Ask Trapped In Steel Jaws

Altair Din

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Altair was more than a little nervous about this trip to Ubrikkia. However, the idea had been his and he had to get special permission to take this mission on. In fact, he was pretty sure the clearance approval went all the way up to Raze. He was surprised the Dark Lord authorized it, but it meant Altair was doubly determined to see this through. The tiefling was accompanied with a squad of Imperials as his ship landed on the shipyard planet. He had been allowed to take a bigger ship this time, but it was still not exactly combat oriented.

Right away he could tell he was out of his element. Mandalorians weren’t known to be fans of Sith, and this clan had a history of being xenophobic. Altair was adorned in his Champion armor, the horns prominent and very unique just to him. He held his head up high, determined to make the best impression he could. Altair knew he couldn’t act like a wimp near these people.

Once the Mandalorians arrived to meet him at the designated area near the shipyard, they would notice that the tiefling carried no lightsaber. He had gauntlets but there was no obvious weapon on him outside of that. Altair was almost exclusively focused on hand to hand combat, and he had a feeling that would come into play at some point with the clan.

Altair stepped off with just two Imperials with him, making his way over to the agreed upon meeting place. He was told he would be meeting with someone named Nox Solus. He couldn’t help the way his tail swished back and forth. He half expected the Mando to greet him with a punch to the face.

@Orbit
 

Nox Solus

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The recession of AMS and their own operations on the planet helped fight back against the infected tide on the planet. Enough so that a stable encampment was built and manned by the Mandalorians, allowing the transport of supplies and people from the station to the surface and vice versa. It had been built where the previous space elevator to the shipyard was, serving as an anchor point and meeting point for Altair and the Mandalorians.

As Altair walked through the camp with his Imp escort, the reactions would be noticeable right away. It was almost entirely filled with Solus and their hatred for the Sith ran deep. Mandalorians that had been casually conversating would pick up on the tiefling's presence and immediately stop, turning their full attention to him as he would pass. They tensed up around him but it wouldn't be out of fear but more out of anticipation as if invisible chains were the only restraints holding them back from being let loose. Even with helmets, it was as if they were almost salivating for a problem to occur, especially with no lightsaber visible.

But, they didn't impede his progress to the center of the encampment, a large open space near the space elevator. He would find groups of Solus all around him, sitting on crates or just standing with each other. There were even a couple above him, sitting on the roofs of freshly constructed buildings with their legs over the sides. Upon Altair's presence though, like the rest, they would all turn to face him, a general silence falling over the area.

Immediately though, snickers would rip through the small crowd, one Solus stepping forward, "And what the hell is this? Nice ornaments there." They couldn't see the Sith's tail under the cape and had no idea he was a complete alien. Another Solus sitting on the roof would laugh, leaning forward as he peered at the Sith, "He's donning a helmet too, think he added the horns because he's not as intimidating?" Another round of chuckles and snickers went through the crusaders.

The Solus that had spoken first stepped forward, glancing down at the Sith's empty belt and then back up to his helmeted gaze, "We're not here to scare kids, we're here to fight. That get lost to you on the way?" Multiple Solus would slowly start to circle the small group of Imps, casually encircling them. They were all colored in blood crimson and not one stepped forward as Nox yet.
 

Altair Din

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Altair’s nervousness began to melt away the moment the jeers came. See, he was used to this his entire life. Always, everywhere he went at all times. It rolled right off him, but it didn’t mean he would simply tolerate things in silence. He was getting better, but he was still an 18 year old. Important mission or not, he was no mook.

“Yeah I got ornaments everywhere, bro,” Altair quipped back as he kept walking, “Including some studs on my cock for your buir to slobber on later,” He kept walking without paying much heed after that. However, the same man decided to keep going and step in front of him along with the others. The Sith remained unfazed even though the Imperials stiffened and began to reach for weapons. Altair gave a wave of his hand to tell them to stand down.

“Damn right, I’m the kid and I’m looking for daddy, so why don’t y'all sit down and point me to Nox Solus?” He said simply as he crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn’t going to push or shove anyone out of the way, and he patiently waited inside that little circle the Mandalorians created around him.
 

