Observe & Report

[Aldo Raine]

LOG 2: Observe & Report​

THEME​

A man stands in the rain and serches through the gloom for the light.

Aldo Raine stood under the awning of a building and watched as the rain continued to fall. It'd been raining since he'd arrived, and he didn't expect it to stop any time soon. The weather seemed fitting for the work he'd been sent to do. He was to rendezvous with a few other agents and they were to assist the local government in hopes of cultivating a relationship with the planet. This felt more like mercenary work, but for now, maybe that's all they were... He stepped into the downpour and washed away his cynicism.

He crossed the street and dropped down the block. Their base of ops for this mission was a little house on the fringe of town. It was equipped with plenty of provisions, various gadgetry and, to top it all off, came with a non-descript speeder.

Aldo entered the passcode and the main door slid open. Stepping through the threshold and into a tiled hallway, he removed his raincoat and hung it on the hook next to the door. Freed from his wet clothing, Aldo proceeded into the make-shift base. Without hesitation he continued to the kitchen to start a pot of caff. Aldo was dressed in his usual attire, a plain white tunic, tucked into a pair of military trousers which were bloused into his boots. He wore his blaster holstered on his left hip and his stun baton on his right. His holster doubled as a utility belt and kept a few key survival items if he found himself in a pinch. His distressed leather duster was hung over a chair in the dining room. He doubted he'd be wearing it much on this mission thanks to the rain, but his raincoat would suffice.

Aldo started going over the lay of the land here in the city of Arkanda. He'd done a little scouting around the city and could feel the tension in its civilians. New taxes, while necessary, were rarely welcomed with opened arms. In this case, they'd been met with violent disapproval. A terrorist cell calling themselves, The Tear of Arkanis or ToA, has surfaced and is threatening violence. Aldo had a pretty good feeling he'd be getting very close to ToA in the near future.

@Wit
@Iridescence

 

[Ariadne Ky]

Ariadne had arrived on the world a day in advance. She had to front. She knew the Rebellion was too serious to worry about competing with fellow rebels, but she just couldn’t help it. Ariadne wanted to be a General. And, she felt the weight of the rise to power start hitting her more than usual as she aged.​

​

So, the Togruta sat on the couch, her legs hanging over the arm rests. When she had arrived days ago, she made sure to be careful about the entrance to the safehouse. It was in...not the best of areas, but Ariadne always had preparations (a hand on her blaster). It was necessary, especially with the uptake of violence recently. Normally, robbers used this as a time to commit their livelihood. ​

​

As night dawned, Ariadne felt as if checking the parameters was minuscule, she could do it in the morning. She didn’t know who else was joining her, really. It was two others, she knew that much. It wasn’t necessary to have some sort of code phrase, they all were given the security code. ​

​

Another rebel walked in. She sat straight up, straightening herself. “Hello! What's your name?”​

@Wit @Zay

 

[Alysanne Drast]

Alys walked through the rain with a smile on her face, her parents would rarely let her out in the rain, and the rains on Korriban weren't something you wanted to walk around in either, the planet was just depressing in every possible way. So now that she had the opportunity to actually experience rain like one was supposed to, she decided to forgo the speeder that could have brought her to the safe-house in a matter of minutes and decided to walk.

The result of course was that she was now running a little late, so as she got close she began moving a little faster, hoping to make up what little time she could. By the time she got there she was well and trully late, but as she pulled back her hood and shook the rain out of her hair, she was in way too good a mood to be anything but overjoyed as she punched in the code to open the door. Taking a last furtive glance back at the rain, she slipped into the house and closed the door behind her.

As she pulled off her wet cloak and tried to push the hair out of her eyes, she glanced around the house and began looking for the others. "Hello?" She called out as she moved further into the house, "Anyone here?"

@Zay @Iridescence

 

[Aldo Raine]

As he entered the base he was greeted by a Togruta. He froze for the breath of a second and then recalled briefing doc he'd been given about the mission. The squad assigned for recon was comprised of three members, Alysanne Drast, Ariadne Ky, and himself. Aldo awkwardly gave her a tight smile and introduced himself. Small talk wasn't something he was versed in, and he desperately needed coffee, so in lieu of an awkward conversation he made a pot of Caff and prepped for the mission. There would be plenty of time to bond when all of the members were present.

