Faction Killing To Make A Living [The Bounty Hunters Guild]

[Vrun Ryssic]

Bounty Notice: Click here.
Location: Mustafar.

​

A Wanted Bounty had been put forward to the Bounty Hunters Guild, their employer sending forth specific instructions to those willing and prepared to hunt down those who had wronged them. In today's Galaxy, Bounties could be posted for any number of reasons, personal, legal and even immoral motivations to see a job done. These jobs typically involved either killing or capturing the target and returning to their client for payment and processing of the capture or proof of the kill.

What made this particular job interesting was the number of targets involved, which had not been specified, yet stated that any and all involved with this supposed Cult were to be eliminated with the exception of their leader who had been reported to be a strong Force User and former member of The Sith Empire. To kill a Sith was difficult enough, yet to capture one alive and hold them long enough to return to the client would be no small challenge...-And so the Guild had given this Bounty to more than one Hunter in order to see their contract fulfilled.

Among those who had accepted the job, the Trandoshan Vrun Ryssic had accepted the terms and made his approach towards Mustafar via "The Nebulon Ulysses". Vrun Ryssic was by no means a known or well established Bounty Hunter, he was in fact new to the Guild and a mere fifteen years old at that. By Trandoshan standards he had yet to earn his true monicker, yet with the Scorekeepers blessing perhaps this Hunt would change that.

As the Light Freighter broke down through the dark clouds of the volcanic world, the repulsors fired to slow the descent before the landing gear finally met the scorched earth. With the engines winding down, the Bounty Hunter moved through the ship clad in his armour and rifle slung over one shoulder, Vibro-Ax strapped across his back and ready to meet the inevitable fight to come. How and where that fight would occur, would come down to their scouting and planning ahead but the objective was clear. Many would fall, or they would fail in their Hunt.

Tovald Kahmen’’a​

 

[Tovald Kahmen’’a]

Location: Mustafar

So, the Bounty Office and the Scorekeeper alerted him to an Active Bounty that needed completion and the target is a Sith Cultist, and their Acolytes and other members otherwise unspecified. The cravats were simple; bring the Sith in alive and kill the others, usually he doesn’t kill his targets, but he himself is not above creating his own brand of violent carnage. He absolutely refuses to kill children. He made this very clear from the get-go.

<“Hmm, wonder who else will be joining the hunt?”> He wondered aloud to no one in particular. The Scorekeeper didn’t say so he could only speculate.

Tovald had wondered how to kill a force user many times before. It was simple on paper; disarm them and push them into the lava rivers. But such theorised strategies never come to fruition anyway. Sentient beings are horribly unpredictable. But it is still an option.

This is the sole reason he was travelling to Mustafar onboard The Venomoth. He recently returned from the Netherworld, the Volcanic Hellscape is a cut above the dead, empty and dismal void of nothing. He eyed the dissected Droid in the corner with unease.

He himself had no clue as to why he brought it back with him, he cut the needle off and left it back at the Nether. Oh well, it’s utterly smashed anyway and there is nothing on record quite like it. He’ll dispose of it later when he had time.

Descending into the swirling dark clouds the Venomoth’s engines kicked up fine airborne ash into vortices as it went. Even though the view window, there is a smell of burning. Well, it’s a volcanic mess so of course, it is going to smell. Once the touchdown was completed, he put on his helmet and prepared to disembark. He secured his pets inside, so they won’t escape, this is no place for them to be anywhere nearby.

Stepping onto the scorched terrain, Tovald noticed the activity had increased since the last time he went here on a job many years prior, it didn’t end well for him or his fellows. He still hated the Planet, hated the landscape and the never-ending lava flows. But there is no time to complain, a job needs to be done.

So, if he were a Sith Cultist and his followers, where would he be likely to hole up on Mustafar, where it would be difficult to pin him down?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________​

Tag: Vrun Ryssic

 

[Vrun Ryssic]

The Cult of Typhojem had established a foothold upon Mustafar using an old abandoned Mining Facility that they had turned into their own Headquarters within the sector. While the facilities former mining operations were no longer being put to work, the facility had become something of a breeding ground for new recruits and the training of their Acolytes under the Cults Inner Circle, the present leadership there upon Mustafar.

There would be no telling sign however to indicate whether or not the Bounty Hunters primary target Darth Veneer was among his servants of darkness, however that was not to say that there was no evidence of activity in the area. Anyone with a decent scanner aboard their vessel would pick up on the energy readings coming from the mining facility, specifically their shield generator and anti-air defences set up upon either side of the base.

Given the rather sturdy defences, it would seem that approaching on foot would best serve those not looking to be shot down from the skies above.

The Nebulon Ulysses swept down through the dark, stormy clouds surrounding the volcanic world, the Trandoshan Hunter having picked up on the readings and seeking to better determine the purpose of such a place seemingly so far away from civilized life in the Galaxy. Being so isolated in the midst of nowhere upon Mustafar seemed like the perfect place for someone to hide out, someone likely avoiding the unwanted attention of others.

The Trandoshan Hunter could not be certain whether he would be walking into a fight on his own, or whether there might be other Guild Members joining him this day; Not wanting to risk anything, Vrun decided it best to set down upon the surface some ways from the facility on scanners, travelling the rest of the distance by foot, the reptilian Bounty Hunter conditioned to the heat of Mustafars lava streams thanks to his recent time spent upon Manda'yaim.

Armed with his Blaster Rifle and Vibro-Ax, the Hunter would soon set off toward the source of the energy readings, eyes keenly searching the horizon ahead, yellow and cold, his stare into the perilous land of fire matching the world's own merciless heat.

