First Reply Diamond in the Rough

[Eaton Waters]

His ship was missing again. Well, not totally missing, it was out in the Levant space, where his sister was, being overhauled. Partially. The Pelagic was a Niathal shuttle that he was using to get from point A to B nowadays, and he was still looking to perfect it. And with it down? Meant that Eaton was doing what he knew how to do. He found his way on a ship, and was serving as a side mechanic, and navigator. His sister warned him that the Wardens of the Sky were heavy out in the Rim, but it wasn’t something that Eaton was totally terrified of.

He wasn’t out here hurting people. Honestly, he was doing his best to help them, where he could, and where it served his own ends. Today? The ship he was working on was saddled up to a deep space refuel dock, which gave Eaton plenty of downtime, and what did he find out here?

Another freighter was aboard, and that one was carrying some rich mogul’s valuables. Now, the Midnight Star, that he was crewing on, was a fast ship, and with his own navigation? Even faster. But they were Alliance-loyal types, not the Outer Rim folks he typically crewed with. He was taking a risk, but with his trusty SCOMP he was opening the door to where the freighter was docked.

Just a little more… He thought as the door whooshed open.

And the alarms began.

 

[Armel]

Location: Deep Space Refuel Dock, Outer Rim
Objective: Seize Fuel and Ships
Tags: Eaton Waters

The Wyrm of Y'toub drifted slowly into the refuelling dock before eventually coming to a stop. According to it's transponder the Wyrm, a medium freighter was on a long voyage from the Core, hauling the personal possessions of Zoltar Tagge, a minor blood relative of the Tagge family who was retiring to Canto Bight. The ship's manifest listed hundreds of pieces of expensive furniture, art and other objects that the Tagge planned to furnish his recently bought mansion. Unfortunately for Zoltar, the Wyrm was seized while it sat in drydock along with dozens of other vessels during the Neo-Crusader raid on Contruum and now unfortunately for those aboard the refuel dock the Wyrm had been emptied and filled to the brim with fuel bladders and a dozen fresh Neo-crusaders eager to prove themselves.

The ship shuddered as it the fuel pumps locked onto the freighter. The lights in the ships docking bay switched off turning back on but in red, illuminating six armoured Neo-Crusaders standing in the room. The harsh voice of the Wyrm's captain, a Mandalorian Rallymaster known to her troops as the Baroness, spoke over the ship's intercom and filled the room.

"Alright kids, time to earn your stripes. We're not on Dxun anymore and this ain't another run through the assault course, this is for real this time. You might be wondering why we're in the middle of nowhere going after a station guarded by rent-a-cops and gas jockeys. I'll tell you why, the fleet is hungrier than ever and this fuel is easy pickings. More importantly if you lot can't even take these guys then you ain't worth a real soldier's time of day. Check your shit and get set for boarding action."

Armel stood in the red light, checking over his equipment as the Rallymaster spoke. "That speech was ass." he said as he checked his blaster pistol's beamsplitter. His comment was met by muted silence from the rest of his squad and he let out a small sigh. He felt out with his mind to his comrades in the room with him, a clash of warmth and cold, excitement and nerves. Except for a handful of veterans aboard the Wyrm's bridge they were all fresh recruits of the Neo-Crusaders, running through several weeks of basic training before being thrown out at the enemy, his comrades had every right to be nervous, some of them hadn't even held a blaster before being conscripted. Still, it soured the Zeltron's own good mood.

"You guys need to loosen up." He said pushing to the front of the other five crusaders that stood in the room with him.

"Shut your mouth before I shut it for you." a cold voice hissed right back at Armel. Nervous and pissed off.

He let out a sigh before turning back to the others. "Red lights are on so Jai'galaar squad is already out in space and they'll be hooking up the fuel bladders to the station's tanks in no time. All we gotta do is board that piece of junk and kill anyone before they realise what's going on. We'll be long gone before sector authorities show up." he said before checking the time on his helmet's HUD. There was still ten minutes before the station's automatic sensors picked up that the Wyrm siphoning fuel, that was their squad's go time. "The Baroness even said our squad gets first pick of the spoils if we bag another ship."

A few hushed murmurs and turn of heads at the mention of the spoils. As conscripts calling the equipment they had been given basic was a generous term. Everyone was eager to upgrade their gear, from their blasters to their sleeping mats. Armel smirked as he felt his squad's spirit lifted ever so slightly. He felt that they had nothing to worry about in the first place, their plan was sound and if everything went well, they'd have the station locked down, have enough time to suck it dry of fuel and get out with time to spare.

