Mission &nbsp; Sleight of Hand | Age of Strife | SCAR Squadron

Objectives:

Gain entry to the IMP500 building
Locate Bioweapon
Capture bioweapon carrier alive

En route from Bastion Atmosphere to Ravelin...

Sarge swallowed the sour taste in his mouth before he entered the briefing room. He could not be deterred, he must not be deterred. They had all sworn an oath to the Emperor and the Empire to fulfill their duty no matter the cost.

But he knew this mission... this mission was stretching it.

How far would you go for the Empire?

How far before more become tempted by a great restart-- even among his own.

They would go on Bastion, right in the Heart of the Empire, among those they had sworn to protect, among their own kin and fellow Imperials, and operate as renegades to the rest of the Empire. They, the elite of the elite, would be the necessary evil that had to preserve the Empire's strength. They would not disclose the potential catastrophe in the making to those they vowed to defend, they would operate as terrorists to deter terrorists... they would kill their own if it meant stopping the bioweapon and saving the Empire's face.

Sarge stared at the map of the IMP500 stock exchange building projected in holo in the midst of the squad. He spoke and never averted his eyes to look at any of his comrades.

"We'll be on the carrier and his escort's tail the moment we land, headed straight to the IMP500 building in Corpo District. COMPNOR has provided us with credentials to pass through the security check at the stock exchange unbothered, but we expect the same of the terrorists; moles have been working hard to get them all they need to execute their plan."

"Jammer's going to be on me, meaning should we fail to capture them immediately, we need to keep the carrier close to me during a pursuit or we risk the device detonating." he didn't need to tell them the consequences of that event. They knew. "Keep Sylus alive at all costs, right now he's the only man in the galaxy that can disable the portable bioweapon." didn't need to tell them the consequences of the agent's death, either. They knew.

A pause followed before he continued. "Should things go from bad to worse and law enforcement answers a call..." ...millions would die. A few dead cops, a few dead stormies, and a few dead civilians is nothing compared to that, ISB had told him. Sarge opted not to.

They knew.

"... we do what we must."

...

"Any questions, remarks, or suggestions?"

/ooc: one post round for the brief as a hook if y'all wanna add more layers and build up the set up more through the briefing, otherwise drop a one off 'all clear' post and I can skip cutscene us to the building :handrub:

Kelinna Tryn · Sep 11, 2022

R E A P E R

THE EMPIRE

RAVELIN | BASTION

TAG: 

Hal Vaiken
| 

Katja Javik
| 

Sylus (Γ059)
| 

Margo Liaeris
| Kav Canthar

DEARLY DEPARTED​

The Bureau. 

There was nothing they wouldn't do to get what they want. She was proof of that. A product of that creation. And here they were - on another goose chase that could end in death - unmarked and labelled traitors for all intents and purposes. 

Business as usual. 

For the first time in forever, however, the Reaper wasn't checking her rifles back to front - even though they weren't hers. Her face was marble, her head nothing but static. Constant white noise. Clean, cold slate on this op.

And Death was darker than she ever had been before.

Sarge entered the briefing room and his own marble face told her he was filled with his own static. It was mission before else, however - now more than ever before. 

Lily listened to the briefing, her own steel-blue gaze remaining fixed on the holo. No explanations were needed. The "... we do what we must" told her of all people more than any explanation ever could. 

Spare no one that gets in your way - no matter who they are. Everyone is an enemy of the state now - officers, comrades, friends, family...

The price of obedience to the Empire.

"Any questions, remarks, or suggestions?"

"For the Empire." 

The words were spoken without any emotion, the steel-blue gaze hard and cold as iron. Unwavering loyalty. No one was more important than the Empire. Not anything. 

Not anymore.

Do what needs to be done.

Katja Javik · Sep 11, 2022

THE EMPIRE
IMPERIAL SPECIAL FORCES
BASTION

Sylus (Γ059) |

Kelinna Tryn | Kav Canthar |

Hal Vaiken

She shifted uncomfortably at feeling so exposed without a shell of armour to offer protection. Wasn't this the ISB's job?

There was hesitation before her reply, afraid that there had already been an unspoken answer to her question that she was unaware of as one of the newer members of the group but clarity was important.

