Rise of the Wookiees

[Greybok]

Chasing the Reflex-class starfighter, Greybok was able to clearly see the explosion that ended the Crux-class starfighter far ahead of them. Ner'Giza had scored a hit. Without its wingmate, the Reflex was outnumbered and outgunned. Greybok slammed on his accelerator and pushed the Starbird to maximum speed. This enemy was either going to use their speed to flee or Greybok was going to smash that ship like Ner had the other.

He hailed the ship. Twobee translated his Shyriiwook so that the other pilot could understand him. "Unidentified Imperial fighter, this is the Starbird. You are herein given one chance to turn tail and head to Nar Shaddaa. If you foolishly choose to stay and fight, we will show no mercy." Greybok then switched channels to Ner'Giza's starship and began to howl wildly. Twobee, once again, translated, "Good shot, Star Seven! Set your approach vector for the station. We'll join you there once we've ensured this Imperial pilot has either left us be or is star dust."

OOC - With this post, PvP has officially ended. Per the OOC thread, Night will retreat and the mission will continue on as intended before PvP began. @Nightfall @Danee @Zay @Kayenta Moenkopi

 

[Merrick Helmsdottir]

Oh, oh he was out. As his Crux class sped across Nar Shaddaa space back toward his companion, he saw the bright flash as the freighters rear cannons lit up the ship, sending it exploding into a dozen pieces across the sky.

Merrick could only sigh. And curse. There was a lot of cursing after watching that. Ashlaa would have ejected, surely, most pilots were fast on that button when push came to shove. But with only his fighter left in the air, and the Starbird on his tail, somehow... somehow he didn't like his odds. And when it all came down to it, Merrick valued his life a little more than any meritorious service he might have given to the Empire.

Which meant, when his fighters computers picked up the ships transmission, a rumble of skyriiwook in the background as a digitised voice met him, he had an answer more than ready,

"Copy Starbird, plotting a course for the planets surface" Merrick let out a little sigh as he did so. This was the first action he'd seen in weeks, he was almost dissapointed it ended so soon,

"But it won't be the last time I see ya, I promise ya that" he transmitted finally, letting his finger off the trigger as he turned his fighters nose down to the surface. Command down there would want to know about what was going on anyhow, maybe he could spin it so he sounded a little more heroic.

Fingers crossed anyhow.

/ExitThread

 

[Ner Giza]

Slippken whooped out his triumphant song being quite audible to her without aid of the comm link but a split second before she saw the blip on her consol wink out of existence. Well that man would certainly have something to brag about once he reunited with the rest of the Quilting Bee. No doubt he would be insufferable for a whole week if not longer. Admittedly he had more than earned it.

Angling her craft back toward her commander, she heard the familiar voice of Twobee coming over the comm, Greybok’s voice in the background made her grin. ”Aye aye Star Leader. Last one there’s buying the booze!” Changing course she headed toward the landing platform gearing herself up for the reason they were here. She caught sight of the other Imperial heading toward the planet and though she had not been privy to the exchange between Greybok at the Imperial she surmised he was opting for a rescue of his comrade over risking his own life further.

It was a surprising move, in her mind, and didn’t fit the prejudice she had of Imperials as being heartless sons of villainy. Rather than dwell on the matter further she spoke over her intercom to Slippken. ”We have been ordered to the platform, Slips. Get geared up for combat. Once we hit the docks I will clear out the hanger with the groundsweeper and then we will go in hard and fast to free the Wookies!”

Filled with hope of actually freeing the slaves, she prepared for a landing by deploying the groundsweeper from its concealing compartment in the belly of the Tempest Hunter.

@Zay
@Malon

 

[Aldo Raine]

The Reflex class starship was booking it back toward its ally and the Corellian's harden gaze was glued the starship. The pilot had proven they knew what they were doing but Aldo wouldn't let them out of his sights again. He felt the power of the Starbird surge forward as the ship closed the distance between them and their quarry. Just as they brought the ship within firing range the reflex's classes partner's ship lit up as Star Seven landed a final hit. Aldo hands itched to bring the imperial before him down, but he restrained.

Shortly after seeing their comrade go out of commission the imperial responded to Grreaybok's hail.

