at both of them. "Bubbles, has your ship a cannon topside? If so, get to it."

GA personnel were beginning to exchange fire with the advancing enemies now, multicolored balls of plasma screaming through the open air between them. There was an explosion nearby, and a brief scream from the two nearby techs as the resulting shrapnel shredded their unarmored bodies. He could hardly hear over the blasts.

"We need bigger weapons," he shouted to Holiday as he ripped open the side of the crate behind which he crouched. "There may be something useful in one of these." This one was full of clothes. He reached out with the Force to the best of his ability, then stood and loosed three bolts before dropping and rolling sideways to behind another crate. This one was durasteel. He tipped it toward him, then popped open the top.

"Ah, convenient," he smiled and pulled a frag grenade from among its many companions and tossed it to Holiday. He wasn't stupid; she had much more control over the Force than he. "Get it atop that dropship. I have your back."

 

[Bubbles]

Despite the less than ideal situation she found herself in, Bubbles couldn't help but admire the human jedi - Crinlin, as it was. His aim was sharp and he seemed able to stay calm, while the smuggler had to focus all her energy just for her hands to remain steady. Then of course, he hadn't just been asked to get to a ship that was on the other side of a large open area which happened to be under heavy fire.

An easier said than done task. She was about to protest but before she could, Crinlin started opening crates and he actually managed to find one with frag grenades. As he tossed one to the miraluka - Holly, Bubbles also helped herself to one and secured it tightly to her belt. She swallowed hard, trying to slow her heart rate and calm her nerves.

When the sound of her own heart wasn't ringing in her ears, she was able to use her montrals to detect the mercs' positions. Another round of blaster fire by Crinlin drew their attention to him and the togruta dashed towards her ship. As the sound of cover fire died down, Bubbles dove behind the nearest crate. However, she was a second too late and she felt searing pain on her lower leg.

The togruta grabbed her first aid kit and quickly spread kolto on her burn and bandaged it. As she worked, she felt furious at herself for being in such a ridiculous position. "I'm way too smart to be this stupid," she let out. The smuggler hoped the jedi pair was fairing better.

 

[Holiday]

Holiday took in a deep breath, holding it momentarily. In that moment it seemed as if time had slowed to a crawl, and she could see​

everything and everyone around her because of her Force vision. She got to her feet, time still seemingly going in slow motion, taking the grenade in her hand and throwing it as hard and far as she could, allowing the Force to guide her hand. As the grenade released from her palm, it seemed as if time went back to normal. She quickly ducked back down behind cover, a bolt from a blaster narrowly missing her head.

"I hope I hit it," said Holiday, somewhat nervous. Crinlin had trusted her with the grenade, trusted her with taking down that dropship​

before it tore the entire base apart. She didn't want to let him down, but at the same time she was slightly nervous to see whether or not she had hit the dropship. She assumed that her curiosity would be sated soon enough, but would it be for better or for worse? Then the most important question was what would happen after?

 

[Cassanova]

The drop's engines blew out as the grenade exploded. A fireball erupted downwards scorching the ground before the dropship collided with the permacrete. It's occupants were largely in a bad way, however one of the gunmen was still able to fire his weapon blindly, suppressing the left-hand side of the dock. Blood and his crew moved forward, now at a much faster pace, many of them taking cover behind the downed dropship.

He lifted a closed fist to his men, in order for them to cease fire. Over the dying blaster shots, he yelled to the Alliance personnel and the Jedi, "Stand down, and no one will be harmed! We want the equipment! Not blood!"

Several of his men began to unhook thermal detonators, sonic grenades, and reloaded their weapons. Chuckling silently to himself, he looked to his second in command and added softly, "..but we'll take it anyway."

Regardless of the response issued to them, Blood's men would throw their detonators, grenades and open fire on their weapons once more, hoping to catch a few gullible souls in the crossfire. Blood had no care for life, and dead bodies were always easier to search for valuables than ones running away or screaming in your face.

He preferred them that way.

 

[MoreThanSane]

Crinlin grinned triumphantly at Holly as he heard the dropship go down. "Good job," he said and slipped another power pack into his pistol. There was a pang of pain from the direction in which the Togrutan had departed and frowned. She'd been hit. Hopefully not too bad. He was about to stand and lay down fire when he heard the mercenaries cease their attack. Seconds later a man's voice rang out, more intimidating due to the sudden silence.

"Stand down, and no one will be harmed! We want the equipment! Not blood!"

Crinlin scowled in concentration. That couldn't be so. If they'd wanted equipment they would have struck hard, fast. They would've dropped in right from the ship, as opposed to attacking from the perimeter, advancing slowly, and making sure to mow down anyone in their path. The Jedi Padawan reached out with the Force, trying to get a sense of their mental state and intentions. Fortunately for both him and the Alliance forces, it was a technique in which he seemed to have a natural talent, no doubt a result of his years spent in the courtroom.

