Public Risk/Reward: The Black Sands of Lah'mu (open)

[Ay Ge]

Her red gaze looked upon the small bird like animal as it was strapped with a blaster. Some may have laughed or even posed why such a beast was useful but Ay wasn't like that. There were a few things their feathered comrade could do much better then any of them, herself nodding a bit as she pulled the grate off one of the vents but not before turning back to face the two men.

Once more Ay stood and shared for a few seconds, mainly at Lucien, "Realization, frost does not mean frozen condensation on a physical surface but refers to staying alert and on guard, noted, proceeding with assignment". Her small figure soon vanishing into the dark void that was the ships ventilation system, moving quietly through the metal construct and towards the air lock where the Mando's would most likely make their breach. A group like that would probably want to take this craft for themselves, no point in damaging the hull more then is already was.

Turning back she looked towards Quekko, "Instructions, once the enemy makes their way in I will drop you behind them to act as a distraction, I will follow you down 4 seconds later and proceed to terminate close range targets". "Once their attention is drawn back to me you are authorized to open fire at any target you see fit". A few small squawks came in reply though Ay was unsure of their meaning, she didn't have much information on his species language.

Lucien Dooku Jerec Asyr

 

[Jerec Asyr]

If Ay Ge had understood Apokka-accented Huttese she might have blushed. First Mate Quekka had feelings and was plenty riled up. The rotund little avian hopped down and started blasting. Turns out Mandalorian armor has a gap in the back of the knee. Turns out Apokkas are very good at taking out knee-level targets.

Meanwhile, back at the hatch, Mando weapons chewed through the old battle droids like a meat grinder. From behind a couple of heavy shipping crates, Jerec blasted away. The Arc Light gun's heaviest, shortest- range setting threw Mandos flying and killed their armor with ion damage. He snapped off shots between the droids, relying on them for visual clutter. For the next handful of seconds, the Mandos wouldn't really know where the heavy shots were coming from.

"Duke, do your thing!"
Lucien Dooku

 

[Lucien Dooku]

"Duke, do your thing!"

It wasn't the exchange of bolts snapping around his head, but Jerec's words that proved the cue for the Serrenoan to finally act. The battle droid shielding his body was preoccupied with fighting against the Boarders, and its armored-plated frame gave it enough protection to tank a number of bolts before meeting its end. Its sacrifice provided Luc with enough time to use his AR-lenses to track and mark the number of warriors taking cover on the opposing side. There was plenty of them to go around, but with each exchange of fire, not enough droids.

With his protective screen busy collapsing onto the floor into a ruined heap of metal, Jerec would find Lucien completely exposed amidst the remaining droids alive. He bent at the knees, his focus shifting inwards as he manipulated the reservoir of energy -- or the force, as others called it -- within his body and forced it to manifest outwards. His body jetted across the metal tiles at a speed that a non-augmented human would find impossible to match.

His form weaved through the droids, Mandalorian blasters prioritizing him but missing their mark each time. He was drawing their attention away from the more accurate shots being sent down range by Jerec, and all the while setting himself up for the perfect engagement with the 'superior' boarding force. As Luc weaved through the final handful of droids, he stopped and pivoted on his feet, the force being utilized once again as he jumped clear across the corridor and landed on top of a single Mandalorian who had dared to be baited by his antics.

His blaster was ineffective against Beskar at most ranges, but from on top of the Beskar-clad warrior's chest, there was a clear weakness that could be exploited. Red bolts pierced through the visor of the woman's helmet, leaving steam to rise off the cauterized remnant of her face.

"That's Prince to you."

He pushed off the lifeless body, then rolled across the floor until his back was pressed against a stack of containers. There was a bit of distance between him and Jerec now. Good. He thought to himself. Bolts lit up the backdrop around him, and curses and personal challenges in Mando'a were being thrown at him generously for executing their comrade. Unfortunately for them, Luc was in no rush to accept the calls for honorable combat aimed at bringing him out of cover.

Ay Ge Jerec Asyr

 

[Ay Ge]

Ay looked down into the hectic hallway with her usual creepy expression as the bird did it's thing. The sudden appearance throwing the majority of the Mando's rear guard of balance due to the shear bizarre nature and the sudden attack from behind. A flurry of curses coming from the bucket heads as they tried to get a shot on the small animal that seemed to easily avoid the blaster fire and run circles around the enemies legs, now it was her turn.

Leaping from the air duck Ay's leg smashed into the face of one of the armored warriors, her thigh wrapping around his neck and with help from her Exo skeleton promptly snapped it. Within that same motion her hand went to her scabbard, a loud bang akin to a rail gun resonating through the hall as the blade was shot out at super sonic speed. For any normal person the inertia from the blade would easily dislocate said arm, but once more her cybernetics kicked in, holding the blade firm as it sliced two more members of the boarding party.