Tovald Kahmen’’a​

 

[Faison Kelborn]

The harsh, unforgiving surface of Mustafar grew to fill the cockpit screen as Faison set about an approach vector, his sensors at work looking for a stable landing zone. The molten surface brought back memories to the grizzled man, the prevailing of which was the still, smoldering form of his step-father strewn among many others of his companions on the killing fields of a bygone battlefield. In truth, hardly a decade had passed since the skirmish that resulted in his deep loss, but the memory itself was as vivid as if it were playing in front of him on the status displays.

He had long come to terms with the fact that what happened had happened, and had consumed more than enough alcohol to try and dull the pain. A part of him wished to effect the same remedy now, but that would not be conducive to his efforts in avoiding the roiling streams of lava pouring in literally every direction. It also helped to focus on something else as well. This was his first mark with the Bounty Hunters' Guild, and while a certain level of nerves could be felt rising to the surface as his ship descended to the soil, they were not for lack of experience or capability.

Faison was a veteran of dozens of battlefields in a previous life, and more recently he was accustomed to tracking and chasing down criminals through the streets of Coronet. Of course, hunting down a cult of force users was something entirely different than rounding up street thugs guilty of petty theft and assault. The closest takedown he could think of to this was a drug bust involving a local gang affiliated with a mid-level Exchange syndicate, but the most powerful thug in that operation was only able to move everyone out of the room after eating a bantha and bean burrito. Humor aside, this was a very different situation, and one he had been mulling over ever since receiving the puck & tracking fob from his handler. He had never faced a force user before - even with Krayt company. At most, they may well have been on the same planet as a few of them, but they normally wouldn't concern themselves with fighting a group of young mercenaries assaulting the extreme flank of an offensive - he imagined they mainly concerned themselves with fighting others of their kind. At least back then...

His inexperience in this unique situation led him to overcompensate slightly as he planned his method of attack. Based on the readings being pulled from his sensors, there was elevated activity in what would otherwise be considered an abandoned mining outpost, which meant that they would have the advantage of a defensible position. In an ideal world, Faison would have a team of at least a dozen of his fellow Mando'ade to breach this facility, go in hard and fast, and neutralize the target with a series of stun rounds/grenades before putting him in stun cuffs and sonic dampeners. He had a pair of both cuffs and dampeners, but he was considerably lacking in the manpower department. It was likely that other hunters would be on the scent of this cabal, but could he reasonably depend on that? For all he knew, some snot-nosed runt would take up this bounty, blissfully unaware of the actual danger involved in the hopes of making a name for himself. He knew, because it sounded like something he would have done when he was younger.

Such stupidity was how young men got killed far before their time. It's how he almost got killed, and would likely be dead if not for his step-father pushing him out of the way moments before death... "Stun grenades, maybe a couple of stun charges... I need to disorient him somehow." Faison stated absent mindedly, trying to force himself mentally to remain on topic rather than allowing himself to veer back to his self loathing, morose thoughts. The feet of his ship landed on the ground beneath, and after he secured the landing gear into its fixed position, Faison rose from his chair and proceeded to the weapons' locker just outside of the cockpit. His helmet rested on a hook within the compartment, along with his rifle, and a series of explosives in a dampened drawer underneath the main compartment.

He quickly loaded up, ensuring his filtration system was operational before disembarking from the craft and onto the smog-filled surface of his quarry's domain. He pulled out his tracking fob, which bleeped in the direction of the mining facility, confirming the initial readings of his ship's sensors. His tinted visor would filter out the sheer brightness of the molten lava surrounding him, and his filter would make the air breathable. The area he landed upon appeared to be a large slab of rock with durasteel ringing the exterior, so apparently he landed on an actual landing zone of sorts. Hopefully that didn't draw too much attention. His HUD synced up with the sensor suite of his ship, which confirmed the presence of a few other craft nearby. Their transponders weren't responding, which was expected if they indeed belonged to fellow hunters as he. Why broadcast to your target who you were and why you were there? It was vastly preferred to make them wonder over a detected silhouette of a craft in lieu of the alternative.

The Mandalorian continued to muse to himself as he proceeded, not in the direction of the mining facility, but in the direction of one of the other ships currently on his scanner. If another hunter was on the trail of this coven, and it just so happened this hunter was also a guild member, Faison would appreciate the help. And if it wasn't, then might as well start off by clearing the perimeter before heading into the building.

Tovald Kahmen’’a Vrun Ryssic

 

[Tovald Kahmen’’a]

The first thought that came to mind of where the Cult holed themselves into was indeed the very ominous sounding Fortress Vader. Tovald gave his head a shake, that’s too easy, too easy, and obvious. As the structure just yells Sith, it yelled Darkside, even more. So, they wouldn’t hide there as that would be the first place anyone would look. Which would waste valuable time, credits, and resources. Also, it would alert the targets to what they are here for and find some other place to hide and run whoever is hunting them in a never-ending circling mouse hunt.

The planet smelt of intense sulphur and even the air shimmered with heat. It was so quiet, you could hear the lava moving across the ground in steady burning rivers, transporting boulders to a terminal fall elsewhere. It’s beautiful, in a terrifying sort of way.
His inbuilt sensors did pick up activity near the old mining facility. Strange, very little mining comes out of Mustafar these days. Well, this will warrant investigation, and caution in equal measure. Both going into the place and where he steps.