"If someone realises who we are or what we're doing... What do we do?" She asked, more in a display of a lack of experience in missions of this calibre than an unwillingness to perform. She cared little about the morality of their actions as it was not her call to make.

She would quickly prove herself to be a blind follower of orders.

Hal Vaiken · Sep 11, 2022

IMPERIAL SPECIAL FORCES
SCAR SQUADRON

Objectives:

Gain entry to the IMP500 building
Locate Bioweapon
Capture bioweapon carrier alive

"For the Empire." he silently added with a nod of his head, a glance cast in Lily's direction showed a soldier cased in lead. As the Emperor desired, as the Empire demanded.

Katja Javik said:
"If someone realises who we are or what we're doing... What do we do?"

"I doubt the latter is possible, this mission's clearance surpasses anything I've seen before. I'm not even sure the Moff Council is aware." Sarge replied. "As for the former, it's why we've got these masks." he jerked his head to the gear stowed away in the corner of the room. Balaclava masks and bandanas. Rudimental, but does the job.

"But if worse comes to worst... and you somehow get captured alive..." he plucked inside his vest and produced six little hollow fillings the size of a tooth. "... you know what to do."

/ooc: one post round for the brief as a hook if y'all wanna add more layers and build up the set up more through the briefing, otherwise drop a one off 'all clear' post and I can skip cutscene us to the building :handrub:

Margo Liaeris · Sep 11, 2022

STALKER

Location: Ravelin | Bastion

Tags: 

Hal Vaiken
| 

Sylus (Γ059)
| 

Kelinna Tryn
| 

Katja Javik
| Kav Canthar

Lose Yourself

“There is no greater honor than being able to serve The New Order.”

BANG!

“No greater privilege, nor any greater calling...”

BANG!

“...and there is no greater show of bravery, than when someone answers the call to give the ultimate sacrifice, in the name of Peace and Order.”

BANG!

Margo’s thoughts drifted to a memory she often... buried, as she finished putting on her boots aboard the shuttle ferrying SCAR Squadron to the surface of the very heart of the Empire she swore to protect. It was the serious ops that tended to make one think about their own mortality, and in how quickly one’s life could be snuffed out doing what both herself and these men and women around her did nearly every day. She could almost feel the rain falling on her exposed head and rollin down her face to mingle with her tears as she stared at her brother’s casket, which was primed to be lowered into the earth of her family’s former plot of land on Dantooine. 

Former. 

It wasn’t home anymore. No, it was... the place that used to be home; the place her mother and younger siblings were dragged from and... murdered by the Sith. Her brother died without knowing of their fate; a small courtesy that allowed him to die anyway in beating the Sith off world. 

It was a different time then. Margo was consumed by hate, and by a thirst for revenge that was not unlike what she had seen in the hearts of other young men and women who did the same thing she did, and enlisted in the armed forces when they were of age. But that was then.

Now, Margo was a far different person than the young woman she once was. She had lost her innocence early in life, and in a way... she felt that she was more of a person now than she was then. Wherein younger Margo had sought revenge for her family’s death, current Margo (and still young Margo) had learned that killing may expend much of the energies pent up in hating a group of people - but it never brought the ones you loved back. Niruaun, Tion, New Alderaan, Ilum, Veroleem - and a host of other operations that seemed to blend together - none of the deaths she was responsible for could bring her mother, brothers, or sister back. They were dead... and it sucked.

But in a twisted sort of irony, Margo had found a new family. Each member of SCAR squadron was broken in their own way; each of them with inner demons that they would all hopefully learn to cope with in their own way. Lily had certainly grown to be less of the cold, hard queen Margo had met seemingly an age ago back on Niruaun, and instead had shown she... actually had a personality underneath that rough exterior. Hal had proven to be a bit of a mentor to Margo; a substitute for the brother she never got to say goodbye to. The thought of saying goodbye now caused her heart to sink a bit deeper in her chest. 

Kav had earned a small bit of respect from Margo after Veroleem (although she was pretty sure Kav thought she was crazy, or just ‘too crazy to feck with’), and she wasn’t certain about Leto and how attached he seemed to be with Katja. But, crazy as they all were, this was her family. 

