TDD: Following The Trace

[Graham Siccaro]

Planet: Ventooine
Grid Coordinates: P3



Graham looked up the clear night sky, marveling at the beauty of the starts. True he had come from one of those stars, but that did not change the fact that in this mostly untouched sky they were beautiful and clear. What was less clear though was what he and the team he was assigned to were about to walk into. The Empire had been made aware of a group of exiles that had refused to join the cause and had stated what had amounted to a cult here on Ventooine. It made a certain amount of sense to him, Ventooine was about as far out on the rim and away from prying eyes as you could get. Perfect for people not wanting to be found, and perfect for not causing waves when someone disappears.

The thing is someone had noticed and now Ventooine was firmly in the Empire's sights, as were the cultists that inhabited its mountains. An investigation unit had made contact with the local tribes and acquired information of the proposed location of the cult's base of operations, a cave complex called The Maw by the locals. The only issues was that it was located deep in the forests and nestled among the mountains, leaving it fairly isolated and a little difficult to reach. So it had been deemed reasonable to send a recon team to check on the information and clear a path to The Maw before any true assault could begin..

Thus their small team had been assembled to move quickly and quietly ahead of the main force. While it was not Graham's usual duty, he was glad none the less that his skills were being appreciated and used, he was just that much closer to earning the command of his dreams. Though that dream did not stop him from checking over his gear once more. His blaster rifle and pistol were loaded and in place, grenades and reloads in their pouches on the front of his ISC armor, vibrosword mounted on his belt and the three throwing knives on his left bracer. Everything was ready and good to go.

Looking once more up at the clear sky he set his face into a mask of determination and secured his helmet tightly. Turning to his comrades nearby he asked "Are we Ready?"


​

@Darasuum @Plebometer

 

[Hakon Tenau]

__________

THEME​

The night was so enticing to Hakon. He appreciated the ground being beneath his feet and not the deck of some ship or space station. The sound of wildlife faint and distant. The man's personal armor was black and hard to spot, perfect for this mission in darkness. Hakon had made sure to bring his vibro-sword in addition to his light saber in addition to his light sabers. The red blades of his weapons would attract a great deal of attention while the vibro-sword would not.

Hakon looked over at his comrades. They were about to delve into the mouth of the enemy, appropriately named the Maw. He was armed sufficiently for this mission. A total of four pistols, one thunderslug, two SP-20 and a cherub stun blaster. Melee weapons, his two lightsabers, a collapsible vibro-sword and his shock boxing gloves. If it were a full forward operation he would maybe have brought a xiuh blaster rifle or something heavier. But he felt he was sufficiently armed with a frag and huehue 69 adhesive grenade.

This was a kill mission, deadly force authorized but Hakon always liked to have options to take prisoners if necessary. A simple stun blaster and adhesive grenade worked as did the shock boxing gloves. That would allow him to interrogate them later. Perhaps he should have brought a knife too. Hakon shook his head and thought better of it. He was already on the heavily armed end in terms amount of weapons. No need to add more to that. The mandalorian would have to get used to not relying on blasters so much. "Ready He said simply in response to the lieutenants query.

@Plebometer @Luster ​

 

[Eisa Nimbus]

Sitting upon a boulder, the young teen cast a pair of narrowed eyes towards the two she was accompanying on the mission, a male Sith knight called Hakon and Graham, an Imperial Shock troops lieutenant. Her emerald gaze lingering over the two as the Lieutenant queried whether they were ready. The teen simply frowned at the question and returned her attention towards the blaster rifle she was inspecting and reassembling. The mood around the teen was somewhat foul being in somewhat of a strop, not directed towards the two she was working with, but towards the Quarter Master.

"Too young to have the grenade launcher" she muttered in a mocking tone, as she slammed rifle chamber onto the stock. "Be too heavy for you, here have this rifle instead" she continued as pulled back the locking mechanism before slamming in the energy cell into the base of the rifle. "I'll shove the Fracking rifle up his chuff next time I see him" she grumbled as she slung the blaster rifle's strap over her shoulder, hanging it over her back before standing up.

Dusting off her custom made assassin armor, Eisa turned her attention to the rest of her weaponry, making sure everything was fastened into place, vibro knives sheaved on her upper arms, plaster pistols holstered above the small of her back, four frag grenades dotted along her belt, and more importantly her light saber. Slowly she twisted her head from side to side, her recently dyed cyan blue hair shifting from side to side as she worked out the crink in her neck from being hunched over inspecting her weapons.

