Rebellion Cantros Tea Party | House Mecetti Rebellion of First Order Cantros

[Elicia Hejaran]

Objective 1

After the dust had settled somewhat, Elicia continued to scan below with her monocular. Still, nothing. Everything had been going according to the plan, but the First Order's response was extraordinarily passive, much to her surprise. After some thought, it made some sense. All they had to do was hold out until reinforcements arrive, then they would be able to quash the uprising with some haste. Thus, the onus of engaging fell upon the rebels. It was a peculiar matter - if they were to accomplish their goal, they had to move. If they moved, they had to give up their advantage in both positioning and camouflage. Whatever it takes.

"Go for gas.", she ordered into her commlink. She was no stranger to coordinating missions, but it pained her to not be in on the action. If you want it done right, do it yourself - a tried and true saying she found increasingly difficult to abide by.

"We've given our asset the go-ahead, Ms. Hejaran."

Maybe now she would see some results. It was difficult enough to get close to the building itself, but getting someone on the inside took several months of painstaking handholding. Today, it would pay off. Damn a secret entrance, they needed central ventilation access. Elicia checked her watch. Their janitor on the inside had been holed up in the maintenance room, both isolated from the insurgency's explosions and standing by for the order. Now that he had the go-ahead, it shouldn't take more than five minutes for the nerve gas to sink into every corner of the building.

Part of Elicia had lamented the need to resort to this measure. It would almost certainly inflict collateral damage, opposite to the surgical precision she had preferred to operate by. Though the First Order had no doubt played its role in this by hiding amongst the event's attendees, Elicia tried to come to peace with her involvement in the events to come.

"He has a mask, right? Have your man make contingencies...I fear our plan may not work as we had hoped."

The building's occupants would be busy enough - that should give them some leeway in making further preparations. It could turn to be a grave error on their part, the lack of foresight. With the rear entrance now inaccessible, the gas should push them outside. The First Order were many things, but stupid was not one of them. As she waited for the effects of the gas to take hold, she assembled her sniper rifle, with any of the possible scenarios running through her mind.

Adrian Cassidy | @@Alois Hammer | Delilah Graham | Tir Grastis | Zakar Vass ​

 

[Arlan Harper]

Objective: II
Location: Cantros, Vicinity of First Order Garrison
Allies: Elicia Hejaran
Various Opposition: Adrian Cassidy | Gao-Feh-Yu | Matma Bernu | Karisa | Fevris Derzelas | Caio | Elisea Apollodor | Zakar Vass | Alois Hammer | Delilah Graham | The First Order

-

He couldn't help but pick up the pace, the men with the scanner device just ahead. They too had picked up their pace, a darting glance upwards and a smile suggesting good news. Following the Mecetti Guard's gaze, Arlan saw what they had - an enormous transmission antenna. A glance down below revealed that their path was blocked. Uniformed Cantrosions stood guard outside the building, security even tighter inside no doubt. A splotch of gray just inside the doors to the facility implied First Order presence as well. Great. With a subtle wave of his hand, the small group slipped off the main street into the space between two overly-tall buildings. Keeping their voices low, they began contemplating what their next move would be.

"Alright gentlemen and felines, we've got security we'll have to deal with if we want to get this done. As well, the clock isn't on our side. We need to get this done quickly. Stow the scanner, we've got our location." he added, slinging the trader's pack he'd had slung over his shoulder. Unlooping the canvas strap he removed several items and began explaining. "You two." he said, pointing towards both a Cantrosian and one of his own guards. "You'll be our distraction, I don't care what it is but make sure those guards at the front are occupied. You three with me." he said, pointing towards the remainder of the small group. "These are for you." the man began distributing the supplies he'd removed. A thin metal cable, a grapple device, and three small zipline devices. Pointing towards the sky, he whispered. "We're going up."

The plan outlined between he and his men, Arlan, two Cantrosians, and one of his guards slipped into the tall building they'd taken a momentary break next to. It was tall, appeared to be a commercial building of some sort, but of most import - it stood directly across the street from the main communications antenna. While the foursome beat feet up several sets of stairs, the pair below had already begun their work.

-
​

The street out front of the communications relay had been fairly empty to begin with but now that explosions were happening in some nearby part of the city people had shifted making the streets active. A few people quickly moving away from the sounds of danger, some poking their heads out to see what it was that was going on, and merchants hurriedly scurrying with their hover carts and sleds. It wasn't full blown chaos but it could easily be turned that way with the right kind of pressure. Thankfully for the public, that wasn't the plan for the communications relay. Odds were the building would go into lockdown, hypervigilance deterring them from their goal. No, what they needed was a distraction - a distraction they would provide. It took them only a moment to wrangle a stray hover sled and only another to loosen one of the secure straps on its side. No one would miss the sled, at least not in the moment.

The cart itself would have blended in at first, a heavy durasteel hoversled with more durasteel crates and speeder parts strapped to its sides. It came down the street slow at first, a Cantrosian slowly pushing it along as a human male walked several paces ahead of it. As yet another explosion rocked the air they glanced up at the sky and sped up - or at least the Cantrosion pushing the hover sled did. Just as they were about to pass the front entrance of the relay building the Cantrosian let the now quickly traveling sled slip from his grasp and sent it sailing at a minor angle towards the human in front of him. "Look out!" shouted the Cantrosian just a moment too late. Turning, the human male turned and barely managed to dodge the cart and fell to the ground, a cry of agony escaping his lips. The cart however continued, slamming into the side of the building just past the door. "You fething feline! Trying to kill me are ya?!" shouted the man, rising slowly. "How did you not see me?!" The Cantrosian meanwhile stepped closer, hands up in an apologetic gesture. "I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry."

