Ask Way-laid

[Valfreyja Tysdottor]

Being a gun, fist or brain for hire had its perks. It got you around the galaxy, made you a lot of friends, yes some enemies but usually if you told them you did it for the money they would at least give you half a smile. Plus she learned a lot, Valfreyja had only been away from the 'roid' for just over the year, but in that time she had seen much of what the galaxy had to offer, though seeing and experiencing were two different things and before she went home again she was determined to experience much much more. So that is what found her on this forest planet, 'Wayland' the women who stood next to her had called it, they had met through the back channels were someone such as her was hired. Valfreyja knew little to nothing about the women, but others who had worked with or fore her in the past had vouched for her when Valfreyja had checked around but she still kept her wits about her just encase.

They stood at the top of a small rise, in the distance she could see the ruins of a crashed ship, it apparently belonged to Casany's (@Die Shize) people, or had. She was not a hundred percent sure, all she knew is that the ship had gone off the radar months ago but where they were not sure until a distress beacon appeared the past week. It could have been a trap, the beacon activating after all this time, that was the reason she was here Valfreyja guessed. "Do you expect any survivors?" She asked her eyes scanning the crash site and surrounding trees for something to show signs of life.

@Die Shize

 

[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Music OOC

It ought to have been a one-woman job. It became a job for two on account of needing someone to back her up. That someone might have been a Mandalorian, given who they were tracking down, but apparently this Valfreyja had been closest with even more experience on asteroids than Casany had.

The Redault, it turned out, had been on a mining expedition before her distress signal came all the way from Weyland. Casany did not know what to expect on the planet or in the ship anymore than her partner did but, if nothing else, having both an able body and an able mind for such topics could come in handy.

“I never expect survivors in these scenarios,” the Mandalorian answered simply, speaking into the wind. It was a gust one moment and a gentle breeze the next, would have been blowing against hair were it not for the helmet that covered Casany’s face. “As much as they never expect me.”

Yet, here she was, one armored Mandalorian on the hunt for others like her, hoping they were alive in that crashed ship after all. From afar, it bore no signs of attack; maybe Valfreyja could ascertain that herself but her counterpart certainly could.

“I don’t see anyone or anything, including those people and things that want to shoot us or eat us, so, yeah.” With a shrug, Casany began marching down the rise, assuming that her partner would follow her. The sooner they reached the ship, well, the sooner any survivors might still be breathing.

@Braden

 

[Valfreyja Tysdottor]

It seemed as if Casany was a 'glass half empty' kind of gal, with her statement about survivors. Valfreyja had been brought up to think upon the positive side of such engagements, that hope and strength is what got her people through their harsh lives clinging to the sides of chunks of rock floating through the empty expanse of space. Valfreyja's partially braided hair blew back from her face as the breeze pulled up the valley, she took a deep breath in, her mind and senses still finding fascination and thrill in the great outdoors.

The Mandalorian began making her way down towards the ship and Valfreyja diligently followed, her eyes were on the horizon dancing around looking for movement. They danced up into the sky as well encase the 'Redault' had been shot down instead of crashed. A ship could still be circling awaiting the response party to their initial attack. It was a tactic often used by pirates in the outer rim.

Reaching the edge of the wreck their was the tell tale sign of plasma blasts upon the rim, however they were small, personal fire, not starship. Something had happened on the ground after they had crashed it seemed. "Looks like they were set upon after the crash." A few pieces of debris and cargo had been set up as a barricade defending the side they were approaching from. As she rounded the barricade Valfreyja saw one of tis creators, dead, two blaster shots to the chest and one to the side of the head, though the helmet looked barely touched just a little scoring from the plasma. "Casany." She called out and once the women got closer she would ask if it was one of her people?

@Die Shize

 

[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Music OOC [Recurring]

Cas had been looking into the distance for any telltale signs of threats lurking nearby when her name was called. She approached the body with hand on holster, half-expecting something to pop out from the freighter.

The bolts to the chest had pierced the plate. Cas hesitated with taking the helmet off. No. He might be one of them. Some Mandalorians forbade their helmets to be removed, particularly in death.

“One of my people. That visor, black as space, all but speaks it. The signet of hammer and pickaxe confirms it. Not sure who, maybe Clan Octur. Miners and builders both, defending what they birth to their dying breath, like true Mandalorians.”

Cas sighed and wished she could watch the wind carry her own. Her eyes were as shadowed as the corpse's. “If this was a trap for us, well, whoever did this has yet to spring it. Ship looks stable so it is safer inside than exposed out here.”

