Ask Now You See Me... Now You Don't

[Aska Ryun]

​

The Night Terror slipped out of hyperspace above the volcanic and unstable world of Aeten II, maintaining a safe distance away from any orbiting Czerka supply vessels. Aska at the controls, cigarra hanging from her lip, she observed silently for some time. There was no sort of large orbiting space station nor much in the way of capital vessels or frigates. There was, however, a small refueling station that was nearing the dark side of the planet, it’s underbelly illuminated from the crimson reflection of Aeten itself. The lack of any sort of permanent orbital presence told Aska that this mining operation that Newton had discovered was relatively new. Otherwise, Czerka would have taken the opportunity to establish a more permanent presence.

”Hope you brought your tanning lotion, Covvie. SPF 3000 should do the trick,” the clone joked as she leaned back in her seat. She had expected the volcanic activity, having done her research shortly after departing Newton’s office where they had accepted the job. Still, this was a first for her. Never before had she seen a world with such instability. Still, the stygium crystals were down there and the pair of mercenaries gave their word they’d be liberated. There was no point in wasting any more time so the clone urged the ship forward and descended into the smokey and ash-filled atmosphere of the mineral rich world.

Docking ramp descending, Aska was the first to touch boot to ground. Donning her custom armour for the first time in what felt like ages, she was prepared for what was to come. She had taken some time to modify an assortment of it’s functions and added a second holster to allow both her SE-45 and DX-2 to be a part of her arsenal.

Doing her best to breath, the clone immediately decided the sooner they were of this over cooked ball, the better.

”Facility should be half a click past that ridge, according to Newton’s coordinates. Judging by the images, there’s going to be a few anti-personnel turrets between us and the main structure. Got any suggestions?” Aska looked to Covax as she made her query. If he had nothing, then they’d just wing it. After all, destruction was the clone’s favorite hobby.

@Taz @The Good Doctor​

 

[Covax]

Covax was in the seat beside Aska as the ship she so loving called the Terror fell out of hyperspace. After nearly a week with her to get out here, that was name was pretty accurate. Tapping a few buttons, the merc checked the sensors for what was out there. To no surprise it was a slapped together operation. Very typical of Czerka.

"Nothing out here to worry about. Couple droid supply freighters, nothing with real fire power." He said, just before she called him Covvie. "Co...vie...?" he murmured to himself.

Aska would take them in with that. With the grace of a flying brick if he was being honest. The two of them geared up for the mission. The two of them could not be more different. Aska's armor looked like it came from Blackwell's armory, while Covax looked as if he got bought his off a Jawa behind a cantina.

While his partner carried a couple of guns for a reasonable gunfight. Covax was expecting a fight, and packed for it. His hand cannon was on his hip. Rifle strapped to his chest by a two point sling, and enough grenades and extra ammo to supply a fire team. If there was ever a question what the towering human spent his money on, no one would have to look that hard.

With his face covered by the old clone war era helmet, she couldn't see the grin on his face. "Well, you want smart, or fun ?"

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

Aska chuckled at Covax’ response as she pulled the binocs from her belt and scanned the ridgeline that stood between them and the mining facility. Naturally, her first instincts were to simply charge in and shoot anything that moved. Time and time again, it had proven to be enough. Hell, she was trained to do as much since she was a young girl. With this being the op of a corporation rather than anything even remotely considered militaristic, she had absolute faith it could be done again.

”Fast and loud is my usual wheel house,” the clone responded, panning her view of the ridge. Nothing stuck out to her at first glance, though Aeten II was a dark and gloomy world even with the glowing lava rivers. To think that nothing could have slipped by undetected was naivety and she knew it. ”If we approach the ridge along the left flank, it looks like we’d have a good rock outcropping for cover. Of course, we’d be in the direct line of fire so maybe a distraction?”

As Aska thought aloud, expecting Covax to weigh in with his opinion, the distinct warbling of a Czerka probe droid came in from behind the Night Terror along side three security units.