At the apex of the swing one of the remaining members tried to take advantage of Ay's wide follow through, raising his blaster away from the bird and towards her face. Only for another loud bang to echo from the scabbard as a high powered slug left from barrel integrated into the normally harmless weapon, piercing through his T shaped visor. Ay finishing up her attack but swinging her blade back and thrusting it through the neck of another Mando, all of this happening within a few seconds and with precision movements.

Lucien Dooku Jerec Asyr

 

[Jerec Asyr]

On the one hand, Lucien Dooku and Ay Ge were shredding the boarding party so hard that Jerec could barely get a shot in edgewise. On the other hand, they were fundamentally kids and he'd never forgive himself if he lost another crew.

And on the other hand, thanks to those kids he might just live out the day. Because the Mandalorian Independence Liberation Front - or whatever they called themselves - were losing.

Arc Light in hand, Jerec charged out of cover and into the mess. The big pistol barked over and over. Mandos ragdolled, armor fried.

"Take the engine room!" he yelled. "They pull away, we're toast!"

 

[Lucien Dooku]

The battle was going fairly smooth, thanks to the teamwork and tactics being used against their overconfident foes. Bolts slammed all around him, the sound deafening to the ears after sitting there and letting them hammer away at his position. Jerec dropped a few more by then, and the sudden realization that the fight may be quickly turned to their favor energized him once again into action.

Luc peered over his shoulder, his free hand cocking backwards with an open palm as he latched onto the containers around him with his mind. His lenses were still tracking those who were alive, which made his next move all the move easier to pull off. He closed his hand into a fist, then jumped to his feet in unison with the durasteel containers lifting off the ground. With a single motion the lot of them were sent flying across the room, crushing two of the warriors whose attention were on his captain.

He slid his pistol back into its holster just as a bolt jolted past his head, burning a few hairs in the process. The smell of burnt hair filled his nostrils, yet still the prince remained as sanguine as he always had been. Dashing forwards at a similar speed as before, he landed in front of one of the warriors, his profile low to the ground and an deactivated lightsaber now in hand. All it took was the press of a button for the weapon's beautiful aqua-colored blade to emerge straight through the back of the man's torso.

At the exact moment the man's consciousness left his body, Luc pivoted around the now falling corpse and swatted a bolt aimed at him back to the shooter in question. The force behind the counter left the warrior stunned for long enough that Luc was able to rush the man's position unnoticed. The aqua blade shimmered with an intense light as he stepped through the man's guard, bisecting him diagonally where he stood. There were times to fight with honor, and then there were moments like these where all of that went out the window. He wouldn't be giving them the duel they wanted, but the least he could do was give them the death that their kind embraced.

Few of the boarding party's vanguard remained alive as he quickly scanned the room for more targets through his lenses.

"Take the engine room!" Jerec yelled. "They pull away, we're toast!"

Sound advice considering the Mandalorians were beginning to understand that they were now on the losing end. Luc slid across the metal tile once again, a closing palm outstretched towards his advancing captain as he channeled the force outwards once again. A stray bolt from a Mandalorian was brought to an halt in mid-air as the Captain stepped into its path of trajectory. He closed his fist like before, then whipped his hand in the direction of warrior while letting the bolt resume its momentum. The red ball of superheated gas hit the Mandalorian's visor with a loud snap, cracking the visor and inevitably knocking him out the fight.

Jerec Asyr Ay Ge

 

[Ay Ge]

Wiping the blood from her blade and re sheathing it Ay let the small bird boy clear up the few remaining Mandos, two who had fled already being taken down by her slug throwing scabbard. "Situation Report, boarding party repulsed, commencing counter attack and seizing the enemy vessel". With energy bow in hand Ay leaped through the breached air lock, clearing the first corners as she made a mental image of the ships lay out, it was a good thing this model was an old one.

So far there didn't seem to be any soldiers defending the air lock on their side, if she had to guess most would be in the cock pit or the engine room keeping an eye on things. "Proceeding the vessels engine room, securing cock pit registered as secondary objective". Ay replied through the crew com link, the purple glow from her energy bow lighting up the hallways as she slowly stalked towards her target. The advance coming to a sudden halt as some small blaster fire impacted against the nearby wall, most likely attempting to keep her pinned until the engines were put on full blast.

Ay counted each impact against the steel wall, recognizing the blaster type used and how much ammo was in it. The pale women peaking out from behind cover to quickly send an energy bolt into the Mando's chest before his friend could cover his reload and with only one hostile in the way didn't waste time closing the distance and running the man through. "Engine room is clear so far, proceeding with capture".