The mission was pretty clear to the teen, create a kill zone to halt the enemy's advance to protect the forward party as they entered into and secured the Maw. Something that the teen would have had no problem in accomplishing if she was allowed to use the weaponry that she had wanted! Not some lousy pop gun, still there was perhaps a slight upshot to being in a foul mood, it would make summoning the destructive abilities of the dark side so much easier, if she got bored too quickly shooting at the enemy then she'll soon find other means to blow them up one way or the other. Taking a deep breath the emerald hue of the teen's eyes phased into dark onyx orbs, as the air around her grew thick and heavy with a black shrouding aura that radiated from the teen. The whipping black currents that radiated from the teen, reaking of the desire to bring death. "Lets go" the teen spoke, her voice much more guttural and predatory than how she had spoken mere minutes ago.

@Luster @Darasuum

 

[Graham Siccaro]

They looked ready alright, all fully armored and loaded down with enough weaponry between them to take down a rancor and of course the Sith had their tricks. Graham nodded to at Hakon's reply, it was good to be working with him again, and turned his attention to their third member. Knight Nimbus was muttering to herself about a grenade launcher, and noting the number of grenades on her belt he already knew they were going to get along famously. But he stayed silent as she finished her prep work and blinked as the darkness around the girl turned.... darker and seemed to move on its own. He was lucky that the helmet's visor hid his expression at this and her new tone, it was shock at first but quickly turned to a grim smile. Famously indeed.

Nodding to each of his companions he said "I suggest we keep about a ten meter spacing, sirs, a short delta probably being the best. But that is just my thinking." He waited for their replies before bringing his rifle into a ready position and starting off. Of course he was technically the lowest ranking member of the team so the suggestions were just that, suggestions and not orders. So the other two could move however they chose, but he would do his best to keep them both within sight and easy support range. After all they did have to move fairly quickly to be in place before the assault team arrived, and he had no intention of being late.

The forest was thick along the path they were taking toward the Maw, the trees and underbrush making things slow going. Add to that Graham was being as careful as he could to make little noise and and noticeable outlines as possible. They had been moving up a gently slope for quite some time and had seen no hint of any living creatures aside from the local wildlife, and he was beginning to wonder if the intel had been wrong and they had been sent on a wild bantha chase. They were pretty close to The Maw now so they should be seeing something soon, some sort of alarm or perimeter guard.

In one of those incredibly ironic moments that seem all to common in life it was as he was pondering this that he failed to notice the tripwire under his foot. With the tiniest of snaps it broke free of whatever was holding it in place so low to the ground, and two bright lights launched high into the night sky with an audible hiss. The good news was that the flares meant that there was something out here worth protecting, the bad news was that the guards now knew they were coming. And who knew how close they were? Graham threw himself behind cover and called "Eyes out!"
​

 

[Hakon Tenau]

__________

Hakon was all for being the one man army. He could wade into a fight, tear out throats with his bear hands, come out the other side with a smile like he had performed a simple party trick flawlessly. But at other times it was important to follow valid and sensible tactics. Having worked time and time again in mercenary work he knew well enough that a combat formation that the lieutenant suggested was appropriate. Eisa on the other hand was another factor. If she wanted to go off on a rampage, that many sith did, then he might get the chance to do one of his own. But it was not like he had any specific qualms with the people they were fighting. No, this was just a mission and he was detached from sense of zeal.

The Lieutenant took point. As they made their way closer towards their objective Hakon thought of how he and a few of his clan had worked a job years ago in a jungle. There were traps, pit falls, hidden enemies. It had been horendous. Now they had to keep a special eye out for such things. Because of this Hakon saw the wire before Graham activated it. "Watch-" Was all that escaped Hakon's lips before the foot hit the wire. His hands raised and he tried to concentrate suddnely on both of the flaires but they weere bright, fast and the man would be lying if he said he was not surprised. As a result both the one to the left and the right were barely even slowed. Perhaps it would lesten the time they were in the air but the position and element of surprise was essentially lost.

