With a flick of a switch the shadowy room was illuminated, revealing a neat and mostly undisturbed bedroom complete with a small closet and smooth metal desk. Coadster stood at the edge of the bed and bent over, groping blindly under the frame until his fingers slipped into the handhold of a large box. There were three in all, and he pulled them out and set them on the bed. These were his belongings, and there was very little else he could call his own. What should I bring…?

Coad shook his head in an attempt to get the nervous buzz out of his head. The switch from RAIDERS to Jester had been quiet, and he looked forward to the higher position. But the faces in that briefing room, the ones he now had to consider comrades, were new to him. And he was to help lead them. He’d just got used to dealing with his old squad, all of their tendencies and quirks, and now he had another crew of personalities to learn. He hoped he didn’t leave a bad impression on the Jesters; this mission would be his first impression, and he certainly didn’t want to mess it up. Was he even ready for a leadership position?

He looked down and found his hands shaking. Oh, calm down Coad, he thought to himself, opening the first box and sifting through the clothes for his thin suit. Since Anteevy, he’d worn it under his armor in case something went wrong and he ended up in some god-awful desert or another freezing hell with a malfunctioning piece of equipment. He put that aside, and searched the next box for his blaster pistol. It sat at the bottom, wrapped in an old and stained shirt. The shiny red pistol was his father’s, given to him as his tenth Birthday present. He ran a thumb over the model number etched into the bottom of the barrel, and the thoughts of home made him smile. The shaking ended, and he put the gun on the bed beside the thin suit.

His final tally of items to bring were the thinsuit, the C-19, his Shadowsuit, the DC-15 blaster rifle he’d forgotten to give back after the last mission, his trusty combat knife and a couple of his favorite ration packs for the hell of it. He put them all in a large duffelbag, along with a few changes of civvie clothes, and slung it over his shoulder. He flicked the light off and walked through the doorway, the door shutting with a quiet snick of the tumbler.

-----------

He was the first to the shuttle, and he took the opportunity to double check his items one last time. He’d have to watch the way he acted on this mission. My first mission as a Jester… The RAIDERS ran through his head, and he wondered if he’d ever get the chance to work with any of them again. It was a big galaxy, and he just a speck of a speck in its landscape. He took a deep breath, the last one he was sure to have until they were done, and boarded the ship with a stone set lightly in his chest.

Lilith tapped her code in the security console beside the apartment door. A white light flashed on the control panel and the door opened before her. She entered without even throwing a glance at the surrounding, and rushed directly in the bedroom. Lilith detached her hair, pulled off her boots, and underwear to stand under the stream of water coming from the shower pommel. For nearly ten minutes, she stood under running water, hands against the wall looking downward. The time seemed surprisingly long, especially when trying to think of nothing. Her future was constantly coming back, but the answers were not obtainable at this time. She had never been part of people capable of working in the same office for years. She only knew one way of living now: the army. Not expecting anything just following orders. She did not want to be part of a pre-built schema. The routine was somewhat toxic to her.

Then she remembered the rough time she had during the first operation with the squad. The reality of war was influencing her progressively with time. In fact, she loved it. Her self-esteem was growing up, and she never had the chance to meet great people before, persons she could trust.

''Do they feel like they can put their trust in me?'' Lilith wondered.

With all that in mind, she stared at the void momentarily before turning to the large windows where buildings and towers loomed the horizon. Slowly, her body swung. The water flowing along her neck and back, making her eyes closed in an expression of deep lethargy. Her right hand fumbled blindly the wall and stops on a soap bottle, uncapped it, then shed some of its content in her left hand…

twenty minutes later, and five more to dry. She put on new underwear, a tank top, and curled up between two cushions on the couch.

*Click*

The embedded screen lit on the first local station where a sallow presenter explained how the NAVX share value dropped lately.

*Click*

The next channel was displaying pieces of vegetation, where an bald old man explained that flora had never been so varied on Corellia these day...
Lilith’s eye became heavier, the journalist voice declined with every heartbeat. Her head calmly began to slide on the side until it reaches the pillow.

The terminal in her room suddenly emitted a beep, Lilith waked up abruptly to the sound of the call.

‘’What can I not do for you at this time of the day?’’ Lilith said while rubbing her face.

‘’Sorry about the early call, but I need you in the meeting room as soon as possible.’’ Bright replied.

‘’No problem, I’ll be there in five.’’ Lilith said while getting dress. She pulled on a pair of legging, her casual shoes and a long sweatshirt then rushed to the meeting.

5 minutes later.

Everybody looked like they partied late yesterday, and now they all seemed to be on a hangover. Bright turned on the projector and began to describe the target.

The M.V.P was a guy named Corlan Forlex, supposed to be a former VE intelligence operative that escaped a high security VE prison. According to Bright, he is on a planet named Arkanis an ancient wonder now filled with pirates and mercenaries.

Suddenly, Lightray break out of his nap and asked Bright about VE’s motivation to detain Corlan.

Lilith soon became impatient to know the kind of mission they were undertaking.

“So what is our mission?” Lilith asked before Bright had the opportunity to explained anything.

Bright hid a smile and switched the image. “Jester's job is twofold. Prevent Forlex from making contact with any of his buyers, and then recapture him so that he can be extradited back to Halm. If capture is not an option, we are ordered to take him out by whatever means necessary.”

Lilith grabbed a datapad from her pocket, and began to write essential intel about the mission. Shortly after Therex asked about the operation gears, Bright decided to give the green light to acquire personal supplies.

‘’We Leave in an hour’’ She said.

Back in the apartment, Lilith opened up her weapons locker on the other side of the room. Several blaster pistols, a collection of throwing blades, and most importantly, her spears. Each one appeared as a sleek white metal baton, but with a push of button could quickly extend up to their full length of two meters, with a deadly leaf-shaped blade at the end. The spear was considered by many in the galaxy to be somewhat of a primitive weapon, but within the right hands it could become absolutely fatal. She finally took her black coat, a pair of knee boots and a tight dress. She attached the spear on her back then headed out to the hangar. Corporal Coadster and Therex were already in the shuttle waiting for the final countdown. She threw one last gaze behind her and boarded the shuttle.

