Private Edge of the Abyss

[Mistral]

Ana Rix

Mistral took a moment to look down as he didn't shout but climbing into the alcove and propping himself there for a moment her grabbed the edge and started pulling himself up while bracing it and himself. he helped Aya in as they looped and secured the axes around the stone and lowered the ropes behind them for a moment. Lowering the ropes as he looked down and the shark was grabbing one of the ropes for Seastone while giving the other and she spoke. "THey'll pull you up, then it is going to take all four of you to get me up." Seastone was holding the rope and secured herself as she climbed a little but AAya and Mistral were lifting her up and motioned for Ana to do the same.

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana stepped closer to the wall as the ropes dropped down, the coarse fibers darkened with rainwater and swaying slightly in the wind coming off the sea. She looked up toward the alcove where Mistral and Aya were braced, then down at the rope in her hand.

She gave it a testing tug.

Solid.

Her gaze shifted to Seastone being hauled upward first, the Twi'lek scrambling partway up while the others took most of the weight.

Ana exhaled quietly.

"Right," she murmured. "Simple physics problem. Force multiplied by cooperation."

She wrapped the rope around her forearm and tightened her grip, planting one boot against the stone to steady herself.

"Pull when you're ready," she called upward, voice controlled but clearly aware of the drop below.

As the rope went taut, she stepped onto the wall, letting her weight shift onto the line while she climbed just enough to help them lift her. Her movements were careful rather than graceful, boots searching for the shallow grooves in the ancient stone while the rope took most of the strain.

"Next time," she added under her breath as she rose slowly upward, rain streaking across her face, "I am absolutely voting for doors."

Mistral

 

[Mistral]

Ana Rix

Mistral pulled as he and Aya were lifting Ana and Seastone through with a nod of his head when she spoke. His attention looking around while once they had the two of them through he was with Aya throwing the ropes down as they started to heft the shark woman up. Her movements with her clawed hands and feet to bring her up easier while she slipped through the hole with them. Aya was moving and motioned with her hand for them to crouch down as Mistral was walking and looking outwards. There were not a lot of people but they had holed up in several of the buildings he could see... leaving a lot of dark space while he waited for the thunder and lightning to move with them towards one of the walls towers.

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana pulled herself over the lip of the alcove with a quiet exhale, boots scraping against wet stone as she steadied herself beside the others. For a moment, she stayed low, catching her balance while rainwater dripped from her sleeves and hair.

The climb had not been elegant.

But it had worked.

When Aya motioned for them to crouch, Ana dropped instinctively, pressing closer to the wall where the shadows were thickest. The fortress felt different from the jungle below. The air was colder here, the stone holding the storm's chill while lightning flickered across the open spaces between structures.

She followed Mistral's line of sight out across the courtyard.

A few scattered lights. Shapes moving between buildings. Plenty of darkness in between.

"They're concentrated in pockets," she whispered, keeping her voice low beneath the rumble of thunder. "Not a full patrol grid."

Her eyes moved carefully from doorway to rooftop, tracing possible lines of sight.

"Which means they're either confident about their defenses…or stretched thin."

She shifted closer as they moved toward the tower wall, keeping her profile tight against the stone.

"Either way," she added quietly, "the dark spaces are our advantage."

Another flash of lightning illuminated the fortress for half a heartbeat before plunging it back into shadow.

Ana waited for the thunder to roll before moving again.

Mistral

 

[Mistral]

Ana Rix

Mistral gave a nod of his head while he was watching and observing from the tower. He could see in as the darkened areas were illuminated with the lightning to show a maze of buildings and pathways through. He was mostly mapping it as he went and observing for parts of it... Wouldn't do good to get lost but they woulnd't be able to use glow rods to guide them as it would alert anyone watching. "THem bunching up is not what I am looking at." He said it and was pointing. "I don't see either of the people we are looking for so they are likely inside of a building which complicates things more. Those could be just the ones who got the short end and haad to go outside while the insides are packed with people or if there are chambers below."

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana crouched beside the tower wall, letting one hand rest lightly against the cold stone as she leaned out to track Mistral's gaze. The lightning flashes came in brief, violent pulses, sketching the fortress layout in stark white lines for a heartbeat before plunging the world back into darkness.

"You're right," she murmured, her eyes adjusting between the strobing light as she mapped the narrow corridors and blind corners. "That pattern isn't defensive clustering. If they were guarding the perimeter properly, they'd have staggered watch points and overlapping sight lines, but instead, they're funneling their focus toward the entrances."