And her family was about to descend into the lion’s den without so much as a robe tied around their waists. It felt like... what, Tuesday?

Sarcasm aside, today felt different despite the usual ‘we don’t know you’ manner in which their beloved ‘Empire’ chose to handle them. This time... this mission felt like it was more important than simply adjusting boundary lines between nation states, or in venting frustrations against a certain group of people. Today, SCAR would save lives. Or die trying.

Lily Stevens said:

"Any questions, remarks, or suggestions?"

"For the Empire." 
Click to expand...

“For the Empire...” Margo responded faintly. But it wasn’t due to some unspoken hesitancy to comply. Her mind was... shifting into the state it did when she was confronted with her morality. But this was different than Ilum. 

This time...

This time she wanted this.

Badly.

Kav Canthar · Sep 11, 2022

~~R A N C O R~~
THE EMPIRE
SCAR SQUADRON
EN ROUTE RAVELIN | BASTION

Hal Vaiken |

Katja Javik |

Kelinna Tryn |

Sylus (Γ059)
GEAR: C-10 Heavy Blaster Pistol | Phase-Knife

Kav was naked.

Not literally, of course.

The heavy wore a fairly modern ensemble of civvies, with dark shirt, pants, boots and a jacket. But he was stripped back to little more than his C-10 blaster and phase-knife. It wasn't much, at all, for a supposed heavy specialist... but unfortunately the word from the boss meant none of Kav's usual gear was viable. And that made him - so used to being entombed in his heavy power armor and assorted cannons - feel vulnerable.

Though, it wasn't because Kav was afraid to die, he was willing to do that for the Empire...

No, it was because he wouldn't be able to enjoy firing off hundreds of rounds a second this time around.

That was kind of the point of being a heavy.

Either way, Kav was resigned to the fact he would only have his massive heavy blaster, and would have to operate in some kind of incognito capacity. Beyond that, however, the heavy had some concerns. Mostly about himself. Clandestine was not his forte, and he tended to stand out like a sore 6'5" thumb that had hit the gym all its life... so when Sarge finished the briefing and held out the tooth capsules, Kav exhaled and took one.

All he could think was that he was basically going to die, because someone might recognize him - a literal giant - stomping around.

Kav was kind of hard to miss.

That sucked, this one time.

"Copy that, boss," Kav muttered as he reached his fingertips into his mouth and inserted the capsule. "For the record, I'm not made for 'low key'... but. Oh well."

With the brief given, and the 'plan b' capsule in place, Kav eased back into the transport chair and just waited...

"For the Empire."

Hal Vaiken · Sep 13, 2022

IMPERIAL SPECIAL FORCES
SCAR SQUADRON

Objectives:

~~Gain entry to the IMP500 building~~
Locate Bioweapon
Capture bioweapon carrier alive

For the Empire...

**

Parking Gate, IMP500 Building
Corporate District, Bastion

Workday. The Corporate District was brimming with life. Commuters hurrying to be on time for the next meeting, corpo drones barking over the phones over the upcoming earnings calls, food and caf stalls rushing to serve the queues of people lining up for a quick bite before their clients' impatience would drive them off to a competitor. The magrail platforms were overflowing with trains moving millions around different points of the sprawling city. Hover shuttles buzzed right past in a race to get to another level on time before the endless lines of speeders and ships dotting the airway traffic dampened their ambitions.

The situation in SCAR's inconspicuous speeder van was the complete opposite. There was less chatter during their ride to the building than ever before. It almost felt like his first special forces mission years ago; cold trepidation lingering in the air, trained muscles itching against the mind's unease, and the ominous feeling of life and death stifling the lungs before every door breach.

So much was at stake.

Their lives at the absolute bare minimum.

The van's repulsors hummed to a halt as they stopped at the security checkpoint of the IMP500 building. Passing through it with COMPNOR's credentials would lead them to parking of the stock exchange situated on the underground floor of the large building. A BPF (Bastion Police Force) officer took his sweet time approaching SCAR's vehicle, an odd limp in his walk. -- Sarge knew a fellow veteran when he saw one. The officer said nothing but simply opened his palm in Sarge's direction. The commander slid the cards into the man's grasp and he meandered away to his post. Each second passed like an hour.

