Open Tatooine Raiders of the Lost Vault

[Talak Rand]

Talak continued racing over the sand dunes as soon as his partner was on. He was confident in what he could do, or at least try to do. Hopefully he would prove right.

They were gaining quickly on the other racers when what looked like a group of farmers turned to fire on them. Talak yanked the bike to the side, evading one of the shots and hoping that his partner could give them deflective cover against the rest. He wasn't really interested in killing farmers, but he also wasn't interested in dying. But they were Jedi. Jedi were competent enough to take out a couple of hicks without killing them, right?

The question never needed answering, apparently, as the farmers were quickly battered out of the way by a tentacle that hadn't been there a moment earlier.

Talak cursed and turned the bike, reaching out with the Force to dig into the dirt. It was enough to once again nearly send him careening off the bike, and he hoped that his partner wouldn't fly off, but it beat being consumed by the sarlaac. Sand sprayed over both of them and Talak jammed the brake into place in an attempt to draw them up short. @Fantasy Liver

 

[Drow Venn]

"Aargh!" Drow screamed at the sight of the monstrous tentacle and the sudden stop. He was able to hang on thankfully but doing so meant he couldn't quite save the moisture farmers from being slung off. He hurled his saber at the tentacle and then reached out with the Force to call his weapon back to him, hoping to sever the tentacle. That being said, he wasn't too keen on sticking around to find out if it had worked for too long.

"Go!" he shouted to Talak

 

[Preef Callo]

You'd think they'd recognized two(!) syndicate enforcers!?

Preef was pissed. The information on the treasure of Jabba the Hutt, which appeared suddenly after a sandstorm 160 years or so after the Hutt's death, was convenient to begin with and now everyone and their mother seemed to have paid to get it. The rodian wanted to spit in disgust but he was wearing a bandana over his mouth to keep out the sand. Whoever brokered this information made a fortune...

He was barely holding on to the mast while Marissa steered that speeder from one hard turn to the other. There was no way he was going to get off a clean shot on the gunner, protected as he was by his turret and the unpredictability of Marissa's steering. Preef was getting angrier by the second and grabbed the mast just that extra bit tighter as he yelled back, "Get us to that kriffing cave!"

He'd shoot the lot down there in the confines of a dark cave and in the comfort of knowing he'd be able to outdraw every single one of those treasure-seeking mongrels.


@Nightfall

 

[Kel Dryden]

"Druk!" Kel couldn't but curse when he heard blaster shots, followed by yells, explosions, collisions, and twisting metal. The worst part? He couldn't see a shab through all the storm. The gunner apparently could; or they were winging it pretty effectively. The only thing Kel could do was dodge the shots by swerving and moving erratically. For the time being, what Celi was doing wasn't as much of a concern as staying alive.

Alas, with all the maneuvering and blaster fire, the scoundrel barely managed to grab the belt with grenades when he got close to Celi next time. Grabbing the launcher was out of the question. At least he could hear Celi's voice explaining things on the comms. Vowing not to use any grenades he wasn't familiar with, Kel followed suit and directed his bike to where the shots were coming from.

Slowing down to hopefully end up away from the main area of fire, he drove closer to the vehicle. Hopefully, the storm would keep him out of sight, and Celiana's electrical show made the gunners distracted enough. Either way, being up close to the barge, Kel would hopefully remain out of the weapon's cone of fire. If not, he'd at least be able to slow down quickly, making it so. Pressing a button on the frag grenade to arm it and start the countdown, Kel tossed it up, aiming for it to land on board the barge. Then he'd try to slow down and gain some distance, moving to the opposite side so that the gunners who might've noticed him wouldn't be able to keep firing at him.

@Phoenix, @Nightfall, @Arclight, @Ecclessey, @Charndley, @Minuteman75, @Fantasy Liver, @Urb4nGlitch

 

[Takai Wren]

Pressure buzzed inside Takai's mind, the thought of staying her current course felt dangerously uncomfortable and the Mandalorian jerked the swoop's handles to the side as if by instinct. She would have to remember to thank the Manda later as a blaster bolt buzzed past right where she would have been if she had continued flying straight, barely missing the undercarriage of her swoop bike.

