Ask Plausible Deniability

[Renfry]

Vinsoth was one of the worlds that fell under Andruil's rule as a Sith, but in truth it was a world that had seen little attention from her since her rise to power. The reason for this was simple: it had little to offer and it wanted little from her. The world was actually quite pleasant and temperate, but the Chevin people were by and large simple shepherds with little interest in galactic politics or the outside world.

The relative isolation of the planet was one of the reasons she had selected it for her new project. Add to that the fact that the planet also had a slaving and slave camp problem, and it was a second reason for her to come here. The slavers would make prime candidates for her new "experiments," and she could gain further goodwill from her people by dealing with a pest.

But this operation was one that was low to the ground. She hadn't particularly wanted Sith assets here, and while she often would have deployed her Nightsisters for an operation like this, she didn't particularly want to risk their lives with a direct assault or anything of the sort. Besides, who better to kill criminals and slavers than mercenaries? Most of them probably were criminals anyway, and if they "disappeared" after the job was done, one by one, then who would be the wiser? They'd been paid extra for discretion, and if they were wise they would keep their mouths shut, make a large amount of credits, and everyone would be happy.

Arriving in her custom flight suit to conceal herself and with her lightsaber concealed on her belt, she made her way through the small encampment before the operation began. Despite a great deal of hesitation, Andruil had demanded the mercenaries to elect a team lead for the operation, and whether through election, a show of strength, or something else, the lot had fallen - willing or not - to a Child of the Manda. It had been years since Andruil had met the Manda woman on Corellia, and theirs was a culture she still didn't really understand, but she knew enough to recognize one. They seemed decent enough. Maybe not so different from her Nightsisters, but that would remain to be seen. For now, the two of them would need to settle on a plan for dealing with the camp.

@Orbit

 

[Nox Solus]

Whenever Nox found himself in Sith territory, there was always a certain uneasiness that developed in his chest. The history between his people and the Sith was a violent and bloody one, one that every Solus knew. It made him stick around Mandalorian space when he took up jobs but the number of credits that were offered for the job was too good to resist. They weren't just for him but were for his clan as well and he had to take that into account and what made him eventually answer the call. The Mandalorian figured that no Sith would hide amongst the crowd he found himself in and it would prevent him a chance from him acting out to his own detriment.

After a quick introduction with the other mercenaries, Nox had been dictated as a leader after a small interaction with another hunter made him put a knife through their hand when his armor was touched. Being an actual Mandalorian, it made him the prime candidate at the start and it was his luck that the other mercs who offered themselves were too arrogant or stupid, solidifying his position as the leader. The knife was just a cherry on the top.

Nox was finally given the signal that their contact had arrived at the camp and he was shown the way toward her tent. When he stepped through the flaps, he stopped just a foot away from the entrance. His concealed amber gaze swung to the lone woman who resided in the tent at the table in the center of the room, her armor as well masking any features that could be remarked about her. It was a curious sight to the Mandalorian as he usually only saw it with his own kind as he wondered what was underneath the mask that had to be hidden away.

"So, are you the one I'm supposed to plan with?" Nox asked, the words coming out of his bes'kar helmet modulated slightly but not disguised.

 

[Renfry]

Andruil was sitting at a small table and examining a holodisplay in front of her when the Child of the Manda came inside. The display showed a full layout of the slaving camp that looked as if they had been taken on flyover or from low orbit.

Yes, come in, have a seat, she said, motioning to a chair across from her.

This is the layout of the facility we'll be attacking, she said. She gave him a moment to examine the map before speaking again. It showed the facility was large and spread out. A central hub building served as barracks and living area for the slavers while most of the slaves were either packed into small tents or left in large shipping containers for transport. The facility looked as if it was simply a holding area for the "cargo."

As I'm sure you've numbered, our force is thirty strong. Estimates put the slavers at nearly fifty, she said. While conventional military tactics stated that you should outnumber your enemy by two to one, in this case she was unconcerned about it. She was a Sith, they had the element of surprise, and casualties were of little concern to her.

