OOC:

RAIDERS

“Seriously...” Mox said as he reloaded.

The hangar was no longer itself, as the joint forces of RAIDERS and Jester were clearing it out. It became more of a battlefield, but not as empty. There were plastide and durasteel boxes everywhere, waiting to serve as cover. Mox couldn't quite find himself in this battle. All these years he had fought most of his enemies in a closed space, where it was easy to retreat, and in someway, either freerunning or otherwise, flank. Now, fighting in open space Mox didn't know what to do. He was outnumbered, with nowhere to hide and attack with stealth. This squad Wraiths.... if it comes back online I'll sign up for it... Mox thought as he targeted the next merc to kill.

Having acquired more clips when RAIDERS pushed back the mercs, Mox now fought along with Coadster and WhiskeyRose. Don't do anything stupid Mox thought to himself, over and over again, as he aimed and occasionally took down enemy troops. Having Coadster next to him made him more positive, Coadster being the only person he liked in the squad. Xylonia was a trooper, and she could shoot and that was a good thing alone.

“So guys... should we advance?” Mox said, after taking down another merc.

“Why not?” Coadster said smiling, as he reloaded his rifle.

Mox clipped his DC-17M to his back, and after that he took out his DC-15c pistol and a vibroknife.

“Heh... Cover me, OK?” Mox said as he readied his vibroknife. Both RAIDERS nodded.

“1... 2... 3! Mox said as he jumped over, shooting at various mercs, with no aiming. Most of the bolts missed, and those that hit didn't kill their targets. In a moment he travelled about three walls of coverable obstacles, until his knife found its prey. As he jumped onto a merc, having shot him twice he threw his blade into the man's head, killing him instantly. Coadster and Xylonia not advancing as quickly, provided cover fire.

Mox quickly let go of the blade, which was stuck deeply in the Security Guard's head and helmet, and jumped to cover, just before a hail of blaster bolts hit the lifeless corpse. Heh... I should really stop doing this... Mox thought as he switched his weapons. It'll kill me one day.

Mox waited, occasionally shooting mercs that dared to advance, for Coadster and Rose to catch up. At times he popped up from cover, and attempted to shoot mercs that were trying to kill his teammates, often in vain. In the mean time, Mox was thinking the whole situation over. My parents got killed by some organisation, I joined the rebels and did a hell of work for them, then they sent me to VE, in which I ditched them... and Joamer doesn't trust me... I only hope he doesn't tell Havock about it... Mox thought thinking about what happened on Thyveck But there was BrightStar as well.... I'm fracked... and she's somewhere around here as well... Mox bit his lip as he Coadster and Rose closed up on him.

“Anyone has any ideas?” Mox said, as he put his bandanna on top of his face.

OOC:

WC: 536. Why? Because I only posted 313 last time :P

OOC:

JESTER

During the madness Bright had assigned her boys to one or the other entrances, making sure that none of them were going it alone. Dunny and Lightray would take the maintenance entrance while she and Therex would take the main entrance.

“You heard the lady, get ready to lock down.” Bright called to her squad over the comm system she shared with them.

Four enemy men remained in the hangar. And it had become painfully apparent that they were not stupid. They seemed to have just vanished into thin air. “Dunny, Light, watch yourselves. Those mercs just disappeared, and I have this gut feeling that tells me they are on an intercept course.” Bright said making her way cautiously through the hangar bay.

“I really hope that Lukas has a good vantage point.” The Chiss man muttered.

“Me too. I hate not being able to see my enemy.” The squad leader replied. Therex seemed surprised that she had agreed with him at all.

The two of them quietly continued to the main entrance. They would have made too, but for the appearance two rather lager mercenaries. One of them took to his knee to begin firing while the other rushed at Therex. Having none of it, Bright dodged what fire she could from the one merc while she pushed her trooper out of the other merc's path.

The last she saw of the private before the charging merc slammed into her, was of him rolling to his knees and taking aim at the man firing at him. Bright didn't have time to worry about him, she had her own problems. The man who had slammed into her was big. He'd managed to body slam her to the floor before she'd known what hit her, possessing a speed that belied his size.

Grunting as she picked herself up off the floor, Bright grabbed her blades from the sheathes on her thighs. “Okay big guy, lets dance.” She said.

“Don't make me laugh little girl.” He said twisting out of her range.

The two of them connected a few time, Bright with her blades and the burly merc with his massive fists. She knew she was going to have some major bruising after today. For several more minutes the two of them continued their 'dance.' Bright generally had the upper hand due to her smaller size and superior speed, but the big man had managed to take her by surprise by flinging blood from his lacerated hand into her eyes. Unable to see, Bright became an easy target for the merc's armored knee and dizzying haymaker.