A small chortle from the caff machine let Aldo know his pize was ready. He poured himself a cup and would offer one to Ariadne. As he lifted the piping hot drink to his lips they heard the door open again as the final member of the reconnaissance team arrived.

"Kitchen," he called out to the new arrival. "Feel free to settle in, everyone good with a mission briefing in fifteen?"

Aldo was ready to get this started. If everything went to plan this planet would become another ally of the Galactic Alliance and that meant the rebels would be one step closer to taking down the empire.

Once everyone was ready he pulled out his datapad, tethered it to his holocom, and displayed the mission briefing they all should have received. Of course, he was well aware that do the natural secrecy of the rebellion there was a pretty good chance they'd not received the full report. Aldo knew in their situation clear and concise communication would be imperative, and getting everyone on the same page was the best starting point.

ARKANIS RELATIONS

Recon team, this mission is imperative to securing the planet of ARKANIS's trust in the Galactic Alliance. Failure is not an option.

Mission Objective(s):

Rendezvous at safehouse β7 with Members: Alysanne Drast, Ariadne Ky, Aldo Raine
Await message from the contact

Further instructions will be given by the contact, Lyonis crowned prince of the autocratic government. Proper respect is expected.

Their next objective was easy enough, wait until called, but Aldo didn't see any reason why they couldn't get a jump on pooling their knowledge before the mission began. It'd also be pertinent to understand one another's strengths and weaknesses before going into combat. Failure wasn't an option os if things went sought they'd need to know they could depend on one another.

@Iridescence
@Wit

 

[Ariadne Ky]

A man, who Ariadne assumed was Aldo, walked in. His gracious smile told the togruta enough, he was on serious business and probably didn’t expect to be friends as well. She considered this offense for only a moment; she doesn’t usually like having friends, just allies. But, she could be friendly. Ariadne nodded to after his smile and waved him off as he passed her on the way to the kitchen.
A young, very young actually, woman walked into the house, calling out to them. The Togruta stood up for this one, feeling an annoyingly motherlike need to speak to her. Maybe it was a feminine connection, or the need to socialize after Aldo’s dismissal. The Togruta tried to rationalize it in her head, as she extended her hand towards the girl. With a smile Ariadne thought was comforting, she spoke, “I’m Ariadne. You’re Alysane I’m guessing? Unless there is a very masculine Alysane sitting in the kitchen,” Ariadne always try to soothe the situation of first impressions with a smooth joke, whether they were taken well or not.
“Fifteen minutes is fine, although I’m ready now,” Ariadne responded after a moment of listening to what Aldo had said. With another smile towards Alysane, I might be creeping her out now, she padded towards the kitchen and took a seat at the table. She took out a small personal datapad, her favorite compact. She crossed her legs on the seat, and drummed her fingers out of calm anticipation.
​

@Zay @Wit

 

[Alysanne Drast]

Alys followed the voice and made her way to the kitchen, finding the two rebels already there. Nodding to both of them, she smiled at the Togruta when she spoke up. "Yes, Alysanne. Nice to meet you both."

Settling down into a seat, she shrugged when Aldo mentioned a briefing in fifteen minutes. She was here, they could begin whenever, unless they were waiting for someone else. Noticing the Togruta smiling at her, she flashed a brief smile at her in return, before turning her attention back to Aldo and the information he finally put up.

Leaning forward to read the information, she took her time going through it all and once content she had digested it all she leaned back in her seat and waited.

@Zay @Iridescence

 

[Aldo Raine]

Aldo appreciated his companions eagerness to get to work. As usual, the information provided by the Alliance was need to know meaning the agents coming in would have to do the leg work if they needed additional information. This rang true even more so for them since they were the reconnaissance team. The task set before them was daunting, but each had been chosen for a reason. If they managed to work together they might just be able to pull this off. Thinking it might be a good idea to pool any pertinent information about the planet Aldo decided to see what other's had learned.