" Oi, watch where you're walking at, yeah?! " Lightray raged out at a man that accidentally bumped into him. A smirk crawled across his face as the man instantly backed down from the surprisingly scary youngster. The Lance Corporal had made a name for himself during his tenure with the VE; mostly due to his complete lack of emotion on the battlefield. To top it off, well, frankly speaking he was kind of an asshole. Since coming back from their mission he'd done nothing in his spare time 'sides spend his days alone and clean his weapons. There were still many answers to his past that still plagued his mind with unneeded questions.

His subconscious attacked him during his sleep, repeating the memories of the terrible night that his entire world fell apart. The night that a young smuggler on his way to becoming known system-wide would go MIA. Presumed dead or missing to the men that wanted his head on a platter. Instead he made the Vast Empire his home for what would seem like an eternity. Lightray -- as he was now known -- couldn't complain much, though. The battlefield was the ultimate thrill for the trooper, his personal playground whenever he needed to relieve some stress.

--

" What to bring... "

He said to himself as he fiddled through his foot-looker. He attached his combat knife onto his vest, holstering his DC-15 Blaster pistol on his right side while attaching several frag grenades onto his belt. His S-FOX Machine Pistol was firmly holstered on his right leg. ' Slugthrowers. ' He thought, a smile creeping across his face. He loved the sound of bullets hitting his target's chest. There was something about them that presented the right amount of carnage and proficiency that drew the boy to them.

He slung his M82-G Assault Rifle over his shoulder before tightening the strap that let the weapon hang off his shoulders. The last thing he wanted was to drop the damn thing and misfire a slug into his leg. After filling up each of the pockets along his combat vest with various magazines, grenade-shells and small supplies, He walked to the turbolift with a joyful smile on his face.

There were several people already at the shuttle by the time he arrived. Lightray greeted them with a devious nod, accompanied by that same evil smile that seemed to make its way to his face as of recent. " Who's ready to kill some tangos, aye?! " Lightray attempted to break the ice. What better way to that than attempt to get the squad to speak up? He casually walked his way past the few people on the shuttle until he was seated by himself, the closest man to the front of the shuttle. He hoped the mission dossier was wrong and the man had several surprises in store for them. And by surprises he meant multiple enemy personnel. God he loved them; they made a boring mission unbelievably fun.

Coad popped the tab at the bottom of his ration container, and held it lightly to keep from burning his hands as the stew began heating. The smell of bantha meat filled the air, and he remembered again why he’d squirreled this particular meal with his things during the transfer. It made him feel a little mischievous,  a guilty pleasure he’d probably feel whenever now enjoying his favorite MRI. Steam rose from the caps of the containers, and Therex simply twisted it off while Lilith popped it off with a practiced flick of her knife.


From what he could tell from this first true get-together with his squad was that it was just as diverse as the RAIDERS. Only, well, a little less crazy. Maybe. The glint in Jo’ron’s eye over the prospect of tango killing made Coad a little nervous, but he’d seen it before on a few faces and he was sure he’d see more of that look. He decided to keep a bit of a closer eye on that one; he’d rather not have authority issues with anyone, and he seemed to have a bit more attitude than the other folks in the shuttle.

Coming back to Lil’s question, he swallowed a mouthful of warm brown stew and replied, “I don‘t know much about the planet. In fact, I hadn’t heard of it before the debrief. Sounds like Tatooine though, if you ask me.”

…On second though, it might not be a good idea to ask me that. I’ve never been to Tatooine either.”

He took another swig of the stew, letting it warm his bones. Boots echoed loudly off of the shuttle’s ramp, and Alan emerged with a heavy bag in tow. He gave a wave and jammed his equipment into the storage locker just as Bright made her way into the shuttle as well. She took a quick head count then slipped into the cockpit to give the okay to launch.  As the entry ramp made its slow ascent, Bright set her own things into a storage unit and sat down in the seat opposite of Cody.

“Alright guys and gal, it’s time to take off. Let’s get out there and earn those credits.”

As the ramp snicked  shut, a disembodied voice filled the room. “Hello, this is Tony speaking. We’re preparing for lift-off now. Make sure to have everything worth finding later properly secured in the storage units, and  be sure to buckle yourselves in while we exit orbit. In case of emergency, your seat can be used as a flotation device…”


-----------------------------------------

During the trip, Coad got to learn a bit more about the Jesters. While most of the trip was covered by the squad’s need for sleep (helped by the merciful pilot dimming the bright fluorescent lights above), conversation revealed that this was a more social group than the RAIDERS, and the group had a higher capacity to communicate. It was certainly a contrast to the journeys with his old squad, who were for the most part silent en route, the troops caught up in their own personal problems and doing little more than running scenarios in their heads or polishing a weapon to keep busy. He remained aloof of the chatting, though, preferring to simply listen and learn about his new comrades. Or maybe it was simply habit.

Fifteen minutes prior to landing, the group was told to prepare for arrival. Those not in their equipment already grabbed their armor and dispersed, Cody heading down below into he cargo hold to change while the others were waiting for the private facilities above. He quickly stripped down and tugged on his thin suit, the stretchy material making it a pain to adjust, as it always had. The Shadowsuit had no real defensive qualities, so he took liberties with his SCOPE armor and brought along the chest plate, shoulder pads and boots to put on underneath.

By the time he slipped on his suit over all that, it was time for entry. He bounded up the steps, bag in hand, and threw himself into a seat. Lightray issued a derisive chuckle as Cody fiddled with his buckle.

“What took you so long? Zipper got stuck?”

Coad shot him a quick look, but refrained from saying anything. Don’t pick any fights now, especially not with your allies. The situation was forgotten quickly with the sudden shaking of the shuttle. The ports showed only red waves of hear as the ship slowed to terminal velocity. Metal rattled , and the fluorescent lighting were replaced by dim red orbs in the walls. Things got smoother as they approached the surface, and the view outside now showed a night as pitch as dark. The shuttle slowed, slowed, slowed down, its engines whining high as it pushed to slow it’s descent.

Then, a hard bump as the ship met the ground. “Alright boys and girls,” the pilot said calmly through the intercom. “Welcome to Arkanis. Watch your step and don’t leave anything behind. Oh, and Bright? Bring me back a souvenir, wouldja? Socks don‘t count.”

The ramp opened up, and the Jesters filed out one by one. Cody donned his helmet and slammed a clip into his DC-15. He slung that and his bag over his shoulder, changes of clothes packed neatly within. He was last off the shuttle after Bright, and just as his feet made first contact with Arkanis the ramp began to lift. He ran to clear the plume of dust being thrown by the repulsorlifts, taking a spot with the other Jesters to watch their ride take off into the dark night sky.