Because one false move and you're done for and the Ubese knew exactly what being burnt felt like and would never let it happen again. There were solid gangways of rock that were walkable, but still, there were small pools of lava nearby that could gush out in a flood. The Venomoth is safe where it was, the structure it landed on was far away from any lava and his companions are also safe too.

But now he really had to think, what can be done about Lightsabers? Very little can stop the multi-coloured glowsticks. He certainly wasn’t wearing Beskar, so that wasn’t useful. His sword does have Cortosis plating so that could bide him sometime in a fight to think of a counter. He’s not force sensitive at all, so he wouldn’t just pick up one and pretend he could use it because that’ll put him at a disadvantage.

He needed a game plan going into this if he wanted to come back with limbs intact, a lesson learned from Oblivion, he came back in one piece but didn't have a clue on what he was doing. Everything was done on the fly.

Soon after reaching the Mine entrance, Tovald’s HUD peeped with a proximity alarm as two more figures came into sensor range, they could be fellow hunters assigned to the hunt. One hunter can’t face a group of Sith on their own, it was done once before but never since. So, Force User Bounties were collected through collaboration. So, the question remains, who are the other two Hunters?

Tags: Vrun Ryssic Faison Kelborn​

 

[Vrun Ryssic]

The Trandoshan crouched low, keeping to the rock surface of his vantage point while peering down through the enhanced scope of his Hybrid Blaster Rifle, studying the vast Mining Facility that was held in place high atop the lava river, great pylons keeping the facility sustained, held firmly in place by the durasteel struts that had been buried into either side of the cliff face.

Vrun Ryssic did not have a heads up display like the other two hunters, thus not yet becoming aware of their arrival upon Mustafar, he had to assume he was there alone for the time being...-However, that did not mean he hadn't come armed to the teeth and prepared for a fight against these supposed Sith Force Users. His Hunting Apparel kept his chest and vitals guarded by beskar plating while his repulsor pack would assist in getting him to the roof of the mining factory. So far, that was his plan. Get to the roof, take it from there.

The loose rock and stone beneath him would be blown swept up in a cloud of dust as the Trandoshan's repulsor pack fired up, the thrusters launching him swiftly into the air. For anyone outside of the facility the Hunter would be easily visible as he projected himself well across the clearing and came down upon the facilities rooftop, thrusters controlling his descent before landing heavily upon his feet and bringing his Blaster Rifle up in preparation of any opposition.

A tense moment of silence passed over him as he eyed the area through his iron sights and found nothing but the dense humid air and the sounds of the lava flow far below. No one had heard him and there didn't appear to be any guards positioned on the outside of the mining facility. Perhaps they weren't expecting anyone to come knocking on their door.

Lowering his rifle, the Trandoshan rose to full height and turned to cast his reptilian eyes around his surroundings. The established base was surrounded by cliffs, great walls of rock which kept it relatively hidden from Mustafar's surface, yet from the air, it had been an eyesore. Slinging his firearm over his shoulders, he instead reached for the Vibro-Ax, drawing it from the sheath alongside his repulsor pack and moving towards what looked to be an entrance to the facility.

Vrun much preferred melee combat over anything else, and his weapons were custom made for times such as these.

Faison Kelborn | Tovald Kahmen’’a

 

[Faison Kelborn]

Thermal scanning was worthless on a planet like Mustafar, so Faison's normal means of detecting other life forms was severely limited. At least the same would be true for the cultists if they were stupid enough to try and employ a similar means of detection. He did see a couple of faded blips from his other, more passive scanning means being fed through the ship. It appeared he was heading in the wrong direction if his intention was to link up with the other hunters, given he was proceeding to one of the other ships that had landed on this world. Instead of backtracking, he opted for simply changing direction in the hopes of either intercepting them, or arriving at the destination near the same time the others did. The approach to the mining facility was rocky, and caked in ash, but it's topography allowed for the Mandalorian to approach in such a manner so as to avoid being obviously seen. Plus, his dark grey cammo-patterned armor blended well with the igneous rocks that dominated the landscape.

As he slowly approached, he noticed a form materializing as he grew closer. Keeping to his relatively well concealed perch among the rocks at about 200 meters away, Faison zoomed in with his tactical display to get a better view of the figure ahead. What appeared to be a Trandoshan with a massive Vibro-Ax began slowly approaching the entrance to the facility. While Faison wouldn't consider himself to be a biased or bigoted, he would wager good credits on the notion that a Trandoshan wouldn't be part of a force cult. Unless slaves were involved...

Faison was also disinclined to reveal his presence to the hunter, who appeared to not notice him. Assuming this Trandoshan was a fellow hunter after this bounty, Faison may well have been prohibited from hindering or actively oppressing the reptile's efforts, and even obligated to render aid if required, but the Trandoshan's life wasn't imminently in danger as far as Faison could see. If he was brash enough to enter into the facility without some sort of plan, the Mandalorian didn't feel particularly compelled to intervene as of yet. You can't fix stupid. his step-father used to say. Providing life-saving aid was one thing - making up for a lack of planning and competence was another entirely. The Trandoshan clearly wasn't a planner, but perhaps he could handle himself on the lower level aspirants while Faison took his time actually effecting a plan.

He was picking up faint readings of another figure near the facility, but it was unclear as of yet whether it was another hunter, or a cultist out on patrol. Faison panned with his enhanced vision through his HUD display across the remainder of the facility. He caught a slight glimpse of another figure who was partially obscured over to the eastern approach of the facility. Is that a Ubese? While not quite as 'in the open' as the Trandoshan, he was still exposed compared to Faison's position. The rocks would do much to visibly distort Faison's outline, combined with his previously mentioned camouflaged armor and the fact he was intentionally using a rather large rock outcropping for cover. It wouldn't be impossible for the Ubese to sense his presence via sensor readings, but it would be more of a general indication rather than a pinpoint location if he was using a suite comparable to Faison's.