”Halt intruders! Lay down your weapons and surrender!” one of the droids cried out as the three levelled their rifles on both Aska and Covax. Lowering her binocs, the clone looked exasperated before tossing her burly partner a side glance.

”Man, I hate droids,” she muttered. Of course they’d be detected as soon as they landed. Why wouldn’t they? It was just her luck… Before she could ‘comply’ with the droid’s issued command, the probe droid ascended over their heads and began to hurry back to base. She knew if it successfully reported their position back, it was only a matter of time before all units converged. "Shit!"

Dropping her binocs to the ground, Aska’s hand moved with the speed indicative of one who’s entire life was spent on their quick draw. The SE-45 raised up and fired a volley of three rounds into the center most unit before she turned and started to sprint after the escaping probe. With her left hand, she reached across to her right and pressed a concealed button that soon propelled her into the air with the jet boots of her armor. Covax could handle himself fine, that much she knew, leaving her to deal with the escaping snitch unit.

@Taz​

 

[Covax]

Covax did have an idea to reek some havoc on the turret and perhaps even the complex. But it would be messy if it worked. The merc only had the common 3x scope on his rifle. Not as good as Aska's binos but as she looked around for options he figured he'd do some of the same. The two of them thinking a lot alike, at least tactically.

"Yeah I've noticed" He joked at her fast and loud comment. While she noticed the left flank, Covax noticed the lava river running a long the far right of the same ridge line. Cutting it's own path into the landscape. He knew it would be hotter then a Tattooine summer next to it, but there was a better chance of a clearer path with less resistance due to the lava. Risk verse reward, he thought.

"Hey how bout..." he started to speak before hearing the droid over his head. The robot voice then telling them to halt where they were. He could feel Aska's eyes burning a hole in him, as if he was the one who decided to land this close to the damn mine. "I'll take droids over Zombies." he replied.

Before they both knew it, the probe droid took off. Covax wasn't worried about the damn thing now. Seeing as they were only half a click away from their target even the damn security droids with rifles on them could transmit their location and an alert. The damn probe was just an eye in the sky. So when both mercs turned. Covax just pulled the rifle forward with the sling and started to spray bolts. Aska would managed to nail the one in the center wile Covax got the one to the right.

The last one returning fire. With shit for cover, Covax just pressed on the attack. The droids bolts narrowly missing his head as the merc did so. The last droid then took a bolt to the chest and head. Dropping him. Seeing all the droids down, the towering human turned to see Aska take flight.

"Oh.. So we're gonna Mando this now. Fast and loud it is I guess." He comment. Before miss reading her intent and taking flight with his own jet boots. The two of them moving like slow tiny speeders across the skyline. The anti-personnel turrets then activated. Opening the ridge line to a storm of blaster fire. While alarms waled across the entire facility.

For his part, Covax rocketed skyward. Since the guns were meant for people and not craft they had a limited vertical angle. Once he broke the line of fire he made for the guns. Pulling a couple of grenades from a pouch on his armor. He armed and dropped them over two of the turret installations.

"So going through ceilings, that's kinda tame for you huh?" He joked, ribbing his partner over their first mission. This being far far worse.

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

The purpose of probe droids was to serve as scout units, designed to survey threats and report back. They were rarely equipped with any notable arsenal, extra weight would slow them down, hence the security droid escort. Those units were designed to keep any identified threats in place, to slow them down until reinforcements could arrive. Such was the way of droid forces not part of a genuine military operation. What the probe lacked for in firepower, it made up for in it’s speed but Aska was right on its tail.

As Covax cleaned up the remaining droids and surprised her with his own aerial mobility, the clone was closing in on the probe yet it remained just out of reach. She fired on her target but each bolt either narrowly missed or only scratched it’s armor plating. It was an elusive piece of tech, obviously designed to be as such, and as it crested the peak of the ridge it became clear that she was too late. Alarms blared, turrets fired, droids began to assimilate before the main facility.