@Plebometer @Luster​

 

[Eisa Nimbus]

Narrowing her eyes as the flares erupted into life and shot skywards, her onyx hued eyes directed towards the Imperial trooper who had set off the trip wire. Curling her lip as she shook her head, as she watched as the Lieutenant moved to take cover. Stretching a hand out towards him, she sent forth countless tendrils of the Force that wrapped around the man. Eisa directed her gaze over towards Hakon and gestured her head towards the overhanging canopy, hoping he would take her cue. Before the trooper or the Sith Knight could counter her use of the Force against one of her own allies, she raised her hand and directed the shock trooper weightlessly up towards the upper tree canopy.

Releasing her hold over him as soon as he was positioned above the network of branches above, before a sudden flash of darkened movement erupted from the teens position as she sprang toward the nearest tree and swiftly ascended the wooden structure. Once she had found her perch, she slowly crept among the upper treeline, with drawing her blaster rifle from being slung over her torso. Narrowed darkened slits scanning the undergrowth below for the signs of enemy movement. The flares had given the Sith's position away that was true, but the would be pursuers would have expected their quarry to flee rather than literally go to higher ground. Giving the Sith for a moment, a surprising edge for them to exploit.

Turning her gaze towards the side, she reached out through the Force and narrowed her senses towards the approaching group of twelve life signs. A dry grin crossed her wild features as she felt, then heard, then finally see the alerted enemy move below. Her eyes crossing over the tops of each of the enemy soldiers as they kept a tight sweeping formation. Oh this is too easy, Eisa thought to herself as she silently shifted her hand towards the grenade harness on her belt, removing the safety pin and holding it in her hand for a few moments as she tracked the squad's movements below her.

With a light flick of her wrist the armed fragmentation grenade was released from her grasp and sent under its gravitational weight plummeting towards the squad below. The grenade only had enough time for a single bounce off of the ground below before erupting into a burst of fiery shrapnel that tore through the closely packed bodies. A sickening laugh escaped the teens lips as she watched as seven bodies were reduced to shredded pulp before snatching up the stock and trigger of her blaster rifle and firing rounds of burning plasma towards the enemy below. Hoping that Hakon and the lieutenant would follow suit and take advantage of the sudden turn of the tables and gun the squad down.

 

[Graham Siccaro]

It was something of a shock when Graham felt himself being lifted from the ground by something very big. But after his brief moment of incomprehension he saw the dark tendrils wrapped around his body, much like the ones that emanated from Knight Nimbus, and his heart sank at that. Yes, he had not seen the wire and had alerted the cultists that the recon team was coming, and so he assumed that he had earned the Kight's ire and would soon pay for his mistake. So it was even more shocking when after he had cleared most of the foliage and branches the tendrils simply let him go right over a thick branch. Reaching out to catch the branch before he it was too late Graham took a moment to purge his mind of the fear and frustration.

The Knight had not wanted to kill him, not yet anyway, and he put him up here for a reason. Weather it was simply to get him out of the way or into an advantageous position was arguable, but not important, he was now above the cultist's line of advance and by the looks of it so was she. It did not take long for a response to form and a large group were noisily making their way to the Siths' last know position, trading tactics for haste it would seem. Graham readied his blaster, eager to make up for his failing and waited until they came into view. The blast from the grenade dropped several, but those were not the ones who concerned him, it was the five remaining hostiles. Two looked like they were moving around to either flee or flank while the other three returned fire, and it was those two which Graham locked his sights onto.

He fired five aimed shots at them as they moved through the brush and the trees. The first two bolts slammed into the side of the closer of the two, sending the form to the ground and a twitching heap. The third shot merely impacted the massive trunk of a tree as the target moved behind it, but the fourth connected with their head as they came around the other side. "Two more down." Graham said calmly.
​

 

[Hakon Tenau]

__________

The average person looked around at eye level. In the darkness of night many did not think to look up to the skies. All they would find were usually the vague silhouettes of trees or stars. In this case they might see their own flares but unlikely to see anything else. So Hakon understood the red haired sith's thinking and quickly lept from his position onto the nearest branch that could bear his weight. He did this twice more to move forward and up even higher. From this position he could already hear the coming enemies. They were probably going to be looking towards the ground, looking for troop tracks and hiding spots. Perhaps in all horizontal directions but vertically, that was unlikely. Many militaries wore helmets or head wear that protected from the sun but hindered people from skyward peripheral vision.

