Seth Qorbin suddenly opened his eyes the moment a loud noise echoed throughout the entirety of the Tower. Given the fact that the noise was coupled with a fairly strong vibration as well, the man could only conclude that the cause was in all likelihood an explosion. There was but one problem with that conclusion however - the Tower was supposed to be one of the most secured structures on Abrae. Plus there was also the matter of all dangerous experiments, including any and all that involved the use of explosions, to be conducted in specially constructed areas. That was certainly not the case this time around however.
Within seconds the man was out of bed and reaching for the comm unit. He intended to first contact Ensign Grey, and should she not be available then the Captain himself. His eyes narrowed suspiciously however when static was the only response he got from both those addresses and any others he tried randomly afterwards. There were really only three possible explanations: one, his unit was broken; two, his and/or all the other units were broken; three, there was something else interfering with communications both within the Tower and the outside lines as well. It did not take a genius to figure out that this and the explosion from earlier were more than likely related somehow.
It also did not take long for Seth to put on his boots and try getting out of his quarters... only to find the two white armored guards still waiting on the other side of the door. "What's going on?"
"We're not sure sir, please go back inside your quarters and remain there until further notice", one of the Stormtroopers replied. The answer did not really surprise Seth though. Neither the part about them not knowing what was going on nor the part about him supposedly returning to his room and staying quiet. Problem was that he couldn't quite do that though. He was not the sort to stand by all the while his very safety could possibly be targeted. It was not unthinkable for another explosion to go off, this one maybe taking out his quarters in the process... himself included quite likely.
"Understood", Qorbin calmly spoke and shrugged in the same carefree manner as ever. Before he could fully turn to re-enter his quarters however the man's right hand sprang sideways, aimed at the Stormtrooper's neck. Meanwhile his right leg was also being raised in the air, in mere moments about to hit the other Stormtrooper's head from the side.
By the time the second guard tried getting back to his feet, the first one was already knocked unconscious with a well placed hit with his own rifle's butt. "Rest up", Qorbin managed to speak before aiming the rifle at the other guard and firing - having made certain that the rifle was already set to stun rather than actually harm and kill.
"Now then..." the man paused and waited to see whether anyone would come to investigate the commotion. Nobody came however meaning the blond agent was free to pursue his own goals. Speaking of goals - the fellow needed to also figure out exactly what it was that he wanted to accomplish anyway.
For starters I might as well figure out what the heck is going on, the agent thought as he made his way further down the long corridors.
There was something bothering him - the explosion from earlier definitely felt like it had occurred inside the Tower. If so that left out the possibility of an orbital strike, as something like that would've wiped out the whole structure. Because the man couldn't exactly tell where they were hit - nor exactly how hard, that left only two other possibilities: a ground attack from outside... or sabotage from within.
Unable to rule out any of them, Qorbin decided to make his way up - towards the Tower's rooftop. The way he figured, that way he would have the best chance to find his answers. The high vantage point would allow him to both tell whether they were under attack from outside as well as give him some better idea as to the exact location that may have been hit earlier. And if this wasn't an attack from outside then going there would've still been the smartest thing to do...
Either an infiltrator was trying to bring down the Tower, not at all caring for losing his or hers own life in the process, in which case it would be smart to find a means to get away and stay safe... or the saboteur would try and leave the premisses after having accomplished whatever it was that it tried to accomplish - in which case the fellow would likely also try and make his or hers way up, being the quickest and least defended route available.
As soon as the man exited the lift leading to the top floor, he swore he heard gunfire in the distance. The exchange was short however as things quickly became silent once more within seconds after that.
Damn, Qorbin thought upon finding the first dead body pinned against a wall, the smell of charred flesh still fresh in the air. The man found two more corpses along the way - another Stormtrooper and a lower level agent that he never quite got the name of in the first place.
