Old Friends, Same Profession

[Valkren Calderon]

Unknown Location
Unmarked Eidolon-Class Stealth Transport
Joint Task Force.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Space was silent, dead silent.

Commander Valkren Calderon absolutely hated it; despite the few lights and gadgets within the cockpit of their transport created a few noises, their slow drift in space was accompanied by few sounds. He could feel the weight on his eyelids, the boredom that had begun to set in hours ago already as they waited.

"We'll keep an eye out up here, sir." The pilot, wearing all civilian clothing, spoke up after realizing that the commander was literally dozing off in a standing position behind the two pilot seats.

"Yeah- why don't you catch up with Baldy back there?" The co-pilot also spoke up, chuckling as he lifted a gloved hand above his head to flick several gadgets that Valkren had little knowledge about. Valkren nodded and turned to access the bay area of their transport. The commander, like the pilots, also sported somewhat civilian clothing in the form of a grey hardshell jacket and black cargos. Aside from the load-bearing system that rested over top of this clothing, the only significant detail would be his ball cap that was fit tightly backwards.

The door that sealed the cockpit from the bay sealed behind Valk, allowing him to traverse down the steep set of ladder-like stairs to find a seat directly across an old friend.

That friend happened to be [member="Beltran Rarr"].

Valkren groaned as he sat down, probably over-exaggerating the 'old man' noises as he got comfortable. Only a year or two above thirty, he really wasn't that old. However there was a good chance that the lifetime of fighting could start to get to his joints- but he wouldn't let that happen if it'd be the death of him.

"Almost brings you back to Alaris Prime, huh?" A smirk underneath his beard, Valkren would glance to his friend in hopes the usually-emotionless specialist would elicit some reaction from memory of their first meeting point.

"Kinda' a full circle moment, except this time we're starting on one of our dropships."

He knew Beltran didn't have the details of the mission yet, but those would come later.

[member="Beltran Rarr"]

 

[Beltran Rarr]

[member="Valkren Calderon"]

As [member="Valkren Calderon"] sat down next to him, Beltran was busy fiddling with the settings on his hypo-syringe. Ever since his capture, torture and subsequent cybernetic enhancement surgeries-the purpose of which still eluded him-Beltran required frequent doses of heavy narcotics to keep the ever-present agony he felt at bay. Even a single missed dose could render him nearly incoherent with pain but with the medication, he could approach a level of functionality that bordered on normal.

Holding the syringe to his arm, he depressed the button on the side-which activated the injector and flooded his blood stream with the drugs. He resisted the urge to sigh in relief, instead turning his head to look at the Commander.

“You’re not that old, you know.” The Lorrdian said, the barest hint of wryness in his tone at the Commander’s exaggerated groans. “In fact, I think we’re probably about the same age. And if either of us should be groaning, it’s me.”

Beltran didn’t smile exactly, but there was a trace of a smirk on his face as he said the last. It was good feeling to be back amongst Calderon and the Rangers. While a large part of him still bucked at the regimented nature of military life, at least it was a world that made sense to him. In fact, it was probably the only world he knew that still did make sense.

No, He thought to himself. Don't think about that now. It was a thought that was immediately followed with: Lyana...

He nodded to Valkren as the other man reminisced about when they first met. Beltran, a former hitman turned mercenary, had arrived on Alaris Prime to kill a Trandoshan slaver before Valkren and his team could capture him and make him reveal who his employer was.

“You know,” Beltran said after a brief pause. “I never did get paid for that job.”

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Unknown Location
Unmarked Eidolon-Class Stealth Transport
Joint Task Force.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Valkren could only smirk, groaning once more as he stood up, slapping his own thighs in the progress.

"You know if it's credits your after, I'm sure the brass would be willing to organize a better payment system." The commander stretched his back out, patting the disrupter that was safely resting in his chest holster.

"Besides, I'm sure you shouldn't even be a specialist anymore. Pretty sure its just the formalities from when you got back."

His gloved hands would go to his hips in a resting position, blinking once as his mind racked with possibilities of just what had happened to his old friend during his absence. Rarr had vanished quite abruptly. From the sounds of it- it hadn't been anything pleasant. Although Beltran hadn't been placed directly into Valkren's unit from the beginning of his enlistment, or 'deal,' so to put it- Calderon still felt guilty the same when he heard of the disappearance as the two had grown close over several missions.

Although the commander did get over it, as ever leader has to. He still mourned for the once thought lost friend, as he did many others- but he couldn't focus on all the losses he had incurred in his career; both with the Republic and the Silver Jedi. However seeing Beltran this different certainly kicked up a few old feelings of guilt in his gut.