But a plan never survives first contact with the enemy, or in this case first contact with a trespasser. Out of nowhere the dim red room was filled with a bright white light as the docking bay doors were opened. Armel spun around and squinted as his eyes took a second to get use to the bright light. The six blue armoured Crusaders were now clearly visible to whoever was standing on the other side.

He looked at the figure that was before him and for once in his life the Zeltron couldn't figure out what to say. "The fuck?" he finally let out, stunned. And then the ship's alarms started blaring.

​

 

[Eaton Waters]

The mogul had not only Outer Rim talons but also supposedly some priceless artifacts. Art, Force shenanigans, he assumed, and just even the run of the mill credits. Eaton was fine for that. He would be more than happy with whatever he could steal. Get himself out into the space lanes before anyone found out, but then again, he messed up somewhere here. Was it really that the station was that secure? Or…

A droid?

Maybe a droid. He didn't have one because he didn't need one. He could fix most things on his own. Sure the Pelagic was needing the extra repair work, but Eaton preferred to do it on his own. Unlike his sister, Eaton was capable of making sure he blended in, or at least used the little Force skills he had to push others away and vanish into a crowd. And if that didn't work?

Knife fighting.

Obviously the last resort.

And something that was not going to go well with what he found here. A half dozen blue armored Mandalorians. What did Brooke say about the current list of Mandalorians? They were not the Protectors… They were different, crusaders, marauders.

A pause, much like an Tanaabian Buck running across a busy street, he looked before trying to lie. He pointed down the hallway. "Someone was trying to test station security." Eaton did have a bit of coveralls on, nothing too official, but he wasn't looking the bit of a thief, especially if no one caught him sliding the SCOMP down his sleeve.

Armel

 

[Armel]

Location: Deep Space Refuel Dock, Outer Rim
Objective: Seize Fuel and Ships
Tags: Eaton Waters

Armel stood there as Eaton spoke, a station security test. It could be the Sith Emperor himself for all he cared, the reason they were at a station like this is that most folks out here kept their head down and out their way of things. None of the other crusaders had moved an inch either and they didn't until the voice of the Baroness filled their helmets.

"The Hell is going on down there! You aren't set to go for another ten!" she barked.

Armel watched as one of the other Neo-crusaders turned to reply to the Rallymaster but there was no time for that, whether they liked it or not their schedule has just been accelerated. With his blaster already in hand the Zeltron lurched forward through the door and right up to Eaton, pointing his weapon in the Bluebreen hybrid's face. Armel was hunched over slightly, as if trying to stay avoid non-existent blaster fire going on overhead.

"Security check you say..." he said before turning his head slightly down the hallway towards the rest of the station. He quickly nodded at the rest of the Neo-Crusaders still in the ship and the spilled out with weapons raised. Two scampered down towards the end of the hallway, hugging the sides for any bit of cover they can find.

"Usually you announce that sort of stuff don't ya? Especially to the ship you're testing." he said his attention turned back on Eaton. The small black T-visor betrayed nothing but beneath the Zeltron's face was that of confused and angry, so much so that he didn't notice Eaton tuck away his device. Still something wasn't right, had they been compromised? Or was it really a case of bad luck?

"And on top of that who are you? You ain't dressed like station security." he said again as he moved to press his blaster right into Eaton.

​

 

[Eaton Waters]

Feeling the cold metal of his SCOMP, he really needed a droid for these type of things. But if he was going to be doing what he was hoping to do, be a Warden, of sorts, buta thief, or more sorts, he was going to need to work on his own. The Pelagic did have its astromech on-board, but that droid was more set up like the droid's type was supposed to be. Navigator and mechanic. Maybe an explorer droid for helping him. Or some pet.

Didn't matter right now.

Testing the station's security was the only situation where he could make at least some discussion of what was going on and not sound too out of place. Eaton did work enough on starships, and was fairly confident with their security systems. He was a thief, most of the time, after all. As the Neo-Crusaders moved out, the Blubreen took a big glance at each of them, getting their weapon loadouts memorized.

Raising his hands to the accusation, Eaton shrugged. "I'm just the messenger here." Hoping that the SCOMP would move in such a way to get it more hidden. His sleeve did have a band around it to hold some smaller tools.

"Me? Nah, not this station. Ship crew, just working some drinks off. Apparently they need credits and don't just go on 'oh I'm good for it' as payment." He offered a smirk. "And no need for the blaster, look, not armed." Not even his knife on him.

