Precious Cargo

[Talo Geist]

Talo sat in the cockpit of the borrowed light freighter watching the swirls of hyperspace going by, he was a little bit antsy. Once they came out of hyperspace they would have to bluff their way past a criminal blockade -using Imperial ships no less- to land a small repair team on the moon of Nar Shaddaa. He didn't like being this far from the Republica. Especially with the holonet being down. Any communications but basic short-range would be impossible. No backup would be available.

He walked back into the cargo/passenger area and looked at the four man repair team, and the one person who set him a little more at ease. Eriana Fox. He knew the blind Sith could handle herself, and with her on his side he knew they could succeed.

He wore his newly acquired common clothes; black pants and tunic with brown boots and a brown cloak. His armor still equipped just in case, but without the imperial uniform underneath the chestplate he could easily pass for a simple cargo hauler. At the most a bounty hunter or smuggler.

He handed Eriana a small earpiece communicator, the kind that was practically invisible when inserted into the ear. "These should still work at short range if we get separated for some reason." he told her.

Then, raising his voice and turning to the repair team, he addressed them. His recent leadership roles in missions to take down a drug ring in the inner rim had bolstered his confidence in the speech department. "I'm not going to lie to you. This is perhaps the most dangerous mission any of you have undertaken. It is entirely possible that some of you may die." Sugar coating was for the weak. He gestured to Eriana briefly as he continued. "Lady Fox and I are here to try and make sure that doesn't happen." he placed a small holoprogector on the floor in the middle of all of them.and activated it. The image of a small network relay station appeared, rotating slowly. "Your mission will be to repair this relay bunker. It is empty and has thick blast doors, getting to it will be the problem." he thumbed a small remote and the image changed to one of the blockade. "These criminals have stolen our ships and formed a blockade, we have to get past them purely with our wits. Once we reach the moon they won't be able to track us, the one boon of the network being down.

If we can't convince them to let us through we will have to rush through the blockade and hope to the Force that we don't get shot down. I want one of you up in the turret. The rest of you will be here. You know which crates have your equipment in them. The rest are various ship parts and supplies. The story will be that we are bringing them to the surface. If they demand to board for inspection we will let them, you will pretend to be workers on my crew. Just go alomg with their demands, keep your equipment hidden if possible. Throw a few parts from other crates on top of the tools if you must. Lady Fox and I will field most -if not all- of the questions."

Talo deactivated the projector as the warning that they were a few minutes from where they would leave hyperspace sounded. Opening the room to questions and input from the team, and of course any additional information from Eriana.

@EmilyHuene

 

[The Confessor]

Flying. Again with the flying. One would think the blind Sith would be able to get over it by now. Some things just couldn't be shaken. It might have even been a little understanding if she'd been in some freak accident that crippled her anxiety the way it was. But no such thing happened. Her fright was all in her head, her own doing, her own suffering.

She was sitting in the back of the cargo area with the rest of the repair team. She'd strapped herself into her chair despite them being in space where the ship's own gravity controls kept them from rattling back and forth. She was the only one secured. But the men would be smart not to make any wise jokes. They were dealing with a Sith. And these Imperial agents were smart enough to know to avoid their kind at all costs.

Thinking back to the mission she relayed the words over in her head. We need to repair Network Access or Imperial Hutta will be lost to us forever! Unfortunately, several large gangs have seized the shipyards on Nal Hutta and Nar Shaddaa and are using our own ships to blockade both the planet and the moon! We can't call for reinforcements while the HoloNet is down, but we need to get repair teams and supplies to Nar Shaddaa's surface! Smuggle a team passed the blockade and land them on the surface!

For the first time the group would see Eriana in an outfit that was all brand new. Having replaced the Sith robes and tight leather corset, she was now wearing a dark green, long sleeve shirt with a strap on leather holster that could hold two guns. Talo had never seen Eriana handle a gun, she only ever user her sabers. Hopefully she wouldn't need to use them either. She wanted to seem less like a Sith while dealing with the blockade. Since pirates and gangs were occupying stolen Imperium ships, they couldn't look too much like soldiers. They had to appear to be pirates themselves.

