Faction Part 3: Shattering the Mirror

[Subject 648 Slipknot]

Objective: Kill some dudes, board the ship. Not in that order.
Allies: Daiya , Anakin Stormrunner , Cassus Akovin , Jerec Asyr , Xan Deesa , Zola , Gemma Hentz , Pogu Tucs , Lilash "Jade" Covegra , Doc Painless
Enemies: Unfortunate Corporate People

Slip walked through the corridor, the two other surviving Shadowrunners in tow. The injured one walked near the back, holding his shoulder. They quietly walked through the hallways, moving towards the security center. Slip could hear fighting from further within the station, and over the comm channels he could hear other Shadowrunners reporting in and communicating. Sounds like the fight was going good, at least for the others. For Slip and his group... not so much. Getting to the security center would be easy, keeping it would be difficult.

They continued down the hallways. So far, they hadn't encountered any other hostiles. That was good, for Slip, at least. It meant that the other guards were preoccupied with the other teams. Slip would be able to get into the security center no problem if it was going to be smooth sailing like this the rest of the way.

Soon, they made it to the security center, with little resistance. That was... concerning. Slip was expecting at least some sort of fight. Slip pressed the button for the door, and it slid open. Inside, at least 4 soldiers had blasters aimed at the door, right at Slip.

Slip yelped and tucked behind the door, and the uninjured Shadowrunner did the same. The injured Shadowrunner didn't have enough time to get out of the way. Suddenly, the guards inside opened fire, blaster fire zipping through the doorway. The injured Shadowrunner got gunned down, falling to the floor. This wasn't good, they needed to secure the security center so that the target would have less of a chance to escape. Slip looked over at the Shadowrunner on the other side of the doorway. The last surviving Shadowrunner slid something across the floor at Slip. Slip picked it up once it reached him. It was a flashbang. Slip nodded, understanding.

He activated the grenade and threw it through the doorway. A loud POP could be heard as the flashbang exploded in a tremendous light and sound. Slip then dashed through the doorway into the security center, and Slip's last team member followed close behind. The guards inside had been blinded by the flashbang. The Shadowrunner began shooting the disorientated Corpos. Slip pounced on one of them, knife in hand. He jabbed it into the man's neck, before turning and slicing another's throat. The two that Slip stabbed fell to the ground, suddenly being unable to breath. The other two had been shot and killed by the other Shadowrunner. Slip wiped some blood off of him, and sheathed his knife. The other Shadowrunner sat down at a console, and began checking the systems of the station.

Slip walked over to a chair. There, a body of a technician sat there, dead. He had gotten caught in the crossfire. Slip pushed his body out of the seat, and sat down in it.

Slip raised his commlink, signaling the other crews. "Attention, we have control of the security center. Repeat: we have secured the security enter. Report: We are down to only two surviving Shadowrunners. All others are KIA. The security center will be difficult to defend if they decide to counter-attack." He reported.

Then, Slip found a switch. Excellent, exactly what he was looking for. He grabbed the switch, and pulled it down. Suddenly, the lights went out. All over the station, the lights would suddenly go out. Then, the emergency lights kicked on, bathing the entire station in a reddish glow. Suddenly, the ship's intercom kicked on.

"Oh Mister QX,
What did you expect?
Now your life, must end!" Slip sang over the intercom, his voice echoing through the halls of the station.

Suddenly, the security doors would unlock, allowing the Shadowrunners free run. Slip laughed maniacally over the intercom, his laugh echoing through the corridors. Time for the real show to begin.

 

[Anakin Stormrunner]

Objectives: Help the hackers
Equipment: Armorweave clothes, Terminus Shiv, Sneakitheaf, Last Whisper Blaster, 3 Razzmatazz Holospheres, several small bags of sand, deactivated slave bomb
Nearby Allies: Xan Deesa Doc Painless

Anakin nodded, finding that basic was a poor medium to convey his agreement. "I can make some confusion, if you t'ink it would 'elp" A scarred hand patted the razzmataz holospheres strapped to his side. A second passed, and he was about to write the offer off as a hesitant no when Xan finally spoke. "Go ahead" Without another word he pulled one from its place and set it to Explosion. The sphere went sailing through the air. Much like a typical grenade, it hit the ground with a tink. Nothing happened, for one weighted second.

A whispered prayer is all it takes for Ar-Amu to wrap him in a cloak of secrecy. Then he is off, running before the sphere even hit the ground. He slips behind the first guard, and grasps his head on clawed hands. He's dead within moments, and the crack of his broken neck cuts through the air.

Bang! As if on cue, the holosphere sent out a wave of noise and light. An false explosion, the first of many.

The eyes of his foes now rest on him. They are slow to act and Anakin gives them no time to rally themselves. He lunges towards the first one, catching the fist sailing towards by its side him and directing it away with ease. His own hand flies towards her eyes. They scrape across iris and pupil and come away sticky with red stained sclera. She stumbles back with a pain filled wail as her hands grasp for her blind and bleeding eyes.

Boom! The second explosion begins, only moments after the first and all the more disorientating without a second bomb.

The remaining two are attacking now. They come at him with knives swinging, guns entirely forgotten. Ametures, civilians in the wrong place at the wrong time. But they work for Xospaloff and that alone is enough to convict them in his mind. They deserve nothing better than death. He doesn't let them get far.

Water blue wings flair out and clap together before him. Stiff feathers fill their vision and impede their movements. They still attack, but do nothing more than cut a few feathers. He kicks one in the stomach - claws digging deep into the soft flesh - and send the weight of his body after it. Wings fold in and his body curls as he sends them both to the floor and rolls over his foe. On instinct his hands find the neck and latch on. Then he is up, fingers coated in sclera and crimson blood.

Boom! the third and final explosion splits the air in a mess of fire and smoke.

Through the false sparks he can see the final guard flee. He gives no chase. One who is already defeated does not need to be killed.

Silence rushes in where the noise once reigned. Smoke clears and Anakin is left standing there, hands and feet dripping in blood. It's over, in a matter of moments his foes lie dead or dying. Two corpses, though the woman is curled in the corner sobbing. He approaches her now, words soft despite the cruelty he just inflicted.

"You can live. Dose wounds won't kill you if dey don't bleed out or get infected. Run to de docks, and pray dat none shoot you."

She is still crying, though her sobs have stopped. "I don't want to live like this." The words are full of pain and barely contained tears.

"Dere are cybernetics-"

"None I can afford. Or take care of." He understood. Truly he did. Visual cybernetics were expensive and replacing an entire eye even more so. Even the cheapest of the lot, especially the cheapest of the lot, had a high chance of failure and damage to the brain not to mention the constant risk of infection such models posed. And with Xospaloff dead, she will have to pay for any medical treatment and cybernetic replacement herself

The crying has slowed now, and misery has taken the place of shock. He had snapped her out of one only to plunge her into another. "Just -just kill me." The words are slow and tearful. They wrench his heart in a way that slavery always does.

"Are you sure?" He asks, just to be clear. Her nod is all the answer he needs.

He draws his gun and levels it at her head. "Dukkra ba dukkra." He speaks Amatakkan. He speaks in the language of the slaves for the slave woman before him. For that is what she would have been had she made it off station and so it's what she is right now. He pulls the trigger. In all that it was painful, it was still a quick death.

Dukkra ba dukkra. Freedom or death. She is dead now. She is free now. For there are many paths to the free places of the desert, where the earth is green and the caverns flow with water, and one of them lies in death.

 

[Gemma Hentz]

Before Gemma could even open her mouth to speak, Qanatain was a blur of motion – his tall form swept down the corridor. Glancing over her shoulder, Gemma glanced to the rest of Qanatain's staff members and they, too, made swiftly after him. But it was clear from that moment on, Qanatain was in it for himself.

Gemma caught sight of Xopsaloff's dark robe as it slipped inside the Administrator's Office; the door closed after him and locks engaged. Her high heels came to a halt and she pounded on the door, but no answer came. Her eyes narrowed and she spun to face the rest of the staff members had that just been left to their own devices.

“Keep watch over the corridor,” she said to Qanatain's security team, just as an announcement came over the intercom that the security station had been taken. There was a deep sinking feeling that told Gemma this might be the end of things, but perhaps not for her...

She began to move into the communication center – which was just to the side of the Administrator's Office. But a staff member's voice made her pause.

“Ma'am, what are we to do... if--” the woman cut herself off.