Sarge noticed the frown forming on the officer's face, the man's dreary eyes throwing a suspicious gaze at their van before calling another cop to his side for an incomprehensible discussion. Their words were short, wary. Concerned. The man reluctantly stood up from his chair and approached their van once more, his hand closer to the holster of his gun and his limp barely visible from the caution of his steps. A rookie would freeze. Sarge vividly remembered his first frozen moment, still carrying the nasty scar from it on his chest.

But a veteran's trained muscles and instilled instincts always prevailed.

No matter the repercussions.

"Sir, I'll have to ask you to step--"

BDEW!

Center mass, quick death. No time to think, slam the pedal.

The repulsor engine roared and shot the speeder van straight into the security checkpoint post, crashing through barriers and the steel beam walls and the bones and flesh of the other officer.

"GOGOGO!!" Sarge's voice roared through the vehicle as he hopped off the driver's seat and into the road leading down the underground parking. It would be a bit before anyone could report the security checkpoint interference. He'd jammed the comms in their immediate area, while the checkpoint itself was nestled away from prying eyes in a lone alley where no commuters should be.

SCAR hurried down the road and into the parking where their plan immediately died at the first contact with the enemy. Blaster fire erupted at their open position from the masked terrorists who had been alerted by the commotion above. Sarge slammed his wristpad, activating the anti-bioweapon jammer as he lunged into a prone position on the concrete.

"ANY VISUAL ON THE CARRIER??" he barked through the hail of blaster and charric bolts flying over his head. No helmets, no HUD brimming with sensors to pinpoint the portable weapon of mass destruction. Just sharp eyes and a keen instinct for self-preservation.

Sylus (Γ059) · Sep 14, 2022

~~█████ - Rama-Actual~~
IMPERIAL SECURITY BUREAU
TASK FORCE ████
Corpo Sector, Ravelin, Bastion
TAGS:

Katja Javik Leto Karazyn

Hal Vaiken Kav Canthar

Margo Liaeris

Hal Vaiken said:
"Jammer's going to be on me, meaning should we fail to capture them immediately, we need to keep the carrier close to me during a pursuit or we risk the device detonating."
[...]
"Keep Sylus alive at all costs, right now he's the only man in the galaxy that can disable the portable bioweapon." didn't need to tell them the consequences of the agent's death, either. They knew.

He wasn't used to being the centre of attention. He shifted on his feet as the others glanced at him, but ultimately Sylus was more concerned about the mission.

The numbers flashed in front of his eyes, in intermittent bouts. He'd spent the time from Veroleem to now trying to write down all the codes, but it was no good. It was too long to pull from his mind in one go. Not to mention the procedure of disabling the weapon was also encoded in his neurons now, though interpreted by his conscious mind as numbers. If they'd had time, they could have gotten a Knight who specialises in Knowledge Drain to surgically pull it out, but that was the problem: they had no time.

Not to mention, the Knights would likely object at what Hal said next...

Hal Vaiken said:
"Should things go from bad to worse and law enforcement answers a call..."

The cabin was filled with a tense, grim sense of foreboding. Sylus had little qualms gunning down other Imperials, civilian or not. Maybe it was ISB mindset, maybe it was his older training. Alas, poor Yorick.

Hal Vaiken said:
"Any questions, remarks, or suggestions?"

Lily Stevens said:
"For the Empire."

Margo Liaeris said:
“For the Empire...”

Kav Canthar said:
"For the Empire."

Sylus said nothing, only concentrating on the task at hand. Words would not make their actions easier, and perhaps it was the deprogramming from the Sith that lingered in his mind, but he could not bring himself to admire SCAR's attempt at reconciling these facts.

Heh, I'm one to talk.

The craft landed and the group exited, making their way to their vehicle.

Cops. The vehicle was stopped, idling as it waited. Sylus could see Hal subtly tense, waiting.

It was over in a flash. A blaster shot and pedal to the metal. The vehicle smashed through and SCAR piled out, weapons drawn, already fleeing the scene. Sylus was close behind, a simple holdout blaster in his hands. The group entered the parking area, met by a hail of gunfire.

