Private Scrap for Your Thoughts?

[River Kryze]

Scrap for Your Thoughts?

​

Location: Korriban, Site of Ashen Crusade and Maw Brotherhood Engagement
When she had learned of this new haul of tech on Korriban, River had wrongly assumed that the ship in question was a small frigate or a supply ship that had finally crashed into the planet. When River had arrived on world, her thoughts were that of a small vessel that she could easily pick through for data and materials for her various projects, and move on. What she hadn't expected, was a mostly intact battleship that had seemingly managed to not go to pieces on reentry; talk about a feat of engineering. Perhaps out of foolishness, she had declined to bring any of her workers with her, the Mandalorian going alone with her armament, and her cybernetics. She assumed at worst, she could handle a stray Sith or some over zealous scavengers. Often the sight of a Mandalorian was enough to scare away most trouble makers, one with a set of cybernetic arms jutting out of their spin? They'd have to be insane to not flee.

To say she had bitten off more than she could chew was being modest, in truth, River Kryze hadn't known half of it. Well, she did, but perhaps it was more apt to say she sufficiently underestimated how much material she would be scraping from this site. Initially, she had planned on looking for astomech data, and targeting array data from whatever she could find. Now, she had a long running list going from still active power cores to reusable durasteel plating; which meant she was going to need to charter a whole crew to get these materials back to her workshop. Now instead of a quick snatch and grab, she was going to have to mark the sites she wanted scraped and hopefully take at least sixty percent of the haul back with her.

Walking to the nearest entry she could find, River spotted a nice jutting hole in the armor plating of the ship. Seeing it as her best way to start, she ignited her jet pack and flew toward it, only to find that the entry way was cluttered with debris. Reaching out mentally, one of her metallic tentacles gripped an obstructing support column, and began to move it aside. The act revealed a pair of deck plates that had collapsed in from above, and with her remaining three cybernetic arms, River positions the arms under the collapsed plates and pushed up, providing her an opening as she maneuvered her way through the tight corridor, and cut her jetpack off. Ensuring she was not in danger of being crushed, she carefully re-positioned the support strut, jamming it under the plates and propping it upwards. With the task done, she relaxed her mental control, and was pleasantly surprised when nothing collapsed atop her.

With one crisis avoided, the Mandalorian found herself in the midst of what seemed to be a large open bay. Switching on her helmet's night vision, she soon realized she was in a cargo hold, as several dozen large crates were tossed about the room, the floor had been blown apart, and various wires and machinery dangled from the ceiling, and walls, with occasional flickers and sparks signifying that there was some nature of electricity still active within the ship; that gave her a something to work with if it came down to jury rigging something together if nothing else. Musing to herself, the woman uncoupled the datapad on her hip and began to look over her list.

In a perfect galaxy, she'd have the whole ship to herself for most of the evening, but as one knows, the galaxy is anything but perfect.
Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Scrap for your thoughts​

Location: Korriban, site of major engagement
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: River Kryze

---​

They had been sent out rather suddenly. Mathieu and a twelve marines were packed together in a shuttle en route to some old battle site on Korriban. The voice of Chaussidier could be heard over the intercom as they got ever closer to their destination. "We have picked up increased activity in the vicinity. Our scans indicate that it is more than mere scavengers. Establish a beachhead. Mathieu, I want you to enter the husk. Find out what you can. If there are any remnants in there; root them out. Chaussidier out."

It was relatively quiet after the Admiral disconnected the call. Chatter didn't have time to come back to life before the shuttle set down by the nose of the larger vessel. Carrying a sizeable deal of equipment, the marines and the Jedi debarked, slowly making their way up along its hull. Once the technical expert had determined the best location for entry, the team started setting up the devices they had brought. Mathieu, however, stepped away and sat down on a larger flat metallic plate. There, he tried to centre himself and to find peace.

He reached out. Making himself easy to detect by other force users. It also allowed him a greater chance of detecting other force users. But then, he was on Korriban. There were plenty of former Sith hiding wherever they could and while he sure could sense something it was hard to tell what that thing might be.

Meanwhile, a laser drill started its work. Slowly but surely, it created a hole in the hull. Not large enough to fight a jet fighter, but certainly roomy enough for Mathieu to hop in through. Once done, he did just that while the marines waited outside. Ready to either go in to reinforce their ally, or stay up there and fend off attackers.

The hole that had just been created let in a beam of sunshine into the chamber where Mathieu entered. His muscular frame and heavy armour ensured that a heavy thud could be heard as his boots hit the floor plates underneath. With a swift move, he unsheathed and ignited his blue sabre to act as an independent light source from the small ray of sunshine that could slip in through the hole.

With slow and careful steps, the Jedi ventured deeper into the ship. There was no clear thoughts that guided him. Instead, he simply relied on the force as he pushed on. Eventually, he arrived by a door which presumably lead to a larger chamber. At least judging by how the opening seemed abnormally large on this end of the room compared to the opposite one.

Brushing his hand across it, dust started falling off. But still, it remained still. His gaze went to the door's command console. But it did not appear to have any power. With that, he decided to look around for a couple more minutes to see if he could find an alternate route. If not, sticking the sabre into whatever it was that was blocking his path seemed like a reasonable approach.