Reaching Wayland, Cas had not detected a ship in the immediate area but that could change. More pressing, the two women were defenseless if they were attacked under the sun by ground forces. “Time to test those survivor theories. I”m heading in.” The Mandalorian proceeded to enter the Redault, blaster at the ready.

@Braden

 

[Valfreyja Tysdottor]

Valfreyja was a little confused when she seemingly refused to remove the persons helmet, maybe the blaster had gotten through? Ruined his face, she had seen it before and it was not a pretty sight, Casany confirmed him as a Mandalorian, it was strange though. "He is the only body." She said aloud, her eyes scanning the area around them. He couldn't be the only causality, the shots to the chest meant that they had gotten close, there is no way the assaulters had moved from the rise to here across the open field without one casualty. And why would his own people leave him here.

Before she had time to think further on it, Casany had moved away from her and the dead Mandalorian and was making her way towards the blown out air lock. Hoisting the light repeater up she jogged to catch up with the armoured women. From the look of the door it had been blown from the inside, perhaps they were stuck inside and needed to get out. No matter if it was an escape or not dozens of plasma burns surrounded the entrance, this had either been a break out point or a last defence she wasn't sure.

The light repeater was going to be too clumsy inside the ship, so she pushed the large weapon around her body slinging it on her back and pulling out her blaster. "After you."

@Die Shize

 

[Casany Praxor]

Cas had no time to waste waiting around for an ambush. At least in the freighter she could check her doors and corners a lot more than outside. Whatever waited for her in the Redault would not have to wait long. There was a dead Mandalorian outside and this one wanted to know why.

“Don’t mind if I do,” Cas thanked her counterpart. That said, the entrance, or what was left of it, did not look in the least bit inviting. Did he get shot on the way in or out? Even in this area there were no more bodies that she could see. The uncertainty of it all made the woman glad that she had someone else beside her to watch her back, Mandalorian or otherwise.

Cas stepped forward and entered the ship, pistol leading the way. It was as dark as a hole should be. “Looks like the lights are out.” A wall switch proved that theory. “Hope you brought a flashlight.” All the Mandalorian needed was the night vision of her helm but had a flashlight to spare.

The corridor curved away from the entrance, forcing Cas to round it for a better view. There was a wall ahead but the corridor itself split either way into a T-junction. “Left or right?" Ready to go left, she was in no rush, moving carefully while checking those corners. It’s too…quiet.


@Braden

 

[Valfreyja Tysdottor]

The inside of the ship was completely black, no power, that wasn't a good sign. Either the reactor was switched off or blown apart, from the crash site the lack of huge creator meant the later was highly unlikely. The crashed Mandalorian's wouldn't have turned it off, the reactor signature is one of the easiest things to spot from orbit, not considering it also gave them light, heat and electricity. Whatever had happened they were not the last people here.

"Always prepared." Valfreyja replied, more for herself than Casany, the flashlight attached to her light repeater was easily detachable for such a thing. With a blaster in her right hand and flashlight in her left Val slowly followed the women through the bowels of the ship. They hadn't gotten far when Casany stopped signalling a crossroad ahead. Peaking round herself to have a look whilst Casany provided cover she flashed her light up to see a pair of signs before ducking back behind the wall.

"Left is the bridge, right the engineering. With no power bridge is pointless, I say lets see if we can get some aux power on first."

@Die Shize

 

[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Cas wondered what they would find in the bridge but until power was restored no computer could tell them anything. To unravel the mystery they would have to pull one thread at a time. But what happened? What happened to my people?

“Solid copy,” Cas concurred as the pair moved toward engineering. Whatever waited for them there might have its own story as to why there was no power. She hoped the explanation wasn’t hostile. “I’ll take point.”

The pair would be moving close together but somebody had to be up front while the other covered the back. Night vision and flash light aside, they could still get jumped from out of nowhere.

As they moved, Cas raced scenarios through her mind. There was a dead Mandalorian outside, no comrades lying beside him, and the ship carried telltale signs of a breach. More than that. Something’s not right.

The lounge and galley were posted on the left. With no power, there was no telling what the refrigerator would look like. Cas could have sworn she heard something clang from behind the door as she passed it by. Like a spoon upon a plate…or I imagined it.

“Here we are,” the Mandalorian motioned to the sign at the end of the corridor that read ‘Engineering’. She approached the door. “Locked. Nope, sealed shut...from the other side.”