Not wasting any time, Bright motioned for the others to form a circle, and a data pad was held in the middle, a topographic map showing the lay of the land. It was a generally flat planet, lazy valleys and worn hills pitting the otherwise smooth surface. A red square represented the group in the center of the display, and several black dots were placed haphazardly on the grid.

“If you couldn’t guess, this is Arkanis,” Bright began, the display zooming closer to the red dot in the center. “To the West of us is Stanaru, that lovely town where we’ll start searching for Forlax. It’s a bit of a walk, so let’s get there before the sun does. “

The data pad was turned off and put back into her bag. “Once we get there, we can really get started. And remember:” Coad was sure a select few in the group got a glance, though Bright was sure to pass her gaze on all of the squad. “We’re doing this low profile, so try to keep one. Now Jesters, let‘s move.”

OOC:

We've touched down on Arkanis and are hoofing it to Stanaru. Let's get this show on the road, eh?

A few less creds to pay the bills.

Stanaru was a dusty.,sprawling city, large decrepit buildings straddling the litter-laden street. At this time of day there was hardly a soul out and about, but those who were certainly didn’t seem in the mood to chat, the weary prostitutes ready for bed after a long night of work and the spice dealers sliding into the alleys as the group came upon them. Vehicles hovered far above the surface of the street, the wailing of their engines echoing eerily in the silence of the early morning.

The group headed for nowhere in particular, moving further into the city more by happenstance than  anything else.  “Keep an eye out behind us,” Bright told Lightray, looking forward again and lapsing again into the silence that encompassed the city. Light immediately fell to the back of the procession beside Coad and kept vigil with casual  glances over his own shoulder.

At one point Light nudged him and motioned to a lonesome figure in the street, tall and regaled in a gaudy robe and wide-brimmed fedora.

“Check out the early bird showing off his feathers,” Light said to Cody, giving a chuckle and heavy elbow to his side. The man had been watching the group for a while it seemed, and his skin jumped from forest green to an alarmed red for a moment as he realized eyes were on him, then he sauntered into the alley he’d come from, tucking a fanciful scepter into the crook of his elbow as he went.

“If the morning bird gets any closer than that, we might want to pluck its feathers,” Coad replied, letting a little bit of humor come into his voice. He hoped it covered the worry he felt over someone taking notice of the group. In such a large group they stood out regardless, and in their mismatched armor and careful demeanor they must certainly seem like they were on a mission, which might make quite a bit of the population of Stanaru nervous. And that would undoubtedly make trouble for the troopers.

Day broke over the far horizon and caught in the omnipresent dust hanging in the air, giving a nimbus around the long shadows cast by the advancing sunlight. It twinkled against the tops of the sagging spires, spider webs of broken glasteel blindingly bright against the rusty metal framework that had been exposed and neglected.

This is a dying city, Cody thought as they walked, remembering Aargau and its vibrant spacescrapers that gleamed against the blue background of the sky. Even Bastion, wounded and rife with tension, had a will to live, to prosper. But Stanaru had a sleepy death in mind, its keepers passive and forgetful of its needs. It made him sad, to see the great beast of a metropolis becoming a decrepit shadow of its former self. It made him… He nearly bumped into Lilith as the squad came to a halt.

“Now that it‘s light out,” Bright said to the now stationary squad. “we need to get to combing before the whole city’s awake. It’s a big city, I don’t need to tell you that, so we’ll split up into pairs and see what we can see. With that, until tonight we shouldn’t be seen together. New faces might be able to blend into a crowd, but a cluster of them is certain to attract attention.  Act natural, keep your eyes and ears open, and once it’s night we’ll meet back here.”

She motioned to the building they stopped in front of, a squat bar flanked by huge sagging towers of stucco and metal rising into the air. The Surly Zeltron wasn't the premier bar in-town with its cheap  plasteel front and smoke-stained windows, but it'd do for a rendevous point. “If we find anything here, then great. If not, we’ll catch a ride to Blackfyre and see if he’s there.”

Bright took a pause to look over her squad, weighing things in her head before continuing. “Therex and Lil, head West. Coad and Lightray, take East. Hammer and I will head North. The com is secure for now, but only call in for an emergency. Remember, we don’t want to spook Forlax. Arkanis was our last trail, and if he gets nervous he’ll pack his bags and set up another appointment at some time and place we won’t be able to find. Stay low, keep steady… And good luck, Jesters.”

With that, Bright turned and continued walking down Red Boulevard, leaving Hammer to take a few extra steps to catch up. Therex crossed the empty street with Lilith in tow, and Coad and Light exchanged a quiet glance before heading back the way they had come.

“Looks like we got our work cut out for us here, eh?” Light said, letting his rifle rest easy against its shoulder strap. “Hope you can hold your own in a fight. Don’t wanna have to pick you out of a scrap. Knock on wood, ‘course.”

Cody gave a light laugh and held back the heavy wave of emotion and mental replays that came with those words and threatened to breach his walls. Knocking on wood seemed to be the last thing Light wanted to do, and Coad wondered if he‘d be able to hold back that enthusiasm any. He let it slide, though. “I can handle myself, I promise. I’ve stayed whole this far, and in this platoon that’s saying something.”

He saw someone’s head poke out from an alley, and dart back whiplash speed. He looked at Lightray to confirm the sight, and tapped the bigger man’s shoulder to quicken his pace. The two jogged to the gaping alley, and they entered cautiously. Cody gripped his rifle in the early morning silence, and cursed the tall buildings that kept the passage as dark as night. But from what Cody could tell, it was already empty. Once again that nervous tingle ran up his spine at the thought of being followed. Gorrammit, I won’t have my first mission be my last here in the Jesters.

“Hey, I found something,” Lightray called out behind him. He crouched down to pick something up off of the ground, hidden from Coad’s view by a trash receptacle bolted to the wall. “I think it might be hunting season, eh?”

At the sight of the wide brimmed fedora brought up to rest on Light’s head, the answer  was clear enough to him, exciting him even as it confirmed his suspicions. 

“Let’s go get our dinner, then. A plump and pretty peacock would hit the spot nice enough.”