Hal Vaiken said:
"ANY VISUAL ON THE CARRIER??"

Even without their equipment, Sylus' eyes were as machines, and he quickly took stock of the situation: a dozen foot mobiles behind cover, with another five or so rushing off to the cargo drop-off bay further deep inside the parking area. The dozen hostiles in cover fell back slowly to keep pace. The five turned the corner and disappeared just as Sylus shouted:

"Carrier and escorts headed to cargo drop-off! We gotta flank this blocking force!" The agent moved to the far end of this row of parked vehicles, firing as he went as he darted between the gaps between the speeders.

Kav Canthar · Sep 14, 2022

~~R A N C O R~~
THE EMPIRE
SCAR SQUADRON
EN ROUTE RAVELIN | BASTION

Hal Vaiken |

Katja Javik |

Kelinna Tryn |

Sylus (Γ059)
GEAR: C-10 Heavy Blaster Pistol | Phase-Knife

The plan went to hell, literally right away, which seemed about right.

Same had happened before that, too, when the ISB spook had caused an exfil instead of a defensive position. And speaking of, Kav had noticed the spook's lack of comment in support and allegiance to the Empire. That made the heavy keep closer eyes. Even the most rudimentary Imperial should have had no problem uttering those words.

Suspicious.

Nonetheless, Kav focused on the situation that unfolded more closely. From the basically silent van ride, to the security checkpoint, and the subsequent shot Sarge took, before the team barreled down into the parking complex of the building at speed. Ahead were over half a dozen Chiss, terrorists by all accounts, with some moving away and others using a bounding defense. Kav had taken cover, behind the hover van, before he prepared to draw his heavy pistol... but there was some shouting, some confirmations, with the spook calling for flanking maneuvers.

"I got you," Kav shouted over the blaster-fire, as he rolled his shoulders and crouched. He gripped the bottom of the van frame. "Get ready!"

And with a growl, Kav lifted, his jacket straining as the veins in his neck bulged and the hovering vehicle let out a creak of durasteel in protest of being shifted in such a way. Then with a push of both legs and arms, the Ragithian launched into a standing position and flipped the entire van over onto the side, even as the repulsors whined and flared - and using that anti-grav momentum, Kav began to push the whole thing forward:

"Hit 'em when we hit the barrier posts!"

The toppled van slid with friction, the metal side crumpled and sparks flying, as Kav kept the effort up and finally felt the roof of the vehicle impact against the safety barriers - where the Chiss were in cover and moving from. Now SCAR had the chance to bound around and over the makeshift ballistic shield--

"Go, go, go!"

Katja Javik · Sep 14, 2022

THE EMPIRE
IMPERIAL SPECIAL FORCES
BASTION

Sylus (Γ059) |

Kelinna Tryn | Kav Canthar |

Hal Vaiken

With her head leaned back against the wall of the van and her arms folded, she deep in thought but not about the mission. Her demeanour was relaxed despite the fact it may well have been a suicide mission for some of them, or even all of them. It may have seemed like arrogance or self-assurance but it was rather that she did not concern herself with the personal cost of missions.

She would do her best and whatever may be, will be.

"Sarge, you take us on some of the worst field trips." She spoke aloud to no one in particular.

Her largest concern, as always, was losing any of the squad. They were a family that she would die for, whose lives she endeavoured to preserve with every mission they went on together. However, she knew they were formidable and their strength was in their unity - the knowledge brought her some comfort.

As they neared their target, she leaned forwards and placed her elbows on her knees, poised for action which came a few moments later as they piled out on Sarge's command. After immediately taking cover, her gaze followed the ISB agent moving away.

"Hey!" She called out before moving in his direction quickly, crouching enough to keep below the height of the vehicles. "HEY!" She warned him again, this time close enough to place a hand on his shoulder and shove him against the vehicle they were taking cover behind. "Stay close. You're not allowed to die."