To cover her blindness, Eriana would wear a simple pair of sunglasses. Her hair hadn't changed though. She always kept it down and straight. Never in a ponytail, never in braids. Even when it fell in front of her face she didn't often brush it away. She didn't have to. And as she sat there in the passengers' chairs, silently praying to herself, she would have kept her eyes closed anyways so now one would think she was awake. She didn't like to be bothered when they were in transit. Her temper was usually at its worse when she was stressed, like she was now and had been for the past day of travel. What made things worse, she'd never even been to the mud hole of Nar Shaddaa. Criminals and savages occupied this planet. Eriana would never disgrace herself with coming here of her own volition. She had a rather high standard for herself.

Her partner in crime, to keep up appearances, was Talo Geist. The Nagai male had accompanied her on several missions prior to this, so they were no strangers to each other abilities. That was at least when she wasn't actively pretending to be a smuggling pirate and not her usual Force wielding heroine that she was. He'd come over to her, interrupting her meditation, and offer her the ear piece. Had it been anyone else disturbing her they would have been shot. No questions asked. Talo was lucky they got along so well.

"Let us hope we do not need them" she'd say while placing the small disk into her earlobe.

They must have been getting close because Talo would call attention to the team and start going over the plan. Though his motivational speaking skills might need a little bit more work. Right off the bat he insinuated some of them would die. Off to a great start....

He then explained that he and Eriana were going to do their best to keep them safe. Well, at least she would try. She wasn't going to risk life and limb for one tiny soldier. She was far more important than the life of a pawn. They didn't need to know that however. She kept her mouth shut.

With aid of the Force Eriana would be able to tell he crouched down for a moment and set down a hologram device. While the image itself was not visible to her, his actions would be. She also....carefully peered into his mind to see a vague understanding of what he was seeing. Had he been sensitive to the living Force as she, he might have noticed this. If she tried to push any further it was possible he might have then too. She was very curious to experiment with that one day....

Back to the mission. It was their job to get past the blockade of pirates who'd stolen their ships. No easy task. There was a strong chance they were going to get boarded and not even a high ranking ship could manipulate the entire boarding party with a Force suggestion. One at a time perhaps. But it was risky to try. Talking would be their ally. Their wits, as Talo had explained to them. Hopefully he had a good plan because her sabers she wouldn't be keeping on her person for this exchange. Very very risky.

She realized then that it got very quiet and that it seemed they were waiting on her to say something. Coughing awkwardly she would try to think of something on the spot. "Getting past the blockade will be the hard part. I can lie my way through a few curious dogs, but if the boarding party they send does a thorough search we may need to kill them then and there. If things start looking grim, I want one of you to get to my sabers." Eriana pointed to a box hidden with the rest of their gear. "My pistols will keep them at bay but I don't want to be caught empty handed. It'll be your job to back me up. But once we get to the surface I will be the ones keeping you safe. Everything changes if we can get this ship on the ground,"

 

[Talo Geist]

Talo smiled lightly at Eriana. At this point he knew flying wasn't her thing, but it impressed him how composed she was. It was admittedly odd to see her in plain clothes, though if she could see he imagined she would find his outfit equally odd.

Another alert through the ship. They were about to drop out of hyperspace. "Right then. Places everybody." as he walked back to the ship's cockpit he paused, an old saying popping into his head that he found fitting at the moment. "And may the force be with us." Eriana's religion was beginning to rub off on him he guessed.

He got to the bridge and dropped into the pilot's seat as the whirl of hyperspace broke into the streaks of stars hurling by and then they stopped, the blockade looming in front of them.

The ship's comms blinked almost immediately. As expected. And Talo opened the line.

"Unidentified transport. State your name and purpose or be destroyed. You have ten seconds to start talking."

Well that was a little rude, Talo cleared his throat and spoke into the microphone. "Hello there. This is Captain Harbatkin of the Womp Rat. I didn't name her I swear. Our purpose is a simple delivery, just some ship parts and basic goods." he leaned back in his seat and waited for a response.

Amazingly they bought it. The comms clicked back on and the voice came through. "Alright then Captain..Harbatkin was it? Hold course and I swear if you deviate one fraction of an inch while we scan you you'll be space junk before you can say 'oops'."

"Thank you very much, have a great day." Talo responded. The comms clicked off without an answer. All they had to do now was fly to the surface and hope there was nobody at the bunker.