"What happened to you anyways?"

Up in the cockpit the pilot and co-pilot were beginning to complain to one another that their mission would turn up with nothing.

"I'm telling you man, Calderon has us on another goose chase for his old team. Bet we're still looking for sith in the sector instead of a freighter."

"Would you shut it? It's getting old hearing you talk about that sithspit. The man lost a firefight- so what?" The pilot checked over his shoulder as he continued- just to be sure the door was still sealed behind them.

"Ah- whatever. I bet the freighter and these so called 'smugglers' don't even show-" Just as the co-pilot of their stealth transport was putting air quotes around 'smugglers,' a Vanguard-Class Light Freighter dropped from out of nowhere almost directly above beneath them.

"Well kriff me."

 

[Beltran Rarr]

“Less a formality,” Beltran replied matter-of-factly. “And more of a punishment. The brass wanted information on my time…away. Information I preferred not to share. So as a result, they’re treating it as less a ‘missing in action’ situation, and more of an ‘away without leave’ situation.”

What Beltran didn't say, was that when the brass had a chance to look into his disappearance, they found enough evidence of the Lorrdian’s other dealings to raise more than a few eyebrows. Certainly, they didn’t find anything actionable. Beltran wasn’t that sloppy. But it was enough that he definitely had the JAG’s attention.

Going forward, he would have to be doubly careful about how and when he would return to his other business interests. But for now he was comfortable enough financially speaking, having been able to hit a few of the many dead drops he had placed throughout the galaxy during his travels.

“It’s no matter,” He continued. “I like being special.” At Calderon’s next question, Beltran decided to stick as close to the truth as he could. “Some people I used to work for, a long time before we met, found out I was alive. They wanted to settle a score, of sorts, so they arranged to take me and this…” He said pointing at the exposed implants on his head. “Was part of the result. I haven’t quite figured out if they were trying to make me into some kind of super-soldier, or just trying to ensure I lived out my remaining days in agony.”

“Probably both.” He said, answering himself, with a shrug. “They got the agony part right, at least.”

Settling back down into a comfortable silence, Beltran also overheard the pilots as they began to speculate on the nature of the mission. Glancing at Calderon, he took careful note of the Commander’s body language when the comment about “losing the firefight,” was made.

“Who did we lose?” He asked quietly.

 

[Tulan Kor]

Unknown Location
Unmarked Eidolon-Class Stealth Transport
Joint Task Force.
-----------------------------------------------------------

It was Tulan Kor's time as a Stormtrooper, and then an Elite one at that- that gave him perspective on rituals. Every Stormtrooper was different, but had the mask of uniformity with their armor. But every man had their own little quirks before a mission.

Tulan Kor stuck out here. No fancy armor. No getup. Fatigues, his RS16, and a disruptor pistol on a drop holster. High-cut helmet and a headset. No identifying marks. No unit patches. Nothing. Only his blood type on his shoulder. Black on black on black. Everything covert. Knives, a few grenades- and an assload of magazines.

He only made a slight movement- the first one he made since getting on, when the comment about losing the firefight was made. To everyone else, they had no idea who Tulan was- and those within the Rangers that did in fact know, were more than content than not discussing it.

No one wanted to piss off the most senior enlisted NCO in the entire Rangers when he didn't want people to know that he was even there. He tapped his foot, growing just short of impatient.

A deep breath is the only thing that let people know that, however.

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Unknown Location
Unmarked Eidolon-Class Stealth Transport
Joint Task Force.
-----------------------------------------------------------

The pilots seemed to quiet down behind the closed door that led to the cockpit, leading Valkren to glance back towards Beltran after his question. He bit the inside of his cheek for a moment, contemplating if it was the right time to dive into a conversation of unhappy nature directly before a mission. Before Valk could make his decision, there was a saving interruption.

"Commander Calderon..Your ghost ship just dropped in out of nowhere." A intercom spoke out in the bay, just loud enough for the three that occupied it to hear.

Soon enough Valkren was climbing back to the cockpit to get a better view, grabbing onto both seats to prop himself over the transport's consoles as much as possible.

The red and white frigate drifted just below their transport, seemingly void of all life aside from a single light in the larger pilot's bay.

"Anyone on board?" The Commander asked this as he pulled himself back, waiting to move into the troop bay to do a final check before they begin the fun part of the operation. After a few moments of waiting and Valkren impatiently staring at the co-pilot while he worked his gadgets, he'd get his answer.

The man would turn to look over his shoulder, "Ten life signs. Not picking up any silver transponders either."