She could see the finishing blow coming at her, but for the life of her, she couldn't seem to clear her head. The moment she looked up at the man though, she grinned. Half a second later the man's head snapped back  and he hit the floor with a resounding thud.

“You're clear.” She heard Joamer call.

OOC:

498, The remaining four mercs have collided with the Jesters. One is down, Therex is facing off against one and Dunny and Lightray have yet to face the two trying to intercept them.

OOC:

RAIDERS

A small burst of blaster fire zoomed over Heliwer’s head, making him swear. If it wasn’t bad enough that the lights had gone out and Mister Flyboy wanted to be a pilot again, it was that his armor didn’t fit right. Every time he moved, it squeezed his chest tight and did nothing to help him in the fight. After a few minutes after the lights came on and RAIDERS and Jester began to tear up the hanger, he growled, unfastened his chest piece, and threw it at a mercenary, hitting him straight in the head. [i] When we get back, I’m gonna get a new chest plate. [i/]

It turned out that the delicious food at the food court had made him grow some stomach. It wasn’t like he was not working out. The job that he did only required him to stand and act tough. No physical labor involved. He didn’t have a lot of stomach either, just healthy size.

After Jaenna and Jester cleared out the hanger, Therex doing a Heliwer by utterly destroying his mercenary, the two squads met up together to plan their next action. Days of standing idle and acting like he didn’t overhear anything paid off. “A few of the guys on the station liked going to Sly for credit loans. His business is basically part bank and part trader. The soldiers would complain about their duties, especially about Blanchard. Apparently, even though Needle and Blanchard are somewhat similar, they still have rivalries, each thinking each other best. Sly keeps himself in a good position, leeching off of both sides. I remember a few also leaving him some information with regards to where the prisoners are. Only one problem.”

“What is it?” Joamer asked, a little peeved.

“Erm, I can’t remember the exact information. We’ll have to deal with Sly to get it, and even then he probably will just point his slimy finger at someone else and escape.”

He rubbed the back of his head, feeling some glares. “Hey, I couldn’t write the stuff down!”

Xylonia was stood next to him, and gently laid her hand on his shoulder. The gentle touch made him calm down a bit, not before whipping out a cigarette, sitting down on one of a few intact crates, and smoking.

OOC:

383. Looks like it's time to pay a visit to Sly.

OOC:

RAIDERS

Xy's sapphire eyes started to turn silver as she glanced at Joamer.  What a joke. She reflected on what had transpired before she got to the hangar.

OOC:

Flashback

Xy had captured a New Republic agent with Dusk’s help and brought him to the briefing room, but Joamer and Jaenna were so distracted that they ignored that fact.

As Raiders left the briefing room, she had thoughts of her own.  Frak with this! I worked hard putting up with this scumbag and bringing him in, I'm frakking delivering his ass to Gates.

Heliwer was the only one who noticed her staying behind. 

"What are you doing?"

Xy stripped off her silver dress and kicked off the matching heels.  She was so pissed off she didn't care that Heliwer was gaping at her nude form.

She pulled on her body suit as she spoke, "I was onto this guy my first day here.  I watched him like a hawk and I'm not going to let it be all for nothing! Frak Jae and Joa! They want to ignore me because I'm new and they don't think I can take the heat? Frak them!"

By the time her rant was over, she was fully suited up in her armor with her weapons strapped on.

"Grab him and let's go!" Her face was flush with the heat of her anger.

She climbed on the table and pushed the ceiling vent directly above it open. She pulled herself up.

Heliwer answered only by grabbing her prisoner and jumping up on the table.  He held up the prisoner above his head, and Xy grabbed the man and pulled him into the duct work. 

"I'm with you.  I knew there was a reason I liked you.  You don't take fodder from anyone."  Heliwer pulled himself up and pulled the vent shut behind him.

“Where are we going?” Heliwer asked curiously.

“Shhhhh! You big oaf!” Xy whispered back at him angrily.

After they made it to their destination, she dropped from the shaft and moved toward her target, dragging the prisoner behind her.

“What in blasted… Private Rose?  What are you doing here?”  Garryll Gates was looking down his nose at her furiously.

“Just dropping off a present for you Captain, especially since Joamer didn’t want it.”  She dragged the prisoner along the floor until he came to a stop at Garryll’s feet.  Xy showed the Captain the man’s New Republic tattoo on his arm. “It was said we needed intel, so I brought you a source.”

Gates nodded, “Both of you, get to your location, the rest of your squad is already in position.  We will discuss this at a later time.” 

Xy nodded curtly and turned to leave.  Garryll’s hand shot out and grabbed her, stopping her.

“Private,” he paused a moment piercing her with his stare, “Nice work.”  He released her and she nodded again. 