She leaned back, her brow furrowing as she considered the implications of their positioning. "It means the real concentration is inside. Either they've established interior strongpoints, or there's a lower level. Older fortresses like this often use sublevels for storage or evacuation tunnels."

Shifting closer to the group to keep her voice below the wind, Ana's gaze moved toward the darker, unmapped edges of the complex. "If they've packed their numbers inside, it means two things: they're confident we can't breach the exterior easily, and if we do manage to get in, we're going to have very little room to maneuver."

Mistral

 

[Mistral]

Ana Rix

He gave a nod of his head to that while moving a little in the room they had. It was dryish enough for the moment as he was planning it. "If we work from the place that they have more people in lower levels it creates a danger. We don't know the layout down there, let alone if there is alternative ways out. Escape tunnels are one thing but we could walk past a room with them in there and if we miss it they could flank us." He was debating much of it while keeping an eye on the area as the lightning came to illuminate more of it. He was getting a better idea but also the formulation of a possible theory for a plan. "We might be able to do something but we got to get closer to figure out what they are doing. Either for their coms or for their conversations."

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana stayed low beside the stone lip of the tower, one hand resting lightly against the wet wall as she peered out into the storm-dark courtyard below. Lightning flashed again, carving the fortress into stark white shapes for a heartbeat before plunging it back into shadow.

She followed where Mistral was pointing, studying the cluster of occupied buildings and the darker structures that surrounded them.

"You're right about the lower levels," she said quietly. "If they're down there and we miss them, we'd never hear them coming until it's too late."

Her gaze shifted across the courtyard again, slower this time, tracing the paths between buildings and the occasional moving silhouette when lightning flashed.

"And if they have more than one way out…" she added softly, "we could end up trapped in the middle without realizing it."

She leaned forward slightly, bracing an elbow on the stone as she tried to pick out patterns in the movement below.

"Getting closer makes sense," she murmured. "But we should assume someone's watching even if we can't see them."

Another flash of lightning illuminated the courtyard, and she quickly took advantage of the brief visibility.

"Those two buildings near the center," she said, nodding faintly toward them. "They keep moving between them. That might be where they're coordinating from."

Her voice stayed low, steady despite the storm.

"If they're using comms, we might hear it from outside. If they're not… then someone's talking somewhere in there."

She glanced back toward him, one eyebrow lifting slightly.

"Either way, I agree with you. We won't know anything useful from up here."

Her eyes returned to the courtyard.

"We just need to get closer without becoming the next thing they're hunting."

Mistral

 

[Mistral]

Ana Rix

Mistral gave a nod of his head to that notion. THey needed to move as even if they weren't detected now... eventually even the uncomfortable ones would want everything checked again to be sure. Not just for threats but run off creatures that might endanger their supplies... or if they were smart they would have backed up weapon caches in the buildings that looked abandoned but really were not. It would make it smarter for them and be able to do a lot more. He was following the path as Seastone spoke. "I have another idea." Aya looked at her before she could reveal it orrr speak. "No." The twi'lek seemed disappointed. "But it is a really good one, what could go wrong?"

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana shifted her weight slightly as they crouched along the wall, her attention moving between the dark courtyard and the small cluster of their group. When Seastone spoke, she didn't even need to look to know the kind of expression the Twi'lek probably had.

Aya's immediate no drew the faintest hint of amusement to Ana's face.

She nodded once in agreement.

"I'm inclined to side with the captain on that one," she said quietly.

Then she glanced toward Seastone, curiosity still winning out over caution.

One eyebrow lifted slightly.

"But…" she added in the same calm tone, "now I'm a little curious."

Her voice stayed low to avoid carrying beyond the tower.

"What's the idea?"

Mistral

 

[Mistral]

Ana Rix

Seastone looked at Ana and she spoke. "Okay see... captain she has sense. So this is an old fortress right? It has something to attack people who were coming and if it was by boat then it had to be long range which means catapults... so we find one... and launch each other into position around the enemy... then we converge on them from all sides so they don't know where we are coming from and they aren't able to escape." She said it deadpan and was looking as Ana as Mistral blinked and turned his head away... Aya took a moment. "Ah." He spoke and really didn't know what to say... or add for that... really it was quite a ah plan. "I got nothing." Mistral said it looking at Ana. "You asked and she."