 

[River Kryze]

Scrap for Your Thoughts?

​

Location: Korriban, Site of Ashen Crusade and Maw Brotherhood Engagement

River had taken stock of the contents of the cargo bay, and needless to say, she was less than pleased. A brief inspection revealed the worst, a fire had broken out and destroyed most of the valuable cargo. Which left her with the only option of trying to locate a turbolift and more than likely scale it. She indeed found the turbo lift on the far side of the room, unfortunately, it involved crossing over a series of collapsed deck-plates; which River was none too key on doing. Scowling, she moved towards the nearest intact bulkhead, and activated her mag boots. Reaching out mentally, she gripped onto the sides of the plates, holding onto the artificial hand holds that the ship had unintentionally made for itself, and ever so carefully began to cross over. "You're getting too old for this River." She muttered to herself, wishing she still had her daughters to assist in this front, but contact with those two had long since been disrupted.

Heck, most of everyone she knew now was either dead, MIA, or just place gone. That was one downside of getting old, losing all your friends and struggling to just find something to keep you going. River had her gadgets of course, and a somewhat lively company, but aside from that what did she actually have? She tried not to think about it, and for once, the universe seemed to be trying to aid her on that front. One of River's tendrils gave way, as a piece of metal she had gripped snapped free, and almost took River with it in the process. Quickly, she released the hold her tendril had on the metal section, and watched as it smashed against the deck-plates. Initially, she thought that was the worst of it, but her folly soon proved to be far more of a disaster than she realized. The weakened floor gave way, and with it, so too did much of the structural integrity. An ungodly noise erupted from the hold, as the floor collapsed, smashing into the level below, and shaking the room violently. Seeing she had little choice left than to get away from the current danger, River ignited her jetpack, and deactivated her mag boots, quickly using her cybernetic limbs to re-angle her approach as she jetted towards the turbolift, as the floor below her continued to sound off. Finding a section of floor that hadn't given way, she set herself down, and inspected the clouds of dust that rose up from where she had crossed over.

To her dismay, she found that the floor below seemed to be an armory of sorts, given the power cell units and fuel canisters she could make out through her HUD. Slowly backing away from the potential time bomb, she moved towards the heavy door, deciding that it would be in her best interests to get out of the room before she set something else off. Though, she had no idea she wasn't alone.
Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Scrap for your thoughts​

Location: Korriban, site of major engagement
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: River Kryze

---​

There was not much to go off of in the chamber he was in. Some old crates were scattered about but nothing which looked like it could wake an old control panel back to life. A heavy duty cable with a metallic exterior laid neatly on one of the crates. Upon closer inspection, the large Morellian noticed that it could more than likely be used as rope. It lacked the same flexibility which meant that lassoing it would be hard. But it certainly appeared to be durable.

Upon picking it up, a loud noise could be heard from the room which he had tried to get in to. Metal against metal - perhaps it was just the old ship. Perhaps his target was nearer than he thought. A concerned Marine stuck her head down the hole that Mathieu had entered through. A large head-shaped shadow was cast down onto the floor, causing the Jedi to look up. He offered the soldier an OK-sign before making his way back to the door - now with his new 'rope' hanging over his shoulder.

Once there, he did just what he had originally planned and stuck his lightsabre into the door. It was not a discrete way to make an entrance. If there were Sith inside, they would undoubtedly notice that the tip of a blue lightsabre stuck out from the heavy door. But then, Mathieu's intents were never to avoid the Sith regardless. Still, not sensing any dark sided force users in the room beyond was something which gave him peace.

Increasingly large segments of the door started to melt and fall from the rest of the metallic obstacle. Molten metal gathered on the floor on both sides as a quickly growing hole appeared. The hot effect of the sabre could only spread so far before the weapon would have to be moved. But ultimately, that was unnecessary. Moving his blade about, the large Morellian cleared the hole of some extremely hot substances. With the use of aerokinesis, he ushered a soft gush of wind thorugh the opening. It was far from effective but it did help a slight bit in cooling the metal down. Finally, he stepped through.

Standing at his full height, Mathieu would tower above most. With his impressive physique and heavy armour, his figure was rather imposing. But, his face told another story as curious blue eyes looked around until he saw the tentacled Mandalorian. "You're not Sith" he stated, sounding rather happy about the discovery. "Hey, I'm Mathieu"

 

[River Kryze]

Scrap for Your Thoughts?

​

Location: Korriban, Site of Ashen Crusade and Maw Brotherhood Engagement

Taking a moment to inspect the door controls, River was perturbed to find that it was seemingly glowing red hot; which she was almost entirely certain it hadn't been doing moments ago. Stepping back, she ran through a list of what could be the cause, and the colored blade that began to poke through the molten metal made one thing clear; it was a lightsaber. River had encountered lightsabers exactly once before in her life, and it was when one of her Mandalorians was showing off a victory trophy. She knew all too well the danger they posed, and how they were pretty darn good at cutting through things. Raising her arms up, River initiated her energy gauntlets, forming the dual shields infront of her, and kneeling behind her device. Her cybernetic tendrils raised up, as she deployed their weapons, the pincers moving backwards as the concealed barrels of the concealed blasters deployed, and she was left to await what her potential attacker would do next. As the door was laid to waste by her potential attacker, River didn't immediately open fire, after all, it could have very well been fellow scavengers coming to investigate.