By now the others should have been atop the building, there was nothing left but to play their part.

​

 

[Delilah Graham]

G. S. O. H., Q. E. D.​

Things were getting... serious.

Delilah's gaze fell on Vass for a moment as she touched her earpiece. Something to report, she thought the look would tell her cabinet colleague. Perhaps he could even read her mind. Her gaze sharpened as she listened to Tir Grastis 's report and query. Her first instinct was to tell him to pursue them, but that was an impulse and impulses might get people killed. Whoever was doing this, the increasing proximity to the capitol building told Delilah that they were trying to get the First Order's and Cantrosian leadership out into the open. Unless they acted quickly, at some point they would hit on something that would work, and it would be better to have whatever backup on hand out of doors.

"Stay where you are," Delilah said gravely. "Try to get whatever backup you have on hand -- " A tickle in her throat made her cough into her fist and she cleared her throat to try again. "Whatever backup you can. Get as many of our guns around the building as possible. Something's going to happen. We need to be ready." Again, she coughed into her hand. She realized that she was crying; no, she added with a reassessment, Not crying. There was no emotional component to it; her eyes were watering. Her throat --

She sat up straight, her eyes widening. "There's -- something -- we need to get out of here." Delilah drew a handkerchief from her pocket and held it to her mouth and nose. It made breathing a little more laborious, and did nothing to help her eyes, but the pain in her throat was starting to wane. "Get them, the governor, the children -- they haven't even made any demands."

The Home Secretary looked aghast as in the corner and elderly Cantrosian dropped to his knees, clutching at his throat. Delilah turned to Vass. "We need to get everyone out. But there's no way this isn't a bloody trap," Delilah said gravely. "There's only one thing to do. Spring the trap. Get these people out of here if you can, but first see if there's a way to shut off the climate control system. Open the windows. Maybe we can buy some time. I'm going to go see if they want to negotiate. Agent Queen, you're with me. Rover, eyes up, I'm coming out with Queen."

Delilah pushed herself to her feet and rounded the table. "Everyone stay calm," she called. "Cover your mouth and nose if you have anything to cover them with. Moff Vass will assist you." She quickened her step, heading for the entrance hall. On the way she snatched the electronic bullhorn from the security station; it had been used to corral the guests earlier in the day. She connected to the public address system for the speakers outside the building.

"This is Delilah Graham, First Order Home Secretary. Would whoever is detonating explosives is a populated city and deploying illegal poison gas within a civilian government office please call a halt? I am prepared to meet to representatives of the terrorist group to discuss an end to hostilities against the civilian population of Cantros." Her voice was loud from the speakers, reaching across several blocks of the city, and reverberated off the flagstone of the plaza outside the front door. She shouldered the door open, pulling her impromptu facemask off as she emerged into the open air; First Order Army personnel were arraying themselves outside around the perimeter of the capitol complex, but she didn't expect that to matter much. The buildings surrounding the capitol would be perfect roosts for snipers.

She saw a pair of First Order media drones circling the plaza and smirked wryly. Well, at least her final scene would make for good holovision, she thought. Delilah expected the potshots to begin momentarily. "Two questions," she said in an aside to Adrian Cassidy . "One of critical importance. Another a slight indulgence on the theory that I'm about to have a portion of my body vaporized by a sniper. How confident are you in that shield you're packing? And why 'Queen' as a codename?" She lifted the megaphone again, keying it on. "Whoever you are, you seem to have strong feelings about the First Order. Why don't you leave the building full of children out of this and we can settle this like grown-ups?"

Zakar Vass | Elicia Hejaran | Arlan Harper | Tir Grastis | Adrian Cassidy | Lydia Finn-Camden

 

[Caio]

The smell was what hit them first.

Caio had experienced it too much in the past, even in his brief life. Section Three moved cautiously through the field, brushing through the crops. The rest of the platoon had halted from the collection of farm buildings, the APCs training their weapons on the complex. Caio let his finger slip onto the trigger, more for reassurance than anything else.

He knelt behind a parked agri-vehicle. Somhairle was twenty metres across from him and he motioned with his hand. Kanner had his rifle readied and he nodded. Caio rose and scurried forward, Somhairle moving with him.

They found the first body in the courtyard between the houses. The Cantrosian's face was open, frozen in an expression of shock. Blood and scorched fur showed where he'd been hit in the midsection. Caio knelt by the body nonetheless, fingers checking the neck for a futile hope at getting a pulse. Somhairle was ducked in by a buttress and he shook his head. Jalik and another moved by to go into the main building.

"Room clear!" The call made the others relax a fraction but everyone was tense going house to house and checking the rooms. Kaza mercifully stayed off the comm, giving them time to check it. All the weapons were gone but they did find more bodies. Caio felt his stomach turn. All ages. The separatists had hit the farm complex indiscriminately.

"Section Three to Medical Post. We have several civilian WIA and KIA here. Requesting permission to bring them in".

Fevris Derzelas Karisa Elisea Apollodor Matma Bernu

 

[Matma Bernu]

"Hello fellow Knight. Pleasssant day, yesss?"

Matma started, nearly dropping the supplies he was carrying. He had thought the Knight was a Ssi-Ruuk at first glance, but upon further inspection he was clearly another saurian species. "Erm yes", he started, regaining his composure. "It's pleasant world yes- wish we had come here under better circumstances." A pause in the conversation, and they started walking in the same direction.

"I'm not sure we've met before- Ser Matma Bernu, at your service. How long have you been with the Knights? How has it been?"