Bringing her right knee forward, the jet boots would propel Aska from a horizontal flight path to a vertical one, allowing her to avoid the spray of energy that the turrets had unleashed. Her partner was not far behind and soon dispatched the anti-personnel canons, giving them at least a moment of breathing room. How long it would last? Not long as the remaining droid security forces were fast approaching the bottom of the ridge that faced the facility.

”Wasn’t the first time, won’t be the last,” Aska laughed as she descended back to the rocky surface to give her boots a chance to regenerate their charge. They were still out of range of the advancing droid security force but that didn’t stop them from letting loose a poorly aimed assault. Activating the buckler on her left arm, Aska raised the shield ahead of herself while she returned fire with the SE-45, dropping two more droids.

”We’ve got the high ground for now but we need to move!” Aska barked as she began to side step towards the rock outcropping she had spotted earlier. As she did, she surveyed the threat. After the two she had struck down, eight more were beginning their climb to their position though many more were undoubtedly on their way.

@Taz​

 

[Covax]

"Ha, don't I know it." He continued to joke, landing on a huge pile of tailings just off of Aska's left about ten meters. Easily withing throwing distance. Spotting the group of droids about to rush the rocky hill Aska was on. He quickly charged and tossed the grenade toward the droids.

However in his rush to help the clone, the towering human failed to gauge his distance enough. The explosive would land short. Destroying four in the explosion, and damaging another. "Six droids, two guns, come on slacker. I'm doing most of the work. AGAIN." The merc bantered as he started to take shots at the remaining droids. Trying to pull their attention away from advancing on the clone any more.

The move would prove effective, as soon two of the remaining droids turned. Aiming for the bigger threat as they slowly marched down the hill and towards Covax.

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

Covax’s banter was a refreshing change for these types of jobs. As the merc delivered his grenade at the feet of the droids, the explosion granted Aska the distraction she needed to fall back into the cover of the rock outcropping she had been working her way towards. Of course, Covax was right. He was racking up more destroyed droids than her and that just wouldn’t do. With a devilish smirk, Aska lowered the shield on her bracer and brought her SE-45 up to take aim on the approaching droid units.

Squeezing the trigger, each bolt struck the droids with a precision that could only come from a lifetime of training. The four remaining security units dropped to the rocky ground as smoke billowed from each of their chests though Aska was sure to leave some time between the ones who were advancing on her and the ones who were closing in on her partner. He still had one more ‘kill’ on her but that would soon change.

”That’s seven for me! Still plenty left to scrap!” Aska rebutted with a smirk as she ducked down behind the rock at her side, glancing beyond at the facility that lay in wait for their approach. ”Why don’t you go first? You know, soak up some blaster fire for me? A few blaster burns might do your looks some good, if I’m being honest,” the clone laughed before jumping up and starting down the hill, despite her sarcastic request. It wouldn’t be long before they reached the facility and the real work would begin.

@Taz​

 

[Covax]

Covax was already ahead of Aska. Literally. When the clone managed to kill the last of the first wave of droids, or perhaps second depending on how they counted. Covax moved from the hill of mining trimmings and made a line toward where he thought he remembered the the main power to the facility being.

"Why don't you use some of that feminine wile, and get us a foreman." He fired back at her blaster joke. Knowing full well she would do little more the shooting the man or woman in the face with a stun bolt. "Whatever you do, DO NOT FALL off shit. I'm not carrying you out this time."

The banter done for the moment, the merc appeared to find what he was looking for. On the ground level of the facility, a generator room with cables coming through the ceiling about the size of his legs. With a couple of sad looking B1 droids guarding the thing. To the human's surprise though, a foreman appeared to be inside the room.

"Well now, look what I found." he whispered to himself.

