No one said it was going to be easy

[Nisha Decrilla]

As soon as she'd stepped through the door, four more of the wasps had slipped away from her pocket, seeking entrance under doorways, finding unseen perches on personnel as they passed. Those that had been outside would have found their way in through windows already, there cameras granting Parla a view of the inside of the building.

Anaya eyed the mountain of metal that approached her, she let her wariness show. Sarge liked to know that he was feared. "I wasn't hiding, i've been in plain sight since i got to the surface and you've been watching me. You, on the other hand, are still hiding." She shook her cloak off her shoulder held at arms length to her side and dropped it. She felt slightly sick as she made the next move, not that they would protect her in anyway, but it felt nice to have something she could use. She pulled her twin sabers from her back and looked longingly at them for a moment before tossing them at Sarge's feet.

"Better?"

[member="Sarge Potteiger"]

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

[member="Anaya Fen"]

"I'm not hiding." He says flatly, "I'm right here." Because to Sarge, anonymity didn't equate to hiding. Omega Tower was exactly what one would expect from the hub of a mercenary company - a hive of datapads, computers, droids and paperwork. Most of the people in the tower were civilians, merely performing their job. There was a barracks floor, but there wasn't anything too special in there. Most of the good stuff was in the sublevel, which the droids couldn't reach.

No one was coming in or out of there while the place was in lockdown.

Which her droids, of course, would pick up on.

While his lenses remained locked on her, it was hard to tell if he looked down to notice the sabers at all. "What do you want, Anaya."

 

[Nisha Decrilla]

Anaya contemplated him for a long moment, debating the best way to answer that question. She had a very waiting recollection of a close driven deep I to her stomach and a warning that if she ever marked with him again, he'd kill her.

So did she lie? And risk being shot, and tell the truth...and risk being shot? "I'm not sure if I want anything while your beneath that wretched exoskeleton. You don't need armour to kill me Sarge, so why bother wearing it? I'm unarmed, would you at least for old times sake, become unarmoured? Then we can talk."

[member="Sarge Potteiger"]

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

He snorted, the sound like a speaker popping. Reaching up, the helmet was removed, his void black eyes set beneath the familiar bushy brows she'd not seen in years. Gone was the unkempt beard and hair. His facial hair was trimmed, proper, and well maintained, and so was his hair; short on the sides, but longer and combed over on top with a side part.

The barest ghost of a smile appeared on his lips, but it was a hollow gesture, a shell of an expression. "It would seem I was the only one to take a lesson to heart from our first meeting." He says finally.

"So I'll ask again. What do you want?" Grey lined his hair now, and his voice had become a bit more hoarse from years of battle, but he still seemed the same kid she'd met all those years ago - just mellowed. That might make him more dangerous, or perhaps it just made him calm.

The helmet wound up tucked beneath an arm.

[member="Anaya Fen"]

 

[Nisha Decrilla]

Anaya didn't relax, it would have been foolish to do so. She did however laugh. "Yes, well, I have a knack for getting myself into trouble...and you have a knack for getting in the way." The comm link in her ear clicked.

"Droids are hidden, unable to look for anything while you are there. Get.Out. Now."

She knew his smile was hollow, instinct told her to reach out in the force, and grab her lightsabers, she didn't take them from the floor, she merely held them, ready to snatch away should she need them. "There were two reasons I came in here. The first was to see if I could, I know you're always ready to shoot, but I never know if you actually will. Maybe your unpredictability is what continually draws me to ignore the lesson of our first meeting. See if i can't work out when the line shifts between you wanting to fight and you wanting to fuck. Though I know the latter has long been off the cards. I've scars to remind me of that."

She took a tentative step forward. "The second reason, is that I believe the trihexalon the pyre took from Maramere is stored here." She was drawing on the darkside now, calling it to her letting it heighten her senses, speed up her reflexes and grant her as early a warning as it could. Once upon a time, she would have had to rely on her eyes only to see Sarge, now he was a part of the force and wouldn't be able to hide from her so easily.

"I want it."

[member="Sarge Potteiger"]

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

Sarge had developed a peculiar habit over the years, starting with a halberd that [member="Anaya Fen"]. His melee weapons were often imbued with a bit of Force Light. The why was simple - Sarge lacked an ability to sense through the Force. The Light was the canary in the coal mine. In this instance, it was in his bolter.

Not enough to harm her, of course, but enough to register when someone drew upon the Dark Side. A rad-counter for the Force, as it were.

Despite aging, his gunhand hadn't lost it's speed. The bolter was up and aimed in oversized fists within a heartbeat.

