Private Mek-Sha Shakedown (Eclipse Mission)

[Hand of Eclipse]

- - -
MEK-SHA SHAKEDOWN
- - -

​

Mek-Sha has passed through many pairs of uneasy hands over the years, from the Hutt Cartels and the Mandalorians, to pirates, smugglers, and even the Sith. Despite its history as a hotbed for criminal activity, civilian life manages to thrive aboard the asteroid base, which has grown into something of a slum city during its recent stint as an independent 'world' of the Mid-Rim. Under the guidance of its tolerable (yet corrupt) ruling council, the people have largely enjoyed a free spacer's life.

Things changed roughly three years ago, though, when rumors of a Force cult evolved into broad-daylight abductions of Mek-Sha's most vulnerable citizens. The leader of this cult, an enigmatic near-human known only as Dredge, was assassinated by our own contractor, Thayne Tameron . We believed this threat had been subdued, but our contacts on the station have reported a resurgence among Dredge's followers.

The cultists believe Father Dredge to be a god, albeit it one that requires a ceremonial resurrection to regain his powers. These delusional Force-users have resumed their bloody cycle of kidnappings and sacrifices, but the ruling council has found only dead ends in their search for the killers.

Wanton murder is terrible for business, and Mek-Sha stands to be a prime gateway into the Mid-Rim Territories. Your mission is to infiltrate the asteroid, find these cultists, and ensure they never become a problem again.

- To the attention of: Luck | Zayah Bane | Eden Io | Kael Syddi

 

[Zayah Bane]

| Location | Aboard Mek-Sha
| Objective | Deal with the Cultists
| Focus | Luck / Eden Io / Kael Syddi / Thayne Tameron

Zayah leaned back in her seat aboard the Mek-Sha as she slipped a cigarette between her lips, shifting it to the other corner of her mouth as she reached down for a lighter. Mek-Sha had been under the eye of the Slice Syndicates as an ideal gateway territory, though its issue with some of the local populace made it a tad bit hazardous, hence why she and a few other members had been asked to handle the 'delicate' task of making the problem disappear. Rather than avoid attention to herself or the group by all showing up at the same time, she made the executive decision to arrive on her own, ahead of schedule to scout out the asteroid base and perhaps glean some information as to the whereabouts of the cultists in question. ​

​

A quiet Clink was heard as she produced a small golden lighter, flicking the end open and shifting her thumb across the flint as a small flame flickered to life. She cupped her hand over the end of the cigarette as she soon lit it up before lowering her hand and the lighter down, flicking the cover shut before pocketing it. She took in a deep breath as she soon exhaled the smoke, relaxing back into her seat as her eyes took everything happening, keeping watch for anything out of the ordinary while she waited for the rest of the crew assigned to the task to arrive, patiently waiting for a response on a frequency they had established to communicate via a well-hidden earpiece she wore.​

 

[Kael Syddi]

Location: Mek-Sha, Unknown Interior Location
Equipment: Left Bracer, Refurbished Armor atop Kinetic Padded Bodyglove, Retractable Eye Covers with HUD Display, Rebreather/Translator Mask
Weapons: Charric Rifle, Scarecrow Grenades, The Stick, Vibromachetes
'Tools: Fusioncutter
Tags: Zayah Bane Luck Eden Io Thayne Tameron

Left to his own devices in lieu of someone guiding him along, Kael found himself ringside to a small animal fighting ring.

A few credits in a mid-hand, and the upper-arms cheering for a small strung out gizka fighting a bald and scarred loth cat. Which was equally strung out on something that made it far more aggressive than it usually was.

"Bite its head off!" Kael's voice boomed amongst the assorted aliens cheering for either side as the two animals scrapped and bit one another.

The loth cat clawing while the gizka drunkenly charged forward and collided with the tiny shock fence that surrounded the barely sunken pit they threw animals into.

A chirp in his helmet barely got recognition as the fight grew to a not-so-surprising end.