The Mandalorian felt slightly more incentivized to link up with him rather than the Trandoshan, but he had some level of uncertainty given he knew very little about the Ubese in general. For now, Faison would dedicate most of his attention in gaining some tactical knowledge of the facility, perhaps even attempt to ambush any patrols that might be out and about to gain information. Of course, there was the distinct possibility he was giving this coven too much credit. They were on Mustafar after all. Who came to Mustafar? If he didn't have the foundation of tactical knowledge and discipline he had, he would probably grow lax in maintaining patrols or elevated security measures, thinking that this would be the last place someone would search for him. No sooner had that thought crept in his mind did he get proven wrong.

A pack of cultists, adorned in what appeared to be simple robes and patchwork clothing, came in from the western approach. They were about 50 meters out from the facility before Faison got a good view of them, approximately the same distance from him as the Trandoshan was, minus slight differences due to the angle. It appeared as if Faison's previous intention, namely to leave the Trandoshan to his own devices, would be short lived if he wanted to remain true to the code. Osik... Sometimes, Faison disliked the code. He leveled his rifle and verified it was switched to its long range setting. The rifle emitted a very low hum as it supercharged the power cell, a dim indicator on his HUD signaling it was ready to fire within seconds. The group of cultists - numbering four in total - had grown closer to the main entrance. In a few more moments, they would see the Trandoshan slowly walking through the entrance. While Faison doubted the four were the most skilled combatants, he didn't know the Trandoshan's skill level either. Might as well help the nerf-herder out. Faison centered his crosshairs on the cultist furthest to the rear, then tilted to lead his target slightly based on range and the target's speed.

A loud crack echoed from the barrel of his rifle, slightly drowned out from the considerable ambient noise from the persistent lava flow. While he may not give away his position due to the noise, the muzzle flash and burst of energy certainly would. The rear cultist's throat burst with a mist of blood, but the high temperature of the round would cauterize the wound near instantly. Not that it would do anything to save the cultist, as he was dead as soon as his body hit the ground. No sooner had the remaining trio of cultists spun around to see their fallen comrade did another shot ring out, burying itself center-mass in another cultist. To the remaining two cultists' credit, they started bolting toward the entrance of the facility in the hopes of getting to safety before they found themselves in the same state of... well... death. While the result would be the same, namely them approaching while the Trandoshan was entering the facility, perhaps the noise would cause the reptile to look behind him, rather than be completely surprised.

Vrun Ryssic Tovald Kahmen’’a

 

[Tovald Kahmen’’a]

Looks like one of his fellow hunters is a Trandoshan who are reputed to be excellent trackers, he thought it would be easier to pair up as it’s not a good idea to go solo on tricky hunts. So that answered the first major question of who else was on Mustafar. He hasn’t been able to pin down the second person yet.

Tovald had also spotted a few Cultists near an unusually shaped rock that kind of reminded him vaguely of a strawberry, so he ducked and made his way towards them quietly and with little noise as possible. As soon as the one at the far back gets too separated he’ll take that one down.

Why let lava get in the way of a good takedown? Just because he avoids using violence as much as possible doesn’t mean he is not above resorting to it when need is, and this is such a situation. Such things were outlined in the contract, such as eliminate all Cultists.

Now the pack stayed as close to each other as possible, they reminded Tovald of prey animals who sought safety in tightly grouped packs. These decided to come around here. Which saves the trouble of hunting them down which would have been a waste of time with the haze floating around.

One of them Cultists began to detach from the pack as they got closer, which was exactly what Tovald was waiting for. He drew his sword and removed the Cultist’s head from their shoulders. Not as clean as a blaster but just as effective. The rest were too far in front to notice anything. However, they were startled at a sharp cracking noise and they headed back towards the facility entrance not noticing Tovald is a metre and a half away.

He turned his head to look where the crack came from, there wasn’t anyone there and thermal detection is useless in this heat. Whoever it was well camouflaged. His sensors were picking up something, but it wasn’t very clear. So he decided the most pressing objective is to find a way into the Facility himself.

The climb up wasn’t so hard as long his hands avoid red hot loose rocks, soon he made it to the entrance. Where the main bulk of the mission will now take place. But still, a sense of wariness kept him on his toes regardless of how quiet it appears.

<“We are going to have to be stealthy if we are going to get in with little opposition,”> Tovald says to Vrun as he stood next to the Trandoshan. No sense in skulking around and doing things solo. If they are going to complete the Hunt it best be cohesive enough to take down this Cult and the Sith who is to be taken alive. But it’s going to be a very long and difficult job.

This is exactly why he signed up for the task at hand. Challenges are fun and they sharpen skills and tactical cunning. Something he himself needed to hone.

Tags: Vrun Ryssic Faison Kelborn​

 

[Vrun Ryssic]

The Trandoshan had landed and checked his perimeter seeing it void of movement or life, and only when he had lowered his rifle and allowed himself to relax a little, had there been a response from within the facility emerging and starting to turn on his direction with shouts and sounds of running. By this point, Vrun had his Vibro-Ax in both hands and responded in kind with a loud and aggressive snarl, about to move forward with every intention of meeting the bounty targets halfway across the rooftop before shots were fired from somewhere off to his left flank.