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana listened to Seastone's explanation without interrupting, her expression staying remarkably neutral as the Twi'lek described launching them all across the fortress with ancient siege weapons.

When she finished, there was a brief moment where the only sound was the distant thunder rolling over the sea.

Ana blinked once.

Twice.

Her gaze shifted from Seastone…to Aya…then to Mistral, who looked about as unsure what to do with the idea as she felt.

She exhaled slowly.

"I appreciate the creativity," she said quietly.

Her head tilted a fraction to the side.

"But I don't think it'll work."

She lifted a finger slightly, counting it off with calm practicality.

"First, we'd have to find a functioning catapult."

Another finger.

"Second, we'd have to aim it accurately in a storm."

A third.

"And third…the landing phase of that plan would almost certainly kill us."

Her gaze returned to Seastone, not mocking, just factual.

"So while I admire the enthusiasm…I'm voting for something slightly less ballistic."

Mistral

 

[Mistral]

Ana Rix

"Yes of course we don't know if their siege equipment is up to operational standards. As a pilot and driver of a vessel you know how important that it." Mistral said it and Aya was nodding as the twi'lek looked at them. "Well I suppose safety is important but no one would have seen us coming from all directions at once." Mistral looked at her and he was going as he motioned to Aya and the large shark. "I'll go around this way, you three take that way and we'll meet along the other side where we can. Scout and figure out where they are watching or located and what we are able to see while sticking to the shadows. Just recon no engagement if you can help it and listen for what they might use to communicate. A good gang doesn't just rely on communication equipment they will use hand signs or even whistles." He said it as he was taking off with a nod of his head towards Ana to come with him while offering a knife. "How is your throwing skills?"

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana watched the brief exchange with Seastone taper off, still mildly amazed that the catapult idea had been delivered with complete seriousness.

When Mistral handed her the knife, she looked down at it for a moment before looking back up at him.

One eyebrow lifted.

"What throwing skills?"

She turned the blade once in her hand, testing the weight like someone who had at least held tools before, if not weapons.

"I'm a computer technician," she said quietly, matter-of-fact. "My usual combat strategy involves cables, signal interference, and not being in the same room as the problem."

Still, she didn't hand the knife back. Instead, she adjusted her grip, holding it low and close to her leg, the way she had been taught to keep a weapon from reflecting light.

Her eyes moved briefly across the courtyard again, checking the shadows.

"But I can follow instructions," she added in a lower tone. "And I'm very good at staying quiet."

She gave him a small nod.

"Lead the way."

Mistral

 

[Mistral]

Ana Rix

He gave a small nod. "Fair enough." He said it while he was moving and allowed himself a few moments to watch.. and then move more when it was darker. Pausing as the thunder came and crouching low so that he couldn't be seen and motioning for Ana as the lightning illuminated where they were and he could see for a moment the others as it went dark again and he was moving. Stopping at another tower to listen as he motioned to the ladder and was climbing it towards the roof. To check but he wasn't going to spend a lot of time remaining quiet enough. He found something to make sure the top was locked from the inside in case though before he came back down. He stayed quiet but he was moving and continued while he used some moments to look over the walls to check the outside just in case.

 

[Ana Rix]

Ana stayed a step behind him as they moved, matching his pace as best she could while keeping her boots light against the wet stone. The fortress seemed to breathe with the storm. Thunder rolled through the walls, lightning flashed across the courtyard, and in the brief white bursts she caught glimpses of empty walkways, broken parapets, and distant silhouettes moving far away.

When he crouched, she did the same without hesitation.

The lightning washed over them, and she held perfectly still, breath shallow, letting the darkness return before moving again.

She watched him climb the ladder without comment, using the moment to scan the courtyard again. Her eyes moved slowly across windows, doorways, rooflines, the places where someone might be watching without being seen.

When he came back down, she leaned slightly closer, keeping her voice barely above the rain.

"No movement on the upper line?"

Her gaze flicked toward the locked hatch he had secured.

"Good thinking," she added quietly. "Last thing we need is someone stepping out behind us."

Another flash of lightning cut across the sky, illuminating the inner courtyard again.

Ana waited for the thunder before speaking again.

"If they're using the lower structures," she murmured, "the towers might be blind spots. Good for observation… not good for defenders."

She nodded toward the next stretch of wall.

"We keep moving?"

Mistral