Nox Solus

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Nox had to give it to the Sith, he certainly had some spirit to him, a grin uncontrollably spreading underneath his helmet. The Solus'alor would be sitting on a crate behind the crowd, his legs dangling from them and his back against another stacked crate. He wouldn't be alone, Zuus sitting across from him on his own crate, one knee up and his arm on top of it as he watched the spectacle, "You know a fight will break out."

Nox would casually have his knife and scrape it along the cheek of his helmet, routinely doing this as he replied equally as nonchalant, "Yup."

Zuus, glanced at the Sith and the crowd once more before back to him, "Shouldn't we stop Conrad before he kills one of them?"

The Solus'alor would peel the knife away from his cheek, holding it in the sunlight before saying, "Nope. It's best they get it out now before we actually work together." If they figured out they couldn't kill each other in the beginning, then they wouldn't worry about it in the invasion. Besides, it was a good vent for some of his crusader's emotions. After hearing Altair tell the Mandalorian to sit down and find daddy, he couldn't help but let out a loud and humorous snicker rip from him, his gaze still locked on Zuus though. "Besides, let's see what he's got."

---

After his comment about looking for daddy, a loud snicker would erupt from somewhere in the crowd behind Conrad but from who couldn't be seen. It trigged a few more amongst the warriors, surprised to see the fight within the Sith and appreciating the entertainment.

That fact not only enraged the warrior but he had been surprised initially by the retort. He hadn't been expecting the southern accent, it was rarely ever heard from a Sith but he recovered quickly,
"Clearly you're compensating for something then. You don't even have a lightsaber, you not even skilled enough to be given one yet by your Masters?" The circle tightened around the Imps, Conrad stepping closing and within a few feet of Altair, their height similar so their gazes level, "You want to speak with the Solus'alor, you earn it." Unable to help himself, especially after the tiefling's comeback, the Mandalorian gave out a one-armed shove right into his chest.
 

Altair Din

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Altair heard the snickers coming from the Mandos after his quip and he knew that would wound the Mando in front of him worse than anything else. The tiefling quirked a brow beneath the helmet at the rebuttal, “I don’t got a saber 'cause I don’t got nothin’ to compensate for, pumpkin’” He shot right back without missing a beat. He could already tell the man was going to attack as he stepped forward.

As the arm reached out for that shove, Altair snatched the man’s wrist and whirled around him in a blur. The Mando’s arm was twisted back at an awkward angle back behind him. At the same time, Altair’s other hand slammed into the man’s back to send him forward, resulting in a violent motion in opposite directions. This would likely horribly dislocate the man’s arm and take it right out of the socket and potentially tear some muscle. Altair would keep a hold of the man’s arm regardless of what the Mando did, putting him at a massive disadvantage.

The tiefling’s movements were extremely fluid, and it was apparent he was an expert in unarmed combat and wouldn’t be pushed around easily.
 

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Conrad was enraged and may have shoved the tiefling haphazardly but he also knew it would most likely lead to a fight. Based on the Sith's first reaction and not backing down, it was the only thing he expected and hoped. Still, he hadn't been prepared for exactly how fast his opponent was. Altair would successfully get a grip on his wrist, earning a grunt from him before he would rapidly feel his arm start to twist the other way. The pain would blossom in his shoulder, able to feel the muscles become strained from the rapid movement.

Still, Conrad was an experienced crusader and thought quickly on his feet. Through the pain, as Altair would be whirling around him, he would bend forward slightly while also bringing up his free hand to his face. With his helmet, he would press the button to activate his jetpack, bursts of flame shooting out when the Sith would be attempting to push him from the back. Conrad hoped he would burn the Sith's hand or at least, stop him from fully dislocating his arm.

Conrad with the help of his jetpack would also use it to help swing him around, tilting his body to face Altair before throwing a kick right toward his stomach, intending to separate them and free himself. If it worked, his arm would still hang somewhat loosely down his torso as he stood there. He would let out an animalistic snarl afterward before charging again and throwing a wild punch toward his jaw.