As fast as they could, they made their way to hangar 51/b, eventually rendezvousing with the rest of Raiders.

OOC:

End Flashback

A blaster firing brought her back from the memory.  I hope Gates gets some information from that bastard.

OOC:

Word Count: 520.  A little over.  It was originally 746 words and I cut it down. *sniff*

OOC:

Blackjack

The gunfire died down all at once; the latest attack had been no match for the some of the Empire’s Finest. Security men had died as they’d come at them, slaughtered piecemeal by the superior weaponry of the Stormtroopers.

“Get back in position!” Gates barked. “Kilroy, take your damn spot!”

The corporal sheepishly returned to his position. Gates cursed softly. The man’s loose cannon tendencies, buoyed by his absurd amount of luck and the belief that his training was simply superior.

And the belief that he was a third in command or that his rank had much privilege over his own comrades’ had made Gates steam. Blackjack’s SL did not suffer arrogance lightly; it was more important to shut up and follow orders than to see how flashy one could be.

He cursed again - this was only his squad. As company commander, he had the other three squads to worry about at the same time. In his ear, the comlink buzzed, and he tapped it.

“Gates here.”

“This is Imperial Task Force Hammer. Captain Gates, we are now on-station,” crackled a thick, drawling voice.

“Roger that, sir,” Orr cut in. “Deploy the army forces to these coordinates. They are now friendly territory and are open for landers.”

“Alright, forces are moving in,” drawled the Navy man. “We’re starting to get some traffic from Liberty. Stand by.”

Gates stared out of the shield deflectors before him in the hangar; the Imperial task force was tiny in the extreme distance, barely visible at all. A few minutes slipped past, and soon, small darts appeared; the dropships - with their loads of men and munitions.

“Well, this Liberty station’s got some bite to her! All those damn merchants are fleeing the ship like rats - and some forces have engaged us. Uglies, attack fighters, and some big stuff. We’ll have our hands full, for now.”

The first dropship slipped into the hangar before them, its repulsorlifts roaring as it shuffled about, trying to find an open space. Finally, its pilot got weary of the charade and smashed his ship into one of the smaller freighters, knocking it aside enough to set it down.

Gates stood before the ramp and slung his rifle. The ramp dropped, and a squad of heavily armed army troopers stormed down, dropping to the deck.

“Welcome to Liberty Station, gentleman,” Gates said. “I can hardly guarantee this’ll be a pleasure visit.”

“Captain!” said the sergeant of the squad, a barrel-chested man with heavy facial scarring but an eager look in his eye, “courtesy of the commodore, we’ve got some of your fancy SCOPE gear onboard as well, as requested.”

“Hear that, ‘jacks?” Gates said into his link. “We’re loaded now - and we’ll need it. We’ve got work to do still.”

OOC:

WC:465

New Objectives:
PHASE III:

Eclipse: Link up with Blackjack in Hangar 36/c, the hangar Blackjack has captured.

Once this happens, BJ and Eclipse will secure the Defense Network codes. Intelligence suggests a location in the main ‘bubble’ of Liberty station

Jester: Intel suggests Jester POWs are being held on station by Blanchard forces as an additional trading piece with NEEDLE. Free your comrades

Raiders: Intel suggests that the Blanchard leader is one ‘Fikk’ and that his location can be found by huge energy spikes in the normal flow of power on Liberty Station. Determine locations of high-energy sources and be ready to move.

NOTE: With the arrival of VE forces, several companies of VE Army troopers have been inserted onto the station. The element of surprise is largely gone, and station security, Blanchard mercenaries and NEEDLE army support elements are all mobilizing. There will be heavy combat between VE and adversary forces. Phoenix has been resupplied with the first wave of dropships, and SCOPE gear or one squad-wide uniform has been requested by each SL. I’d prefer if the uniforms are run by Havock or myself prior to use.

OOC:

Blackjack

“Lance Corporal John Kilroy Varl, I’d like a word with you, and this isn’t a request.”

“Yes sir right away sir.”

What the hell did I do now? John thought, swallowing one of the anti-sickness pills he found on the ship.  Walking quickly to the captain, John could hear the snickers coming from around the hanger bay.  Idly, he mused that the squad leader was distressed about the current condition of those under his command.  The real reason he found out was something not entirely different.

“What the hell is this with you being my third in command?”

“Sir?”

“What makes you think that you have the privilege of being the third in command of this mission?  Why do you….”

Taken aback, the Cadian was quite clearly surprised that his earlier statement came out the way it did.  While he could understand the others considering his pragmatism to be a bit blood thirsty, what had happened was something he entirely did not expect to occur.  The shock and confusion shown on his face relayed just how much of an idiot Kilroy began to feel. 