Kelinna Tryn · Sep 15, 2022

R E A P E R

THE EMPIRE

RAVELIN | BASTION

TAG: 

Hal Vaiken
| Kav Canthar | 

Katja Javik
| 

Margo Liaeris
| 

Sylus (Γ059)

DEARLY DEPARTED​

When Sarge offered the fillings to them, Lily took it without hesitation and fitted it in her mouth.

That way was pitiful, but she accepted that she might not be in a position to put a hole in her or any of her team mates' heads if shit went drastically sideways on this op. This was just security. 

No extra word was needed. 

***​

The Reaper didn't even pay attention to the atmosphere in the speeder. 

Everyone was quiet, which suited her fine. She could sit with her white noise in peace. No chatter to interrupt it. She was just going through the motions - the little bit of caring she still possessed had gotten tightly wedged into a corner after Veroleem. It was just pure, interrupted static. 

Until they reached the checkpoint.

Lily noticed the shift in the atmosphere - something about Sarge's demeanour was suddenly different and she could guess pretty accurately what had gone wrong.

And then everything went to shit with his shot. 

Business as usual. 

Crashing through the post, the entirety of SCAR hopped out of the speeder with Sarge yelling at them to move. As they rushed toward the underground parking, hell started to rain down on them. Everything was blown before it had even started. 

Ducking down behind a pillar, Lily returned fire as best she could.

"Lovely." came the sarcastic comment, yet her face remained a piece of marble.

"ANY VISUAL ON THE CARRIER??" came Sarge's question from the ground not far from her.

Before Lily could glance around the pillar for a visual, the Spook answered.

"Carrier and escorts headed to cargo drop-off! We gotta flank this blocking force!"

That was fast. This Spook didn't sit well with the Reaper. No spook ever did. You never knew where you stood with them.

But that was when Rancor showed what he was made of. 

The van was flipped over and used for good cover while the heavy moved it in a direction for them all to gain instant ground while Spectre grabbed hold of the Spook who had started into a direction. Good to see the rest of the squad shared the sentiment. 

Lily jumped behind it when it came past, only to hop over the barrier when they reached it, bolts flying toward the gallery overhead while making run in the direction of the drop off when Kav yelled at them to go.

All the while, there was only the thing they came here for and static.

Margo Liaeris · Sep 16, 2022

STALKER

Location: Ravelin | Bastion

Tags: 

Hal Vaiken
| 

Sylus (Γ059)
| 

Kelinna Tryn
| 

Katja Javik
| Kav Canthar

Lose Yourself

 (1) EF-100 Enforcer-series Assault Rifle with panoramic sight on top rail mount, and grenade launcher on bottom rail mount.
(1) EF-400 Enforcer-series Scattergun
(2) EF-500 Enforcer-series Pistols

‘Well crap...’

Why couldn’t a plan just go... according to plan? 

Because it’s a Tuesday, that’s why. 

To say that the plan went to hell in a handbasket would have been a gross understatement, as evidenced by the poor soldier who was more or less demolished by the hover-van carrying them all. Without hesitation, Margo jumped out of the van with the rest of the others and began laying down return fire with her assault rifle while Sarge and company discussed a plan. She overheard tidbits, particularly the part wherein Kav began muscling the van they were just in on its side. She fell in behind the others as they rushed forward behind the cover of the hovercraft, up until it came to a sudden crash against the bollards. In the split second before the squad jumped over, Margo had an idea. 

When the others began jumping over and forward toward the drop off bay - Margo would wait another split second then push off from cover, raising her assault rifle and by extension the grenade launcher underneath it. She pulled the trigger once, shifted, twice, then began running as the ordnance spiraled from the barrel and surged toward the overhang their hostiles were firing from. She did not delay to watch the resulting explosions or the potential casualties they caused, but at the very least it’d force the damned terrorists to keep their heads down and alleviate the pressure on her and her comrades as they rushed forward.

Sylus (Γ059) · Sep 18, 2022

~~█████ - Rama-Actual~~
IMPERIAL SECURITY BUREAU
TASK FORCE ████
Corpo Sector, Ravelin, Bastion
TAGS:

Katja Javik Leto Karazyn

Hal Vaiken Kav Canthar

Margo Liaeris

Katja Javik said:
"Hey!" She called out before moving in his direction quickly, crouching enough to keep below the height of the vehicles. "HEY!" She warned him again, this time close enough to place a hand on his shoulder and shove him against the vehicle they were taking cover behind. "Stay close. You're not allowed to die."

