Tangible Possibilities

[Aluminum Falcon]

Credit http://grivetart.deviantart.com/​

The rocky mountainous world of Tangrene was the last place Captain Tseebo thought the Border Alliance would show an interest in. The planet was almost completely void of vegetation, so much so that the indigenous species had learned to survive and prosper through other means. He supposed there was the possibility that the world held some valuable minerals or ores, but there was no way to tell for now. For the moment he was simply tasked with leading an expedition to the planet to investigate its current status with the goal of constructing an outpost. Their landing shuttle carried the supplies the squad would need to setup a small camp and begin preparing an area for construction and settlement. Other than those supplies, Dax simply had his usual equipment with him. He wore his camouflaged combat fatigues and had his rifle and sidearm. His pack sat next to him on the floor of the shuttle as they drifted into the planet’s atmosphere.

Walking over to the viewport, Tseebo took a look at the planet below.

“Just as expected… mountains and more mountains…”, he said quietly to himself.

He was not alone. He was accompanied by a squad of soldiers that made up their expeditionary squad.

“Well, let’s land and take a look around then. Grab your gear, we’re heading in.”, he announced to the shuttle.

He grabbed his pack and slug it over his back, prepping his rifle before standing in front of the loading ramp, one hand on his rifle grip and the other holding overhead to a piece of cargo netting. The shuttle landed in a small valley, nestled in a small cove on its eastern face. The ramp lowered and Dax jogged out, examining his surroundings.

((@Caligula))

 

[Caligula]

Lisa sat among the rest of the soldiers in her squad, her gaze fixed on her sniper rifle as she checked it over once, then again, and again just to be sure. She was dressed in her black body armor that she always wore whenever on a mission, and this mission would need her to be at the top of her game. Exploring a world she had never visited was one thing, but exploring a world she had never heard of? That was a different subject all together. She had volunteered for this mission for two reasons; one, to explore a new world, and two, to get her name out there for the higher ups to notice.

This was her first mission with Captain Tseebo, but she had a feeling everything would be fine. She hadn't heard any rumors about him being strict or a bad leader, which helped her nerves a lot. She was always nervous about being stuck with an incompetent boss. She managed a small smile as she rechecked her sniper, looking down the barrel with her left eye, her right eye being covered by her Bantha leather eyepatch. Her black cap kept her hair of of her eyes. She had a sidearm on her hip while a vibroknife was sheathed in her boot.

The shuttle landed in a small valley, and when the shuttle doors opened she followed the captain out with a jog, her rifle held low as she swiveled her head around to look at the land. She noticed the sheer size of the the planet first. The mountainous terrain made everything seem huge and vast, giving Lisa a feeling she wasn't familiar with. She was in awe at the land around her, and as it didn't appear they were in any immediate danger, she took in the view with a smile.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

The air seemed dry. Small wisps of dust could be seen rising from the ground as wind carried through the rocky valley where the squad exited the shuttle. The planet was unlike Tseebo had ever seen, completely barren looking as if nothing had ever existed here.

“Our scanners had picked up an energy source a few clicks to the north, up the valley”, said Tseebo, looking at Lisa. “We’ll head out that way and see what we can find.”

Captain Tseebo had only recently received his promotion and was adjusting to the new responsibilities of his command. He’d been familiar with giving orders, but something felt different. The other soldiers and even his old squadmates looked at him differently now. Voices lowered when he entered a room, people seemed to sit up straighter, he thought it was strange. Tseebo began walking to the north, his rifle held at the ready as his head scanned back and forth. As they walked, he pulled out a datapad and examined maps while on the move.

He was happy Lisa had volunteered for this mission, that rifle would come in handy if they spotted anything on the mountainsides.

 

[Caligula]

Lisa stiffened a little when the Captain addressed her, her grip tightening around her rifle and her eye snapping to the speaker. "Yes sir." Was all she could manage as she followed Tseebo north. She wasn't exactly sure what they were supposed to be looking for, but she did know that they were looking for some kind of encampment or other form of civilization. Lisa was on edge as it was and if they encountered some kind of resistance, she wasn't sure how she'd react. She had yet to experience a true fire fight as most of her combat happened at long range, and didn't last very long.

