Star Wars: Martian Assault

[Jsc]

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Operation Martian Assault
Moon of Oslo - House Atano Space


The insertion had gone swimmingly.

Two squads of drab rebel mercenaries from The Blue Dawn Company, alongside your rag-tag group of Freelancers, were dumped via DropShip into the rocky red terrain of Oslo. Naught but a few hundred meters from the objective and just downhill of her too. The ship dusting off from just behind a coastal cliff line that ran along the clear blue watery shore of the pale sea. You could feel the gross wet humidity already. A rarity in the high desert, to be sure. Yet no sooner had the ship taken off again then com chatter picked up all across the spectrum. Damn. It wasn't the weather either. Sky's were too clear. They'd seen the ship. They knew somebody else was here. They knew you were coming. Welp. Time to get moving then.

The mud along the shoreline was sticky against their tall drab boots. A harsh contrast to the dry red sharp clay of the chipper coastal walls. The Blue Dawn moved to the ridgeline for cover before trudging deeper inland. Across the uneven bumps and gullets of the dry orange desert above. Inland, uphill, and further towards the factory objective that lay upon the mountain top nearby. They ignored you too. As most foreign mercs were like to do. House Atano was paying them, yes. Just like they were paying you. But they weren't paid to babysit Freelancers, nor to follow anybodies orders but their own. Your type would do was your type was oft to. You'd do the mission your way. Or you'd die trying. Naturally, your best guess was that there was thirty of them. Light machine gun blasters, scout garb, and thermal binoculars too. Indifferent mostly. You'd never heard of their outfit before either. But they had history and seemed more capable than most cannon fodder. Maybe they'd help you? Maybe you'd help them? Maybe you'd both die? Who knows. As long as the job got done, I doubt your employer would care either way.

Good news now. The objective was just a few hundred meters nearby. You weren't that far from the factory though you couldn't see it from down here. Sure, it was a grossly uphill hike and still on the other side of barbed badlands vegetation and rough alien terrain but... Well. You'd seen worse climbs. Probably. And the Plague Legion that guarded the factory were mostly just Stormtrooper-type commandos too. Better than Mandos anyway. Heh. Better by a long shot.

The radio picked up again. Blue Dawn was moving across the valley cuts for the nearest high ground. Plague Legion scout patrols were already sighted on the mountain side. No walkers yet. Just troopers. Troopers looking for whatever, or whomever, that foreign ship had just dropped off.

The coastal waters rushed along the shore. Tiny lizards scurried about the dry rocks and the warm red mud pulled against your feet like a stupid reminder of just how hot it was going to get today. Yeah. Okay. Time to get moving. It was still hot-as-balls in the shade anyway.

Your move Freelancer.

____


ooc: 1. discussion thread link. 2. post order is loose. 3. you can write both friendly and foe npcs at any time. 4. @mention and subscribe often. 5. go ham. xoxo.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

LOCATION: MOON OF OSLO, HOUSE ATANO SPACE
EQUIPMENT: IN BIO
MOOD: EASY

Despite the weather, Ghorua was in his element.

Unlike some other top-tier bounty hunters in the galaxy, Ghorua didn't have a high body count. No, he didn't have a list of Force-Users and dangerous criminals he's bagged. Didn't mean he wasn't good at his job, just that they didn't often end up on his radar. No, he was at his best on the battlefield, wading through enemy blaster fire and lightsabers,. He was a presence to turn the tide of an engagement, to lure out the enemy's heavy hitters, be it Jedi or Sith. Ghorua's faced down his fair share of Darths and Jedi masters, and has lived so far. That had to count for something.

So of course, when House Atano went looking for freelancers, they sought out the Shark. He'd survived the heaviest fighting of Castameer, after all. How many Bounty Hunters could claim that?

Ghorua halted at the seaside alongside the rest of the company, surveying the scene playing out before them. There was an easy, fluid grace to the giant plated being, despite the heavy-looking dark armor he wore. Even though he had his helmet on, one could almost sense the tranquil smile on his face, enjoying the day. The mass of weapons on his person would be cumbersome to anyone but the ten-foot Herglic, who wore them like they were nothing.