"Seal it off", he heard a vaguely familiar female voice a short distance off. Given his location as well as the proximity of the voice it wasn't hard for the agent to realize that whoever that may have been was already inside the larger room that the VENI used to store a handful of shuttles and airspeeders.
Seal it off? the man repeated silently only to realize that there was but a single thing that could realistically be sealed there - the large reinforced doors that were capable of withstanding quite a bit of punishment.
Damn, Seth cursed again as he quickened the pace, now rushing towards that area of the Tower. He was sure to raise the rifle up and was prepared to take out anyone and anything that moved past the doors that had already began closing ahead of him.
Won't make it, the blond agent bit his inner cheek as he rushed even harder despite his beliefs.
Time itself seemed to slow down the closer he got - each second bringing him closer to his immediate goal, yet each second also further closing in the impressive looking doors.
I must be nuts, Seth thought when he pushed off the ground and literally flew through the closing gap a mere couple of seconds or so before the heavy doors would've closed tightly and securely.
The heavy rush of adrenaline was enough to raise the agent's perception to almost supernatural levels. In the briefest time he found himself leaping through the closing doors the man was able to determine quite a few things... The first - that he was in all likelihood going to make it after all. Probably. Hopefully...
The second, that there were two figures rushing away from the door, as well as a couple more dead bodies scattered around, one belonging to another Stormtrooper and the other to a fighter mechanic by the looks of his uniform.
The third, and most important thing the man noticed however was that one of the figures stopped in its tracks and began turning to face him. Seth recognized the man as yet another VENI agent he had seen running around every now and then. He knew that his specialty was infiltration and assassination so given his level of training the odds were good that Qorbin would not be able to ever get up from his fall, instead being turned into yet another smoldering pile of charred flesh and bone.
With no time to waste Seth brought his own rifle forward and began shooting, sending bolt after bolt in the other's direction. Given the fact that he had no time to properly target him first, as well as the fact that he had no proper footing and also the fact that he was shooting from a falling position... well it didn't really surprise Seth that most of his shots missed the other agent - some by a fairly large margin too.
Most shots missed their target... but not all of them did so. A few grazed the other agent's arm and leg and a few more managed to hit him squarely in the chest and groin. By the time gravity resumed its course and brought Seth crashing down, the same force of nature also pulled on the other agent's dying form.
"You?!" Qorbin heard the same familiar female voice exclaim moments later, her voice almost immediately swallowed up by the sound of gunfire. Expecting as much however, Seth was already rolling about by the time the laser bolts came crushing in. It was hardly easy but even in that rolling motion the blond agent was able to barely make out the other person's features: curvy body, medium sized red hair and a cold glare shot from vivid green eyes.
Unlike the other agent Seth just disposed of, the latter actually knew more about his remaining foe. She was after all one of the few agents he had the displeasure of working with even before being officially admitted as part of VENI. For her to have turned against the Agency though... that was something Seth would not have easily believed under normal circumstances however. The woman was always being handed the more secretive jobs - often the ones involving covering up or cleaning up messes made by VENI or other VE branches. Not only was she good at what she did but she also managed to complete those jobs exemplary so.
How then could such an individual have turned against those she worked with for years now? That was the question that never left Qorbin's mind even as the man returned fire from behind cover. Both operatives had received the same training and also used the same tactics for the most part. Due to the very nature of their missions however both operatives were also highly adaptive and no strangers to using unorthodox approaches if it meant getting the job done.
Even the smallest thing could prove to be a decisive advantage in their battle now - and this was a fact known by both the redhead as well as by Seth.
Odd, the latter thought when he could hear no more shooting. Did his opponent decide to adopt a stealthier approach in order to take him out? If so things were bad for she definitely had the upper hand as far as sneaking around was concerned. Knowing what he did, Seth did not plan on underestimating the woman... though he also didn't quite know what exactly he should do either. Find some better cover and wait there for her to make a move? Come out of hiding and try to find her before she found him? Both choices were risky and neither particularly appealed to the Onderonian male.