Like Gemma, she was dressed for business. Perhaps the only weapon on her was a bullet of lipstick. Even if they had more than that, Gemma had doubts. She thought for a moment and let out a bitter sigh. "Run, fight... or die," she said and glanced at the other suits. "Make up your own mind... for once."

Stepping past one of the security team members, Gemma held her hand out for a blaster – just in case she needed to protect herself. But her mind was already made up. If the boarders came for the comm center, she'd be waiting – without resistance on her part.

Cassus Akovin | Daiya | Jerec Asyr | Pogu Tucs | Zola | Subject 648 Slipknot​

 

[Xan Deesa]

Objective: Plant the virus and send a message
Equipment: In bio | plate carrier with durasteel plates
Tags: Doc Painless Anakin Stormrunner
Theme: Super original

They all seemed to agree with her plan. Anakin even went as far as to suggest an addition to wreak some more havoc between the defenders. Xan glanced over to him then back to the enemy, contemplating the suggestion for a moment. "Go ahead." she stated simply, getting ready for the fight that awaited them.

All hell broke loose when the first explosion went off. Anakin rushed for the regulars while Xan charged at the first elite guard. Their insulated helmets protected them from the effects and the heavy armour would pose a problem for any of her current weaponry. This could be interesting.

The first guard was quick to react when Xan got too close for his blaster. A vibroblade was instantly drawn and swung at Xan. He was fast. She ducked left and right to avoid the slashes, however he found his mark with a thrust as the blade pierced the skin of her chest. Despite the excellent hit, the blade went no further than its tip. Her golden eyes glanced up at him. His mask concealed his expression but his body language spoke loud enough about his confusion. "Pretty crazy, huh?" she quipped before grabbing his wrist and slamming down on his arm to bend it back. With a powerful thrust she drove his own blade through his throat. The man didn't even have time to react before a powerful kick sent him flying against the blast door behind them.

It was only then that Xan paid attention to the second guard who had been firing at her since the fight started. Unsurprisingly the bolts did nothing but burn her clothes. Turning to face him, she became a magenta blur as she dashed left and right with inhuman speed. Every shot missed until she stood in front of him.

With a hard kick she swept his legs out from under him, drawing her own vibroblade as he went down. By the time he hit the floor, she drove her blade through the visor of his helmet. In an instant all was quiet around them. Apart from a fight happening down another corridor, there was a moment of peace for the trio. Xan rose to her feet and glanced over to Anakin as he tried to help one of the injured soldiers. He finished the poor girl off with a single bolt.

"Waste of ammo." she quipped with a blank tone as she glanced around them. "Doc, get up here and-" she was interrupted when all the lights went off and the blast doors opened. A voice soon followed over the intercom system. "Our job just got easier." she muttered, approaching the entryway to the comms station inside.

"Get that system powered up! Make ready for a broadcast before you upload the virus. I wanna send a message to every corpo device capable of relaying audio and video inside this station's range." she instructed them as she stapped back into a corner out of the way.

She closed her eyes and remained still for a quick second, until she snapped back to reality with a deep breath. Like a switch flipped, her old demeanor was back. "How're you managing? Can you setup that broadcast?" she asked with compassion in her voice, a stark contrast to the cold and void tone she had a few seconds ago.

 

[Doc Painless]

Objective: Plant the virus and send a message
Allies Nearby: Xan Deesa | Anakin Stormrunner

It was times like these that made the Doc recognize that he would never be a runner. He couldn't get used to this.

It was sometimes hard to tell with humanlike aliens, and the street medic wouldn't have been surprised to learn that Anakin was much older than he appeared (twice the Doc's age, in fact), but it was still unsettling to see someone who looked barely out of his teens... rampage like that. Bones cracked, viscera flew, men and women screamed amid the explosions. The Doc looked away, his stomach turning, as Anakin and Xan cut the guards apart, one with wild claw swipes and the other with terrifyingly precise blade work. He felt bile rising in his throat.

Doc Painless had been a first responder to more disasters than he cared to count. He'd seen much gorier scenes than this: people hit by speeders, crushed in industrial accidents, mangled by jungle beasts. He'd patched up enough victims of street fights and domestic abuse cases, examined enough corpses left by serial killers and home invaders, that he was intimately familiar with man's inhumanity to man. That wasn't what bothered him. It was watching the violence unfold up close and knowing that he was supposed to be cheering. They were winning, after all.

But he couldn't celebrate this, or even feel any kind of satisfaction. It just made him feel sick... and terribly sad.

Maybe these guards had all been urchin-kicking, unarmed-protestor-shooting monsters who'd done worse than they'd just gotten a hundred times over. Or maybe they'd just been another kind of victim of the Corpos, taking whatever jobs they could to survive and support those who depended on them. There was no way to know, and ultimately it didn't really matter. This was war, and conflicts between the people at the top were played out using the lives of those far down the ladder. If they wanted to stop Xopsaloff, they had to be willing to fight those less guilty, too.

The Doc sighed and stood from where he'd taken cover. He pretty clearly was a liability in a fight, and poor company.

The doors before them slid open before he could even begin the slice, and he shrugged bemusedly. This was part of Darkwire, too; plans went in unexpected directions all the time, and you just had to be grateful when the unexpected was in your favor. The Doc headed in, past the corpse of the woman Anakin had finished off. He'd almost said something, almost tried to put a stop to the... execution? Mercy killing? But what could he really have done, invited her to his clinic? That'd be a good way to get CorpSec to find, arrest, and torture him. There'd been no choice.

At least, that was what he'd tell himself. Another think to drink to forget at the Blue Flame later.

Feth, he thought, remembering the brawl, I'm still banned, aren't I? He'd be drinking alone, then. Flicking several switches and inserting a computer spike into the main console's dataport, the Doc powered up the broadcast system. "Sure," he told Xan, trying not to show how unsettled he was at her ability change from cold killing machine to supportive teammate in seconds, "shouldn't be a problem. Xopsaloff has good hardware, just in case he ever needs to make a public announcement. I can have a broadcast ready anytime. Let's just get that virus ready."

 

[Pogu Tucs]

Objective: get Xospaloff's head

Equipment: heavy armour, blaster pistols, light repeating tri-blaster, flamethrower, thermal detonators, quicksilver dual glaive, blades, data spike, two comlinks.

Allies nearby: Jade, Xan, Doc and the others.

The door opens to reveal a cloud of coolant, and 3 guards reacting confused. Pugo knew this was an opportunity. He quickly drew his pistols and killed 2 instantly, but the third was taken down by a bolt from the ceiling.
Pugo looked up and saw a Jenat hand
from an open vent.

"Good work, Jade." The Selkath applauded, "But let's get back to work." The contortionist bendad around like the first time, and was out of the vent in little time. "Before anything else, take this, we need to keep the two groups in touch." Pugo said, giving Jade a comlink.

Then there was a voice over the speakers, "Attention, we have control of the security center. Repeat: we have secured the security enter. Report: We are down to only two surviving Shadowrunners. All others are KIA. The security center will be difficult to defend if they decide to counter-attack." After the message, the lights turned red and another message came on,
"Oh Mister QX,
What did you expect?
Now your life, must end!"

Pugo knew what he had to do, it was time the trio separated, " My mission is the opposite direction, we meet at the hanger bay after you finish what you came here for." And with that, the Selkath went left, towards the hunters, and the pair of Jenat went right towards the hackers.

 

[Lilash "Jade" Covegra]

Objective: Gather Information

Allies Nearby: Doc Painless, Xan Deesa, Anakin Stormrunner

The pistol flew out of the vent with a clatter, as the trio of bodies lay strewn in the corridor. First her arms appeared out of the vent opening, then her shoulders, followed by her upper torso and then her legs. Crawling out her body parts seemed to be a mangled mess of limbs before they came together into the Jenets usual form after a series of pops and clicks. Stretching her neck as she leaned up against the steel wall, her hand held out as the other Jenet approached with her jacket in tow.

"Next time, you're getting in the vent." She mused to the other Jenet, before looking in the direction of Pugo. "You're welcome, Pugo. Glad for you to have joined us to make this all much simpler." Jade then extended out a hand to collect the comm.

Giving a brief nod to the Selkath as he departed, before she herself would need to make haste with her companion. "It seems they are already at the Security Centre. That is good."

Jade hissed at the comment, as they jogged down the corridor. "No, it is not. The fools are more likely to destroy any possible information than to collect it. We need to get our hands on it before they set it up into smoke. The price we could get for such data is nothing we've ever seen. Straight from the Board itself!"