 

[Aska Ryun]

Sliding down the hill and coming to a stop, Aska would split off from Covax and continue towards what she had identified as a maintenance shaft of the complex from the hologram provided by Newton that would lead her to the main Security center of the facility. Certainly together they could eradicate anything that stood against them but even apart they were more than a match for anything that laid within. At least, she hoped so anyway. The Force only knew what sort of side projects Czerka had developed and was waiting for them inside…

As she began to work on opening the tunnel, she found that the entrance had become sealed shut from a collection of ash and rust. Scanning the area around her and seeing no one, not even Covax as he approached the facility’s generator, the clone proceeded to unclip the lightsaber from her belt and ignited the crimson blade. She would slam the tip first into the door and slowly pull the plasma along, melting through the door. As the circle became complete, she withdrew the saber and returned it to her belt before positioning herself and raising her arm, firing off a blast of kinetic energy from her repulsor that threw the molten debris back with a deafening metallic clang as i impacted the opposite side of the tunnel. She was in.

Stepping across the threshold, Aska carefully surveyed the tunnel with her SE-45 raised and at the ready. At first, it seemed as though she was alone but the telltale chattering of an astromech at her back proved her wrong. Spinning around, she would come to see a G8 Geomech droid charging toward her.

”Seriously?” the clone chuckled as she raised her right foot and placed it on the upper portion of the droid, keeping it at bay as it swung both it’s manipulator arms in her direction. ”Come on, you can’t actually think you’re gonna stop me, do you?” Aska smirked as she watched the determined little droid, not giving up even the slightest. Yet as pain radiated from the bottom of her calf, a yelp of pain escaping her, she pushed her foot back against the droid’s chassis to tip it over. It was then she would see the circular saw arm swinging viciously as the G8 laid on it’s back.

”Son of a bitch!” Aska seethed as she checked her wound. It was minimal, the plates of her boots catching the blade and preventing it from penetrating deep but it certainly hurt. With a fiery glare, she would level the barrel of her SE-45 with the droid and shoot a single round into the geomech. ”Fucking droids, man!”

@Taz​

 

[Covax]

Seeing no reason for subtlety at this point, the towering merc decided to march straight up to the two droids guarding the foreman and the generators. His rifle at the ready as the the B1 on his left took the time to yell at him.

"Halt intruder!", said the B1. "What do you mean halt, shoot him!" said the foreman.

"Roger..Ro.." Covax blasted the pair of clankers before the brought there rifles up. As they fell he shot them each one more to make sure they were down. The merc careless to the worker, he looked around at the droids to check his work. "I take it the budget was getting a little low huh?" he said, before looking up to see the barrel of a blaster pistol in his helmeted face.

"Really?" Covax said, irritated. The answer was the shaken barrel. Followed by the man looking at the weapon. "Waa...why won't it fire." the foreman whelped. "Flip the safety, here let me help." Covax replied. Then quickly shot the man with his repulsor gauntlet. Sending the foreman flying backward and into a console. Before he could recover, Covax clicked the rifle to stun, shooting the foreman once in the chest.

As the merc then started to switch off or pull every lever he could find to shut the primary and most of the secondary systems down, he heard the bit about the droids in his ear. "Need some backup?" He asked. Not realizing it would be a bit of an insult to injury. As the power started to go out. Covax then leaned over and took the datapad from it's holster on the foreman. Dragging the man out by the collar as he looked searched an icon marked "Inventory."

"Aska, I got a bonus, and it looks like Czerka already has ninety percent of it's first shipment refined and ready for pickup."

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

Aska would continue on towards the Security offices, albeit with a slight limp from her new wound, before coming to a stop at the end of the maintenance tunnel. To her left was the entrance to the mining tunnels that would slither their way deep into Aetn II’s crust, the stygium crystal deposits that Newton so desperately desired laying within. To her right, another fork. Pulling out a pocket sized holoprojector, she would soon see a display of the facility. If she were to approach the fork and turn left, she would reach the security office. To the right? She couldn’t entirely figure it out. The map was crude, provided with a very limited sonar probe. It was a large room and a massive amount of power was being diverted there, that was all she knew.