Ghorua the Shark looked to the rest of the group, an unseen savage smile on his face.

"Troopers sighted on the mountain," Ghorua said calmly, looking up to the craggy face ahead. "I think I'm gonna stop by and say hello before we hit the factory."

"Anyone wanna come?"

- [member="Jay Scott Clark"] -

 

[Delsin Shaw]

"I believe you will take point then?"

Voicing to the large being that wore a set of armor, that I could fit myself three or four times into, I could barely fathom the idea of what this being had to feed on to give it sustenance, or more correctly, how much was required. My voice making it over the distance from where I was standing to the large Herglic. While I may have been normally working upon my lessons with weaponry, or the technology that is now currently being used and developed for various reasons or rhyme, A calling had come about for mercenaries to aid the noble house in retrieving it's possessions. I prepared myself for a fight against pirates, however the reports only showed troopers and a unified military.

Troopers carrying armor that would not be so easily cut with vibrosword, or Songsteel. The best form of ranged weaponry I had was the offhand blaster I carried on my right thigh, and the bow upon my back. The weapon was mostly meant for self defense where a sword would be out of the question, or not reasonable for use. As well, blasters were easier to use in my opinion. Point and shoot. Yes, arguments have been made that an ace shot for long distances with a rifle needs to be well trained and versed in ever aspect of their gun and many other variables, but for a blaster at close range? Chest, or head will do the trick.

With the thought of such ideas, I snapped the button of the strap around the pistol I was carrying. Much easier for me to use it when its not secured into a holster right? Pulling the weapon from it, I swiftly checked it was loaded, keeping my finger off the trigger and pointed to the ground. I followed after the being who called for others to join him in overtaking a vantage point on the mountain.

"Will you be just saying hello, or shall you sing them the song of your people?"

[member="Ghorua the Shark"], [member="Jay Scott Clark"],

 

[Ultimatum]

It had been awhile since Ultimatum had taken a break from official police business, much longer since he had visited a drier world. The robot might have appreciated the desert; it meant less humidity even near the oceanfront. However, it also meant his cooling units would have to work overtime to avoid the dangerous meltdown. Though, that lethal potential aside, the heat did little to his body, as compared to jungle humidity which gave him an awful buzzing in his head. What was more, he would be inside a larger mechanical suit which granted more insulation against the elements.

At the moment, Ultimatum was leaning on outside of the Adamantine armored suit, which stood semi-dormant, as he finished his preparations. It would be the first field test for this armor, and he hoped for everything to move forward without any problem. He would be unarmed inside the suit unless one were to count the physical qualities of the suit. He did have a blaster rifle, and his trusty lightsaber, inside the armor should he need to emerge in the heat of battle. It was a precautionary action, for he had no intention of stepping out of the armor until after the fight was done. If the need arose, however, Ultimatum had no doubt he could handle himself. With Upari he had the Force on his side.

As the droid heard the other preparing to head out, he finished his calibrations and looked to the bigger suit; it moved slightly to acknowledge its creator. It had a minor droid brain, intended to run it when Ultimatum wasn't onboard. Perhaps others might have thought the duo comedic in appearance, a short droid, probably the smallest person there, with a hulking droid, taller than the herglic who they were to work alongside. The rework had been simple, the short walk in the mud and sand had been uneventful and had given the droid time to study the suits reaction to the sand and clay. They had been fortunate enough to have relatively stable ground, the mud had not been too deep, and the terrain ahead seemed to promise harder surface.

"Hope it goes cordially. We'll soften up the factory for when you get there." Ultimatum had concluded that it would be more tactically logical for groups to separate at least in regards to the freelancers. He could not account for the Blue Dawn Company, for they appeared to be a far more organized group than the rag-tag team of mercenaries that Ultimatum and the others composed.