@EmilyHuene

 

[The Confessor]

Visibly jumping at the new alert that chimed Eriana took an exasperated sigh. She was always so wound up during flights. It was not good for her health. She couldn't wait to get back to Coruscant and be done with this traveling thing for awhile. Closing her eyes once more she calmed her breathing and began to talk to herself softly, reminding herself the Dark side had a purpose for her. It wasn't about to have her die in some stupid space explosion. Her friend then said something that really threw her off guard as he wished that the Force would be with them. Eriana couldn't help but smile.

"Yes. The Force is with us."

She would watch/feel Talo leaving the cargo bay and head up front. Now that her nerves were back to normal she would close her hands in her lap and start to pray again. "I ask this prayer in the name of the Dark side. You are the true power and truth in the universe and you show me the world for what it truly is. I continue to do your bidding and bring peace to a galaxy unwilling to understand the laws of nature. I pray to you to keep me safe as you have done all these years. Grant me safe travel so that I might continue to serve you in Your name."

And then she waited. She felt them drop out of hyperspace and that someone was looking at them from afar. It was a weird feeling, knowing they were technically hundreds of miles apart and yet in someone's sights. Yet she could not see them herself. She knew they were there though. She knew the danger they were in.

Letting her feelings reach throughout the ship Eriana would make contact with all the individuals on board. She felt their anxiety, their worry. It matched her own. But she had something they did not: the Force. It assured her through blind faith that they would survive this trip. Eriana was certain of it. So certain she almost knew that Talo's lie would come across as truth. It made little sense, but someone believed them. Perhaps they ought to have someone more....skeptical at the comms.

Feeling a great sense of relief wash over Talo and the pilot Eriana too would sigh in soft pleasure. "They're letting us through," she would say to the other technicians around her. They would all let out a cheer when she held her hand up to silence them. "Quiet! We are not through yet."

The room was eerily quiet for now and everyone in the back held their breath. They were being scanned and Eriana knew one false move could break up the charade and they'd be done for. Every moment was like an eternity. Her heart pounded in her chest. She knew and trusted that they would get through this, but that didn't mean the other ship wouldn't be trying to kill them in the meantime. Eriana kept her eyes closed and balled her hands into fists into her pants.

"Entering the atmosphere now," the pilot would call over the comms.

They had done it! The blockade was behind them and the ship quickly began to pass through the first layers of the systems gravity fields. Eriana tensed up all over again, now for different reasons. She had to pray that the ship held and they weren't going to suddenly break apart in the atmosphere. While Eriana stayed seated in her spot the others would get up and start unpacking their gear. One of them was kind enough to bring Eriana's to her. She thanked him but kept herself glued to her seat. Luckily, everything went as planned and the ship would find a spot just a few miles away from their destination. They landed with a soft thud and quickly all the power was turned off. The red lights came on for emergency lighting -not that Eriana needed it- for the technicials inside who by now were all dressed and ready for combat.

"Are you coming, Lady Fox?" the boy who'd brought Eriana her gear would ask her.

She would nod her head unconvincingly and reply, "I will be there in a moment. Please go ahead."

 

[Talo Geist]

Talo sighed as the ship landed, that went far more easily than he had expected to be sure. As the team redied he made his way back into the cargo hold, checking that his pistols were properly loaded this time and holstered them again, keeping the holsters unbuckled for quick access.

He took Eriana's sabers out of the crate -an admittedly ballsy move- in one hand and placed his other on her shoulder while handing them to her -another ballsy move- hoping to help comfort and re-ground her after the flight.

Once she had them he would give the shoulder a squeeze. "Take your time. I'll take point."

With that he went and opened the boarding ramp, heading down and looking around. As he reached the bottom a lone gunman leapt from the bushes and began firing, Talo barely got his pistol into his hand by the time a bolt sunk into his left shoulder, followed by another in his left side. He cried out in pain and fell to the ground, dropping his pistols.

He didn't quite pass out, but he wasn't going to be moving much. He managed to get his right hand around to his left ear, activating his commlink "Eriana." he started, in too much shock to remember to use proper honorrifics. "I'm...hit. One..gunman. Please...be..careful." He remained concious for now, but immobile for the moment. All he managed to.do was get himself a little less prone.

@EmilyHuene

 

[The Confessor]

Eriana would sit there for a moment as the men started to leave the ship. One of the men had already brought her the sabers, which were lying at her feet, but Talo took it upon himself to hand them to her. She quickly took them from him and clutched them to her chest like it were some comfort object a child mild cling to when they were scared. Eriana was certainly showing this man a lot more of her true side lately.