For the other two Imps, separate Solus would take them on, one just being struck across the face with a punch before tackled to the ground. The other Imp would be more prepared, at least blocking one strike before entering into his own brawl.
 
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Altair Din

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And that was when Conrad learned the hard way that he was dealing with a tiefling. Altair didn’t release the Mando’s arm even as he activated the jetpack. The result was catastrophic, as it tore the arm completely out of its socket and made the injury significantly worse than what it was originally intended to be. Altair was entirely unbothered by the burst of flames that covered him, and he purposely stepped in behind Conrad to bend the arm back unnaturally. Bone would pop through from the awkward angle and Conrad wasn’t going to be using that limb anytime soon.

The severe injury would halt all momentum after that. However, in the offchance it didn’t, Altair used the same arm to slam Conrad to the ground. The tiefling casually batted away the flames on himself, finally reaching up to remove the helmet. For the first time he revealed that he was, in fact, not human and he really did sport those horns. His tail swished from side to side and the flames simply played right off his skin.

His violet gaze scanned over the crowds, “I’ll ask again,” He called out, “Nox Solus, I’m here to talk.”

Altair could report this incident back. If Raze knew, there would likely be a glassing. However, he would keep this to himself and work on the clan by his own merits.
 

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Conrad had expected the flames to work but the belief the horns were an attachment instead of a clue to what Altair became his downfall. The arm would be rendered useless as the bone would tear free from the skin and he was knocked to the ground. Taken out of the fight, he would roll across the ground with grunts of pain before he only managed to get on one knee, holding his injured limb with one good arm.

The others would watch the spectacle and upon Altair removing his helmet, he would get mixed reactions. A few saw that he was an alien and tensed up, that simple fact enough to get under the skin. For some other, they would take a step back and whisper out in Mand'oa to each other, something about a living and walking demon.

Once Nox heard the snap, he focused his attention on Zuus and slid his knife away, "That's our cue." The both of them would hop off their crates before walking through the crowd. Altair would be able to see one helmet stand above the rest as he pushed through the crowd, Nox standing above nearly all of the mandalorians there and the Sith himself. Once he broke through, Unlike the others around him as well, he had a lightsaber clipped to his belt, a Jedi's specifically. Zuus accompanied his side as he bared the same black claw mark down his visor.

The crowd would then split once more for another but instead of a mandalorian, it would be Red Eyes. The massive albino dire-badger slowly trudged forward, her gaze locked on the tiefling as she took her spot beside Nox. On all fours, she stood near his knees and was a beast to behold.

Nox's gaze first went to Conrad, inspecting him for a moment before replying, "And received loud and clear." The Solus'alor was a little surprised by the result but he knew the warrior had always been a little gun-ho. "Let's go," Nox would state before simply turning halfway before giving an upward nod to Conrad, "Get him to the medical tent." They may have hated the Sith but the fight was fair and started by the mandalorian. After that, the Solus'alor would walk to the command center, expecting the Sith to follow.
 

Altair Din

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Altair looked over when the man he was looking for finally stepped up. It was obvious he had been in the vicinity and watching the entire time, seeing the nonsense play out. His eyes narrowed a bit, deciding the man still held onto childish principles of displaying feats of strength before engaging anyone. He doubted most Sith would have had patience for it like he had. Altair’s gaze flicked over to the creature, never having seen a Dire badger before.

The tiefling, however, was impressed Nox didn’t appear too angsty over one of his own men being left with severe injury. It meant he understood and respected the fight and the fact the Mando started it. Altair fell into step next to Nox, walking into the command center with him.

“Appreciate you meetin’ with me,” Altair said as he extended a hand to shake his, “I’m Sith Champion Altair Din,” He knew the Mandalorian would know the Sith rank structure by now, “It’s an honor to meet you,” Altair said respectfully, “I came here because I’d like to bolster the alliance between our factions. While it has been more resource focused, I’d like to provide active support in some of your campaigns. However, I don’t ask for resource in return.”