Gao-Feh-Yu

 

[Tir Grastis]

The Agent got his orders to stay in the area. He growled. There was likely a reason the boss told Tir to stay in the area, and to gather backup, so he would do just that. The Firrerreon kept one ear on the discussion that took place, as the Home Secretary hadn't turned off the comm, and it let the Agent outside know everything he needed to know via the encrypted network. Without wasting time, Tir began to run across the grounds of the capitol building, as he heard mention of the need to cover mouths and noses.

Gas? Smoke?

He didn't know the specifics, but that didn't matter, as the crowds around continued to run and scream and vacate the area. Dressed in his plain clothing, though armored as it was with mesh and material weaves, Tir more or less blended in. That was his job: to be invisible, until he didn't need to be. After several more minutes, the ringing in the Firrerreon's ears began to ease, and he was more aware of his surroundings. He caught the acrid waft of gas on the air, as he passed the Government building and continued toward the front. The back entry was gone, there was nothing coming out that way, so it stood to reason the front and side exits were the most likely to be used.

That also provided a narrow field.

And if the Boss' words in the ear were any indication, she seemed to suspect a trap outside. It would make sense. But without more information, it was hard to even begin to formulate action. Tir moved through the mixture of crowd and First Order Army who were in position, in defensive deployments after the explosion, and Tir spoke into his commlink quickly. "Watch, this is Rover. Need predictive analyzing," He said to the FOSB officers on the other end. They were in place elsewhere in a secure location, supportive of the operation, and had more equipment at their disposal than a field Agent. "Boss called for eyes up. Scan surrounding buildings for best coverage angles, any ranged threat potential."

There was no real way to predict what method might be used. It could be rockets, sniper rifles, blaster rifles, or even more explosives. Still, as Moff Graham began to speak over the loudspeakers of the building, Tir waited for the confirmation of data from FOSB support. It didn't take long. The Agent's comm pinged, he looked down and began to scan through the information provided. There were several buildings that looked to give good coverage of a number of capitol building entries. Three of them looked to be the most ideal for a range of threats, which included an apartment complex, a multi-story shopping and office building. Too many options, not enough manpower. Not without taking several dozen Army personnel away from defensive positions, to sweep entire buildings...

Time. We don't have time... and Boss is coming out.

Tir thought as he turned and saw the front of the capitol building open. Moff Graham and Agent Queen moved into the air outside, the former with cover to the mouth by way of held material. That didn't bode well. The Firrerreon looked between the buildings, knew any call he made was a punch in the dark, and decided it was better to be in a state of reaction. "Lieutenant Farst, FOSB-gundark-hapes-three-three-nine. I need eyes on the following buildings, as many as you can spare. If you see any change or threat, tell me where, immediately." Tir said into his commlink, as he sent the relevant data, and ran along with a number of crowd members, the majority of which had largely vacated the area. "Have smoke prepped on Moff Graham. If she's attacked, visually cover and provide support."

There was a confirmation from one of the commanders of the First Order Army in the immediate area, before a number of soldiers turned their attention specifically to the mentioned buildings. By the time he reached the street opposite the capitol building, the Firrerreon could do little more than hope the Moff and Agent Queen were in a position to survive any attack that happened - if it happened. Still, orders were orders, and Tir would make damned sure that if someone took a shot at the Boss, he would be on them in a matter of minutes.

Now we wait. As karkin' skist as that is.

For his part, Tir checked on his shoulder, saw that it had started to heal. His ears were also close to normal again, too. Perks of being a species that healed quick, he thought, before he prepared. He stood between the three possible sites, near the apartment and office, ready to move the second he got word... he just hoped that word didn't come at the cost of Moff Graham's life.

Delilah Graham | Zakar Vass | Adrian Cassidy | Elicia Hejaran | Arlan Harper​

 

[Zakar Vass]

Vass returned Moff Graham as she touched her earpiece- no doubt, reaching out to assets on the ground. He was half listening to her whisper, half observing the children mill about when he felt a sensation he hadn't felt since he went to Haruun Kal- something that tickled his throat, made him want to cough.

His suspicions were confirmed when the room went into coughing fits, and one of the children toppled over after a particularly violent fit, and began twitching. Only his Korunnai physiology- a resistance to toxin and poisons- stopped him from joining them on the floor.

Delilah turned to Vass. "We need to get everyone out. But there's no way this isn't a bloody trap," Delilah said gravely. "There's only one thing to do. Spring the trap. Get these people out of here if you can, but first see if there's a way to shut off the climate control system. Open the windows. Maybe we can buy some time. I'm going to go see if they want to negotiate. Agent Queen, you're with me. Rover, eyes up, I'm coming out with Queen."

Delilah pushed herself to her feet and rounded the table. "Everyone stay calm," she called. "Cover your mouth and nose if you have anything to cover them with. Moff Vass will assist you."

He nodded, then drew the attention of the room. "Everybody needs to keep their face covered at all times. But we need to keep moving. The building is no longer safe. Follow me." Then, he activated his comms. "This is Moff Vass. We are currently under siege- the insurrectionists are indiscriminately deploying some type of gas-based toxin. I have elderly and children, and we are suffering casualties. Immediate evac is requested."

There was a pause, then a response. "Situation understood, Moff Vass. Military transport will be diverted given the large number, and we will evac from the roof. ETA 20 minutes."

Zakar nearly swore. "Twenty min- situation is dire. Evac needed post-haste."

There was a note of regret. "Sorry sir- Between security and reconstruction efforts, that's as fast as we can go. Over."

He did swear, this time. "Understood." He looked over to the Cantrosian leadership. "Does anybody know where we'd be able to find access to climate control? Vent this gas from the building?"

They looked at each other, before one, a female stepped forward. "It's on a sub-level."

Of course it was the exact opposite direction of where they needed to go. But, what's done was done.