Taking the slavers alive is preferable. Dead is acceptable, she said. The more targets she had for her experiments, the better.

@Orbit

 

[Nox Solus]

Nox stepped forward, his T-visor locked on the digital display as he examined every detail about it. He ignored the chair and instead went to the side of the table, closer to the display and allowing him to peer at it from above. While she spoke, one of his hands reached into the map and spun it around, and gave him a 360 view of the facility. The Mandalorians ' count had been correct about their own forces and he wasn't surprised that they would be outnumbered in this venture.

After a few more moments of examination, his hand withdrew from the map and returned underneath his cape as he swung his helmet over to her. "Give me 10 good men and I'll get the job done much more reliably." Simplicity was better in his experience and this wasn't a uniform unit. He had no idea what the fuses were around him and who could be controlled. "Assuming you mean dead is acceptable only for the slavers, we can approach at the dead of night after they have some drink and food in them." Nox stuck his hand back in the map before flipping it so their approach was facing Andruil as his gaze went to the map. "We come in through the east, crawl through the fields to cover us, and take care of the guards who are on watch."

The Mandalorian then pointed to the barracks in the center, the most important building, "We bar them in once the guards are gone and release the slaves. They get out of the camp and our way, you can decide what to do then with the slavers at that point. Either smoke them out into a trap or burn the place down." His hand retracted once more as he brought his attention back to the woman, putting his plan out in the open and letting her decide to scrap it, modify it, or go with it. Nox would have preferred the slaves to remain alive but it wasn't his operation and the whole plan could be changed drastically if their lives weren't on the agenda.

 

[Renfry]

She listened to his plan, watching him silently as he studied the map. His mention of only ten men was... unexpected. Ten meant they would be outnumbered five to one if the operation turned into an all-out brawl, but from the sound of things that was what he was trying to avoid. Perhaps stealth was their best option after all.

She nodded after a moment, deciding his plan was sound enough. If it failed, she would be forced to readjust, but that would come at a later time.

Very well, she agreed. I have a supply of gas that can be fed into the ventilation system. It should be able to sedate anyone sleeping inside the barracks. That will leave the main fighting just with the guards and clearing the camp of the remaining slavers, she said. They were just slavers, after all. There was a far difference between a slaver and a mercenary. These people didn't routinely fight against people who had a chance to fight back. While there were likely a small contingent of them capable of actually fighting, they were not true combatants.

Of course, she wasn't going to say this aloud. The worst thing they could do was underestimate their enemy.

I'll be accompanying you on the operation, she said. Fear not, I can handle myself, she said, raising a hand to cut off any objections. She figured that in the unlikely scenario that any of his former contractors had wanted to accompany him on a job, they weren't particularly competent. She didn't appreciate incompetence any more than she assumed he did.

That leaves us with eight more spots on the team, she said, standing and heading for a stack of files at one end of the room before dropping them on the table next to the holoprojector. It was information on all the individuals who had been contracted for the job.

She plucked two from the pile and placed them in front of him.

I'd recommend these two as a starting point, she said. The files showed a Shistavanen and a human woman. The wolfmen were known for their abilities to practically vanish into shadow and the woman was an accomplished thief. Both would prove useful for an infiltration job.

@Orbit

 

[Nox Solus]

Nox waited to see how his plan would be interpreted and it appeared to go over well as Andruil gave a nod in agreement. The mention of using a supply of gas she had brought to sedate the slavers was his turn to be surprised. Whoever she was, she is incredibly well equipped and thoughts began to form in his head with the context of what territory he was in but he kept his tongue back. There were no other signs other than resources and that wasn't enough to make those types of assumptions.

