OOC:

RAIDERS

    Tremors began overcoming every muscle in Xylonia’s body.  Heat exploded in her blood, and she felt it boiling in every inch of her body. 

    “…Pretty good drug cocktail helps though, but she is still unstable.”  Joamer’s words rampaged through her head.

    Drugs?!  Drugs?!  She’s constantly high and unstable, and Joamer even announces it to the enemy?!  They’re frakking insane!   Xy took flank behind Fikk and the others.  No way am I letting her be behind me.  No frakking way!   Deep breaths came out between her gritted teeth making hissing noises.  She felt betrayed, betrayed by those she started to put some serious trust in.  Fire erupted in her heart, burning black.  A flashback started to claw at her brain trying to crawl out and escape.    NO! Not here, not now.  I am more in control than some druggy.    The orbs that were normally grey, blue or even green, slowly turned gold, light and stark.  She focused those orbs onto Fikk, to control herself. 

    The unit walked apprehensively, waiting for an attack or ambush.  The flashback attack completely disappeared as clarity overcame her on the importance of succeeding the mission. Now that she distrusted not only her Squad Leader, but her Assistant Squad Leader, she took that burden upon her own shoulders.    Frelling burn in hell…   Blaster fire in the distance put them all on edge and Xy pulled her other blaster pistol from its concealed hiding spot, flicked off the safety and set it to kill, so that she was dual wielding.  Holding the blasters pointed upright, she held her breath listening for the inevitable.

    Familiar metal pellets fell around them like rain droplets and Xy wrapped her arm around Fikk’s throat, holding one of her pistols to his head. 

    “Don’t even think about it asshole.  You’re precious saviors won’t save you from me.”  Her voice growled menacingly, dripping with her new hatred for Joamer and Jaenna.

    As smoke enveloped them, Joamer shouted orders to surround Fikk and keep him from being taken.    Moron.  He should be worried about Fikk’s guard turning on us.    The other Raiders started firing their weapons.  Fikk held onto Xy’s forearm, seething his own hatred.

    “Clever girl…” Fikk hissed, slightly surprised she had grabbed him so quickly.

    Xy couldn’t see shit through the smoke.  Flexing her muscles and reinforcing her grip on Fikk, she kept the pistol pressed firmly into his temple.  A Blanchard suddenly came through the smoke, only inches away.  Xy’s free blaster sent the man sprawling backward, disappearing into the smoke as her blaster bolt melted into his skull.  Yelling, shouting, weapon fire surrounded her and Fikk, blind to what was happening.  Another operative appeared through the smoke, trying to get to Fikk.  Xy fired another blaster shot, the energy bolt rammed into the man’s armored chest, but he kept coming at them.  Her black SCOPE armored elbow came around and made contact with his nose, sending the cartilage up into his brain.  The man fell to the ground motionless.  Despite the need to direct her allies, Xy remained silent so she would not give away her location and risk giving up Fikk.

OOC:

Word Count: 531

OOC:

ECLIPSE

“Who likes their Blan-charred!”

Congratulations, Kaye thought acidly in reply. You win the award for moron of the year.

She glared daggers at the Blackjack hotshot behind her helmet, deciding  to avoid him at all costs when the shit hit the fan. She was confident he was going to get killed in a blaze of stupidity before the day was out.

Her head swiveled away from the man to take in the rest of her surroundings. The architecture of the space station had been routine in the beginning, landing bays filled with sharp, symmetric angles, Spartan furnishings and faded paint; but as the two squads progressed further into the station’s superstructure, the ingenuity of its engineering was becoming apparent.  The highways were efficiently designed, not a millimeter of space wasted as they winded through the habitation blocks like a Xlox Serpent’s web-nest weaved through the circuitry of one of the many gas processors on Taloraan, the shithole mining world she grew up on.

It was indeed another example of the modern marvel that was Naval Engineering, and Kaye might have savored the craftsmanship more than she already if not for the ever-present distraction that was being scared shitless.

“We’re coming up on the locations intel has placed our codes at,” The ARC Commander Orr said, pointing. “We get off the main-way here and then we’ll take a super-elevator up ten floors, to the penthouses.”