With a quick nod Valkren would signal the two to begin the descent towards the frigate. This specific light frigate happened to be under the control of the Silver Jedi previously, and with that, the technicians of the silver navy had hid some tricks of their own within the wiring and engines of the ship. This included a deadman's switch that would disengage the thrusters temporarily. This would give the three-person strike team enough time to board through one of the access points.

Valkren entered the bay again, looking to the others after he clambered down from the cockpit. The Commander checked the disrupter that sat in his chest sling, along with the slugthrower that sat in his right drop-holster.

"Alright gentlemen here's the short version: " he'd produce a small holo-projector and tossed it directly on the floor to the left of them; it soon projected a full map of the ship that was below them, "Hostile pirates have taken control of a Silver Jedi freighter carrying a priority package. We're picking up no transponders from the crew so we're assuming they've been eliminated by the pirates."

Calderon crouched down and removed a protective panel in the center of the bay, revealing a bottom hatch that would usually be used for quick-insertions and fast roping. This time around they'd be using it to directly board the freighter via an access point on the top of the ship.

"Our entry point will put us next to the cargo hold. We'll need to confirm the presence of the package but our priority is to secure the ship. Assume all contacts as hostile."

Valkren glanced down at the glass section of the hatch as he watched the ship grow closer and closer. Suddenly the few lights that were active on the freighter below them dimmed out, along with the thrusters that slowly died out. They were almost touching the freighter while Valkren checked with the strike team once more. It would be close quarters, and their enemies would know they had been boarded once they were connected- but he had faith in the combatants that made up his team.

"Any questions?"

 

[Beltran Rarr]

Unknown Location
Unmarked Eidolon-Class Stealth Transport
Joint Task Force.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Equipment Load out:

Armor: OS-103 Whisper Class Armor
Primary Weapon: OS-109 Variable Strength Assault Rifle (chest rig)
Secondary Weapons:

• OS-105 Stalwart Light Blaster Pistol (drop holster, right hip)
• OS-102 Wrist Mounted Hold Out Blaster (right wrist)
• OS-101 Retractable Vibrosword (on utility belt)
• Krath Itak Sword (back scabbard)
• 2 x stun grenades (chest rig)
• 2 x frag grenades (chest rig)
• 2 x explosive charges (chest rig)

Misc Equipment

• OSX-01 Personal Cloaking Device (on utility belt)
• OS-108 Energy Buckler (left wrist)
• Spare magazines

Beltran glanced in the direction of the other member of their team. Since his return, he’d heard a few stories about Gunnery Sergeant Kor, but they’d never crossed paths before. He inclined his head slowly to the stoic looking man, more out of professional politeness than any deference to the man’s rank. Ranks didn’t matter much to Beltran, only results. And if the man was half as dangerous as he looked, then Beltran knew that he would have no issues in that regard.

The Lorrdian had returned his attention to Commander Calderon and their conversation when it was unceremoniously interrupted by the intercom, alerting them to the sudden arrival of a vessel. No matter, Beltran thought. Time enough to talk when the enemy is dead.

He wasted no time rising and moving over to his ruck sack, which was stowed opposite of where he had been sitting. Quickly and with practiced efficiency, Beltran began to affix the pieces of his own personal combat armor to the black underwebbing that he’d already been wearing.

When he’d received his orders to board the transport with the Commander, Beltran had been told to only select gear and war material that couldn’t be traced back to the Silver Jedi Order. It wasn’t an unusual request, given the covert nature of most of his missions, and one that he was happy to comply with. In truth, he preferred his own weaponry and equipment to that issued by the Rangers.

And if, by some happenstance, the enemy got a hold of his equipment, all they would be able to sus was that it had been manufactured by a little-known arms company based on Denon. A company that specialized in being discrete.

By the time Calderon had started to begin his briefing, Beltran had his armor in place and most of his equipment attached. Like usual, he’d loaded out for quick and quiet death. His armor could produce a sound dampening field around him which would nullify any sounds made by his blaster weapons. He also carried a personal cloaking that render him partially invisible for brief moments at a time.

Turning to regard the Commander with his helmet visor up, Beltran listened quietly to the briefing. When Calderon was finished, Beltran spoke.

“Do we have any information on the nature of the package and it’s location prior to the loss of the ship?” He asked.