"Very well, lead on. And let's start opening some windows as well."

Delilah Graham | Adrian Cassidy | Elicia Hejaran | Arlan Harper

 

[Karisa]

704th First Imperial Medical Mobile Surgical Unit (FIMMSU)
Part of the First Order's OPERATION OPEN PAW Response on Cantros
______

​

After having an informative though short chat at the nurse's station with Dr. Derzelas discussing their unique caseloads so far, the two First Order physicians said farewell and moved on within the "Fimmsoo" as their sub-specialties carried them on different paths.

Brask'ari'sabosen took the opportunity of this rare quiet moment in her otherwise busy day to take a 'fresher break, which was often an infrequent luxury in her line of work. Next on the good doctor's "To Do" list was to get a much-needed refill of caf before resuming patient care. Caffeine as humans say is the nectar of the gods. This Chiss wasn't proud of how much she actually drank in any given day, but of all the vices one could possibly be addicted to it was the lesser of the evils. Karisa, as she was known outside Chiss space, supposed the bad habit was picked up during her previous tour of duty with FIMS during the GA/FO Border War. Oh, how things had come full circle.

Hitting the button on the caf machine in the small lounge, the disposable flimsi cup started to fill with hot steaming dark liquid. Military caf rations always smelled so good when made, but for the taste... well it left a lot to be desired. There wasn't enough powdered creamer or sugar that could make it truly drinkable, but one didn't complain when it was all you had.

A sip barely got past Brask'ari'sabosen's dark blue lips when a medical specialist called out for her from the nurse's station. "Doc K, Section Three is comming us. They have several civilian casualties. They want permission to transport the wounded to our location? There's also been chatter on the radio of possible terrorist attacks in Minkaren, though I can't confirm."

Intriguing... a coincidence? Not likely.

"Yes, of course. Permission granted. Have the trauma team meet me in the emergency room. Also, put the FIMMSU security on alert as well."

The blue-skinned, near-human took one more sip, then dropped the only half-drank cup if that into the trash reciprocal with a sigh before heading for the ER. Once there, Brask'ari'saboen quickly exchanged her lab coat for a protective gown to cover her medical uniform before grabbing a pair of gloves from a box on a cart and a face shield. She slipped it on over her dark head and adjusted the clear plastoid so it fit correctly over her facial features.

"Alright, people. We have incoming. Severity and quantity are unknown. I will triage patients as they arrive and delegate which team receives. Be ready."

The Chiss battle surgeon's glowing red eyes scanned the medical personnel present and gave them a confident nod, then she turned to walk out to the covered ambulance bay though paused for a moment to look over her shoulder at a local Cantrosian doctor who was shadowing the FO's mobile surgical unit.

"Doctor Maile... I would like for you to help me triage. This will give you much-needed experience for when you are in charge of your own MSU," she offered with a small knowing smile.

"I would be honored. Thank you, Doctor Karisa," the female Cantrosian answered with appreciation, then the feline followed her mentor outside to await the inbound ambulances.

Intriguing indeed, the Chiss mused to herself as crimson orbs looked out at plumes of smoke drifting on the horizon with the sound of sirens in the distance filling her keen ears.

Allies: FO Caio
In vicinity Matma Bernu | Gao-Feh-Yu
Enemies: HM Arlan Harper | Elicia Hejaran
​

 

[Elicia Hejaran]

Objective 1

Sniper assembled, Elicia's eyes continually scanned the scene for what she expected to be a Cantrosian with some sort of security detail. She had a clear picture in her mind as to what their primary target looked like, but hell - to an offworlder, many of these Cantrosians looked the same.

"Sitrep?", she inquired.

"Our asset has planted the necessary equipment in the east wing of the capital. He is now moving to the west, but expect delays, since he may have to cross paths with our 'friends' on his way."

In the windows that weren't laced with ash, there was a whiter layer of smog permeating on the other side. It was difficult to surmise if these was the gas or smoke, but it didn't matter. So long as their man on the inside was able to release the toxin into central ventilation, it would reach its destination. Confirmation soon followed, as an exasperated but confident voice came over the building's PA system. Sound was muffled inside Elicia's position, but the system helped draw her attention to what was being said.

As the amplified female voice spoke, her earpiece chirped. "He's almost th...", her Cantrosian contact said before suddenly pausing. "They got him. He's dead." Blast it. No matter. Even if only a portion of the charges were set, she could make that work. What was unfolding before her was far more interesting.

A First Order cabinet official? This was a most welcome development. While their primary target had been the Cantrosian leader, a First Order senior official would make do as a secondary target. As she continued to speak, the main entrance in the front opened, and she became visible. Not only was she visible, but Elicia had a clear line of sight, and a clear line of sight meant a clear shot.

Illegal poison. Terrorist group. Rhetoric used by imperialists to convince themselves that there is only one way to live, and that it is their exclusive right to determine what that way is. There is no place for dissent, nor is there any recourse for those who do not fall in line with their agenda.

It would appear the insurgency's message fell upon deaf ears. If Elicia's aim was anything to go by, the bullet from her rifle stood a much better chance of succeeding in communicating with their target audience.

Aligning her crosshairs with the First Order official's right shoulder, Elicia pulled the trigger. Her muffled shot would be drowned by the discord below, but to trained eyes, they would see a lone bullet hole in the office window from where Elicia was positioned. Elicia waited only momentarily to see if her shot had met its target, but almost immediately after pulling the trigger, she was already repositioning to another location. If Elicia was anything, she was precise. If she wanted to kill the First Order official, she had the ability and ample opportunity to do so. But that was not her goal. Elicia wanted her alive. She wanted her to go back to their god-queen and let her speak personally of the dangers they faced. Let her know, aligning with the CIS would bring about grave consequences.