“Where our objective is located,” The Blackjack CO returned. “We need to move in quickly; we’ll be facing a ton of resistance. This will only work if we smash in faster than they can sneeze, grab our objective, and smash our way back out.” Kaye rolled her eyes at that notion.

The rest of the trip underwent in relative silence, disregarding some side-conversations. The speeder softly hummed its way off the main-artery highway and coasted through the maze of side-streets before coming to a stop at their destination. The grav-lift was massive, large enough to fit at least a few hundred people on it, or several decently sized cargo-lifters.  The problem was reaching it. They were still at least a block away from the lift, but their speeder couldn’t get any closer due to waves of traffic stretching all the way to the lifter itself, most likely residents trying to flee the combat. The traffic was at a dead stop, and many of the speeders’ owners had decided to ditch their rides and complete the journey on foot.  Kaye groaned.

“Looks like it’s time to ditch the speeder.” Gates said. “Move out, squads.

As the soldiers disembarked from the speeder, a low whine emanating from the direction of where they’d just come drew Kaye’s attention. She looked back to see a formation of four large speeders turn the corner a couple of blocks further out and head straight towards them.

Their guns and design designated them as troop carriers, and Kaye groaned even louder when their insignia established them as not belonging to the Vast Empire.

OOC:

Wordcount: 500
In case anyone was wondering where I was trying to take this, I was thinking of maybe having a running firefight through the traffic to the elevator. But by all means, feel free to change it up.

OOC:

RAIDERS

    Despite the recent enlightenment of Jae’s predicament, Xy was not about to risk failing the mission because of her temper.  Besides, she had just heard a completely new tone in Jae’s voice.  She knows Joamer has frakked her now, yet she is not giving up.   Xy decided to follow Jae’s orders, giving her a chance.  Without any forewarning, a Blanchard bowled into her and Fikk, plowing them into the ground.  Fikk wriggled excitedly, trying to escape her grasp.  Her blaster pistol chirped as she slightly squeezed on the trigger, the intermittent bolt charging in the chamber, as she held back releasing it.

    “Get, off, NOW!”  Her voice howled angrily.

    Fikk froze as her pistol started bruising his temple with the force she held it against him.  The Blanchard operative continued to move however, and raised his fist high above him to bring down on her head.  Within a blink, she pointed the pistol at the Blanchard agent and shot him in the weak spot of his armor around his knees, just like Jae taught her.  Crumbling in pain, his fist came down on her chest instead.  Fikk took the opportunity to flee once her gun lifted from his head.  He crawled away slowly, his old bones holding him back.  Xy and the Blanchard became entangled in a wrestling match, each holding a pistol to each other’s heads.

    Fikk grinned, thinking he was free to run.  Jack came up behind the old geezer and took him in a choke hold.  Jack nodded to Xy, confirming she had Fikk secured.  Xy punched repeatedly at the Blanchard on top of her.  Punches came back at her.  They both fired blaster bolts at each other.  Holes in the Blanchard’s helmet smoked with the smell of burnt plastic.  Scorches marked the ground where Xy had dodged the blaster bolts aimed for her. 

    Most of the Jackal squad had evacuated down the alley, Raiders tailing them.  Joamer took off down the alley to help look after the Jackals and Jae stayed behind, covering Xy and Jack, refusing to turn her back on them.  The struggle continued to drag on, the Blanchard was putting up a pretty good fight and Xy gritted her teeth in frustration.

    “Enough of this shit!”  Xy threw her arm around his and twisted it back around, snapping his elbow backwards.  While he screamed in agony as it resounded in a loud crack, she drew her concealed combat knife from her boot and stabbed it into his neck between the plates of his chest armor and helmet.  Rolling him off of her, Xy clambered to her feet and nodded to Jack, who proceeded down the alley holding Fikk hostage.  Then Xy turned her golden eyes onto Jae and stared into the sea-foam lenses intently. Jae froze. She nodded without lifting her gaze, letting Jae know that she was with her, for now at least.  Together, the two women took off down the alley, firing at the advancing Blanchards behind them.

OOC:

Word Count: 499

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Blackjack/Eclipse

“Suppression! Now!” Gates barked at the two squads. Without a thought, each Stormtrooper turned their weapon towards the advancing troop carriers and opened up.

“One hundred meters!” Orr called out. “Elevator’s there, but we need to book it!”

