Uprising in Hutta! -- Welcome to the Party

[Drace Solus]

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Nar Shaddaa
Business district​

It was like the Imperial Hutta stood still. Its Holonet severed, the sector was suddenly crippled by its isolation. Businessmen could no longer conduct trade deals over long-distance calls. Cartel leaders could no longer give out orders to thugs on the other side of the galaxy. Average citizens could no longer watch shows or check their feed or do anything else. Many devices had been rendered useless by the blackout. But not the most important device of them all: the traditional blaster.

Drace patrolled the relatively crowded streets, the billboards around him dark now. People seemed dazed, if not outright frantic, and officers were scattered among the mass to prevent things from getting out of hand. Unfortunately for the officials, they were severely outgunned and outnumbered.

The Mandalorian spared a look to his partner. They both knew what they were going to do, so there was no need for words; they could be overheard. The most important thing right now was to get the party started, then get the hell out before consequences made themselves known to them.

So, after a quick nod to Leandros, Drace waved to a nearby law enforcement official, his other hand holding his rifle. The Mandalorian was as armed as ever, but half of his usual entourage was gone--he didn't want Dinii to get lost among the crowd, as much as the badger would have loved to tear some people apart.

"Excuse me, officer!" It sounded innocent, despite the fact that it was coming from a man fully decked out in beskar'gam and holding a rifle. Likely for that reason, the officer eyed him suspiciously. But that didn't matter. He just needed the man to get a little closer.

The enforcer wasn't even 5 meters away when Drace, without warning, lifted his rifle and filled him with plasma, riddling bolts into the man until his chest--and the Imperial seal on it--was blackened and sizzling. Shocked unlookers screamed. Other officers approached. And a good amount of people had taken the cue, attacking the officers before they could reach the Mandalorian.

The party had begun.

@Painus

 

[Leandros Solus]

Nar Shaddaa.

Never was there a more wretched den of iniquity in the galaxy. No other planet seethed with as much crime and sin than the Smuggler’s Moon. It was a place of cruel, selfish, carnal desire; where one wanted something, they were expected to get it themselves by any means necessary. This planet epitomized the idea of “dog eat dog world,” and there was no escaping the grim reality of such a planet. Gangs ruled the alleys, shopkeepers never went anywhere without a weapon, and the Hutts kept an iron grip over the crime in the area.

The Imperials could try to bring order and structure to this planet all they wanted – their efforts were in vain. Nothing could bring a planet dedicated to chaos to heel, not even the might of the Imperial war machine. No force under the stars could stem the tide of greed. The HoloNet going down only exacerbated the problem; criminals saw their opportunity to advance where they previously could not. Without access to long-range communications, Imperial garrisons were stranded and isolated, left on their own to fend for themselves against a disgruntled populace. Their attempts to oppress the ruthlessly-independent people of Nar Shaddaa were coming back to bite them.

Leandros strolled down the avenue with a comrade he had not yet fought alongside – a young Marauder named Drace. He knew nothing of this clansman, though he probably ought to get to know him. These days he was a busy, busy man. Being on the war council of Mand’alor the Chosen occupied a great deal of his time, and it was becoming more difficult to battle with his lower-ranking brethren. Luckily, the events occurring within Imperial Hutta space provided the perfect opportunity to do exactly that.

He was clad in his typical iconic black-and-red armor adorned with the various sigils of his station within the clans and carried his usual assortment of weapons – beskad, Shriek-hawk, Strill, Quickdraw, lightsaber, and various frag grenades. He opted out of bringing the PIPE along this time for… well, some reason. It was a cumbersome weapon, truth be told. He was much more mobile without it and could still cause mayhem.

Drace, as it became known to Leandros during their walk, gave a quick nod before summoning one of the local law enforcement officers over. The man warily approached right as Drace picked his rifle up and fired a series of bolts into his chest, killing him. The officer’s corpse dropped to the ground like a sack of rocks as his body sizzled. Several onlookers – the ones not screaming – took this as their opportunity to get in on the action. Producing vibroblades, blasters, and other improvised weapons, they quick set upon the other officers. Leandros drew his quickdraw and fired once at an officer lifting his rifle to fire upon them. A pair of bolts streaked towards and nailed him before he could get a shot off. Drawing his beskad in his other hand, Leandros shouted above the din of the building riot, ”No more Imperials!”

He pointed his beskad forward towards a small Imperial garrison building, signaling for the people to make their way towards it and continue their streak of madness.

@vamp

 

[Drace Solus]

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Drace was all too aware that he was in the presence of a Field Marshal on the war council. He wasn't nervous, though he did know first impressions are important, and he didn't intend to make an ass of himself. Really, there was no way to do that, considering their mission. The only way this mission could be deemed a failure is if they didn't rack up millions in property damage.