Thankfully, the stranger on the other side had not come to combat her. Her head tilted to the side, processing the armored form before her, though given the man had introduced himself, it seemed that peace was the desired outcome of this engagement. Slowly, the Mandalorian rises, her gauntlets powering down, and cybernetics withdrawing their weapons. There was an air to him, relaxed perhaps? Either way, he seemed pleasant, which meant he certainly wasn't Sith, though could he have been with the Crusade? Anything was possible. River removed her helmet, showing her face this 'Mathieu', cradling her helmet under her arm. "Well, I wasn't expecting this." She mused, stepping towards the man slowly, and eying up his get up. "River Kryze, apologies, I hope this ship isn't yours. Just here for typical salvaging operations." If allowed, she would approach Mathieu and offer up a handshake. It was best to put meetings like this on the right foot after all, needless hostilities bore no fruit after all. She nodded to the large hole behind herself. "Hope I didn't cause too much of a racket."
Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Scrap for your thoughts​

Location: Korriban, site of major engagement
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: River Kryze

---​

Shields and tendrils hovering threateningly above. It was the look of someone who stood ready to defend themselves against danger. But something in her eyes suggested that maybe it was just that. Self preservation. Perhaps a tad of fear. But no real hostility. The latter part was reflected by her actions. For soon, the woman seemed to lower her defences. Mathieu, didn't extinguish his sabre. It was a valued source of light. But he did hold it passively in his left hand, almost as if holding a torch.

She mentioned how she wasn't expecting this. Mathieu smiled "I can see that." it was a friendly comment. Hopefully, it would work to put her at ease. He remained still as she closed the distance between them. Not because he didn't care to make a good connection with her, but rather to avoid even giving her the idea that he was turning aggressive.

"Nope, not mine" he commented idly before the two shook hands. The ship was not his and he had no plans on changing that. Perhaps it would have been worthwhile for a more entrepreneurial spirit. But that was not Mathieu.

With a few slow and careful steps, the large Morellian moved past her to look at what she was pointing at. It was a large hole and while the materials at the bottom were hard to see through the darkness, it sure seemed like they could be of interest to a salvager. "It's fine. I could barely hear it through that massive door." he said, pointing to the entrance from which he came.

While looking around to study the large chamber they were in, Mathieu spoke, throwing her a few glances as he did. "Have you met any other salvagers around here?" He turned to her with a somewhat awkward smile "We picked up some increased activity in the vicinity. Something about a single or a few military grade vessels too. Figured that it might be Sith but, it might've just been you." As he talked, his gaze would slowly wander towards her helmet. It was curious, for it reminded him of the Mandalorian helmets he had seen in the clan Krayt camp. While he did not ask her about it yet, his eyes clearly revealed a degree of curiosity.

 

[River Kryze]

Scrap for Your Thoughts?

​

Location: Korriban, Site of Ashen Crusade and Maw Brotherhood Engagement

The man was nothing if not polite, something that River appreciated. She soon placed her helmet back on, not exactly liking how limited the lighting from the lightsaber was. "Well, I suppose that's something." She muttered, casting a glance towards the door the man had come from. Ideally, they could just go their separate ways, or at the vest least he wouldn't impend her work; after all, she was on a schedule. Still, she kept an eye on the man's saber, knowing all to well how quick things could go south with a weapon like that in the wrong hands. Heck, a super heated vibro sword nearly cleaved her in two, a saber like that? It'd most certainly cut their her secondary layer if he bypassed her beskar; though, Mathieu didn't give off the energy of someone willing to do such a thing.

One thing that did throw her off however, was when he inquired about other scavengers. Far as she knew, she was the only one here, but clearly that was no longer the case. Tilting her head to the side, River slowly set her hand on her blaster, casting a glance back towards the door Mathieu had come from. "Frankly, I thought I was the only one on this site, but if you picked up more than my little craft, then I'm concerned as to who that might be." Frowning, River hadn't come here expecting a fire fight. "Well, you needn't worry, I don't have any trouble with you long as I can get what I came here for. I might wear Mandalorian armor, but I owe you jedi sort some favors." She flipped through several of her vision modes, before settling on her life form sensor. To River's displeasure, it pinged back with reading nearly a dozen life forms in the general vicinity.

Two of them were her and Mathieu, but the rest? It seemed that they were located beneath the pair, and moving; where and how though, she couldn't tell. "Don't want to alarm you Mister Mathieu, but I'm picking up lifeforms relatively close to us, wouldn't be friends of yours would they?" She asked, now removing her blaster pistol as she would koin Mathieu by the hole in the floor she had created.

