Pirate Repellant

[Brianna Saxon]

Location: Kwenn Spacestation

Brianna had just finished sealing her helmet into place as their shuttle came out of lightspeed. She looked back to her partner, yet another member of Clan Solus, and gave him a thumbs up. They were set for phase 1. She had never been to Kwenn before, but she knew well enough of their importance to Mandalorian control of this sector. The big ass station they were after was looming right before them, and it was in for a hell of a surprise. "Alright, get yourself set. We'll be pissing off every armed son of a bitch on this thing. So be ready to do some damage." Brianna said, as she transmitted the docking requests to the station. The course was already laid in, so the ship would steer itself for a few moments, so she would take the time to get her repeater ready. "I'm sure they already told you about this, but we're going to be keeping the heat off the second team. Thinking we get ourselves into the main station controls, and lock the place down. We can use the defenses and essentially swat away anyone that tries to get close." Checking that the energy cells were still primed in her repeater, she would look back to her partner (@Arturo Solus). "Least, that's what I was thinking." She said with a shrug, it sounded good to her, but never hurt to get a second opinion.
@Kraken

 

[Arturo Solus]

Arturo sat, testing the edge of his vibroblade with one crooked thumb. Sharp. He nodded, sheathing it, scooping his helmet off of the seat next to him and putting it on. The T-visor clicked into place, and he thumped it twice, his knuckles rattling against the side of his head. Yep, secure. Snatching up his rifle, Arturo made to stand, returning the Saxon's thumbs up with vigor. This was the first time he'd met Brianna and, coincidentally, the first mission he'd been on with a member of her clan. He knew the name Saxon carried some weight amongst his people; they had a reputation that Arturo knew Bri would fight to maintain. It was her duty. He had a duty to his clan as well. He wouldn't let them down.

He shot a glance out of the viewport as Kwenn Space station floated into view. He stared, determined, grinning as Brianna advised him to 'be ready'. He was always ready for a fight. The station's guards wouldn't see them coming; two well-armed, well angry Mandalorians were more than a match for most. Trained or not, they would strike fast against their enemies, be decisive in their decision making. There was no such thing as second thoughts.

He rechecked his A-10 Long Rifle, adjusting the sling so that fell loosely across his chest and upper legs. He checked his blaster pistols to, patting them in their holsters. A moment later and he was nodding his agreement, the shuttle drifting lazily on autopilot as docking permission was granted, protocol passed. "Sounds like a plan, Saxon." He said, eager now. "Let's go knock some heads."

 

[Brianna Saxon]

Brianna had worked alongside clan Solus before, in fact she had been on missions with Raz herself. So she knew damn well that they did not mess around, and had nothing but praise for their efficiency. Which she appreciated, last thing she needed to do was be on an improvised babysitting mission; thankfully that was not going to be the case.

The shuttle shuddered as it connected with the station, and now it was time to enact the next part of the plan. "I'm all down for that." She laughed in agreement with Arturo's statement, and with light repeater in hand she moved to the docking seal by the door.

"Hopefully the welcome party actually puts up on effort. I'm not holding my breath though." She said, leveling her weapon. "Ready when you are." She muttered, her finger on the trigger, waiting for the poor security personal to hurry up and open the door. With any luck, Brianna would get a nice work out from this mission.
@Kraken

 

[Arturo Solus]

Arturo smiled, feeling the first tentative caress of adrenaline as it flooded his system. The shuttle shook as they docked. He kept his balance, stepping to the door as he heard the first telltale sounds that accompanied the process of docking. Those aboard the station really had no idea that they were coming. If they did, Arturo doubted he and his brethren would've gotten within a couple clicks of this place; they would've been blown to smithereens by the station's defenses or a scrambled fighter long before they'd begun this whole song and dance. It didn't bare thinking about.

"You never know, they might surprise us," he said nonchalantly, raising his rifle, and bracing it against his shoulder, "just don't get your hopes up." It wasn't long after that that the doors slid open. They did so slowly, painstakingly slowly, and Arturo tensed, preparing to leap forwards. An automated message blared on repeat as the docking shaft slid into view from bottom to top. Arturo heard two pairs of footsteps over the dull, mechanical voice, one set heavier than the other. A single guard, has to be.