”Need some backup?” Covax’s voice rang in her ear, warranting a scowl from the clone as the power to the facility began to falter, evident that her partner had succeeded in shutting down the generator.

”Now why would I want that? Even with all this ash and dust, I can actually breathe with your stank ass on the other side of the facility. It’s refreshing, honestly,” she joked as she slinked out of the maintenance tunnel and began heading to the right and towards the fork.

”Aska, I got a bonus and it looks like Czerka has ninety percent of its first shipment refined and ready for pickup,”

Aska stopped just before the fork, the wheels in her mind beginning to turn. Newton knew what they were doing here but if the first shipment hadn’t departed yet then the pair of mercenaries were presented with a golden opportunity.

”Is that so?” Aska responded coyly, a smirk forming on her lips as she remained crouched before the T in the hall. ”I’d bet my ship that stygium fetches one hell of a price on the black market, if you catch my drift,” With that, the clone would hurry into the security office, prepared for what may lay within.

@Taz​

 

[Covax]

Covax drug his prize free of the room, hog tied him with some cord from his utility belt and hid him beside the gen room, under one of the B1's. He would return when the job was done. But for now he can to continue to the next task. With the generators down most of the facility was now down to emergency lighting and air scrubbers. Any turrets or sensors would be off line. The merc could now roam more or less as they pleased.

Taking the projector from his belt he brought up the same crude map that Aska was looking at within that same moment. He new his partner was likely going to the security room. Covax didn't expect her to have much trouble. Some poor sob stuck behind a dozen screens wondering how the hell he'd lost most if not all of his security droids inside of an hour.

His hand was moving the map round, trying to find where the hell the primary control room for the mine was when Aska spoke. And the merc could see the grin forming on her face as she did so. "Who the hell we going to sell it to, the syndicates? Haven't really seen much out of them in a while since that Rodian started taking power. I suppose we can sell to the Sith but they would just kill us and not pay us. There is the ICS now or whatever they wanna call themselves but I think OUR EMPLOYER is with them.....shell I go on ?" He replied.

By now he'd come to enjoy Aska's style and the banter they'd developed as a team. But she was a bit of a snake, who would likely turn as everyone one sooner or later save for perhaps Ali. Even then, if the money was good enough Covax wasn't sure about even Ali. But Covax was a little different. He got hired to do the job and the money was good enough. Call it loyalty, call it lack of criminal ambition. In any case, he wasn't about to double cross a guy who could pay as well as Blackwell.

Finding what he was looking for on the map, he cursed. The main control tower was well a tower. fourty feet up and the power to the lift that lead to it was just shut off. His boots were also low on fuel. If he burned up the last of it, no telling if he'd need it if things went side ways. He was going to have to climb his ass up that damn tower.

"Fuck!"

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

Covax clearly wasn’t on board with her suggestion of making away with the first shipment of stygium crystals, certainly bolstering their bank accounts if they did, the clone merely rolling her eyes as he started listing off organizations that would likely hold no interest in their procurement. Would that sway the clone from her newly formed idea? Of course not. It just meant more credits for her.

”Have it your way, big guy,” Aska jested, keeping it to herself on what was starting to come together in her mind. Of course, she didn’t have any time to listen to his response, even if there was one, as she spotted two foremen leaning over the security displays. Both men were frantically searching the halls for the intruders but with the power cut, they were having very little success with their power reserves keeping the systems alive.

“Where’s that damn G0NK?” the human man growled, furiously clicking away at the terminal as the screen flashed to life then faded away repeatedly.

<<”I sent in the request. You know how slow those things are,”>> the Rodian male responded in Huttesse. Both men, furiously working away at getting at least some semblance of functionality from the terminal, were so focused that they never heard Aska walk up behind them, nor as she leaned her face in between their heads.

”Any luck?” she asked sincerely, receiving only a grunt from the human as he pulled a panel open. The Rodian, still with his eyes glued on the display, rubbed the underside of his chin.