“Saint Sabbatine….Did I really end up sounding like that much of an ass?  I never thought I’d pull a Simmons in my life, but here it is!”

“What?”

“I’m terribly sorry Captain; I never meant to come off like an arrogant snob.  It’s a bad habit of mine, and other Cadians, to think things on a purely pragmatic level and I didn’t realize how bad I came off.  Yes, I whole heartedly agree with you that I am nothing more than a trooper amongst equals.  It never occurred to me that you wouldn’t have the second highest ranked NCO be the first in line if the SL and ASL are incapacitated under normal circumstances.  I accept full responsibility for my actions as well as statements and have no excuses for my demeanor.”

“I’m glad we are on the same page.  However…You didn’t just take one of those medication pills did you?”

“Yes, I did; considering the fact that I’ve been suffering from vacuum sickness this entire mission, I felt it wise to take one so that I would return to being just an eccentric trooper instead of being a Blue Falcon for the remainder of this mission.”

“You know those give you the runs within the first 30 minutes…Right?”

Dejected, the humbled soldier fell onto his knees after hearing this statement.  It was bad enough that his superior had thought he was acting like an arrogant S.O.B, but this took the cake.  What sort of supreme being would condone such irony?!?

OOC:

435 words...

OOC:

RAIDERS.

Nodding slightly to Jaenna he turned towards the pile of gear and finished putting on the squads new S.C.O.P.E. armor. It had taken months for them to receive the updated variety, this one had stealth, and low emissions than the previous set did. Their armor was stealth black, the same type used by Wraith. It was designed to confuse and bounce sensors off and away, their suits acted like one unit, hidden equipment was placed throughout giving them more flexibility and control and less need for carrying bulky items around.

The one function he loved most of all was the visor itself, most of the time the black eye pieces could not be modified. However, under insistence from him they had taken the old katarn commando helmet idea and simply placed a changeable light in the eyes. Standing in a darkened hallway then flipping on red, or any other color usually got pretty good results when the enemy spotted glowing eyes coming at them.

"Alright squad, listen up." He squad locking into place his gauntlet armor. "We have three power sources we need to check out, and since I know this squad just loves going off and being on it's own we've decided to split up. Jaenna, will take Rose and Dusk. I'll take Karash and Hel." Picking up his helmet he attached it to his belt as he began strapping on ammunition and power cells for the DLT-20a rifle that was sitting next to him. "For the time being, Coady will lead the third team. Mox and Beta will back him up, if there are any problems we will stay on open comms."

"Remember, this station has gone into lock down. The security cards you have should still work for now, however this place is becoming a hornets nest by the minute. Don't expect a warm welcome when we leave. Our reinforcements are here, but don't let your guard down." Jaenna said as she walked up beside him.

"Use any means you see fit to get to your objective. Less fighting the better, we may be well trained but taking on a whole security detail with three people is highly dangerous. This armor is thinner than our original gear so keep that in mind. This is designed for stealth, it will take some beating, but don't trust it to keep you alive if you feel the need to go up against ten people by yourself." Joamer continued as he looked at each member of the squad in various forms of suiting up.

"One of us will find this Fikk, do not engage if you come up against him. Keep him covered but stay far enough away he can't detect you. Call in the cavalry and we will come, once we group up together we will take him into custody or put him down." Joamer said as he locked his weapons belt into place.

"Jae, Coady. Move out when your team is ready." Joamer said as he shared a quick glance over at Jester. Shrugging to himself he waved to his team and headed towards a set of ducts.

OOC:

WC- 520. RAIDERS are suiting up. Leaders when your team is ready move out. Get to your objectives in ways you see fit, remember you are in charge. Don't do anything stupid out there.

OOC:

RAIDERS

The woman stood where she was for a moment, watching as the two members of her fireteam finish suiting up, gathering their weapons and placing them in the designated holsters and sheaths that sat about their new, shiny armor. Those sea-foam eyes watched as every now and then Rose would look up from her weapons, and send a not-so-inconspicuous glare her way. It irked the ASL, but it wasn’t something she’d let get in the way unless the newbie trooper tried to deny her orders. Working with Dusk, however, will be like it always had been since being back in the squad: a little bit huffy, but willing to follow orders none-the-less. With a grunt, Jae pulled her helmet over her head, clicking the visor to a blue-green color. “This is going to loads of fun…” The whisper was laced with playful venom as she turned and watched the man responsible for her fireteam grouping head towards his chosen shaft.

Joamer had definitely helped her out during the last fire fight. The woman didn’t even have to wonder why or how he had gotten his hands on such a concentrated form of spice: it was to keep her safe. Jae knew that Joamer cared about her, but she still doubted his ability to fully understand why she had this spice addiction in the first place. It wasn’t as simple as she believed her Squad Leader and friend thought, but hopefully… she’d eventually be able to clear it up for him. In the mean time, she had to deal with the fact and the thought that if he hadn’t had that syringe on him… she may have gotten her squad and herself killed.