[member="Jay Scott Clark"] [member="Shaun Irons"] [member="Ghorua the Shark"]

 

[Kalen Genet]

"Should've brought my bloody armour..."

Kalen grumbled annoyedly to himself in the heat, pulling at the shirt he wore just to keep it from sticking uncomfortably to his person. Had he brought his armour along, the cooling systems in it would've helped to keep him a bit more comfortable. Considering that he'd agreed to the job while drunk, however—as otherwise, he wouldn't even have accepted a freelancer contract like this—he'd neglected to come fully prepared. At least the spacer's leather vest should take a blast or two. He turned his head slightly as the others started speaking up, making sure to keep track of just what his new, odd company was saying.

"Try not to let them call back to base that we're here," he said to the two going after the scouts. "I'd prefer to maintain a stealthy approach for as long as possible. I'll get you on the comms if there's anything unexpected once the droid and I make it to the factory." He pulled out both of his own blasters, giving a quick, methodical inspection of each of them—the fifth one since they'd started out on the mission. For a man who was raised Mandalorian, worked as a mercenary in the past and was currently a smuggler, he didn't deal particularly well with the nervousness leading up to a battle.

Apparently satisfied with the pistols he re-holstered them, looking over at [member="Ultimatum"]. "You sure that thing'll be able to manage the climb?" he asked, nodding at the larger droid. "Climbs like we're looking at now can't be very good on servomotors. It'd be a shame for that thing to start breaking down on the way up."

[member="Shaun Irons"] [member="Ghorua the Shark"] [member="Jay Scott Clark"]

 

[Jsc]

Oslo Red Cliffs
Terrain South of the Factory

The Blue Dawn wrapped around the high desert cliffs to the westward side. Always uphill. Using the jagged red peaks, deep cuts, and crag-like terrain for cover. They hoped to move past the patrols that descended the eastern ridge line and then to get a good look at the Factory from a few hundred meters away. And so far, it seemed to be working.

Still, the enemy advanced closer nearby.

The first patrol of Plague Legion troops stopped just nigh of the ridge line's jagged edge. Still high above the shoreline. About a hundred maybe, or, a hundred and twenty meters away. Hard to tell in this blazing sunlight. About ten troopers could be seen from below. Though, from the unnatural dust being kicked up around and against the mountain side? Ha. Yeah. More were obviously sneaking about. Two of the visible ones reached down to their belts and took out their Quadnock scanners. Quickly beginning to scan the beachfront from afar with enhanced visual sensors. Stoic nearby, the rest of the observable troopers seemed to wait in sudden anticipation of something to shoot at. Guns tilted. Heads on a swivel. Cautious and wary of whatever, or whomever, that blasted Dropship had just delivered right up to their doorstep.

The ground between you and them was an uphill battle but still full of devious options. You still had the jumpy red cliffs to the east, the pocketed valley ravines just to the north, and the easily concealable routes up towards the western cliff side. All full of rock, dirt, ditch, and red crag. There were "trees" of course. Though, I use the term loosely. More like giant purple spinal-shaped weeds to be precise. Anybody could tell they made poor cover. Especially for giant creatures like Ghora and Adamantine. Poor cover indeed. Exploding like warm wet fibrous watermelons at the first bolt or graze from a blaster. Great for getting sticky but probably little else. They did grow in large bush-like patches however. Especially near the lowlands and shallow cuts of the dry desert valleys. A brave soul could probably hide among them easily and advance up the middle with little fuss. Crawling maybe. Hard to say. Bleh.

Anyway. The visible Plague Legion troopers seemed content to wait and watch the desert shoreline from an advantage. The Blue Dawn flanking up and around the cliffs to the west. Today's forecast remained clear skies and heavy afternoon sun. A perfect setup for something squishy. Something dead. But just who would shoot first, I wonder?

Your move Freelancer.