Drace drew his beskad and the crowd surged toward the building when Leandros pointed at it, a mass of hollering and bloody criminals, mercenaries, and normal citizens sprawling toward the building, waving guns and melee weapons. Drace noticed a man holding a traffic cone as a weapon. To his surprise, the traffic cone had blood splattered on one of its corners, as if it had been used to bludgeon someone to death. To his right by a few meters was Leandros, who seemed completely comfortable amid screaming rioters. He'd probably seen a lot of shit in his time; this probably felt like Sunday brunch for him.

"Do you suppose they'll call for backup?" Drace asked calmly into their comms. Kriff, can they call for backup? Would the reinforcements even arrive? The Holonet was down, so the law enforcement would have to rely on short range communication, and it would be extremely hard to get a message through with the massive crowd blocking the streets.

They all slammed into the glass front of the building, squeezing the first row of people to death between the lobby's bulletproof glass walls and the hundreds--if not thousands--of bodies. Those closest to the building would be able to hear cracking, though it was hard to figure whether it was of bones or of glass. Slowly but surely, and definitely painfully, the walls gave way, and the crowd spilled in to the lobby. Soldiers had done their best to barricade it, to no avail. Throats were slit as soon as the walls were breached. Shattered glass cut into the skin of those who had been unfortunate enough to have been in the lobby when the front exploded inwards. Criminals made for the stairs, and the scourge slowly crawled up to the higher levels. Perhaps equipping an Imperial garrison with a modern lobby had been a mistake.

Drace embedded his beskar into a nearby Imperial soldier, who was clawing at the glass shards in his face. It would be a bad idea to get separated, so he turned to see which way Leandros wanted to go.

@Painus

 

[Leandros Solus]

”Kill the Imperials!”

The cry went out above the roar of the building crowd, the people growing more and more bold as others joined them. Citizens and criminals of all kinds made their way to the streets, eager to throw off their Imperial shackles. Leandros marched along as the teeming crowd pushed and shoved against them, the burgeoning tide of pissed-off Nar Shaddaa elements operating as a single massed entity. He had been busy these past few days inciting riots and causing wanton destruction across the sector. From blowing up an Imperial munitions factory on this planet to starting a revolt against the Hutts on Nal Hutta, the Mandalorian had grown used to seeing dissatisfied people taking up arms against their overlords.

Drace spoke over their shared internal comms, wondering if the Imperials could call for backup. Leandros thought for a moment before shaking his head, replying with ”They’re spread thin enough as it is. This place is isolated.” It was not like the Imperials could do much else; the mob of people far outnumbered whatever pitiful amount of protection that the building had.

As the surging crowd crashed against the building’s lobby like a vengeful wave, Leandros would signal to Drace to follow him down the street. Their work on this part was done, but they still needed to cause some more damage. The crowd of people would snowball and build upon itself as others joined their cause, so it was up to the two Mandalorians to have some fun with this little mission.

It seemed like the Imperials managed to get some kind of distress call out in time before being overrun, since a small convoy of Imperial speeders laden with troops came careening around the corner a few dozen meters down. With the mob of people otherwise occupied with looting and random acts of violence, the Imperials would surely be able to gun down a significant portion of it. Leandros looked to Drace and spat out, ”Get to cover!” before jumping up and triggering his jetpack’s combat function, sending him nine meters into the air and on a balcony of sorts about six meters off the ground.

Once Drace was in position, Leandros would raise his wrist and fire a rocket into the open-topped lead vehicle, hitting it in such a way so as to shred the soldiers with the sudden shrapnel and explosive force, beginning their little ambush.

@vamp

 

[Drace Solus]

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It would have been a bad idea to remain in the buildings, and that slowly became more and more clear as the two made their way down the street. They were going against the current, since everyone was making a dash toward the garrison, hoping to get in on some fun as well.

Imperial troops turned the corner, and Drace dived for cover even before Leandros could look at him, the Marauder stashing his beskad back in its hilt and drawing his rifle. It would be useless against the armored vehicles, but certainly more useful than a melee weapon. He aimed the blaster over the overturned speeder he'd ducked behind, bracing it up against the side of the vehicle. The Mandalorian waited until the rocket made impact, and as the lead vehicle went up, watched the chain reaction that followed. Several of the soldiers walking alongside the convoy had been blown to bits, while others that were farther away were recovering on the ground, tending to broken bones. Behind, Drace could see a few more speeders and a small group of about 3 fit troops, who were pushing forth nonetheless.

The charred remains of landspeeders and corpses were still smoking from the impact, some covered in small flames that would no doubt spread. The newcomers seemed to be a bit apprehensive about walking through the fire that was beginning to gather in the center of the street.