He was proven right as he barreled forward into the docking shaft, rifle up and ready. The tunnel billowed a fine mist as it finally pressurized, seals hissing. The smokelike tendrils half-hid the pair walking towards the shuttle. They drew up short as they recognized that something wasn't quite right. Arturo stepped forward.

Surprise twisted their faces, terror amplifying their emotions twofold as sudden realization gave way to hesitation and fear. It was the last mistake the guard made. The armored body hit the floor at the same time the second man began to turn away. Arturo could see he was unarmed, neither a threat nor fixing to be. The navy blue fatigues suggested an attendant of sorts, or perhaps a mechanic. Someone at the bottom of Kwenn's hierarchy.

Arturo didn't hesitate like the man's dead guard buddy did. Taking one quick step forward, he slammed the butt of his rifle into the side of the man's skull. Fatigues fell awkwardly, like a discarded ragdoll. There was no honor in killing him; Arturo let him be, stepping over the unconscious body, already sprinting towards the far end of the shaft in the hopes that they'd be aboard before anyone else realized what was happening. "Go."

@Algarus

 

[Brianna Saxon]

Arturo worked fast, and needless to say, Brianna liked his efficiency. She was quick to follow the man, their metal boot clanging off the floor of the station. The pair came out the end of the docking tunnel and into a small security checkpoint, and a pathetic one at that. A lone guard sat at a terminal to their right, but he hardly had time to react before catching the back end of Brianna's rifle with his cheekbone, and toppled to the floor in quick fashion; with a nice trickle of blood to go with it. Good help was hard to find it seemed.

Brianna snatched the guards security key and looked at the terminal. "Let me see if I can where the good stuff is on this raft." She said, as she pulled up a patrol route from the console, followed by a map of the station. Based off the map, they had a nice little job to make through the heart of the station before going right into it's center of operations. It wasn't much different from the approach she had planned, but it did show where security might pose a problem. She read over it and downloaded it onto a datapad on the desk, then strapped tucked it into her side pouch. "According to this, we can have a straight shot to the security center from the promenade via elevator, from there we'll be in the operations center, and we can lock it down. Only problem I can see, is we'll need to get the security code from the Chief of Security to lock this place down." Stepping away from the console and towards the hallway leading out, repeater at the ready. "Should have a little breathing room. They have a security camera right down that hallway though, so they'll catch a glimpse of us the moment we step out there. Still, should have a nice hed start" If anything, it would be a decent exercise. A pair of boots faintly echoed off the wall, and caused Brianna to level her rifle towards the passage, only for the sound to trail off shortly after.

Alright, well maybe not as much breathing room as I thought.
@Kraken

 

[Arturo Solus]

Arturo nodded, turning his back as Brianna went to work on the guard's console. He breathed a sigh of relief, sweeping his gaze across the terminal they found themselves in. A window-wall displaying the dark beauty of space ran the length of one side, and marked the way forward, down a passage set into one wall- a straight shot that peeled off to the right about thirty meters from where they stood. Likely a thoroughfare or promenade lay not too far beyond that corner, out of sight and mind as Arturo chanced a look over his shoulder at the Saxon.

"Okay," he said, his attention snapping back as the sound of boots echoed down the passage. He waited till the noise faded away before relaxing a touch, the familiar weight of his Beskar'gam and the rifle in his hands somewhat comforting. He looked back to Brianna. "They're gonna know something's up sooner or later, especially when those two," he pointed back to the docking shaft, "don't report in. So don't worry about the cameras. We move fast, it won't matter if they see us or not. We get to the Chief -I assume you have an idea where he is?- and cut the head of this snake, it'll make our lives easier in the long run." 'Not that you want easy', he felt like adding, knowing the Saxon was probably disappointed by the lack of opposition so far. The day is young, he thought, stepping towards the passage, taking cover by the corner.

"Well? You've got the map. Lead on!"