One after another, the cultists were felled followed by the subsequent crack that echoed high above their heads from what the Trandoshan knew to be the discharge of a high powered firearm, a sniper rifle being the only likely guess given the distance of the far off cliff face, the lava-flow beneath them and then the positioned mining facility sustained against the other side of the mountainous terrain. The Trandoshan turned in the direction of where the sound of the shots had come from, making no move to take for cover as his enemy had been slain before his very eyes and it was very possible that whoever the other Hunter was, they'd done him a favour as opposed to simply watching and letting him take care of the opposition himself.

"That one makes for good sport as much as this one" Vrun said aloud to himself, releasing a reverberating growl to himself in his own form of an amused chuckle. Squinting, the Trandoshan sought for the source ( Faison Kelborn ) of the precision fire, yet soon finding himself distracted by the sound of movement coming from over the side of the mining facility itself...

Moving over to investigate curiously, the Trandoshan soon found himself being joined by another ( Tovald Kahmen’’a ) who had scaled the side of the structure to join him. The third arrival was armoured well and masked, yet through his vocabulators he spoke to Vrun: <“We are going to have to be stealthy if we are going to get in with little opposition,”>.

"This one is in agreement" The Trandoshan lowered his vibro-ax in one hand and stepped aside for Tovald to gain some space away from the edge of the building; "Friend of yours out there?" Vrun asked, gesturing to the general direction of their sniper lookout.

 

[Faison Kelborn]

While Faison couldn't hear the words being exchanged between the Trandoshan & the Ubese, he rose up from his perch as if on cue when Vrun asked Tovald if Faison was a 'friend of his.' The Mandalorian's visor skimmed the area as he walked over to the two in no big hurry, his rifle slung over his right shoulder as he did so. Within a few minutes, Faison closed the distance between them and gave a curt nod to the pair. He flashed a token in his left hand, with the mark of the guild present on its face, and he said: "You both with the guild?" The question was probably a stupid one; who else would be on this gods' forsaken rock?

Faison took a moment to appraise the two hunters. The Trandoshan was clearly young and eager to wet his blade, and the Ubese, while hard to read, had an air of experience around him. Maybe they stood a chance, if the Trando didn't charge in haphazardly. "You two have a plan? Or is the plan to run in and get killed?" He paused as he appraised the structure they stood in front of, but continued shortly thereafter: "If this really is a force cult, we need intel before we kick the door in. I plan on tracking down another patrol and interrogating one of the survivors. If we can get a layout, maybe we can sabotage their facility and have an easier time of sneaking in."

He once again gave them an affirming nod. "Either of you in?"

Vrun Ryssic Tovald Kahmen’’a

 

[Tovald Kahmen’’a]

Tovald had quite suddenly received a very frantic call from his mum, it was about Rhand and, that Dio was a participant. Tovald had pinged a message back to call him later. Not because he didn't care, no it was because he was on a hunt and he needed all his focus here in the now. Dio scared him, terrified him even but, hearing about the carnage terrified him more and the possibility of - no, pessimism got him nowhere. It just buried him further into catastrophic thinking.

He didn't seem fazed by Faison's sudden appearance, no reason to be in his opinion. He gave himself a shake and pushed the sudden news to the back of his mind, where he can deal with it after the completion of the hunt in question.

<"Usually, a schematic of the facility is the best bet in knowing what the facility is like on the inside."> Tovald offered to the plan, if you get one you can get in without alerting anyone else. <"I reckon most of the Cultists would be carrying them.">

The Ubese nodded in agreement on keeping one alive so they can press for answers, he himself wasn't particularly great at interrogation, well the forceful kind anyway. He was good at getting answers from people without resorting to outright cruelty, although he himself wasn't above being as cruel as his brother when it was needed.

<"I'm in, I wouldn't be here if I wasn't.> Tovald affirmed, doing it this way is far simpler than forcing an entry and getting them diced by Lightsaber or any other nasty little surprises. Those are not fun.

Not one bit.

Tag: Faison Kelborn Vrun Ryssic​

 

[Faison Kelborn]

TAG: Tovald Kahmen’’a Vrun Ryssic

Faison nodded at Tovald as he seemed to agree with the Mandalorian's suggestion. It appeared like he was slightly distracted though, which didn't make Faison particularly confident with the arrangement. But, it was moderately better than going at this thing alone. Before they went on their way to track another patrol, Faison gave a once over of the ones they were able to eliminate so far. Sure enough, one of them did have a map on a scuffed, worn datapad. It appeared to contain a map of the surrounding area, as well as a schematic to the facility. Faison nodded to the Ubese & Trandoshan to follow him, as it would be preferable to review the information when they weren't standing right outside of the target facility. No, they needed to get their intel straight before touching this place again.

He would lead the two away from the structure toward the south, but not before rigging an explosive under one of the corpses. You never know - maybe one of the others inside knew these guys, and would turn them over to check their vitals. If they did, they would get a rather rude - and deadly - surprise. Thereafter, they would approach a larger rock formation which rose up into a small outcropping, with a cave formed further back. Faison didn't much like the idea of wandering into a strange cave, as Mustafar was known to house quite a few... troublesome creatures, based on the data he read while making landfall. Instead, he kept his back towards one of the larger rocks, keeping the entrance to the cave in his eyesight as he pulled up the datapad and began studying the facility. As he and the other suspected, this facility was an abandoned mining outpost, designed to efficiency with comfort an absent luxury. The ventilation system (which was of particular concern to Faison) was designed to be durable given the extreme conditions the planet had to offer, with a filtration system that purged the sulfurous toxins that permeated the atmosphere. One wouldn't die instantly if they didn't carry a rebreather, but prolonged exposure was a different story altogether.