Aldo asked, “Have either of you scouted the area yet?”

When he’d arrived a few days prior he’d taken the liberty of familiarizing himself with the locals in the area. There was obvious tension between the ruling class and its subjects. Normally, this kind of tension was common on imperial fringe planets, but Arkanis was independent.

The general discourse seemed to stem from a new tax implemented by the system's emperor rising the prices of things like food and fuel. Of course, the general populations understanding of the convoluted laws established by the ruling class was slim to none. Most only understanding that the law would mean higher costs for items they needed to survive. And to top it all off there was a handful of extremists that were propagating malicious rumors about the royal family in an attempt to stir up a rebellion.

It was a little ironic now that he thought of it. A member of the Galactic Alliance had been sent to assist the local government in quashing a possible rebellion. He’d be sure to share his findings with the other two, but he’d keep his personal musings about the mission to himself unless asked. Suddenly, the sound of a soft warble caught his attention and he gestured to the com room.

A holoprojector was placed in the center of the room surrounded by other instrumentation outside Aldo's scope of practice. The room was only illuminated by the soft iridescent glow of the incoming contact alert hovering midair. Aldo stepped to the console and waited for the rest of the party to enter before accepting the call.

The visage of a well dressed middle-aged man with grey at his temples came into view and after clearing his throat the being announced, "His royal heir apparent Lyonis, of Arkanis."

The being promptly stepped to the side revealing a young handsome human in his mid-twenties. He wore a simple yet elegant crimson tunic adorned by a black leather silver trimmed belt and matching half cape. Prince Lyonis wore an ornate weapon belt over the tunic that held a gilded vibrosword and a chrome blaster. His trousers were ink black and bloused into a pair of shin tall boots. Perfectly quaffed blonde locks offset icy blue eyes that held an intelligent gaze framed by a clean-shaven jaw. He practically oozed royalty and Aldo found himself having to resist rolling his eyes at the pompous pups little charade.

Aldo delivered a curt bow, introduced himself and then asked, "What can we do for you, your royal highness?"

Lyonis eyed them skeptically eventually clucking his tongue in disappointment and sighing before saying, "I was under the impression I was being sent help.

Aldo remained silent. He smelled a test and personally didn't give a flying lizard monkey what some arrogant aristocrat thought.

With a reluctant breath, the prince said, "I'm sorry... I was hoping for... how should I say? A bigger force." Stress momentarily showed through his royal veneer before his vail of perfection returned.

Aldo's patience was running thin with the royal's snide remarks, but he kept his composure saying, "We're here to assess the situation, sir. Once we've been fully briefed on the situation we will decide if further reinforcement is required." He gestured to his companions and continued attempting to reassure the young man that they would suffice, "I can assure you that my companions and I are exceptionally skilled at what we do."

Lyonis wasn't especially impressed, but it was clear that further debate would be pointless. "I suppose we have no choice, but to have faith in your abilities then." His tone implied unwilling resignation and Aldo bowed respectfully in return.

"Thank you, your Highness. We appreciate your confidence. Please explain the situation." replied the rebel.

Prince Lyonis' expression became stern as he nodded and moved to a lavish desk. Taking a seat the prince leaned forward on his elbows and said, "I commend your enthusiasm."

The prince pressed a few buttons on his desk and Aldo felt his datapad vibrate with a notification. He pulled it out and examined the message.

Lyonis spoke, "I've sent you a dossier on a local terrorist group calling themselves, The Tear of Arkanis"

The prince went on to explain several incidents the royal security force believed to be affiliated with ToA. The range of events was rather mundane but, inciting riots, focused destruction of property, and a number of false threats that have the populace walking on eggshells. However, despite a smear campaign created by the Emperor, the popularity of the group is still growing.

All of this information was included in the documents sent, and on top of that it included three locations the RoySec deemed points of interest.

"What can you tell us about these points of interest, your highness?" Asked Aldo as he read the report.