Adrian Cassidy | Alois Hammer | Delilah Graham | Tir Grastis | Zakar Vass ​

 

[Arlan Harper]

Objective: II
Location: Cantros, Vicinity of First Order Garrison
Allies: Elicia Hejaran
Various Opposition: Adrian Cassidy | Gao-Feh-Yu | Matma Bernu | Karisa | Fevris Derzelas | Caio | Elisea Apollodor | Zakar Vass | Alois Hammer | Delilah Graham | The First Order

-

While the fracas ensued below, the crashed cart and the now apparent pending altercation between the Cantrosian and Human collaborators, Arlan and the other three would-be saboteurs had made their way swiftly to the roof of the building across the street. Labored breath escaped his lips. Been a while since I've done that. Slipping free of a rooftop door the small group crouched as they approached the edge of the building to peek below. The Cantrosian below had offered a hand to the fallen human but what began to unfold below had turned into somewhat of a brawl. A fist had come flying up to meet the other man right in the whiskers. "Line." Arlan whispered, extending his hand. One of his men fished out a device, handing it to Arlan. "Be ready to move, we won't have much time. I'll go first."

Lifting the handheld contraption Arlan took a step back from the edge and raised the barrel of the weapon. A quiet Pmfff echoed as the device shot a metallic grappling cable across the street far above the fight beginning below. A moment later a soft chirp emanated from the device indicating that the other end had anchored. Stepping forward once again Arlan secured the device to the roof they were currently on and gave the metal cable a tug before retrieving the zipline device from his belt. "Tally ho." he remarked, clipping the harness to the cable and throwing himself over the edge of the building. A high pitched ziiiiiiiiiiip filled his ears as he rapidly shot over the scene below and towards the roof opposite - their target. At the last second possible he swung his feet up and turned, stylishly releasing himself as he came to a rolling halt atop the building. Scrambling he cleared the landing zone for the three others who would be just behind him. With luck they'd have escaped notice due to the commotion below. If not.. well.

He moved to action, unslinging the bag across his shoulders and retrieving small explosive devices. A quick hand motion directed the others to do the same, their targets various antennas and communication relays atop the building. What Arlan was looking for however was the big one. The relay antenna that would allow the surface, at least locally, to communicate outside the atmosphere and with the Star Destroyers or Cruisers above. Knock that out and they'll be stalled. Bringing his wrist towards his lips he keyed up the communicator between he and the other element of House Mecetti. :: Phase Two underway. :: It wasn't so much a report as a notification. He paused momentarily, surveying the rooftop for what he sought. There you are big boy. It stood above the rest in all its glory, a dish much larger than he. That would be it, only one problem. It stood atop another construct, a narrow and tightly bound metal support scaffold. If he wanted to not only disable but actually destroy the relay he'd have to scale it. No two ways about it. Damn.

"I'm going for it, watch for contacts." he muttered to the others before reshouldering the bag and began his climb, one awkward rung at a time.

 

[Adrian Cassidy]

In the vicinity: Zakar Vass | Alois Hammer | Feyra | Tir Grastis
Bodyguarding: Delilah Graham & Zakar Vass
Enemies: Elicia Hejaran | Arlan Harper

They managed to exit the room without choking on their own lungs.

Great.

Adrian tried to breathe through the fabric and it was hard. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Just a cushy escort and guard job. Take care of the boss, make sure she was happy, hopefully be put on a positive light with her. Instead they were apparently under siege by terrorists. Why terrorists, why HERE of all places? Cantros was an unimportant world away from hyperlanes or anything of consequences.

"The shield? Should be fine. It can block most energetic fire for a few minutes at least. Should buy us some time." It didn't protect against slugthrowers, but really who used those in this time and age?

"Wait. Why I am called Queen is your strategically important question? Dear leader, I like your priorities, boss."

As Delilah went back to trying to 'charm' the terrorists (or whoever was out there) Adrian went back to scanning the surroundings. He was getting a weird feeling. Like something was off. But he wasn't... quite... sure. His heart seized up. Everything shrunk to a needle point around him. Slowed down entirely.

Delilah's voice sounded strange.

He glanced over to her... and she was almost frozen like a picture.

Then his eyes cast back to something awful. He saw it then. Delilah's head popping like a water melon as a bullet ran through it. Why was this happening? Cassidy wasn't a Forcer... was he? They were always so fething stupid. He couldn't believe he was part of that nonsense. Not that it mattered, because Adrian was about to do something stupid.

And die.

"Why me, gods?" In that last split second as Elicia's bullet raced towards its destination, Adrian pushed Delilah aside and stepped in her place. The bullet ran clean through him and send him to the ground.

Split second later: chaos everywhere.

The sniper shot muffled, but the blood and agent collapsing clear as day to anyone watching.

 

[Tir Grastis]

Two things happened simultaneously:

The first, when the sniper took the shot, the pressure and force of the bullet made the window hole very visible as the bullet projectile passed through; the second, one of the soldiers in defensive positions - a marksman - saw the exit blast of small glass debris and new state of the mirrored panel with its webbing of cracks. He pointed, shouted the location, and took aim with his own rifle as he scanned through the scope and looked for a shot. After a moments hesitation, he fired several rounds into the window proper, which caused it to shatter and reveal the office space within.

Tir was already running.

Even with his superior hearing, Tir barely caught the muffled shot, but he heard the dull thump of expended gas and air pressure. It was unmistakable, clearly a sniper rifle, and even though the Agent wanted to check on whoever had been shot at, he also knew his responsibility was to pounce on the shooter. He definitely heard the shots returned from the marksman, and saw the window that blew out - that was the location!