Armel

 

[Armel]

Location: Deep Space Refuel Dock, Outer Rim
Objective: Seize Fuel and Ships
Tags: Eaton Waters

The curved T-visor of the Neo-crusader helmet offered nothing but a cold stare, underneath however the Zeltron furrowed his brow. Back on E'rkit if he was ever face to face with a mark like this the answer was simple, blow a golf ball sized hole in their head and be down with it. But this wasn't E'rkit, and he wasn't a mark, just a bystander of the ever expanding crusade. The other Rallymasters had tried to make it easy for them by stating everyone was either with them or against them, no exceptions. The Baroness however had told them the truth, war was messy and the nature of enemies and friends shifted constantly.

As he listened to Eaton speak the Zeltron never let his guard down and his blaster remained shoved in the hybrid's face. Ships crew. he thought to himself and started to smirk under his helmet. As Eaton talked on Armel got the sense he was the sly type, someone use to talking his way out of a tough spot. It was clear at least from the fact he hadn't immediately broken down or played hero to half a dozen crusaders boarding the station.

"I take it that you know your way back to whatever ship you came here on." Armel said, the smirk grew to a grin.

"Well then, it's your lucky day. You and especially your ship have the chance to prove yourself to Kad Ha'rangir by serving our crusade!" he said sounding more like a caricature of a propaganda cartoon. Armel was under no illusion that he would find any willing converts here, he simply enjoyed watching those who had no desire to join squirm in their boots.

He backed up slightly and motioned to the door with his pistol. Armel was set on earning his squad the spoils of this raid and he would earn it with this ship.

"Go on, lead the way."

 

[Eaton Waters]

Dealing with Mandalorians was not what he had on his bingo card for today. Eaton was a thief at worst, and at his best? Maybe he’d qualify as someone who was a Warden. He wanted to help people get to their destination, but he had no real calling that held him to the path. So if there was credits in the way? He had a ship to pay for, and the race circuit wasn’t going to front him the credits to repair his A-Wing, but maybe he could get some credits doing some honest shipping with the Pelagic.

If he survived this run-in with the Mandalorians that was. The gun wasn’t going to move? If he had a fraction of his sister’s power, that could really change his fortunes right now. And, well, would probably keep him at the high roller’s table, somewhere like Corellia or Canto Bight? If dreams were horses, right?

All he had to do was fly under any radar here and maybe he’d get out of this and back to his ship. If they left him here? He’d figure it out. He always did. “Me? I do. And wait, serving in a crusade? We’re a cargo vessel.” He was fairly certain at least one or two of the guns worked, but not anything in relation to what a Mando vessel could do, or what their crew needed.

Eaton took a step out with his hands up. What he needed was an opening. But he’d go the way he knew, the way back to where he was crewing. It’d just take him some time to get a plan in place. Something to take the blaster, but he’d need to know how many were following first.

Armel

 

[Armel]

Location: Deep Space Refuel Dock, Outer Rim
Objective: Seize Fuel and Ships
Tags: Eaton Waters

"The crusade lives off being able to move it's warriors from one planet to the next. Where you see a ship for hauling goods I see a ship for hauling soldiers." he replied. The Crusade was always hungry, they started with no grandstanding fleet and what few clans that did have vessels were inadequate for transporting the rapidly expanding army. They would need all they could get their hands on.

Armel walked along behind Eaton as he walked and as if in unison the small squad of Crusaders began following along, blasters raised. Their movements were rigid and rough, all trying to emulate how they moved during their training, copying the dry fire runs of clearing houses and imitating how they remembered their instructors demonstrated. Armel noticed and he did his best to remain fluid but after every few steps he caught himself checking his blaster, he couldn't tell if it was nerves or paranoia.

The hallway ended and opened up to a junction that lead to other parts of the refuelling station. Before Armel could continue any further he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head and was met by the T-visor of another Neo-Crusader.

"We need to make our way to the stations command centre first, fry their comms and turn off the point defence guns, not the ship docks." Elara's voice was harsh as it came through her helmet.

"What about him and his ship?" Armel replied.

Elara turned to look at Eaton, her stare was as cold as his own. "We can't haul him through the station, not if we want to storm it and we don't have time for a detour. Deal with him now."

Armel looked as if he was about to offer some form of protest but he held himself back. He knew she was right. He let out a sigh and he raised his blaster to the back of Eaton's head. "Fine. We head to the ship docks straight after."