"Copy Starbird, plotting a course for the planet's surface," and that was it the fight was over.

Aldo could respect a soldier who knew when he was outgunned. With a relieved sigh he relaxed into his harness. He allowed his hands to fall away from the deadly instrumentation before him, and a small smile broke through the gruff rebel's craggy exterior. They'd won. He could hear Greybok just down the hall bugle with victory and his grin spread into a full smile. It was a small victory in the grand scheme of things, but for the lone wolf, it was more. He'd finally found his place in the galaxy, and though it was pitted against an adversary that spanned an entire Galaxy he felt at home.

Aldo unclasped his harness allowing himself some additional wiggle room as the ship adjusted its trajectory toward their original target he'd remain in the gunner seat for the duration of the flight. No need to get cocky just because of a single victory. He felt the ship begin it's final descent and made the decision to prep for the next portion of the mission. Now that they were in, it was time to get the Wookies out.

The Corellian slung his gunbelt around his waist, welcoming the familiar weight of his R5-blaster pistol and his Modle B stun baton. He slung his R5R rifle over his shoulder and slid his helm on. Darkness blinded him until the visor blinked on. The Scout HUD began it's regular diagnostics as helmets internal compass found north. With his gear equipped and primed the rebel was ready.

Aldo, met with Greybok and reported in.

"Ready to go when you are, sir."

@Malon
@Kayenta Moenkopi

 

[Greybok]

Greybok was pleased with that answer. He swung his ship around and veered towards the station. In no time at all, the factories inside would be dismantled and the Wookiees who operated them free. He chose a hangar, engaged the Starbird's landing gear, and brought the ship to a resting position.

"They'll have been alerted to our presence, Greybok," Twobee warned him as he unstrapped himself from the pilot's chair. "There's no way the factory missed all of the dogfighting!" BE-ET hustled into the room and whistled something at Greybok. The Wookiee replied with a howl of his own, and Twobee immediately protested. "Don't encourage him, BE-ET! If he goes out there, he's certain to be killed! They'll have troops waiting for us!"

Greybok snatched up his bowcaster and strapped it, along with his ryyk blade, onto his bandolier. He then howled something loudly. "You're counting on it?! Why, if that isn't the stupidest thing I've ever—" Just then, Aldo appeared, greeted the Wookiee, and saluted. "Am I the only one with any sense on this ship?"

Greybok ignored the droid and motioned to Aldo, taking his bowcaster into his hands, and then marched towards the landing ramp. Twobee was partially right. There were two soldiers waiting on them when they came down the ramp and Greybok blew holes in both of their chests, all the while howling angrily. BE-ET followed him down the ramp. Grey presumed they would need him to open the doors and hack communications.

Once the landing area was secure, he awaited Ner'Giza and her entourage. Only once they were all together would they press ahead into the factory and rescue the Wookiees. @Zay @Kayenta Moenkopi

 

[Ner Giza]

Now The Tempest Hunter landed in a different hanger than Greybok and Aldo, and just as she said she let loose with a barrage of blaster fire from the groundsweeper clearing the hanger of personnel. 99 was already for action but she shook her head at him, her tone of voice making it know that this time she would not brook any argument. ”You’re coming with us 99. I need you to override the security codes and get us inside”

Lowering the gangplank she unfastened her safety harness, grabbed up her blasters and secured them to her waist opting to carry her rifle. Converging with her gunner at the gangplank the two of them ran out into the hanger through the dead and dying. Those that were alive a quick shot to the head put out of commission soon enough. 99 sped toward the entrance to the spaceport proper working his magic on the controls while she messaged Greybok. ”Star seven has landed. Will gain entry soon. What is your location?” 99 bleeped at her and she laughed, ”Well don’t just sit their gossiping. Unlock their hanger too.” The comm was still open however and she spoke once more, ”99 says you are in the hanger next to ours. He should have the security overrides working soon…” the door slide open. ”Make that now!”

Blaster fire from the interior sped toward the hanger and she ducked back out of range taking pot shots from cover. Slippken however wasn’t having any of it and charged through slaying the three guards that were keeping her pinned down. ”Come on Cappy. Those Wookies won’t rescue themselves you know.”