If they could disable the ventilation system, then exposure to the noxious fumes would certainly make whomever else was within that facility easier to deal with, force wielder or not. "The obvious target is the ventilation system." Faison pointed at the different air intake points of the facility as he stated that fact rather flatly. "Best I can tell, the filtration units are kept inside to avoid being damaged by the extreme conditions of this gods' forsaken world. From what I can tell, there are maintenance hatches on the exterior of the facility protected by fencing, to prevent wild animals or strangers from accessing them. Those shouldn't be a problem for us though." He looked up at the pair with him, and asked: "Either of you guys good with security systems? Otherwise I could blow a hole in the door, but that would be... pretty loud."

​

 

[Akonx Vizsla]

Akonx stood in the cargo section of a light frieghter. In a low orbit. His knuckles tight around a handrail. He wasn’t a fan of flying, but it was a necessary to complete the hunt. “Are you sure this is safe?” The Gen’Dai asked the pilot. Since he didn’t own his own ship, he had paid a smuggler to drop him into this planet. Drop being the operative word. “Their defences shouldn’t pick up a target as small as you.” Was the response from the pilot. “Besides, this is as low as I’ll go. This was your plan after all.”

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Akonx drew his blaster pistol. “Alright, the credits go through alright?” Akonx had paid in advance. It was the only way to convince this pilot to do this. “Yeah. We’re above the facility by the way.” Akonx swore under his breath. He wasn’t looking forward to this. The cargo door opened and the cabin filled with hot ash. “This better be worth it.” He said to himself before jumping from the ship.

Wind rushing past him. He couldn’t see much through the cloud. He screamed most of the way down. Flicking his legs under him, he fired up his jet pack. The jets trying to slow his descent, but his weight and speed made that somewhat difficult. He pierced through the cloud faster than he probably should have. Screaming as he plummeted towards the old mining facility. Blaster pistol in hand.
He looked down and saw the roof of the facility fast approaching. His jet pack working hard to slow his fall, but he had activated it too late.

When Akonx hit the roof of the facility, he crumpled like a sack of potatoes. If he had bones they would surely have broken. Pausing for a moment, he groaned, as he picked himself up. The blaster he was holding smashed. His beskar was pretty banged up. He blinked groggily under his helmet to get his bearings. Noticing the three other hunters. “Guess I’m late to the party.” He said to no one in particular. He picked up his blaster pistol and gave it a once over. Deeming it beyond repair he tossed it to the side. “Any of you got a spare blaster I can borrow?” He asked.

 

[Tovald Kahmen’’a]

Location: Mustafar, outside facility of Cultists
Tag: Faison Kelborn Vrun Ryssic Akonx Vizsla

Giving one final promise not to die Tovald switched his personal Comm channel to silent, his focus now resolutely on their mission. Any arrangement is better than none. He noticed a new lava channel hiss open, away from them thankfully, but needed an eye on it just in case it blocks their path back to their ships. Tovald had a long think about the options Faison had given them, the silent hack is better than a large bang. Bangs equal trouble and trouble follows him usually but not today

First and foremost, it will give the targets inside time to arm themselves, or use the building's shadows to ambush them, and stab them. Which will be a sorry end to this adventure, his mum would have a heart attack.

He only had know-how in getting into systems, he, after all, used them to get extra rations from the ration machines for free at the refinery. None of those in charge noticed him doing it, and his fellow workers were not inclined to squeal. Their rations were topped up by the crafty Ubese so no incentive to shop him to the top brass. Fun times in a very dangerous place.

That was quite a while ago and he pushed the memory aside. He raised his hand. "I know how to hack."> He replied, volunteering for the job. He had a datapad in a pocket in case he needed it. He may need a bit of time to avoid flickering the lights in the process.

<"Leave this to me.">

Switching it on he began to dig into the systems, drawing up maps and blueprints, each wall was shut down. So far so good, next came the lights, he avoided messing with them and then, he hit a trickier Firewall. Cursing to himself, he switched out programs for another far stronger one.

He then looked up sharply at the newcomer to the Hunt. He couldn't aim a weapon at them as he was preoccupied with the hack to intervene if it turned nasty. This Firewall dropped away after a few prods and quick finger taps.

He was almost done, his concentration resolute and unshakable. A job or task should be completed to its end, that was what he was taught through his own experiences. So his patience paid off and he was able to turn off the Ventilation System at long last. They were now able to get in.

<"Ok, that should do it.">

 

[Dantum Kryszar]

Vrun Ryssic , Tovald Kahmen"a, Akonx Vizsla , Faison Kelborn

Dantum "Dan" Kryszar leaned out of the open side door and scanned the surface of Mustafar for any life. He would have arrived on his favorite starfighter, the A-wing christened: The Dragonfly, but it was in the shop for repairs. Dan really wanted to get this bounty, so he decided to hire a pilot. He hoped his first mission with the Bounty Hunter's Guild went well, because a successful mission meant more people would be interested in hiring him. He didn't have much information on this bounty- all Dan knew was that he was supposed to work together with some other bounty hunters to exterminate a Sith cult on Mustafar. The problem was, he had no idea where to find the cult, because heat scans were useless on a lava planet. Suddenly, he saw a flash of light, which was hopefully a blaster. "Finding the cult was easier than I thought" he said to himself.