Hopefully she hadn't kicked up a hornets nest, but whatever the hell was down there was sure to come up sooner or later.
Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Scrap for your thoughts​

Location: Korriban, site of major engagement
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: River Kryze

---​

She was concerned? Mathieu flashed her a smile "We too" The lighthearted comment didn't serve much of a function aside from filling in the small pause in her speech. What came next interested him. She said that she wore Mandalorian armour before adding a 'but'. Did that mean that she was no Mandalorian? Why else would she add a 'but'? The thoughts occupied his mind for a few moments before he looked back to her. "Well, River Kryze, you don't owe me any favours." Mathieu had never met the woman before and was not too keen on having her feel indebted to him solely based on the actions of others. Besides, even if he was comfortable collecting on such a debt, the Jedi Order would most likely not appreciate if he did so without good cause.

The large Morellian turned to her, letting his wide back face the large hole which she had passed not all too long ago. A single eyebrow rose as he looked to her curiously "How did you know?" His intrigued voice did not carry signs of suspicion as he pointed up high - not at all the same direction from where her readings picked up life forms - "The rest of the landing party set up shop up there. They'll let me know if any outsiders are approaching the ship." he chuckled "And perhaps scare them off too."

As if to demonstrate, Mathieu called a marine over comms "Sergeant, how are things going?" After a brief moment of static, someone picked up, answering that it was calm on the outside. Mathieu nodded "I've met River Kryze in here." He glanced over to her and looked her in the eyes, as if trying to see what she was thinking. "She seems friendly. I'll be on my way."

After hanging up, Mathieu spoke to the new acquaintance "Frankly, I am glad that I was the one to come down here rather than standing watch out there." He let silence take over for a few moments before asking "What was it that you came here for anyways. You seem decent enough. Why come to Korriban, of all places?"

 

[River Kryze]

Scrap for Your Thoughts?

​

Location: Korriban, Site of Ashen Crusade and Maw Brotherhood Engagement

"Favor or no, I think good manners are something that should transend our faction lines. Wouldn't you agree?" She questioned, tilting her head to the side, wonder what the man beside her was pondering. Probably confused as to why a Mandalorian was being welcoming. Unfortunately, her people weren't the kind to show hospitality to others, something River had never quite understood.

River tapped the side of her helmet for emphasis. "I have a life form sensor in my helmet, but the range is limited. I can see-" Her words stoped in her throat, as the life forms blinked off her sensor in quick succession. Now there were only two, her and Mathieu. How in the feth did that happen? Frowning, River slid her pistol back into the holster, and began to fiddle with her wrist computer. She let Mathieu talk with him men, though she had to wonder if she had stumbled into something more than a salvaging operation. But why was her sensor acting up? Maybe a diagnostic was required, perhaps that was all. "I'm something of an engineer, I know, a Mandalorian engineer? I've heard the joke before, don't worry. Anyways, I like to see what sort of software the competition have, and I sell the data back to military units so they can....I guess work on that." She halted her tinkering, glancing to the jedi through her visor. "Now I suppose I should ask why a big strong force user is here in force. No pun intended." She smiled, then remembered he couldn't see her smiling at him. Oh well.

Still, it bothered her that those readings just blinked out. Still, she put it to the back of her mind. Maybe it was just a glitch. "So, Mister Mathieu, am I to go on my way? Am I under arrest? What would you have me do?" River was almost certain she was going to be detained, or at the very least be watched like a hawk. Either way, she wasn't looking forward to it, but, rather keep to being pleasant and hoping for the best.
Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Scrap for your thoughts​

Location: Korriban, site of major engagement
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: River Kryze

---​

"Of course" he smiled, seeing no reason not to show good manners.

It was curious, what she was seeing on that life form sensor, for while she did not detail it closely, it sure seemed to keep her somewhat distracted. At least momentarily.

She then continued explaining what it was that she did. Considering the environment they were in, Mathieu still found himself at peace. Something made him feel a little uneasy, but it was certainly not River. In fact, he felt at peace when listening to her talk about her self and her job. To him, it seemed harmless enough. Of course, there was the possibility that she was playing him for a fool. If there were Sith there, then maybe she was working with them. But he had nothing to suggest that it was the case.

He let out an awkward chuckle as she asked what he - a big, strong force user - was doing there. It was flattering and not quite expected. "We were concerned that Sith were in the vicinity and came by to check" The Jedi felt a little silly saying it as he had already said it before. Of course, she was wondering what he was doing in this region of space, far away from where most of his kind were. But it was not a question he wanted to answer. At least before finding out to what degree she could be trusted.

The answer to her following questions was no. He had no reason to detain or arrest her. "Of course, you may go." he raised a finger to catch her attention before she left "I've worked with a bunch of Mandalorians. We fought together in the wars against the Bryn. I think I even have a claim to the Alorship of one of those clans of yours." how he got the claim on Clan Krayt was a story for another time. It was not the point he wanted to make. "There's nothing wrong with being an engineer and a Mandalorian at the same time. People like you are needed" he said, hoping to give her confidence something of a boost, believing that she was rather conscious about it had waked his sympathy for her.

Her previous comment did pique his curiosity. Leaning his head to the side, Mathieu shot her an amused glance to ask her something before they parted ways "What would I arrest you for, exactly?"

 

[River Kryze]

Scrap for Your Thoughts?