Cutting her throttle just as two Nikto's on swoops of their own rose to flank her on both sides, Takai fell behind them, blaster in hand as she put a bolt into the engine of the right-side thug's swoop. Gunning the throttle again and yanking up with a twist to the left, she held on tight with her thighs as the swoop inverted and looped up over the Nikto on the left. Nearly face to face with the shocked looking thug as she barreled over him, she triggered a trio of rushed shots aimed roughly at his control board/thigh area. Feeling the powerful pull of gravity, Takai didn't dare risk staying upside down hanging on to the swoop through sheer grit and strength. With a quick correction she quickly righted the swoop as she continued to race over the sandstorm below, trying to get a visual on the first person who shot at her.

 

[Celiana Drayven]

With the storm raging I still held my glass flechettes coated in explosive residue aloft. Kel made use of grenades and weaved to the other side as I held a hand out with two fingers directing the flow of energy. Blasting shards against the barge and coating the plating with the residue. Gunning the throttle I darted in towards the barge and opened myself fully to The Force. Feeling the particles of sand, endless beneath us, the sheer heat of the binary suns, the creatures in the desert.

Pulling the energy from the heat I added my own fury into The Force, accelerating the molecules in the air. Friction, then fire emanating from my hand. A massive gout of fire blazing along the durasteel plating of the barge. All it'd take was the flame to catch some of the residue and then there'd at the very least a decent explosion blowing away some of the armor plating. It'd be difficult to fully disable the barge but at the very least it'd start being weakened.

Since Kel hadn't been able to grab the launcher from me I racked a high explosive grenade into the chamber. Leaning to the left when engaging the controls I put some distance between myself and the barge, then fired. With luck the magnetic lock on the grenade round would hit the deck or one of the gun emplacements. Dropping back on the throttle I moved behind the barge and over back towards Kel. Time to keep moving towards the grand prize...

@Phoenix, @Nightfall, @Arclight, @Ecclessey, @Charndley, @Minuteman75, @Fantasy Liver

 

[The Storyteller]

The last Nikto scowled as his brothers fell. He hit the brakes, to get up behind the human. Once in position the gangster increased thrusters, straight for Takai’s back. Drawing the pistol he fired three more times toward her. He intended to make her pay for what happened to his comrades.

Elsewhere the sarlacc shrieked in pain as Drow’s lightsaber cut off one of its tentacles. For the moment it was writhing in torment. The creature wasn’t used to this opposition. The Jedi pair would be wise to move quickly…

As for Marissa and Preef, their rivals kept shooting at them with the turret. However, another speeder drove the latter and slammed it to the side. The riders on the turret speeder shocked and turned and saw it was eight Jaws! One of them fired his ion blaster on the controls. The driver cried out before his speeder went out of control and overturned, several times, breaking apart.

As for the barge, the combined efforts Kel and Celina paid off. The deck and several of the gun emplacements were wiped out in explosions. A number of the crew were killed and others wounded on the deck. The storm finally ended at the front of the column of racers. Once it did, a surviving Klatooinian saw the duo behind the barge.

He swore at them in Huttese and brought up held his own grenade launcher. Then the thug aimed it at them and fired.

@Nightfall @Ecclessey @Celiana Drayven @Catbert @Phoenix @Fantasy Liver @Arclight

 

[Takai Wren]

Adrenaline pumped through Takai as she came out of the swoop-de-loop. She knew she wasn't safe. She could feel the pressure bearing down on her back in the back of her mind, an itch between the shoulder blades like they were just waiting to take a blaster bolt. Her blaster hand rushed down to toggle the swoops repulsor off.

Takai felt the bottom drop out of her stomach as the flying death machine she rode suddenly plummeted downwards, a trio of blaster bolts flying over her shoulder as she hung on, followed by a swoop roaring past her overhead. Toggling the repulsor back on it whined in protest for a moment before it kicked back in with a lurch, nearly bucking Takai off the bike.