Altair paused for a moment, pondering over his words, “Should you be satisfied with our partnership, I’d love if your people could train some Imperials into an elite special forces unit within the IAF,” It was a tall order, but the tiefling had already shown that he meant business. He wasn’t just a talker.
 

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The four would walk up the small hill to the command center, the Imps that accompanied Altair were allowed to get up and dusted off while Conrad took his own leave to the med station. As the Sith tried to fall in step with Nox, Red eyes would step between the two, a loud hiss released with her fangs shown to keep space between them. Altair would be able to see the razor claws the badger naturally carried and could get a sense of exactly how lethal she was. In all honesty, she most likely would give a tougher fight than Conrad.

Nox would glance down at Red eyes before murmuring out in Mand'oa, "Easy girl..." The dry hiss ceased but she would still remain in between them.

Once they entered, Nox would take his spot at the command table, half-sitting on the edge while Zuus took his spot near a post, leaning against it with his arms crossed. Altair would step forward, fully introducing himself with an open hand to Nox to his surprise. The accent and the respect he was being offered wasn't something that he expected from a Sith, especially a handshake. Still, after a brief moment, he would extend his hand forward to clasp Altair's and offer a firm shake, just giving the tiefling a nod when he mentioned it was an honor. For each one the Solus met, he realized how vastly different they were and in a weird way, it reminded him of the clans. While he wasn't exactly comfortable, Nox had the decency to at least be open and offer the same respect to him,
"Good to meet you, Altair."

Nox listened to the offer and was made curious by the tiefling's willingness to help them before it was brought the price of his assistance. A force-sensitive on their side certainly would help and the inclusion of Imps would make the chances lower of Solus being the only casualties. The Solus'alor would speak up after a second, needing to know more, "You've come at an opportune time. We're about to move out and would appreciate the assistance. This support of yours, I am assuming is more than you and those two troopers, right?" When it came to the notion of this elite unit, Nox would then give a nod behind the Sith to where the scuffle had been, "You took care of Conrad pretty easily as well. Why not train them yourself?" There weren't that many that could claim taking down a mandalorian in one or two moves and made him curious about the answer.
 

Altair Din

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Altair shrank back a bit when the badger hissed at him. He may have cut an imposing figure, but that badger looked terrifying - scarier than the Mandos he came across so far. He kept a healthy distance, but he wouldn’t fall in line behind Nox. The tiefling had his own ego and there was hopefully room for multiple people with giant heads on this planet.

Once they arrived and Nox returned his greeting, Altair nodded, “I have several accompanying ships and soldiers. I didn’t wanna give the wrong impression by showing up swingin’ my dick around, to be honest,” He grinned at the other man, “We’d work jointly with you with you callin’ the shots.”

Altair was surprised when Nox acknowledged him taking down Conrad - it almost felt like a lowkey compliment. The tiefling gave a sheepish grin at that, not having expected it, “I’m Matukai so I’m great at hand to hand and martial combat, but I’d be a sorry sight if you gave me a blaster or explosives,” He wasn’t afraid to admit any of that, “We need Imperials prepped to be Jedi killers and right now they ain’t. I ain’t sayin’ you gotta show ‘em everythin’ but I think some specialized training would do them good. They can start on these joint ops and then branch out from there.”

He was mentally patting himself on the back for thinking this up. Normally his ideas were incredibly dumb, but he felt like a real man being here pitching this to a guy that could probably tear his horns off with his bare hands, “I wanna do what I can to respect and honor your culture through it all. Don’t want you to feel like I’m trynna take advantage.”
 

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That was a relief to hear on Nox's part. While a Sith was powerful, he was only one person and could only be in one place. When he continued to speak, the Solus' helmet would be emotionless but he couldn't help a smirk that cracked underneath. The way Altair spoke was completely different from most other force-sensitives he had ever met, though that number was relatively small. Still, he assumed a majority of the Sith would be like Lord Raze, and honestly, it was a nice surprise.