Lucien Dooku Jerec Asyr

 

[Jerec Asyr]

Lucien Dooku Ay Ge

Jerec turned a corner just as Quekko pecked the trigger of a fallen concussion rifle.

BOOM

A couple of Mandos crashed into the nearest bulkhead head-first. Jerec wasn't entirely convinced they hadn't been dead already. In his heart of hearts he wondered if it was truly healthy to hang around with people as lethal as his current crew, Quekko included.

He took a few seconds to eject the Arc Light's power cell and slot in a new one. The dang thing did a fantastic job in starship corridors against Mandalorians. He made a mental note to give Dash Kessler a real nice review on the HoloNet.

Ay Ge's message crackled in his lapel comm: she'd hit the engine room, and Duke was on his way there too. "Nice work, folks. Quekko, you're with me."

The Xerob didn't have much of a bridge, more of a cockpit. Quekko scuttled in low, blasting ankles. Jerec got in there with a handful of high-power shots. That was that.

He toggled the intercom. "Mando raiders, this is your new captain speaking. You've lost and lost hard, but you're in luck: I don't like the Empire any more than you do. I'm not gonna report this or anything. Just get yourselves and your wounded in the escape pods and head down planetside. You don't really have a choice: any Mando we find aboard in ten minutes is a dead one."

Maybe it would work, maybe not. All he cared about just now was that the Xerob's hyperdrive could get the two mated ships away from Lah'mu.

 

[Lucien Dooku]

Luc gave another two-finger salute to Jerec as he separated from the Captain and headed towards the Engine room. The Mandalorians were just about finished by then, with the boarding party unceremoniously sliced through, and the engine room's defenders meeting a similar fate at the hands of Ay.

There were still a few stragglers between him and his destination, his eyes picking up and marking the armored warriors as they scuttled in and around the ship's corridors. Jerec gave the remaining -- now -- defenders the opportunity to escape with their remaining comrades, if they wanted to live that is. Luc appreciated his captain's ability to show a bit of mercy towards their enemy. That didn't stop him from cutting down an approaching warrior though, but in all fairness the message had just been delivered.

Another two approached, yet these two were each carrying an injured comrade over their arms. Luc deactivated his lightsaber upon seeing no weapons being carried, and him and the taller of the pair shared a nod with eachother as they walked past each other. "Safe travels." There was a genuine respect for them, even if he held no qualms about removing them from existence. It didn't stop him from glancing over his shoulder until they were out of sight He didn't trust them not to pull a fast one on him, but he kept moving forwards at a leisurely gait regardless.

Luc arrived to the engine room about a minute and a half later. He slid the now-deactivated lightsaber back into its holster. "Looks like you and Quekko had a grand 'ol time on the way here." He said with a smirk. There was a sense of comfort that came with knowing that she was equally, if not most likely more dangerous than him. He shifted his attention towards the hyperdrive and began a brief check on the system, ensuring there were not any glaring issues that would prevent them from jumping. He still kept an ear towards Ay, though, as he always found her responses enjoyable to hear.

Ay Ge Jerec Asyr

 

[Ay Ge]

Though no mechanic Ay was decently perceptive, herself checking around the engine room, making sure that no tampering had taken place. That or some sort of delayed explosive the blow the join if they did lose the ship, so far nothing of the sorts had been found. Even if Mandos were a strange group at the very least you could count on them to be honorable... most of the time. It would seem their captain would extend such honor as well, letting the remaining members flee their craft with their life. No doubt once on the planet the survivors would make haste 'acquiring' another ship.

With her spot check on the engine done Ay turned back down the hallway, stopping Lucien, giving a short nod to the man as he went to work. "Answer, myself and Quekko worked efficiently together in dispatching the rear units of the boarding party". "He is a very effective fighter, if but unorthodox in manner allowing unique attack option not available to myself". "If the opportunity presents itself once again I would once more use his skill set to my advantage".

Jerec Asyr Lucien Dooku

 

[Jerec Asyr]

Lucien Dooku Ay Ge

"Well, you folks did great."

"Buckarawwk."

"And Quekko thinks so too. But he's pointing out a couple things we should know." Jerec sat down in the Xerob's bloody command chair and pointed at the sensors. "Imperial patrol on its way, so we should jump this ship and hope ours comes along. With or without the leftover Mandos that are one hundred percent hiding in one of these ships, waiting for a chance to turn the tables. Mandos don't give up." He thought about it for a minute. "Well, yeah, they do give up, all the time, but I'm still guessing we've got a stowaway in beskar'gam. Quekko and I can take care of the hyperjump, but I'll need you two to hunt down the last holdouts together."