​

Location: Korriban, Site of Ashen Crusade and Maw Brotherhood Engagement

He was polite and generous, both of which she appreciated. Unfortunately, her helmet kept her features from being shown. It was something she disliked about the Mandalorian culture, but again, she couldn't do much about it. "Well, I sure hope not. I'm not exactly in shape to deal with any more Sith." River motioned with her four arms, leaving out the fact she had battled Sith several times in the past. River wasn't exactly a front line soldier, but she could hold off a few soldiers or two. "Last time I ran into a Sith, I ended up with these babies." She wiggled her arms for emphasis, okay maybe she didn't leave out that detail. Well, regardless, she didn't see any harm in it.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere until I get some of what I came for." River tapped the holopad on her hip, hoping the jedi gentleman didn't mind. He seemed nice enough though, so she couldn't see why not. She smirked at his mention of Alorship, something she almost had. "You might not know it, but I was dating one of the Mandalores not long ago." The smile on her face faded as the memories slowly came back, and made her feel awfully alone within her armored shell. Her cheeks reddened as he said she was needed. So rarely did she get those comments, and to get it from a jedi of all people, it felt nice.

She shrugged as he asked what he would arrest her for, and she extended her arms over her head as several of her concealed weapons deployed. There was a rocket launcher, flame thrower, carbonite sprayer, and a pair of Hima blades, before she quickly returned them to where they were stowed. "Walking around without a permit for these?" She mostly was joking, but hey, the jedi had a ton of unknown laws for her to be put under. Assuming she allowed him to do so.

Again, life forms flickered across her HUD, and River's head whirled back to the hole in the floor. Her blaster cleared it's holster, and she readied her arms to lash out at whatever threatened to come to her. "What in the hell is that...." She moved closer to the hole, switching back to her improved night vision mode, and scanning the ground down below.

She hardly saw the pair of grapple lines that snagged around her arms, and quickly pulled her violently into the hole below. She realized as she fell downwards just what was attacking her. The creature in question was partly human, part machine, and all manner of sorts vile looking.

So much for not dealing with the Sith.
Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Scrap for your thoughts​

Location: Korriban, site of major engagement
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: River Kryze

---​

A Mandalorian who had fought Sith was hardly surprising. In fact, by this point, it was almost expected. Still, it appeared as if she had lost a lot. At least judging by the mechanical tentacles. Importantly, this also served to clarify her stances. Mandalorians could be found in all reaches of the galaxy and it was far from obvious who their loyalty belonged to. But it seemed like this one was no fan of the Sith. And to him, that was good news. At least if what she said was true. It was hard to know for sure. Still, they had gotten along well so far and there was no good reason to change that.

He gestured for her to go ahead as she showed what it was that she was there to acquire. Two curious brows raised as she mentioned having dated one of the Mandalores. She sure one-upped him there. He let out a simple "Nice" A bit of a pause ensued as he awkwardly looked to her. He smacked his lips but that failed to ease the awkwardness that had been created. "I was dating one of the medics" he finally said, offering her a smile.

Their interactions continued for a little while. A knowing smirk grew on his lips as she showed him a few of her more destructive capacities. Mathieu had expected offensive capacities from her, just as he did from most Mandalorians. It had not been obvious to him where they were until now when she showed them. "Lucky that we appear to be on the same side" he said, looking to her with friendly eyes.

Soon, however, something seemed to concern her. Not having sensors like her, he carefully looked around, relying on the light provided by his blue blade. When the grapple lines took hold of her limbs, he quickly swung his blade in a downward arc. The lighting of the room flickered as the primary source of light repositioned. His aim was to cut the line - unfortunately, he had been too slow. For when the blade got down to where the line had been, she had already been pulled down. A glowing orange mark lingered on the floor plate. It was bound to leave a mark. But that was of little importance.

Mathieu, not taking his time to think or reaching out through the force took the wiry cable-rope he found earlier and hastily wrapped an end around a part of the structure before jumping into the hole with one hand holding the other end of the rope. Whatever would happen down there, he trusted that the force would guide him right. His large and muscular form combined with the heavy armour in which he was clad meant that his falling speed would be fast. On his way down, he would look for River and try to cut the line which held her if he passed her by.

 

[River Kryze]

Scrap for Your Thoughts?

​

Location: Korriban, Site of Ashen Crusade and Maw Brotherhood Engagement

River tumbled in the bonds that held her. Though her arms were bound, her cybernetics remained free, and she put them to use. Deploying the bladed attachment from her one arm, she swung the blade upwards, severing the tow-cable covering her, and nearly sending her toppling to the ground. Her tentacles smashed into the deck of the ship, catching her before she smashed into it. Immediately, she deployed her shield gauntlets and lowered herself back to her feet. Her second tentacle deployed it's blaster pistol, with the bladed appendage moving to position itself over her head; like a Anativan Scorpion, ready and waiting to strike.

The monster that attacked her dropped the slack wires, or rather ejected them from it's deformed body. Thankfully for her, she wasn't down there for long, as the glow of Mathieu's saber moving to aid her. Unfortunately, there was more than one of the cybernetic monstrosities, as Mathieu's force senses would make him aware of several more foes closing in on both he, and River. The Mandalorian kept her two remaining cybernetic arms open, ready to try and grapple with any of the creatures that attempted to leap up on her, as several of the droid like forms shambled from the darkness and into the glow of Mathieu's lightsaber.