What would have been a surprise but lately has been the norm for some unexplained reason, Andruil wished to accompany on the mission and the Mandalorian offered no resistance to the notion. "You're money, your wish. You fall, don't expect any heroics. I'm taking what I'm owed and getting out." She most likely wasn't used to someone talking to her like he was but he couldn't see who she was and he was just giving her the harsh reality that if she perished, he would take what he saw and leave after the slaves. There bigger things ahead of him he would have to be ready for.

Next, the woman brought over a stack of files, each one about every mercenary that was brought in for this job. Two of them were taken from the pile and Nox cast a quick look towards here before grabbing them. Pages were flipped at a steady pace and after a quick inspection of both, he closed them and gave her an agreeing grunt. "Works for me." Both folders were tossed to the left of him on the table and away from the giant stack. A thief would be useful in breaking out the locks, the wolfman an even better tool to get them inside the camp.

Nox went through the files one at a time, sometimes throwing a folder to the right, or to the left on the pile that Andruil wanted to come along and the rest he haphazardly threw at the opposite corner of the table to get it out of the way. The Mandalorian eventually came to his own folder and he picked it up gently as he wondered what exactly had been gathered about him. Unsurprisingly, it didn't display any of his personal history, only his known jobs and that he worked mostly in Mandalorian space. It brought a smirk to his face for a reason that he couldn't explain, the folder eventually tossed to the left and with the approved pile.

"That should be it. We'll have a sniper, a few commandos, and an ex-ranger along with your choices."

 

[Renfry]

She thought she sensed some sort of hesitation from him, but didn't know him well enough to be able to discern more than that. She opted not to mention it for the moment, however, for a number of reasons. Hopefully the misgiving didn't regard their plan.

She also didn't comment on his statement that if she fell behind she would be left behind. In truth, she hadn't given much thought to what would happen to the mercenaries and their payment if she died because not only was she not planning on dying, but at that point it wouldn't be her problem anymore anyway.

Good, she said. She watched him going through the remainder of the files and went about some of her own work as well. She was familiar at least in passing with everyone on the list. Most didn't draw much attention, but the ex-ranger had garnered a great deal of attention from her in the hiring process. Given her affiliations, she wasn't overly eager to have one along, but had been sufficiently convinced of his corrupt nature after reviewing his history. He had genuinely abandoned the higher walks of life and fallen far.

Someone will need to carry the gas dispensary system but from the rest of you seem to have come self-equipped, she said. She left it up to him who would have the unpleasant job of carrying the gas and air pump.

Nightfall is in two hours, drinks likely after that. Move in seven hours? she proposed. A drunken sleep should have set in on everyone by that point, which would make them easy pickings. Or so she hoped.

 

[Nox Solus]

His suggestions didn't raise any alarms, at least verbally for him to know. The team was qualified and each of them had a unique skill set that would help on their mission. This wasn't Nox's first time leading an operation, it was however with a merc team like this. It would be a coinflip whether one of the mercenaries somehow got them into a tight bind. They would just have to see what the coin would land on.

"I'll figure that out for someone. We'll be ready by the time we're needed." With nightfall being the target time, that did leave them some hours to operate on their own time and prepare. Aundruil offered a number of hours and Nox gave her a brief nod, "Sounds like a plan. I'll speak with the others." With not much else needed to be said, Nox simply just left the tent and made his way back to the mercs. He would inform the select few who had been chosen, telling them about what the mission was and when they planned the strike. For the rest, he only told them to wait at camp and would receive a signal if they were required. With that done, all that there was left to do was wait.

Eventually, the hours passed and night descended upon them, cloaking everything in its inevitable darkness. Nox and eight others exited from their tent and moved to the entrance of the camp. They all had their gear strapped on and understood what the plan was. When they exited from the front gate and waited outside for Andruil to join them, Nox softly whistled at the sniper to get her attention. He pulled out a map that displayed the slaver's camp and he pointed to the hill of the east of it. "Go and hold position on the bluff now. Report in if anything stands out." The woman gave a nod for departing.