Valkren Calderon Tulan Kor

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Unknown Location
Unmarked Eidolon-Class Stealth Transport
Joint Task Force.
-----------------------------------------------------------

"Package is a large case-hardened armor safe. The contents within that rack are of importance to the brass- guess its for some upcoming op." Valkren stated this as he glanced up at Beltran. Before he could shift his gaze back to the approaching shuttle, they were locked in and connected to the freighter. The ship shook violently from the sudden boarding action, the pilots not bothering to approach in a stealth manner due to the smaller size of the ship alone- no matter what whoever was on board would know they were coming. Though they would have the small window of opportunity before the enemy crew members knew just where they had boarded at.

The commander withdrew the slug thrower from his drop holster and crouched down, tapping on the controls next to the hatch briefly.

"If we take the corridor towards the back end it will take us to the cargo hold. As of the ship's departure from silver space- that's where the package was located at. 'Don't imagine they'd bother moving it due to weight alone though.."

The hatch atop of the freighter opened simultaneously with the transport's hatch, causing Valkren to train his slugthrower's barrel down the now open pathway.

"The other way should take us through the hangar and to the cockpit- I'm down to take either direction."

But first..

After waiting for a moment to see if any curious pirate-type would investigate the opening, he'd place his hands on either side of the hatch to lower himself boots-first into the somewhat tight corridor. It seemed big enough to fit three people side-by-side, with rusted column-like railings every so many feet on either side of the walls. Seemed like the only cover they were provided in the ship at the moment.

As soon as the commando descended he'd lift the pistol up to cover towards the back end of the ship. The corridor seemed to curve to the right after a few yards, not allowing any further sight to what may lay beyond. A quick glance over his shoulder showed that the corridor behind Valkren went straight towards the front end of the ship, then cut tightly both left and right into separate directions.

"Clear." His voice was a whisper for now into their comms.

Beltran Rarr | Tulan Kor

 

[Tulan Kor]

Unknown Location
Unmarked Eidolon-Class Stealth Transport
Joint Task Force.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Tulan personally wasn't a fan of a lack of stealth, but he could appreciate the violence of action. The package he was referring to- he seemed to know enough about it, Valkren. How much it weighed and where it was. But he wasn't sharing what was in it. But Tulan, always had a certain thing about him- never really trusted anyone fully. Always expected subversion from everyone. Even people in the Rangers, were only slightly above that.

Tulan moved silently- his footfall rolled to mask his footsteps. Tulan's clothing and gear made no noise, a benefit of wearing fatigues as opposed to armor. Tulan came to the corner that Valkren was around, near the curve. Tulan dropped to a knee and reached into a pocket on his forearm and pulled out a very handy tool- a dental mirror. He extended it a few inches, and peaked around the corner.

Only one pirate, lazily coming to investigate the sound. Probably thought it was an asteroid hitting the shields. Tulan put a finger to his lips and waited for the pirate to come around. He shoved the barrel of his rifle into his chest and pulled it twice. The RS16 was caseless, and the only noise was the operation of the machinery inside and the impact of the rounds, albeit softened due to their proximity. Tulan guided the larger pirate, some alien species he couldn't recognize in the dark, to the ground gently, as if putting him to sleep rather than just murdering him.

Tulan stabbed him behind the ear for good measure. Tulan was sure about everything he did. Killing someone was no different.

"On you."

Valkren Calderon l Beltran Rarr

 

[Beltran Rarr]

Unknown Location
Unmarked Eidolon-Class Stealth Transport, Captured Silver Frigate
Joint Task Force.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Beltran was the last one through the airlock. Unlike the other two Rangers, he was wearing armor, but not the heavy bulky Katarn Armor that came standard issue. This was a personal design that he’d had used several times in the past. Not nearly as good as the Katarn when it came to deflecting shots, but a damn sight better than simple fatigues.

The underwebbing was made with mass-loaded vinyl, which absorbed sound waves, and the plating was coated in sorbothane, a polymer that did the same. On top of that, this unit had a small sound-dampening generator attached to it, which could block out all sound waves in a certain-small radius. It would allow Beltran to drop into the corridor behind both Commander Calderon and Sergeant Kor in complete silence.

Landing in a crouch, he had his weapon up and trained on the investigating pirate as Sergeant Kor put him down. Beltran nodded in appreciation of the man’s skill in making the kill. Even with that threat removed, Beltran maintained his position-allowing Sergeant Kor and Commander Valkren to take the lead.

“I’ll bring up the rear,” He said quietly.

Valkren Calderon Tulan Kor

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Unknown Location
Unmarked Eidolon-Class Stealth Transport, Captured Silver Frigate
Joint Task Force.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Valkren let Kor take the corner, witnessing as he impressively silenced the hostile.

Nine left..

"Moving.."