Drace opened fire as the soldiers began moving in with more purpose. His shots were clean and precise, aiming for vitals and spots the armor didn't defend. Blaster bolts whizzed over his head, some even charring the tips of his hair, but he was well defended. Still, Drace could notice the durasteel of the speeder slowly melting from the amount of damage it was taking, so its was time to move. He took down 2 soldiers with head and neck shots before standing up and nodding to Leandros, replacing his rifle with his pistol, his beskad finding his free left hand.

"I'm moving in!" he called out, vaulting the broken speeder and charging into the small group. He slammed his beskad into the closest Imperial soldier, the blade cutting deep into flesh, ignoring his armor. Drace grabbed the man and used his as a shield while firing on his two comrades. Speeders in the distance were gaining ground, but he knew Leandros had his back from the balcony.

A bolt slammed into his forearm and he nearly dropped the corpse, his armor luckily absorbing much of the damage. The man who'd fired the bolt dropped dead a second later, a shot to the head and two to the chest, leaving Wes in a 1 v 1 with the last troop standing, who'd taken cover.

@Painus

 

[Leandros Solus]

Up on top of the balcony, Leandros could see a great deal of the street. Behind in the direction the two Mandalorians came from, the crowd was pretty much in a state of total, uncaring, catastrophic anarchy. Shops were being torched for no good reason and the people were fighting each other as much as they were fighting the law enforcement. Honestly, it was entirely what he expected from the untamed citizens of Nar Shaddaa, but it was still extremely humorous, nonetheless. On more than one occasion he witnessed groups of rioters assist one another in their mayhem, only for one group to turn on the other the moment they had the advantage or desire to take what the others had.

This truly was a lawless planet.

Meanwhile, on their street, the Imperial reinforcements were not reacting well to the sudden ambush. Drace took cover behind an overturned speeder and swapped to his rifle for the engagement. Leandros did the same, sheathing his beskad and holstering his Quickdraw in favor of his Shriek-hawk rifle. While Drace was on the ground, the older Mandalorian would provide overwatch.

The convoy’s lead vehicle went up in flames after his wrist rocket made contact. The troopers were either shredded by the shrapnel, burned in the flames, or crushed by the vehicle as it exploded. The rest of the convoy, however, shuddered to a stop and prepared to move on foot around the wreckage and repel the attackers. Drace opened fire just as Leandros did, their bolts striking from two different directions as the soldiers took cover against the ambush. He slew two troopers who had slid behind cover to fire at Drace, oblivious to the vantage of Leandros. They dropped with shots to the back, slumping against their cover without a fight.

Return fire came his direction now that they figured out where he was, but it lessened the volley heading towards Drace. His comrade leapt over his cover and engaged the soldiers in melee, relying on the Field Marshal for overwatch. As he took a human shield, Leandros fired a controlled pair of bolts at the man Drace did not kill. The shots hit him in the small of the back and he screamed out in pain before gasping in death.

The speeders in the distance closed with their positions and more soldiers climbed out. By his estimation, Leandros counted six more soldiers taking cover. Drace was out in the open and the guards were beginning to prepare to open fire. Leandros let loose a barrage of shots in their direction just to keep them down while Drace moved to a better position. ”More Imperials,” he spoke into their comms as he provided his covering fire.

@vamp

 

[Drace Solus]

.

The Imperials wouldn't stop coming. Drace was a bit surprised the cowards hadn't given up by now. They'd let crime run rampart for so long; why even try to keep the planet?

He noticed the speeders, and holstered his beskad before throwing himself toward a storefront, diving right through the window and vaulting for cover behind the counter. His armor mitigated the damage and ensured the glass shattered properly, though he could feel tiny stings in his hands and shoulders. It would be a pain in the ass to fish the shards out later.

He once again braced his gun up against the counter, this time more properly defended. If anyone wanted to get to him, they would need to enter the store, and they would be filled with plasma way before they could.

Drace could see one of the soldiers behind cover directly in front of him, about 30 meters away. Taking the opportunity, he shot three times, two bolts finding home in the man's arm and shoulder. He slumped over, blaster clattering to the duracrete. The others had noticed him, and were slowly leaving cover to engage. Drace shot three down before they could reach for their blasters, then ducked as a few bolts whizzed past his head and struck the wall behind, blowing the packs of cigarras that had been on display there. He returned fire, taking one out with a bolt to the face, leaving a single Imperial left out in the open.

"Would you like the honors?" he asked into the comms ceremoniously.

And after that, it was time to haul ass.