As for the rest, they checked their equipment in the meantime. The ranger lagged behind slightly as he carried the gas dispensary system but he eventually caught up. All that was left was for the woman to link up with them.

 

[Renfry]

Andruil had to say that the man was surprisingly easy to work with. He was quite a professional, and that was a bonus. Perhaps it'd be better if he didn't get killed. Or "disappear" afterwards. Not that she was really planning for that.

As he left, she began to meditate, eat, and check her own equipment. In addition to her hidden lightsaber, she brought along her hunting knife and an energy bow. It was less blatant than a lightsaber or using the Shadow directly. They were semi-regular weapons.

The sun went down and she headed out to meet the others, finding them already preparing. She could see the lights of the slaving camp in the distance. Everything was dark around them, but she found herself perfectly comfortable.

Are you ready to begin? she asked. She could see guards at the edge of the camp, but from what she could make out - with some difficulty - they didn't look particularly alert. Perhaps they'd grown fat and lazy beating their captives without a real challenge. And oh, things would get so much worse for them no matter what the outcome was for them tonight.

@Orbit

 

[Nox Solus]

Well, he was ready to begin at least. As Andruil came closer to the group, she would smell the faint smell of alcohol before the Ranger doubled over and puked everything in his stomach. The gas system had been a subject of great debate between the mercs and instead of anyone else losing the use of their hand, it had been decided a drinking competition would determine who would carry it. With the puke, the results of who loss were obvious.

Even Nox had a comfortable buzz but it wouldn't impede his ability. He had been drinking even stronger stuff when he was a foundling. "Ready as we can be." The Mandalorian uttered out with a soft chuckle after, his gaze being cast to the Ranger for a moment before he turned and faced the direction of the slaver camp. It appeared their plan of the slavers drinking themselves into a stupor had paid off.

"We come in from the east. Let's get moving." That was the only approach that wasn't completely open, the tall at least providing some cover. With everyone already knowing what to do, Nox led the way, taking a wide berth in order to not be spotted. It was an extra precaution but it didn't hurt to do. Plus, it was an opportunity for the Ranger to get everything out before they actually arrived.

It wouldn't be too long before they approached the side of the bluff that their sniper was already on. She hadn't reported in yet, so nothing garnered their attention yet. Tall grass stood rigid in front of them by a few feet and the Mandalorian offered a glance back to the mercs before he laid down in a prone position and crawled forward through it.

 

[Renfry]

Andruil's displeasure at seeing the vomiting man would be able to be felt more than heard. For a man who had spent his whole life around people in armor, it was quite obvious that she was unhappy. If the Ranger failed in his duty, she would kill him and then have words with the Manda.

They headed off into the darkness, reaching the grass quickly before moving into a low crawl. She wondered how many more times the Ranger would vomit on himself while crawling across the open way and how long it would be before the entire camp was on alert because of his drunken stupor.

She cast a glance back and then unslung the bow from her shoulder, starting a crawl through the open area. The rustle of the grass as she pushed past brought her back to her younger days hunting on Dathomir, and everything seemed to become more natural. Before the Sith and before she was Queen, she had been just another Nightsister, and she had spent many days hunting

The darkness swallowed her, but her other senses were still sharp as they pressed onward. The guards seemed to be all but absent from the perimeter, and she stopped at the fence. Her lightsaber would have made short work of it, but she opted to let the mercenaries get through their own way. Probably a plasma torch or perhaps they had packed something more fancy.

@Orbit

 

[Nox Solus]

The entire group moved forward through the grass, it parting slightly from their disturbance but unnoticed from the lack of professionalism from the slavers. It wouldn't be too long before the entire group approached the fence, the Ranger obviously last. Nox stepped to Andruil's position and crouched down as he drew out his fusion cutter and held it in his hand for a moment. "Are we clear?" He asked quietly in his helmet as a few seconds passed before the sniper responded, "All clear."