@Malon @Zay

 

[Aldo Raine]

Aldo inclined an appraising eyebrow at Twobee as he considered the droids question. With a quick glance at Greybok it was clear that the droid was, in fact, the only one with any sense.

"Sorry, Twobee, duty calls." He replied following the massive heap of hair and rage before him. As they exited the ship Greybok took out two soldiers waiting outside. Aldo covered his comrades back taking out a third with a quick burst from his R5R.

The path before them was littered with danger, but failure wasn't an option. Aldo's practiced precision from years of CorSec weapon's drills awakened in his muscle memory. He moved with a dangerous fluidity that belied the human's age. His weapon's sight drifted from one enemy to the next as his stoic gaze elected it's next victim. The pair were a force of nature as they moved through the hanger. Their current objective was to rendezvous with Star Seven and based on the rumbling beneath his feet, she was doing just fine.

As they neared the adjacent hanger's door, they met fierce resistance from a squad of troopers. It was clear to Aldo, that this unfortunate group believed themselves to be the final defense of the hanger, and as such were pulling out all the stops. Blaster fire flew from their weapons with desperate ferocity, and the Corellian moved for cover.

He slid behind a speeder and then in a low crouch repositioned to the hood of the speeder. The blaster fire was interrupted and he could hear shouts of surprise and irritation followed by screams of pain. The Corellian took the cacophony as his signal to act. He shifted just enough to line up his shot and took down the final soldier.

Aldo took a breath and then regrouped with the entire team. Finally, they were together and ready to proceed to the next objective. The Corellian slowed to a walk and changed the power pack on his rifle.

To Slipkin he said, "Nice work," shifting his attention to the droid and twi'lek woman he said, "You must be Star Seven. Nice to put a face with the voice. I'm Aldo."

After a very brief meet and greet the team moved on, pleasantries could wait for the victory party.

@Malon
@Kayenta Moenkopi

 

[Greybok]

Greybok charged ahead into the factory. It was triggering to be back in this place. To see the large production lines, the machinery welding starfighter parts together. And once he saw the Wookiees at their stations, that reaction magnified in the worst way possible. The Wookiee slaves still had slave collars around their necks. As long as those collars were activated, there was no way the slaves were going to be able to revolt. Fortunately, Greybok both knew how to turn them off and still had the advantage of surprise.

One of the Imperial officers, mistaking him for a slave, approached him almost immediately. "You. Slave. I don't recognize you. Do you work in this sector?" the officer asked pretentiously. "What is your Imperial identification number, and where did you put your collar?" The officer reached for a comlink. "There will be lashings waiting for you after this, I can assure you."

No. There would be no more lashings. Not for Greybok and certainly not for any of the slaves on this station. Acting swiftly, Greybok seized the man around his torso. The officer shrieked, but he could do little against the Wookiee's might. He hoisted the Imperial officer up over his head and hurled the man over the railing into the vast construction ditch adjacent to where they were standing. He screamed all the way down.

Pandemonium ensued. Having seen their officer's unfortunate demise, other Imperials began to scramble, and, somewhere in all of that, an alarm got sounded. Greybok fired his bowcaster into the nearest Imperial and issued a Wookiee battlecry that echoed even above the noise of the panic. In Shyriiwook, he barked to his teammates as they finally caught up with him. «Take the turbolift on my right to the command deck! You have to shut off the slave collars or all of this is for naught!»

The Wookiee warrior then tore his ryyk blade from its sheathe, eliciting a loud cry from the Wookiee slaves watching but unable to assist, and charged at the Imperials. He would provide the distraction whilst his partners did what needed to be done. Once the Wookiees were free, this station would almost certainly be theirs. @Kayenta Moenkopi @Zay

 

[Ner Giza]

Nera didn’t need to be invited twice, but she did stick her tongue out at Slippken even as she rushed from hiding out into the corridor. Her gunner nodded his head to Aldo with a big grin stretching from ear to ear. Even as the reunited task force followed the lead of Greybok, she fell in line speaking to Aldo in return. ”Nice to see yours as well, This is Slippken, 99, and I am Ner’Giza”, though in truth she couldn’t see much of it with all that hair on his face. Why male humans thought it necessary to hide behind facial fur was beyond her. She had a slight aversion to hair, especially when it came to sharing a shower facility. Naturally this was something she kept to herself, especially on a day like today!