____


ooc: Zye can show up whenever. the rest of you guys got stormtroopers to smash. or flank, or bomb, or sneak past, or fade-to-black with... the usual.

and there are two 8-man squads of multi-racial plague troopers coming down the mountain. only two persons of which are actually scouts and only 10 of which are currently visible from below. Bad guy equipment is standard betaplast trooper armor, environmental smartsuit underlay, a modern E-11 carbine with ion shot mod and stun shot mod, a z-6 riot baton, and one thermal detonator a piece. Easy money.

Everybody should post at least twice before I figure I'll need to jump in again. npcs and troopers are free game. kill it ladies.

[member="Kalen Genet"] , [member="Ultimatum"] , [member="Shaun Irons"] , [member="Ghorua the Shark"] ,

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua looked to [member="Shaun Irons"], his faceplate not revealing his dubious expression. He'd heard plenty of colorful jabs about being a cetacean species, but that was a new one. He retorted without skipping a beat, as if the thought hadn't crossed his mind. "Both. I've got a lovely set of chops." He unholstered his two slugthrowers, preparing for the confrontation.

He then looked to [member="Ultimatum"] and his armor/companion, a subtle nod being his only response. He had met the droid once, on the Chimaera over Commenor. It hadn't been the best of situations to meet someone, and Ghorua had been understandably upset. Kay had been taken by a Sith. She seemed to get herself in plenty of trouble with the Zambranos, a habit she hasn't stopped thus far.

Finally, he glanced at [member="Kalen Genet"], wearing only leather armor into a warzone. The Herglic could understand his desire to be stealthy. Ghorua would be surprised if the spacer could survive a battle like the one most likely coming their way. "Don't worry." He turned towards the troopers on the hill, feeling the anticipation of a scrap begin to well up inside him.

"They won't get the chance."

With that, the giant rocket pack on Ghorua's back revved, orange flames cascading from the exhausts, and Ghorua prepared to take the high ground.

Why go around the problem when you can go through it?

- - -​

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"See anything, 434?"

"Not yet." The two scout troopers on the hill scanned the beach with their quadnocks, looking for obvious signs of troop movements, finding nothing yet.

"Well, keep an eye out. There has to be something."

A slight pause. Then, something.

"There!" The trooper pointed, seeing a sudden spark of light arc into the sky from the beach. "What is that, a ship?"

"Too small. Probably a probe." The trooper went to his comm to contact command, but was surprised by the sudden static that greeted him. Then was surprised even more when the bright shape began to arc toward them. "My comm's jammed! Find cov-!"

Boom. Bang, bang.

- - -​

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Ghorua sailed through the air with ease, enjoying the feeling of weightlessness that took him. His new armor came equipped with a jump pack that could lift him, and it was a blast. He was still getting used to it, but he was assisted in aiming by his probe droids hidden on site.

He arced two hundred meters in the air, slugthrowers drawn. Once he got within range, he activated his security blade, cutting the enemy's transmissions, and like a meteor, began to descend.

He landed on one of the scouts, his field generator mostly protecting him from harm. That didn't extend to the unfortunate trooper, who's body was thoroughly smashed into the soft ground. Two shots from his slugthrower put the other one down.

He had just made himself a very large target, saving the others from taking blaster fire on their way up.

- [member="Jay Scott Clark"] -

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum took the question and replied in the mechanical calm that fit his demeanor, "It has been tested in harsher terrain than this world is likely to offer. A climb will present little challenge to the mechanisms within." The necessities of the armor's design had required it be constructed with motors and components that could handle extreme stress. Ultimatum calculated that the coming battle would not count as a source of excessive pressure, at least in the sense that it would present danger to the components themselves.

As [member="Ghorua the Shark"] prepared to attack the troopers on the hill, Ultimatum quickly stepped behind the massive armor and sent the release signal to open the rear so that he could get into the suit. The motion of stepping into the cavernous hole, and then being connected to it through various wires that automatically attached themselves to Ultimatum, was second nature to the droid. He could be inside the suit within three seconds and be ready to fight immediately thereafter. Once inside, Ultimatum required only a nanosecond for his computer systems to connect with the Adamantine's and then was in complete control. It was a more perfect symbiosis than most organics could appreciate. As far as Ultimatum's mind could experience, the armor was not an extension of his body; instead, it was his body.