"Poor decision." He says bluntly. "Why would I ever give you that." Even her lightsabers wouldn't stop a bolt shell - she could ask Kaine about that one.

 

[Nisha Decrilla]

Anaya laughed partly out of nerves, and partly because she found it amusing that Sarge rated her intelligence so low. Instinct made her tug the lightsabers back into her hand. Igniting them was pointless, so she did not. It still felt reassuring to have the cool cylinders back in her hands, useless as they might be against a bolter.

"I never expected you to give it to me, sweetness, though I thank you for confirming that it is here. You going to shoot me now? Seems about right for you."

[member="Sarge Potteiger"]

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

Sarge gave the barest shake of his head. "You misunderstand what I'm saying." He says, voice low, quiet, and twinged with the same emotion gliding across the void of his eyes.

It's hard to tell what it is, because in the next instant he pulls the trigger three times. As Kaine learned, the bolter fires a mass reactive, high explosive shell. In effect, it's a miniature grenade in bullet form. He couldn't remember who designed it - Tegea, he assumed - but it was deadly against Force Users.

The same instant he fired, she might recognize the emotion for what it was - regret.

She'd backed him into a corner. He only had one option; one awful, regrettable option.

She was right, of course, he was going to shoot her; but it likely wasn't for the reason she assumed. She wasn't the first to come looking for things he wouldn't give up. She wouldn't be the last either. He could forgive a lot, but the Pyre had always had a strict 'No Darksiders' policy, and once she'd drawn on that power in public, he couldn't let her leave.

[member="Anaya Fen"]

 

[HK-36]

HK slightly turned his head, still playing his holo-accordion by the stairs outside of the Pyre tower, hearing the familiar sound of bolted shots thundering out from inside,

"Forcedamned kids wrecking up the place."

He muttered as he begun to play a ballad dedicated to Ayden's hat

 

[Nisha Decrilla]

She might have seen the regret, had she not been slightly more concerned with her own survival. Speed was her only ally here, the first two missed, asking past shoulder and midriff as she twisted aside, feeling the breeze as they zipped past. They blew the doors behind her wrenching them from their hinges, spilling glad and twisted metal outside, the sounds rousing the attention of the civilians.

Parla was already on her feet, comm link in her hand. "Extraction. Pyre Tower. Now!" She hoped Gorba was as good as his word, else she would have just lost her master. She drew her own bolters, two explosive rounds tool out the guards, there attention turned inwards a third and fourth shot blew the outer gates opennd she sprinted through.

Anaya's survival was imperative. Her work was not done, even as the saber ignited she knew what was coming. Red light hissed into life as the third round reached her. It connected the force of the explosion launched her out the open doors.

She knew only pain. The explosive round had taken her sight, ripped skin from muscle. She screamed her fury and her agony to the dark work around her, it driver her upward onto her knees and she filled the space in front of her with force lightening.

"You bastard!!" She screamed. Bolter rounds rang out around her.

"Anaya!" Parla called.

[member="Sarge Potteiger"] [member="Gorba the Hutt"]

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

Sarge immediately raised his helmet onto his head, dropping it into place in the same instant [member="Anaya Fen"] went through the doors, shrapnel ruining her face. Two guards went down, chest's exploded by the rounds that'd hit them from Parla's weapons. She had to be a droid, considering she had two of them. "Squad Shen." He says, stepping forward through the Lightning cascading across his body, his footsteps plodding and slow as though walking through a gale force wind.

It was the same thing [member="Cira"] had done to him on Alderaan, and he'd made sure to harden his armor against it. That, however, was like hardening your electronics against EMPs - you could reboot after instead of it just being fried.

His armor protested, but he didn't have to move the bolter far. With a whine of servos, he raised the weapon towards Anaya's new position, following the trail of the lightning, even as his HUD began to turn to static. He fired, once, twice, three times. Two the chest, one to the head. A textbook Failure Drill.

Behind him, a sextuplet of elevator's opened up, each soldier stepping out of them wearing a slimmer version of the Purgation suit that Sarge had once worn - though they lacked much of the frills. While Sarge had opted for mobility, they were essentially still walking tanks. One had a flamethrower slung under his arm, the pilot light hissing violently, and another had a massive disruptor that hummed with brilliant blue power. It could likely take out a speeder in one shot.

The others were all equipped with what appeared to be tower shields. A crescent was hollowed out of the side, and an eye slit allowed them to hunker down as they moved forward. Bolters were slotted into the shield crescents, and they opened fire on Parla, advancing like a riot control team - if a riot control team was a sextuplet of walking tanks.