Greybok’s familiarity with the facility was beyond value and she doubted their success on this rescue mission would even be possible without him leading the way. Breaking out into the work stations she immediately saw the horrors his people were suffering. Soon as the Imperial officer dared to approach Greybok she knew it was going to end badly for the man. Raising her blaster she fired at the Imperials scrambling about, her gunner doing the same while 99 brought up the rear. Despite their combined efforts someone managed to set off an alarm anyway. Not that this mattered; by now anyone who didn’t realize the station was under attack was probably in a coma.

99 rushed toward the turbo lift, Nera still firing and picked off another imperial said, ”Slips cover the Commander’s back. We got this!” Her gunner was an old hand at these sort of things, and though he didn’t wish to abandon his Cappy he wouldn’t stoop to arguing in the heat of battle. It was a harsh reality and he was pragmatic enough to understand without being told that while they could lose Nera, the Alliance would be lost without Greybok. Faced with the horror of all his people were enduring, no doubt combating memories of his own time spent in this hell hole, the Wookie was liable to be lost in battle rage and become vulnerable to sneak attacks.

As soon as she was inside the lift 99 activated it sending them shooting straight up for the command deck. Naturally if Aldo made a leap for the lift before the doors shut there would be nothing she could do about it!

@Zay @Malon

 

[Aldo Raine]

Aldo followed Greybok, but the Wookie's breakneck pace would have left him winded so he remained with Ner, Slippken and 99. They were able to keep the Wookie in sight as he moved through the facility with apparent intimate knowledge of its floor plan. They were far enough behind greybok to be missed by the imperial and as Greybok threw the wretched slaver over the railing Aldo surged forward doubling his pace.

The Commander told them to head to the command deck and Aldo followed 99 as soon as droid started heading toward the turbolift. He returned his battle rifle to his shoulder and pulled out his blaster and Stun baton. It was time to see how imperials like being shocked.

"We'll get it done!" He called back and he and Ner entered the Turbolift.

Aldo had no doubt they'd face immediate resistance as soon as the doors opened, so he stood to the side against the wall behind the small section before the main doors of the elevator. As it opened the battle began. Imperial forces were waiting on the other side. He opened fire dropping two who had a clear shot on him. With his flank momentarily clear he came around the corner and squeezed off four more shots wounding two and killing one. He slipped back around cover and reloaded.

He looked over to Ner and said, "Ready?"

Aldo counted to three and flew around the corner. He opened fire on two downing them. To his right, a trooper opened fire and the rebel dropped into a practiced roll coming up and delivering a single shot into the trooper's chest. He pressed the line using the enemies cover to his advantage to get in close. He vaulted over their barrier and began raining blows down on any close enough to suffer the consequence of their actions. The area around the turbolift was chaos as the rebels moved toward their final objective.

The Corellian had punched a pretty solid hole into the imp's initial defenses, and their formation had collapsed into chaos leaving them vulnerable to Ner. If everything kept up this well, they'd be out of here in no time.

@Malon
@Kayenta Moenkopi

 

[Greybok]

Down below, the battle alongside the starfighter assembly line was just getting started. Wookiee slaves were howling, unable to join their brother due to their slave collars, but cheering him forward all the same. Imperial troops fell before Greybok by the dozens. Some foolishly rushed the big Wookiee, and those particular fools found themselves tossed over the railings of the assembly trench to their deaths. Others approached with stun batons, meant to subdue the slaves; they found themselves cleaved apart by Greybok's ryyk blade.

That was when the shooting started. Greybok ducked behind an equipment crate, where blaster bolts frequently pinged off, and returned fire with his bowcaster. Those Imperials struck by its ammunition were the most unlucky, having their chests opened up even as they flew backwards from the force of its impact. Alarms were blaring everywhere, and Greybok knew the Imperials were calling for reinforcements. The situation was about to get bad down here, unless Aldo and Ner managed to deactivate those slave collars.