The newly hatted Lance Corporal took lead and Coadster followed behind, his padded feet ridiculously silent next to the plastic jangle of Light’s own boots. And somewhere ahead in the dark and winding alleyway was a pair of extravagant and expensive soles running for their owner‘s life.

OOC:

Alrighty Jesters, time to get started for real. We've split up into pairs, and the whole city's open to picking from our favorite squad (that's us!). Bright and Hammer have headed North, Therex and Lilith are heading West, and Lightray and I are heading East. Have fun!

HammerHead slowly scanned the street. The people of Arkanis were not unhappy people. To his suprise, the looked unaffected by the heat and even seemed to enjoy the weather. He didn't mind the heat. He had spent so many years on Felucia that the heat didn't realy bother him. He saw merchant's, shops, bars, and even some miniscuel apartments. For a barren waste land, it looked fairly normal.

Bright and HammerHead had been heading North toward the center of the city. They had been heading North for a long time when the finally found a place to look. The Rancor's fang was the most secretive bar in town and had a habbit of attracting some of the cities worst criminals. Bright turned towards the bar and grinned.

"Let's head in their, it looks like a very popular place."

"I don't know, this seems like a bad idea."

"Common Hammer, what could the harm be"?

The pair enterd the bar only to be greated by the smell of alchohal and vomit. It was a large round room, with no windows, and had small sections for groups all over the bar. The area in the center had two bar tenders and on every drunk looking guard. There were groups of mercenaries, spice dealers, and pimps scattered throughout the room, all of which were surrounded by guards. HammerHead then noticed that there were to very serious lookikng wookies garding a door in the back. Great, now are we supposed to know who is in league with Forlex. Who in this room isn't a criminal?

Hammer started to head for the center of the large circular room when Bright grabbed his arm. "Hey, where do you think you are going? This place is obviously not the safest around. Don't be a fool you don't have enough field expirence. If you even look at the wrong pearson, your going to get killed."

"Listen, I don't know if you know this but I was the top in my class at the academy. I also lived on my own on Courasant for three years, and I got in plenty of bar brawls, I still have the scars to prove it. If that doesn't satisfy you I lived on my own for four years Felucia after my entire family was robbed and murdered. I think I can get through one bar without getting killed!"

"I...I...I'm sorry Hammer, I had no idea."

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go off the handle like that."

It was then that he realized that he had attracted the attention of most of the people near bye. A group of mercs started to look a little edgy. HammerHead decided to take a risk and kept an enraged look on his face and stormed off towards the bar. When HammerHead looked back Bright, as tough as, she was looked hurt. While HammerHead thought over how to apologize a rodian walked up to him, his hand firmly on his blaster pistol.

"Your in my seat."

"To bad."

"Move."

"No."

"I said move!"

The rodian raised his foot and kicked the chair out from under HammerHead. Hammer imediatly rose and clocked the rodian with a right hook. The rodian passed out but his friends, who were quite abit bigger, didn't seem like they would be as easy to take down. Bright ran straight towards Hammer but was a little late, the brawl had started. Bright and Hammer fought back to back, downing one foe after another. The mercs were to many, and Bright knew it.

"Hammer, run get out of here, go get help"

"No, I'm not leaving you."

HammerHead than reached down and drew up his pistols. He fired into the mercs killing all of the group that was stilll standing. At the sound of blasters going off all of the armed guards in the building tensed up adn raised their weapons. HammerHead slid his blasters back in the holsters and said "We don't mean any harm."

"We were just leaving." Bright added.

As they left the bar a figure in the back got up and started to follow them. They didn't notice they were to edgy. As soon as the doors slid shut behind them Bright turned to Hammer and screamed: "Are you out of your damn mind!"

OOC:

Now me and Bright are being followed and we don''t even now it. Not to mention bright is really mad at me

The figure ahead of them did nothing more than humor Lightray as he jolted through the alley ahead of the two Jesters.

" You see that? " Lightray nudged his squadmate on the shoulder.

" Hm? See what? " Cody replied. Lightray smirked, a devious grin appearing on his face before a quiet cackle escaped his lips.

" The prey. It's frightened, therefore it runs to save its own life. " He raised the butt of his assault rifle to his shoulder, looking into the darkness with his scope.

" Typical behavior when one feels his life is in danger. " Coadster began. " Although I wouldn't put it past the man to be leading us into a trap. "

Lightray nodded in agreement. He'd been in plenty of situations in which a lone figure would lead him into an ambush. It was a common tactic in which many criminals used to their advantage.

" Aye... I was thinking the same thing. We can only assume that he has friends in high places. " Lightray began, motioning his rifle towards the buildings outside of the alley. " Of course you can't leave out the low-places either. "

Lightray took point as the two exited the alley. The city was dark, almost pitch-black if it wasn't for the moon shining what light it could upon the eerie street. Coadster scanned the buildings surrounding them with his rifle while Lightray watched the street in front of them. The street was littered with all types of junk that only added to the ambiance of the city. His ears would perk up from the familiar sound of boots clapping against the ground. Although it was very faint, it still managed to echo towards their location.

Lightray turned his head slightly to face his sqaudmate. " Aye, Coadst'. " He called out, turning his head forwards and motioning two fingers forwards. " When an animal that's separated from its pack ends up returning to familiar territory.. what does that leave the hunters to do? "

They paused in their tracks for a moment as Coadster turned towards Lightray and shot him an awkward look. " They either give up on the hunt or start from the very beginning; stealthily watch the pack of animals for another sign of weakness before they pounce upon their prey. Why do you ask? "

Lightray cackled once again, his rifle still pressed againt his shoulder. His eyes were focused into the darkness that confronted them.

" I say this simply because we're in a predicament that forces us to do neither of those options. " He fiddled with his rifle, raising the barrel towards his chest as he reached into one of his vest pocket's and pulled out a decent-sized shell. He opened up the loading chamber of the large barrel mounted underneath his rifle, sliding the shell in before closing up the chamber. The look on Cody's face had given away that he knew what Lightray was thinking about doing.

" In a situation like this. " Lightray began, pressing the butt of his rifle onto his shoulder before bringing his eye to the scope. His finger moved to the trigger located on the under barrel. " The hunter is forced to improvise when the entire pack becomes the object of desire; the entire pack becomes the prey once they come looking for a fight. "

He aimed his rifle towards the second building to his right; an apartment complex from what he could tell. With a multitude of windows it seemed to be the perfect place that an enemy could use to their advantage in a firefight. From Lightray's perspective it was the perfect place to wake up the dragon so to speak.