Dan's pilot had seen the flash as well, and had also picked something up on the ship's scanners: "Old mining facility up ahead. Is this your drop off?" "Sure. Here's your compensation" said Dan as he tossed some credits to the pilot. "Thanks for the ride". He made sure his parachute was fastened, jumped, and watched the ship turn and head back through the atmosphere out of the corner of his eye. The wind whistled and roared all around him as he plummeted, arms and legs spread out, towards the mining facility.

Dan landed slightly off-course, near some rocks. He walked for about five minutes until he came upon, presumably, four other bounty hunters who had been hired for the same mission. Two Mandalorians, an Ubese, and a Trandoshan. He made a quick mental assesment: The Trandoshan looked young and unpredictable, the Ubese and one of the Mandalorians looked capable, and the other Mandalorian was probably reckless, judging by the huge dents in his beskar. The Ubese had just managed to open a blast door leading inside.

The other bounty hunters were about to enter when they saw Dan. Dan acknowledged them with a nod. "Greetings. You are here to exterminate the Sith cult?" "That's right" said the Mandalorian without the dented armor. "You too?" "Yes" replied Dan. "What are we up against?" "Sith cultists, as you probably know. So far, they have not proven to be very dangerous, but we could be surprised. Let's proceed with caution" said the Ubese. Dan gestured to the open doorway. "Understood. Shall we?" The five bounty hunters stepped forward through the doorway into the dark unknown, led by the eager Trandoshan.

 

[Faison Kelborn]

TAG: Vrun Ryssic Tovald Kahmen’’a Akonx Vizsla Dantum Kryszar

"Good." Was all Faison said as his newfound Ubese companion set about disabling the facility's ventilation system. Before they could make their way into the facility, it appeared that yet another newcomer had added himself to the fold. The more the merrier, he supposed. Faison nodded at the new addition to the team, and filled him in as he addressed the group: "Now that the ventilation system is offline, it should be a matter of maybe 10 minutes or so before they start to feel the effects of the atmosphere. Make sure you've got your filtration systems online, or some breathing apparatus to keep yourself from falling victim to it."

After expressing the casual reminder, the Mandalorian's visor met the gaze of each man before he added the simple implied command. "On me." Without any further delay, Faison made his way to the catwalk to access one of the upper access doors. Now that Tovald had disabled the ventilation system, the doors should be easier to crack given one would need to access the doors to service the system. It took little effort for Faison to bypass the rudimentary lock mechanism, with the door sliding open with a pronounced hiss. He leveled his blaster rifle, and proceeded into the facility.

The lighting within was dim and ill maintained, but that would be expected from a maintenance corridor that had not seen a living soul for... gods knew how long. Faison led the way through the upper catwalk over to a set of stairs which descended into the facility proper. As he neared the interior door to the facility, he could hear faint voices on the other side. He cast a glance back at the group before he placed a hand on the entry lever, and slowly opened the door. The voices carried through the darkness, with a few words being heard as the door opened, revealing simple durasteel-paneled corridors within. Faison scanned his left and right with his Viper-series rifle before proceeding to the left, which continued on for approximately 40 feet before turning to the right. He advanced a few feet before the sources of the voices rounded the corner - a single Twi'lek cultist alongside a human female, both of which wearing the garb of the Sith cult they were hunting. Faison wasted little time in firing at the pair, one of his bolts striking the Twi'lek in the shoulder.

 

[Dantum Kryszar]

Tag: Vrun Ryssic, @Tovald Kahmen"a, Faison Kelborn , Akonx Vizsla

As he followed the rest of the bounty hunters inside, Dan heeded the Mandalorian’s advice and activated the filtration system in his helmet. If he left it off, the rapidly decreasing air quality could affect his health and performance. Dan was taking up the rear of the group, following the others through the dark hallways. The condition of the hallways and the fact that Sith cultists could be watching him at that very moment should have scared him, but it didn’t, because the cultists they encountered outside the facility did not seem competent at all. However, the person who had hired him for this mission clearly stated that the cultists were dangerous and should be killed on sight, except for their leader. After giving this matter some thought, Dan deduced that Sith disciples come in all shapes, sizes, and skill levels. If what his informant said about the cultists was true, the group of bounty hunters had yet to encounter powerful enemies.

Dan and the others were led by one of the Mandalorians down stairs, over catwalks, and through hallways. Every walkway they traversed was empty, with no sign of life. So far, the building seemed to consist mostly of hallways, with a couple large rooms that probably had been used for refining the metals that were gathered in the surrounding area. The machinery looked dilapidated, and as if it had seen many years without work. Just further evidence that the facility was empty. The Corellian bounty hunter thought it was very suspicious that the group had not heard, seen, or picked up any evidence of cultists on their scanners.

Just as he was beginning to think that his informant was mistaken about the cult’s location, the Mandalorian in the lead turned a corner, and after looking to the right for a few moments, aimed and fired a shot off. Dan raced to the head of the pack, eager for some action after trudging through empty hallways for so long. He heard a cry of pain as he skidded around the corner and saw the cultists: a Twi-lek and a female human, the former evidently hit in the shoulder by the Mandalorian.

The Corellian sharpshooter immediately leveled his IQA-11 blaster rifle and finished off the Twi-lek with a headshot. The woman was not taken by surprise like her companion, and drew a lightsaber. Dan pulled his laser-edged knife out of its sheath, and charged. The Sith and the bounty hunter parried and thrusted for a few seconds. The other bounty hunters hung back, because they couldn’t get a clear shot, and there was a possibility that they could kill Dan by mistake. Suddenly, Dan feinted to the side, and then dropped to the floor, sweeping the woman’s legs out from underneath her. As she went down, he landed a flying kick to her side. The woman crumpled to the ground. Dan raised his knife for the killing blow; however, the woman was ready. She rolled to the side, stood up, and used the force to bodily throw Dan against a wall. His back hit the wall first, causing his head to snap backwards and thud against the metallic surface even harder. Dan watched the other bounty hunters attack the Sith as he slipped into unconsciousness.