Greybok ducked behind his cover-crate as another volley of laser fire streaked towards him. He then dug out his comlink and opened a channel to his teammates. «After you get those slave collars switched off, blow that command center to hell before coming back to find me!» he roared into his comlink. «We'll make sure they never produce another starfighter out of this factory!» He switched the device off and stuffed it back into his bandolier.

Then, standing back to his full-height, he began to return fire again. The Wookiee slaves watching him were becoming more distressed in their roars and cries. Tension was palpable. They wanted to help. And, as soon as those collars were off, they would... @Zay @Kayenta Moenkopi

 

[Ner Giza]

The Twi’lek bared her teeth in a grin to Aldo even as the doors to the turbo lift slid shut. Willing the lift to speed she took time to still her breath and gather her focus for when they reached the top. Pressing herself to the opposite side of the car, Nera raised her arms with blasters clutched in each hand. The instant the doors slid open she fired into the opposite angle of the chamber beyond while Aldo took care of those in his line of sight. Two men fell dead to the floor. She held her shots when he slipped out into the room and exited the turbo lift hot on his heels.

99 too would exit and began heading down the hall for the command center. With Aldo on point he tucked round the corner and she could hear his blaster discharging even as she advanced upon the end of the corridor. She nearly laughed when he peeked back around to ask if she was ready and only had time to reply ”Oh yes”, before he disappeared into the melee once more. Not to be left behind, she turned the corner running after to keep up.

The man was a machine taking out soldiers before she even had a chance to engage, but it was fine with her; 99 trundled on undeterred by blaster fire flying over his dome grumbling about not being a battle droid in classic fashion. She saw Aldo take a roll and even as he took out the man shooting his direction she took a running jump and vaulted over his head up into the air and over the barricade. Coming out of the spin in mid air she fired her blasters taking out a man on the left of her and another to her right even as Aldo came over the barrier. Setting her back toward him, she fired two more shots dropping each of her targets in turn.

As the droid made it through the barricade, the humans making short work of those who remained he spied his target and moved toward the doorway of the command center. Extending a sprocket to the security port he began trying to get the doors unlocked for his team mates.

Meanwhile...

Slippken did what he could to help hold off the Imperials down below, but the numbers were steadily growing more and more. Commander Greybok slipped from view having more than his hands full and all the while the cries of the Wookies grew louder and louder. There was nothing for it, the blaster fire separated the two so he took off down a separate assemblage line and was greeted to the sight of three guards shooting their charges at their stations. The man didn’t even think twice before taking a knee and leveling his rifle to blast their heads like melons one right after the other. He cued his com, ”Hurry the frak up Cappy! They’ve started killing the Wookies!” For now there were no more shooting into the worker on the line but how long before more of these sick Imperials took it upon themselves to do the same?

Ner’Giza yelled to her droid, ”Hurry up 99 or I’ll just blast the…” doors to the command center slid open pretty as you please, her droid swiveling round spun his sprocket like he was a gunslinger before concealing it inside his chassis once more.

@Zay @Malon

 

[Aldo Raine]

The Twi'lek, not to be outdone by the Corellian threw herself into the fray with a prowess that made the former CorSec officer take note. A wry smile spread across his face as the Imperials around them lost all hope. The pair made one last push to the final door standing before them and releasing the slaves below. 99 immediately locked into the door and started slicing the encryption. Aldo kept his eyes peeled watching their surroundings while Ner and 99 handled the door. After a few seconds, the droid was in. The door slid open revealing their final obstacle, a squad of H4 battle droids.

Without a moment's hesitation, Aldo rushed forward, "99 get those collars off!" The droid warbled in the affirmative and burned tracks toward the main console.

Ner had already set into action moving to the opposite side of Aldo successfully splitting the party. The Corellian lifted his blaster and let off two shots being sure to get the attention of the remaining. The droids were modified and carried some impressive weaponry. Aldo went into motion as he narrowly avoided a spray of blaster fire. He slid across the and came up behind a row of consoles. He transitioned to a knelt position and prepared to return fire. He came out from the other side blaster raised and unloaded four shots into the first droid dropping it and emptying his clip.