So prepared, Ultimatum lowered himself, the suit now resting on all fours as it was intended to do. It had a more bestial appearance in this manner, perhaps more frightening to some. The voice that came through its larger vocabulator remained the same as Ultimatum's, however that would not remain true for long. "We'll take the valley approach. You can use us as cover if so desirable." Ultimatum was was fairly confident that this suit could handle whatever weaponry was used against him. However, the droid still wished to avoid fire as much as possible.

[member="Kalen Genet"] [member="Jay Scott Clark"] [member="Shaun Irons"]

 

[Zye Woden]

@Ultimatum [member="Ghorua the Shark"] [member="Jay Scott Clark"]

Zye was a hunter of the shadows. He hated the light, not just because it gave away his position, but because the sunlight was toxic to him. Encased in his armor (in Bio), Zye waited in the cleft of one of the rocks, waiting wordless. He saw Ultimatium, this was their second time meeting. The droid seemed to get around. He was looking forward to seeing what this war droid was capible of. But for now, he had a feeling the giant shark needed help in distracting the enemy.

He followed Ghorua, keeping his distance. As the shark took the direct route, Zye moved from shadow to shadow among the craigs. When Ghorua landed, crushing one of the scouts, Zye wasn't far behind. While their shots were focused on Ghorua, Zye came in for the surprise attack. Zye hurrled his short sword, it wizzed through the air, stabbing one of the soldiers in the throat. His left hand drew the leather whip from his belt, drawing the attention of a few of the soldiers.

"Oh my god. We're drawin--" began one, turning to face the Vampire, but he was cut off by the whip curling around his throat.

With a hard yank of his arm, Zye brought the man to his knees. Zye twised to the left, dodging a shot by the trooper he was choking. His left hand balled into a fist. Drawing on the darkside of the Force, a Darksheer formed in his closed hand like a shadow in thin air. As he dodged a second shot, Zye hurled the manifestation of the darkside into the trooper's chest.

 

[Delsin Shaw]

All I could do was shake my head as the large being spoke back of singing. Stating he did have a lovely set of chops. Moving towards him, it was however changed. Hearing the hiss of the jetpack as it lifted him into the air, I could feel the wind from it push at my clothing and hair. While my first internal question was how much does he have to feed himself, now it was how much energy was required to lift one such as him off the ground, let alone allow him to fly around with relative ease. In all honesty, I doubt it would have been much more than trying to lift a wookie or comparable. However, I couldn't fathom any kind of answer at the moment.

Seeing his intentions, I threw my own pistol back into the holster at my thigh and strapped it in as I ran after him. While I was nowhere near fast enough to match his speed, I could barely keep up with my hybrid blood-line. My arms were pumping as fast as they could. Throwing them almost in front of me as I attempted to catch up. By the time I even got close to where my ally had landed, Another man seemed to pop out of the shadows.

I worried not about him as I closed in on the last few troopers within my own distance. Even as I ran, I was well prepared to fight unarmed. Open palm slamming hard into the faceplate of the trooper and throwing him to the ground. Without skipping a beat, my off hand hit the ground, and allowed me to pivot on my hands. Using a Flying kick into the chest of the second man. While his body hit the ground, The kneeling position I landed in allowed me to send a chopping motion to the first troopers throat. I could hear the gurgling sound from his mouth as his air way was broken in.

Twisting my head, I looked up to see one last man. While he was just a bit of a distance from me, and the other two were fighting their own troopers, I used the force. Reaching out with my skills of electronic systems. Throwing my all into his hud system. Even from my distance, I could hear the static in his com system as I amplified the noises within his helmet. Creating a signal within his helmet alone. Weapon dropped to the ground as he reached to try and pry his helmet off. Casually waking over to the man as he finally yanked it off, I had grabbed his blaster and slammed the but of the rifle into his face. Blood erupted from the nose as he bent over to protect himself, for my foot to kick his knee.