As they turned left a litter of corpses was revealed to them, all belonging to Corpsec. Whoever had come through had been a whirlwind of death, blaster marks scorching the sides of the corridor. In response, Jade began to pick up the pace uncaring of the bodies she leaped over in pursuit of the goal. Her journey was made much shorter than her predecessors due to the unlocking of doors, all resistance in the area already killed.

As they veered around the corner, she finally ran into living creatures in the form of their own crew. Attempting to regain her composure with a few short breaths, she stormed up to the entryway of the communications room, barging in with little regard for images. "Don't tell me you've already destroyed the data that could be of use to us already?"

 

[Daiya]

Objective: Make some real progress towards Xopsaloff
Equipment: Phase I Powderpunk Armor, Phase I Powderpunk Facemask, Raven Knife, Kusak Heavy Blaster Pistol, Deactivator Hold-Out Blaster, JH-70 Glitter Grenades, Sneakthief, Holojournal
Allies Nearby: Cassus Akovin , Jerec Asyr
Enemies Nearby: Corpos

[Post Soundtrack: "Seeds" by Icon for Hire]​

A set of closed blast doors seemed like a nigh-impenetrable obstacle right now, a worst case of all worst cases, and the only real option was going to take for-ev-er.

Daiya was grateful for her facemask again, mouthing obscenities to herself that she didn't have to account for. The teen was certain that Cassus was watching her, she could feel his eyes boring holes through her, waiting for her brilliant plan so he could pretend to follow it. Her teeth ground against each other while her feet made little steps to compensate as she shifted her weight back and forth. She still felt a little off here, the space station deck was just not the same as a real planet, and it was just adding to her list of frustrations at the moment.

Her eyes shot toward the boy, who looked like he was just waiting for her to admit defeat. "Well? I don't suppose you have a faster idea?"

“I might but I’ve still got...” Cassus checked a chronometer that wasn’t visible on his wrist, though he was no doubt checking the time regardless in his helmet, “Eight minutes or so before I can upstage you, so perhaps speed it up so we can kill this guy?”

For Cassus, on the one hand, he wanted to be the one to kill the members of the DireX Board one by one, yet on the other victory felt almost assured here. What did it matter if he was the one who pulled the blade across the Bursur’s neck? He could spare some time wasted while he sat on the words shared with him by Zamas prior to the battle. How much of what he said was propaganda was hard to say, but Cassus couldn’t ignore the fact how close he was to Xopsaloff to be within earshot. The conviction of his voice even after a less than savory interrogation was convincing enough to shake the boy just enough to sow a shred of doubt.

"Oh, stars forbid we upset your perfect schedule!" Daiya pitched her voice, exaggerating the statement to match Pool Boy's melodrama. He was a real piece of work, they were on this job to take down a DireX and all the masked boy wanted to do was take potshots at her. Her eyes narrowed at him as she took one his way, "You know the bet's not going to count if you're just a bump on a log today!"

"Need the door? Say no more. Mechanic on site." Jerec appeared on site, looking a little singed but otherwise fine, carrying an assortment of tools as befitting a used starship seller. In short order, he proved his prowess and there was just enough wiggle room for most if not all Shadowrunners to fit through.

“So um, seven minutes then?” He chuckled towards Daiya as he moved to squeeze through the blast door.

"If I last that long without shooting you myself," the girl muttered to herself as she, too, slipped past the narrow opening in the blast doors. One by one, the rest of their squads managed to get through as well, no small feat for one or two of them. For once, Daiya was glad to be on the smaller side of galactic sizes.

Ahead of them stretched a long corridor, devoid of life. Daiya's heart leapt at the sight of it, here was something that might be easy for once today. It didn't bother her too much that the station crew had decided not to stick around to head them off, it was the smart choice for them anyway. Only Tawrro would have fretted over something as mundane as the lack of resistance, the young shadowrunner was far more willing to take any good fortune that rained down upon her.

Plus, the faster she moved, the more time that Cassus had to do something to upstage her.

She was getting a little irritated as the minutes ticked by, though not enough to stop from joining in the conversation from some of the other squad members. "Yeah, I don't know, the blaster is great and all, but the slugthrower offers plenty of different options when someone's using defenses."

"So you fosho pick the blaster for today, ke?" One of her shadowrunner squadmates returned.

"She did say 'when someone's using defenses,' Tycho," her smartass squadmate said, grinning at Daiya as they shared relief at not being the butt of the joke this time.

“If you’re even a half-decent spacer you’d know that a blaster, or anything that might damage the hull is a bad idea. A blade is my preferred choice, better for close quarters, quiet, and no risk of rapid depressurization.” Cassus interjected into the conversation, “Failing that though there’s nothing like a Disruptor.” Surely that earned some funny looks, considering the contradiction with his earlier statement.

"I just knew you'd be thinking about your sword, first," Daiya said wryly, but she fell silent after that. A nagging pain in her head was annoying her, and she rubbed at it. It didn't really seem connected to the gravity anymore, as the farther along they traveled, the worse it got.

"Disruptor's a nasty mother, lotta Corpos be after you if they know you carrying."

“Heh,” Cassus laughed briefly at Daiya, “Yeah well, some of them aren’t below using them either. I know a runner that got hit by an especially nasty one in The Wall just outside the Seven. Three way fire-fight between two sets of corpos, us, and a bunch of good for nothing cultist gangers. It burned him up over the course of an hour.” A handful of runners in Cassus' group nodded and murmured, familiar with the tale.

“So I don’t get too shook up about dusting those bastards. ‘Sides, we’ve got one that just dusts armor and gives them a fresh haircut. Lot more humane than anything they’ve done. A mercy they don’t deserve.”

Daiya had fallen silent. The pain in the teen's head was growing sharper, and she slowed, putting a hand out to the wall to steady herself. She knew what this was now, having only a few moments of panic at the very public display that her vision was Forcing upon her, before her world fractured into a wave of visceral imagery beyond her mere senses.

When she opened her eyes again, the girl tried to disregard the other pairs pointed at her, too consumed with more pressing thought in the moment. Her fingers twirled idly at her side, as if attached to a paintbrush or the stylus of her datapad, while Daiya frantically searched the new corridor they had entered. "We've only got seconds, everyone fan out. There's a gas leak around here somewhere!"

“Check your safeties!” Cassus called out, not wanting the less disciplined group of Shadowrunners to do something stupid and set off an explosion. Cassus scanned the room with his eyes, looking for possible junctions or disturbances in the wall or ceiling. His mother would’ve had a gadget for this, or at least the engineering mind to know where to look. He was always better at knowing how to break things than how to fix them, so instead he tapped into that instinct of where he’d be if he was breaking something.

The method was a little slow, however, and he didn’t contribute much to the search.

“I found a console!” One of the other members shouted, and Cassus for the life of him couldn’t figure out how that might be helpful. Smartass was standing right in front of a display on the wall, tapping at it for a few moments before he announced, “Got it! It was right here on the screen, super easy. I'm surprised you guys missed—"

That was the last thing the shadowrunner said before the console blew into his face, igniting a secondary detonation that rippled out several meters from where the dead man had fallen.

(Written jointly with the unflappable Cassus Akovin )

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Objective: Track a bug
Equipment: More stuff than I care to link right now
Allies Nearby: Daiya , Anakin Stormrunner , Subject 648 Slipknot , Jerec Asyr
Enemies Nearby: Traps

Cassus almost didn’t react at all to the explosion, other than falling over from the blast and noticing a momentary static fuzz across his vision. There was a slight sensation of pain, but he was otherwise well protected from the resulting blast. Quickly, once he got his wits about, he’d be able to recognize it as an ion blast with bits of shrapnel from the console itself.

Daiya screamed, ducking as she brought her hands up to shield her face from flying shrapnel. Other runners had reacted similarly, and one of them too close was snapping his fingers next to his ears with a pained expression on his face. The girl's ears were ringing, though not unresponsive to the sounds of others panicking nearby, just far more consumed with the concussive beating of her heart sounding inside them.

This was all wrong. Her vision had depicted a gas explosion, Daiya was sure of it. Yet even taking care of the immediate threat hadn't worked, hadn't stopped the disaster that befell them. Two members of her squad down, one permanently, with others rattled from the shock of it. Herself included. This was no set of blast doors, passively halting their progress forward, this trap had been set explicitly to harm them.