@Braden

 

[Valfreyja Tysdottor]

It was comforting to have someone as confident as her taking some lead. She was tired of pushing through everything on her own, so to have someone who was willing to pick up a blaster and take point was a breath of fresh air. Valfreyja's eyes slid from one side of the corrdior to the other, taking stock of each room as they passed, her flashlight trying to cover all angles during the short moment she could peer through the door or window.

It was cold in here, she doubted the Mandalorian could feel it through her armour, but without any power the metal casket had become like a fridge. The hair on the back of her arms and neck stood up at the temperature drop, she would definitely head to a heating rack once they got the reactor back online.

When Casany reached the door and gave her little breakdown of the issue she sighed. "I wish things could be simple for a change." She said more to herself than the Mandalorian, moving closer to the door she gave her own view over the door. She had spent half her life defending and attacking craft like this, she knew how these doors could be sealed and unsealed. Putting her blaster in its holster she moved towards the control panel, pulling a knife free she plied it away from the wall.

Flashlight in her mouth to give her two free hands she started delving into the wires and circuits that controlled the system. "I'm gona ned pwer sorc." She tried around the flashlight, they could possible kick start the door panel and unlock this, but he would need something to send a jolt through the system.

@Die Shize

 

[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Music OOC [Recurring]

Well, her partner was proving her worth even more. The woman clearly knew how to work a sealed door. The knife, though, could only get them so far as she had conveyed. Cas had meanwhile been wondering more about this Valfreyja, her people, but such was a story for a brighter corridor.

“On it.” Tempted to fire her blaster though she was, Cas didn’t want to destroy that door panel so much as nudge it. “Will this do?” Upon checking her person, she offered a stun-gun, courtesy of many a bounty hunter.

Whether her hope was in vain or not, there wouldn’t be much time to deal with it. Just then, there was that noise again, only louder. It came from the lounge and sounded like a metal dish crashing onto the floor.

“We don’t get power back on I’ll have to go find out what that is...as is.” Cas had her night vision, more effective than a flash light, and would take point toward that lounge as well if need be.


@Braden

 

[Valfreyja Tysdottor]

"Well I hope all that shiny armour isn't for show then." She replied with a smile taking the stun-gun from the weapon. It would be enough, she needed the power source from the weapon not its output. Letting the door panel hand free, she turned her attention to the weapon. She let off the stored charge and then went about dismantling the weapon.

It didn't take long, these were built to be torn down and repaired with ease so after only a minute or so she had removed the battery from the gun. Handing the now useless shell back to Casany "Maybe you can use it as a club." With the power cell in hand she turned back to the door, pulling wires from the harness and connecting them up to their new power source.

The noise down the hallway became louder but she tried to drown it out, if it was dangerous Casany would handle it, if she couldn't then Valfreyja wouldn't be able to make much difference anyway. "There." She said as she connected the final wire, a pulse of energy flew through the mechanism for a moment the panel lit up, illuminating her body with a light blue glow. A thump rang out as the override on the door was activated for a moment shoving it about three inches open before the power cell died. Dropping the power cell and the panel Valfreyja moved her fingers into the gap and began pulling the door open. "Wanna give me a hand?"

@Die Shize

 

[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Music OOC [Recurring]

Cas received her useless shell with some measured thanks. “Maybe I can throw it at someone in shiny, showy armor.” She was all too glad that her partner was making progress. The Mandalorian would prefer the power and lights to come back on before it came time to kill someone. Or something. No telling what the hell happened here…yet.

She knew just as well that it could be some misplaced rat hopping around the galley reaping the spoils. Experience had taught her how often that was the case and the cause for concern was misplaced. Not always. Not at all. Sometimes it's a giant rat trying to eat you.

Cas lowered her blaster and turned to present company upon being asked to lend a hand. “I’ll give you two.” She wedged her fingers into the gap and pulled. It took some effort but that effort was twofold and finally the door gave way.

The room beyond it was another dark chamber. Cas took point once again, relying on the wonders of her shiny helm, blaster leading the way. Typical for Engineering, the ship’s innermost systems were housed here, but none were heard to be humming.

The Mandalorian moved cautiously. Door was sealed from this side. Whoever sealed it might still be alive. Might be hiding. Might be hostile. That was an obvious enough notion that she did not need to voice it aloud to her companion.

“Aux power,” Cas gestured toward a console. She didn’t mean to make Valfreyja Party Mechanic but figured that if anyone should guard both persons, well, leave that to the Mandalorian.