A long tense moment passed, before the beasts leapt to them, and River was forced to go on the offensive.
Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Scrap for your thoughts​

Location: Korriban, site of major engagement
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: River Kryze

---​

Maybe he had been reckless. Jumping into a pit which he could not truly see the end of was at least not the most cautious move he had ever made. But then, he had the force - and importantly, a rope.

Falling down, it would quickly become apparent that River had already escaped the clasps of her attacker. They were not locked in a struggle whilst clinging to some wall - instead they had already reached the bottom. Mathieu, falling down at an ever accelerating speed, realised that he would have to slow down lest he wanted his legs to get crushed on impact. He reached out through the force to slow the fall - it was not enough to let him hover or even to give him a safe landing - but it was enough to avoid injuries. Probably.

He was falling. Not floating, not flying and not gliding. It meant that where he would ultimately land was not quite something which he could decide. But even then, it was possible to slightly adjust the course, ensuring that he wouldn't fall onto River or her tentacles. As luck would have it, it also made it possible for him to land on the monstrosity that had attacked her. It would be nigh on impossible for the foe to withstand the heavy Jedi, falling on to it at a high speed.

Mathieu spun his sabre upon having crash landed onto the monstrosity. If it had survived the impact, the lightsabre would remove both an arm and both legs. He did not want to take life or cause suffering. But in the battle against evil, choice would sometimes be extremely limited. That seemed to be the case here, against strange dark creatures. "Are you okay?" he asked, almost nonchalantly in the light of what had just happened.

As the creatures came closer, Mathieu entered a defensive Soresu stance. It was what he was the most familiar with. He glanced towards River. She appeared to be ready for combat with multiple weapons at her disposal. The tentacles appeared to have a flexibility to them in their capacity to either act defensively or offensively. But even then, his instinct was to protect. Even if she didn't need it, he had a hunch that her offense would be far more powerful than his own. At least from a distance. And so, he drew his secondary lightsabre and ignited its green blade. His left arm shot out to the side with the newly drawn sabre, ensuring that he would put himself between as many monsters and the Mandalorian as possible.

And then they pounced.

 

[River Kryze]

Scrap for Your Thoughts?

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Location: Korriban, Site of Ashen Crusade and Maw Brotherhood Engagement

Her savior had arrived. Technically. River knew the fables of jedi, how people held them with both hate and awe. Both of which she know of, but not the why of. Seeing Mathieu in action however, the way his blade sliced through the darkness, cutting away at the form before her, it was indeed impressive.

She smiled within the confines of her helmet, and was able to respond to him as he inquired as to the state of her being. "Been worse, though you seem to be doing quite well." She was going to add on more, but the words died in her throat as the creatures leapt at them.

River reacted as quick as she could, her blade arm lashed out, stabbing into the neck of the nearest monster, her blaster arm fired at another that was closing in om her right side. The two remaining arms lashed out, slamming into another of the husks that was in the middle of throwing itself at her. Blaster fire erupted from the stabbed monster, and River brought her shielded arms upwards and felt the energy slam into her arms. Twisting the bladed tendril, she with drew it, blood spilled out of the wound and coated both arm and bladed yet the creature continued to fight.

She struck again with the blade arm, this time a horizontal slash, nearly decapitating the monster in the process; though it toppled to the ground, dead. The beast she had thought trapped in her two tendrils freed itself it seemed, and was smashing a bladed appendage into her arms, trying to cut through it, and the one she had thought slain by her blaster was still standing, firing at her, though her shields held strong for the time being.

What she wouldn't give for a lightsaber right now.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Scrap for your thoughts​

Location: Korriban, site of major engagement
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: River Kryze

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"Been through worse" it was a reply that made Mathieu feel at ease. Usually, people who said that had a tendency to be tough. And from what he had seen so far, River appeared to be rather tough. But then, someone fighting monsters with tentacles like she did was bound to at least seem to be tough. In combination with her lack of obvious wounds, he felt free to shift his attention to other things. The attackers in particular. Not that he had much of a choice. They pounced as soon as the woman completed her sentence.

Seeing and sensing three of them heading his way, Mathieu quickly reached out through the force to shove the middle attacker away. It was a measure made to buy time - the main thrust of the attack was put into the force with which he pushed the foe whilst little effort was put into making the eventual landing a hard one.

With the foe that was approaching from the right seeming to arrive sooner than the one coming from the left, Mathieu prepared his defence accordingly. The beast to the right swung high towards the Jedi's throat. Instead of blocking the attack, Mathieu dodged low towards the opposite direction of where the attacker came from. Simultaneously, his leg shot out to produce a powerful kick. The move allowed him to dodge the attack whilst countering at the same time. What's more is that it brought him closer to the other attacker who was caught by surprise by the Jedi suddenly nearing him - or it. Lunging forth with both blades pointed towards the beast, Mathieu would pierce it at two points centrally by its torso.

Withdrawing his blades from the body of his enemy and standing back upright once more, Mathieu was disheartened to discover that all three of the foes still seemed to be going strong. River appeared to have a similar struggle behind him as she just managed to permanently end one of the foes by slashing him by the throat after already having stabbed it there. His mind went to the one he landed on and wondered if it was the force of him landing on it that killed it or if it was him slashing it a few times with the sabre that did the job.