Nox had never heard of the word Matukai before and chalked it up to more sorcery but Altair explained what it meant. There was no reason to doubt him with the violent display provided before they had entered the tent to talk. The Solus'alor crossed his arms over his chest, curious how bad of a shot he really was. He could picture with the horns how hard it would be, certainly should have been a comical stance to witness, to say the least.

After Altair finished talking, silence built as Nox thought to himself about the proposition. Their fighting styles were completely different. While they both used overwhelming force, the Mandos closed in with speed and with their blades while the Imps just used blaster fire and their numbers. Not only that, they were completely adaptable to any situation presented and the same couldn't be said for the Imps. But, the suggestion presented both of them with an opportunity and he would take it.

Nox arrived at his decision, his tone easily suggesting it wouldn't be at their expense "Jedi killers aren't something that can just be crafted easily. My people are built and bred for war, you have volunteers. If you want this unit, you'll need to pick the best men you got and get them equipped in order to keep up with us. You want them trained? They earn their stripes during the assault." While this was his way of agreeing to train them, he limited the number to a unit that was manageable and that would have to earn the right to be taught by them.

On the notion of respect and honoring them, he would simply just give Altair an upward nod, the words stated matter of factly, "You'll respect and honor us by cutting down our enemies. Thankfully, if you're lacking within that department, you'll have already been killed and won't be a waste of our time." There would be grumbles from his men about the Sith accompanying them but he would silence them quickly. Mandalorians' attention was fickle, and if Altair desired this unit to be an actual weapon, they would have to prove their worth to seize it and for them to be molded into something new. "When are you prepared to move out?"
 
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Altair Din

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Altair said nothing in response to the criticisms for the IAF and gloating. He wasn’t going to interject, but he wasn’t going to fan the man’s ego either. The tiefling was Matukai and had grown up knowing nothing but combat. He had more in common with the Mandos than they would ever know, but they were likely too thickheaded to ever see it. It was why the Sith were sitting up top right now, after all. He remained silent and simply nodded along, keeping a surprisingly solid poker face. It was something he picked up over his time with the Sith and from being around older Sith. His face didn’t betray anything beyond professional politeness.

“We can move out now,” He said, “I have fighters that can support you in an aerial assault,” Altair explained, “However, my men and me will be on the ground for a tactical assault. It is up to you where you wanna be, but that’s where I’ll be.”

With that, he grabbed his helmet and placed it back over his head, “I will rejoin my men and await your command.”

He said nothing more before giving a curt nod and exiting the command center. They were prepared to make the approach and assault.
 

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There was no retort in general to Nox's comments, to his surprise too, as the Sith confirmed that both air and land support would be given. Stoicism wasn't a trait typically thought of for the Sith but this tiefling already seemed different than most. Altair would leave the tent after to wait with his men, leaving the two Solus by themselves. Once the tiefling was out of earshot, Zuus pushed off the support beam and stepped over to the Holo-table, leaning down to place both hands on it, "We don't need the Sith."

Nox directed his attention to his long friend, offering a half shrug with his words, "Probably not." Of course, they weren't needed but yet he still wanted them to join. That answer didn't exactly please Zuus, the man shaking his head before questioning him, "Then why are we bringing them along?" The surprise was evident in his voice, Nox knowing that the man was in the camp who absolutely despised the Sith and what they stood for.

Stepping toward the exit, the Solus'alor would simply pat the crusader on the shoulder a couple of times,
"Gives both an opportunity to learn." The Sith were always evolving and he wanted an idea of what their strength was. The answer made Zuus silent but it was obvious to tell he was displeased with a curt shake of his head but held his tongue. They had an invasion to commence.
---

Night blanketed the capital, Olmondo, as the citizens went in for the night and the entire city lit up like a Christmas tree. Unfortunately for them, that peace would be shattered in a matter of minutes. Alarms would erupt throughout the city, an ear-piecing sound that would halt everything in its place. For those that weren't inside, they would be able to witness a black swarm fly in from above, the roars of the engines almost deafening and washing out the alarm. It was aimed right at the heart of the city.