The speeders screeched to a halt at the gunfire, the heavy rifles and slugs creating an intimidating sound and causing some serious dents. A military-grade troop transport or tank would have shrugged the small-arms fire aside and kept barrelling at the Stormtroopers, but this was a civilian model. SWAT officers poured out of the rears of the vehicles, a squad to a van. The small pintle-mounted guns started turning and firing at the Stormtroopers.

“Back! By the numbers - pattern Delta!” Gates sang out his orders, and the first half of the Stormtroopers laid off their fire and sprinted back to the first convenient cover. Then they turned and began to fire once again.

The SWAT officers began to try to move up, but the Stormtroopers would simply direct fire at them when they did, and a few men fell.

“Next!” Gates ordered, and the original position fell back beyond the first movers. In such a way, they covered forty meters in twenty seconds.

The speeder vans crawled forwards, but one had already been lamed by a lucky shot puncturing its front repulsorlifts, and it couldn’t move at all. SWAT officers rained fire back, but the Stormtroopers were quickly extending a lead and kept up their own gunfire at once, their military-grade weapons and armor making up for the discrepancy in numbers and vehicles.

Another frenzied minute of gunfighting, and the two squads reached the elevator. It was loaded with a dozen-odd pallets, some with packages or large crates stacked on them. They made perfect cover for the Imperials, who quickly threw themselves behind them and returned fire on the hotly-pursing Liberty Station forces.

“Does anyone see the controls?” Gates asked, bracing his aim on a box filled with canned soups before him. “If you can see them, hit ‘ten.’”

“Crest, over near you!” Valthir said from a few feet to Gates’ left, pointing at the scout’s position.

The trooper in question turned quickly and slammed a fist on the heavy-duty button. With a groan of repulsorlifts, the entire elevator platform began raising. Gates was duly impressed by the scale of the lifts; they were practically large enough to lift a starfighter on one of the old carrier-types or on a military transport. The security forces’ gunfire got even less likely to hit them as they rose in the lift tube.

“Penthouse level,” Gates said as the security forces’ gunfire pettered out completely. “The Wealthy, Blanchard, and Imperial Codes. Lock and load, Stormtroopers. Let’s finish this.”

OOC:

WC: 455
Got us up the elevator.

OOC:

JESTER

“Yours?” A rough female voice asked from behind her.

Bright didn't need to turn to look at the woman to know who the voice belonged to. She watched as Hammer dove back into the midst of Jesters mixed with Raitonin and freed prisoners. “Yeah.” Bright replied bringing her rifle up to check it's charge. The display remained a strong green indicating her charge was still good. “Here.” She said shortly shoving the rifle into the blond woman's hands.

“And what pray tell are you going to be shooting with.” The woman's blue eyes locked on to where Bright's would be behind her face plate.

Bright shrugged and unsheathed her blades. “I'm going to trust you not to shoot me and to kill every other bastard that tries to instead.”

“No pressure.” The blond smiled slightly and took cover behind the entrance aiming her newly acquired blaster rifle into the hallway. “You just don't want me to get shot.”

“You're right of course.” Bright muttered before using the shadows to get as far into the hallway as she could before the mercenaries turned the corner.

There they were, well armed and well armored. These guys wouldn't be so easy to take down. Just a little closer. Bright thought to herself, willing them to get within range of the two squads waiting for them at the entrance of the detention block.  That's it, right there is just fine. She grinned wolfishly and clicked her helmet comms as the signal for her guys to start shooting.

As they began shooting, Bright kept to the wall hoping that all of the mercs were focused on the red bolts flying at them. For the most part it worked and Bright made her kills swiftly then danced back into the shadows. The mercs didn't notice their own numbers dwindling until Bright became a little too careless. One of the mercs noticed her and leveled his weapon at her. She didn't have time to fear for her own life before his was taken from him, a red energy beam hitting him in the neck.

With her cover blown Bright simply began slicing and dicing her way through the mercenary squads until the battle was done and she stood at the end of the hall panting and holding her side. Blood dripping from her blades to pool at her feet. “Jester's form up. Take weapons or battery packs. I can promise more fighting ahead of us. We need to get back to the hanger. Our first priority is to get our freed comrades to safety, then to help the army clean up. They are going to need it from what I hear.”