<<”Afraid not. Once the intruders broke past our perimeter guard they…”>> Towards the end of his sentence, his words trailed off as he slowly turned to see the grinning merc at his side. Before the Rodian could even mutter a word of warning, a stun shot was delivered to his back from her SE-45. This finally drew the attention of the human foreman but with the hand that wasn’t holding her pistol, an elbow would be delivered to his jaw as he turned to face the clone.

As if on cue, the previously mentioned G0NK droid arrived, waddling in towards her. With a lopsided grin, Aska reached down and pulled the power transfer cord from it’s back and plugged it into the terminal, the screen flickering to life. First and foremost, she attempted to locate Covax and soon found the feed that showed the mercenary trying to climb the control tower by hand. Flicking her communicator back to life, Aska’s chuckle would transmit into Covax’s ear.

”That looks like a blast,” she teased. ”You know… I’m not far from the hangar. That shuttle is just sitting there. I could give you a lift,” She knew all too well that he would decline, likely with a snarky comment, but as the clone shifted her attention to the control tower itself, her jaw dropped.

”You’ve got company up there! I’m counting four HK units! Four!” Quickly switching the monitor over to the hangar that held the transport with the stygium crystals, she would see another single HK unit standing guard. ”I’m on my way!” Aska relayed as she pushed away from the terminal and began to sprint towards the hangar.

@Taz

Spoiler

Dice Rolls

 

[Covax]

Covax was taking his sweet sweet time scaling the side of the tower. Because it was a mess of pipes, hoses, and oversize wires weaving their way up what the merc could only assume was once some manner of permanent scaffolding like structure. At the top, presumably, was the main control room. Capture this and they get the facility. Or that was the hope at least.

The towering human was over halfway up the poorly constructed tower when his partner chuckled in his ear. His arms were already burning from pulling his armored ass up the side of the tower. "How tha fuck..." He spat, then noticed the small camera dangling off a durasteel rail. "Fine...you win. Come get me."

What the merc heard next sent a chill down his spine. His head shot upward to see the top of the tower. Suddenly he was staring down two barrel of two heavy blasters hanging out the window of the main control room. While the other two units seemed to be moving to start to flank him on wither side as they climbed down from the control room.

"Fuck!"

 

[Aska Ryun]

Aska ran as fast as her legs would carry her to the hangar bay that housed the freighter, her limp growing more prominent with the increased pressure her leg faced with the rushed pace. She pushed through the pain, almost not even feeling it as adrenaline surged through her body. She needed to hurry if she was going to save her partner as he dangled from the tower. Fortunately, the hangar bay was not far from her position and any remaining defences were undoubtedly making their way to Covax and the control tower he resided on. Undoubtedly a problem going forward but for now at least, Aska’s path was mostly clear.

Sliding around the corner, her SE-45 in hand, the clone first noticed the YV-865 that would be their salvation. The large and bulky freighter laid in the center of the hangar with a handful of Czerka employees rushing to load the final crates of stygium on board, their single HK guard raising it’s rifle on her as she appeared.

“Warning: Halt, Organic! Surrender your weapons and lay on the ground or face termination!” the droid ordered, garnering the attention of the four employees. Aska gritted her teeth as she raised her both hands, the pistol gripped tightly by both. The distance between her and the freighter posed the biggest issue, the HK unit likely to make closing the distance difficult. Fortunately, the clone had a plan.

First, her left hand would release the pistol, moving to her right bracer and activating the gauntlet shield that was built within. As the shield hummed to life, another button would be pushed that activated the jet boots she had used earlier in the invasion. Angling her feet to propel her towards the freighter and it’s crew, Aska fired off three rounds towards the HK not so much with the intent to destroy it but rather force it into cover. Her arc would carry her over the assassin droid while her gauntlet soaked up it’s return fire before burning out as her feet touched ground.

Covering the distance was the hard part. What came next was easy. Wrapping her right arm around the neck of the crew member closest to the loading ramp, Aska raised her right bracer again and stanced her feet wide before unleashing another wave of from her repulsor. The kinetic energy slammed into the remaining crew and gave Aska the window she needed to board the freighter with her hostage.