"Unknown shooter is moving," The marksman called, as he caught a blur of movement leaving the firing position. "Orders?"

"Squads Red and Green, go go, surround the office complex and secure all entries into the building," The commander of that particular group of Army soldiers barked, as he got on the commlink and called through to the Agent nearby. "Target moving in the office building. Two squads are rapid approaching the office to secure all ground exits, we'll pin the shooter from below."

"Got it," Tir said, his sore shoulder all but forgotten, as he sprinted with all the speed he could muster. "Going through the front!"

As the Agent neared the office building, specifically the front that faced the capitol building across the way, he scooped and grabbed a rock from the ground. It was fist sized, perhaps from the explosion not long ago, who knew. Either way, with a growl Tir threw the rock at one of the windows of the office, and with his enhanced strength the glass shattered, allowing an opening for him to burst through. It took all of a second to scan the open office layout, before Tir saw the lone stairwell door; he ran for it, leaping and jumping over the tables and chairs, his objective and focus clear:

Get the shooter.

The Firrerreon grinned, his canines visible, as he shouldered through the door to the stairs. He reached behind his jacket and pulled out a small device, which he promptly tossed up into the air overhead - a V-6 haywire grenade - and watched as it detonated and released a large EMP pulse through most of the area. If the shooter had planted devices on the stairs, they were shorted out now. Tir began sprinting up, as he pulled out a vibroknife and his shatter gun--

<"Red and Green in position, ground entries covered!">

--and heard the soldiers outside confirm positions, as Tir took the stairs four at a time, racing up the stairwell and floors to where the marksman had pointed out the shooter location. The Firrerreon paused at the door entry to that office level, as he cocked his head and listened. His species had incredible hearing, able to reach high into the upper spectrums of auditory awareness, and it was no different for Tir now that the earlier effects of the explosion had passed.

He could hear movement.

Metallic, electrical whirring, running, clacking of metal and parts... cybernetic? Sounds like they're carrying the sniper rifle, too, that makes them slower!

Tir stashed the vibrodagger, as he pulled out another V-6 haywire grenade. They suddenly became a lot more helpful. He sprinted after the shooter, hot on their heels, if a little behind. The Firrerreon used his hearing to hone in on the target, he knew what the shooter sounded like, and the office building muffled the sounds outside - in fact, the mirrored glass was now acting like an echo chamber, in conjunction with the office floor layouts. And as soon as Tir saw the shooter in question, he pressed the activator and tossed the EMP grenade as far toward the cybernetic individual as possible...

"You're mine!"

Delilah Graham | Zakar Vass | Adrian Cassidy | Elicia Hejaran | Arlan Harper​

 

[Delilah Graham]

B R I C K by B R I C K​

Things moved quickly, more quickly than Delilah could quite comprehend at first.

First, agent Queen made some kind of quip about her strategic priorities.

Then, she lifted the bullhorn, prepared to make another offer to discuss.

Next, Queen shoved her roughly and she went down like a sack of lamta at a Mos Eisley barbecue. The bullhorn skittered across the cobbles of the plaza and she landed hard. She was angry and afraid, indignant at being handled and confused as to why.

Someone in the line of army men circling the plaza shouted: "SNIPER!" and several began closing around Delilah. She sat up, spotted Queen laid out on the cobbles, blood spreading from around his body. She resisted the urge to scream, instead scrambling over to him, her eyes darting around to find the wound. It wasn't hard to find. She pressed her hands to the wound, applying pressure to try to staunch the blood flow.

"Medical," she shouted, her voice almost guttural with fear and anger. "I need medical here now," she shouted. An army medic shouldered through the crowd of soldiers around Delilah and knelt next to her. Wordlessly he set about to scan Queen's wound. He brushed Delilah's hand to one side gruffly and slammed a hypodermic into the flesh near the wound, then began to apply bacta and kolto. Delilah wiped her hands on her trousers and moved up towards Queen's head.

He seemed to be breathing. That was something.

"Stay with me, agent," said Delilah firmly. She laid a blood-stained hand on Cassidy's cheek. He was so pale. "You haven't answered my question. Talk to me." She didn't know that he could even hear her, or that he was conscious, but she didn't know what else to do while the army medic worked desperately on Queen.

Elicia Hejaran | Arlan Harper | Tir Grastis | Adrian Cassidy | Zakar Vass

 

[Zakar Vass]

Locating the climate controls hadn't been too difficult; the directions were easy enough to follow. Within a few minutes, the agent was being vented out of the building, to harmlessly dissipate.

Yet still, there was an undercurrent of tension in the group as they trooped up the stairs, with Zakar leading the way, lightsaber out and ablaze. With how thoroughly building security had been compromised, he wasn't going to take chances and use a possibly sabotaged elevator. Zakar and the Cantrosian leadership had known war. They had known conflict. The children, whatever brave face they put, did not. But they would carry the scars of this day- that people had indiscriminately attempted to murder them for some reason- to their grave.

As they went up the seemingly never-ending staircase, they could hear the Home Secretary speaking:

"This is Delilah Graham, First Order Home Secretary. Would whoever is detonating explosives is a populated city and deploying illegal poison gas within a civilian government office please call a halt? I am prepared to meet to representatives of the terrorist group to discuss an end to hostilities against the civilian population of Cantros...whoever you are, you seem to have strong feelings about the First Order. Why don't you leave the building full of children out of this and we can settle this like grown-ups?"

The insurrection's response- such as it were- was the unmistakeable report of a sniper moments later, causing the group to duck and involuntarily shriek. Zakar swore. Whoever this was had just taken a shot at the Home Secretary- this was about to get very bad, very fast. "Keep going", he urged, shepherding the children up the final landing. Reaching out with the Force, and sensing nobody on the roof, he activated comms.