"Thank you," she'd say as he gave her all the time she needed.

He too would then leave and Eriana would get out of the chair. She would take the holsters off the leather straps around her shoulders and set them down where she'd been sitting. Then, sensing around the room to make sure no one was watching, would take off both the straps and her shirt at the same time. That's when she heard her ear piece go off.

Her heart stopped. Talo was hit?! Already!? Eriana ducked low and reached for her sabers but they fell past the seat and onto the floor. Eriana gasped loudly and reached for them when she ended up pushing them further away from her and onto the ramp of the ship to which they rolled out the ship and landed outside.

"Kriff!" she'd shout and clutch her arms to her chest again. This time she became painfully aware she was only in her under garments. Thankfully she still had pants on. "Kriff kriff kriff!"

Grabbing the only weapons she had available, she pulled the Pugio blaster pistols from their pouches and crept to the edge of the ramp. One hand still covering her chest, she aimed outside and felt a laser bolt sail past her. She swore again and returned fire only she didn't feel the life essence of the person out beyond her sight die out. But she did feel her sabers.

Doing an incredibly balsey move, Eriana dropped both guns, did a leap forward and snatched both sabers in her hands. With blinding speed only a Force user could perform she ran to the lone man firing at them, arcing her path as she went, then spun in the air and landed behind him. His head hit the ground after her and rolled. Then his body fell too. Half naked, she stayed crouched for a moment with both sabers extended on either side of her.

"Someone check on Talo!" she cried while reaching out to make sure the gunman was the only one around. "And someone else had better bring me a shirt!"

 

[Talo Geist]

Talo was half sitting and half laying down. He managed to drag himself over to the ship's ramp and lean himself against it. Suddenly like a blur Eriana flew out of the ship firing her pistols. She didn't get the kill with them but that really didn't seem to matter as she immediately grabbed her sabers and ended the attacker.

With the threat gone she ordered someone to check on him. And also demanded a shirt be brought to her. It was at that point he realized she wasn't wearing one. He was shocked that she cared about him enough to rush to his rescue so unprotected and exposed, but it made him feel happy as well. As one of the men brought her shirt to her the one who would check on him arrived. Taking his sweet time to save the alien of course.

"Are you alright...sir?" the man almost sneered the "sir" part. It was obvious he detested Talo simply because of his race.

"Well I'll sure as hell need some first aid. And you can drop the attitude pal." he was in no mood to take kark from this punk, he had just gotten injured in protecting them. The least they could do was give him the respect he was due as their superior.

The man grunted something as he pulled out a medkit and began bandaging Talo. He must have had medic training at some point because afterwards Talo felt much better and was able to stand -albeit somewhat stiffly- and retrieve his pistols. His left arm was in a sling but his right was okay.

He walked over to Eriana, averting his eyes while she put her shirt on out of respect. "Thank you Eri...Lady Fox. I thought I was a gonner there." he said with a meek grin.

He hoped that they would not have to deal with any more opposition on their way to the communications bunker.

@EmilyHuene

 

[The Confessor]

The man closest to the ship would run in and pick up her tight fitting one piece suit and for a moment, held it kind of awkwardly in his hands. The outfit had a very latex feel about it. If this were some cartoon one might expect him to suddenly get a nosebleed. All that blood rushing to.......his feet. He'd then snap out of his day dream and rush out the ship over to Eriana who snatched it from his arms; her sabers she held carefully in one hand to grab the suit. She then crossed her arms over her chest again, this time with the black latex covering her torso. She'd walk over to Talo as the man was checking on his vitals.

"Is there a problem?" she'd ask rhetorically. She had heard his snide comment from her position two meters away. And she didn't like that tone he'd given.

"No mam," he'd say to cover his butt.

She would scoff by blowing air out her nose, "Good. Talo, are you alright?"

Thankfully his wounds weren't that serious and he was able to stand. Her front was facing to him so he would't see anything of her, but all the men -save for the medic who was heading back to the ship- behind them could see her naked back. It was a rather lovely sight to say the least. Talo would thank her for her help to which she gave a small smile.

"You are welcome. Next time, don't leave my sight."