Sylus bit back a retort. He could handle himself just fine, thank you very much. But she was right. He needed to make it to the bomb intact. He filed in behind them as Kav kicked the van over, using it as mobile cover.

Kav Canthar said:
"Hit 'em when we hit the barrier posts!"

The toppled van slid with friction, the metal side crumpled and sparks flying, as Kav kept the effort up and finally felt the roof of the vehicle impact against the safety barriers - where the Chiss were in cover and moving from. Now SCAR had the chance to bound around and over the makeshift ballistic shield--

"Go, go, go!"

Lily Stevens said:
The van was flipped over and used for good cover while the heavy moved it in a direction for them all to gain instant ground while Spectre grabbed hold of the Spook who had started into a direction.

Margo Liaeris said:
When the others began jumping over and forward toward the drop off bay - Margo would wait another split second then push off from cover, raising her assault rifle and by extension the grenade launcher underneath it.

Sylus followed up, pistol drawn and firing. The van provided enough cover to allow SCAR to follow up, keeping the Chiss in sight. The explosions suppressed the Chiss for a moment before SCAR had to hunker down into cover again.

The five that had broken off were now on the lift, about twenty metres behind the Chiss defenders.

"Sarge and I need to get onto the cargo lift with them, we gotta make a break for it!" Sylus yelled, landing a solid punch to the face of one of the Chiss that had come around and flanked SCAR's advance. They should have listened to him and moved along the side.

Hal Vaiken · Sep 18, 2022

IMPERIAL SPECIAL FORCES
SCAR SQUADRON

Objectives:

~~Gain entry to the IMP500 building~~
~~Locate Bioweapon~~
Capture bioweapon carrier alive

Through the heavy fire blasting their positions, he barely heard Sylus making visual with the bioweapon carrier. Sarge inclined his head only slightly to follow the agent's trail and spotted a group of five vanishing in a hurry behind a corner of the underground parking lot. Shit, he cursed at their unsavory pinned-down position.

"Rancor!" the commander barked out furiously across the blaster-laden firefight. There was no specific order attached to it. They just needed the Heavy to pull up something.

"I got you," came the reply, and by the Emperor... the massive soldier yanked the whole van up and into a makeshift, mobile cover. Sarge's fire ceased and so did the terrorists' -- briefly --, both watching blankly in disbelief at the unrivaled feat of strength before the insurgent answered with a panicked return of fire. Bolts tore the speeder van but did not punch through to reach the lives of the SCAR troopers. The van finally crashed into the enemy's positions destroying their leverage in the form of cover they had over the Imperials out in the open.

Trained well enough to know when to retreat and what their actual objective was, the terrorists backed off in a hurried retreat from the Imperials giving pursuit exchanging potshots with SCAR Squadron in the process. A few precious minutes ahead in favor for the insurgents, Sarge surmised. In the midst of battle and an apocalypse in the making, the commander had no luxury to scheme and plan ahead. Decisions had to be taken at the moment, right in the cauldron of fire in which they burned.

"Reaper, Stalker, Spectre -- push up the northern section of the offices above! Rancor, Spook and me -- after the carrier!" he ordered as he hurried in the southern direction where the five-man group escorting the carrier had vanished at. The plan was simple -- a pincer move against the terrorists to be employed on the trading floor where the offices were.

"Remember -- weapons free! Weapons free!!" he shouted at the trio headed north, reminding them that everyone in their way was a hostile; even the innocent security officers employed by the stock exchange or even any corpo employee that might feel bold enough to play hero at the wrong time. Their fellow Imperial citizens. The adrenaline surging through his veins pushed back against the bile rising up his chest from having his hand forced to end the lives of those they'd sworn to protect.

"C'mon, there should be another lift right over there." he jerked his head beyond the cargo turbolift the terrorists had taken, pacing in that direction. The three would slide into a halt at the closed doors of the lift -- out of order, most likely disabled by the terrorists. "Rancor - doors!" if he could carry and throw a speeder van, surely a pair of steel, turbolift doors were no issue for the behemoth to pry open. The grappling hooks they all carried would do the work for them after.