The freighter would lift off with Aska at the controls, the Czerka employee stunned and in the corner of the pilot’s cabin. Exiting the hangar, the ship would turn and the forward canon would fire, destroying anything that existed within the hangar. It’s weaponry wasn’t strong enough to cause any real structural damage but it would be enough to eradicate all the crew members as well as the HK… If she was lucky.

Satisfied, Aska turned the freighter once again and started to make her way towards both Covax and the control tower.

@Taz​

 

[Covax]

Covax was screwed. The space around him was suddenly filled with blaster fire. The two droids from the window of the observation deck of the tower unleashed hell. While the other two moved to continue to flank. Bolts pinged off the tower all around the towering human, several smashing his armor around the shoulders.

With no other options, the merc leapt from the tower. Activating the jet boots of his armor as his feet left the durasteel. But it would be to little to late. A flanking assassin droid caught the merc in the helmet. The bolt burned through the visor and scorched his eye.

"Ahhh... FUCK FUCK FUCK!" He screamed. Covax was now half blind and about to crash to the ground like a downed starfigher. Thinking somewhat quickly, he cut the power to his boots, figuring it would be better to free fall rather then after burn into a ground. It would make little difference however. The towering merc bounced off a storage tank, flipped ass over head, and landed on the cold hard metal of a gangway 20 meters down and away from his attackers.

@Tulos
Dice...

 

[Aska Ryun]

The freighter swung around the control tower just in time for Aska to watch as Covax took his leap of faith from the tower, smoke billowing off his body serving as a clear indication he had been on the receiving end of droid hailfire. Of course to make matters worse, his descent came to an abusive end on the catwalk that divided the control tower from the remainder of the facility. It was a long fall and just as far to the ground below but if the merc survived the blaster fire, Aska was confident that he too would have survived the fall.

”Not exactly the greatest time for a nap, big guy,” Aska teased through the comm channel though her quip was primarily to see if he was still conscious more so than to get under his skin. Wasting no time, the clone set the freighter to face away from both Covax and the tower and hover in place before sprinting to the back of the ship and dropping the loading ramp. Her hope was that her partner would be able to find his feet and perhaps use his propulsion systems to get on board but closer inspection of his motionless frame told her he was far more injured than she had first believed.

”Well fuck,” Aska groaned but was forced back into cover behind the frame of the loading ramp as the two HKs at the top of the tower had now turned their focus on her, the two who had began to close in on Covax continuing after their original prey. She needed to think quickly, the distance between the two assassin droids and the motionless merc shrinking rapidly.

Looking around the ship, Aska would then spot the ladder that would lead her down into the aft grapple launcher of the YV-865. Two deep breaths and she jumped for it, practically falling into the seat and hurrying to bring it fully online. She was greeted by the controls flaring to life and the grapple turret moving with her as she guided it to point towards the advancing droids, now converging on the top of the catwalk that Covax lay upon. Hawk-like focus dominated the clone and as she squeezed the trigger, the grapple and it’s durasteel cable launched forward at blinding speed. The pointed edges of the projectile found their mark and pierced through the head of the foremost HK. The propulsion through the sparking wreckage away from the pathway but only momentarily as it soon snapped back and found solid footing, leaving the cable taut and the carnage of the first HK convulsing with it’s depleting charge.

The second unit had now turned it’s full attention to the newest invader and determined her to be the more prominent threat and immediately leapt towards the cable that tethered the freighter to Covax’ walkway, balancing itself like a cat on the fence as it began to dash towards her at an unbelievable speed.

”Shit!” Aska immediately jumped up from the seat, standing upon it and was able to poke both her head and her DX-2 out from the ladder port just in time to see the droid’s yellow eyes glowing above her. To her fortune, she moved first and was able to level the disintegrator square between those very eyes, burning a hole through the middle of it’s head. As it crumpled to the floor, Aska too hung her forehead against the cold steel.