Turning back to face Rose and Dusk, she nodded to the both of them, who had finally finished gearing up. “Alright. We’re gonna head for the reading that’s in the Northwest center of the station. We’re going stealth, obviously, so keep your heads down and don’t waste ammo if you don’t have to.” She absent mindedly patted the few power cells she had for her DC-15 as she spoke the last part, then continued. “Make sure you’re climbing gear is on you, we’ll be running the vents, as usual, and I don’t want any Mox mishaps.” This enticed a couple of soft chuckles, at least she was getting somewhere with them.

Though, as soon as she raised her hand and gestured for them to begin following, Rose’s expression went right back to defiant and angry, once again causing Jae’s skin to crawl, her lips twitching as she fought the urge to say something. “Fireteam Beta, move out.” With her two team mates following her, she headed towards the western wall of the hangar, head high and confidence flowing through her veins. Although, it may just be the spice that she felt burning through her blood. Whatever it was… she needed it, she needed it bad. With each step her mind burned and howled, only held down by spice.

OOC:

500 exact.

Okay, Jae's team is herself, Whiskey and Dusk. They're heading towards the reading in the Northwest center of the station, which is most likely where the power cells that supply the flora and fauna environments their power and what not. They're vent running/climbing through most of it, but... we all know how that usually works out: There's gonna be fire fights anyways.

OOC:

RAIDERS

It was clear that there was mumbling going on behind her, however the ASL, already in a less than desired mood, decided to ignore it. Only when Whiskey decided to openly disobey her would she say anything about it. Though, it was rather hard to completely ignore as the newby’s voice continued to bounce off the walls of the duct, ringing forwards to circle around Jae’s ears in a teasing, angering way. It caused her lips to twitch, her eye to narrow and her knuckles to whiten as her fists clenched with each inch she crawled further into the duct. It too everything in the woman to not stop abruptly, turn around and give Whiskey a good slap across the face, but she wouldn’t stoop to that, not if she didn’t need to… hopefully.

“Why are we always in the ducts? Why can’t we just go head on?” This time the complaining came from Dusk, another trooper who was known for disliking most of what the SL and ASL had to say, though he still followed orders, despite his complaining when he actually decided to speak up.

Whiskey scoffed, going back to her mumbling under her breath, leaving Jae with a sour taste in her mouth of bile rose to coat her tongue, her anger rising. With a deep breath, she pressed the urges back down, continuing her shuffling through the dust vent. “Because it’s tactile and useful when the station full of people who learned to trust us for the past two weeks have just found out we’re Stormtroopers who plan on fraking their shit.” It was hard to not let the venom seep through her voice, her tongue clicking against the roof of her mouth as she fought back an accompanying snarl.

Again, Whiskey scoffed, this time speaking up. “Exactly, we’re Stormtroopers, can’t we just blast them?”

“If you feel like getting your gorram ass handed to you, then be my guest, but until I decide it’s good idea to sacrifice one of my troopers, we’re vent-running. Got it?” The woman’s voice was full to the brim with the authority she hasn’t felt since the last time she was labeled the SL of RAIDERS, and by the creators it felt good to get that tone in her voice again. It made her realize, made her remember, how much she loved leading the RAIDERS, her family… but now she was just the second, the second with barely any command who was constantly challenged by the other troopers. Once more, her knuckles whitened as the memories of her stint as Squad Leader came rushing back, her fists shaking again.

“Oh great. Looks like she’s going to have another episode.” Whiskey’s voice struck Jae’s ears, bringing forth a snarl from the woman.

“Shut it, Whiskey. Until you know what’s actually up, don’t be judgmental.” Before Whiskey could respond, the three of them came upon a dead end with a grate blocking the way. “Looks like this is where we get off.”

OOC:

500 exact.

Jae, Whiskey and Dusk are going through the vents, heading towards the Northwest power reading. They've only traveled about a football field's worth of vents, bringing them to a dead end with a grate that they can climb through. If you're still confused, this means they WILL be climbing out of the vent and coming into contact with a group of mercs or what have you. There are more vents, so feel free to - within the next few posts - get the firefight going then climb back into the next set of vents or something. Whatever you wanna do, just don't go too crazy. We do have an objective to complete.

OOC:

RAIDERS.

Part of him smiled at the fact he was probably being a bad influence on his squad, all three groups had decided to use the duct system to get closer to their objectives. It was one of the many things left over from being serving in Wraith squad, using the ducts to move was quite valuable and very unorthodox if you knew how to do it. He groaned as he heard what sounded like another explosion through his ear piece.

