First Reply Never Forgive, Never Forget

[Ysennia Lee]

Tags: Open​

The galaxy is still feeling the shockwave of the core falling. Refugees leaving in drove. Many of them making for the High Republic as the only bastion of hope left in the galaxy. Other's make for the mid rim and the outer rim. But it's not any better there. Since the collapse of the Black Sun, their corner of the galaxy has created a power vacuum in the galactic underworld with many gangs attempting to become the new Black Sun. Many had to cast aside their old allegiances as the times demanded of them. But no one can run from their past now matter how fast they are.

Ysennia threw herself in the fire just so she could still claim her parent's inheritance. She wanted a simple research position with the Alliance's engineering corps, but she found herself in the fire more often than she wanted to be. Then she got a taste of it. The glory, the thrill, the tragedy, the gore, the emptiness. Then suddenly, the Alliance fell. At the time, the bastion of democracy and hope in the galaxy had dashed away almost instantly. Then she was left without peace of mind. She knew that many of her allies ran to the unknown regions to lick their wounds and return when they were able. But Ysennia didn't want to run. It didn't feel right. Many of her friends from the military didn't want to either. Not when the known galaxy was burning all around them.

Most importantly, not when criminals roamed free. Not the petty spice traders and traffickers, although they were an issue. Ysennia had an eye for the Imperials. The ones who thought they could retreat to their petty kingdoms in the outer rim.

Ysennia and some of her old friends became mercenaries. Mainly running muscle for aristocrats and plutocrats. Other times they were transporting cargo on destitute worlds. Usually credits, materials, food, and water. In the meantime, she had friends from the SIA go into the information business. Turns out some friends from Corellia put a bounty on an ex-Imperial colonel on Nar Shadda. The man's name was Cyrus Edrick. Butchered civilians during the invasion of Coruscant. Now he was the CEO of an investment firm who was laundering money for a couple of gangs operating in Nar Shadda. Turned out he was meeting with a devaronian slave runner, Ziric Turno.

They were going to meet at a hotel in New Vertica to make a payment. Fancy place. Goons paid by both men were running security in the hotel. A lot of credits were being handed off so they wanted to be safe. Whatever happened to Turno was irrelevant. Edrick was to be taken in alive if Ysennia and her friends wanted payment. The person who contracted them wanted Cyrus to stand trial for his crimes.

The speeder made for the rooftop of the hotel. Ysennia and her troops geared up and made their down the stairs as she led. They were in a conference center on the top floor, so all they had to do was the clear floor and make for the speeder. In and out.

​

 

[Erran Lanith]

NAR SHADDAA
Ysennia Lee ​

The views from the conference center were exquisite. Nar Shaddaa was a hellhole for most, but if you had the credits, it could be glorious. Erran did not have the credits, so it was generally a dump for someone like him. But tonight, he got to see things from the other side. Credits nearly flowed from the pockets of the individuals in the room.

One could see how much money was being spent just by the level of security in the room. Nearly a dozen hired security were in this room, plus probably a dozen more spread throughout the hotel to make sure nothing amuck happened tonight.

Erran was one such individual tonight.

Ever since the fall of the Galactic Alliance, he had become disillusioned with the state of order within the galaxy. Things had changed hands so fast that the turmoil that was the core worlds was something he had wanted no part of.

What could he, a single ex-commando, do? Nothing. That's what. Sure, the High Republic had formed, had been a steady bastion of hope. Sure, he could join them. But were they liberating the core worlds? Did Coruscant fall under their banner? No. It fell under the banner of some new Sith, and before that, another Empire, and who knows who would come next. His home world in the Core was under the boot of some new evil every week, and no one dared to stand up to them.

Erran had tried. He ran black ops after the fall of the Alliance. Worked with hidden Jedi and Alliance personnel still in hiding. But people gave up, and the Core burned. When it became apparent he couldn't change what was happening, his mental fortitude broke, and he stopped trying.

So Erran left his past life behind and did the only thing he was good at, work. Not just any work, but high-end VIP protection and mercenary jobs. The better the pay, the fewer questions he asked. He had asked no questions regarding this job.

Standing in the rear of the room, a thick cloak hiding his silhouette and armor, Erran scanned the skies out the window and the patrons in the room. He had been paid a handsome sum to ensure this meeting went off without a hitch and without interruption.

An interruption like the one that had just landed on the roof. An unidentified speeder had just landed and disgorged several unknown individuals who were now descending from the roof into the hotel.

Erran sent a ping to a few guards to keep an eye out for them. While the hotel wasn't fully closed for business, he didn't believe in coincidences.

Without drawing too much attention to himself, he shifted slightly away from the window and let his gaze sweep across the room again. Old instincts resurfaced effortlessly. Entrances. Exits. Lines of fire. Potential cover. The placement of security personnel. The location of the two men whose credits were paying for all of it.

A faint feeling settled into his mind, as if something was occurring, or someone had made a decision that was about to affect him. It was recognition; something was coming.

But what? He wasn't sure. So he waited. Half-hidden in the gloom at the rear of the conference room, watching.

 

[Ysennia Lee]

Tags: Erran Lanith​

They weren't wearing much. Something you'd expect spacers to wear along with ammo belts and blast vests. But the tactics they had along with the element of surprise would more than make up for their lack of gear. Ysennia led down stairs with three of her troops behind her. They stacked on the door leading from the staircase to the top floor. They knew this was where the enemy was concentrated and assumed they didn't expect them. Or at least they wouldn't be on a high alert level. Their blasters were suppressed so it wouldn't ring out on the entire floor, still, their vital signs were on a reader somewhere.