Just as he was about to pull the trigger a door from one of the junctions opened.

A thick Galidraani accent filled the room "Crews are activating their alarms by accident all the time, I tell ya-"

A trio of station security officers were about to walk into the room when they came face to face with the six Crusaders and their prisoner. Armel felt the whole room grow icy and he watched as the security officer's hand trembled as it brushed against his pistol holster. The jig was up.

The Zeltron's arm swung towards the direction of the Galidraani officer and he squeezed the trigger. Three blaster bolts flew across the room and ripped through the officer, leaving two gaping holes in his chest and empty space where they upper half of his head should be. The recoil on his blaster pistol was heavy and he felt his arm strain as he tried to control it. It was his first time killing a man with a blaster, it was nothing like the knife to a sleeping man's neck like he was use to. It was loud, violent and left his target a slumped over bag of flesh. He felt nothing but power in this moment.

The room immediately erupted into battle as the other two security officers withdrew their pistols and fired back. The other crusaders returned fire with a hail of blaster bolts. Armel fired another two shots of his scatter blaster before moving over to a nearby wall. As he fired off another shot he suddenly remembered about his prisoner. He turned his head back to Eaton offering nothing but a helmeted glare.

​

 

[Eaton Waters]

Oh right, these were Mandalorians, and those kind. The ones that felt that the galaxy was their oyster. Not that Eaton really knew too much about the Mandalorians, just stories his sister had told him, he was too busy off doing … Force knew what he was doing. Racing, stealing, trying to do what he could to make at least one CEO feel they were losing money because of things going missing. Not quite a Nerunner, or a cyberpunk, just someone wanting to make life better for the little guy while making life harder for the corporations that were destroying lives.

Robin Hood in space?

“I’m sure. But my ship… I don’t even know if its pressurized in the hold for Mandos yet.” He was lying, he knew it wasn’t, but well, the guy had a gun to his back. And Eaton liked all his fluids and internal parts assembled without laser burns, as best as he could. He needed a way out of here, and he was just about to start begging the Force for some form of intervention. And it came.

In two rounds. He wasn’t proud of how he held himself and flinched when the blaster was leveled at his head, but when the security team wandered in? Well, that was a good chance. He dove for cover when Armel fired at the chief. The thief grabbed his SCOMP link and looked around. Right, comms and a bit of tricks.

Grabbing his comm link, he knew that he could always find another way off this station. “Waters to Star. I’d recommend getting off station. Now.” He called, trying to speak above the blaster fire to a varying degree of success. He shook his head, with the SCOMP, he looked at it, and tweaked one or two of the locks and got to work. Rolling past the door, he looked to the two security guards and received a nod. He started to work the door until the successful hiss and woosh of the door closing was given.

Now it was time to move. What way? Station security first, the hangar second.

Armel

 

[Armel]

Location: Deep Space Refuel Dock, Outer Rim
Objective: Seize Fuel and Ships
Tags: Eaton Waters

"Shit." he said as he watched Eaton scramble towards the door. He quickly levelled his blaster but before he could pull the trigger a round from one of the security officers hit him square in the chest, knocking him to the floor, knocking him out. He lay still, dazed momentarily before coming to and sitting upright, he stared down at his chest to see the black carbon scoring. His armour had held up but it still felt like someone had punched him in the ribs.

He looked around to see Elara helping a Crusader who had been hit in the arm while the others trained their blaster on the door. Once Armel was up he approached it and tapped the door controls. Nothing. It wasn't hard to guess who's work it was, Eaton had broken through the door to their ship just before, it wasn't far off to assume he could do the opposite.

"Is this the only way?" he said, his head turned to Elara.

The female Neo-crusader walked towards the door and tried the controls again as if she thought Armel wasn't using them right. "Yep, and you're new friend has just locked the door. Should've shot him instead of that rent-a-cop."

"I'd like to see you try, as far as I know I was the only one to hit anything in that firefight." he replied smugly. Even through her helmet he could feel her piercing gaze.

"Just make sure you actually shoot him the next time you see him." she said before heaving a detpack from her belt and placing it on the door. She stood to one side and blew it immediately, Armel barely had enough time to get clear. He had a feeling the Corellian wasn't happy with him.