The loth cat disabling the gizka before attempting to bite its neck. The unofficial referee drooping a hand and pointing to the victorious owner as they grabbed their catch pole and snapped it around their loth cat. The owner of the gizka snarling and moving to attack the other owner as Kael heard the chime once more.

His exposed eyes fixated on the gizka as the origin of the alert was found.

"Bahg!" A sound of disgust escaping as the fence powered down and chaos erupted between the two owners, a crowd gathering to break up the fight while Kael snatched the gizka and stuffed it beneath his mid-arms.

The bookie cashing him out on his winnings as he grinned, pulling his mask free and devouring the gizka whole. Mask replaced with a satisfied cough, a few disgusted stares followed him from the alleyway as he headed towards the crew.

 

[Luck]

Mek-Sha
Tags: Zayah Bane , Eden Io, Kael Syddi

​

Cults were a truly disgusting thing. Insectile, really. Luck hated them with every fiber of his being. To give up one's individuality to further the goals of another was something he despised more than anything else in the world. He had left the Sith to follow his cravings for violence in the criminal underworld for a reason, after all. He had no interest in prescribing himself to the cult of personality that was the modern Order. To say then that this was a prospect that filled him with a great deal of excitement then would be an understatement.

Ultimately Luck just wanted to kill people, so it's hard to say if he could even be less excited. He had dawned his domed helmet, making his way to the randevu point where he was to meet with the rest of his 'task force,' which was just the cute way of saying the clean up crew.

One he immediately recognized from that goofy party the Syndicates had held, the guy who wanted to eat raw meat. He was still a little upset that he hadn't been able to sway the man to try to eat the Hutt, but that was in the past. The man seemed to be getting worked up at whatever animal fight was going on in the alleyway. Luck, of course, didn't much care for the sport. He'd much rather kill things himself. Watching two creatures fight to the death was abysmally boring.

Regardless, he followed suit, perching himself on a cargo crate at the designated meet-up point. A woman was already there, an Echani. They were fighters. At least there would be some interesting angles to the violence.

"Damn, this local blows," Luck noted with an insane laugh. "They could've at least picked a place with drinks."

 

[Thayne Tameron]

Thayne’s holographic image sputtered to life across the indents’ projectors, summoning their attention wherever they were on the grimy station known as Mek-Sha.

It seemed the Slice mixer on Bracca was worthwhile, judging by the familiar faces that shuffled across his holoprojector aboard the Nomad. He was drifting in orbit around the asteroid, monitoring their progress and making notes for his employer. Eclipse was interested in ascending new indents to contractor status, and the best way to do that was by tossing them at a problem and watching the carnage.

That’s just what Thayne intended to do here.

“I’ll get straight to the point,” the Kaasian said, not wasting any time.

“We’ve got a cult of Forcers on our hands. Real nasty sort. I killed their neurotic leader a few years back, but it looks like his followers are back in force.”

The assassin glanced to the dossiers on his monitor, sizing up this cast of hunters one last time before loosing them on the station.

“I’ll be in touch if you need a nudge. Don’t forget that Eclipse is watching.”

He paused for effect, a sly smirk cracking on his lips.

“Don’t disappoint me.”

---

Tags: Zayah Bane | Kael Syddi | Luck | Eden Io ​

---

 

[Zayah Bane]

| Location | Aboard Mek-Sha
| Objective | Deal with the Cultists
| Focus | Luck / Eden Io / Kael Syddi / Thayne Tameron

Zayah continued to lean back on the bench as she let out a long exasperated sigh. Staking things out was not usually her forte as she was not one for sitting still for too long, but a job was a job as boring as the initial phases of it might be; hopefully, the carnage would roll out soon before she found herself dead from boredom. She lifted the cigarette to her lips as her earpiece crackled to life, their handler reaching out to them about the general premise of their objective as a reminder. ​

​

“I’ll be in touch if you need a nudge. Don’t forget to at Eclipse is watching.”
“Don’t disappoint me.”