Lisa moved quickly but cautiously. She had gone through the training programs and she had seen movies and read the books about combat. She always saw random soldiers getting picked off by an ambush or a sneak attack, or a sniper just like her. She didn't want to be a random soldier. She wanted to be a main character, or even a supporting character. They didn't die at the beginning.

Her rifle was always aimed forward while her head swiveled around to look at everything she could. Every sound sent her head in that direction and everything that moved attracted her rifle barrel. She was quiet as she moved north.

 

[Vennfandalkass]

Vennfandalkass was having a hard time concentrating. Having traveled light-years in order to avoid the hustle and bustle of the Temple, his meditations were now being interrupted by a small animal, who was taking a perverse delight in launching itself from a nearby boulder, landing between his ears, and jumping off again before he could reach up to catch it. He didn't quite have the heart to stop the little devil, who was clearly having the time of it's life, chattering happily as it escaped his grasp once more. It did nothing to aid his concentration, but he wasn't miserable, sitting cross-legged on a boulder in the middle of a mountain path.

Several minutes previously, he'd watched as a small shuttle soared overhead, coming to a stop a kilometer or so past where he'd sat himself. It sank below the ridge-line of the nearest rocky hill, and he could hear the low whine of repulsorlifts as it seemingly returned to earth. More distractions. He remained where he was, clearly visible to anyone who wandered down the path, clothed as he was in a tan tunic that clearly set him apart from the rocky terrain around him. Even if someone had missed him by his clothing, there was the fact that his fur was a shade of blue clearly removed from his surroundings. He was small, it was true, but not small enough to remain unnoticed.

He decided, as he waited for the potential of company, to sit still. Chances were that it would be something innocent enough, perhaps explorers, come to map out the planet, or free traders, hoping to barter with the natives. Even if it was someone less than credible, he felt confident that he could sense danger in time to disguise himself. After all, what were the chances of a Sith patrol stumbling across the lone Jedi? Or even the Hutts, who were known to occasionally come to planets like Tangrene to take captives as slaves.

His lip curled slightly. If they were slavers, they would regret the day they chose to come to Tangrene.

Hopefully they weren't.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

Tseebo continued to lead their small squad through the narrow, rocky valley. Every few minutes or so small pieces of rock would come free from the cliff-face, clacking into the valley and causing the squad to shift their vision in surprise. Dax’s boots were covered in the grey dust that seemed to puff up with each step he took down the gravel floored valley. He had originally been sent here to explore the planet and set up a base, but he also hoped to make friends with the locals as well. Attempting to create an outpost on a planet where the locals were upset with your presence would prove extremely difficult.

After a short time Captain Tseebo brought his hand up, signaling the squad to come to a stop. Some ways ahead of their path he swore he could see someone sitting on a rock. He dug his electrobinoculars out of his pack and took a look. Indeed he was right. There on a boulder in the middle of their path was a figure in some sort of tunic. From the position they sat in, Dax inferred they were meditating.

“I hadn’t heard the locals were very spiritual…”, he said quietly to himself.

It took him a moment or two, but then he remembered. He had only once before seen a suspicious figure wearing some sort of clothed tunic, one quiet similar to the one this individual was wearing. His heart rate increased as the thought that this could be another Sith Lord caused his mind to race. This did seem different, however. This person had no hood, they did not hide their face. Their tunic was also not the typical black of the Sith. Although he was surprised by the presence of another off worlder, and the possibility of encountering another Sith, he motioned for the squad to continue on cautiously.

“There’s someone up ahead. It could be a Sith, I’m not sure. Stay alert.”, he said as he raised his rifle and continued on.

 

[Reidly]

Ryth Moriigan nodded, gripping his heavy blaster pistol tight against his side. Being a merc, he had not met any of these soldiers before, but they seemed like good men and women. They fought with purpose, something he admired greatly in someone.
With a grumble, he stayed to the back of the group, lupine ears swiveling to detect any foreign sounds. All that he could pick up was wind, and dust.
And the dust was not pleasing to his nose, or his ears. Everything tickled and burned, not a pleasant feeling. On top of all that, the dust got into his cybernetic legs, making him slightly sluggish.
"This place is a wasteland. Are you sure this is where we need to be?" He called, voice carrying for a long while. "Cause all I see is rocks. No wildlife at all, or locals either."
Something felt wrong to him, though he couldn't put his finger on what.