@Painus

 

[Leandros Solus]

With the new Imperials having arrived on the scene to reinforce their comrades that had taken a brutal and swift beating, Leandros was beginning to doubt his claim that the garrison they attacked was as isolated as he thought. It could have been bad fortune alone that brought so many Imperials to their position, but it certainly helped their case of wanting to kill as many Imperials as possible and cause general mayhem. The six more troopers hustled to and fro, taking up positions and getting ready to assault the two Mandalorians.

Drace, being the immediate threat, drew most of their ire and attention. They focused on him as he crashed through the window of a nearby shop and took up a defensive position. He fired out several times, killing a good portion of the troopers. Leandros watched with uncaring judgment as the marauder dispatched the troopers, glad that he could handle himself. Granted, he was facing an unworthy foe, but he was outnumbered nonetheless and surviving despite those odds. So long as blood flowed, Kad Ha’rangir was satisfied with the offerings.

As he finished up, he left a single trooper standing in the open. The man backed away and dove for cover from the Mandalorian inside the shop. However, he completely forgot the Mandalorian in a vantage point above him. His entire body was exposed and Leandros capitalized on this. In the span of a second, he fired a pair of bolts that the man noticed far, far too late. They slammed against his chest and burned through whatever armor he was wearing. He shuddered violently before slumping against his protection, his life short-lived.

With the final Imperial dead, Leandros vaulted over the edge of the balcony and used his jetpack to lower himself down to the street again where Drace was. Sweeping across the area to ensure that it was empty and free of Imperials, he maneuvered past the burning wreckage of landspeeders towards the storefront.

”It’s clear,” he spoke into their comms, keeping his rifle at a low ready. As the younger man left his cover, Leandros would continue, ”We’re going to torch a few buildings and continue on,” he asserted, motioning to the various stores around them. They still needed to cause some more mayhem before he considered their job concluded.

@vamp

 

[Drace Solus]

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Drace rose from cover as the Imperial crumpled to the ground, stopping by the corpse before he moved on. The Mandalorian was searching for something specific, and eventually, his hand closed around it. He snatched a grenade off the man's belt and stuffed it on his, even though he would use it in a few moments.

He followed Leandros, rifle in hand. A rioter charged at them waving a kitchen knife, but the Mandalorian shot him in the forehead before he could get any closer than 5 meters. Likewise, several others approached at various points of their walk, but Drace took anyone out if they seemed hostile and got too close. They couldn't afford to take out an entire Imperial convoy and then get taken down by a 43 year old man with a knife. It would be damn shameful.

Drace stopped several meters away from a 10 story tall office building. Its windows were shattered and the reception area empty, but it had papers scattered everywhere. The Mandalorian took the grenade off his belt and chucked it into the building. The explosion followed a second later, blowing a hole into the far wall. The papers caught fire, the blaze slowly spreading through the lobby. The carpet met with the flame, and soon enough, the entire lobby was burning intensely, already spreading to the upper floors. Anyone still in the building would be unfortunate enough to find that they were about to burn to death.

Looking around at the chaos, it was hard to believe it had been started by only two people. Hell, he'd been the one to throw the first punch, and now the entire district was in flames and littered with corpses.

"Kad Ha'rangir smiles on us today, brother."

@Painus

 

[Leandros Solus]

The duo walked along the street as rioters and criminals alike hollered and whooped, burning, looting, killing, and everything in between. The HoloNet going down and isolation of the Imperials really brought out the worst in these people, it seemed. Granted, it did not help much that the Mandalorians had come specifically with the goal of inciting a riot. These people were just looking for an excuse to do some damage to both the Imperials and each other and the Mandalorians were the catalyst they needed to start their streak of mayhem.

Drace put down a few of the more rabid rioters as they charged the Mandalorians and Leandros did the same. On more than one occasion, a rioter charged at them with some kind of improvised weapon only to be shot down by one of the two Mandalorians like some kind of feral hound. These people were acting on their primal impulses and just going absolutely haywire with their newfound freedom. They were not even free yet! He could not imagine how they would act once the Imperials had been ousted from this region of space. It would be madness.

Drace tossed a grenade into an office building, sending it up in flames in short order. Leandros, while the Marauder torched his own building, tossed two of his frag grenades into two different shops, blowing out the windows and destroying whatever was inside. They were ruining peoples’ livelihoods, but it did not matter. Their goal, after all, was to do exactly that. The people would presumably want revenge against whomever did this, and they would, naturally, likely blame the Imperials for their lack of protection, thus beginning a new cycle of rioting. It was brilliant.

Muttering a simple litany of thanks to the gods, Leandros turned around and looked upon the chaos they had created. Drace stood beside him and spoke, to which Leandros simply nodded and replied with a ”Kad Ha’rangir smiles upon us every day that we kill in His name.”

With that, he turned to leave and go onto the next riot.

@vamp

//end thread