" A high-yield incendiary grenade-shell is the perfect way to bring light to the darkness whilst showing the pack of banthas that we're not to be taken lightly. Don't you agree? " Lightray turned his head towards Coadster, smiling before letting another cackle escape his lips. Before Coadster could say one word Lightray had whipped his head forwards, lining up his eye into the scope and pulling the trigger on his grenade launcher.

The weapon roared as the shell spat from the barrel, the recoil being absorbed by Lightray's shoulder. It quickly collided with the building, the explosion roaring into the distance as debris from the building came crashing onto the street in a blazing inferno. The interior of the building lit up as furniture and the area itself caught on fire. The screams of the men inside that were going to ambush the duo would be heard to much delight as they jumped out of the building, falling to the street in the confusion.

" Duck and Cover, we got hostiles ahead of us! " Coadster called out, moving to his right whilst firing his rifle. He pivoted behind an alley wall while Lightray slid behind a garbage container. He rose to a knee, leaning from behind the container before shooting controlled-bursts from his assault rifle towards the enemies ahead of them.

" Oi, Cody! How many do you think are out there, eh?! " He yelled towards his ASL, hoping the man would hear him over the continuous stream of blaster fire the man was letting loose. " I'm assuming you took care of the few that were in that building, and their small-arms fire isn't that heavy! Maybe five, ten at the most, yeah?! " He yelled back, pivoting from behind the wall and letting loose several more shots from his rifle.

" Good! " Lightray called out, pulling another shell from a pocket on his vest, loading it into the rifle-mounted grenade launcher. " Let's flush these amateurs out and get some answers, yeah?! " Coadster shot him a reassuring nod, lighting up one of the gunmen with pinpoint-accuracy.

OOC:

Sorry for not posting, but for me and Coadster the story has just gotten interesting!

wc: 950

Screams echo off the walls of a large warehouse. Inside, a single light is turned on, illuminating a small area near the center. In a small chair, their sat a lone Twi'lek, his face bruised, one lekku dangling from a small line of skin. Behind him stands a two meter tall Chiss, his blue skin blending with the darkness behind him, his red eyes, the only contrast in the emptiness. In one hand he carried a makeshift torch. In the other, an M3 Revolver hangs loosely.

Therex smiled inwardly. For years he had been in the Twi'lek's position, tortured while in prison. But Therex had taken it a lot better. Chiss were trained to be resistant to pain, stubborn and resilient. Even so, the scars were a constant reminder of his troubled past. Then again, his troubles never went away, they just changed form.

Coming around front, he tightened his grip on the revolver, it's butt covered in blood. The trembling victim looked up and opened his one good eye. Shuddering, he opened his mouth, uttering small gibberish noises, followed by choking and coughing. Therex knelt down next to him.

"I don't want to hit you again," he said, holding up his fist for the Twi'lek to see. "It hurts me more than you know. Now would you mind helping me and my lovely colleague here?"

The Twi'lek looked up and nodded very slightly.

"Good," Therex said, re-holstering his revolver. "Now all we need from you is the location of your boss."

"There is a small building, just outside of town." The Twi'lek said, sounding defeated. "He frequents there, a sort of Safe house."

"You better not be lying Bantha Face," Lilith chimed in, "Cause that could be very bad for your health."

"My health hasn't been to great since I met you two," the Twi'lek said, chuckling.

"Don't worry," Therex said, slowly standing back up. "Now that you have cooperated, and helped us, I am willing to help you in return."

The Twi'lek raised his eyebrow at Therex, "How's that?"

"Well life here sucks, right?" Therex said, moving around the back of the chair. "How about I help with that?"

Realization dawned on the Twi'lek when he heard the distinctive click, of a hammer being slide back, and a trigger pulled. Seconds later, the body lay limp in the chair, a single hole through the skull. Lilith jumped back, surprised.

"What did you do that for?" she asked, running over to the body. "We could have used him."

"He was lying," Therex said, sitting down to clean his gun. "And besides, with his wounds, he may not have survived the night."

"Well then now what?" Lilith asked, satisfied that the Twi'lek was dead.

Therex stood, and re-holstered the revolver. Looking across the room at her, he smiled.

"How would you like to accompany me to a restaurant?" he asked, extending one arm.

"Excuse me?" she asked, a little caught off guard by the question.

"A few years before joining the Vast Empire, I was a chef. And one thing I learned while on the job, is that chef's love to talk about local dealings. They can be very open at times. It may be our only chance at finding a new lead."

Shrugging Lilith looked at herself and then at Therex.

"We may have to clean ourselves up a little first though."

OOC:

589 Words. Good post for getting back on track.
If I do say so myself.

The Surly Zeltron was bustling and full of smoke by the time that the night swallowed Stanaru whole. Stools lined the long bar that ran the length of the common room, and shelves of booze and glasses covered the wall behind it almost up to the ceiling. The common room in question was rather open, with plenty of room to walk in between the large circular booths that afforded a bit of privacy to its occupants. It was in one of those that the Jesters met, far in the back and next to a raucous group apparently engaged in an almost violent variant of sabacc.

It was a rather worn group that showed for the debrief, the only exceptions to that being Therex and Lilith. Coad himself had several neat holes in his Shadowsuit and a painful knot on the back of his head. Bright perhaps was the most weary looking in the bunch to Coad‘s eyes though, rubbing her temples for a few long moments before addressing the squad. 

“So,” Bright began, meeting eyes with everyone in the booth before continuing. “Word around town is that it’s been an interesting day, even more so than usual in Stanaru. A morning assault on an apartment complex with military grade weapons, a popular shopkeeper kidnapped in broad daylight, and eight mercenaries shot in a local tavern, all today.

“Quite a coincidence, don’t you think?”

With each statement her smoldering eyes seemed to bore deeper into her troopers, and when they locked on to Coad’s own, he had to look away. A dozen things he could have done to salvage the situation with the building came to mind, but no words would come out and Bright was far from finished.

“People are talking about it all over town, and it’s sure to get around to the other cities eventually. Calan is here on Arkanis for sure, and I can tell you that we’re not the only ones that have our ear to the floor. If he hears anything about someone tracking him, even if he’s all the way in Blackfyre, he’ll be off and we’ll have nothing to show for it.”