“Are you shot?” Lilith asked rushing up to the platoon sergeant.

“Nothing that can't wait, Thanks anyway Lilith.” Bright replied. “Therex your up. You have the best eye sight of all of us, even if you are a little jumpy.”

OOC:

496. Jester/Raitonin/Jester POWs are on their way back to the hanger area. They have taken out several squad of Blanchard and Needle forces already and they will face more on the way. No the freed POWs are NOT cannon fodder and you are NOT allowed to let them die. Raitonin Squad is free game though.

POST JESTERS!

OOC:

RAIDERS

It was a constant struggle, each step the woman took weighed down by the young soldier she was trying to keep supported and standing. The movements were tough, slow and they were frustration the woman with each second that passed. She knew this frustration was because the spice was wearing off, she could feel her mind's protective mask lifting to reveal the anxiety ridden soft spot, but she refused to let it affect the help she was trying to hard to give the man on her shoulder. "Stay with me, Ruthard." She knew his answer wouldn't be entirely coherent, but that was okay because all she wanted to hear was something, anything. She was answered with soft moans and groans of pain and broken words here and there. It was all that the woman could ask for, and it was all that she would accept.

"I got ya, Ruthard. I got ya buddy." She kept repeating the same few phrases over and over and every time she did Jae noticed Joamer glancing back at her. She knew what it meant, she knew that he didn't like the way he kept encouraging the young soldier to keep moving, kept telling him that he was going to be okay. She clicked over to the private com again. "I only have one thing to say to you, Joamer. After I say this, I don't want any more shit from you. Ghost squad." She left the private com, and most likely a fuming Joamer, to silence.

Even with the blasters firing wildly, the smell of death and decay lifting into the air from the bodies the RAIDERS and Jackal continued to pass, Jae could still only smell the stench of the infected wound on the soldier she was helping down the hallway, and she knew that it'd be a long shot for him to survive, especially after the blood loss. "There's a room that intersect the hallway up here. Lets stop in and rest for thirty seconds. Dusk, Heliwer, Coadster and Beta will guard the two doors. Karash, tend to any wounds you can in that time, Jack keep your eye on Fikk. Everyone else recoup and if we get another chance to rest we'll switch jobs." Her word was final, and the entire group picked up a little speed, hoping to reach the room without any casualties.

"I see it!" Coadster shouted through the com, and that alone gave another boost of speed to the group as they continued to trot down the hallway, diring and taking out any mercs they could while dodging shots as well.

Finally, the group dove into the room, everyone taking their positions, the ones who were resting taking cover from the open doors while the door guards firing from around the thresholds as well as they could. With a grunt, Jae sat Ruthard against the wall and crouched in front of him. "Listen to me, Lance Corporal. You're going to make it. I'll make sure of that."

OOC:

500.

RAIDERS and Jackal are now in an intersecting room to rest for 30 seconds only. Make sure you pay attention to the positions I noted in my post, please.

OOC:

RAIDERS

‘Typical, just typical. Will there ever be an occasion when this squad manages to complete a mission where nobody gets seriously injured? Where no one goes mad?’

Time had moved so quickly, it seemed like only a few seconds ago Karash was working in the medical centre. Now he was embroiled in an all too familiar situation; he was surrounded by injured people and their collective prognosis did not appear to be good. Though for once it was not the RAIDERS in dire straits, it was Jackal squad who seemed unlikely to make it; for those old enough to remember, there were haunting memories of Ghost squad.

“I’ve told you nothing can be done. You are just going to have to grit your teeth and get on with it.” Karash spoke as gently as he could under the circumstances.

‘I don’t see why you are giving them this false hope. If we come under serious fire again we will be lucky to get out, the Jackals won’t stand a chance. Even if we do get out some will succumb to their wounds and others will never fully recover.’

“That should help a little bit but you are just going to have to grit your teeth and get on with it.” The words came out on their own; it was as if he was reading from a set text.

‘Sometimes I wonder why we bother; it all turns out the same way. Lets face it you are stood listening to a figment of your warped imagination brought on by severe psychosis. Then again at least you are not in... Brightstar’s mind, that would be awful.’