"We believe those particular locations to be crucial to the ToA's organization. Full descriptions of them can be found in the dossier. I will give you time to look over everything you've been given. Contact me when you have a report. We cannot provide any obvious support, but we will provide you with any information we can. We hope you'll do the same." Lyonis ended with a mirthless smile.

"Until then my... friends, Goodbye." Aldo bowed as respectfully as he was expected to and then opened the dossier. He examined the three locations:

Abandoned Military Base: Located on the southwest side of Arkanda. Reports describe complaints of loud noises at night suggesting a staging area could be located within. The facility was formally an advanced weapon testing facility and a navy resupply station. As such it is equipped with a hidden landing pad and space for more than enough ships to cause a serious problem in the city.

Arkanda Municipal Labs: We have been less than successful at proving a connection between the Labs and ToA, but sources indicate there are a number of staff members supportive of ToA's efforts. The lab is located in the heart of Arkanda and has a wide variety of specialties. The RoySec suspects the medical branch and believes this to be the main source of ToA's medical supply.

Warehouse 42: This location has had a huge amount of activity lately. The space is currently leased to a being named, Danner Krav. His information will be included below. Approach with caution Danner is known to be paranoid and will go under if we approach too aggressively. The warehouse is located in the harborside district and is under loose surveillance for the planets full day and night cycle. Discretion is advised.

Aldo considered their available options but decided to cast it to the group.

"How do you guys think we should move forward?" he asked.

@Wit
@Iridescence

 

[Ariadne Ky]

Ariadne shook her head, the longer of her montrals moving to and fro. “I only walked through the...lesser gifted...areas. I would have gone to a higher profile area..alas, it’s hard with these,” her reddish toned hand waved to the montrals upon her head. Even with a hood, no matter how big, she still caught attention ever so small no matter where she went. She didn’t want to be known as “the togruta that blew the safe house”.

The Togruta leaned back and crossed her legs. She was wearing plain black trousers and a hooded scarlet tunic. The room was at least a comfortable quietness, not quite friends speaking and not quite only strangers. She supposed it was due to the common cause.

“However, when I did go to the more impoverished areas, some citizens really are suffering. We’re absolutely certain that the Tear of Arkanis is the issue here?” She asked in more of a statement, her voice containing just the right amount of assertion and passiveness. Ariadne didn’t prefer being the devil’s advocate or a voice on the other side, but she did warrant enough concern to question the royalty.

As the hologram displayed, something rubbed the Togruta the wrong way. Her green eyes narrowed. The voice in her head immediately whispered, snobbish. Especially when Prince Lyonis entered the gram. She tried to keep the doubt and disdain away from her face, relaxing her lips and eyebrows.

After he spoke, the dossier displayed and Aldo asked his question. Ariadne chewed on her bottom lip. There were many ways of going about this, and there were pros and cons.

“If this Danner Krav is so paranoid, would it make sense to go after him first?” She voiced, not really towards anyone. “Obviously if these all belong in some way to the tee-oh-aye. They might have quick alarms. If Krav knows if one is being attacked, he’ll immediately run unless we get him with surprise. It’ll still ruin the element of the other two, though.”
​

@Wit
@Zay

 

[Firen]

"I'm late I'm late I'm late." he muttered to himself as he dashed through the mud. It was miserable. Today had been miserable and had only led to one set back after another. He had never been given an assignment before but he had finally been given one, but it was on such short noticed. He splashed through a puddle, bounding on all fours. "I'm Late..." he started again.

He wasn't use to moving in armor but someone had said if we wanted to go on missions he should probably wear some. It had taken them a lot of time to even find armor small enough to fit him and he hadn't got time to practice moving about with it, except for now as he made a mad dash for the building where the meeting was taking place.

Finally, he arrived. He was soaked, his fur matted in some places, but he arrived. He ran up to the front door, expecting it to open, he slammed right into it. "oof" he breathed out, somewhat stunned. Then remember he had been given a passcode for the door. He fumbled trying to remember before finally getting it. The door slid open and he entered. He tried to smooth out the patches of wet fur. There was not much use in it. "Uhh Hi. I think there was something wrong with the door, but I am here!" he said. He was sure everyone bought the smooth lie.