Just then the agent caught a glimpse of a moving shadow somewhere in the corner of his eye. Instinctively he turned only to notice his foe rushing him with a stretched arm holding a vicious looking vibroblade. As much as he would've loved to just shoot the approaching female the blond Human knew he wouldn't make it in time. Considering the cover behind him now only prevented him from moving away as well, he also knew there was no alternative but to stand and fight.
Raising his rifle and bringing it forward, Seth managed to block the first strike that the rogue agent attempted. Judging by the impact of the two weapons as well as by the deep cut left in the rifle's chassis, Qorbin very much doubted he could still properly operate the weapon he had swiped off that Stormtrooper guarding his room. Still, the weapon could still be used to block further attacks as well as some sort of really primitive blunt instrument of bludgeoning.
Or not, the man realized shortly afterward when it became clear that his opponent would not allow him enough time to even attempt such a strike. The way things were now Seth finally understood that sooner or later the redhead woman would get the upper hand and once that would happen it would only be a matter of mere moments before his life would become forfeit. He needed to act and soon for he was quickly running out of time.
Deciding to take a huge risk and gamble everything on one simple move the man stepped forward rather than backwards when next the rogue agent tried stabbing him. By doing this Seth was able to somewhat twist and turn his body a little bit before getting struck by the blade. Plus the strike itself had less power to it thanks to the woman thinking he would retreat once more. Not that the attenuating circumstances made the pain any less severe or the wound a lot less dangerous...
Seth knew that the next couple of seconds would be vital one way or the other. Either the other agent would realize what had happened and would pull back and strike again, this time surely hitting a vital spot and ending the confrontation then and there - or Qorbin would have enough time to pull off that which he had gambled everything on from the start... The step forward wasn't made solely to put the man in harm's way but also to bring him closer to his target. The slight twisting of his torso also served not only to protect his vitals but also to further improve his momentum. All of this culminating in a savage punch - one that in a mere instant traveled the distance from the man's hip level all the way to the woman's unprotected chin.
The redhead saw it coming right before connecting but was unable to do anything to prevent it from happening. Like Qorbin she too knew that in close combat the best way to deal with an opponent was to knock him out cold as quickly and efficiently as possible. The head strikes were especially useful when it came to that and three areas seemed to yield the best results: the temples, the jaw and the chin. Properly aimed even the punches of frail looking female agents were enough to bring down 200 or even 300 pounds Humans or Near-Humans.
That too was considered by the Onderonian beforehand... The man knew his opponent was smaller and more agile than him, but also knew that the very same light frame could also work as a disadvantage if properly exploited. That's where his superior strength would come into play. And indeed that turned out to be a major factor when the redhead agent found herself no longer able to think straight as at the same time every muscle in her body gave way, one of the last things she remembered being the ceiling getting further and further away... And then there was darkness. Nothing but a heavy and silent darkness...
"Damn..." the man finally spoke when everything was over. He reached out to the wound he had received and felt the warm liquid slowly wetting the cloth around it. The man had managed to avoid taking an instantly fatal blow but given the speed at which he was losing blood he doubted that was merely a flesh wound.
Damn... Seth cursed again, this time inwardly as he looked around and made his way to the nearest shuttle all the while clutching his side in order to try and prevent more blood loss. He knew the others would eventually make their way up there and once they would finally find him they'd also provide some proper medical care as well. Problem was that he wasn't entirely certain just how long that may take. The fact that he had been exercising by running around and fighting the other agent also wasn't very encouraging as the effort caused his heart to pump more blood - blood that was now being pumped out of his system that much more faster than it normally would've occurred had he simply been stabbed whilst sleeping for instance.
Nah, too humiliating, Seth shook his head as he realized he actually preferred his current circumstances to the other possibility - as creepy as that was.
Whilst still clutching his wound with one hand, the man moved the other one to his neck. There he felt around for a bit and slowly placed the free hand over his neck. Finding the carotid artery was hardly an issue given the fact that it pulsed like mad.