@Algarus

 

[Brianna Saxon]

"Yea, security chief will either be in his office on the security room, or in the operations center. Either way, we're finding the bastard." She answered Arturo's question, and turned towards the passage way. Being the one who had an actual map, Brianna would lead the way out the hall. Armored boots clanked against the metal grating, as the two Mandaorians would take a right down the passage, spotting the two guards she had heard earlier only a few meters before them. Brianna posted and fired off a ten shot burst at each of them and dropped them like a bag of rocks. Stepping over the freshly made corpses, they continued on. Taking a left bend, then a right, they arrived an access way linked to the promenade. The corridor only had a few struts along the side to be used as cover, but it seemed at the moment the worst was behind them. "According to the map, we can cross through this, get to the promenade, then make our way to the securit-" Brianna was interrupted as a security siren began to flare, and the hydraulics behind the door hissed, indicating it had been sealed. She looked to Arturo and shook her head. "Well, this was going to happen sooner or later." Brianna went to swipe the security key for entry, only to receive a series of beeps, indicating the card was being declined. "Son of a Sith blooded..." She swore and moved to the panel, using her vibro knife to pry it open. "I'm pretty sure I can bypass the circuitry on this thing. Just keep the damn guards off me." She said, putting her repeated up against the strut behind her. At first, there seemed to be no indication of danger, but the sounds of boots clanging down past the corridor indicated that was about to change. "Sounds like security is going to try and do their job now." Brianna muttered, as she began splicing the wiring together. The distinct 'pop' of electricity filled the air, as a small hiss sounded from the door. "Play with them a little, I almost have this thing open."
@Kraken

 

[Arturo Solus]

Arturo's head tilted back as the sirens kicked in, the sound coming from everywhere at once. He turned on the spot, once again putting his back to Brianna and the door they needed to get through. This was an eventuality they had prepared for, one they could never have avoided, and Arturo was pleased to find that the sudden blare of sirens and the subsequent lockdown hadn't phased his partner one bit. She was already working on getting the door open when the distant sound of approaching guards needled his senses. With a muttered "yes, boss," Arturo left her to it, moving back the way they'd come.

He settled down by one of the furthest struts as he reached the connecting corridor, making the most of the protection it offered as raised voices broke the din. From the sounds of the back and forth conversation winding its way up the hall to his ears, Arturo guessed that three guards were inbound. Maybe one or two more. He hoped for the former, prayed for the latter. The more they dealt with now, the less they'd have to face later- assuming whoever was in charge of the security force actually managed to organize a defense before they reached the Op center.

The voices trailed away, and Arturo tensed, his rifle aimed at the corner just down the hall. The guards came slowly, the first of the three sticking his head out long enough for Arturo to put a hole clean through the middle of his visor. On seeing their friend die, the other two guards popped out into the open, spraying and praying rather than taking the time to stop and think. The bolts they fired missed completely, and Arturo put another man down before the last surviving guard retreated back behind the corner. Arturo emptied the rest of his power pack as the kills registered in his mind, making his skin tingle. It felt so...natural. Arturo still hadn't got used to it after all this time.

Reloading, he backed up a few paces to the next pillar. He squatted down, and kept firing, keeping the guard occupied as two more appeared from the opposite side of the corridor, carbines spewing fire. Arturo leaned back, the salvo gouging chunks from the strut and the grating at his feet. They hadn't yet noticed Brianna over by the door, though, he was certain they knew of her presence. He doubted those with a view of the cameras had failed to relay that information. In fact, I'm banking on it, he thought, dashing to the other side of the access way.

He put another guard down as he shifted position, letting the rush of adrenaline work its magic on his nerves. He fired until the A-10 clicked empty, then let it fall, the sling stopping its descent. He drew his Strill blaster pistols and kept up the barrage, dissuading the foemen from making a move. "How's that door coming along?!"

@Algarus

 

[Brianna Saxon]

As Arturo covered for her, Brianna was hard at work bypassing the seal on the door. She had managed to get it to release a partial amount of the pressure, but the fail safes were still engaged. With the blaster fire and bodies thudding against the deck as a backdrop, she crossed the two sets of wires again, then again. Each time it sparked, the hiss would emit from the door then fall silent after a short time. Damn it. In theory, if she did that enough times the pressure seal would break, but they'd be standing there for far too long for that choice to be effective. Brianna looked at the mechanisms of the door controls again and sighed. There had to be a release somewhere on here, she just wasn't sure where. Arturo had asked her about her status on the door, and honestly she wished she had more to say about it. "Just a minute, hold on...." She said, as her eyes fell over the controls and attempted to establish what did what, then it clicked with her. "Ah, got it!" Taking one of the live wires, she touched it to the door release, and taking the other she put it on the pressure release. There was a burst of sparks from the open panel, but the door did unseal, opening it for the two Mandos to carry on. Brianna let go out the cables and grabbed her repeater, glancing back to see the trio of bodies Arturo had put on display down the corridor. If there were more guards coming, then they'd be along soon. They needed to move now, but Arturo already seemed to have the same idea. "Come on, lets go!" The access way appeared clear, but if the sirens were any indication, they were just starting get to the good stuff now. The race down the hallway took thirty seconds to traverse, as on both sides were lined with transparisteel, providing a nice view outside the station, though now wasn't the time for sight seeing.