Nox positioned himself in front of the section of the fence that he planned to cut. He called over the Shistaveren and the thief that Andruil had suggested. "Once the fence is down, get in and bar their quarters. We'll take care of the patrolling guards in the meantime." The two nodded and the Mandalorian activated his cutter then, the short blade snapping to life. The blade was inserted into the fence and with a steady hand, he carved out a square that each of them could fit through one at a time. When the square was complete, Nox shut off the cutter and picked up the cut-out section before throwing it away.

Without needing another word, the two he had spoken two first dashed through the hole and rushed to the quarters. They each held a backpack, their main armament a blaster pistol as they were to lock down the building. Nox stepped in afterward as everyone else would form up and file in afterward. With hand gestures, he would tell the team to split into two groups, one taking the east half of the camp and his taking the western part of the camp.

When they were inside, they would be all be able to see various lights that moved throughout the tents and makeshift buildings, the guards highlighting their own presence with the fence no longer masking them. With everyone knowing their job to do, Nox split off with his group in order to take care of the guards.

 

[Renfry]

Andruil moved with bow in hand into the hole in the fence along with the rest of the assault team. The Manda started giving a bunch of hand motions, and Andruil just kind of looked at him for a moment. The rest of the team seemed to know what it meant - apparently it had been part of the secret meeting she'd not been invited to, how rude - and so she watched them shuffle off in the other direction toward the barracks.

Andruil remained where she was for a moment while Manda went one direction and some of the other mercs went the other direction. Everything seemed to be going well until it wasn't.

Sure enough, a drunk off his butt Ranger wasn't the stealthiest or most graceful person. The slavers may have been unprofessional, but they weren't oblivious enough not to see and hear the man now starting to wretch and cough against the wall of the barracks.

Shouts of "alarm" and blasterfire began to ring out, cutting down the Ranger and doing her job for her. Perhaps the only good thing was that the stealth duo had actually managed to get to the barracks and lock it down before the chaos began to unfold.

@Orbit

 

[Nox Solus]

While he and his team moved to the west end of the camp, they all came to a halt when the alarm suddenly rang. Nox slowly went down into a crouched position as he slightly tilted his head toward the slaver quarters in the center, waiting for one of the doors to burst open. None did however and he knew that meant that two had done their job and were making sure that it stayed that way. "Time for some fun." He murmured to the mercs with him and they waited in position.

The guards either had small quarters outside of the main quarters or they were walking out in between from their small security towers. Either way, when they heard the alarm inside, they all rushed down from their positions and right into the squad of Nox's mercs. The Mando already had his rifle drawn as he had taken cover behind some assortment of goods as did other mercs. When they saw the first round of guards, all of them began to open fire, taking out the first couple who had run out in a single line before the rest of them took cover.

A true firefight broke out then and Nox ducked behind cover as bolts were exchanged. Instead of facing head-on, he moved to the flank and activated his thermal vision, making the guards stand out easily for him. Taking cover behind a barrel, the Mando rested his rifle on top and aimed before squeezing the trigger multiple times. Slavers would fall each shot and it wouldn't be long before they discovered who was doing it.

A small group turned to face Nox and fired to make him duck behind cover once again. Bolts flew above and into his cover, some of them piercing the tents around him. While they fired, he activated his comm to speak with Andruil, "How's the eastern section?" The sound of blasters coming through the comms as well as he shouted through it.

 

[Renfry]

Things were not going well on the eastern section. Bodies lay in the open where they had been gunned down during retreat. Only the wolf man - difficult as he was to hit on account of being a near shadow - and one other of the mercenaries had survived the initial onslaught.

It was only Andruil's Force-assisted reflexes that had helped her avoid the initial barrage and allowed her to take cover behind a large shipping crate designed for the hostages.

I need a better position, she thought to herself, focusing her attention on the Shadow. She let it flow around her, becoming one with it as it swept her away in its currents. With a flash of green she moved from her cover and with another flash appeared on the roof of the compound.