"What's your status?"
"Inbound, coming in hot for evac."

Warily, Zakar opening the door, reflexively covering his eyes as it adjusted to the sunlight. Below them, in the streets was pandemonium. The army was in full force.

His attention was broken as the unmistakeable shape of a military transport broke cloud cover, and streaked for the roof, kicking up dust. As soon as the ramp touched down, the beraggled group was set upon and ushered in the transport by a mix of FOA and FIMS personnel. Soon enough, the transport jetted away. Soon enough, they would arrive in orbit, rendezvousing with the fleet. The Cantrosian and FO youth delegation would be swiftly treated for inhalation of the toxin.

Delilah Graham | Adrian Cassidy | Elicia Hejaran | Arlan Harper| Tir Grastis

 

[Elicia Hejaran]

Objective 1

Blast it. No contact. Not that it was her fault, her bullet went exactly where it was supposed to. It was because of that generic suit that the First Order official would walk away with scrapes and bruises. If she was lucky, the mental trauma would deliver a much more consequential blow than anything she could shoot from a rifle. For a fraction of a second, she sympathized with the despair. It was a feeling she was not unfamiliar with. They were nothing alike, she quickly convinced herself. Elicia did not have the luxury of determining a nation's policy, nor was she responsible for the catastrophic loss of life and culture such policy brought about.

Elicia was no sadist, but in the interest of driving her point home, she hoped that the secretary and her suit were close.

She had hoped to reposition herself so that she might be able to eliminate the Cantrosian planetary leader, or perhaps another First Order person of note. She had planned for the First Order's alertness to heighten significantly upon her pull of the trigger, but she wasn't so reckless as to compromise her position by persisting with her barrage. Being outnumbered and outgunned, it didn't make sense to give up the one thing she had going for her. But alas, as she reached an upper level and prepared herself to jump to the adjacent office building, some superhuman of an agent had already closed in on her. Sharp eyes.

Extending her arm in the direction of her assailant, she tried to loose a quick barrage of blaster bolts, only to be met with a nonresponse. This shan't happen again, she snarled to herself. Still holding the sniper by its body, she reached for a thermal detonator, before pressing its button and dropping it to the floor where she stood. The pandemonium outside seemed to quiet, as the sound of the detonator's beeping thrust it's way into the foreground.

"Nice try, darling.", she said smugly.

Her grapple-spindled wrist likely would be met with the same nonresponse. Deprived of her ability to go up, there was but one path forward, considering the circumstances. Down. Whacking the butt of her rifle into the window at full force, it shattered, and out she went. Had it been a skyscraper on Coruscant or elsewhere, this tactic would have been entirely untenable. Now, it was her only option.

Her landing would have been rougher had it not been for her cybernetic augmentations. Even though they were nonfunctioning in the moment, its hardware offered some durability, if not the removal of pain associated with organic components. She knelt in a brief moment of recovery from the leap, also cognizant of what was to come. Almost instantly after, her thermal denotator exploded, sparking a downpour of glass shards. She felt sharp jolts of pain as fragments cut through her organic skin and loosely protected extremities. She had waited long enough.

Leaping forward, she sprinted around to the rear of the building where the insurgents had staged a speeder bike. She wasted no time in shouldering her rifle and climbing aboard, thrusting forward on the controls. As she bolted forward to leave the capital behind her, her peripheral vision caught something else. Troop transports descended from the skies to deliver the much needed reinforcements to the First Order forces on the ground. Damn it. They were too late.

Pending their imminent evisceration at the hands of overwhelming opposition, Elicia got on her comms to give the one order she had been determined not to give.

"All units, disengage and abort.", she broadcasted on insurgent frequencies. "Arlan, you there? It's time to go."

Arlan Harper | Alois Hammer | Delilah Graham | Tir Grastis | Zakar Vass
​

 

[Tir Grastis]

Even with the female sentient ahead, toward the back of the office, and with all the cybernetics visible Tir felt confident. The EMP seemed to have worked, as he started across the room, leaping chairs and desks and other office decor. The sniper - who Tir now saw fully - had tried to do something with her arm, though he didn't know what exactly. Which meant it was now his turn, as he raised the shatter gun in his hand and took aim... only to see the small metallic orb, complete with blinking red light, drop to the ground at the terrorist's feet--

Frackin'.

--and from his position, Tir knew he wouldn't be able to get past the detonator in time. He fired off a hasty shot, as the Firrerreon changed direction and started to backtrack. He heard some smug response from the cybernetic woman, before glass shattering. Tir suspected it was a leap from the building floor, it's what he would have done in the same situation, but the advantage of cybernetics likely helped her. Still, the Agent had to worry about his own skin - literally, as that thermal detonator would tear him apart otherwise - as he grabbed one of the many chairs and hefted it. He used his enhanced strength to throw the thing, full tilt, at the window in front of him--

** Ka-Smash! **​

--and with a growl of agitation and annoyance, Tir ran and jumped through the window as the explosive went off behind him. There was a rush of heat, as flames licked at his back, and the other office windows blew out from the force of the thermal detonator; already on his downward trajectory, the Firrerreon was pushed by the pressure, as he skewed sideways in the air and hit against the grass below, near some of the positioned First Order Army soldiers in defensive positions with a tumbling smack and roll...

Meanwhile, the portion of the soldiers positioned around the building, about eight of the two squads, heard the smash from above. Spread out both squads were, not all two dozen were in a line of sight to respond, but those eight closest heard - and saw - the sniper land behind the building near them. The initial surprised faded quickly, these were trained combatants, and they began to open fire with blaster rifles, on the armed cybernetically-enhanced individual. And even the fastest sentient on the planet would be hard pressed to evade over a dozen rifles worth of bolts, especially moving from a landing kneel and moment spent recovering.