@Braden

 

[Valfreyja Tysdottor]

Valfreyja pulled with all her might and the door only budged a few inches, but as the Mandalorian grasped her fingers around its edge it finally began to move. First a little then once the resistance bar had been passed it flew back almost removing both their fingers on the other side.

As Casany moved inside Valfreyja picked up the torch she dropped when trying to pull open the door and followed inside. She kept her blaster holstered instead trying to look around for a command panel anything that would give them some power. It took them a few moments before they found something, it was the secondary power start up panel, ships usually carried a bunch of batteries for use when looking to run dark on when docked at a planet/station. Hopefully this one had some charge.

She stepped up onto the small raised location which housed the panel and began looking around. It was an old system, more physical dials and levers than the digital ones of more modern ships. But she got the jist of it, luckily the controls were in basic and not translated to Mando'a. Valfreyja began moving through the start up process, on the last lever she heard something behind her.

Before she could react an arm reached around her throat and pulled her backwards.

@Die Shize

 

[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Cas had kept lookout, checking the entrance they had just breached in case some giant rats scurried from the galley to engineering. Her visor swept around the latter itself, never drifting too far from her companion as she worked away.

Back to back, the Mandalorian leveled her blaster toward the ceiling. People tended to only check doors and corners, never the ceiling, but she had been jumped by flying and clinging things more times than she’d like to count.

She turned back around, spotted Valfreyja with her head to the panel, spotted something down the room, did not hesitate.

On instinct, Cas wrapped her arm around the woman’s throat and pulled her backwards—just as a bolt flew toward the wall and where her head had been.

“Tango!” The Mandalorian confirmed as her own blaster coughed a few bolts. The shape at the other end of the room ducked into cover and so did Cas, crouching behind a console.

Exchanging lasers in Engineering was not at all ideal. Was the initial shot aimed to kill or deter? She didn’t see much of the figure but she saw enough. Their helmet, that visor, was as unmistakable as her own and as the corpse outside.


@Braden

 

[Valfreyja Tysdottor]

It was a sudden yank that almost took all the wind from her lungs, but Casany had at least been gentle in her landing as she pulled her away from the blaster bolt. It sank into the wall behind her, dangerously close to the battery storage. Then Casany let out a few shots of her own, more to give them both cover than strike to kill, but still those shots put Valfreyja's nerves on ice in this tight confined space.

No shots were fired for a moment, which calmed her just enough to call out. "Can we not shoot blasters next to the reactor please." Her voice had an edge of panic, not at being shot but of the explosive materials behind her turning them all into tiny particles. She waited for a moment before raising her hands up above the console in a sign she had no weapons. "There are two of us and one of you. Lets no be rash and lets not kill all three of us with a stay bolt. Lets just talk."

With that she slowly stood up from behind the cover, she wore little armour maybe enough to protect her from a direct hit to the chest or shoulder otherwise it was more for shrapnel defense than direct blaster bolts. She just had to trust this shooter was not an enemy or at least Casany could get a shot off before Val was killed.

@Die Shize

 

[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Music OOC [Recurring]

Reactive, her shooting had been, but even the instinctive attacks of a Mandalorian were generally on target. Cas had coughed a few bolts intentionally toward the wall across the length of flooring, away from vital items, just to show their attacker that these two guests weren’t prey, but had no mind to keep firing.

Whoever this other Mandalorian was, if they had most of their mental faculties intact, whatever happened on this ship might just have put them so on edge as to fire lasers in Engineering. Valfreyja, meanwhile, had just put Cas on edge.

That’s one way to get shot. She would have settled for her partner staying in cover and letting the tinwoman be the one to stand up, but this would still work. Hesitant to pull the trigger, Cas angled her pistol around the console and searched for a target but found none.

“If I go,” called the attacker from across the room. “I’m taking the reactor and both of you with me!” It was a hostile comment but it was not followed with an attack. “I won’t be taken alive! Not like my vods!”

What’s got him so spooked? “Like me?” Cas motioned for Val to let her try as she slowly rose, pistol in hand but hands up. She wasn’t taking any chances. “Look at my helm, vod. It’s just like yours. We’re not here to kill you or take you anywhere you don’t want to go. We’re here to find out what happened. To help.”

There was no response. Then the figure emerged, training a pistol of their own, and that was fine under the circumstances. The man's armor was blue and gray. Clan Octur.

"Why...Why are you two here?"

@Braden