And with that joke(?) she'd move past him and into the ship once more. She'd snap at the man telling him to hurry up and get out before stripping down the rest of the way to pull the suit over her body. It zipped up in the back, and she'd use the Force with a simple slip of her fingers to pull it up her slender backside. She then sat and leaned over in her seat to tie her boots. Once securely fastened she would adjust the armored corset around her body and again use the Force to pull everything snug and tight. It had buckles, but strings were added at her request to make sure she could tie it extra tight. Lastly, she would clip both sabers to the bottom of the corset which doubled as a belt.

She was about to walk away when a thought occurred to her. She turned back around and would then fasten the leather shoulder harness from her other outfit on. She didn't usually use guns, but since she had them she might as well keep them. She put both guns in their holsters and then threw on her long black overcoat and left the ramp. She didn't bother to apologize to any of them for taking so long, nor would she even think about. If they wanted her protection, they'd have to deal with it.

"Alright. Lead the way."

The bunker they were traveling to was only a few blocks away. Since their ship had come in without lights on, their presence was still masked by the darkness. The group would turn the corner first, peering around it to see their target just ahead of them on the road. The bunker was nothing more than a one story building. but Eriana would inform them later that it had a lower floor for the generator. What was troubling about all of this though was there seemed to be some form of blockade around the building. Barriers made of clay and stone were placed out front to prevent vehicles getting by, and fences were lined in front to deter anyone one foot. Then, ten Galactic Alliance soldiers were waiting outside with rifles. A few of them were smoking since there didn't seem to be any activity around them. The good news...since they were outside, that meant that there wasn't probably anybody going to be on the inside since the building had no power.

"Do we have a plan?" the soldier with the attitude would ask his superiors. "I'm sure you must have come up with something."

Eriana was very lenient with the man since he was on their side and she needed him, but she didn't like the implied notion behind his words. They were the ones who were supposed to come up with a plan because they weren't the ones in charge. The Sith and that alien were. And Eriana knew that's why he was thinking; she'd already been in his head because that's just what she did.

"Well, Talo? I can distract them. Perhaps you can take a vantage point up high and shoot down for some cover? We'll have the rest of them sneak around to a back entrance? I'm sure it'll be boobie-trapped but once we're inside and the danger is clear we can clear the way for them."

 

[Talo Geist]

"Yes ma'am." Talo responded with a slight grin at what he assumed was a joke. As she walked up the ramp back into the ship he turned to her "And I owe you one." he muttered, wheather or not she heard him he had no idea but he meant it none the less.

Eventually they made their way to the bunker, and saw the ten rebel soldiers outside. "Stupid of them to put all of their men outside." he said with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Of course, that's the rebels for you."

He listened to the man in their team practically demand that he and Eriana come up with the plan, he would pistol whip him if he could. Eriana however had a perfect plan.

"I like it. Two of you with me, doubletime to the ridge." Talo waited for no answer and began to quickly and quietly move up the ridge. It was clear from the murmurs that the men were arguing quietly about which two would go with "the alien". The brass could have picked a team less specist. But that was Talo's lot in life.

Eventually two of the men ended up on the ridge with him, all three laying on their bellys with their weapons trained on the rebels. Talo put his hand to his commlink again. "We are in pisition and awaiting your signal Lady Fox."

@EmilyHuene

 

[The Confessor]

"And I owe you one?" she'd repeat in her head. For saving his life? Well...perhaps she did. But as far as she was concerned, she owed him. She could really only think back to her fall back on Cato Neimodia. She'd blundered her climb so badly she somehow lost consciousness and didn't remember how she got back to their ship. Her mind had blacked out the fall itself and all she remembered was climbing one moment...and then waking up in the medical bay. Her body bruised and a few bones broken. Thankfully Force users healed at a much faster rate than others, advanced medical treatments or otherwise.

So yeah...as far as she was concerned he would never owe her one. Her life had been spared that day. Thanks to his actions, and the Will of the Force. But she wouldn't go so far as to admit that to him. Nor would she ever go to hold that debt over his head. She was too proud of her own choices and actions to be someone like that. As much as she put off the almighty kind of vibe she had with strangers, it couldn't be further from the truth. Eriana was so terribly lonely. To think someone had actually gone out of their way to save her? It was unheard of. And Eriana still didn't know how to deal with it.