<"Hostile here,"> One trooper called, alerting the others that weren't present on the rear of the building near the rear exit. <"Red and Green, engage, engage!">

Nonetheless, the hailstorm of blaster fire would rain down on the mysterious individual, and the soldiers wouldn't stop firing until either she somehow escaped or she was covered with blast marks and holes...

Back out the front of the building, Tir lay there, singed jacket and hair and broken bones. His shoulder and arm were definitely done for, his hip had a deep, sharp pain, and he could taste blood. Reports came in of the evacuation of the innocents and Cantrosian representatives, via the transport not moments earlier, as medics began to treat the downed Agent.

"Home... Secretary...?" The Firrerreon murmured, as he looked at grass, the only thing he could see being on his stomach, with his body a coiling mass of pain. "Alive?"

"She wasn't hit, someone else got in the way, he's being treated," One of the medics said, as she pushed a bacta patch onto a grouping of lacerations across the Agent's back. There was glass and shards embedded in the skin, it would require some surgery more than likely. "Just stay still, medical evac is on the way, keep your strength for recovery."

"Heh." Tir grunted, as he did as ordered. Wasn't like he could do much else, banged up as he was. "Tell... Graham, I got... a look at the sniper... will ID later."

"The building teams got a look, too, likely on helmet displays," The medic said as she continued to work, removing the back section of the jacket and shirt, to gain more access to immediate bleeding. "We've got her image. It's fine. Really. Just stay quiet and focused on not dying."

Tir smirked.

Wonder... if they got the smug bi--

Then he passed out from the pain.

Delilah Graham | Zakar Vass | Adrian Cassidy | Elicia Hejaran | Arlan Harper​

 

[Arlan Harper]

Objective: II
Location: Cantros, Vicinity of First Order Garrison
Allies: Elicia Hejaran
Various Opposition: Adrian Cassidy | Gao-Feh-Yu | Matma Bernu | Karisa | Fevris Derzelas | Caio | Elisea Apollodor | Zakar Vass | Alois Hammer | Delilah Graham | The First Order

-

The rungs weren't those of a traditional ladder, instead they were structural supports as the obelisk like structure rose up to the dish, so also the handholds got shorter and more angled. Slippery almost. He had made good progress despite the breeze picking up, his men below in conjunction with their Cantrosian counterparts beginning to rig the entire top of the building to blow. Or at least, it would seem like it given the sheer amount of explosives they'd distributed. As Arlan neared the top he hooked an arm over one of the supports, pausing as he looked out upon the city. It was strangely quiet up here despite the din in the other part of the city and the drama unfolding below. For a moment there was peace.

"Arlan, you there? It's time to go."

No. No kriffing way.

Hanging off the structural support he grimaced, reaching for the comm at his wrist. "I didn't come this far..." he trailed off, starting anew. "Who are you talking to right now? Who is it do you think I am? Do you know what would happen if we just stopped here, short of our goals? No. We aren't in danger here Elicia. A man opens up his door, dares to stand up to Imperials and is executed? You think that's me? I am the danger. I am the one who knocks. " Arlan tore the comm from his wrist, throwing it from his perch as he set to work. Detonator. Plastique. Detonite. A precarious condition to be wiring high explosives but he did the job. White knuckled fingers gripped the rungs with vigor as he reached up and set the explosive where it needed to be.

A shout from below revealed they had been discovered but he couldn't be arsed to look. "One more." he grunted. "Deal with it!" He shouted back. He was about to place the final explosive when he got a funny feeling. Not one of those precognitive, sixth sense, I've got a bad feeling about this feelings but a tingling. It started in his toes and then his knees. It took him till it reached his waist that he realized his predicament. An internal string of profanities erupted, eyes widening as the tingling reached his stomach. With one final heave he reached up above his head and slapped the final explosive in place. He could already feel his stomach lurching and his hair beginning to stand on end. A horrified grimace of determination gripped his features as the reality of his situation set in. His stomach lurched, his legs pushed off, and a moment later he was sailing through the air - falling through the air. His fingers reached for the trigger at his waist, pressing the button firmly as he closed his eyes and waited... waited for the inevitable.

KRAAAKOOOWWWWW

-
​

Cough. Cough. An almost euphoric feeling surrounded Arlan's consciousness. A feeling of weightlessness followed by a violent seizure. Another cough wracked his frame and his eyes lazily fought to open. Everything hurts. Everything. It stung, like being stung a hundred times over. It burned like being enveloped in an acid wash. It hurt. He was alive.

The explosion had ripped enormous holes atop the building housing the relay, sparking wires and carbon scoring blanketing its surface. Blood. He could taste it now and he fought to rouse himself. Managing to make it up to a knee he paused, bile forcing its way up and out of his system as he heaved. Fething hells. He couldn't tell if it was the radiation or the explosion, possibly both? Perhaps he was already dead. A small chuckle sent him into another fit of coughs before he forced himself to both feet and tried to survey his surroundings in more detail. It had worked. Nearly nothing remained of the relay, or the building - in fact the reality that he hadn't fallen into the building after the explosion was a miracle in and of itself. The others hadn't been so lucky, blood spattered various areas of the roof. No doubt their discoverers had also been taken up in the blast.

Stumbling towards the edge of the building doubt began to force its way into Arlan's mind. He'd absorbed a lot of radiation as the relay had begun to power up, a transmission from the planet into orbit had been queued but if they were lucky he'd detonated... he'd sacrificed before it had sent...

"I am the danger..." he coughed again.