A better firing position and one from which she could direct the fight better.

She drew back her bow and aimed, loosing a pink energy arrow through the air and striking one of the slavers in the back.

Poorly. We've lost the eastern side, she said. Half a dozen slavers pushing up against only a pair of mercenaries, she warned. She could almost see how the fight was going to play out in her head: the duo would have to fall back or die and then Nox would be hit in the side or rear by the advance. Bad news unless she could find a way to stop it.

@Orbit

 

[Nox Solus]

Well, the sit-rep wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear. Only one merc had fallen on his side so far after the way the guards had greeted them inside the camp and he hoped that his counterparts had been greeted with an identical situation but evidently not. The small group of slavers was still firing repeatedly on Nox's position but because of the amount of fire being poured on him, it caught the attention of two mercenaries and they quickly opened fire, at least offering a suppressive barrage so that he could be free to move.

Nox moved from his position quickly and glanced around in order to figure out a way to help relieve the pressure for Andruil. Even from where he was at, he could spot her raining purple arrows down on the enemy in rapid succession. His eyes then snapped to the center building, the slaver's quarters that were still barred up. Without a second thought, he aimed his left arm toward the roof and fired his grapple line. Pressing the button on his gauntlet afterward, the line started to whir and pull him up as he quickly ascended onto the roof with its help in a matter of seconds. When the gauntlet ran out of line, it launched him into the air a few feet and he had to roll to soften his landing but he ended on his foot and knee in a crouched position.

Wasting no time, the Mandalorian quickly oriented himself as he found the two mercenaries that were pinned down themselves on the eastern side. Pulling out his rifle once more, he lined it up with the slaver leading the charge and put a bolt right through his chest. The others thought it was from the two Mercs but one another came down and went through another's head, they finally took cover from Nox's elevated position; tents, barrels, whatever they could find. The comm was opened once more between them, "Go, now. Help the west section clean up. I'll cover you."

After that, he randomly just started to open fire, squeezing round after round into the small group of slavers to keep them pinned. His plan was for Andruil and the two to link with the rest, clear the west and then turn back on the eastern section. Nox would do his best to hold his place so they couldn't open the quarters to the rest of their men. Even on the roof, he could hear the slavers inside banging on the doors and trying to shoot through them. The doors were reinforced in case of slave revolts and with them being barred from the outside, it was now the slaver's biggest obstacle from being wiped out.

 

[Renfry]

The Manda ascended quickly to join her on the rooftop and between the pair of them they managed to deliver an acceptable amount of plasma down onto the slavers. It forced them into cover, and that was half the battle right there.

Of course, they still needed to find a way to get the gas hooked up to the barracks. If not, they'd have to fight the remainder of the slavers, and that wasn't something she was keen on doing. Sith Lord or not, she wasn't invincible.

She moved back toward the west side, eyes quickly sweeping over the remaining camp. The darkness of the night was washed out by the lights that illuminated the camp and she was able to make out the remaining enemies moving.

In fact, the mercenaries seemed to be picking them off well and with only a pair of extra arrows, they'd been forced to split their attention to her allowing a quick finish off.

The mercenaries began to swing around to the east side of the complex to flank the slavers, and Andruil's attention returned to the east as well.

We need to get that gas hooked up, she said to the Manda, looking down at the dead body of the Ranger who had been shot no less than six times. Nasty way to go.

@Orbit

 

[Nox Solus]

After their initial salvo from the pair, the two mercs pinned were able to finally retreat in order to regroup. That left Andruil and she quickly joined the rest of the mercs, wiping out the western section easily with her help. While she did that, Nox remained in the same position, resting on one knee with his other foot planted. With his elbow, he planted it in the middle of his thigh and created a stable shooting platform with his own body. Shots were squeezed with intent to take down targets but mostly to keep their attention occupied.