Ji'galaars screamed through the air, Imperial fighters and interceptors as well. The combination was terrifying to behold and as local defense fighters rose in the air to meet them, lasers and missiles would rip from the attack force, striking the ones that barely lifted off and military installations. A battle for air superiority had begun, the night lit up from explosions and burning wreckage that fell to the surface.

With the airforce occupied, shuttles would rapidly descend from the clouds, finally springing from their hiding places. Each one dropped to the outskirts of the city, once more a mix of Mandalorian warriors and Imperial soldiers. Most of the flak was occupied with the fighters already, leaving relatively a safe passage down for the ground force.

Altair would receive a holo from Nox, the Alor in his own shuttle with Solus, each of their ships rumbling from the light AA. "We secure this port before we push on, we need to secure our supply line." A display of the port would then replace Nox, "My men will take out the hangars and clear the station until more men can shuttle in to take the city." This display would then zoom onto a long bridge, "This bridge is the only way into the port from the city by land. Your men must seize it and prevent any reinforcements coming in."
 

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Altair and his Imperials were already on the ground. He could hear the clashing above, the sound of blaster cannons erupting all around. He had been in a war zone before, but it never failed to catch him off guard each time. He had to center himself and focus, and he had to keep his men alive.

“Copy,” He said back to Nox, “Approaching bridge now,” He glanced ahead, taking his squad with him. There was some cover set up along the bridge, but it wasn’t overly guarded from what he could see. It would be a tactical take over instead of blindly rushing in. Altair glanced over at some of his men, “I’ll go in with about four men. The rest of you need to provide suppressive fire.”

With that, the tiefling began to approach the bridge. Almost at once, blasterfire erupted. He deflected most back with his matukai gloves, but he still had to duck behind cover briefly. He could only advance a little bit at a time while they engaged. Altair peeked over his cover and spotted a soldier and he promptly coiled the Force around him to yank him off the side of the bridge.

“Advance!” He yelled as the opposing teams were temporarily caught off guard by the Force use. Altair capitalized on that to advance almost halfway. He channeled the Force and sent the large sandbags hurtling back towards the enemy. It wouldn’t take them long to have control of the bridge.

Altair tapped into his comlink, “How’re things looking on your end?” He asked Nox while he briefly crouched behind cover.
 

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Altair confirmed the orders before drawing closer to the bridge with his forces. Nox's plan was for the Solus to sweep the port, relink with the Imperials, and then push on toward the city. He assumed the worst of the fighting would have been the bridge and not the port itself, given the nature of their lightning attack, but he would be proven ultimately wrong. Spattering AA fire became a ferocious storm, the number of explosions doubled as the shuttle actually groaned in pain from close calls.

Not requiring another signal, Nox would shout out to the warriors beside him and the ones connected to his comm, "Jump! Jump!" The shuttle doors would open immediately as streams of steel-clad Solus fell from the sky and to the ground below. Out of the ship and freefalling, fighters were able to be spotted spilling out from the hangars, a sort of crude defense force but an intact one nonetheless. The Jia'gaalars and Kotir's that had accompanied the shuttles would become occupied as they separated from the shuttles, dog fighting in the clouds and above the battlefield.

The Solus would split off when they neared the port as different platforms would be attacked, occupying most of the forces and preventing the Sith from being flanked. Nox would land near the actual hangars, corkscrewing in the air to avoid multiple shots before he could land with a thud. Instead of occupied/empty hangers, they would be completely fortified from the inside, sandbags and crates lined up to provide a line of cover for the defenders. One of the fighters would still be landed but an operator in the cockpit, the weapon system activated. By the time the first Mandalorians landed, they would be subjected to a hail of blaster bolts.

Nox immediately dove for cover behind his own crate, a portion of it pushed inward from the assault. The weapon system from the fighter roared, the laser cannons letting loose on their position. Standing up from his cover, multiple bolts would be fired back before he caught the tiefling's question and ducked. Nox glanced at the fighter then those around, his head bouncing left to right until he answered with strain, "Swimmingly" As if on cue, a missile from the fighter locked onto one of the shuttles and let loose.

As if on cue, right after Nox's answer, Altair would feel the ground shake as multiple explosions rocked the port behind him.
 
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