The commander took his time with his steps, keeping his handgun trained on the curve of the corridor. He attempted to control his breathing as best as he could while remaining steady during his approach. He paused for a moment, tightening the grip on the slugthrower once his gaze caught something out of the ordinary for the ship type- A set of tall humanoid-style-built security droids. The pair looked worse for wear, and were crudely plugged into a control panel in the corridor. Seemed like they would only wake up if they were activated from somewhere.

Valkren resumed his movement, watching the droids carefully as he passed before looking back towards his destination. Still, he made sure to note the obvious find to his allies.

"Karkin' droids to the left- sleeping though."

After following the curve for a moment, and meeting no further contacts- they'd reach a door with a viewing port at eye-level. The commander kept his weapon aimed at the viewport as he shifted to the left of it, attempting to get a decent angle to see what all they were dealing with. From his perspective, there seemed to be a Duros on the catwalk that wrapped around the sides of the room, and also connected to the door the trio was just beyond. The duros was on the far side of the catwalk, brandishing a long-rilfe blaster while he patrolled. Although inaudible to the strike team, it seemed like the patrolling alien was arguing with someone in the center of the room. Further peaking would reveal another two in the center of the cargo hold. The pair was among a large helping of crates and boxes marked with both the Antarian Ranger and Silver Jedi Order symbols. Behind the mess of crates resided two oversized armor-racks that seemed to be in an overkill in safety type of crates.

Two racks..

To Valkren's relief the package was still on the ship. From where he was standing it didn't seem like any of the lock mechanisms had been tampered with, so the contents were more than likely within too. Now they'd just have to secure the ship.

"I count three visible. Two low, one high." He said this as he turned back to the others. What Valkren didn't see is that the enemy trio within the cargo hold was ushering one of their own, a Quarren sitting among the crates on the ground, to the door to investigate the sounds.

Beltran Rarr Tulan Kor

 

[Beltran Rarr]

Beltran watched the others' backs as they moved efficiently through the corridor. When Valkren Calderon pointed out the droids, inactive in their alcoves, Beltran reached down his belt and pulled off a small-first sized spherical device. Activating it, it quietly began to hover in the air, moving to a spot where it would have both the best vantage and attract the least attention.

"The drone will alert me if the droids reactivate, or if anyone comes from this direction." He said softly as he moved quickly to catch up to Sergeant Tulan Kor and Command Calderon.

Once they arrived at the cargo hold, Beltran once more took up a position covering both Kor and Calderon. He detailed a second drone to float quietly down the other side of the corridor to perform the same function before allowing more of his attention to come to rest on the hold itself. He could see in Valkren's body language that the man seemed relieved about something. Perhaps that meant that the package was where he'd expected it to be.

Beltran listened quietly as Calderon called out the hostiles visible to him, but something felt wrong. It was a feeling that he'd felt on a handful of times before in his life, but each time had meant something important. So these days, he paid attention to it.

"Hold," He spoke up before anyone could do or say anything more. "Something's not right." Toggling his HUD to infrared imagine, he looked through the closed cargo hold door. The bulkhead on either side of the entrance would be far too thick for him to see through, but the door was thin enough and if he angled himself just....right... "There. One hostile, approaching us from the left - approximately twenty paces and closing."

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Unknown Location
Captured Silver Frigate
Joint Task Force.
----------------------------------

Valkren retreated back to the shadows to the left of the door as soon as the approaching target was called out. He pressed himself flat against the far wall, watching the door intently.

"He's mine."

Just after this statement, the door slid open, revealing the barrel of a blaster rifle. He'd give a quick motion for the others to duck away as the Quarren began to slip into the darkness that was the corridor they resided in. All together, Valkren reached out and firmly grasped the barrel of the weapon with his right hand, pulling it towards him and away from the smuggler while bringing his left elbow around to be sure he separated the firearm from the alien's hands. With a grunt, the surprised hostile was weaponless, and before he could make a move back into the light of the cargo hold- Valkren had unsheathed his own combat knife with his right hand, letting the rifle hang from his left as he brought it down into the neck of their enemy.

Just as the commander brought it down again for another strike, and to pull the soon to be dead pirate out of eyesight, dark red lights began to kick in all along the corridor flooring. A low red humming sound filled the air as the backup generators began to kick in. It wasn't obvious to those in the cargo hold that someone was killing their ally, but they could certainly see something was wrong. Flashlights shone onto the entrance as the two disappeared back to the left. To no ones surprise, the curious voices of the others within the hold were obvious signs of another approaching. One stayed behind on the cat walk to provide his comrade with overwatch.

Beltran Rarr Tulan Kor