Armel followed her through the breach blaster raised and as the smoke cleared they slowly proceeded down the hallway. They met one of the security officers at the end, he was laying on the floor in a pool of his own blood. Armel kicked the man over and it revealed a dozen holes had ripped through his body, if he could guess it was shrapnel from their charge. Still no sign of the third officer or any other security. It of course wasn't any reason to get his hopes up, he was sure they would meet more at the Security station and command centre. Then of course there was Eaton. This time he'd make sure he didn't get a chance to run.

Armel moved to the front and they continued down the hallway, he was fresh on the tail of his prey.

 

[Eaton Waters]

Moving faster than the other guy. A lesson from Pamarthe, a lesson from racing, and a lesson from the whole of the Outer Rim. Eaton was a sneak, a thief, a fence, he knew that his skill was not in fighting, but in surviving, and in running. Getting away from what was coming for him, and here? That meant Mandalorian, apparently. Their beskar would fetch a nice credit, but he wasn’t sure that he’d go that low. Like stealing a Kalikori, or a lightsaber. Well, scratch that last one, like stealing the kyber crystal. The lightsaber could be rebuilt.

But he knew a bit about the animism of a few things.

Still, stealing to survive did play that real big issue. And now? Now he’d have to steal a ship, nothing too hard for him. Just find the right one, the right hyperdrive, and be able to plug in his coordinates to meet the Star. Simple. Super simple.

Cool cool cool cool cool.

A corner, then another, then a blast. Frak. They were coming. Meant he’d have to deal with that sooner or later. Now would be a real great time to have some of his other tools, but he was trying to be all ‘non-violent’ and ‘better than a bounty hunter’ but just one gravtrap, or magnetic clamp to pull the blasters or beskar to a wall? Something to slow them down… Another blast door. His second, but the first he thought to lock.

Security was up ahead, he could tell by the number of guards coming. Not that they’d be doing much. “Mandalorians… behind… me… Trying to steal… ships…” He made up what he thought was a lie, faking an accent that fit the station. They needed to get people off this ship, or call the local marshalls.

Armel

 

[Armel]

Location: Deep Space Refuel Dock, Outer Rim
Objective: Seize Fuel and Ships
Tags: Eaton Waters

A volley of blaster fire streaked down the hallway and Armel ducked and hugged one side of the hallway. He watched as Eaton and a group of security officers sealed another blast door. He snarled under the helmet, his prey was getting further away. Armel moved back into the middle of the hallway, leant forward and ducked his head. After a brief second, smoke then fire spewed out as a warhead flew out from the jetpack and struck the door. High yield explosives on a fuel station weren't the best of ideas, that's why many of the guards had lower powered blasters. But it was a warning the thrill-seeking Neo-Crusaders did not heed.

Armel climbed through the small man sized hole he had blasted followed by the rest of the Crusaders. They were immediately met with blaster fire with one of the Mandalorians being sent to the floor after a lucky round found it's mark between his armour. What lay before them now was the security centre but that didn't matter to Armel. His eyes narrowed on Eaton, who so far had eluded him. An unarmed man escaping a Crusader in a tight space station? If he didn't catch the rat then he wouldn't hear the end of it for weeks.

He withdrew his long vibrodagger and pointed it at the hybrid. "You owe me a ship schutta." he said. Huttese often slipped out when Armel got particularly mad. "And I'm going to get it even if I have to skin and fillet you first." he continued, seemingly ignoring the battle that was going on around him. The assassin was coming out, the one the Rallymasters had tried to supress, Armel was hyper focused on his mark now and he would use his dagger like he had always done. He holstered his blaster pistol and lunged forward towards Eaton with the dagger.

​

 

[Eaton Waters]

Keeping ahead of the Mandos, that was what he knew he had to do. Really wished he took some lessons from his sister now, Eaton was hoping that this station could protect itself. It was a fueling station, for the Deep’s sake. Eaton was out of breath as he spoke, or at least he gave that imagery. The younger Pamarthe native had a hard time blending out his accent, but he was here, he was working at it. And he was looking for a way to get out of this station.

Following Warden etiquette, or at least spacer rumors, meant that Eaton wasn’t going to be carrying blasters. What he needed was a real trick, and he needed it now.

Or, a few minutes ago. These Mandos were after him, it felt like. As the one that he recognized from earlier found him, the thief raised a hand up. “Listen, wasn’t even my ship to give. Just a navigator bumming rides.” Truth. “If you load your ship up, I can get you out of here into deeper space with better targets…” He knew the hangar wasn’t far, and if he could just get aboard a ship, even something like a V-Wing, he’d be fine. Or if he was taken off on this.

Especially if the authorities were already coming.

Armel