Andruil's voice came through his comm and he ducked as a bolt flew over his head, "I'll handle that." With a quick wipe of T-visor to remove the muck, he scanned around the camp until he found the body of the Ranger and more importantly, the device they needed. At least the man went out with some alcohol in his system but that was about all the condolences he could offer before he had to get a move on.

Letting the rest of the mercs take on the slavers outside, Nox sprinted toward the edge of the roof and simply jumped off. He would land with a grunt but rolled out of it as he would immediately pop up into a standing position and already rushing to the machine. When he closed the distance, he slid the remaining and took cover behind the actual thing itself as he placed his rifle down on the ground and inspected it.

The entire time, bolts flew overhead or at him but the mercs and Andruil would be doing their best to give him cover. After a few seconds, he realized why the Ranger struggled so mightly with the machine as Nox tried to move it but the thing wouldn't budge. The Mando grabbed onto the straps embedded on the side and pulled with all his strength, letting out a yell as the machine started to tilt and was ready to flip over.

But then, the ground gave and he simply pulled it out of the small depression it made in the ground, stumbling back from the unexpected release. Getting back on his feet again, Nox rushed to the machine and grabbed the straps once more, and used his brute strength to drag it across the dirt and to the quarters. The Mando would need both hands and that meant he couldn't protect himself and was relying on the others to make sure he wasn't killed.

 

[Renfry]

Andruil maneuvered back around to the side of the building where the gas was and began to release bolts on the slaving guards. Really, there weren't many of them left outside the barracks at this point. Their numbers had been whittled down by the battle so that only a few remained.

She paused her assault and let her eyes scan over the mercenaries before realizing there really weren't many of them left either. In fact, it was coming dangerously close to being just her and the Manda.

A well-placed grenade managed to take out the remaining mercenaries within the compound, and she realized it was time to be done holding back her best skills.

She could see that the Manda was busy with the gas and so she dropped her bow and dropped down between he and the slavers. In one smooth motion, her lightsaber leapt to her hand and lit in a pure red, slicing through the air and slamming a blaster bolt into the ground.

Another shot came for the Manda and again it was batted from the air, providing him the time he needed to get the gas in place and activated.

@Orbit

 

[Nox Solus]

As Nox dragged the machine through the mud, his face was aimed towards the sky, silently praying to Kad that he wouldn't be hit. While he stared up at the stars, the side of his vision flooded red and what almost felt like an eternity, turned his head to witness Andruil with a crimson lightsaber in hand. Kad had answered but in a way he would have never expected. It was to protect him of all things and he nearly dropped the machine where it was at what he saw but he could register that it was life or death possibly if the barracks opened.

With her deflecting the bolts, Nox couldn't even describe the emotions that crashed and coursed through him. At first, pure and unbridled rage that almost made him drop what he was doing to reach for his blaster. Then the sensation of relief would collide with that anger, knowing that at least this wasn't futile and that she was saving his life. It confused him as he didn't know what to do but then his mind narrowed on the gas system and pulled it the rest of the way to the slaver's quarters.

Pulled near the door, the Mandalorian wiped the mud from his T-visor, clearing his vision as he stared at the button display momentarily. After a couple of errors, he eventually turned on the dispensary system and grabbed onto the tube that was implanted at the top of it. Pulling it out with ease, Nox dragged it over to an exterior vent system, securing it in place before rushing back over to the device. Sliding once more, he ended right in front of the start button and slammed his fist down, the front door be banged against harshly as multiple bodies slammed against it. But their efforts would prove in vain as the machine whirred and the sedative gas poured into the building, slowly but thoroughly.

"Done!" Nox shouted out before standing to his full height and facing the remaining slavers. They were completely focused on the fact a Sith was in their presence and forgot him. Seizing the opportunity, his blaster pistol was pulled out and he fired a grouping of bolts, one of the slavers taken out and the other forced into cover.