Slowly and carefully he drew his collapsible vibro sword. His light saber may give him away the moment it was activated. He lept once, towards a tree that the coming cultists were going too arrive under and waited as they moved, scanning for any sign of the Sith infiltrators. An explosion, killing numerous cultists erupted. A series of bolts coming from further back, closer to where the flare had gone off hit two cultists. It was likely the lieutenant. That left three for Hakon.

Below him one turned to face the shots Graham had fired, raising his weapon in response. But he would not get a chance to fire. Hakon would drop down, collapsible virbo-sword in hand extending and cleaving down and across the man thanks to Hakon's own weight. This helped soften the drop from such a height and the Sith did not stop.

Reaching out with the force he dragged one other cultist into another making them fall into a tangled heap. The mandalorian pounced on them and brought the blade, angled down to skewer both of them simultaneously like a tooth-pick stuck snack. That was the last of the initial response group. Hakon wondered if they were foolish enough to only half a dozen or so guards at this position. Either way, he would slay anything else that came between him and the mission objective.

@Plebometer @Luster​

 

[Eisa Nimbus]

Grinning Wildly the teen dropped down from her perch, surveying the fresh slaughter that the Sith had wrought upon the cultists. Her onyx eyes scanning over the mutilated corpse before falling towards Hakon's blood soaked vibrosword, a light chuckle escaping her lips as she watched the life fluids drip of the tip of the blade. " Well least we know which way they are coming from" the teen spoke as she looked over her fellow Sith, before gesturing in the direction that the patrol had approached from. A wild grin crossed her features as she spun on her feet and started to break out in a swift sprint, before coming skidding to a halt.

Realisation setting in that she was about to leave the Lieutenant behind, figuring that if he was to drop down from the height she had lifted him to, he might get injured. That wouldn't look too well on the final report, turning her gaze upwards towards Graham she pointed her free hand towards the man, sending forth tendrils of the Force towards the soldier. Wrapping them around the man and once again lifting him into her ethereal grasp. With a swift but cautious movement she brought the man back down to the ground, the tendrils of the Force dissipating as soon as he made land fall.

"Lets go play!" the teen spoke aloud towards the two men, before turning round once again, her dominant hand moving down towards the hilt of her light saber, retrieving it from the fastening of her belt before bursting into an agile sprint in the direction of of where the patrol had originated from. The fiery haired teen's movements were low, swift and agile as she carried herself at a predatory pace towards the source of the cultists they had just slaughtered. Her body slowly becoming enveloped in a black shroud that subtly concealed her visual presence, granting her a degree of camouflage against the dark undergrowth of the Forrest.

As she sped forwards, the teen's eyes focused upon a dull amber light that was glowing in the distance. Her thumb hovering over the activation stud of her weapon, ready to ignite it on the first sign of any enemies. Eisa's pace remained the same as she pressed towards the source of the light, figuring that who ever was ahead would not expect to be suddenly rushed by those who had set of the flares, had the forward team fallen to the intruders. The teen's breathing reverberated into an almost guttural growl as she drove her self closer and closer to her prey, her lust for carnage spurring her on.

Breaching through the undergrowth the teen came into a small check point that had been established, her eyes narrowing as she scoured every inch of her new surroundings whilst reaching out in the Force for any signs of life. But there was nothing baring a tent, several plasteel containers and some duracrete barricades that had been set up. The mess tins scattered about the open sided tent were still spilling the steam from the warmth of the food. It appeared that the entirety of the check point had made their way to investigate who had set off the flares.

Pursing her lips in thought the teen turned back around to where she had came from, seeing that the others were not that far behind her, She was a little apprehensive at first as she surveyed her surroundings. Her gaze narrowed as she picked up the distant sound of approaching heavy foot steps, directing her attention in the force towards the origin of the distant sound she could sense fifteen life forces approaching, and where perhaps three minutes out from the abandoned check point. Reaching round for her slung blaster rifle the teen adjusted the position so it was hanging over her shoulder, making it easier to bring it to arms. Before making her way over towards the nearest barricade and crouching down behind the cover, it would be a matter of time until the next group of cultists would be on their new position, and something was telling her that she needed to be ready for one hell of a fire fight.

OOC: We have 15 Heavily Armored and Armed cultists incoming Lets have some fun!!