​

The Echani rolled her eyes as she extended her arm out, tapping the burning ash from the end of her cigarette off as she commented to herself, " Didn't realize getting approval or impressing anyone was part of the mission's objective, ". Zayah let out a sigh as she flicked the remainder of her cigarette off to the side before standing up. She reached a hand to her neck as she activated her comms to the crew, <" Let's get hunting I guess. I reckon you lot can sniff them out, right? ">​

 

[Kael Syddi]

Location: Mek-Sha, Unknown Interior Location
Equipment: Left Bracer, Refurbished Armor atop Kinetic Padded Bodyglove, Retractable Eye Covers with HUD Display, Rebreather/Translator Mask
Weapons: Charric Rifle, Scarecrow Grenades, The Stick, Vibromachetes
'Tools: Fusioncutter
Tags: Zayah Bane Luck Thayne Tameron

The communicator in his ear fizzled to life, his steps never stopping as he listened and navigated the mix of bodies around him.

A slow blink as colors began to become more prominent and blur.

His jaws clacking behind the mask as the warning of being watched was made. A series of annoyed clicks followed as the talking stopped. A shake of his head before the comm came back to life.

An equally annoyed voice coming through.

<"Death is their game. Prey on weak. Smart but dumb too."> A cackle filtering through the line. <"Will look for good prey. Find hunters there.">

Kael stopped heading for the rendezvous point, standing at his full height and looking around. A small smattering of bodies moving to and fro but most seemed to be heading in one direction. Cattle for culling as he scuttled along with the herd.

His gait doing a poor job of mimicking the people around him as he hunched down, eyes searching the faces of each being that sent a glance his way.

None looked like the type to be hunting to him.

A slow trudging mass headed for the residential area that Kael followed, stopping to stand and scan occasionally. The colors in his vision slowly beginning to further blur as he rubbed his exposed eyes to try and push it away.

Never realizing the gizka might have been a bad idea to snatch as he blinked and carried on.

 

[Luck]

Mek-Sha
Tags: Thayne Tameron , Kael Syddi, Zayah Bane

​

" Didn't realize getting approval or impressing anyone was part of the mission's objective, "

"I hope they aren't a stickler for messes," Luck shrugged, grinning under his mask. "But then again, they did send us to an open canvas."

And Luck very much intended to paint that canvas red, one cultist at a time. As the others jumped onto their open comm channel, Luck seemed to fizzle away into nothingness, vanishing into the walls themselves. One with a good sense of smell or whit would recognize he hadn't vanished at all, simply twisting the perception of the naked eye to bend around him.

Illusions, the signature ability of the Mind Witches.

<"Their stench should be impossible to miss. I can feel their insectile filth already.">

Luck would hold in a twisted laugh from escaping, the result of seeing the large alien hunter attempting to blend in. It was funny, maybe even more so considering someone might not even notice him. People were dense.

<"Let's not keep our friends waiting then.">

 

[Thayne Tameron]

He kicked his feet up onto the Nomad’s dash, his rifle in one hand and a cleaning rag in the other.

It had been embarrassingly long since he last gave Bianca the attention a good firearm needed, and with the hunters free to tackle the cult however they saw fit, Thayne felt comfortable leaving them to their devices. In theory, they wouldn’t need much guidance from him - and if he was being frank, any sign of reliance on his presence would spell an automatic denial of contract.

But he wasn’t the one in charge. Not truthfully.

Corvex was the Hand of Eclipse, and all orders ran down through his stackbosses to the fixers. That’s where Thayne fit into the corporate syndicate, and that’s where he liked it; Connecting the fresh blood to new horizons.

The Kaasian glanced to their vitals every once and awhile, in between strokes of the rag against Bianca’s metal frame.

He was satisfied with their ability to stay alive, but he was ready to see their hearts beating out of their chests. The thrill of the hunt was a sweet scent only a killer could enjoy, but Thayne could settle on a vicarious joyride from his ship.