She sighed and looked down at the table, propping her head up with a hand that rubbed her forehead. “I told you that we were supposed to do this thing quietly. This is the only chance we’ve got to keep some important secrets out of enemy hands, and it’s already damned near blown. We need to step very lightly from now on. And again, no weapons that haven‘t been approved, or I swear you‘ll be begging for a court-martial. Is that understood?”


The hooting of the sabacc players was all that came back as a response. Cody still couldn’t look at his squad leader, and the silence was unbearable. After long moments, Bright mercifully continued.

“Anyway, did we find out anything about the meeting on those escapades of yours?”

“We had an interesting time, to say the least,” Coadster said, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “But we didn’t find anything out about Calan.”

“Okay. Therex, Lil, did you find anything out?”

Therex nodded and Lilith smiled and nodded with him. They looked at one another, and Therex leaned forward on the table before saying, “Well, it’s been a productive day. Not only did we find out that Calan Forlax is here in Stanaru, but we picked up a conversation about a meeting, ‘to teach those Empire scum a lesson,’ as they said, in a warehouse a little West of the restaurant we were scoping out at. They said the meeting’s been planned by none other than Forlax himself.”

Bright raised an eyebrow, to which Lil chimed, “When people eat, they talk. Restaurants are good places to get info.”

Bright nodded and contemplated, letting her fingertips press against a temple as she thought. After a moment, she nodded and looked up.

“We’ll have to check it out tomorrow then. Did you hear what time the meeting is? No? …Well, we’ll have to keep an eye out on it tomorrow. For now we should  split up and meet back here.”

Bright pulled her data pad out and brought up a map of the city, a building highlighted between two much larger ones. Cody pulled out his own datapad and took down the coordinates quickly as a few others in the squad had done. Bright put it away quickly as the waitress came to fill the mugs of the excitable guests beside them, and only spoke again once she was sure no one else was close enough to eavesdrop.

“It’s a safe house that the STC’s used before, and it’s still vacant. We’ll hammer out a solid plan there. We’ll leave in two groups, and make sure we don’t take the same route.”

That last part was directed at Coad, and he nodded solemnly. Bright gave a glance to Therex, Lil and Alan, and at once they got up and left the booth. He sighed and counted to thirty, taking a drink of the glass of water beading with moisture. “Well!“ he said as he put down the glass. “Time to blow this place?“

Light and Hammer nodded together and got up with Cody. The trio walked past the disused dance floor, and Coad murmured a goodbye to the waitress. The bartender shouted out a farewell to the party, told them to have a nice night. He smiled and waved back to the large man as they walked out into the chilly night air. Bright’s group was far down the street by the time the three troopers emerged out of the bar, and Cody was sure to double check for followers before slipping into an alley and off to the safe house,  mentally plotting a course that’d keep them off Bright’s trail and hopefully confuse anyone that might have a reason to follow the group. Cody really wasn’t in the mood for any chases tonight.

OOC:

994 words, take that writer's block! We're in two groups walking to the safehouse from the bar late at night. Have fun!

At the words "Stop right there!", HammerHead pulled out both of his blasters and extended the blades on the bottom of the weapons. He was ready to drop the man with the gun when he heard Coadster shout out:

"Easy Hammer, he's one of us."

Hammerhead, ever cautious, slowly lowered his weapons and collapsed the blades. He kept his eyes trained on the man even while Coadster hugged him and started talking with him fondly. He looked over at Lightray and asked:

"Who the frack is he?"

"Well obviously, he is an imperial or you would have shot him already."

Coadster led the man over and introduced him. "This is my old friend from RAIDERS, Kurt Rythoren. He's got a speeder we can use so let's go. And Hammer, stop trying to shoot people, isn't eight mercs enough for one night?"

HammerHead climbed in the speeder next to Lightray and put his rifle on his lap. They moved forward with a jolt, and then the ride was fairly smooth. Coad and Beta shared stories and Lightray eventually even joined in, but Hammer was uneasy. He knew that just hopping in a speeder and going too a Restaurant was just to simple, something was going to happen.

They were getting close to their objective location when HammerHead's suspicions were confirmed. A figure in a black jumped in front of the speeder causing Beta to hit the brakes. The figure then pulled out a pair of pistols and opened fire on the unsuspecting men. Beta was hit in the shoulder before Coadster pulled him down and Lightray ducked behind Beta's seat. HammerHead followed Light's lead as blaster bolts pelted the speeder. The fire stopped and then Hammer heard a thunk as something dropped into the speeder. "Detonator!" Coadster screamed. The four occupants of the vehicle jumped out and took off back in the direction they came.

The blaster fire resumed as the speeder exploded in a glorious burst of flames. As the small group tried to escape the figure in black started to follow them going around the flaming speeder and slowly gaining ground on the undercover troopers. HammerHead took a chance and stopped abruptly, turned around and lifted his long rifle. He zeroed in on his target and pulled the trigger. The blaster fire stopped and the figure fell to the ground.

"Nice shot Hammer, let's go see who are attacker was."

"Thank you Coadster."

The group headed back to their former vehicle and hovered over the dying man. Coadster got low and uncovered the man's face. He was a Human, young but with numerous scares.

"Who are you working for?"

"My employers are many but my job is the same. I am to eliminate any potential threats to my higher ups. I have failed, and for this I shall die."

"Damn right your going to die, you shot me!" Beta said in anger.

The man died and left the group alone in the street. Lightray checked him for weapons and found nine thermal detonators, three knifes, and two vias of poison.

"Well so much for keeping a low profile." Coadster said. "Let's head for the restaurant and see if we can't get Beta here a bandage.

OOC:

Alright, the mysterious figure from earlier is dead and we lost our transportation. Now let's get to that Restaurant!

Therex was the last to approach the safe house. Bright had asked him to hang back, in case anyone was curious or had prying eyes. Pulling his coat around his collar, he stood against a wall of a building opposite the safe house. Most likely everyone else was already inside. Therex however hesitated. Something was different. Something about the streets around it, the way the building sat. For one, it almost appeared to move back and forth. Trying to focus his vision, Therex closed his remaining eye and used just the cybernetic. Still, the building swayed, but now even the street and sky joined it.