 

[Hakon Tenau]

__________

The Lieutenant could not move at the same speed as the two Sith. They could rush ahead and intercept the enemy before they even noticed that their forward soldiers had fallen. This was precisly what Hakon did. He was feeling the frenzied tendencies within him increase. Detaching a grenade from his belt he leapt up to another branch and moved overhead until he was at the edge of the new group of troops. Their formation was loose and sweeping the area but he dropped the grenade all the same. It would only take out one but the explosion would cause mayhem and distract from his follow up attack.

Dropping once again he used gravity to cleave into the body of the attacker he fell onto. Twirling away from the body he moved towards another. A centimeter on the tip of his vibro-blade was all that was needed to slice the artery of another guard's throat. It gushed blood and spattered against the black armor of the Sith. His medical precision reflecting in his combat prowess.

The man was not planning on taking any prisoners today or being merciful when it came to the defenders. The free hand that had once held the grenade pulled forth his Thunderslug pulse wave pistol and fired it four times killing two more enemies. Five down that, left ten. Hopefully Eisa would take down an equal amount in a quick manner.

@Plebometer @Luster​

 

[Eisa Nimbus]

Looking over her shoulder as she heard rustling approach in from above, her eyes focused on Hakon as he approached within the tree line. Her gaze soon shifted towards the undergrowth, looking for the slightest glimpse of the Imperial foot soldier who was with them. It looked as if he had fallen behind, unable to keep up with the two Sith knights. But who could really blame him, both Eisa and Hakon had the Force at their command to augment their speed to unnatural levels whilst the trooper didn't. Still it didn't deter the other Sith Knight from jumping straight into the action, casting a grenade into the approaching ranks of cultists before leaping headlong into their ranks.

Peaking over her cover, the fiery haired teen mused on the situation that her fellow Sith Knight had thrown himself into. He was standing right within the proverbial thick of it, somewhat limiting the teenager's options on her strategy to attack. She couldn't go with her favoured option of raining grenades or blaster fire down unto the cultists as Hakon could just as easily get caught up in the cross fire. Not that she doubted his skill or reflexes but it was a risk that the young teen wasn't going to take, not whilst there was still an advantage in their favor. Eisa needed something that would provide her with a greater degree of control, looking down to the weapons at hand she pursed her lips before holstering her blaster and slinging the rifle over her shoulder. Replacing the two weapons with her lightsaber, with a deep breath she summoned the corrupted energies of the force into herself, filling her body with darkened energies.

Once satisfied with her choice, the young teen sprang out from her cover behind the barricade igniting her light saber to easily swat away any directed blaster rounds being leveled upon her by the cultists. Her freehand crackled as bright blue electrical energies arcing between the spaces of her fingers built up in intensity, as she closed the distance between her and the advancing cultists. Lunging her free hand forwards the fiery haired teen unleashed a powerful storm of Force lightning towards the cultists, the arcs of dark energies tearing into the closest foe, burning its way through his body and snaking its way towards the nearest cultist. The heavy armor of each cultist conducting and attracting the Force lightning as it tore its way through the ranks.

The air was soon filled with the agonized screams of the cultists, as the Force lightning burned its way through each of the remaining cultists. The darkened energies burning the inner flesh of the remaining ten troopers, filling the air with the rife stench of charred flesh. The cacophony of scream and convulsing bodies carried on until each and every one of the bodies fell limp onto the floor, their convulsing movements becoming a reaction of the electrical currents running through their charred bodies. Satisfied that the life forces of the cultists had been well and truly extinguished, the fiery haired teen relented in her devastating Force attack. A sigh escaped Eisa's lips as she turned her gaze towards the Sith Knight, a wicked grin crossing her features as she regarded Hakon. "That worked better than I had thought" Eisa remarked with a chuckle to her words.

 

[Hakon Tenau]

__________

The pair did an expert job eliminating the guards. They had not stood a chance. His yellow irises turned back to normal underneath his mask as he looked over to the ignited blades of his cohort. A smile crept on his face as he looked at their handiwork. "It us always enjoyable to come out victorious against greater numbers..."" He took a booted foot and nudged a smouldering body as he cocked his head to the side. "...though numbers seemed to be all that they had." a tone of disappointment evident in his words.

It seemed like these were the primary guards of the Maw. Now that they had eliminated them that was a few more enemies dead and out of the way for the main force. The cave would be unprotected and the group would be free to move forward with the plan. The enemy had been so swift and ready to respond they had done the tactical equivalent of exhausting their forward forces early. "Another job well done."

End Thread​

@Plebometer​