Firing the booster to come in hot behind the last Nikto, Takai wasted no time firing a trio of blaster bolts at his back. Damned if she wasn't gonna give him a taste of what he had tried to serve her.

 

[Drow Venn]

"Time to go I think!" Drow called out to his fellow Jedi but not before making one last slash at the sarlacc. He'd never actually seen one or even a holoimage of one but, given what he'd heard from the locals, he had no doubt in his mind that this was the fabled creature that liked to snatch people up from the sand and devour them for a millenia. Hopefully, getting rid of a few tentacles would save some lives in the long run. He hoped Talak would leave soon though.

 

[Kel Dryden]

Amidst the sandstorm and in all the excitement, Kel had missed all of Celiana's preparations. So when he gained distance, and it was time for his frag grenade to go off, the explosion was much larger that the scoundrel had expected. "The kriff?!" he shouted, oblivious that the comlink still worked, and Celiana could probably hear him. But that was the least of his problems, as the bent and scorched debris from the barge flew his way, forcing the scoundrel to take a sharp turn to the left, further away from the barge... and from the trajectory of the grenade sent by the Klatooinian.

Still, the alien posed a threat. As Kel gunned it to overtake the barge, he grabbed the E-11 from his saddlebag holster. Shooting the rifle with one hand precisely was impossible. But all Kel needed was to force the alien into cover. That way, he could get ahead of the damaged barge and leave it behind. Hopefully before the inhabitants could launch more grenades at him.

@Urb4nGlitch

 

[Celiana Drayven]

As the gun emplacements blew I extended my senses and hardened my will into a shield of Force Energy. As soon as I'd done so, shrapnel of a flaming, molten variety came my way. I could sense Kel's presence on the opposing side of the barge, even if I couldn't I could hear him on comms. Engaging the reverse thrust for a few seconds it seemed the barge shot forward. Then engaging the throttle back into gear I shot back towards the barge and Kel.

As I moved back towards him clearing shrapnel in the dunes I saw blaster bolts from Kel's speeder. Smirking I came alongside him and sensed his intent to force the alien to take cover. Speaking into the comm I said "Kel go ahead, I can cover you." Hopefully he'd take the advice because I'd dropped my Force Shield and was channeling the emotion and energy of everything into the center of my left palm. This was only to buy us time to get clear but if Kel happened to look back he'd get some idea of my abilities. A gout of golden flame burst from my left hand as I did a palm-heel strike into the air.

The gout of flame would likely wash over the railing on the upper decks forcing the aline to take cover temporarily. Gunning the throttle I ceased my massive gout of flame and continued on to meet back up with Kel.

@Kel Dryden

 

[The Storyteller]

The Klatooinian continued to swear but this time in fright as the two partners shot back at him. Especially with actual fire. He ducked down, hitting the metal deck face first, knocking himself out in the process. As if it was an answer to a prayer, an mysterious explosion ignited on the left cliff side. A rain of rocks followed, descending upon the barge before a massive one crashed into the front side.

Instantly the barge stopped and erupted in flames and exploding shrapnel. Meanwhile the sarlac hissed and shrieked in torment at the loss of further limbs, giving the two Jedi to finally escape. As for the Nikto rider that tried to kill Takai he could utter a surprised cry as laser bolts cut through his back. He fell off the bike which followed soon after.

The Jawas ignored Preef and Marissa before speeding away. This finally gave the partners breathing space. Minutes later the surviving racers would spot the massive cave entrance on the right side of a small mountain. Little did any of them realize that they were being watched by hidden cam droids within the high rocks, recording them from various angles.

Stars, away from a shadowy figure sat in a comfortable chair, watching the event all unfold. A sadistic smile surfaced on his face. “Well that was quite entraining. Time to make the announcement.”

Once the dozens of survivors stopped before the entrance, a floating cam droid without a loudspeaker attached to it would be waiting for them. Then without further delay, a message loud enough for all to hear.

“Greetings one and all, I am the gamesmaster. I was the one who broadcast Jabba's vault here on Tatooine so you’re welcome.”