It was one of those rare moments where Karash had managed to snap himself out of his insanity. The medic had managed to rally himself slightly but he was a born pessimist, there was never going to be a good ending. Not for everyone at least.

“We have to get moving again, lets go!” Once again Jae’s voice brought everyone to life.

“No time now, you will just have to grit your teeth and get on with it.” Karash said to another almost lifeless face.

OOC:

Word count: 359

OOC:

JESTER

Lilith rushed in front of the formation with Therex. The tension growing up within the group could easily be felt, especially after the unfortunate events they witnessed earlier.

''Listen to me. I know that there is a battle upstairs, but we must remain vigilant. Progress slowly, and check everything twice corners are wicked.'' Bright whispered to the rest of the team. Everyone checked their gear one last time to make sure they were prepared to any eventual attack. They finally gave her a nod, and started walk up to hell.

The echo of the battle was getting closer with every step they were taking. Lilith could feel the adrenaline and stress overrun her entire body, due to the firefight. She decided to peek at the upper levels, the staircase seemed interminable. Bursts of light from the battle were the only visual cue she had at this moment. When they arrived near the first door, Bright waved his hand to the team in order to make them take position on both side of the door.

''I know you want to help these people, but we’re out time right now. We must save what’s left of the team. I don’t want to sacrifice more people. I already have given enough to this mission. The only option is to continue our route until we reach the top floor, without compromising ourselves.'' Bright said while looking at the team.

''With all due respect Sergeant, I think that this is precisely the reason why we should stop to help them. We don’t need more casualties.'' Lilith answered with determination in his voice. Bright took his head with both hands, thought for a moment then looked up back at Lilith.

''Okay, but I can only afford five minutes. I must warn you, we will not be able to stop at either one of the two levels remaining unless there’s an important emergency. This is an order. Therex, you will help her clean this part of the floor we’re covering you from outside.'' Bright retorted.

''I’ll do it in two minutes.'' Therex Replied with a smile.

They took position on both side of the entrance, their eyes were staring at each other’s face. Lilith was waiting for his signal to knock out the door. Therex raised his finger, everything slowed down for a moment. A perfect symphony, as the two soldiers entered like a Kashyyk’s storm. Two mercenaries were standing in the corridor getting ready to execute one of the soldiers. They glaze at each other one last time then rushed at them.

During this time, the exterior team was inspecting the surroundings to avoid any bad surprises.

‘’Sergeant, we shouldn’t have stopped here. We could get ambushed really easily, I don’t like that.’’ Alan said while looking at the remaining floors. Suddenly, two rapid shot came from the room. Bright rapidly leapt in front of the door knelt and, waiting like a predator.

''Get ready, everything could have happen inside.'' Bright stated.

With an unpredicted move the door opened up hinting Lilith, and Therex covered with dust.

''I told you that I’ll do it in two.'' He said, chuckling. Bright shook her head as a sign of desperation, then return to the others.

''Thank you Sergeant, they deserved the time we gave them.'' Lilith says with embarrassment.

''This decision put the whole team in danger. Lucky for us, they were only two in there. I still have to admit that both of you did a great job. Now return in position, only two levels remaining.'' Answered Bright

 

OOC:

WC:595  - First level is cleared.

Mox, being at the front, didn't have to look at the injuries of the Jackal, but he could still smell then. He also had the duty to keep the squad safe. Getting out of the smoke didn't help either, as now both sides could now see each other. They quickly moved around a corner, only to immiediatly duck behind whatever cover was available. Another Blanchard merc group was waiting for them.

"Blast these people..." Mox swore as he dropped his rifle, only to rip his grenades off the belt. "TAKE THIS, YOU BASTARDS!!!" Mox shouted as he bitten the rings of the grenades, ripping them off them and throwing the them behind him.

He then grabbed his DC-17M, and as the grenades exploded he stood up, and aimed down his sights. The 'point group' immiediatly followed him and started to take down the remaining mercs. Suddenly the station became quiet, as the last merc fell.

"Corridor secured, must be getting close to the hangars." Joamer said to his comm "Keep moving, and stay on guard."

As they moved quickly, they could see various skirmishes in distant parts of the corridors. Joamer ignored them, and kept on moving forward. As peace surrounded RAIDERS, Mox began to think the situation over. He did not feel angry or scared. More intrigued. Interesting squad this is. A traitor slicer, drug addict ASL and a delusional medic Mox thought No wonder it called crazy raiders...