Aldo rushed forward holstering his blaster and applying a double-handed grip to his lethally charged stun baton. The Corellian closed the gap between then and swung with all his might. The baton connected with the droid's head immediately disrupting it's photoreceptors. The weapons electric discharge stunned the machine long enough for Aldo to yank its weapon out of its hands and squeezed off two quick shots into the droids chassis. It dropped to a knee as its servos began to fail. Aldo drew back and brought his baton into the droid's lowered form again. The battle droid fell to the ground in a smoking heap.

Aldo sucked in a breath. He was covered in sweat and his limbs felt numb. 99 bugled a victorious chortle and Aldo smiled. They'd done it. He looked toward Nar who was already moving toward her droid chastising it for taking so long. The collars were off!

The Corellian and Ner Giza rigged the control room with thermal detonators and hauled ass. 99 followed behind letting loose a squeal as they passed through the door. As soon as the durasteel doors closed the explosives went off. The whole room was ruined and the explosion was strong enough to shake the factory. The collars were off and it'd be a long time before the empire could use this facility again.

The three rebels made their way back to Greybok in case he still needed help.

@Malon
@Kayenta Moenkopi

 

[Greybok]

He did not.

The moment the slave collars went offline, the Wookiees revolted in force. A loud noise went up—one Greybok thought for sure could be heard throughout the station—as the Wookiees roared together in unison. The Imperials didn't stand a chance. Factory equipment was torn up from their places on the ground, rooted out of the sockets, and trashed. Imperial officers, technicians, and factory workers were torn limb-from-limb, hurled off of balconies, fed into the machinery, trampled to death, or otherwise bludgeoned by the revolting slaves. And when the Wookiees were done with them, they began to flee towards the hangars.

Greybok led the charge. He would take twenty-some-odd Wookiees with him on the Starbird. The rest of the Wookiees would flee out of the station on ships they helped to build. He imagined this blow to be a crippling one for the Empire. A factory offline, starships stollen, and Wookiee slaves free by the thousands. Pleased by this outcome, Greybok charged back towards the hangar. He was only brought to a stop when one cry among thousands caught his ear—it was a familiar voice, one he had not heard in years. Greybok turned and found an emaciated, but familiar-looking Wookiee staring at him within the crowd of fleeing freed-slaves.

«Greybok?»

«...Kirro?» Greybok thought it impossible, but there he was—after all these years separated by the Empire, his mate was still there. Still alive. Greybok shoved his way against the flow of the crowd until he reached Kirro. The smaller Wookiee male was hair and bones, likely due to a lack of nourishment, but Greybok threw his strong arms around him anyways. «Why are you here? I thought you escaped!»

«It's a long story,» Kirro replied. His voice was softer and higher-pitched than Greybok's, but it was a voice Greybok had missed dearly over these last few years. He wondered if Kirro had missed his voice too. «I'll tell you the story some other time. We need to get out of here before the Empire sends reinforcements.»

Theme​

Greybok nodded. He knew his mate to be right. He leaned into Kirro's forehead a moment longer. «I'm glad to see you. I've missed you dearly.»

Kirro leaned in too. Wookiees could not smile like humans did. Or, rather, they did not. They did not kiss, either. Touching foreheads was how they showed affection to their loved ones. It was a sweet moment that was cut altogether too short, in Greybok's mind. «I missed you too,» Kirro replied.

Greybok tossed his mate his ryyk blade in case they ran into trouble and then began to run towards the hangar. Fortunately, there was no trouble. Any Imperial officer that was still alive was hiding for fear of having every bone in his body broken by an enraged Wookiee; and Greybok doubted anyone wanted to get in his way now that he had found his Kirro again. Back in the Starbird, he threw himself behind the controls, while he allowed Kirro to sit in the co-pilot's seat. And when Ner and Aldo were on, Twobee came running into the cockpit.

"Thank the Maker you've returned!" Twobee exclaimed frantically. "Where have you been, Greybok?!"

«Doesn't matter. We're leaving.» He punched the ignition, fired the engines, and the Starbird streaked out of the hangar along with hundreds of fleeing Wookiee slaves. And this was only the start. What happened to the factor was nothing compared to what the Alliance would soon bring to Nar Shaddaa; but, for now, the day was won, and Greybok was content with that. He and Kirro both put their paws on the hyperdrive lever and, together again, pulled.

And the blackness of space turned to starlights...

End​