Breaking through on the other side of the door, no one was present. Alls well so far. Ysennia signaled her troops to go into a formation. Diamond formation down the hallway. As they reached the left corner Ysennia took one and took cover with the other two on the opposite end. They had to prevent any deaths before they came upon the conference room or else there was a chance the chief of security would check in and realize something was wrong.

Just as she thought that however, she rounded the corner and saw one guy from the security team end up their way.

"Shit." She said. But she knew they couldn't stop now. The conference room was just a few paces away. She ordered everyone back into diamond formation and continued at a much quicker pace.

Didn't take long, and no other security caught up with them. They stacked on the door, Ysennia was on one end with her troops on the other. The slicer was on the door panel, trying to break in. Just as the door allowed them entry, it slid open and Ysennia threw a stun grenade. It went out and Ysennia started pouring in with her troops. The goons inside each had their heads popped with a blaster. Turno wasn't so lucky either.

Just as Edrick knew what was going on Ysennia began to put him in cuffs. "Varis, Jarkus, check the door. Milron, sweep the room."

"Aye, ma'am." Replied the young male echani who noticed an undisclosed corner in the conference room and went to check it out.

​

 

[Erran Lanith]

CONFERENCE CALL
Ysennia Lee ​

Erran watched the conversation between the two individuals continue, haggling back and forth over something. Erran brought up his datapad and began combing through security camera footage, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

A notification popped down from the top of the datapad, making him stop what he was doing to read it; the name attached to it made him fixate on the device, and he lost track of his train of thought.

The message read:

WE HAVE WORK, EL. ITS IN THE CORE. FOR THOSE WE LOST.

Erran stared at the message, reading it several times. He had received many messages since the fall of the Alliance asking for help in the core worlds. Even after he left, people still reached out to him, hoping he would come back. Most of the time, the messages were deleted the moment he read them, but the name on this one made him falter.

Nova.

That was it. Nova. No doubt it meant the Nova Corps. The 222nd Nova Corps. The same one he had been a Commando with. Someone was still active. Somewhere out there, one of his brothers or sisters was asking for him. For the first time in a long time, Erran replied.

SEND COORDINATES

The door buzzed open, and Erran snapped his head up, his lack of attention causing him to miss what had been happening in the last few minutes. A silver cylinder flew through the air, its shape instantly recognizable to Erran.

He slammed his eyes shut as it detonated, the sound still deafening in the room.

Erran knocked over a table next to him, its thin metal frame giving him cover. He peeked out from behind the table as the perpetrators flowed into the room. They were well-trained, covering corners and engaging the security in the room. The other security in the room went down quickly, only a few even bringing their weapons up. They also killed the Devaronian, that was a problem. This new element promptly got to work after finishing off the security team, attempting to place his employer in cuffs.

That was a problem. Erran wasn't paid until the job was done. And he only got a percentage if things went sour. But he needed this pay, especially after that message from Nova.

Erran unsnapped his helmet from its magclamp on his belt and donned it, the recognizable blue T-Visor lighting up the corner of the room. Erran didn't expect these killers to know what that armor meant, what it stood for, and the trained Commandos who called it home.

But they would find out.

The camouflage coating on his armor activated as he stepped out from behind the table, disrupting his figure for those who would no doubt begin firing at him. His blaster rifle snapped up, green bolts impacting the individual who was walking toward him, knocking him off his feet.

Angling his arms while standing and continuing to shoot, Erran activated his grapple system, the rope snapping out and wrapping around Edrick, yanking him back from this new threat. The man slid across the ground toward Erran before crashing against the far wall of the room where Erran had left him.

"Get me out of her alive, and I'll double your pay!" Edrick screamed at Erran as he dove behind the table.

Disengaging the grappling rope, Erran advanced, his blaster rifle erupting with fire at the other members of this hostile assault team, trying to force them into cover.

 

[Ysennia Lee]

Tags: Erran Lanith​

Milron only blinked before a flash of blaster bolts fired from an unseen corner of the room. He took the brunt of it as he immediately went limp and fell to the floor. Ysennia looked up but couldn't react in time as their target got caught in a grapple gun and was torn from her in a matter of seconds. Varis and Jarkus heard the commotion and suppressed their target so Ysennia could get clear and get her bearings. "Milron!" She yelled hoping to get the attention of her teammate. But nothing. Odds are he was dead but that didn't matter. They had a new threat to deal with. Ysennia took a knee and aimed her blaster rifle on the position of her target. She then fired off her shots looking to intimidate the merc they missed.

Obviously this guy wasn't one of the normal c-tier mercs they hired off the streets. Ysennia only wondered how much they hired them for. Or maybe she was overthinking and their new friend caught a lucky break. But if that were the case they would've been shot dead like the rest of their friends. They were caught however reloading and the merc broke cover and started firing at Ysennia and her squad. "Take cover!" Ysennia shouted. She immediately jumped behind one of the chairs that would at least obstruct the view of the shooter. Varis unfortunately caught one in the chest and groaned as he fell to the floor. The blast vest underneath saved him but the wind was knocked out of him. Jarkus went prone and pulled out his blaster pistol and returned fire, albeit spastically. But he found himself dumbstruck.

The armor this merc was wearing.

He was former Alliance.

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