"Is anyone else hurt?" the teen asked, a haunted quality to her calm tone. The answer was obvious for those who couldn't respond, whether dead or deafened, and there was little time for treatment anyway. The Corpos were upping the ante now, and their desperation had infected her as well.

"Tima's ears fosho gone. Khoan im got a pretty big burn, all down his face," Tycho reported, turning back from another runner whose face was half covered by a bacta patch, red streaks drawn back from the side of it.

"Anything near enough to that ion blast is going to have been busted, check your equipment now or you’ll regret it later." Cassus interjected as he went through a diagnostic of his own equipment. Most of it was ion hardened, but even that wasn’t perfect, and he imagined a lot more in the blast fared worse than he did.

The girl grimaced at the news, that made four of them incapacitated in some form. One dead, one deaf, one badly burned, and one with a leg prosthetic which was disabled now. Even their reduced numbers were still an effective force, but the Corpos had dealt them a blow without even firing off a shot. She seethed inside, keeping her face blank with her jaw set dead on their course of mission now.

Cassus meanwhile stood a bit dazed but otherwise resolute, and while most eyes were on the catastrophic results of a sabotaged console user, the boy hunter had already moved on looking down the other corridors searching for doorways, compartments, open vents - anything to indicate if the saboteur was still around.

"And Fyor—"
"I know about Fyor!" Daiya snapped, deliberately looking away from where the runner's body had fallen. They'd be back for him if they could. Their target still lay somewhere ahead of them, with any number of traps or enemies lurking in between. She bristled with the heat of frustration, gripping her blaster tight in her hand, just about to rally her people forward again when the lights went out, replaced with the dim glow of the emergency lighting a moment later.

"You hearing this?" Tycho asked her, and the teen shook her head. The grizzled old runner fished a comlink out of his suit, activating it before tossing it to her. Daiya caught it in her free hand, though she hadn't needed to, because the station's intercoms crackled to life, a sing-song voice reverberating through their speakers.

"Oh Mister QX,​

What did you expect?​

Now your life, must end!"​

"Creepy," was Tycho's astute assessment, but Daiya just shrugged her shoulders in the dim, red light. She was no longer annoyed by the bloodlust of her fellow shadowrunners today, not after what they had only just endured. Tycho relayed the earlier message from the voice, "Creepy im saying Darkwire control the security center."

"He's the one in control?" Daiya asked, but she knew none of them had an answer for her. They were all still rattled from the blow to their numbers and morale, and the ion blast left some of them without working equipment, including her own. Bringing the comlink to her face, she started to speak, only now to realize that her facemask was no longer amplifying her voice through the thick filter.

She ripped it off, throwing the useless device to the deck. Anger coursed through her voice as Daiya activated the comlink again, speaking directly to the creepy shadowrunner who had boasted about taking one of the station's prime pieces of real estate. "Whoever's on this channel in the security center, find out where Xopsaloff is hiding and tell us how to get there. We ran into some traps and lost a few, plus some of our equipment. It sure would be nice to know where we're going in this labyrinth."

Cassus pulled out a tracking fob, and got an idea. Acquiring the chain code for someone like Qanatain Xopslaoff was nearly impossible, guarded by any number of bureaucratic quasi-legal loopholes and an army of paralegal lawyers… but in their unique circumstances.

“Gamma team, I’ve got an - kark, mines busted too,” Cassus could hear the commlink broadcast though a bit more static-y than usual, but didn’t seem capable of broadcasting his own messages. “Hand that here I’ve got an idea that’ll help us.” He said with an outstretched hand to apparently, one of the few communicators still working.

"A little late to be getting an idea, Pool Boy." Frustration bloomed as Daiya groaned, rolling her eyes at the boy. Her expressions were on full display now, but the teen didn't care. She slapped the comlink into his waiting palm.

“Brat.”

Her eyes flickered, but Daiya didn't look at him. She knew she would only see the stoic mask on his face, hiding his own expressions from her. It didn't matter, the girl could hear the smirk in his voice as she walked away, shaking her head. She leaned down to gather up her facemask again and then went to check over the rest of her squadmates.

“Gamma team, or whatever remains of you. If you are in the security center, see if you can’t find a lifeform scanner that may have picked up on Qanatain, and send the data to…” Cassus looked around and pieced out a number on what remained of the blown up console, “The closest terminal to console TYF15. I can jury rig a tracking fob using the data.”

(Written jointly with the flappable Daiya )

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Objective: Help plant the virus
Equipment: Himself
Allies Nearby: Xan Deesa Doc Painless Anakin Stormrunner
Enemies Nearby: Corpos

The pod rattled as the shadow runners slowly began to approach their destination, all armed to the teeth in body army and heavy weaponry. Although, one person was noticeably lacking any equipment at all. Cartri had decided against taking heavy gear and most missions as a whole, all it did was weigh him down and provide another barrier in completing the objective. If it wasn't for the fact Xan's pod had been full he would have been with her now, but unfortunately, he had drawn the short draw and sent with a more heavily geared attack force. Compared to everyone, Cartri stuck out like a sore thumb.

Something lightly nudged him on the shoulder as he slowly awoke from his slumber in a dazed state, shattered from waking up early for the mission. He slowly rubbed his eyes and looked to the left of too see what was going "Get snappy kid, we're almost there" the runner said to him, with a small sluggish nod coming from the boy soon after "Yea... I got you..." he groaned before the ship eventually came to stop. Everyone shot up to their feet in an instant while Cartri took his time to get up and stretch, almost unworried with what was on the other end of this door "Alright, listen up everyone! Our goal is to provide a distraction for the other runners and clear a path for any coming our way. Expect heavy resistance when we get out, there's no room for stupidity this time. So please, listen to me and you'll get through this." shouted the squad leader to the men, before looking over to Cartri "You, on the other hand, have a different task. Get over here boy" ordered the commander sternly as Cartri walked himself over in a half-awake state.

His face didn't seem impressed when he stood before him with his eyes half-open, disappointed that he wasn't taking the mission so seriously "I've got a different task for you. Instead of following us, you will be taking a trip through the vents. Maybe through there you can find a remedy to wake yourself up..." he grunted, his eyes looking down to Cartri with an audible sigh. Cartri rubbed his eyes again and shrugged in agreement to the idea "Let me guess, was this a bright idea from Xan?" he asked curiously up to him, one of which was met with a cold stare and silence. Within a few seconds, he turned back to the door and ignored the boy as he prepared to lead his men outside the door "Cheers Xan..."

Out of nowhere, the doors suddenly shot open and the troops filed out in groups, each one separating to the left and right of a clear corridor. They took their positions as Cartri and the squad lead followed, both of them catching the glimpse of a vent in between the row of soldiers. Without hesitation, the commander took out his blaster and fired at the grate that covered the ventilation shaft, leaving it to crash to the ground loudly. He strode to the wall and put his back against it, his arms lowering slightly in the boost position so Cartri could run up and use him to get in "Let's go kid, we can't stay here all day" he grunted over to the boy who rolled his eyes to the lack of patients the man had "Alright alright..." sighed Cartri who jolted forwards and jumped up high, placing one foot on the commanders arms to push him up to the open vent. Climbing in, he dreaded to think that he would find himself in another vent, it was almost his second home at this point "Alright, let's move!" the authoritative figure commanded as they began to move down the corridor, leaving Cartri with no clue where he was going "Great, I'm probably going to get lost and die in here too" Cartri grunted to himself while crawling through the hot vents.

Minutes pass as countless patrols pass under him and the ever-present heat getting hotter. He had no idea where he was going nor where the hell he was at this point, but it was clear he was somewhere busy with the amount of passing people below. Another thing was also beginning to show, he wasn't going to stay in here for long. A layer of sweat was beginning to show on his forehead, each small crawl only making it worse "Xan is going to find her hair ginger after this" Cartri smirked to himself in agony, almost as a way to keep himself going. Eventually, it began to get too much. The boy came to a stop above a loose grate, one that could be broken by a quick kick. The floor below him didn't look too far away either, a perfect spot to get out alive. Raising his right leg he suddenly slammed it onto the grate and sending it crashing unexpectedly on top of a guard that almost instantly fell to the floor. Cartri soon followed and landed safely to the side of him, his eyes gazing down blankly at him "Sorry..." he said in an uncaring tone as he slowly turned around to something unexpected.