It was only a matter of time - seconds - before the three attackers would be hounding him once more. A frightening idea considering that one of them still had two glowing craters in its chest. And while River had managed to kill one of them, she still had at least a couple more to deal with. Keeping his blue sabre up front defensively, Mathieu poked at River with the other elbow and pointed towards a dark but narrow corridor with his green blade. "We need to move. Go!"

Just as the words were uttered, two of the beings slashed at him. It put his well practiced soresu to the test as he worked to fend them off. If River did as he suggested and moved towards the corridor, Mathieu would be quick to give ground to conserve energy and to stay close to his ally. Effectively, this would put him between her and the multitude of crazed creatures that attacked them. But it would allow his impeccable defence to shine whilst allowing her to try to take some of them down from a safer position. Still, with so many attackers, being forced to at least slowly give up ground and move backwards was inevitable. If he had time to ponder about it, Mathieu would wonder how far back into the corridor they could go before encountering a dead-end or another hole.

 

[River Kryze]

Scrap for Your Thoughts?

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Location: Korriban, Site of Ashen Crusade and Maw Brotherhood Engagement

Without the skill of the jedi, they most certainly would have been overrun. Catching the flash of Mathieu's blade-work, River was reminded of just how outclassed she was here. Her mind was something between frantic, and thoughtful as the Mandalorian and jedi fought against the cybernetic abominations. She was so caught up in the battle, that the prod from Mathieu nearly saw her strike him with on of her tendrils, but thank the force calmer heads prevailed. Mathieu was right about one thing though, they were not going to win this fight with their current situation remaining as it was. "You cover our backs, and I'll keep a path clear." They needed ion weapons, otherwise the cybernetics would just bringing these bodies back to life. While she lacked such things at current, River was almost certain there would be some manner of ion weaponry within the ship. They had to be close to some sort of weaponry platforms, and if that was the case, there'd certainly be some ion charges she could utilize.

Moving into the corridor, she used her free tendrils to cast aside debris, and her HUD to look for Ion signatures. To her great fortune, there was indeed several on the same level, though they were several dozen feet down the corridor she was currently working her way through. "I need some Ion charges to put these things down, just keep up your fancy moves! There's an Ion signature down the hall here!" Shifting through rubble and broken metal, she moved as swiftly as she could towards the Ion signatures, hoping Mathieu could keep the monsters busy.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Scrap for your thoughts​

Location: Korriban, site of major engagement
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: River Kryze

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Keep the path clear? Mathieu had hoped that a more significant part of the corridor would be traversable without her needing to dedicate herself to clearing it. But then, she was the one who had advanced visual aids whereas he only had the light that his sabre produced. "Yeaahhh" his response blended into a grunt as another attacker came at him.

Fortunately, Mathieu's guard was never lowered. With his impressive strength, he not only blocked the attack but he also pushed back, causing the attacker to stagger back a few steps. It was just in time as a second attack came his way. A similar defence would be used for this one and the one after. Slowly but surely, the large Jedi grew more accustomed to the foes they were facing. He was still forced backwards along with River into the corridor but for the time being, the situation appeared to be manageable.

It became even more manageable once they were inside the corridor. The two defenders were still on the backfoot but with limited space and few possibilities of flanking them, Mathieu could hold his ground more reliably. Of course, the blaster fire that came towards them made it harder. His well-practiced defence could swat away most bolts and his own heavy armour could handle any bolts that managed to slip past his sabre. But he was more concerned for the Mandalorian - her armour was extensive but there did seem to be quite a few spots where a blaster bolt could do some damage. But then, her smaller figure - except for the tentacles - could easily fit behind him and the 'shield' that his sabre created for them.

When she mentioned the need of ion charges, his mind went to what she had most likely already thought of when they fist encountered the creatures. Cybernetics was the main thing that kept them going. For this, Mathieu was well equipped for he had an electromagnetic pulse emitter that could reliably deal with electronics. Still, it would probably be better in her hands, seeing as all of the monstrosities would not be within the device's range but if she was allowed to use it, he hoped that she would be able to turn it into something more appropriate for their situation.

Then there was the question of how she would get it - for with both of his hands handling his sabre, Mathieu was not in a good spot to hand it to her or give her a detailed description of where it was. Thinking on his feet, Mathieu produced a few heavy swings against the attackers, just to stagger them a bit and push them back. It was the first sign of a mounting offence. He then reached out through the force and channeled a light blue orb. After a few brief moments, he released it in a blast down the corridor, violently pushing the attackers away several meters. In normal cases, it could have caused quite a bit of damage but in this instance, it would all be healed by their cybernetics. With a moment to spare, Mathieu reached into a pouch by his belt and tossed her two small devices.

"An EMP-pulse. Got a radius of ten metres." he said before being forced to return his attention to the attackers as they recovered. The one device was the actual pulse emitter, the other was a remote control. Hopefully, the big round button would make it clear enough that the remote was indeed a remote.

 

[River Kryze]

Scrap for Your Thoughts?