 

[Lucien Dooku]

"And here I was thinking that we scared the lot of 'em away~" Luc let out a sigh. He fully intended to allow the defeated warriors the opportunity to escape, but reality was always a bit darker than necessary. If there were indeed going to be stowaways on board, it was only a matter of time before they would meet their end. Even if it wasn't at his hands, it definitely would happen between the knee-capping avian and the woman next to him that proved efficient at 'elimination'.

On the brightside, he was at least afforded a moment to stretch out his arms and roll his shoulders a bit. Fighting within corridors did a number on his muscles, but it was mostly his use of the force that drained his stamina. Once he was finished, Luc grabbed his lightsaber once again, his gaze shifting from down the corridor and over to Ay. "You wanna take the lead on this one, Ay?" He asked, then paused as a thought jumped across his mind. Opening up his comms, Luc reached out to Jerec before Ay could respond to him. "Just a heads up, my R-4 is still active on the Infinity's Free. Should I have 'em hook up to the ship's sensors, or do you think I should let him continue laying low?"

Ay Ge Jerec Asyr

 

[Ay Ge]

The fight over all was rather short and to the point, for any of the surviving Mando it was probably a very surprising turn of events, but then again how many smuggling freighters had such a groups of capable fighters. Ay walked silently to the cockpit where the rest of the crew had organized themselves, holstering her weapons for the time being as she stood there rather rigidly. She didn't say much as the other two member went over a very rough debriefing of their successful operation, not even reacting at the mentioning of stow always, it had already been something to consider from the very start if they had managed to capture the corvette. "Question, should I run counter insurgency measures to eliminate any neutralize hostile targets"? She asked in response to Lucien proposition, after all, finding sneaky rats in hard to reach places was more or less her design. "Query, upon finding any remaining members of the former crew, what shall I do, detain or eliminate them"?

Jerec Asyr Lucien Dooku

 

[Jerec Asyr]

Ay Ge Lucien Dooku

"I'm torn. I don't much like giving a kill order no matter what. But they came for us first, they're spitting in our face while we give'em amnesty, and I've put you two through enough risks already. Take'em out unless it's an easy capture."

Jerec ran his fingers through sweat-slicked hair and kept configuring the hyperdrive. The Mando corvette's old navicomputer dinged, unexpectedly quick.

"We're about to jump, the two ships together. Three, two..."

They leaped to hyperspace and emerged almost at once. The sensor screens were one hundred percent clear.

"Half a light-year into deep space. More than enough distance to dig out the rats, patch up our own hyperdrive, get the loot taken care of."

 

[Lucien Dooku]

Luc braced himself against a wall as the conjoined ships jumped into hyperspace, then emerged immediately after with a thud. The NAVI on his wrist chimed to life as his astromech delivered an angry message to its owner. "Uh huh..,Mhm...alright. Gotcha, Chief." He muttered back into the device. "Looks like there's a couple stragglers near our shuttle bay." He said to Ay as he powered down the device.

"R-4's not too happy with it, but, they're the ones who're trapped with us now." He tossed the deactivated hilt playfully as he spoke, his mind still focusing on unwinding a bit after the lull in the fighting kicked in. "Since we've got two ships to clear out, and i'm pretty sure you're more versed in the skulduggery side of things, how about you clear out this one and make sure the Cap' is straight? Meanwhile i'll handle the rats scrounging around our ship."

He left out the part where R-4 was threatening to space them via blown-out blast doors if they started to mess with Midnight. It was Luc's order at first, if things went terrible wrong, but the danger was more or less gone by then. Unfortunately for him, the droid had a bit of a mean streak if it didn't occasionally get its way. And after the sudden two-ship jump -- and everything else before as well -- R-4 was apparently feeling trigger happy too.

Ay Ge Jerec Asyr

 

[Ay Ge]

"Order received proceeding with next assignment". Turning on a dime Ay made her way back into the bows of their new corvette, idly listening to the rest of the crew chatter over their communicators. Once more not bothering to add anything to their ongoing conversation, only reacting as Lucien presented them with some new information, "received, it is a sound plan". Her hand reaching for a small side arm pistol this time around, a silencer screwing around the muzzle as she began to stealthily wander back down the hallways, not wanting to draw attention.

The shuttle bay wasn't a bad place to hide, it made a lot of sense all things considered. Unfortunately that mean it was quite an obvious place to look when searching for stowaways. In her experience the best place to hide on a ship wasn't a place no one would think to look, cus sooner or later they would look their, nor a place that made sense. The best places to hid often were simple areas the crew went often but in that one little section no one knows about or never bothers to check. It would seem this Mando's were quite new to the art of ship stealth, probably the first time it had happened to them, being the attackers and all.