He closed his eyes. Yes, they were certainly lying. There would be no peace. Crinlin looked at Holly and shook his head. He wished he had a commlink that was linked to the GA combat channel. "Tell those nearby that the Jedi can sense he's lying," he ordered, voice low, "and have them spread the word. I'm going to see if I can draw this out a bit."

The fiery-haired man stood slowly, hands held out wide, blaster hanging by a finger. "What guarantee have we that you tell the truth?" Crinlin asked, voice just as loud as the other's. "That you'll not simply shoot us once we lay down our arms?"

 

[Bubbles]

Bubbles sighed in relief when the merc's leader asked them to surrender. No point giving up their lives protecting a few crates of military supplies. It's not like she was a coward; the smuggler was simply smart enough to know when the odds weren't in her favor.

She was about to stand up, hands raised, when she saw Crinlin and Holly exchange a few words. She couldn't hear what they were saying but if they weren't surrenderering, she thought best to keep laying low for a while.

 

[Holiday]

Holiday nodded at Crinlin. She made her way over to the closest person she could find, telling them what Crinlin had told her. The man​

nodded, staying low so that the raiders wouldn't see him as he began passing on the word. It wasn't long before it was spread among the entire collection of Galactic Alliance personnel in the base, everyone still having their weapons at the ready for another assault. Holiday made her way back over to Crinlin, getting his attention to let him know that everyone was ready and aware of what was going on.

I can sense their deception... Holiday thought to herself. She could feel the hatred and the lust for blood vibrating off every single​

member of the opposition. It sickened her. She could feel how right they felt; how none of them would hesitate to take the lives of every person in this base, simply for the sake of loot and supplies. Not if I have anything to say about it...

 

[Cassanova]

Blood simply shrugged, and nodded to his men. Nearly two thirds of his men had grenades prepared. The nod was what they were all itching for. A volley of grenades were all lobbed directly towards the defensive line of Alliance troopers and Jedi. Within a second of the volley being launched into the air, the mercenaries had their weapons resting atop permacrete barriers, with their wielders staring down the sights, itching to squeeze the trigger at the first sign of movement.

"Grenades to flush 'em out. Guns to put 'em down," Blood chuckled as he lined up his own weapon.
"Nail 'em down!" he bellowed.

 

[Holiday]

Holiday popped out from behind cover quickly as she heard the mention of grenades. In a moment of desperation she thrust out her hand, beckoning the Force to her aide. She succeeded, managing to successfully push back several of the grenades that had been tossed in her direction, back into the ranks of the raiders who had thrown them.
"Watch out!" she exclaimed at some of the Galactic Alliance personnel. Some of them managed to dodge in time, others didn't. A cacophony of pained screams and exclamations of terror tore through the hangar battlefront. Holiday herself barely managed to duck down behind cover before becoming a blaster sponge. As the explosions finally died out, she motioned for the troopers and personnel to get back to cover and return fire. She crawled back over to Crinlin.
We need that turret... Holiday thought to herself, looking over at the wounded smuggler, Bubbles, and her ship. Holiday sat and pondered for a moment, knowing that right now she was useless. She had no blaster, and she was nowhere near experience enough with her lightsaber to run into the midst of the firefight.
"Sith spit," she cursed under her breath as she made a hasty decision. She stood up and ignited her lightsaber, the weapon coming to life in her hand. She made a mad dash past Crinlin towards the direction of the smuggler and her ship. She dodged much of the blaster fire that came after her, also managing to deflect some bolts. "Come on!" she exclaimed at Bubbles as she grabbed the togruta by her hand, hauling her to her feet. It wasn't her intention to hurt the smuggler, but Holiday needed her. She helped the togruta to her ship, continuing to deflect the odd and occasional blaster bolt that came at the two of them. Once they were safely within the cargo hold of the shuttle, Holiday turned to Bubbles.

"Which way to your turret? We need it now!" she said frantically. Holiday was panting like a dog and, in all honesty, scared stiff. She was amazed that she had done what she just did without getting injured. At the same time she felt a new and overwhelming zeal envelop her heart. They could make it through this.

 

[Bubbles]

Once aboard her ship, the two women exchanged a quick glance and Bubbles was surprised to see that Holly seemed even more astounded at her heroic feat than she was. Her leg hurt, but the smuggler was just happy that the jedi had gotten them to The Dealer's Cards in one piece, what with all the deflecting bolts left and right.

She barely had time to catch her breath and the miraluka was already asking for direction to the turret. It was a good idea of course, her ship packed a punch; she had upgraded it this way after all. "Straight through to the galley, first left. I'll warm her up!" she said to Holly, her back already turned to the jedi. Bubbles sprinted to the cockpit and dropped in the pilot's seat, sighing in relief as the pressure was relieved from her leg.

Her fingers worked quickly on the familiar instrument panel. She warmed up the engines, locked the boarding ramp, diverted all power to the starboard gun and shield and the familiar hum calmed her nerves. She grabbed the commlink and hoped the jedi could hear her over the intercom. "Holly, it's ready!" she yelled. She looked out on the battle scene before her and hoped that the jedi would somehow be able to avoid friendly fire.