Reaching the end of the access way, they would come across another sealed door. Brianna began to set up the same procedure she had done before, now that she knew how these controls worked it would take long now. Question was, were the guards already in position on the other side of the door? Surely security couldn't be that incompetent. Sure enough, as the door opened, a squad of four guards were waiting down the corridor. Thankfully the access way had enough room to take cover behind the bulkhead of the door, but if they wanted to make it to the elevator they'd need to get past those guards. Brianna leaned out and fired a spray of shots down the hallway, taking out two guards that had failed to take a hint, but she took a bolt to the shoulder as a price. She stumbled back into cover and nodded to Arturo. "We just have to get past them, then we have a straight run to the elevator." They needed to hurry though, any minute now another squad of guards would be rushing them from the far side.
@Kraken

 

[Arturo Solus]

As the door opened, Arturo fell back, keeping the two remaining guards in place as he backed up across the threshold. There was a pad by the door, and he slammed his fist into it. The doors slid shut a split-second later, and Arturo took the time to put a bolt through the pad, frying the circuitry and sealing it for good as he turned to follow his Saxon comrade up the hallway. They wouldn't be coming back this way, that was for sure.

Assuming things go well, we won't be in such a rush either, he thought, his eyes boring into his sister's back as their feet carried them onwards. He reloaded his pistols on the move before holstering them, glad that he'd brought a plentiful supply of spare clips for both his rifle and the pistols. They knew opposition was likely to be fierce; it had made sense to come prepared.

They moved fast, breaking into a full-on sprint as they proceeded down the hallway to a second door. Arturo turned his head to the right as they ran, the sudden lack of solid, restricting durasteel making him flinch, until he realized that he was looking at space through tough, and completely safe transparisteel. He almost laughed at himself, cutting the display of emotion off before it could air itself. They had more important things to focus on other than the embarrassing fact that his own eyes had deceived him.

Halting at the door, Arturo sank to a knee on the opposite side from Brianna, his hands flexing as he readied himself to wheel around the corner. The door slid open a few seconds after Bri started working on it, emitting a brilliant white light into the hallway, deepening the shadows to either side. Arturo's visor adjusted to the light as he stuck his rifle round the corner, noting the four guards and their weapons. All of them carried Gladius Carbines, and all but one had a DH-7 at their hip. Not that it mattered much. Bri halfed the number of guards to two before Arturo could align his sights on the nearest mark's chest.

There was an exchange of blaster fire, and after a few more bursts from the guards and two well-aimed double-taps from Arturo, the room was empty. He shrank back, looking across at Bri as she spoke up. He blinked. "I hear you," he replied, gesturing through the doors at the four fresh corpses. He stared across at his comrade, wary of the scorch mark at her shoulder. He decided not to voice his worries, stepping a foot closer before reaching out to wipe nonexistent dust from Bri's untouched shoulder. "Going for the rugged, battle-worn look, huh?" He asked, exuding an unfamiliar humor and confidence he wasn't aware he had. It was his way of asking if she was okay without actually asking.

"It suits you." He told Bri, gesturing for her to follow him towards the elevators. "Come on. There's more fools that need blastin' and they ain't got all day." Actually, they do. We don't, he mused, shrugging indifferently at the prospect of being cornered and overwhelmed or just straight up trapped on this station.