"How's Fikk?" Joamer said into the comm

"He's good." Jack responded, still holding him

"Very good, keep him steady, we're getting close to the hangars."

As they moved forward Jae ordered another rest. Mox took guard, along with some more fit Jackal soldiers. This is not right... It's too quiet.... Mox thought as he reloaded.

OOC:

JESTER

The combined squads of Jester and Raitonin managed to avoid smaller scale skirmishes  on the next level up, but continuously found themselves pinned down by the larger groups of Blanchard and Needle forces. Their saving grace? Whatever squads of the VE reinforcements that were in their vicinity.

“Thanks for the assist, Major.” Doregan muttered climbing to his feet.

Major? Bright looked over at the armored trooper that Doregan had spoken too.  The trooper was female judging by the armor, and the insignia represented Gold Company. “Major Oulith?” Bright asked standing  carefully. By that point in time Bright's  right cheek was swollen from the cut she'd received from a now dead mercenary, and the shot to her side throbbed under her armor.

The helmeted woman looked over at her, face unreadable behind the faceplate. “When I want to be. Haven't we met before trooper?”

Bright shrugged watching her surroundings as she answered. “That would depend on if my memories aren't as jumbled as they usually are about that time period. But I believe we've met on occasion.”

The Gold Company's commander nodded. “Doregan Raitonin is needed in a different area. Sorry to steal him from you,  D'Jonoc.”

Bright nodded. Duty was duty and the majority of the fighting was taking place in the opposite direction of where Jesters were heading. “I understand. We'll be fine from here. Take care of yourselves.” Bright said.

Both Oulith and Doregan nodded. From that point Jesters were on their own. Bright led them through a series of twists and turns, keeping them from as much of the fighting as she could. She was still amazed that she had managed what she had. Before she knew it, Jester squad and their companions were making their way up another flight of stairs.

Yes, they could have taken the lift at that point without having to split the squad, but Bright wasn't sure if she could handle the close quarters. She'd rather have been safe than sorry in this case. She had people to get to safety and she needed a clear head for that.

“We're nearing the halls to the hanger bays. Keep sharp people I don't want anybody dead.” Bright said as she lead them down a hallway scattered with bodies. She recognized Blanchard and Needle forces  mixed in with VE troopers among the dead. The fighting was sporadic in this part of the hall, but up ahead it wasn't. In fact she was almost afraid to take Jesters by that route at all.

“Heavy fire is going to be coming our way. No way around it. Jesters form up around the POWs, Lilith and Alan take the rear, Light, to the left, HammerHead to the right. Therex get up here with me. We're going to plow 'em.” Bright ordered. She hadn't the slightest idea what she hoped to accomplish with that move, but the fighting was thick enough that they might just pass unnoticed and still take a few mercs off the army's hands.

OOC:

507.
1. Okie dokie we have separated from Raitonin squad.
2. We are now on the proper level to get to the hangerbay to secure our unarmored comrades and get them safely out of danger.
3. We are going to have to fight through some nasty fighting between both sides though.
4. Jester please take note of your positions. In the middle of our group is our freed friends. Not it is not alright to kill them, injuries are fine.

[

OOC:

]JESTER[

]

Being a POW had not been fun, and to be back in the company of Jester Squad was more than relief for PSC Towers. It felt good knowing he had not been left behind. Clothed in a pale orange and black prisoner uniform and armed with a DT-57 and 4 spare mags he had taken off a guard during the break, shaggy beard and bruised up from beatings taken during attempted interrogations. A split on his right top and bottom lip was obvious signs of a set of knucks or a baton being used. He looked and felt like shit obviously, and he had a whole lot of pissed off to expend on his captures.

Towers was among the random few that had been retrieved, he wasnt even sure if any of his prior squad mates had even noticed it was him. He was back and ready now however, he had to survive now that he was this far. A bath, shave, real food. To much awaited him..

Alan had barely been able to hang in there through the hell he had went through. Basic was close, but still no cigar. A hard ass drill would have been welcomed sight, expecially had they been carrying an e-11 to blast the bastards holding him captive. He opened his eyes to see Brightstar up ahead of him he was eager to speak with her and catch up on what had been happening in Jester, but for now it was just good to be fighting beside her again, but he did notice Snipes was not among the squad. He had much to ask her upon getting out alive.