After a brief pause to let that revelation sink in he continued.

“What you all seek is inside. Don’t worry I hadn’t taken any treasures from here but the late Jabba left behind some traps for intruders like yourselves. So be prepared if you dare to continue.”

Subsequently the laughter of a madman rang out from the loudspeaker before the droid exploded.

@Catbert @Urb4nGlitch @Arclight @Fantasy Liver @Phoenix @Nightfall @Eccles

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak gunned it away and back toward the pack, hoping to avoid any more lethal encounters along the way. He had such mixed feelings about this entire thing. On the one hand, he was supposed to protect and value everyone. On the other hand... they were all trying to kill each other. They weren't exactly the pinnacle of society. Talak's instincts told him to let them kill each other, but he didn't think that was the "right" thing to do.

In short order, however, they made it to the cave, and Talak hoped that the Force might make his role here a bit more clear. He wasn't holding his breath.

His hand pulled the lightsaber free from his belt once again and held the hilt in his hand, expecting to be shot at again at any moment. That was when he heard the voice. Someone had put this all on like a show? Entertainment? Maniacal laughter?

Talak's eyes fluttered around in a look that was part eye roll and part "somebody's a psycho" eyes. Okay, so maybe that was his role here. Finding the nut and bringing him in? Killing him? This world without laws didn't have much in the way of authorities to turn him over to. Cross that bridge when you come to it, he decided.

 

[Kel Dryden]

Kel didn't look back as he gunned ahead. The thundering noise from behind, and the lack of shooting meant that Celi more than kept her promise. With other treasure seekers thinned out during the death race, there wasn't as much risk of taking a blaster bolt to the face. Most people had been staying away from the barge either way; compared to the previous part, reaching the cave was a breeze. Apparently, the more trigger-happy audience had eliminated themselves.

After reaching the cave entrance, Kel parked his speeder bike in the distance and tried to keep a low profile while waiting on Celiana. He could take on a thug or two, but his gut warned him against messing with some of the guys who made it that far. Not that there was any point in it... yet.

The droid's announcement caught the human completely off-guard. Gamemaster, huh? Well, kriff. He should've known it was a friggin' scam. Nobody in their right mind would share the coordinates of a treasure trove. Then again, the guy on the comms didn't strike Kel as a particularly sane individual. Either way, the odds of getting a treasure in the end were getting lower and lower. Perhaps the guy got the kicks out of people trying to kill each other. Or intended to sell the resulting vids on the Holonet. Either way, it seemed wise not to go into the cave first. In the worst case, there was always some gear of dead treasure hunters to collect.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" he tilted his helmeted head towards Celiana. It was a trick question in a way. He was curious if the Jedi—or ex-Jedi in our case—could even read thoughts. Perhaps, if he kept asking inconspicuously at various occasions, he'd figure out the answer.

@Urb4nGlitch

 

[Celiana Drayven]

As I pulled up and by Kel and heard the cam-droid's announcement I watched everyone else. There was another hunter who'd pulled a saber from his belt and simply holding it there. Lovely....another Jedi. Well, this was why I kept wagons other than my sabers. As Kel asked if I was thinking what he was I looked his way and activated my helmet comm, "we've got another maybe Jedi here as for thinking what you are....well my bet would be to trail a few hunters in. That way we don't stand out and people aren't expecting an ambush from us since we went in. I think whoever set this all up is expecting us to either succeed or fail; though if we succeed I'd have the ability to put people down outside waiting for us to emerge."

Weighing options I said in the helmet comms "We go in after the first pair, and stick to the shadows puts us in an ideal position to ambush others as well as letting them set off traps first. Be prepared to have to shoot our way out though." Walking over to where the droid shrapnel had exploded I looked it over. Basic camera and recording droid with a holoprojector....though the recording gear slagged as it was I could tell was aftermarket. As in wetwork and spy craft, camera had been upgraded too even though it was slagged. the droid had been packed with explosives to slag the gear and possibly injure as well as taunt. Whoever had engineered all this had black market connections.

Things were about to get interesting that was for sure.....

@Kel Dryden