@Algarus

 

[Brianna Saxon]

Arturo was good, that Brianna had no qualms about. As he dropped the last two guards, Brianna felt him pat her undamaged shoulder. His comment spurred a snicker from the younger woman. It almost made her forget about the stinging sensation in her other arm. She'd live of course, in fact the pain was very bearable compared to some of her other injuries. If anything she was annoyed about having to repair the shoulder piece once she got back. His comment was appreciated at the very least. "Well thanks, I wasn't sure if the carbon scoring was a little much, but I think it really draws attention to features." She joked, as she winded up her injured shoulder and moved behind the man. She quietly moved Arturo up a few pegs on her likeability chart. She glanced down to take an ammo count, as they moved into the homestretch. The energy cell on her repeater was getting low, but she still had a spare on her, so it wasn't the end of the world, and thanks to Arturo's early actions, they wouldn't have to worry about guards barking up their rear, and could focus on their forward advance. As the pair continued down the corridor and came to it's end, they had finally reached the promenade. Security had done their best to evacuate everyone from the area, as a few stray carts and grav-sleds sat abandoned about the area. Several shops and storefronts were locked down, with only glimpses of the staff or customers being seen as they peaked over at the two from their hiding spots, before retreating back. There was a large lift that laid at the end of the promenade, and Brianna knew instintively that was their ticket to the top floor. The lift was close to 50 meters away from the pair, and as of yet there were no guards to be found. Brianna began moving, time was of the essence. If they got pinned down here, the security force would be able to swarm them. Yes, there was plenty of cover to be found here, but there were several entrances into this section of the station, so they needed to move fast. The two would find that no one seemed to be arriving to challange them. It was almost unsettling. For several long moments, the sounds of the security sirens blared through the empty promanade, followed by the thudding of their boots. "I don't like this at all." Brianna commented, as she kept her rifle at the ready. Again, no one seemed to be coming at them, even as she moved to engage the security lift. With caution, she pressed the calling key, and waited. The whirling of the lift was heard above them, as the lift was still operational. Yet another sign that something was off. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" She asked with a non amused tone, her eyes sweeping to the near by entrances, as she crept back to take cover behind an abandoned grav sled.

Something was about to hit the fan, and having your ass hanging out was just going to get you killed. As the lift behind the two reached the floor, it opened to reveal three guards. Two were only wielding blaster rifles like the rest of their comrades had. The third one, a larger man by his frame, was wielding a repeater and seemed quiet prepared to use it. Brianna fired several shots off and nailed the man on her right, dropping him, before the one with the repeater opened up on her position, blowing the feth out of her cover. She had to wonder just how many hooligans this station had on the rooster, surely they had to be close to running out.
@Kraken

 

[Arturo Solus]

Arturo walked side by side with Brianna through the near-abandoned promenade, his gaze flitting from one shop to another, now and again catching movement between the shelves and stands that filled every inch of the rooms. There were still a few civilians stuck here, Arturo knew, and none of them dared move as the Mandalorians strolled down the middle, exposed and utterly bewildered by the lack of any real opposition. Where the hell were the guards? If anything, now would've been a good time to jump the two of them. They were out in the open, and had no way of knowing who was where, when. The security force could've caught them in a crossfire or perhaps sealed the entrances, using the time to amass a squad or three, more than enough to deal with the intruders. At least, that's what he would've done in their shoes.

Twenty meters from the elevator and there was still no sign of the guards. Arturo began to worry, a gruff 'hmph' all he could muster in reply to Bri's comment as he shot a glance over his shoulder. The place was far too quiet for his liking; they were in the middle of an Imperial space station. A station seemingly devoid of life- a horror story in the making. It made him nervous. Arturo didn't like being nervous.

He covered the Saxon woman as she called the elevator which, strangely enough, heeded her call. If he wasn't on edge before, that was what did it for him. Backing up a step, Arturo perked an eyebrow at Bri's question, the gesture lost behind his visor as he shrugged, backing up another pace. "That a nice, warm caffe wouldn't go amiss right now?" He knew what she was thinking. In truth, he shared her unease. But like every other Mandalorian he'd ever had the honor of knowing, he hid it well.

Their unease was given justification as the elevator reached their level, a loud chime declaring its arrival. The doors slid open, and by that time it was far too late for him to find cover. "Oh, kriff." He swore, bringing his rifle to bare on the guard to the left as Repeater and his friend opened up. Bri was firing too, and she managed to waste one -the guy on the right- before her cover was torn to shreds. Arturo did the same, dropping Lefty a touch too slow. He reeled as he felt something strike his chest plum, his Beskar'gam buckling as he felt the breath leave his lungs. Repeater swiveled to face him too, never letting up on the trigger.