Opening his eye again, Therex almost fell over. He had been swaying back and forth. Catching himself with one hand, he braced against the wall, watching the gravel at his feet dance around to the beat pounding in his head. Sliding down the wall, the Chiss sighed and extended his legs in front of himself. The second his bandaged leg shifted, Therex almost passed out from the pain.

Damn! What did I miss?

Pulling the bandage back, Therex spotted small purple lines crawling up his leg. Swearing under his breath, he uses his fingernail to pull the skin away from the top layer, causing a very dark red fluid to spill from the wound. He didn't have drugs to fix this. Something in the debris that had created the wound was not reacting well to his insides. From the consistency, Therex guessed that the blood was absorbing oxygen at an unhealthy rate, which may explain the vision trouble. It was the most extreme bodily reaction to an infection he had ever seen.

Certainly one for the medical journals.

Sighing, he went over his options. He didn't like them. Frowning, he opted for the one that seemed, as his companions put it, "the lesser of two evils." Reaching under another section of his suit, he pulled out a section of undersuit and he cut it with his knife. Then wrapping it around his leg, he pulled it so tight, that the edges almost cut into his wound even more. But it would block outside oxygen from the wound. Problem was, that if he kept it on too long, about three hours, he could lose the leg.

Standing up, he tested it carefully. It still hurt like hell, especially now that the drugs he had used earlier were wearing off. Before he could collapse again, Coadster came around the corner, obviously looking for Therex, and grabbed him under the arm. Even though Therex was half a foot taller, Coadster held him up rather easily.

"Thanks," Therex mumbled, trying not to yell, as they slowly hobbled over to the safe house. With one last look, Therex checked for stalkers and endearing fans before they entered the building. Bright was the first to spot them, and she rolled her eyes, obviously contemplating early retirement. Therex couldn't blame her. Nothing had really gone according to plan today. Hopefully, now that they were all together, they could better stay on the same page. As Coadster deposited him in a chair, Bright looked over and then down at his leg. Shaking her head, she obviously had the same thought.

Again?

Smiling back, he struggled to shrug at her. Then he looked around the room and found that everyone else was pretty silent, waiting for Bright. Lilith was sitting just right of her, followed by HammerHead, the new guy Beta, and Lightray. Coadster opted to remain standing, positioning himself just behind Bright. Slowly, Bright raised her head. Therex prepared for the worst. Instead her response was calm and level.

"Alright," she said, almost sighing the words. "We are all here. Let's see if we can get it right this time."

Beta leaned back in his chair when he heard this and the gears in his head started to grind. He raised an eyebrow and looked at the others at the table.

"That is a good point," Beta said, "what about me?"

Bright looked right back at Beta, "What are you getting at?"

"Well I would highly doubt that Forlax would know anything about me," Beta started, "with the what, ten minutes I've been with the squad. I'm sure being who he is he has to have scouts in the city. I'm sure if we found one of those I could impersonate him to get into the warehouse."

Beta stopped for a second with the room in silence. He raised his hand for a second and opened his mouth but didn't say anything. Instead he snatched the datapad from the other side of the table and turned and rotated the image until it was zoomed in on the corner of the warehouse. The image shown on the datapad showed a room that was relatively small compared to the rest of the massive building.

"See this room?" Beta said, "This room is the office building of the warehouse. It has a solid lockable door and is surrounded by foot thick walls with likely some type of escape that we don't know about. If he's as smart as we think he is he'll be in that room. All I need to do is get him out of there and the combined squad will do the rest."

"That actually might work." Came from Coad after a moment of silence.

"Well saying it is one thing and doing it is another," Beta said standing up and sliding the datapad back across the table. He stepped out of the building and looked around. Seeing no one he walked outside and glanced at the tops of the buildings, then back at the squad who was just getting out themselves.

"No one in sight." He said to the squad in general.

Coadster was the first out of the safe house from the squad. He too walked out to the street and looked around.

"So?" Beta said.

"No one." Coad replied, "Let's move on. We're going to keep safe and move in the cover of the alleys. I don't want to risk moving exposed."

The squad moved along at a brisk pace, never spending more than a few seconds out of the darkness of the shadows. Bright, who was in the lead gestured the squad to stop moving.

"What is it?" Beta said immediately and quietly.

"The warehouse," Bright said with an index finger pointing forwards.

"Guess I'll have to improvise from here," Beta said walking forwards, but stopped before leaving cover. "I need a comm."

Coadster managed to produce a small device, "It can send signals two ways between itself and a twin I have. If you need it for what I think you need it for it would be plenty enough."

Beta took it and examined it before placing it in his chest pocket. "When I send a signal," Beta said, "it'll be safe to open fire."

Beta took his weapons and rested them on the ground and before anything else could happen he set off towards the warehouse. He carefully examined his surroundings to make sure they were empty and entered the warehouse. As soon as the door creaked open he heard the click of the safety going off on a blaster rifle. Beta raised his hands and stood on the spot as the door closed behind him.

"State your purpose." The evidently new republic guard demanded of him from a few feet to Beta's left with the gun pointed to the chest.

Without making any movements he said, "I must speak to Forlax, it is of the most urgent matters."

"Just tell me, I'll make sure the message is forwarded to him; he's busy right now."

"Trust me, he needs to hear it from me."

The trooper rolled his eyes, "I'll have to search you first then escort you to him. If you make any sudden movements at all I'll stick this gun so far up your ass you'll be shitting bolts for weeks."

Beta nodded and the guard started patting Beta down. Once he was satisfied that Beta had nothing to hide he gestured for Beta to walk to the other side. Beta looked around the warehouse as they were moving through it and saw a couple large crates close to the large doors as well as a few smaller ones scattered all over the place. The crates all looked empty and looted as the whole build looked as if it had been abandoned for years. There were only a couple troopers patrolling the warehouse, casting strange looks at Beta as he walked by. He looked up and around at the catwalk on the perimeter, just like the plans. As he slowed down he felt the gun press hard against his back. He accepted this as a good reason to hurry up. He saw the staircase to the catwalk as he felt a hand on his shoulder and stopped walking.

"Wait here," the guard said as he unlocked the door to the office room and opened it. "There's a man here who needs to speak with you, says it's urgent." The trooper said into the room before waving Beta to go in. As he stepped in the half-dozen men stopped and looked at him.

"So?" One of the officers in the room said.