Following the officer was a team of four guards, who simply stared at the kid in shock from what happened to their man in charge. Slowly, they began to reach for their holstered riot control batons instead of their batons "Uh... I didn't see him there you know?" Cartri blurted out the kid as he began to move backward away from the increasingly twitchy guards "Oh, we know what's going on. Maybe if you stop we'll take it easy on you... after we've got some payback for our lead" one of them growled as they began to get closer with the batons drawn. They all had blasters on them, but they all seemed to see him as an easy target and a waste of blaster rounds. Cartri quickly began to increase his steps to the point where he was almost running backward at this point, getting ready to turn at the right chance "Sorry, but I'm going to have to decline that request" he smirked before snapping his body around into a full sprint, leaving the guards to give chase close behind him as he unknowingly went into the direction of his mentor Xan Deesa

 

[Darkwire Prophet]

"Blackheart, there have been developments."

Qanatain had been all strut and bluster in the corridors, his knee-length robe swirling around him as the Muun moved with long, purposeful strides. Now the man was a different sight, behind closed doors his shoulders sagged and his face wore a haggard look. Only his eyes still shone with a fire, burning furiously in his last, desperate throes. Anger wove its way into his voice, the barest hint of it behind the firm, composed tones of the practice banker as he explained the current status to his closest colleague.

"This can no longer stand. Darkwire has pushed too far, too fast, I cannot afford to have you sitting idly by," he told Blackheart afterwards.

There was a digital smile hiding somewhere Qanatain couldn’t see. To think that the well manicured cyborg in a fine pressed suit represented on the holographic projection was idle, seemed very silly to Larz Blackheart. The distressed Muun was not the only one he was looking at, and by far the least interesting. It was taking at least six percent of his attention to observe and record the data traffic flowing through the security center, along with a few odd peculiarities throughout the station he couldn’t quite place though it felt familiar.

“Then perhaps we haven’t pushed far enough. We may have reached the height of Brightband's physical prowess, more or less, without Starlight and her contacts improvements there will be more incremental. I still believe we have yet to fully realize the technological brilliance the Mark IVs bring to the platform, the behavioral improvements alone—"

The Mark IVs. Again with the versions and updates and improvements, Blackheart was so consumed by the advancement of his own hubris. Blackheart would have spent the next decade dabbling and perfecting his project, it was under Qanatain whereby its potential was truly realized.

"That cause is inconsequential to the whole! Don't you see, Larz? The time is here, the place is now, this is the moment where we succeed or where we end."

We. Blackheart thought with a twisted whimsical inflection in his head. That was the word a man used on a contract, the kind of man Qanatain had built an empire of debt upon.

"If the project is lost, it is one among dozens. They will never be able to keep up with all that we’ve been co-developing while they’ve chased their shadows. Let them have the victory, it will keep them quite long enough for the next angle of attack.”

The Muun bristled at the cyborg's callous manner of dismissal. Blackheart's message needed no further spelling out, to Qanatain it already quite clear. A victory here for Darkwire would spell the end for him, of freedom or of life, it was all the same. Another project, another angle of attack...Blackheart was already planning for the aftermath of the Burser's funeral, if he even waited that long. Had their roles been reversed, Qanatain certainly wouldn't.

"Do you really think Darkwire will leave it here? Your name is all over this project, all over the documents. It stinks of Blackheart just as it bleeds of Starlight. Just think of how those shadowrunners managed to find my name, mine, out of all evidence to the contrary. We make a team, and we are bound together by more than just flimsiplast and business."

Qanatain was nothing if not magnanimous, even in his weakest moments. To think that he considered the two of them, Blackheart and Xopsaloff, a team. Shared enterprises, shared risk, shared investments, while holding all the leverage to expand, mitigate, and redistribute those very things to his, and only his, benefit. Kinship, comaraderie, precepts held by a man with no other options. Something Larz Blackheart very recently had plenty of.

“Yes, the name etched across the entire length of the ship they took from you. I do wonder how they could have come to suspect you,” Blackheart openly mocked, “Documents are forged daily, they know your character, and the number of designers for the project is divested enough that the only person they are going to care about is the one with the purse strings...which, as it happens, is exactly where I wanted this. You pulled whatever leverage you wanted on me to ensure loyalty to our investment, but you failed to realize that I have my own leverage, an arrangement with Darkwire itself."

"Leverage? We have a contract! You may not place faith in such things, Blackheart, but even you recognize how necessary they are in the natural course of things. Don't forget the terms of our arrangement, or who provides you such a pleasant cushion for your dozens of wastrel projects. Send your toys if you like, but I need something. Backup. Reinforcements. Otherwise I will spend my last remaining moments ensuring you spend the rest of your miserable life chasing ghosts on your hackernet."

The Muun shut down the comlink before Blackheart could respond. He had managed to keep his anger under control at the start of their conversation, his meager efforts quickly unhinged by the callous presumption of the cybernetic DireX. Larz Blackheart needed him, needed the connections that his banking ties brought, needed his presence of mind to lead. The tech mogul only needed a reminder of that to come to his senses.

Yet the banker had never relied on faith or miraculous realizations in his business dealings. No one came to their senses without motivation. And like it or not, Qanatain had lost his most immediate way to motivate Blackheart.

He keyed up a new contact on the holo-terminal at the desk. The administrator's systems were sloppy, it was poorly organized and its data was incomplete. There was but one redeeming facet, the critical necessity to have communications access always within reach. It took but a moment to narrow down the contacts in the system to just two, a pair of capital ships stationed practically outside his door, their IFF indicators screaming hostility. A slender, grey finger selected one of the contacts, and a grin pulled behind the Muun's grim expression.

There was still time to change that.

A hologram flickered to life, casting a small man in its hazy, blue glow. The hologram encompassed only a few elements of the man's surroundings, enough to hear the alarmed voices of a naval crew engaging in combat, and to see him take a sudden step as a distant, concussive sound was heard somewhere off-view. "This is Captain Tolbra of the Death Monger, who is...oh—"

"Captain?" Qanatain spoke quickly. "Listen to me."

"You have nothing to say that I want to hear, Corpo," Tolbra spat, and then rudely gestured to something beyond the hologram's periphery. The combat, ostensibly, with reinforcements from Loronar, perhaps. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm a little busy here."

"Then I'll let something else do the talking." The Muun leaned over to his holo-terminal, and tapped a waiting key. Darkwire or not, the captain was a being like any other. And every being had his price. "I sent you a databurst, take a look at it and give it a real consideration. You're no pirate, and I doubt you're a zealot either. This figure should be more than enough for a man of your...ambitions."

Anakin Stormrunner Cartri Keswoll Cassus Akovin Daiya Doc Painless Gemma Hentz Jerec Asyr Lilash "Jade" Covegra Pogu Tucs Subject 648 Slipknot Xan Deesa Zole​

 

[Subject 648 Slipknot]

Objective: Kill some dudes, board the ship. Not in that order.
Allies: Daiya , Anakin Stormrunner , Cassus Akovin , Jerec Asyr , Xan Deesa , Zola , Pogu Tucs , Lilash "Jade" Covegra , Doc Painless
Enemies: Gemma Hentz , Unfortunate Corporate People

Slip typed away at the security console, checking the security systems. He switched from camera feed to camera feed, keeping eyes on the station. He monitored Corpo positions, and used blast doors to cut off and prevent Corpos from easily moving around. Whatever he could do to make their life harder, he would, and using their own systems to prohibit their movement was an excellent way to do that. He could even control gravity from section to section, so he could make their lives even harder than it already is.

Slip had been going through the process of jettisoning all of the escape pods when his commlink buzzed with an incoming transmission. He jumped slightly in surprise, before he turned his comm on and allowed the transmission to come through. The first voice to come through was a young, teenage girl. She sounded very annoyed, angry even. Jeez... what got her all in a twist. Something bad must have happened, or she was just having a bad day in general.

"Whoever's on this channel in the security center, find out where Xopsaloff is hiding and tell us how to get there. We ran into some traps and lost a few, plus some of our equipment. It sure would be nice to know where we're going in this labyrinth."

"Uh... er- yes ma'am!" He responded nervously. Honestly... that girl kind of scared him. She seemed intense, and the exact opposite of friendly. Thankfully, another voice came on the commlink. This time, it was a teenage boy. He sounded way more calm than the girl that had just ordered Slip around like a drill sergeant.

“Gamma team, or whatever remains of you. If you are in the security center, see if you can’t find a lifeform scanner that may have picked up on Qanatain, and send the data to…” Cassus looked around and pieced out a number on what remained of the blown up console, “The closest terminal to console TYF15. I can jury rig a tracking fob using the data.”