"Who the fraking hell does not get the meaning of stealth?" Joamer said through gritted teeth to every member of his squad. He knew someone had forgotten they had stayed on open comms, and even if they had turned them off he could just override their controls if need be.

"Not my group." Jaenna said a few seconds later.

"Joa..." Coadster said softly, you could almost taste the annoyance in the younger man's voice.

"Don't tell me it's Mox." Joamer replied softly, he could just picture the soldier doing something truly moronic.

"He failed at climbing up a duct, so he started punching holes. Now he wants to blow a hole for us to follow him."

"Private Kerrolin, you will cease what you are doing and rejoin your fireteam. Coadster is in control, not you. You are also ignoring the fact we are attempting to arrive at our destinations quietly, not alert the bloody station to where we are." Joamer nearly shouted into the comm link, for the first time in a long time he was losing control of his anger. "Think before you act, you are in a metal duct system. Yes there is insulation and padding that dampens our movements. However, if I hear the banging from here you are being too loud, if I lose a single one of my troopers I swear you will not leave this station alive."

Signalling to the two men following him he continued down through his systems of ducts, careful to avoid any of the sections that seemed to lead straight down. For now he did not want to repel or climb inside these things, the noise created by hitting the walls that way would surely alert the guards to their locations.

Stopping for a moment he studied the basic layout situated on his HUD. He knew they would need to leave the duct system soon and continue on foot, he just needed to pick the best location. Preferably somewhere away from the main flow of people and soldiers now searching this station for them.

"There's an access hatch about forty feet up that leads to a supply closet for one of the sick bays." Karash said somehow reading his mind. "It's only used in emergencies and for restocking so it remains empty most of the day."

Nodding in agreement Joamer continued forward slowly, his movements made in such a way the noise from his armor hitting the duct in a way he hoped sounded natural to those around him.

OOC:

WC-500.

OOC:

RAIDERS

It would be a lie if Jae denied the flush that had found its way to her cheek as Whiskey wrapped her legs around her waist. Despite how long she and Havock had been together – even through their silly disappearances and what not – Jae couldn’t deny the flirtatious side that still resided in her mind. Even as the trooper had placed a hand on the ASL’s chest, then a  moment later had done a backflip into the room, the flushed color remained on Jae’s cheek. Luckily, no one could see it through the black SCOPE helmet. Shaking her head, she quickly brought herself back to the matter at hand, grabbed the edge of the vent and flung herself down in a precise leap, landing in front of Whiskey with her Treppus-IIs drawn and crossed in front of her chest.

“Whiskey, draw ‘em out.” The command was simple and spoken quickly as Jae ducked behind a desk for only a moment, waiting to hear blaster fire from her Trooper. As she soon as she heard the fire, she poked her head over the desk and watched as two mercs stood and began to fire at Whiskey. “Now duck!” And as soon as Whiskey had, Jae stood, the vibro edges of her blades taking a couple of bolts as she skillfully leaped over the desk and towards the two mercs. She twisted her hips, her blades coming uncrossed as she neared her targets with another bound off of a chair. Airborne now, she smirked down on the two mercs as the other few that were in the room had begun to fire at Whiskey and Dusk, who had finally exited the vent. With a final shove of energy, she thrust her arms forward, aiming to strike both mercs across the chest, hoping the take them down. Needless to say it was a shock when her blades nearly bounced off of the mercs armor, leaving naught but a deep gauge in the reinforce platoid.

“What the frak!” The curse left her lips, dripping venom, as she quickly twisted her hips as she landed, placing her right foot on the desk the mercs were hiding behind and bounded back over to hers and Whiskey’s desk. She quickly dropped down to her hip right hip, sliding behind the desk just in time to dodge blaster bolts. “They have better armor now. This isn’t going to be as easy as we thought.” She slammed her back against the desk and sheathed her blades, mumbling another string of curses to herself.

Quickly, she took out her datapad, entered her forged security password and opened up detailed files of the security and mercenary equipment. She studied it for a moment, then shoved the datapad back into her bag. “The armor’s weak spots are the knees. Take out their knees, you take all of them out.”

Nodding, Whiskey and Dusk both switched their targets, aiming lower. “You and that gorram datapad are dangerous.” Whiskey said with a light chuckle.

OOC:

500 exact.

Firefight YAY. Jae looked up the armor these particular mercs are wearing with her forged security accesses, and determined the weak spots to be the knees. :3

OOC:

Blackjack

Somebody being nailed by Gates? He’s getting desperate for normalcy, but, then again, please define normal. I graduated from the academy and get stuck with an unfamiliar squad on a mission on a planet that is so frozen even SCOPE armor can barely handle. Second mission, you ask? The higher-up thought, “Oh, let’s torture the new guy barely out of the Academy. Let me see where we can send him. Ooh, let’s try this station that is huge! And has a paranoid, and corruptible, security forces. And on top of all that make sure that it has New Republic forces! Perfect, torture him!” But in all fairness, they probably don’t care that much about the new guy. This is just another mission that had to be done and done quickly by the elite.