For now…

---

Tags: Zayah Bane | Kael Syddi | Luck​

---

 

[Zayah Bane]

| Location | Aboard Mek-Sha
| Objective | Deal with the Cultists
| Focus | Luck / Kael Syddi / Thayne Tameron

Zayah slipped into a crowd of people, weaving her way casually through the bodies of people passing by as her ever-vigilant gaze shifted from person to person, observing for any identifying features. For a cult to have existed for as long as it had amongst normal civilians, it would have had to maintain a low profile for the local authorities and populace to not have come after them with torches and pitchforks.​

<"Death is their game. Prey on weak. Smart but dumb too."> A cackle filtering through the line. <"Will look for good prey. Find hunters there.">

​

Zayah responded over the comms, " I'll keep that in mind. Keep each other posted while we figure out where the nest is and then we'll snuff them out. Perhaps they'll save us the trouble of having to look for them. " She brushed past a civilian as she continued her search, an inconspicuous floating droid hovering above and following after her carefully scanning the faces of each individual as any sort of file or data was sent to a datapad - waiting to alert her if any individuals of note were scanned. A little crackle in her ear chirped to life as Luck spoke.​

​

"I hope they aren't a stickler for messes," Luck shrugged, grinning under his mask. "But then again, they did send us to an open canvas."

​

Zayah's eyes tracked across the crowd of people responding in a curt tone, ' As long as the job gets done. " ​

 

[Kael Syddi]

Location: Mek-Sha, Unknown Interior Location
Equipment: Left Bracer, Refurbished Armor atop Kinetic Padded Bodyglove, Retractable Eye Covers with HUD Display, Rebreather/Translator Mask
Weapons: Charric Rifle, Scarecrow Grenades, The Stick, Vibromachetes
'Tools: Fusioncutter
Tags: Zayah Bane Luck

Kael continued to stalk his way through the crowd. A growing sensation of something familiar within the area. The feeling he trusted on a hunt for something truly delicious.

His mandibles cracked together as he turned his head back and forth, finally drawing a few glances his way that hadn't settled into the blank stare of returning home. While he wasn't the same face most had seen, the flock around him hadn't made any sort of strange notion about his appearance.

The station being one of those coming and going anyhow with a wide variety of alien life aboard.

The sensation of a good meal both growing and fading as he tried to navigate the strange withering of his senses. Or heightening. It didn't matter either way given he had a task to accomplish. Pushing through it, and the growing pace of his vitals as the draw of the force pulled at him into a section of the housing lot.

Breaking away from the resident crowd and cutting a path closer to the complex of doors and cobbled huts that had sprung up in an older section of the district.

<"Might have something."> A final comm transmission as Kael stood in the entry way of the section. He couldn't quite sniff out the trouble, but that ebb of his favorite delicacy was a strong one that pulled at him.

Standing at his full height, thankful he'd brought quiet weapons, he drew himself up onto what seemed a sturdy enough building. Claws grasping into the ramshackle building before he disappeared up into what counted as a new floor.

His form dropping down flat as his arms worked to keep him moving while out of the light below. Creeping along the rooftop with an alarming grace before voices began to filter into his senses.

 

[Luck]

Mek-Sha
Tags: Thayne Tameron , Kael Syddi, Zayah Bane

​

<"Might have something.">

<I see it. Good eye, big man.>

While Kael would begin to slunk his way into the complex he had found, Luck would stroll straight through the door. Illusions swirled around him, hiding his presence, making him invisible to the eye as he entered. As the large alien skittered across the ceiling, the witch boy wandered about, assessing the place rather casually.

<The air is dark here,> the young man noted. <This is the place.>

His mind began to salivate at the thought of the ensuing blood bath. He craved the violence, the thrill of cleaving through his enemies with no holding back. Just bliss and chaos. He waited, however, holding back for a plan of action to be put forward.

<Contacts up ahead,> he noted, hearing the voices of what were presumably cultists. <Course of action?>

He silently hoped it was murder.