Even though he'd said it softly, her sensitive and more adept hearing received his message loud and clear. "You don't owe me anything," she wanted to say back. But her words never left her lips. She stayed quiet. And reserved. She wouldn't show that kind of weakness around the other troops. Sith did not show thanks. They did not share feelings. Unless it was anger. They showed that a lot.

When they got their way to the next destination the ten men outside were just waiting for them to be picked off. Talo made a comment about the stupidity of their enemy's troops. Yeah. It was pretty stupid. She understood their reasoning: make themselves look formidable to prevent anyone rushing in or causing trouble. To Eriana however, it was nothing more than an invitation. She'd lay out her plan for them and it seemed Talo agreed. Talo and two others would head up top; the other two would head around back. She would be the bait.

Eriana closed her eyes while them men split up and would bring her hands to her lap and fold them together. She leaned back against the wall and reached out with the Force. She watched her team moving away from her, becoming smaller balls of flame in her vision. Ahead she'd sense the Galactic Alliance troops and she'd watch each of their respective auras moving about.

"This is a prayer of your loyal servant. Please protect me and grant me power to do what is necessary for the good of the people. Only through your guidance can I continue to serve and obey your will. Allow me safe passage through this battle. In your name I pray."

Taking a long sigh she would whisper her prayer and then reach for her blades. Holding them in her hands always steadied her conviction. Lives would end tonight. Lives would be taken and sent to the living Force. She would be their messenger and she would be the last thing they saw that night. This was her charge as a maiden of the Dark. Eriana was a Sith. She would show no mercy.

Over the radio she heard Talo say they were in position. The time was now. Clicking the small button on the comm device she would return her command over the channel. "Here we go. Wait for an opening and open fire"

Heading around the corner and into the street the blind Sith clothed in black robes would head toward her opponent. At first they didn't see her. She had nearly two blocks worth of distance between her and them and the streets were only lit up by the fires in the distance. Lights would be directed to where the men were stationed outside the bunker; a clear sign deterring anyone from causing trouble with them. It wasn't until Eriana ignited both of her red beams that the men even realized she was there. That was one benefit of dressing in black. She had the darkness on her side. In more ways than one.

One of the guards would stand and raise his gun, "To arms! The Sith are here!"

The fight that would transpire went better than expected. Eight of the ten men would start firing across the street at Eriana. Her blades were like lightning, quicker than the eye could keep track and only noticed by the trail of red they left in their wake. Force users moved and blinding speeds and the way her form worked to move swiftly and effectively to not only block the incoming blaster bolts but to also reflect a few of them back at them...well it was nothing short of a miracle.

The girl was not human. For all intents and purposes. Not just saying she was some other alien race but the fact she was doing things no average person of any race should be able to do. Her body spun back and forth with her feet moving in perfectly scripted steps so her blades never crossed against one another, never got stuck in the crook of the other one's elbow, or even came close to singing her hair as she brought them behind her. Her blades were just as memorizing to watch. There was no apparent path, no obvious thought. Yet every cross of the swords deflected a nearing bolt that could have killed her in an instant. She even had the hindsight to not block those that would sail past her without hitting her. And even more amazing yet, she was blocking them from behind her whilst in the middle of a turn. For being blind...this girl seemed to see everything.

One by one they fell. Two by blaster almost immediately. And another one who happened to try standing up at the wrong time. One of his comrades shot toward Eriana and she deflected the bolt like all the others. It missed its original mark but as the third victim would happen to stand the bolt hit him instead and he fell back down. The men began to panic. How could one person be dodging this effectively?! This was the power of the Dark side given to Eriana to use in service to a higher purpose. She felt no fear. Only a certain calm within the clarity of her destiny.

"Get out of here!" one of them would cry and start heading into the bunker to safety.

He and two more would lower their weapons and turn about. Suddenly Eriana broke from her position and dashed for them. Her body moved as quickly as she had when she took out that first attacker after landing their shuttle. Her blades were a red trail behind her, barely visible at all. Eriana jumped over the first barricade and spun in a horizontal line. She landed, spun on her ankle, and jumped over the next fence. As she spun this time her blades made contact with her fourth victim and he'd fall apart in two pieces.