Sighing, Crest quickly shed the half-decent regular scout trooper camo armor he had borrowed. He rapidly, and happily, donned his true camo SCOPE armor. He grabbed the new A280, having traded his StA-3 Strova Machine Gun to a regular stormtrooper, who had been more than happy to get an exotic gun. The spent M404 MAW had been tossed away uselessly somewhere into the hanger.

I wonder when Eclipse will get here. I hear Skarr, my old training officer, runs it. Wait a sec; why the hell do I have a comm frequency with Gates?

“Boss? When is Eclipse going to get here, so we can get moving?”

“They should be here soon. We’ll set up a perimeter outside the hanger. That’ll allow us to get moving as soon as we have visual contact with Eclipse. ‘jacks, move out.”

Crest quickly turned and proceeded out of the hanger, catching a glimpse of Kilroy and Gates separating. The various Blackjacks proceeded out in a rag-tag formation, knowing that the preceding ‘ground-pounders’, as they were called by the shuttle pilots, had exterminated the pests in this area.

“Kilroy, Crest, sweep the area. It never hurt to be careful.”

“Roger that, boss.”

“Yes, sir.”

The two of them moved out and swept the bodies, making sure they were dead.

“Wa-water, please?” issued from a voice from a nearby body, which had the armor issued to the regular security of the station.

“Yeah, I’ve got something better,” retorted Crest, devoid of emotion. He pulled his A280 to his shoulder and fired once. The body went limp, devoid of life. The rest of the sweep found nobody else that was alive.

“Are you ever going to be disturbed about the people you kill?” asked Kilroy.

“Already over it; why do you ask?”

“Nah, it’s just that I’ve seen a few people who have frozen up because they’re disturbed about their kills.”

“You know what? It’s much better when you’re not being half-idiotic.”

“I’ll need to do better then.”

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WC:465

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RAIDERS

The fire they were under was heavy. These five goons were more talented than the last group. We’re going to have to outsmart them.

Xy whispered in her comm mic, “Jae, I have an idea. Use me as bait.”

Jae cocked her head, her sea foam lensed helmet looking almost alien the way it moved. Unsure of how Xy could be used as bait, Jae inquired, “How?”

“They’ll probably recognize me from the Velvet & Silk. Pretend I’m your hostage and let’s draw them into close combat.” Xy was breathing in excitement. The adrenaline pumping through her veins excited her in more than one way. Without hesitating, Xy pulled off her helmet, her lavender hair cascading down her shoulders in a frazzled mess. The color of her lips and cheeks gave away the heat that was building inside her. She concealed her blasters and nodded to Jae.

“I’m ready when you are.”

Jae was not convinced. “You sure this will work? They could blow both our heads off!”

Xy leaned close to Jae’s helmet and whispered in the comm link bracelet she still wore, “Yes. Trust me, they will recognize me. I was a big hit. You placed me in the right job here.” Xy winked flirtatiously at her ASL.

Jae let out a deep breath, hoping she wasn’t about to make a huge mistake. Jae wrapped her arm around Xy’s throat, put her blaster to her head and shouted out to the enemies. “Hold your fire or the skank gets it!”

The symphony of blaster fire ceased followed by a short silence.

“What?!” yelled one of the men.

Jae pulled Xy around the corner by her neck, her blaster pressed against her temple. Xy put on a fake face of fear and started to cry.

“P-p-p-p-please! She means it! She’ll kill me! She’s a crazy bitch!” Xy let her bottom lip tremble and her eyes pleaded with the mercenaries.

The men all gasped as one. “It’s Starlight Lilah! You bitch! Let her go!”

Jae cocked an eyebrow under her helmet, Xy had been right. They knew her on sight. “You want her?! Come and get her!” Jae snarled, taunting the men. “You can have her, if you just take her and leave.”

The men all looked at each other, uncertain. “Send her over here.”

“Not a chance. Come get her and be gone.” Jae snapped as vicious as a raging rancor.

Jae took one step forward, pushing Xy forcefully. Three of the men approached, two remained back holding their weapons on Jae. Dusk nodded, hidden around the corner. Jae knew he would handle those two. Two of the three men came in on either side. The third came down the center. Each man took one of Xy’s arms and Jae removed her weapon slowly from Xy’s head, but still had it pointed at her. Xy smiled at the men.

“Thanks boys.” She grabbed each man’s head and shoved them together instantly, both men fell to the ground unconscious.