 

[Tovald Kahmen’’a]

Location: Mustafar, Inside and engaging the Cult Defenses
Tag: Faison Kelborn Vrun Ryssic Akonx Vizsla

Tovald put the pad away and followed in, the darkness was thick and the atmosphere hung thick. Switching to Night Vision, Tovald took the left, and he was also set upon by the defence team. Luckily Cortosis was a thing and made the lightsaber switch off and short out. Kicking the Human in the chest to put some distance between them. No way will there be any chance to sneak a poke with the saber when it regains power.

Which allowed for a strategy to be developed in the short respite. Which ended when Tovald swung his sword up at an arch and it hit its mark, right in the middle of the Sith's head, which now means he has to contend with more that focused their attention on him and now they were throwing equipment at him.

Ducking for cover as a large boxy thing with a funnel sticking out of it missed his head by an inch. When he went into this he should have been warier of projectiles. Force Users can and will use anything not nailed down as offence and defence. Switching to blasters he aimed at the Cultist Defenders, many were blocked but even more of the bolts hit their targets.

A smaller box blindsided him and knocked him down and Tovald saw stars, that happened. He will recover his senses in a few minutes. He hoped the others were fairing a smidge better than he was at present.

A minute went by and he stayed put, waiting for a Cultist to approach, once they were in striking distance Tovald surged from his position and pulled the Twi'lek into a headlock, and slowly applied pressure until he heard a muffled snap of bone.

She fell limp.

He wanted to avoid unnecessary killing but, as of right now, he had little choice or hesitation. Them or him, he picked the better option to remain very much alive.

 

[Faison Kelborn]

TAG: Tovald Kahmen’’a Dantum Kryszar

Whenever the galaxy decided to let everything go to literal osik, Faison couldn't help but smile out of sheer incredulity. After wounding the Twi'lek, the new arrival to their party bolted ahead with bloodthirst obviously on his mind, setting about finishing the Twi'lek with his dagger. As he turned to attack the human, he was thrown bodily back towards Faison, impacting against the wall with a very pronounced thud. There was no time to waste in sentiment, however. As soon as the woman threw Dantum against the wall, Faison slung his rifle to the side and pulled out one of his pistols in his left hand while grasping for a stun grenade in his right. He took a moment to prime it while the human rose to her feet, and he quickly tossed it right as he peeled out from the corner, unleashing with his pistol. The woman was quick to deflect the bolts with her lightsaber, but Faison wasn't shooting to kill or even wound. He was shooting to distract.

The woman's expression changed from mild anger to uncertainty when Faison stopped shooting and looked at her. She glanced down just in time to see the grenade detonate, billowing with electrical current modulated to stun the target. She writhed in pain for several seconds before eventually crumpling to the ground, unconscious. Faison glanced over at Tovald on the ground behind him, another Twi'lek grasped in his hands - lifeless. Apparently there were others who had attempted to sneak up behind them. The Ubese was handy, Faison would grant him that. The Mandalorian gave Tovald a curt nod in acknowledgement before stepping over to the unconscious form of Dantum off to the side. Faison reached for an adrenaline stim pack in his belt, and exposed a small sliver of skin at a seam in Dantum's armor. Faison quickly stabbed into Dantum's flesh, and injected the adrenaline to hopefully get him to snap out of his unconscious state. Faison arose from his newfound comrade's body, pulling out his pistol to scan the area - to buy time for Dantum to come to once again.

 

[Dantum Kryszar]

Tags: Faison Kelborn , Tovald Kahmen’’a

Dan's eyes blinked open just long enough to let in hazy light from someone's flashlight. The light penetrated his visor, threatening to wake him up. He tried to close his eyes and sleep again, but to no avail. The thing poking into his shoulder had attracted his attention. As Dan's veins coursed with adrenaline, he sat up and attempted to remember why he was resting in this dilapidated, badly lit hallway. Then it came back to him. That karking Sith disciple. He would have to be more careful from now on. He had been caught up in the thrill of battle, and had forgotten how dangerous Force-users could be. Dan shook his head to clear his fuzzy vision, and saw Faison Kelborn standing next to him, pistol in hand.

Suddenly, Dan realized that the thing poking into his side was a stim needle designed to bring him back to consciousness, and that the Mandalorian had injected him with adrenaline and was now guarding him, waiting for him to recover. Most other bounty hunters would have left their fallen companion and carried on, but this one had provided assistance. Dan had done some research on his fellow hunters before this mission, and the Guild didn't say much about a helpful personality. An unexpected gesture, but one Dan would remember. The Mandalorian was proving to be a steadfast companion already.

Dan shakily rose to his feet, and groped around for his sniper rifle and laser-edged knife until he found them.

"Thank you for the assistance" he said to Faison, and acknowledged him with a nod.

Dan looked around, and as he regained his composure, took in the situation. The bounty hunters were being attacked by several more Sith disciples, and Tovald was struggling to hold them off for Faison as he tried to buy Dan more time.

"Okay, I'm alright. You can go back to killing, but leave some for me" Dan joked as he spoke to Faison.

He looked through the scope on his sniper, ready to shoot some Sith.