http://www.thestarwarsrp.com/forum/index.php?threads/ryth-moriigan.65878/

 

[Caligula]

Lisa trudged along while she continued to scan the surrounding area. Then she noticed the Captain's hand go up for the squad to stop and she darted to a piece of cover, her rifle ready to take down any target she saw. Tseebo then told them that there was a chance that they were dealing with a Sith and Lisa tensed up. She looked to where Tseebo was looking with his binoculars and she peeked down her rifle scope with her left eye, not needing her shooting eye just yet. She quickly picked out the figure the Captain was referring to and looked them over. She couldn't recognize the species, however the bright blue fur of the creature did make her curious. The creature's attire caused her to raise an eyebrow however. They were wearing tan robes that seemed awfully familiar to her, but she wasn't thinking clearly enough to put the connection together. She took her eye off the scope and looked over at the captain. "Permission to stay and provide overwatch, sir." She asked while pawing her eyepatch. She could take care of herself if the rest of the squad went ahead to investigate, though she wouldn't be opposed to one or two soldiers hanging back to provide back up in case something did happen.

 

[Reidly]

Ryth was ordered to stay back with the resident sniper, to keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Well, anything would be out of the ordinary, because nothing was happening at all.
"So..." He said, the silence getting to him. He crouched down to fiddle with his legs, muttering curses about dust and such. "Why are we out to this dustbowl?" He questioned.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

Tseebo continued onward, getting closer and closer to the location of the unknown individual. Unfortunately as they grew closer the figure seemed to look less and less like a person.

“What…? That doesn’t make sense…”, he muttered to himself as they closed in.

It turned out to be a very conveniently shaped and colored carving in the rock, likely created by the indigenous peoples. Shaking it off, he continued his march through the gravel path.

“The village is close, we’ll be there in a few minutes.”, he said as the group continued.

The canyon came to a bend, and just around that bend was where the village lie. Nearing the beginning of the curve, Tseebo once again heard the sound of falling rocks on the canyon walls. He looked over and raised his blaster, but once again he saw nothing. He turned away from where the rocks had fallen, that was a mistake, in hindsight.

A large creature, resembling a cross between a spider and a bear, leapt from behind a large boulder on the right side of the path, near where the rocks had fallen. The creature pounced on Tseebo, digging its claws into his left shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain as he was slammed to his back and pinned. The creature shrieked at the rest of the squad, almost daring them to confront it. The creature was armored in a natural chitin, and it would be tough to bring down.

 

[Caligula]

Lisa snapped to attention as she watched her captain get pounced on by some strange creature. She couldn't identify it, but at this point she didn't have to know what it was. All that concerned her at the moment was that it was trying to eat her boss. She glared down the rifle scope with her right eye, her Sniper's eye taking in all the available information she could. The Force indirectly highlighted certain weak points in the animal's armor and Lisa corrected herself accordingly. Her rifle seemed to take on a mind of its own as it's barrel focused on the chink in the armor between the neck and shoulder and Lisa pulled the trigger twice in rapid succession. Two red bolts flew from the barrel and drilled into the animal's armor. It didn't damage the spider-bear itself, but she got its attention. It glared up from Tseebo towards her and growled. When it did this, she continued to make corrections to the barrel and let loose a volley of bolts. Some bolts were aimed to wound while others were aimed to distract the beast. The shots that were meant to wound found their marks and drilled into the weaker points, cracking some of the chitin armor slightly or scorching the exposed skin not covered by chitin. The distracting shots continued to draw the animal's attention as it lost interest in the Captain and began to focus more in her direction. She would continue this volley until something changed the situation or her bolts broke through the armor.

@Reidly @Aluminum Falcon

 

[Reidly]

With a slight frown, Ryth aimed his heavy-duty blaster at the beast. Armor was one thing that he was able to take care of easily, if he was within range. Which he was not, to his dismay. So he chose to scoot forward at a snail's pace, all the while sniffing for any threats. At about fifty meters out the beast began to charge him. Taking his blaster into rapid-fire mode, the consistent stream of green energy melted away the chitin plating with ease. Something Ryth had forgotten about the stream, was that it drained his gun VERY quickly.

The gun clicked, and he let out a swear. "Should've thought that through better." He mumbled before getting on all fours and leading the creature into the wide-open plains.