Arturo was lucky. If it wasn't for the precursor that struck the greaves covering his right leg, he would've taken an abdomen-load of bolts. The pain skyrocketed as he collapsed to his knees, the rifle blazing away. He couldn't feel, couldn't think; the need to kill in order to survive took hold of his thoughts, and Arturo surrendered control as his body fought to preserve itself. By the time he regained his senses, Repeater was dead, slumped in the elevator with his comrades. Arturo didn't know if he was the one to put the big bastard down, but there he was...

Arturo grimaced as he climbed to his feet, using his rifle as a crutch. His freehand pawed at the wound that marked the side of his thigh. His armor had done its job, fortunately, and prevented a good portion of the damage that Repeater could've dealt with his last shots. Still, the pain made him groan as he took a few tentative steps toward the elevator, his leg feeling as if it were on fire, the skin seared away. It's only pain, he told himself, blocking it out, getting his breathing back in order. Pain was the enemy, and it could be defeated. He'd done it before, far too many times; he would do it again now.

He stepped into the elevator, noting the camera in one corner. He stared at it for a moment, two, then turned to look at Bri. "I take it back," he said, setting his jaw against the numbness racking his leg. "I'm thinking that a med pack and two caffes wouldn't go amiss right now." Brianna wasn't to know it, but Arturo was grinning from ear to ear. He was still grinning as the doors slid shut behind them, the elevator bucking as it carried them upwards.

To the Operations Center. To the man in charge.

@Algarus

 

[Brianna Saxon]

When the smoke cleared, there were three dead men, and two mildly peeved Mandalorians. She wasn't sure which one of them got the repeater, nor did she care. Arturo had taken a hit, as evident by the carbon scoring on his chest and leg plates. Other than that he seemed fine, and indeed when they set foot in the elevator, his sense of humor was indeed intact. "You and me both. Tell you what, once we make it back, I'll buy you two caffes, but you'll have to put the med pack on yourself." She grinned. Brianna punched in the floor for the operations center, then felt a burning sensation on her side. Glancing down, she noticed she had been tagged by the repeater at some point, with the hit scorching just above her hip plate on the armor. It stung like a bitch, as she felt as if her skin was being boiled away with acid, but she could ignore. Hell, the pain in her arm was like a sunburn compared to this. "Well feth, I might just join you on that med pack. Hope they have a two for one." She chuckled, biting back the pain that was lashing about through her upper body. Brianna was a little concerned about the leg wound her comrade had suffered, but he seemed to be taking it well. Hopefully it wouldn't slow him down for the last phase of the mission. But he seemed to soldier on, so Brianna would trust in his ability. As the lift continued upwards, Brianna took the time to swap put her energy cell for her repeater. Strangely enough, the lift showed no signs of stopping, even though they were closing in on the floor. She glanced to Arturo, and shook her head, as she was expecting what was to come. Needless to say, Brianna wasn't surprised to see the elevator stop two floors before their destination, as the lift halted in its progress and lingered there in the shaft. The dark haired Mando was quick to act, using the butt of her rifle to punch up the roof access for the lift. She's be damned if they killed her by with an elevator. It took a little work to pull herself up, but the adrenaline was starting to course through her system once again. Once the pair made it onto the top of the lift, they would see the floor they were after just above them; two floors above to be exact. Brianna had her way of getting up there, and had to assume Arturo did as well. So, using her jump boots, she would leap up to the desired floor, and fire her grapple line just above to the side of it, so that she now dangled away from it. She would look to Arturo and motioned to the door, before popping her concealed blade out of her free hand, and slicing the emergency door release on the outside of the lift door.

When the door opened, there would be a total of 7 people clamored about the room. The room itself was nothing out of the ordinary. Multiple monitors and terminals were laid out the room, along with the men assigned to the post. Three men in what seemed to be officer uniforms were holding blaster pistols, the other three held blaster rifles and the attire of Imperial guards. The last guard however, was a plump looking man with a tad fancier looking attire, and a unique pistol model compared to the rest of his constituents. If Brianna was a betting woman, that was the security officer. She just managed to pull herself away from the entrance before it erupted with blaster fire.
@Kraken

 

[Arturo Solus]

Arturo kept quiet as the elevator began to rise. Nursing his wounded thigh, he counted his heartbeats, each throb making his ribs ache as the metal coffin they were in continued to climb. He was fortunate. Any other armor might not have done the job, and he would've died along with the guards currently making a mess of the elevator. He looked down, grimacing. They smell, Arturo thought, trying to take his mind off of the pain and the dead bodies, knowing there would come a time when it didn't phase him anymore. He hoped that day was far off, though, he knew the direction he was taking led there regardless of the path he took in the meantime. It was inevitable, and necessary; if he wanted to see this war through to the bitter end, he would have to bury his morals along with his friends. Now was not the time for half-measures and empathy, and second-guessing oneself had never been the Mandalorian way...