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Location: Korriban, Site of Ashen Crusade and Maw Brotherhood Engagement

River hadn't made nearly as much headway on her attempt at getting a hold of an ion charge, as though she moved as fast as her mechanical limbs would allow her to, the reality of physical limitations could not be overlooked. She ignored the paniced voices at the back of her mind, the ones telling her that the jedi was faltering, that just as she had with her daughters, so too would she fail here. All of which only added highly undesired weight to her already pressured mind.

Perhaps by sheer luck, Mathieu did in fact have an Ion charge, and as the jedi called out the limitations on the device, River's attention turned to trying to retrieve the device. One of her tendrils lashed out, one managing to snag the remote, the other seizing the detonator. With both devices now in hand, River pulled them back to herself, and set to the task of trying to save their skin. While the device was rather limited in terms of range, there was one possible opportunity she hoped to exploit. Switching to her heat sensors, she viewed the blockage before her, and only had the guide of her ion charge as a means to navigate. They only had one shot at this, so she needed to make it count. With remote in one hand, and Ion charge in another, River forced the tentacle forward, weaving it through the labyrinth of scrap and metal, before letting loose the charge down the hall.

While she was unable to reach the inital Ion charges she desired, the fact of the matter was that they still resided within the ship; though just beyond her reach. While normally, such weapons would be made safe against accidental detonation, River was betting on the previous crew of the ship had left the safeties off to increase their firing rates. Watching as the device rolled into range, she readied to detonate the device, listening all the while to Mathieu's effective though dwindling defensive efforts. She watched as the charge rolled closer to the marker on her HUD, slowing, inching, until it was finally in range.

River pressed on the switch, and a wave of static erupted forth. Several Ion charges detonated, many of which were designated for ship to ship combat, exploded forth in the confines of the ship. Electrical impulses erupted, playing havoc with any electrical devices, including River's own cybernetics, and comlinks. The monstrosities were undone by the blast as well, falling apart into useless husks of biological and mechanical parts. River herself however, fell backwards, her cybernetic spine having been knocked off line by the overdose of Ion, as well as several of her suits features. Landing back first, her cybernetic arms laid around her, unable to function as the energy pack she had been totting around was fried as well. Fumbling with her helmet, she managed to remove it. "Aside from losing control of my legs, I think we got them." She managed to get out, then set on the difficult task of trying to sit up.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Scrap for your thoughts​

Location: Korriban, site of major engagement
Notable Equipment: Jedi armour, various items
Tags: River Kryze

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Mathieu's attention was not at how she was solving their problem. His attention was, fully, at the monstrosities attacking them. Regardless of how many times he managed to bounce a blaster bolt back at them or make a devastating slash by their limbs or torsos, they kept getting back up to their feet. He had not yet reached the point of hopelessness but he was starting to wonder if there was any other way of besting their foes than the use of ion or an EMP.

Remembering how River had managed to take one out permanently earlier, he took inspiration from her actions. As soon as the opportunity appeared and he managed to deflect a greater number of attacks at once, he stepped forth aggressively with a wide swing. His blade beheaded one of the monstrosities and continued to meet the blades of two attackers. The move successfully removed one foe from the battle whilst also keeping him safe from two others. However, he would soon feel an insidious burning pain by his leg as one of the blaster bolts impacted with his armour plate, causing it to burn hot after having neutralised the bolt. If this was to continue, it might be possible to win the battle eventually - but the wounds he would incur would be many.

Other factors also played a role. River, the woman who he was constantly taking small steps towards as she cleared the path, could also be put in danger. And as the fighting intensified, her paced seemed to slow down to a halt. Mathieu glanced back momentarily and saw how she had stuck one of her arms into a hole in the wall. He was unsure of what she was doing but at this point, he had little choice but to trust her judgement. It was not a hard task, seeing as she had shown good judgement so far.

Eventually, a massive ion blast went out. It coursed through the ship and importantly, the monstrosities that attacked them. The beings quickly collapsed into fleshy metallic heaps. Instead of letting his mind guide him to his mechanically reliant ally, Mathieu's attention remained on the ones who had been attacking them. With his blade continuing to spin in front of him - just as it had when he defended against the attacks - he moved forth and allowed it to slice into the foes who laid on the ground, causing irreparable damage to them while their systems and defences were down. There creatures were beyond saving and would not be allowed to recover.

Once they had been permanently neutralised, the young Morellian turned to River. His blue eyes were filled with concern as he saw that she too now laid on the floor. Fortunately, she did not appear to be dead but she was definitely worse off compared to earlier. "Are you alright?" his tone was worried as he asked.

When she replied, he seemed to relax a little. It seemed like cybernetics were integral to her functioning but their deactivation did not appear to be fatal. Closing the distance between them with long strides, he quickly arrived by her side and crouched down. "It's alright, I should be able to get us out of here." he said as his eyes studied her. Her extensive cybernetics all appeared to be down and as she said, she seemed to be more or less paralysed in a significant portion of her body.

After considering how to best continue, he spoke "Is it okay if I pick you up? I should be able to take you to the team outside. If they can't get you fixed up, we can probably do it on the ship" From the way he looked at her, his tone and posture, it was clear that he now saw her as an ally. Someone whom he cared about and wanted to get back up and running.