Jerec Asyr Lucien Dooku

 

[Jerec Asyr]

Lucien Dooku , Ay Ge , and Quekko were off hunting in various directions, which left Jerec to sit and sweat in the pilot's chair - and hope some Mando didn't get the drop on them.

He derived some comfort from the fact that they'd all, you know, survived and had a second ship. When the kids got back from the hunt, they'd have to have a talk about whether to strip the Xerob, or split up and fly it somewhere safe. Small and old the corvette might be, but it was probably worth a good eighty, ninety thousand credits in one piece. Worth the extra risk? Maybe. Stripping it for parts and cramming those parts into the hold and corridors of the Infinity's Free might net as much as...twenty thousand? Twenty-five at the absolute max.

A blaster muzzle rested against the back of Jerec's skull.

"Uhhh..."

"Nice and easy, spacer," said the Mando stowaway. "Hands away from the controls."

 

[Lucien Dooku]

Luc smiled for a moment as Ay replied, then waved a hand to say farewell as he walked off towards his objective. She was a logical woman, and at times a bit too literal, but overall it was something he could get used to. She did what she had to do, contributed tactically where she can, and didn't look bad at all. Overall, she was a solid crewmate in his books, just like their Captain.

Pew!

A blaster sounded off down the corridor, his AR-lenses catching the Mandalorian and marking the location. He shifted his head left, the bolt zipping past his head with no harm done. "Great shooting, guy!" Luc yelled, a few more shots coming towards him when the baited Mandalorian peeked from his position. Luc dipped to the left, avoiding one bolt, and propelled himself forwards with another burst of the force. By then the warrior decided it was best to retreat, unless he end up like his comrades who failed to win after encountering this same 'Jedi'.

Luc rounded the corner, another volley of bolts slamming near him as he pressed against the wall and waited for an opening. His NAVI returned to life with R-4's usual method of chiming in announced. The droid was still pretty peeved, especially since the Mandalorians were now cornered in the shuttle bay. "How about we don't space them, yeah? Not yet, anyway." Luc smirked. "Trust me buddy-- I have a plan."

Ay Ge Jerec Asyr

 

[Ay Ge]

One more the pale girl slinked through the ventilation systems towards her current goal, those hiding below seemed a little more organized then she had initially suspected. Most likley having an improdue meeting, planning their next course of action, she could piratically hear their words through the echoing ducts. "---- wait until --- fall asleep --- steal weapo--- weld shut--- space em". Once more a sound tactic but a very common one to think of, at the very least she knew these people were a threat and not some sulking mechanics that had hidden when the fighting started.

Like a horror movie her pair of beedy red eyes peaked from the dark vent, looking at the huddled group of 4 Mando's, clearly unaware of her presance. Like, who would expect a freighter crew to have a tiny cybernetic living weapon girl on hand. It was probably safe to assume non of them knew their make up of their crew. "Targets spotted, attempting apprehension". Moving around in the vents Ay once more put her legs to use, raising her right foot and slamming it down on the vent. The metal slab smashing into the heads of the mandos below, not hurting them but giving Ay enough time to leave them a surprise, in the form of a flash bang.

The loud bang and blinding light filled the small room in an instant, over the top cries of pain people tripping over soon echoing through the vents as Ay jumped down into the middle of them. A flurry of shot aimed at each of their legs was enough to incapacitate the plotters, not enough to penetrate their armor but there was going to be some broken bones. "Targets successfully neutralized without casualties, proceeding with detainment". Using her sword as a cattle prod Ay forced the group into one of the ships small prison cell cell, confiscating their weapons before leaving them to sit and nurse their wounds.

Once more her voice range out over the crew's comlink, "Report, primary objective completed, awaiting secondary orders".

Jerec Asyr Lucien Dooku

 

[Jerec Asyr]

Lucien Dooku Ay Ge
With a Mandalorian's blaster muzzle pressed to his forehead, Jerec slapped the intercom-

"COCKPIT!"

-and promptly got shot. Stun blast, but he was out cold.

His voice had blasted through the halls at maximum volume. Whether his crewers and Lucien's crabby droid could rally, work together, take down the last of the Mandos, was anyone's guess.

He clearly had faith in them, though. Otherwise he'd probably have tried something that didn't involve getting shot in the head.

If they could pull it off and purge both ships of the last few Mandos, they were free and clear with loads of loot. If they couldn't, the three of them were dead.