 

[HK-36]

[member="Anaya Fen"], [member="Sarge Potteiger"],

"Oh what the fu-"

The droid cursed as his one man concert was suddenly interrupted by the tower's door flying past him, bouncing off of the stairs with great clash of metal against duracrete before sliding against the floor towards a nearby crowd of civilians who backed away from it frantically in the last second, the debris stopping inches away from them.

"Force dammit I had to channel so much funds to get that door renovated."

The droid rounded the corner to see who was responsible of this just in time to see Anaya running through the blown door of the tower and turn around throwing Force lightning into the building after another bolt gun explosion.

HK didn't had time to really react or try to stop her right away, perhaps Anaya could just see the tall cloaked figure emerging down the path of her escape, glancing to her HRD companion as one of his hands left the box of his holo-accordion, starting to step up the steps towards her, perhaps she was too distracted by the combat.

From below the hood of his "disguise" two pairs of crimson glowing photoreceptors would be staring towards her, light washing over the pale metallic faceplate like polished bone, it was up to her whether she would try to just quickly go around the machine before he could do anything or try to attack him as well in between fighting off Sarge and his men. Perhaps he wasn't even hostile towards her not recognizing who the woman was, especially with her ruined face from the initial blast of bolt gun.

 

[Gorba the Hutt]

That is the signal. Keeta turned and looked at his squad. It is time.

Five, stocky figures covered head to toe in combat armor and bristling with cybernetic implants sent back confirmations. Keeta's thoughts had been received and understood. They were ready. They took their places near the closed ramp. The roar of sublight engines grew oppressively loud. The deck shook from the thrust.

Keeta checked the power level on his automatic carbine. He did not like this job. They would not have time to collect trophies. However, Gorba had promised him the new Athakam Medtech adrenal implant as payment for the fifth job. This was the fifth job. Keeta would enjoy the new implant. He could already hear the jealous thoughtwaves of the others as they admired his new acquisition. Still, Keeta did not like this job.

His head swiveled and he stared at the only non-Gank in the shuttle hold: a pink-striped Twi'lek named [member="Xian Valart"]. He irritated Keeta. He irritated Keeta because he existed. He existed on Keeta's team, which meant Keeta would probably have to talk to him using words.

No, Keeta did not like this job, but maybe the Twi'lek would die and then he could take a trophy from the corpse.

Hm. Yes. Keeta liked that.

[member="Anaya Fen"] | [member="Sarge Potteiger"]

 

[Nisha Decrilla]

Logic should have told her to retreat, regroup and come back with more firepower, but her programming we so serve and protect Anaya. No matter the cost, Anaya had a job to do, a part to play in the destruction of organics. She had to live.

So Parla sprinted through it, not bothering to shoot back at the advancing tanks of armour. She weaved, making it harder for her to be hit. She was feet away when a bolter took out her legs. She crawled.

"Anaya!"

One round hit Anaya just below left the collarbone, the second blew a hole in the right side of her chest, by the time the third one had hit her the lightening had stopped, she'd drawn a deep gurgling breath. The third round scalped her, tearing a lekku away. She swayed, then pitched sideways.

Parma reached her, drawing her torso over Anaya's linp form to protect her from further harm. She was alive, but barely. Her arm swing upwards, bolter in hand and she loosed three shots in kind at Sarge before another bolter from his men blew off her arm.

[member="Sarge Potteiger"] [member="Gorba the Hutt"]

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

[member="Gorba the Hutt"]'s extraction team would be noticed. Airspace was being cleared around the Tower, so when they reached the point it was clear they were headed for what was now restricted airspace, they would receive their warning. It was a simple divert course warning - and you only got two of them.

This was the first.

----

Sarge gasped, armor creaking as it struggled to reassert its own power over it's motor control. Smoking, the familiar smell of burnt metal and wires assailing his nostrils, he noticed, finally, the other individual coming their way. Unable to move fast enough to find cover, the first shot removed his weapon, and several fingers, from his left hand.

He would later note with some irony that it took half his life before he had to have something replaced.

The second shot sent him backwards, the impact blowing a crater in his durasteel breastplate. The shield wall broke, and one surged forward, interposing his shield on the last shot, which clipped the edge and sent shrapnel clattering off his armor. Dragged back behind the shield wall, they kept advancing, bolters going silent now that the incoming fire was gone.

With the group closing on [member="Anaya Fen"], and Sarge still struggling to his feet, the wall parted in a sea of metal and the Sergeant with the flamethrower stepped forward. A sharp intake of air, and he expelled a gout of flame across the ground towards Anaya and her protector.