Twenty, twenty one, twenty two, twenty three, twenty four... Twenty four and a half give or take. Times six that's one four seven. Dang, need to get my breathing under control - need to calm down, the man told himself as he snapped open the closest shuttle's door.
Given current pulse and rate of blood loss I'd say I got less than five minutes to get things under control before shock sets in. After that I'll likely not last more than ten minutes at the most... Must get priorities straight.Seth made his way to the front of the shuttle and after bending over and reaching beneath the pilot's seat pulled out a first aid medkit. The man took the kit and exited the shuttle, next making his way to the first downed agent - the one he managed to shoot down whilst flying. Seth checked the other for a pulse as well and finding none, next struggled to also take the rifle he had previously dropped. He had to put down the medkit, grab the rifle and strap it over his shoulder only to then pick the medkit back up and finally making his way back to where the redhead menace still lay unconscious.
Once he was towering above her Qorbin wasted no time in dropping the medkit and pointing the rifle at her, shooting her twice with stunning rounds.
That should keep her asleep for long enough, the man figured before finally dropping to the floor and reaching for the medkit.
"Should probably hurry too..." he mumbled aloud whilst pulling various articles out. Once he had everything he needed Seth reached for his jacked and began unzipping it, pulling the clothing item away when he was done. Next he reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled up, feeling a bit of discomfort in the process. As soon as the shirt was off the man made a bundle of it and placed it over his wound, trying to better keep the blood where it belonged - that is inside his body rather than outside it.
Reaching out for the small spraying device now found on the ground by his side, Seth removed the shirt and squeezed the little device until it no longer produced anything else except dry air. That was a disinfectant solution - one that the agent hardly needed to use in such large quantity, but one that the man decided to use up all the same for two reasons. One, he was the only casualty there and this was not a warzone after all. And two, because directly spraying the wound still hurt like hell, and as much as Seth hated being in pain... this was one occurrence where he knew that the pain would actually come in handy in keeping him alive for longer.
Once the wound area had been properly disinfected - no doubt, one of the cleanest and most sanitary wounds ever to be found in the whole galaxy at that very same point in time - Seth reached for a bacta patch. He ripped the protective layer with his teeth and then carefully attached the small bandage over his wound, making sure to stay as still and as upright as he could manage.
For the most part he ensured he wouldn't die anytime soon - though whether or not he would manage to remain conscious for a while longer was still a matter of debate. Deciding to make everyone else's jobs even easier Seth also proceeded to dress his wound by applying a pre-sterilized white tape on top of everything. The tape would ensure the bacta patch won't come off as well as fully prevent the risk of further infection.
Finally Qorbin reached for the small medical pistol that already had a bluish vial loaded inside it. He brought that over to his lower arm and squeezed the trigger, feeling a needle puncturing his skin and pouring a cold substance inside his veins. There was nothing quite like the wonderful feeling of state of the art pain relief drugs coursing through one's circulatory system. Why, the Onderonian agent was actually smiling when he laid down on the floor, with his knees flexed upwards - a position meant to further relieve pain in the case of abdominal wounds as well as intended to assist in the treatment of shock.
Only a couple of minutes later the man could hear a commotion on the other side of the large doors and knew that the cavalry had finally arrived. They would break in soon enough and when they would do so, they'd be able to both take the rogue agent into custody as well as provide Seth with even better drugs... and possibly some small medal too. A small medal wasn't entirely out of the question given his quick thinking and outstanding results. Yes, now that would be nice indeed...
- OOC:
- Part One of my First Naval Doctor cert as well as the fourth installment in my VENI saga. I know the above only has about 1k WC of medical related stuff and given my cert's total required WC that alone would not be enough to qualify... hence why I'll be splitting it into two stories, the second one to be posted sometime in the immediate future hopefully.
Total WC: 6631