"This is Gamma 3, I'll see what I can do." Slip told him. "Might be a bit difficult. The lifeform scanners have been picking out a lot of activity, and finding Xopsaloff will be like looking for a needle in a haystack."

Then, Slip began typing on his console, searching through the lifeform scanner logs. There was a good amount to look through, but Xopsaloff should stand out, right? He would obviously be registered as someone with a high clearance on the scanners. Looking through the logs, he found someone that matched Xopsaloff's description and what his credentials could be. Slip checked the camera feed associated with the log, and saw, lo-and-behold, Xopsaloff quickly making his way through the station. Bingo. Using his security door control, he tracked Xopsaloff's projected pathway, and closed the security doors where he would have gone, judging by how fast he was going, the direction he was going, and how long ago the log was taken. Thankfully, it was fairly recent. Slip also looked up the closest terminal to TYF15.

"Alright, I've got him. Be advised: the closest terminals to TYF15 are rigged with traps and explosives. The nearest non-trapped terminal is in Xopsaloff's personal office. Do any of you know how to disarm a live bomb?" Slip asked them over the commlink. "The nearest terminal is Terminal TYG12, and if you want to use that one, you'll need to disarm the bomb on it."

"Xopsaloff's current location is Sector Three-Alpha, Subsection One-One-Niner-Hotel. Heading 30 Degrees." Slip said, reporting Xopsaloff's location. "I'll continue to monitor his location. If you need help being directed, I'll continue to assist you."

 

[Pogu Tucs]

Objective: Get Xospaloff's head
Equipment: heavy armour, pair of blaster pistols, light repeating tri-blaster, flamethrower, thermal detonators, quicksilver dual glaive, blades, data spike, one comlink (The other is with Jade)
Allies nearby: Cassus Akovin, Daiya, Jerec Asyr.
Enemies: Corpoes, Gemma Hentz.

Pugo was running through the hall, when he could see three other life forms, and they didn't look Corpo.

"You after Xospaloff too?" Pugo questioned.

Before they could answer, something came over the comms.

"Alright, I've got him. Be advised: the closest terminals to TYF15 are rigged with traps and explosives. The nearest non-trapped terminal is in Xopsaloff's personal office. Do any of you know how to disarm a live bomb?" Slip asked them over the commlink. "The nearest terminal is Terminal TYG12, and if you want to use that one, you'll need to disarm the bomb on it."

"Xopsaloff's current location is Sector Three-Alpha, Subsection One-One-Niner-Hotel. Heading 30 Degrees." Slip said, reporting Xopsaloff's location. "I'll continue to monitor his location. If you need help being directed, I'll continue to assist you."

"Let's go!" Pugo spoke.

As they were going to the location, they found a blast door and a woman with a blaster in her hands.

"What now?" Pugo asked.

 

[Darkwire Cultist]

​

"Hmm, well he took that better than I thought, don't you think?" Larz Blackheart spoke to another holographic projection in his mind's eye, of a woman.

"You're too good of a friend to him, Larz. So nice of you to help get him out of the mess you got him into." Luminous Sun smiled, before a twitch of her lip betrayed the sarcasm of help get him out. Larz smiled back with a soft singular chuckle.

"I'll have to thank you later for working your contacts with Darkwire, between them and my eyes on Death Monger, this whole potential disaster has been nicely averted I think. I must say though, I'm impressed with their plan to use this relay station for a virus, but I think they've gotten close enough, yes? I think its time someone stopped them now." A second image projected within his cybernetic mind, of a more feline figure. He cleared his throat.

/>>Brightband XA7R4, how close are you to the station?<<\

/>>Your reinforcements are engaging the Darkwire vessels. I am presently boarding.<<\

/>>Excellent, I will leave you to it then.<<\

In the space of time it took to finish clearing his throat, his entire conversation with the CorpSec doppelgänger he had taken under his wing, fit within a single breathe. The perks of extensive cybernetic upgrades and a technological recipient that can speak his language.

Superior Kadora'Tra rocketed through the contested space surrounding the space station. Flashing lights and distant explosions peppered the background as an indistinct number of smaller ships exited hyperspace to face off against the Darkwire "Dreadnaughts".

They were not her - its - concern.

The objective was clear, stop the upload of the Darkwire virus into Brightband Units via relay broadcast. Therefore, she chose the most precise point of entry based on digital schematics of the Loronar Relay station. It didn't take long to become accustomed to the station, since it was so similar to her - its - own station it often resided in to monitor the project for Blackheart, and quickly formulated a simulated plan where she would likely transplant a virus.

Unconcerned by the typical speeds of boarding to prevent biological discomfort, Superior Kadora'Tra had her own boarding pod accelerating towards the station with extreme precision and prejudice in equal measure. Her entry would be as loud as it was sudden, and the wrath of the fabricated feline would be unleashed with mechanical precision.

Impact would rock the broadcast room where Xan Deesa was distributing her message alongside Cartri Keswoll , Doc Painless , and Anakin Stormrunner , before a sudden cutting sound filled the room followed by a plume of steam and smoke exploding out of the ceiling. She - it damnit - descended among them followed by the thunk thunk of two other pairs of mechanical feet. They were CorpSec droids, part of Blackhearts personal contingent, favoring security forces he could see through and directly control if need be as opposed to barely competent meatbags that couldn't be trusted. It didn't blame him.

"Hey Xan," Superior Kadora'Tra simulated a smile with bared teeth, "Remember me?" Before lunging towards Xan Deesa with open claws.

 

[Daiya]

Objective: Face penitence before the lion's den
Equipment: Phase I Powderpunk Armor, Phase I Powderpunk Facemask, Raven Knife, Kusak Heavy Blaster Pistol, Deactivator Hold-Out Blaster, JH-70 Glitter Grenades, Sneakthief, Holojournal
Allies Nearby: Cassus Akovin , Jerec Asyr , Pogu Tucs
Enemies Nearby: Gemma Hentz , Corpos

[Post Soundtrack: "Ruinous" by Go! Child]​

The young shadowrunner didn't make much effort to respond to the shaky reply that came back over the comms, calling her ma'am for some reason, with all the confidence of a dust-mouse. Cassus was quick to chime in with another idea, one that would have wholly qualified for upstaging her. Yet still she made little effort to point it out, staying unusually silent for the upbeat, plucky aura she gave off.

She felt as if in a haze. Though Daiya managed to check in with her squadmates, it was just perfunctory, stepping away from each conversation as quickly as she could. The teen couldn't shake this feeling that clouded her thoughts and slowed her movements, the world seemed to be on a split-second delay for her. Even as the group began to move again, she stayed silent alongside of Cassus, moving to linger at the fringes when they approached the reprogrammed terminal.

Over and over, she replayed the events in her head. A hand pressed to her forehead barely helped while trying to recall the vision, the imagery had already started to fade from memory. There was no time, or privacy, in order to sketch out what she had Seen then. One thing still stuck in her mind, the prediction of a gas leak. It was impossible to figure out how she knew that from her vision, and yet it was clear as day despite the fading memory.

Which only meant one thing to the Force-cursed girl: she had been wrong.

The thought gnawed at her, reflecting back in the faces of her squadmates. Not many of them would meet her gaze now, not that she wanted that kind of connection. It would have simply been a reminder of what she had done. How stupid she had been. A mere teenager, to think that she could lead a group of shadowrunners, to be responsible for them, to guide them safely into the very heart of danger, it was madness. No wonder others were constantly trying to protect her, shelter her, hold her back. She deserved it.

"You lightyears away, sésata."

Daiya jumped at the sound, and jerked her head in the direction of the man who had just laid his hand on her shoulder. Tycho's gentle smile shone from behind his whiskered beard, though his eyes radiated concern. For her. She turned her head away from him, "I'm fine."

The old shadowrunner wasn't buying it, "What happen to Fyor, not you fault, sasa ke?"

"But I was the one who warned about the gas leak, I..." Daiya closed her mouth, tempering her words before an unwanted truth came out through them. Tycho waited patiently for her to continue. "I thought that was it. I didn't think it would be rigged, or that..."

Tycho was nodding, a slow undulation to match the cadence of her words, her revelations. He picked up where she left of, his nod slowing to a halt to give a little shake of his head now. "Corpos, they three, mebi four step ahead. What we do don't matter, gonna run into trap anyhow." The man scoffed at something, and Daiya's face showed her distaste at the treatment of Fyor's memory. As he carried on, however, she understood more of what he was saying. "Corpos think they charge us for price of coming, well Fyor pay up. Someone have to, that never was to change. Not by im, not by mi, not by you. Not you fault, ke?"