 

[Nisha Decrilla]

Parla dragged herself around Anaya the fire hitting her back, burning away synthetic flesh and exposing the metal casing beneath. The acrid smell of burning electrics would begin to fill the air. Systems were beginning to struggle, vision flickering.

Paula's remaining hand tightened on her last bolter. She rolled to her back, her actions hidden by the flames that now engulfed her. She pinpointed the end of the flame thrower and squeezed the trigger.

[member="Sarge Potteiger"]

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

The nozzle exploded, the small canister attached to the bottom igniting as shrapnel punctured it. His arm went up in flame as the lump of metal metal that had once been a flamethrower tumbled to the ground, mangled and useless. To his credit, he didn't scream or panic. In fact, he scarcely seemed to notice.

Instead, he moved back, the wall opening to allow him back through before they resumed their advance. Almost atop [member="Anaya Fen"] and her droid companion, they still held their fire. At least for the moment. What use was one bolter against their shields? Their stoic professional almost came across as dismissive of their plight.

Behind them, the smell of burning flesh came wafting out from inside.

 

[Gorba the Hutt]

The freighter de-cloaked and swung in low, boarding ramp lowering to the tune of rapid automatic blasterfire. The wash of the sublight engines kicked up dust on the ground and sent clothes flapping. The two assets for retrieval lay more or less on the ground, possibly dead. Keeta gleefully squeezed the trigger on his ACP repeater, sending a chorus of bolts toward the five Pyre soldiers closing in on the assets.

Get them.

One of the Ganks hopped down and moved with superhuman speed, tossing the twi'lek over one shoulder and the replicant droid over another. He turned, hopped onto the boarding ramp, and sprinted into the cargo hold.

Take us out.

The ramp door began to close, the freighter started to lift higher, thrusters engaging to maximum power.

Most people would have been worried about the tower's defenses. Keeta was not worried. Their freighter did not have heavy weapons, but it did have an enormous electronic warfare suite. The co-pilot of the freighter lay the spot-jamming on and readied up the countermeasures.

[member="Sarge Potteiger"] | [member="Anaya Fen"]

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

[member="Gorba the Hutt"]

Halfway up the tower, anti-aircraft batteries cycled to life. Omni had taught the Pyre a valuable lesson in their defeat; you could not always rely on technology. To rely solely on the 'human factor,' however, was folly too. And so they'd comprised. Some Triple-A was automated, tracking, targetting, scanning, chugging away at whomever didn't register the proper clearance. Others, however, like the four barreled weapon presently swinging around towards the airspace below, were targeted with Mk1 Eyeballs.

While Gorba's mercenaries worked at pulling [member="Anaya Fen"] and her compatriot into cover onto the vessel, the phalanx of heavily armored soldiers parted enough that the one with the disruptor cannon could level the device. The carbine splattered energy across already overworked shields, but they held.

A blue starburst erupted from the disruptor, aimed at the freighter even now trying to gun it's engines for a speedy pursuit.

Up above, several batteries of AA waited, their operators watching, waiting for the vessel to get off ground. The moment it did, they opened fire too, in a combination of solid-shot and blasterfire; at least so long as they could see it.

The Tower was well and truly a warzone now.

 

[Gorba the Hutt]

Stow the assets.

The ramp hissed shut. Keeta reached up a hand and pulled the latch, locking the ramp. He turned to go, stopped, and blinked at the stump that ended just below the wrist. Glancing backward, he saw an enormous hole in the ramp. Looking forward, the hole continued, punching through the ceiling. Pain hadn't yet registered. He was in shock.

He backed away and slumped into a sitting position on the floor. Two of the other Ganks ran up with patch kits and tried to make them space viable before the jump.

The shuttle rocked violently as it took fire from every direction, spraying decoy flares and spouting chaff in an effort to confuse whatever targeting systems the AA batteries utilized.

An explosion shook the superstructure. Sparks sprayed from the ceiling as the shields overloaded. The acrid smell of electrical fire was overpowering. Smoke choked the cargo hold.

The ship bucked underneath Keeta and then all grew still save the blare of interior alarms.

Interrogatory. What happened?

Reply. We jumped.

Risky. Keeta registered mild surprise that they were not all dead. Jumping while in a planet's atmosphere was incredibly dangerous. He looked back at his stump, then projected an image to the squad.

Look. Gorba owes me a new hand.

They sent back laughter.

The credits rolled.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDpmVUEjagg​

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[member="Anaya Fen"] | [member="Sarge Potteiger"]