Kav Canthar · Sep 19, 2022

~~R A N C O R~~
THE EMPIRE
SCAR SQUADRON
EN ROUTE RAVELIN | BASTION

Hal Vaiken |

Katja Javik |

Kelinna Tryn |

Sylus (Γ059)
GEAR: C-10 Heavy Blaster Pistol | Phase-Knife

Kav pulled out his C-10 heavy blaster, as he popped off a few shots at the retreating Chiss.

Unfortunately they were quick, and there was a lot going on around the place, with weapons fire from all directions. If the team had hoped to keep things quiet, there was no chance now, and Kav suspected that law enforcement were well on the way. The sheer amount of noise coming from the parking garage surely echoed into the streets above.

Nonetheless, Sarge put the team to task, and separated the group.

Kav fell into line, following the SCAR leader, as he noted the call to action against the turbolift doors ahead. The Chiss that had entered said lift had - apparently - shutdown the doors behind them, which made sense, and Sarge called on Kav to handle the situation.

"On it, boss!"

And without hesitation, Kav turned a shoulder and rammed into one of the doors. The metal buckled, not outright but enough to allow for a gap, which the heavy quickly jammed his fingers into. Once he had purchase, he started to flex, as he wrenched the doors apart inch by inch - and then with a metallic snap, both doors gave out completely and the way was open.

"Open says me."

Kav stepped to one side, as he holstered his C-10 and pulled out the grappling hook from his belt, within his jacket.

Once the team started to pile inside, Kav would follow right behind...

Kelinna Tryn · Sep 20, 2022

R E A P E R

THE EMPIRE

RAVELIN | BASTION

TAG: 

Hal Vaiken
| Kav Canthar | 

Katja Javik
| 

Margo Liaeris
| 

Sylus (Γ059)

DEARLY DEPARTED​

Long legs were after the group of terrorists.

But Sarge had other ideas. 

"Reaper, Stalker, Spectre -- push up the northern section of the offices above!"

Seriously? 

"Sir, yes, Sir!" she barked as she changed direction. "Stalker, Spectre, on me!" she called to her comrades as she sprinted to the northern lift.

"Remember -- weapons free! Weapons free!!"

Can you stop interfering with the static, damnit? 

"Got it!" she called back as the particle rifle lit up the area in gold as bolts collided with whatever terrorist dared get in her way. She knew Katja and Margo could hold their own with the flanks as they gunned for the lift. 

Upstairs, in the corridor outside the lift, they were met with silence, which was odd after the firefight below.

"Eyes open. Something's off." she softly told the other two. 

She stuck to the wall of the corridor, her boots quiet on the carpeted floor. 

If it weren't for the complete silence in the hallway, she wouldn't have heard the slight metallic shift of a rifle just around the corner.

"DOWN!" she barked as she dove just as numerous blue charric bolts burst out, chipping the corner of the wall.

She sincerely hated these bastards guts officially.

HICOM · Sep 20, 2022

Whenever SCAR pulled through to the offices, they would find the floors and cubicles littered with bodies. The repugnant smell of scorched flesh and torn guts reeked strongly through the air, left in the terrorists' bloody wake as they carved through unarmed civilians without a drop of remorse.

But SCAR was catching up despite the insurgent's ruthless slaughter and with the jammer still active the terrorist in charge was forced to issue an order in an attempt to stall the Imperials giving chase.

A dozen orbs were hurled exploding with the familiar hiss of lethal gas grenades.

The gas masks hanging from their utility belts would come to SCAR's aid, but nothing would rescue them from the pandemonium of shrieks of horror from the distance as the terrorists cleaved ahead while exchanging fire with their pursuers. Screaming civilians, some half-alive, some half-dead, were fleeing about in every direction despite the crossfire they had found themselves in.

Kelinna Tryn Kav Canthar

Margo Liaeris

Katja Javik · Sep 20, 2022

THE EMPIRE
IMPERIAL SPECIAL FORCES
BASTION

Sylus (Γ059) |

Kelinna Tryn | Kav Canthar |