[

OOC:

]274 Words[

]

OOC:

JESTER

Bright was about to call to Therex again when suddenly he was beside her. He'd abandoned the use of his rifle in favor of his collapsible electrostaff. Bright had come to associate that staff with his change in personalities. It seemed that in times of great stress, the Chiss man became someone he normally was not.

She kept an eye on him, he fought like a beast who'd been caged for too long and was finally free to wreak its own brand of chaos on anything that would cause the main body harm. Bright had seen it before in other people and had been on the receiving end of Therex's personal brand of shift. He hadn't caused her any harm and he'd snapped out of it quick enough when the threat had been taken care of.

Bright was actually glad for the extra insanity for once. It was the reason she's called him up to take point with her. Clearing her head and focusing on her own fights. She could feel her fatigue wrestling with her will to protect and get out of this alive.  She new she hadn't made the best decision by going this route, but it was a path that couldn't be avoided. The entire hall was alive with surging forces and bolts of energy.

“Frak!” Someone said from behind her. She glance back quickly to see one of the ARC troopers that had been rescued had taken a shot to the shoulder, but he retaliated with a suppressive fire that seemed to take on a life of it's own. “Sonuva bantha shit spawn!” He growled.

Things seemed to be at a stand still between all the different factions involved. Without a word, Jester had tightened their formation around the unarmored members of their group. With that action other VE troopers had filled in the gaps and turned to help the Jester's along. They were by no means out of the woods yet but they were a little more protected.

OOC:

335.
Almost there. Should be through the fight in the next Jester post, and on our way down the rest of the long hallway to the hanger bay.
Also we seem to have picked up some more friends to help us through feel free to treat them as you would.

OOC:

JESTER

Bright gave the Chiss man a crooked smile. “Better than I expected.” She said helping him to stand. She indicated that one of the surviving troopers that had helped them in to push past the mercs should take him.

The trooper stepped forward and slung Therex's arm around his neck. “Glad you're on our side, man.”

Bright nodded and looked around. They had picked up four more troopers. From the looks of them, they had seen some hard fighting. Their armor was pockmarked, stained with blood and what appeared to be soot. “Don't know who you guys are, but thanks for helping to close ranks. Would sure appreciate it if you guys would accompany us the rest of the way to the hanger bays.”

One of the troopers stepped forward. “Sergeant, we'd be happy to assist you and yours. Call me Icestone. These fine gentlemen and I are what's left of Rampage Squad.”

Bright nodded. “I thank you.” She said. Looking around again and sighed tiredly. “Alright, almost there guys. Up and at 'em.” 

With that Jester and Rampage squads managed their way to the hanger bay unhindered. Bright wondered how long this hallway would remain clear. She managed a great sigh of relief when she found that the bay was still secure, despite the obvious signs of fighting. A team of backup medics rushed up to them. Within moments they were all being checked over for life threatening injuries.

“Gates, This is Brightstar. The freed prisoners are safe and secured, Jesters are heading back out to help where we can.” Bright said into her comlink at her ear. She looked at the medic trying to get her to take her armor off. He made eye contact and decided that she was just fine.

“They could sure use your help, stay alive out there. Gates out.” The CC's voice replied through the static.

OOC:

321. Short I know, but it works.
Jester's have secured their freed POWs and are heading back out.

Raiders we're coming to help you out so feel free to have us show up. I wasn't able to smoothly do so with this post.

OOC:

JESTER

Bright wasted no time in ordering her troopers into positions that would help to fortify RAIDERS' defenses. She couldn't say that she knew that Raiders were behind the wall. All Therex said was that there were massive heat signatures and that there was a standard VE formation surrounded on the other side of the wall. The way he had looked at her, even under his helmet, seemed excited, as if he was waiting for her to tell him it was okay to blow through the wall. She had acquiesced.