It didn't make it easier to hear those words, but Daiya still made a weak attempt to smile at the man. "Yeah, thanks Tycho," she said, even if she didn't really mean it. The girl spied Cassus, his tracking fob in hand, all done with their task at the terminal. She was grateful they could finally move on, and she could end this awkward conversation. Drawing her lips into a line, Daiya took a step ahead, breaking the connection between her shoulder and Tycho's hand. "Looks like it's time to go," she told him, and then louder to everyone else. "Quick, before the Corpos get one more step ahead of us!"

The rousing cry was for herself more than others, but it rallied them all the same.

Finding their way towards Qanatain Xopsaloff, whose slippery reputation had failed against the technology in the guiding hands of Cassus, Daiya was surprised to find further traps less of a problem than the first two. The Corpos might have been steps ahead, but the Shadowrunners were wise to those antics now, no one else had to lose their life. If Daiya had her way, only one more being would end here today.

The monotonous corridors of the space station finally gave way to someplace that looked important. Daiya was far from an expert, yet even she could recognize a control center of some kind when she saw it. Consoles were arranged in strategic placement about the room, while most of the few occupants were not. They seemed hesitant when the Shadowrunners spilled into the place, taking up positions around the room to pin the Corpos into an inevitable crossfire.

Someone —from Cassus' squad? Daiya didn't recognize him— asked what they should do next. The teen didn't need a moment to answer it, fixing her gaze on the being who looked like she was in charge. Behind her stood a blast-proof door, shut and locked tight, and the unspoken promise of their target lay beyond it. The woman reeked of Corpo, from the cut of her suit to the crisp demeanor she gave off. The teen's eyes flicked over the woman, taking her all in, noting her blaster. She raised her own to aim it at the woman, "Next is the part where she lets us do what we came here for."

Daiya gave the woman a half-grin, the red emergency lights of the station casting an eerie glow on her face. "So, what's it gonna be, Corpo? We're only here for the DireX..."

She knew they didn't have to stop there. If she wanted, Daiya could just start shooting. It would be a bloodbath, though the girl was reasonably sure that she and the other Shadowrunners would survive. The Corpos in the control center, far fewer in number and almost surrounded by Darkwire, had less of a chance.

She should have. For Fyor.

She didn't. Mostly. "...but we'll take anyone who gets in our way, too. We've already lost a few 'runners, so you really should surrender."

Daiya almost wished the Corpo would refuse.

 

[Anakin Stormrunner]

Objective: Protect the hackers
Equipment: Armorweave clothes, Terminus Shiv, Sneakitheaf, Last Whisper Blaster, 3 Razzmatazz Holospheres, several small bags of sand, deactivated slave bomb
Nearby Allies: Xan Deesa Doc Painless Lilash "Jade" Covegra Cartri Keswoll

Bloody hands snagged a strip of black cloth from his belt. The embroidered glyph of Leia rubbed against his skin as he dragged the cloth over his hands, wiping away blood and viscera with nary a thought.

"Get that system powered up!” Xan’s words snapped through the air. They cut the silence with the hard edge of a woman used to being obeyed.

“Won’t be much ‘elp ‘ere. Know not’ing about ‘acking.” His talon was still bloody, and he left a trail of gore as he approached the radio station. Anakin had cursory knowledge of its use, most Unfettered did. It was one of the few ways to reliably send a message across long distances and to large groups. But that was with Tatooine equipment. Bulky setups encased in metal carapaces with rusted edges and chipped paint. Signals that sputtered static between words and devolved into the sound of pouring sand and crackling - which sounded so much like the aika birds that nested in the long fur of wild banthas - whenever a sandstorm blew through. Old things, from long before the plague that scarred the galaxy.

This was different. This system was new. It’s casing shined in the light and the buttons and dials were clean of dirt and more numerous than he knew what to do with. It screamed of the opulence and rotted prosperity that came with all things from core worlds.

Xan spoke again, words softer. As if she'd realized what tone she used before and disliked it. “Good,” His own tone was lightning quick and buzzed with unspent adrenaline. “Not ‘urt. Dey were almost normal people wid ‘ow badly dey fought.” Cloth still in hand, he turned to his foot, lifting it from the floor and half spreading his wings to balance himself as he wiped it clean. “Can’t ‘elp wid da broadcast. Dis system is to complicated for me. Can keep guard dough, make sure we’re not inter-upted”

With his talon cleaned and his piece said, Anakin made his way to the door. Spice blue eyes scanned the hallways as he slipped the now bloody cloth back into its place and drew his blaster in one smooth motion.

Only moments after he took position, a furred being was rushing towards them. It darted from around the corner, soon followed by another of the same species. Anakin’s blaster was on it in moments - “Stop!” - and his voice cut the air like a knife. His words were loud and harsh. They echoed through the space between them with undeniable clarity.

They were ignored. The furred being kept running, right up until the door where the skidded inside and announced their presence with a voice so condescending it sounded like Depur. "I said, stop." A snarl marred his face, and his finger twitched towards the trigger, wanting so very much to shoot this woman whether she was friend or foe.

The second being drew his own gun, pointing it right back at him. This at least, seemed to catch the woman's attention. "Are you really pointing a blaster at me, seriously? Yeah I'm one of the unarmed corpo's deciding to run into your laps. Did you not attend the blasted intel brief or what?" Her voice dripped with sarcasm and condescension. "I don't know how this organization makes it with so many fools." She waved her companion's gun down, but Anakin kept his steady on her.

"Da only foolish t'ing 'ere would be letting a- ah... not known in. Maybe you not armed, but 'e is, and dere are many ways to 'ide weapons in clodes like yours." You didn't survive thirty years in slavery by being stupid. A weapon didn't have to be a gun or a knife. It could be something as small as a vial of gas, which would fill up a room and poison its occupants. It could be a garrote much like his own. Something easy to hide even in plain site. No, he knew the trick of playing along. Of playing the side of the enemy in order to get close enough to ripe their throat out and free your own people. It was a trick had used time and time again.

The woman didn't seem to care. Pink eyes rolled in their sockets and she moved past him, into the roo-

Bang! The sound of his blaster split the air. A red bolt streaked past her face, the heat of the plasma washing over her as it missed her nose by a matter of inches. Her companion's blaster was on him in seconds.

He didn't care. No, he simply twisted his mouth into a snarl, revealing sharpened teeth and predatory intent. "I. Said. Stop." The world are growled out between snarling teeth as his hands tightened on the grip.

 

[Gemma Hentz]

Gemma waited, her face a stoic expression of patience despite the chit-storm going down all around her. If she knew Qanatain like she thought, he was probably holed up in that administrator's office bargaining with someone. It was always a bid to save his own skin – and profits, don't forget about the profits. The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Her eyes flickered towards the door as their enemies arrived. One of them, Pogu Tucs , looked uncertain. However, the little blonde that followed shortly after looked rather confident. So, this was Darkwire. Gemma matched the girl's gaze, her own eyes undaunted – almost blank, in a way. These shadowrunners thrived on violence, she knew – they were hungry for confrontation.

So, she refused to give them what they wanted most.

Gemma held up the blaster, her manicured index finger held away from the trigger. Then, she slowly placed the weapon against the floor and slid it towards Daiya . She canted her head to the side, ever slightly, a quiet display of calm defiance. Now, with empty hands, she held her palms facing the shadowrunners.

“Do whatever it is you came here for,” Gemma said in an even tone. “I won't stop you.”

The end of an era was swiftly approaching.

And it surprised Gemma how little she cared.

Also nearby: Jerec Asyr | Cassus Akovin​

 

[Xan Deesa]

Objective: Plant the virus and send a message
Equipment: In bio | plate carrier with durasteel plates
Tags: Doc Painless Anakin Stormrunner Cartri Keswoll Lilash "Jade" Covegra
Theme: Super original

The Doc got to work on the terminal while Anakin voiced his issues with helping, which simply earned a shrug from Xan. "I meant the Doc. I know you're not that clued up. Might need to teach you sometime after this mess." she flashed him a wink as she turned her attention towards the terminal. "... Copy the info over first. We don't know what we might be able to get from it. Otherwise we might just end up losing a bunch of info that could hurt them even further." she spoke to Doc, glancing over to him.