Now up close and in the fray there wasn't much she could do to stop the others from running. She knew that Talo and his men were shooting, but she paid no attention to them. She dove at another man and then slid under and beneath his legs, cutting both off at the knee. He'd tumble over screaming in agony. Eriana would roll to one side then tuck in and plant one palm onto the ground. Using the momentum she did another crazy spin of agility to hold herself up just by her wrist and turn her body. Her feet came up and kicked the last agent she'd get in her assault across his face. He stumbled back allowing her time to get up to her knees and bring her sabers backwards under her armpits into his stomach. The man gurgled something as his body burned from the inside. Eriana pulled her blades back and stood up; the corpse falling to its knees behind her before finally collapsing on its side.

Another wave of calm came over Eriana as she assessed the situation. Six men were dead for sure. She knew that based on her own actions. There were four more she hadn't paid attention to, only that she knew they weren't attacking her. Two of them had managed to escape both her and the gunman because they'd gotten away in time and were now holed up in the bunker, or at least making a run for whatever stairwell they could get to in order to get as far away from her as possible. That left two she wasn't sure what had happened to them. Maybe Talo and the others shot them down in their attack?

 

[Talo Geist]

Talo watched in awe as Eriana slid and whirled through the enemies. Almost laughing as the two ran away.

He was smart enough not to give away their position though. The man who had patched him up on the other hand? He was a kriffing fool. Firing almost immediately as Eriana began her deadly dance. Because of his impatience the bolt ended up bouncing off one of her lightsabers and going straight back into the idiot's face. Talo and the other soldier looked at the body and then eachother in stunned silence for a moment before looking back on the battle.

The second man was a much smarter shooter, easily dispatching one of the two rebels that was trying to circle around behind Lady fox with a shot to the head.

Talo readied his pistol and aimed for a similar shot on the final guard who remained outside, but due to the restrictive sling he had on his positioning himself was hampered. He didn't have a way to prop himself up well enough, and due to this unstable posture he slipped and fell down the ridge. There was quite a lot of tumbling and bumping, his injured arm got bent on an incredibly painful angle and he hit his injured side several times.

The only good thing to come out of the Nagai agent's attempt is that his yelp of surprise and subsequent scream of pain when he finally landed took the final rebel's attention off of Lady Fox for the moment.

@EmilyHuene

 

[The Confessor]

Eriana heard the distress in her friend's voice even at this distance. No, she felt it. That was one flaw about being a Force sensitive. She made certain connections to people and when they were in danger she knew it. Somehow Talo had fallen from his scouting position and was barreling down the side of the ledge. The blind Sith had no idea what had happened. Had he been shot? From here? It was unlikely to say the least as the men would have been focused on her, not the snipers. Let alone the skill to shoot one of them down with their meager assault rifles. No, something else must have happened.

"Talo!" Eriana called out when she felt the sudden instinct swell up inside her and sounding off whatever alarm was in her head.

The resulting distraction drew away her focus from the battle at hand, and the last remaining alliance agent would fire again at Eriana. She had just enough instinct to dodge and roll behind one of the durasteel crates they'd dragged over prior to the battle. She cursed aloud and felt as the man fled from her and managed to get inside. She'd both failed to kill him but also he'd managed to escape. Now she'd have to try again and they'd be at a disadvantage heading into the bunker. No time to waste though.

Calling over the commlink she tried to get Talo's attention, "Talo! Talo are you alright? Was he hit? Someone answer me!"

One of the officers, the only one standing up there still, would reply as he made his way down the ridge to is boss, "Mam, I think he's alright. I didn't see him get hit. It looks like he just fell."

Eriana scoffed and then would reply, "Well get him to a safe position. I'm going in!"

Moving from her crouched position she ran to the door and kicked it as hard as she could. No luck. The door was locked from the inside. Eriana thought for a moment on what to do. She didn't have time to waste. Moving her thumbs of the ignition triggers both blades would die out. Eriana gripped them both in her left hand then would raise her right to the door.

Thinking to herself, "I pray to you as a humble servant. Do not let me enemies escape. I am your weapon, I am your loyal devotee. Grant me this power."

As she prayed she drew in all the Force power she could and focused on the door. The edges where the door was bolted to the wall would start to crumble and fold into themselves. Eriana yelled in furious concentration letting her rage, anger, and spiritual belief give her power to do what was necessary. The ends of the door were crushed under her power and the whole thing then fell backwards and out of her way. Eriana took a moment to steady herself and let the pressure she'd been building up dissipate. She'd then bring her blades back to activation and walked into the dark room.