”I am so sick of this fucking place and all it’s damn droids…” she would mutter into the floor before pulling herself from the grappling gun cabin and calling out to Covax. ”Get up, man! Get up!”

@Taz

Spoiler

Aska to the rescue! Noice Doice

 

[Covax]

Covax was face down, body lay crumpled. Motionless. He was dead. He could see himself laying there on the catwalk. Suddenly beside him, he could see his girls. Izzy, her little face smiling at him. Eva, a tear in her eye. Suddenly they turn away and fade into the shadow.

*Coughing* Covax suddenly sucks in a breath. His face was on felt like it was on fire. His left cooked as the side of his face was charged by the bolt that missed his face by maybe an inch. The visor of his armor all but gone as his good right eye looked around. Seeing only metal.

He could hear Aska curse. Then metal punching metal, and metal clanging around him. He was confused for a flash of a second until it all came back to him. The memory as well as the pain. Everything hurt, well everything but his left arm. The bolt holes in his arm killed the nerves in his arm, likely along with the rest of it.

The merc rolled over onto his back. Head darting around to look at the scene. He noticed the destroyed HK droid and the cable. He could hear Aska begging for him to get up. "Ar....Are you crying?" he groaned. "I'm so telling Ali you're crying." He reached out with his good hand to grab the cable and pull himself to his feet. He took the cable and clipped in with his utility belt. "Real me in and lets get out of here. Newton better pay up."

@Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

‘Let’s get out of here’... Well, Aska wanted to do just that but there were still two more droids that needed to be dealt with at the top of the control tower. Reeling Covax in wasn’t likely going to be any more successful than his original attempt at flinging himself from the tower if the HK units could still pick him off as he was brought on board. No, something needed to be done… but what? The ship was tethered to the catwalk with Covax attached so there was no swinging it around and blasting the tower. Besides, Blackwell would likely prefer an intact facility… No, her options were limited.

”Ugh… I’m gonna regret this, I just know it,” the clone would complain as she took a few steps back from the open cargo ramp, shaking the doubt from her mind. She didn’t give herself any more time to mull it over and instead ran towards the edge of the ramp and jumped off with her lightsaber in hand, activating her jet boots and propelling herself at full speed towards the tower and towards the two assassin droids that lay in wait. She moved too quickly for their programming to get a clear shot and as she crossed the threshold of the command center, the crimson blade ignited. It would sear through the first droid’s neck, it’s head dropping to the ground as she continued on through the other side of the tower.

Angling her feet, she would come to a stop in mid air on the opposite side of the tower from the stolen freighter. The last droid standing, recalculating her position and turning to face her as she hovered, would lower it’s rifle and take aim. It was not alone. Glowing blade in one hand, her SE-45 in the other, the pistol would level with the HK and each trigger would be squeezed simultaneously. Blue raced red in pursuit of their targets and each would land. Aska’s hip suddenly burned with such an intensity that she could hardly maintain her flight. She would begin to descend at a rapid rate, her boots flickering between life and death, before colliding on the ground. The HK unit, however, was left a smoldering mess on the floor of the control tower.

It was done. The base had been cleared, Aska had secured the first shipment of stygium crystals and once she had managed to get herself back on board the freighter, Covax would be reeled in and brought to one of the beds, alongside the foremen that they had managed to capture.

Sitting on the floor next to the wounded merc, Aska would light a cigarra and tilt her head back on the bed at Covax’ feet with a chuckle, turning her head to face him with a sly smirk.

”I don’t know about you… But I lost track of my head count. You can buy me lunch when you… Well, if you wake up,” Cigarra in her lips, Aska pushed herself off from the floor and patted the unconscious Covax’ chest twice before heading to the cockpit, sending Kayto the signal to get The Night Terror off world before having the comandeered freighter follow suit. Before she could return to Newton, however, she needed to find a doctor for the lump of muscle out back.

END THREAD​