The sound of someone running through the halls drew Xan's attention as she drew her blaster. The greeting wasn't exactly what she expected. She kept quiet, waiting to see what they had to say as Anakin ordered them to halt. They didn't seem to care much.

His warning shot seemed to get the message across while Xan's own blaster trained on the two new arrivals. "First off, we don't know youmso you can just stay there for now while we do our job. As for the info. You can bargain for it after we're done with the job. I ain't giving stuff like this away to just anyone." she threatened with a very casual voice.

A new arrival joined in, much to Xan's shock. "The hell are you doing here?" she blurted out to Cartri. With a shake of the head she waved the notion off. "Don't matter. Just keep an eye on these two and the door. Any other intrusion, stun 'em." she ordered Cartri as she tossed him her pistol.

Turning back to Doc, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Everything copied and ready to go?" she asked him calmly. Once she had her confirmation, she made sure her mask was properly positioned and her face was clearly visible on the broadcast.

"Good day. For those of you who know me, you should know what this is about. For those of you who do not, my name is Xan. I represent the group known as Darkwire.

This message is a little heads-up to all the corpo rats who think they can keep their iron hold on the planet of Denon and its neighbours. Today was your last chance. You've had your time to back down. After today, play time's over. We're coming for you.

And we'll hunt you down, one by one, until this territory is free from your greed and corruption.

See you soon."

Her voice was cold and harsh as her golden eyes glared into the camera that would broadcast her message to any device and channel on the holonet.

With the broadcast done, she gave Doc a nod. "Fry these kriffers."

Another intrusion appeared. This time from above. As Xan apun around and reached for her second pistol, Kadora and two droids dropped through the ceiling. However one good look at the Farghul gave Xan all the confirmation she needed. "Sup scraps." she greated the copycat as her blaster turned on the droids. She quiclly fired off a few shots with her heavy blaster before facing the charging doppelganger.

The copycat came at her with claws and fangs, but Xan didn't stay idle. With one hand she grabbed a wrist while the other took hold of the dopple's mane. With immense power she would attempt to spin around with the dopple and send her flying towards a wall, ready to move on the dopple if it kept trying to attack.

 

[Doc Painless]

Objective: Plant the virus and send a message
Allies Nearby: Xan Deesa | Anakin Stormrunner | Cartri Keswoll | Lilash "Jade" Covegra

Complicit. The word bounced against the walls of his brain like a drumbeat. Complicit. Complicit.

The Doc had done bad things before, in the life he'd left behind. He'd enabled even more bad things, or stood by and allowed them to happen. He knew all too well how it felt to be complicit; he'd learned many years ago, and the knowledge had stayed with him ever since, creeping up his spine whenever he started to feel good about himself to remind him that he'd never really been a good person. He'd believed, back in that old life, that he was doing the right thing. He'd followed a cause back then. Here he was again, up to his elbows in lofty ideals and the very real blood shed in their name. Was this any different? Had he really changed? He couldn't be sure anymore.

Feth, he hated field work. This just wasn't where he belonged.

Slicing Xopsaloff's security station, thankfully, proved soothing. It was complex, sure, but it followed set patterns. There were rules to its logic, mathematical and precise and free of the uncertainty of the moral questions plaguing the street medic. The Doc nodded to Xan as she asked that he copy the data; it was a good call. Xopsaloff no doubt had all sorts of dirt on everyone, and that information was powerful. It could be used to set free some of the pawns in his corporate games, innocent people he'd wrapped up with lies and blackmail. And it could also be a weapon, just as he had wielded it, against rivals that he and Darkwire shared... like, say, other DireX board members.

Once the encryptions broke, it was a simple matter to download the data onto a spike. They'd look through it later.

The Doc hadn't been on many runs himself, but he'd talked to a lot of people who had. Long-lived shadowrunners tended not to be the openly boastful ones, but when you had to keep your work secret from most people, you often reveled in talking about it with the few friends you could safely discuss it with. The Doc was known to be trustworthy, and his patients often regaled him with their exploits while he patched them up. As a result, he was intimately familiar with a common experience on a run: the part where someone else busts in, looking for more or less the same thing you are, and throws a wrench into the whole operation. He just hadn't expected to see it personally.

The street medic had never met the woman who appeared at the door, and wasn't even sure of her species - his first guess was Selonian, but that didn't seem quite right. He could be sure that she was after the data he'd just downloaded to his spike, and that might make things complicated for everyone involved. Still, he was taken aback by Anakin's warning shot; even if they weren't all on precisely the same side, they were all against the Corpos, so it worried him to see everyone immediately at the edge of violence. But this wasn't his scene, and he didn't weigh in. Maybe this was how you had to act on a run, treating everyone as a potential enemy. He wouldn't know.

Another spanner in the works, then: an out-of-breath Cartri Keswoll, dashing around the corner to run into them. The Doc sincerely hoped that the young runner wasn't bringing trouble there way, but if he was taking off that fast, there was probably something behind him. All the more reason to get this done quickly and get out.

The Doc nodded as Xan, apparently unbothered by all this commotion outside the room, laid a hand on his shoulder. Her ability to balance calm and fury still unnerved him a little; he could never have managed it, flicking that switch in an instant as necessity dictated. He watched quietly as she made her broadcast, wondering what effect it would have. Was what they had done today enough to actually scare the other DireX board members? How would they react to feeling fear for the first time in... well, who knew how long? Paranoid isolation, martial crackdowns... there was no way to know yet. But at least they'd said what they'd come to say. The Board was on notice now.

"Copy that," he told Xan once she finished, plugging a new spike into the terminal. "Beginning virus upload."

Then he shrank back, startled into near-panic, as something crashed through the ceiling. A feline alien wearing a nasty grin, flanked by a pair of dangerous-looking corporate droids, had dropped into the room... and the Doc wasn't sure where to go. He needed to stay by the console, to react to Xopsaloff's security measures trying to counter the upload... but he also needed to not lose his head to the deadly-looking claws that the feline was flashing around. "Keep them off me," he muttered, as loudly as he dared. Then he shrank back against the console, trying to make himself as small as possible. He didn't want to become the first victim of the developing crossfire.

 

[Lilash "Jade" Covegra]

From all perspectives, Anakin had rightly decided to halt the intruder. Jade did not see it as such though, believing him to be another footsoldier unknowing of when they were getting in the way rather than helping out their people. She seemed to find that everywhere, though for her usually demanding entrance works and they simply backed down. Either that, or she would simply crawl into the room some other, less obvious way in order to have her objective completed. In a high-stakes game like this, such arrogance could lead to the death of any who were too much of a fool, and sadly Jade held it in spades.

She leapt as the blaster bolt whizzed past her skull, the heat of the shot feeling so close to her skin it almost singed a couple of hairs. Her hands raised towards her head in shock as she spun upon her heel. "What the hell, laserbrain!? Daiya could have your kriffing head for this if you start shooting your own people. You're about to upload a virus to destroy a system that could have good information in regards to the Corpo's. Not my fault you can't speak properly to the point where I can't understand you." She spat. "Not to mention you think I've got what? Poison?"

Her hands lowered slowly before giving Chi'rrk a calm nod, tapping her hand to signal to lower his weapon despite his threats. "Look. My job is to gather the information for Daiya, and ensure that gets to her safely in order for us to get ahead of the Board. I don't care about the virus, and I couldn't give less of a damn about your holier than thou--"

She was interrupted by a heavy impact almost causing her to lose balance due to the unexpected tremour. Smoke surrounded them. Jade began to cough, trying to wave away the smoke as her crimson eyes analysed the scene that was unfolding around her. Looking up, three figures began to fall from the ceiling under the cover of the smoke and steam. She didn't know which side was going to decide to shoot her first, but overall she did not wish to wait and find out.

Diving to the floor, she began to crawl towards the nearest thing she could consider as cover. Disappearing behind a console off to the side of the room, she hid, hoping none would seek to simply put a blaster to the unarmed Jenet. She had never been much of a fighter at all, rather preferring to stay as far away from the shots as possible, or shooting them in the back. Here, security droids had decided to ambush them and she would not know where to begin the process of taking them down. That was a job for Chi'rrk, he was the one who was tasked with ensuring no real issues came up between points A to B.

Sadly for her, the other Jenet had decided to step back towards the doorway, away from where she was sitting, deeper in the room. He as well scrambled for cover, preferring to be safer while the element of surprise was in the droids favour.