The elevator jarred, unbalancing Arturo. He braced himself against one wall, glancing at Bri, then up to the tiny camera in the corner. Damn. Saw that one coming. He cursed himself for letting his mind wander, his thoughts going off on a tangent entirely unrelated to the mission. It was not what he'd been taught. He should've known better, paid more attention. There was a second of shame before he got his feelings under wraps. They had a job to do.

Turning, he watched as Bri knocked the roof access clear with the butt of her rifle, the Saxon's intention clear. Arturo gave her a little boost as she clambered out into the elevator shaft. He climbed up a moment later, his chest and shoulders complaining as he hauled himself out to stand alongside his comrade. He took in the climb that awaited them, shrugging as Bri activated her jump boots. He did the same a moment later, the elevator suddenly dropping out from beneath his feet to plummet downwards. His heart was drumming furiously now, his limbs going all tingly as he rushed upwards. He managed to attach his own grappling line opposite of Bri as they reached the floor they were after.

The doors slid open as Brianna sliced the emergency release, and Arturo had only a moment to get his bearings before the room lit up with blaster fire. He reeled backwards, using his legs to brace himself against the wall as numerous bolts sped out into the shaft, ricocheting off of durasteel or dead-ending against the wall behind him. He twisted away, already coming up with a plan as the bolts sputtered out, the following silence endearing and absolute.

He glanced across at Bri, brandishing his left arm at her. With his right, he tapped one finger against his wrist, and the wrist-rocket launcher attached to his gauntlet. It was a completely stupid idea, he could admit that. He wasn't thinking straight, sure, but he saw no other way to clear the room before someone recalled the elevator. In the shaft, they had nowhere to go, no way of dodging the box before it returned and shredded or crushed them to bloody ribbons. He didn't wait for an answer from his comrade.

Leaning out, Arturo leveled his left arm at the first guard he identified, and fired. The rocket missed the guard as he ducked out of the way, continuing on across the console-filled, spacious Op center, towards the wall a good twenty five meters away. Arturo didn't see it hit. He was already falling back out into the shaft, trusting that his tether would hold his weight as more bolts rattled out of the doors, so close that he could feel the heat as they sizzled past.

Then the explosion came, deafening, and the whole world shook, three guards gone in the blink of an eye.

@Algarus

 

[Brianna Saxon]

The explosion shook Brianna to her core, as the wave of heat brushed over her armor and began to dissipate. With the opening she was presented, she saw only one way to go now. Leaning back into the door way, hanging off the side, Brianna would fire off her light repeater into the room. The rest of the guards were caught in the cross fire, as their figure were easily identified from the smoke, and at this range, there wasn't a chance she would miss them. Blue bolts of fire lashed out and struck them down, as Brianna paused for a moment and let the plumes of smoke clear out of the room. When nothing was moving in the room, she would work her way inside the room and disconnect her line. She began a search of the ops center, until she found the corpse of the security chief. She lifted the card off his corpse and moved to the terminal in the back where his office was to be, and with a swipe of the keycard, she was in the system. She booted up the security override for the station, and with a few precise inputs, she brought the lockdown protocol up and initiated it across the station. A loud piercing siren rang out, as the airlocks across the station clamped shut, and ray shields deployed over them. Every ship that was currently docked was now unable to depart, the small hanger bay of the station was no longer open. The station was now a improvised prison until the security chief lifted the lockdown, and that wasn't going to be anytime soon. Leaving the small office, Brianna gave Arturo a thumbs up. "Send a message to the fleet, they are set for the next phase." With that job done, Brianna would retreat back to the office and begin to dress her wounds, she imagined Arturo would do the same. The two would have plenty of time to get acquainted as they waited for the planet below them to fall.
/end thread
@Kraken