 

[Talo Geist]

Talo's equilibrium slowly xame back to him as he heard the horrible screech of metal tearing, he assumed Eriana had gotten into the bunker.

Just as he figured out which way up was the second soldier from the ridge got back down and to his side, this kid wasn't quite like the rest of the squad. He didn't see Talo as an alien, he saw him as his superior. As they all should.

"Sir, are you alright?" the man asked hurriedly as he checked Talo's wounds, even going so far as to use a flashlight to check if he was concussed. "Y-yes. I believe I am." the agent replied, accepting rhe man's hand up. "Let's get in there. Can't let Lady Fox have all the fun now can we?" he joked before hurrying into the bunker behind Eriana.

He walked alongside the soldier, his pistol drawn in his right hand. As they snuck their way around to the rear entrance. It appeared the pair sent to the back hadn't made it in yet, but the first two rebels that fled the battle outside were there with their guns trained on the door.

Talo and the soldier that was with him opened fire, Eriana and the other rebel in the bunker would likely hear the sound of many blaster bolts shredding the two would-be ambushers. Unfortunately the soldier, perhaps due to being so young, was just a tad overzealous and one of his shots went straying into the controls for the door, effectively locking it forever.

"The door has been compromised, my bad. I guess my aim's a little shaky. You two will have to go around to the front." Talo said into the comms. He heard much grumbling but soon it sounded like the last two members of the repair team were heading around. Talo knew Eriana also would have heard him, but he knew she would believe him when he explained that he was covering for the kid.

Speaking of, the soldier that was with him stared to ask him why he lied but was met with a look that said "don't worry about it." Amd that was all that would pass between the two on that matter.

With that Talo and the soldier were off towards their goal, he hoped they would meet up with Eriana on the way.

@EmilyHuene

 

[The Confessor]

As Eriana walked into the black darkness of the room, she heard laser fire and tensed up. She was on full alert for that blaster fire to be trained on her. But her instincts never kicked in and she never "saw" any bolts coming at her. Then her mind caught up with what was happening and she attuned the sound to having come from outside. Still, it was better to be prepared and not taken by surprise.

Over the comms she then heard Talo explain that the door had been compromised. How had that happened? "Kriffing idiots," she'd think to herself until Talo admitted it was his own hand that had blasted the lock. Eriana groaned softly making an almost grinding sound with her tongue against the roof of her mouth.

"You've been having too many problems with that gun of yours, Talo. Maybe I need to train you in these sabers after all?"

Her comment was a direct remark to the first time they'd met when he'd admired her blades and told her he wished he could use a weapon such as hers. The memory made her smile. Then she remembered something else. The building probably didn't have any power...and therefore didn't have any lighting. Just to be sure, she held her breath and listened for any steady pulse of electricity overhead lights usually gave off. Nothing.

This gave Eriana an idea. She continued forward, making louder steps than she should with those boots of hers. She wanted to be heard; she wanted to be seen. Her sabers were giving off a rather obvious red glow to them and lighting up her side of the room. It gave away her position perfectly. That's when she felt it. The soldier jumped to his feet from behind his hiding position and opened fire at Eriana.

Exactly as planned, she took her fingers off the triggers and the red beams died out. Darkness once again took hold of the room and the soldier was blind. Had he hit his mark? Was she dead? She must have been, her sabers were no longer active. But Eriana had used this time to clear the room from her spot to his in that brief pause of hesitation. She didn't need lights to see, and he was as clear to her as someone standing under a spotlight. Eriana moved around the computer consoles and then vaulted over the last one he was hiding behind by pushing off with one arm and swinging her legs over the top. The last thing the Galactic Alliance agent saw was her glorious leather boot coming out of the dark and bashing his face in. His body flew back so hard he hit the wall with his back, then his head, and the whiplash cracked open his skull. His lifeless body slunk to the floor and stayed there.

"Target eliminated," she would call over the comms now that the coast was clear.

From there, she moved to the back door where the others were at and ignited her beam just long enough to make two slashes into the control panel which disabled any locks. Putting her sabers back to her belt she pushed the door open then with a gentle movement of her hand where Talo and one of the three remaining technicians were waiting. She gave them a smirk and put her hands on her hips giving them a look that might have meant "did you expect any different? This is me you're talking about."

"Let's get this system online so we can move to the next one. Get a move on, trooper."

~END THREAD~
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