 

[Zayah Bane]

| Location | Aboard Mek-Sha
| Objective | Deal with the Cultists
| Focus | Luck / Kael Syddi / Thayne Tameron

Zayah weaved through the crowd as Kael picked up the trail of the cultist' den and stumbling upon their nest. Zayah reached into her pocket and pulled out her pack of cigarettes, tapping the end of the box as she raised the box to her lips, pulling the end of one that had been tapped loose before stowing the pack away. As Luck, their resident Force Sensitive confirmed the location she'd respond to him over their comms.​

<Contacts up ahead,> he noted, hearing the voices of what were presumably cultists. <Course of action?>

She curtly responded prior to cupping her hand over the end to light the cigarette, approaching an inconspicuous entrance from the alley where two cultists were posted, masking her mouth movements, <" We do what we do best. "> One of the cultists stepped away to stop her movement as he held up a hand, " Hey you can't be here! Turn aro- " As the cultist moved within arms reach, Zayah's hand reached out to grab their arm, twisting it as they cried out in pain. In the same motion, her leg swept out, wiping out their legs from beneath them as they were briefly without footing before her free arm reached back, her fingers curling into a fist before bringing it crashing down into their chest, the impact sending them smashing into the ground.​

​

As Zayah straightened herself up after dropping the first cultist she'd look up to see the other cultist unsheathe a vibroknife, already lunging at her with killing intent. She stepped back and tilted her body to avoid the wild, reckless swings, gauging the time and distance moved with each swing before raising her arms up and throwing out a single punch to their jaw. Despite her rather normal appearance, she was surprisingly strong as evidenced by the cultist dropping immediately like a sack of bricks. " Careful with that you bastard. You might kill someone with that. " She heard a groan as she turned her head slightly to see the other cultist weakly try to get up. She grabbed a rusted pail off a stack of durasteel beams before throwing it at the cultist's head with a resounding clang, promptly knocking out the cultist. She straightened herself again as she spoke over the comms. ​

​

< " Just get the job done and try not to make too much of a mess doing it. " >​

 

[Kael Syddi]

Location: Mek-Sha, Unknown Interior Location
Equipment: Left Bracer, Refurbished Armor atop Kinetic Padded Bodyglove, Retractable Eye Covers with HUD Display, Rebreather/Translator Mask
Weapons: Charric Rifle, Scarecrow Grenades, The Stick, Vibromachetes
'Tools: Fusioncutter
Tags: Zayah Bane Luck

Kael didn't noticed Luck enter, but noted the growing sensation of a wonderous meal seemed to tip as Luck spoke over the comms.

The other, Zayah spoke, and the noises outside drew his attention. Turning his head slightly as he scrambled inside, and noted the dim conditions. Both eyes covered now to keep from being spotted as his claws dug into the ceiling and carried him further inside.

< " Just get the job done and try not to make too much of a mess doing it. " >

The small burst of comm chatter after the noise outside bringing what could resemble a grin to Kael's face as he found a spot to drop down and spread his arms.

<"Will make little mess as can."> A clacking of mandibles the final touch to his own message as he peaked around the interior corridor to see what was coming. A pair beings headed his way, a mid-arm drawing a blade while the same upper-arm opened up the hand wide.

The upper-arm opposite the prepared hand pushed off the wall, propelling his form into the open as both cultists gave a startled yelp. One being grabbed and ran through while the other found a mid-arm hand wrapped about their throat.

Dragging both back into the dim corner with a quiet cackle. The space barely able to fit the three of them as the blade twisted and wrenched before being pulled free and thrown back behind him while the other was held aloft.

"How many of yous in here?" The only question Kael would bother to ask as their hands pulled and punched against his. A choked profanity all the more answer he would get before squeezing tight with a satisfying crunch. Dropping one atop the other in the dark corner before peering out once more to see for another ambush.

 

[Thayne Tameron]

Increased heart rates and silent station alarms meant things were going according to plan.

Or so he assumed.

At least none of the contractors had flatlined. He’d hear about it all the way back to Boz Pity if this job went sideways. Thayne placed his rifle with care, leaning it against the terminal as he patched into the comms.

<“Your blood’s pumping nice and hot, now. I hope you’re winning.”>

Thayne didn’t care much for taunting, but it was hard not to from the comfort of the Nomad. He wasn’t supposed to interfere with the hit, only monitor the situation. But where’s the fun in radio silence?