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Word Count: 500

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JESTER

By the time that Jester and Raitonin Squads had reached the main body of the station, they had already been faced with three unavoidable battles. They had all managed to survive so far by the grace of whatever god had been looking down upon them. Bright was beginning to feel that now familiar throb at her temples, and wondered if life would continue to give her headaches as bad as the ones she'd been experiencing lately.

Bright was at point, with her rifle held expertly in her hands. She'd been doing this for a long time, and she had participated in missions to save others, but never before had they involved her own squad. Directly behind her was Therex. Despite the fact that she knew that their only trained medic should be further back in the line, she felt more comfortable knowing the Chiss man was at her back.

“Ten meters to go.” She said through the squad channel that they now shared with Doregan and his boys. “Be prepared for anything.”

The entrance to the main body was just ahead. She could see it through her helmet's visor. She squared her shoulders and followed the procedure for approaching an uncleared entrance. She normally wasn't a by the books kind of person, but this mission it was important that things be done the right way. “If you go low I'll go high, Boss.” Therex said taking position on the other side of the entrance.

Bright nodded and waited for the others to take their positions before keying the entrance code that would get them into the main 'bubble.' She rounded the corner in a crouch while Therex stood tall. The moment they saw Liberty security personnel, Bright didn't hesitate pulling the trigger. The good thing about this entrance was that it was a maintenance storage facility and had plenty of cover for her guys just inside the door. The bad part was the cover also available to their enemies.

“Take cover and fire at will. There is plenty of cover so watch yourselves.” Bright said. She rolled to her right  taking cover behind several crates of cleaning supplies. Coming in behind her Therex went left.

She couldn't be sure, but she thought she noticed Doregan and three of his squad follow her to the right. Making herself as small a target as possible, Bright lay down on her stomach and fired around her cover catching a Liberty security guard with a crimson bolt to the spine and finishing him off with a shot to the head.

“See, I told you, you were a Hellcat.” Doregon said from her left side firing from around his own crate. “Now how much would you ask for if I asked you to teach my lads and lasses?” He sounded like he was carrying on a comfortable conversation rather than sitting in the middle of a firefight.

Bright just snorted and continued firing.

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494. Jester and Raitonin Squad are now in the main 'bubble' of Liberty Station. Currently they are in some kind of maintence facility in the middle of a firefight. Jester's please remember that while we have plenty of cover, so does the enemy.  Sorry it took me so long. Past two days have been busy.

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RAIDERS.

Kneeling down with his eyes closed and his breathing slow, he let his mind go quiet as his ears strained to hear any sound coming from the hallway outside their small storage room. The forty feet, eight foot drop to the floor and the long wait for any alarms to go off was behind them. Now they needed to make sure they would not be opening the door in the middle of an ambush, or a patrol of very angry guards.

Drawing his particle magnum he signaled to Karash to stand ready as he nodded to Heliwer. After a moment the young man slapped the door controls as the large door slid open nearly silently. Counting to five slowly he leaned out to see an empty hallway, after a moment he clucked his tongue then stood up and walked into the brightly lit passageway.

Raising his hand to signal the all clear he saw the same patrol he had been worried about moments before step into view in perfect formation. The officer at the lead froze for a moment as time seemed to stand still. Shrugging his shoulders at the man he raised his magnum and fired as he dove back into he room. A moment later blaster fire from the patrol ricocheted off the door frame before the door could shut all the way.

"Frak, those blasted sharpshooters melted the sliders. The door is stuck halfway closed now." Heliwer cursed as he slapped the door controls again in anger.

"Kar, move up into the duct again. Go straight down till we reach the medbay..." Joamer started to say but cut off as he heard the sounds of something slamming down inside the ducts above them. "Fraking hell, don't tell me."

Jumping back down into the room Karash sighed heavily even with the armor on and said, "They sealed the ducts, some type of grating that disallows even rats to pass through easily. Air still gets through, but not us."

Pushing his back up against a wall he slid down halfway and started to chuckle mostly to himself. He saw Heliwer lean outside the door to take a few quick shots then duck back inside but it was mostly for show. A three man fireteam was not effectively trapped in a medical supply room where they would most likely be shot a few minutes from now.

Well, the irony here is pretty awesome really. We use ducts the way Wraith used to, now we get trapped in a medical room where we will now be shot. He thought to himself as he watched a well aimed blasted shot graze the left side of Heliwer's helmet. A split second later it would of gone through the helmet into the man's brain.

Pulling out a grenade from a belt pouch he tossed it up into the air as he caught the attention of both his troopers. Sighing once he watched as they both removed two different types of grenades before moving to stand a few feet from the door.

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WC-509. Yea, now we are stuck and about to do something rather moronic.