"I have news," Beta said, "The Vast Empire has dispatched a squad to come shut us down. They are to arrive in just over half an hour."

"And who exactly are you?" One of the men said. He was confident in the way he said it and talked as if he was a leader in the group. But he was also the only one there without a uniform. It must have been Forlax.

Beta stood there and thought about the question, he was panicking but was trying to keep as calm as possible. "One of your scouts sent me," he quickly said, "they said that the commlink might be intercepted too easily by the enemy."

Forlax stood there for a second and Beta was dying under the anxiety of what he was going to say. After a quiet moment of contemplation he said, "Where exactly was this scout?"

Beta felt like he was on the urge of sweating, he was thinking to himself he should have planned it out better. But now he had to come up with something, anything convincing that might work. "He approached me at intersection just a few minutes north of here. Told me they were stopped for something. Ran all the way down."

Forlax looked back at Beta. Beta could tell he didn't fully believe him but knew he didn't have any other leads at the moment. Besides, the it would be easier to accept it as truth and get out now for him than have to go through a firefight later. Beta could see he had no other choice in these circumstances. "Men," Forlax started to say looking at the New Republic officers but stopped for a moment's pause, "We have to move out. Right now we'd be better safe than sorry." He stopped there and looked at Beta, "I'd like to thank you for time and help."

Beta, unable to tell if he was being sardonic or genuine decided to take it as a success none-the-less. As he saw people shuffle around he moved out of the doorway. The officers cleared the room first and as Forlax was leaving Beta moved his hand to his chest and press the lone button on the device he had received from Coadster. After only a couple seconds he saw the doors burst open in his peripherals. As he saw this happen he tackled Forlax to the ground and amongst all the chaos that just ensued none of the officers seemed to notice.

Once on the ground Beta pinned the man's arms and legs to the ground. He struggled back with no avail under the weight of the large man. But still he tried his hardest and it didn't pay off until Beta was struck by a stray blaster bolt. With the jolt of pain Beta lifted one of his arms to clutch the spot on his side that was just hit. Forlax used this to his advantage and managed to push Beta off of him. As he was still in pain from the hit he was on his hands and knees on the cold floor. As Beta looked up to see his target for one last burst he had only enough time to see the butt of a pistol fast approaching. It struck him in hard in the temple, sending him sprawling onto the floor, unconscious.

Dead. I must be dead. Definitely feels like I am dead. Except for that annoying noise in the distance. What is that?

Opening his eyes, Therex saw nothing but darkness. He was no longer in his armor, instead he now adorned a simple Chiss tunic and cloak. Feeling it, Therex remembered the last time he had worn one. It was customary in certain trials on Csilla, for the accused to wear it. Purely aesthetic, but the Chiss were somewhat nostalgic. Standing up, Therex noticed that his leg was no longer wrapped and offered no resistance. Suddenly he heard the sound again, this time almost booming in his ears. Cringing, he threw his hands up to cover his ears. Looking out into the darkness again, he tried to turn on his cybernetic's multiple filters. When nothing happened, Therex panicked. Reaching up, he touched his eye, feeling flesh, not mechanics, under his finger.

You must be confused.

The voice was distant, yet he heard it as if the speaker was in his head, or standing next to him. Turning, he saw another Chiss, dressed the same as him but about a foot shorter. Looking closer, Therex noticed small things in the face that seemed familiar. The Chiss before him, was him, but younger. Taking a step back, Therex stood with his mouth open.

"I can understand your confusion," the doppelganger said. "Let me try to explain."

As the other Chiss stepped forward, the sound boomed again, pulling Therex out of his haze. Flailing, Therex yelled and jerked his body forward. Coadster was next to him in a second.

"Hey," he yelled, holding Therex against the wall. "HEY! Don't move. You got a nasty wound there. You passed out. Everything went to hell and I had to pull you out."

Still in panic mode, Therex started looking around. He spotted Bright standing over a man who was tied at the hands and feet. Her attention was divided between the man and a window she was next too. Looking down, Therex saw his leg. They had removed all the armor, and the infection had spread all the way across the leg. Gritting his teeth, Therex pulled himself up. When Coadster tried to push him back down, Therex grabbed him on the collar. Pulling him close, Therex ground his teeth together.

"Cut the damn thing off!" he growled through his teeth. "Trust me! It needs to go!"

Coadster was surprised by Therex's reaction and stared at him stunned.

"Did you not hear me?" Therex said, tightening his grip. "I make the medical decisions here. You either leave me here or CUT. IT. OFF."

Looking down at the leg, eventually Coadster nodded solemnly. Releasing him, Therex levered himself against a wall. Reaching into his belt, Therex pulled out one of his knives. Grunting, he leaned forward and traced two line on his leg with the point of the knife.

"Cut here, and here," he said, offering Coadster the knife. Leaning back, Therex tried to calm his mind.  He had seen other people amputated in the field, and it is never a pretty sight. Coadster nodded his head at Therex, and when Therex nodded back, he took a deep breath. When the knife sliced through the infected flech, Therex fought the urge to yell, knowing that worse was to come. Suddenly, the knife slipped through the upper layers and hit the bone.

The pain shooting up his leg, caused Therex to pass out again. This time, when the darkness came, the other Chiss was already waiting for him. Extending a hand, it waited.

"Where are you going to take me." Therex asked.

"You have spent years trying to control me and find answers. I am here to provide the solution to both."

Tenatively, Therex reached out and took his younger selves hand. The moment their hands met, Therex snapped his eyes open again. This time, he awoke to Bright with her hand over his mouth. Coadster was moving something wrapped in a blanket. Bright released Therex, and stood up.

"Do you want to tell everyone where we are?" she asked.

Ignoring her, Therex looked down. All that remained of his right leg was a stump just above the knee. It was wrapped in several layers of bandages.

"Coadster got the leg off eventually." Bright said, following his line of sight. "You know, you are our only medic, and so far, you are the only person who gets hurt. We need to work on that."

Still ignoring her, Therex put his hand up to his temple. Something was different. The small growling creature that lingered at the back of his mind was no longer caged, but at the same time, Therex wasn't worried. Shaking his head, he figured he would worry about that later. Looking up at Bright, he finally acknowledged her.

"You know," he said, a smile forming on his lips. "If I had been a chaplain, we could just kill the people who got hurt. Trust me, this is better."