<“Kill them all, Contractors.”>

---

Tags: Zayah Bane | Kael Syddi | Luck​

---

 

[Luck]

Mek-Sha
Tags: Thayne Tameron , Zayah Bane , Kael Syddi

​

<“Kill them all, Contractors.”>

That was all Luck needed to hear. A rather grizzly scene would follow, with the air seeming to take a cold turn. One by one, cultist lined up in the hallway ahead began to twist and contort. Snapped necks, dislocated joints. Some would be killed almost immediately, while others would find themselves left on the ground writing in pain, wishing they had met the same fate.

The witch was there, of course, only warping the space around him to hide his presence as he moved from person to person, relishing as he cracked the bones of his victims with his bare hands. All of this culminated with one last cultist, who would fire off a bolt out of fear, hoping to strike whatever unseen force had killed his comrades. He would make contact, hitting Luck's shoulder dead on, but the young Sith didn't even react. He felt no pain, only thrived in it's presence. It reminded him that he was alive, a drive to push forward and keep fighting.

Luck would reappear, his hand lodged in the chest of the man at the end of the hallway, to which he would rip out their still beating heart. Not that it remained beating for long. The witch would turn back to the rest of the present group and give a shrug.

"Oh, you just said not to make a mess," he lamented, albeit with little remorse. "My bad."

He knew what he had done. Only his helmet hid the sadistic grin on his face.

 

[Zayah Bane]

| Location | Aboard Mek-Sha
| Objective | Deal with the Cultists
| Focus | Luck / Kael Syddi / Thayne Tameron

Zayah soon entered the building after her fellow contractors had begun to shake things up, pulling her gloves snuggly over her hands as faint wisps of smoke trailed from the cigarette in her mouth as she wandered down the halls. Despite engaging the cultists, her heart rate remained at a rather steady and unchanged rate, only briefly spiking before returning to normal as she made her way through the cultist's nest to find their leader.​

​

A door opened to her left as a cultist stumbled out, attempting to swing at the intruder with a knife in hand. Zayah twisted and turned her body as she sent a back kick into their chest, kicking them into the door's threshold to daze them from the collision before letting the momentum of her turning body turn into a full force turning roundhouse kick to the head, slamming them against the opposite side of the door's threshold. She just as casually straightened herself up before glancing around for any further signs of low-level cultists as she followed after her colleagues' trails of carnage.​

​

Zayah's hands slipped into her pockets as she stood amongst bodies left behind by Kael and Luck, glancing down as she nudged them with her heel before stepping over them and glancing at Luck who was holding a heart in their hand. "I only asked because I don't want to get blood all over me." She spoke with an uninterested and rather indifferent tone as she glanced around, "Any sign of the leader?"​

 

[Kael Syddi]

Location: Mek-Sha, Unknown Interior Location
Equipment: Left Bracer, Refurbished Armor atop Kinetic Padded Bodyglove, Retractable Eye Covers with HUD Display, Rebreather/Translator Mask
Weapons: Charric Rifle, Scarecrow Grenades, The Stick, Vibromachetes
'Tools: Fusioncutter
Tags: Zayah Bane Luck

Kael had grabbed two more in the time it had taken for Luck to dispatch the hallway. The first taking the same desperate attempt at freeing themselves from the hand that held them aloft when asked a simple question.

The second finding fear a healthy motivator for loosing secrets after watching Kael devour a part of their friend.

Though the secret hadn't earned them their life in the end, as Kael strangled them before touching the comm in his ear. Dropping the body in a corner atop their friend. The line tapped while he finished a gulp.

<"Hidden door. More below."> The hunter spoke, heading for the hallway Luck and Zayah were in before leading the way through to what looked like a meeting room.

Feet scratching the ground until a handle presented itself. A hand dropping down before looking at the two.

"No survivors." A greedy calm about Kael as he flung open the trapdoor and scurried below. Half clinging to the ceiling below as shouts began to fill the space below.