She had not known what to expect on the other side of the wall. That it was Raiders made it all the better, and her worry slipped into happiness for a moment before switching back. “Therex get over there and help Jack keep that bastard alive.” Bright called to the injured Chiss. She didn't know why she didn't order him to stay with the medics. A part of her knew that he wouldn't have stayed and the order would have been moot. He did however comply with the order she gave. “Alan station yourself over there by that squad leader. Lilith, HammerHead, fill those gaps and take out those Bantha shit brains. Lightray get over there and help that trooper move back into formation.”

Bright planted herself beside Jae and started firing with ferocity. She may be the Jester SL now, but she once was a RAIDER. And once you're a RAIDER, you never stop being a RAIDER. “You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us, right Jae?” Bright muttered, recalling the other woman's words so long ago.

“You're late, D'Jonoc.” Jae grumbled as she continued to fire from her own position.

Bright wasn't able to see the other woman's face, and couldn't decide if Jae was happy to see her or irritated that she had taken so long to reach them. She could imagine that it was a little bit of both. Her violet eyes flicked over the chaotic scene around her and tried to come up with a plan that could end this quickly and with no more blood shed. Ae's words after being rescued rang in Bright's head.

”Your a horrible tactician, Bright.”

Bright ground her teeth. She wanted to help, but Aeos was right. Bright wasn't a planner, she was the one that carried out the plans that others came up with. “Any bright ideas?” Bright asked as she tried to keep in mind were all of her Jesters were.

Further thinking brought her to why she was crouched beside Jaenna. Why did I choose to plant myself here specifically? Jae hates being coddled. Shaking her head to think of it later Bright narrowly ducked a blaster bolt that would have hit her in the head.

“Bright, where the hell is your helmet?” Jae growled as she shot the offending mercenary.

“Oh you know me, I stupidly lost it somewhere.” Bright replied as she took down another two mercs.

OOC:

503.
Okay Jesters take note of your postitions. For clarification, Lightray is helping Coadster, Alan is with the Jackal SL, Lilith and HammerHead are in the formation filling the gaps left by PJ and Chains. Therex is in the middle of the formation helping keep Fikk alive.

We're following your lead RAIDERS.

OOC:

Blackjack

I do love ambushes. The thrill of turning tables and burning the predator-turned-prey is unmatched by anything. Of course, it’s better if you’re on the other side burning people down. No matter which side you’re on the golden rule still applies; don’t do something stupid and get shot.

Following the golden rule, Crest rolled into cover, slamming himself into the reception desk. He shook his head, trying to get a bearing on his fellow Blackjackers and Eclipsers. He saw that Eclipse had not scattered at the first sign of blaster fire, unlike Blackjack, which had spread out and taken cover. He flipped the A280 over the desk and took in a mental scan of the area, even as he drew a bead on the most visible target. Eclipse had killed five enemies with their first exchange of volleys. Crest welded the crosshair onto the torso of his target. He gently squeezed the trigger and smiled as his shot landed dead on target.

Yet something did not seem right about the target and his friends. Their shots were too scattered, too imprecise, and too sloppy. They did not coordinate with each other. Each person fired alone, and at a different target. They did not make the proper, and full, use of cover.

Nevertheless, they were a threat, and threats had to be neutralized. Blackjack had established their position and they now added their full weight into the fight. The ambushers were quickly torn apart by the combined crossfire of Blackjack and Eclipse.

As the last man fell, Gates barked out, “Check the bodies quickly for information.”

Both squads fluidly rose from their positions and quickly moved to check the dead ambushers. Crest knelt beside the first person he had killed. He quickly patted down the body and founded nothing. He then quickly checked the pocket on the white shirt that the ambusher was wearing.

Something is really bothering me about this. I can’t place my finger on it though... Wait, why isn’t he wearing armor? He’s only a civilian, not a full merc.

“Hey, this one’s a civilian,” Crest informed.

The reports suddenly started filtering in, proving that each ambusher had been a civilian that had just picked up a gun and started fighting.

Crest queried, “So where are the true mercs?”

Gates responded, “We can’t worry about that. We need the codes, and we’ll smash anything that gets in our way.”

Blackjack gave a resounding shout in support of the plan, their usual modus operandi. Eclipse, seemed half-hearted on the subject, however, yet Crest wasn’t sure because he hadn’t quite figured them out.

OOC:

WC: 433
Is there another ambush later on? Maybe...Probably...Surely...Yeah. It'll probably be a lot more devastating and surprising.