As much as the others were literally crushing their own enemies, I sought to find information from them. Use them for our means and to keep ourselves silent.

The other troopers were dead, dying, or knocked out hard. I kept this man alive and on the ground attempting to tend to his bleeding nose.

"Here is the deal, Either you do what we tell you to say to the others, and keep this quiet, or I finally be able to discover the one thousands ways to kill someone with a datapad pen."

[member="Zye Woden"], [member="Ultimatum"], [member="Ghorua the Shark"], [member="Jay Scott Clark"], [member="Kalen Genet"],

 

[Jsc]

The other troopers were dead, dying, or knocked out hard.

Alas for poor Shaun's math,

Only five troopers had perished of the total sixteen engaged thus far. Ghorua crushing one scout, shooting another. Zye perforating one trooper with sword and another one with the Force. Thus leaving good Shaun to dispatch only one trooper with a bash to his windpipe. (The other two troopers were already quickly recovering from his punch and kick attacks. Leaving, yes... Eleven more angry dudes with guns still to defeat.

Eleven versus three!? Holy Jedi Freelancer!? Don't die already!? Gagh!

Fight!

[member="Shaun Irons"] [member="Zye Woden"] [member="Zye Woden"] [member="Ghorua the Shark"]

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum began to sprint; the body was rather slow at the first. It took awhile to pick up momentum with so much mass. Most of the others appeared to have already engaged the enemy by the time he had managed to pass over and through the valleys. It had not been too difficult, the massive claws on the front legs allowed the body to get a sturdy grip on walls and rocky ground. As he accelerated, Ultimatum knew that he would become something of a battering ram. He could not slow down quickly and would probably have to resort to a collapse. But he could imagine the look on the enemies' faces when a half ton droid came barreling through.

That was just what Ultimatum did. While he had hoped to catch them bunched up, the troops had begun to spread out in standard military tactics. Ultimatum chose one of the hapless troopers along the outer edge and adjusted his path accordingly. In the heat of the battle, it was a moment too late for the enemy when he noticed the incoming droid. Even as he tried to run out of the way, Ultimatum bashed right into him. The force exchange wouldn't be enough to even slow Ultimatum, however, that was little consolation to the organic who had been hit by a high-speed half-ton body. The first thing Ultimatum had aimed to impact was the head, ensuring a quick and somewhat painless death. The large body continued on for another ten meters before being able to slow enough to turn and begin fighting. This was a rather messy affair, given that the droid suit had no weapons he was completely reliant on the weight and physical strength.

Two of the guards began firing on the droid and Ultimatum could just barely feel the impact of the blaster rounds on his hardened Duranium shell. It would leave carbon scoring, but little more than that. His hand moved quickly, catching one of the soldiers in a swipe that sent him flying several meters along the ground.

[member="Kalen Genet"] [member="Jay Scott Clark"] [member="Shaun Irons"] [member="Zye Woden"] [member="Ghorua the Shark"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua felt tiny pinpricks of heat dapple his chest and arms as the rest of the squad caught up with their defeated pathfinders. They felt sharp, but nearly comfortable, the heavy beskar plate and energy sink in his armor doing their job. He brought his slugthrowers to bear at a small group of them, and noted thankfully that others had joined him. It would have been rather awkward had he jumped up, and found himself surrounded by enemies for no reason.

But he watched as [member="Zye Woden"], [member="Shaun Irons"], and the hulking form of [member="Ultimatum"] began to engage, and felt a smile pull at the edges of his lips. It felt good having backup like this.

He discharged his weapons into the squads, who quickly evaded, trying to find cover. He felt nothing but the confidence of experience, the immense satisfaction of doing something one was good at. It was euphoric, in a way.

It made him feel like himself.

He watched as a few troopers pulled thermal detonators from their belts, and began to take aim at the Ultimatum. Ghorua found them with his guns first, waiting just long enough for them to activate them. The oversized slugs broke upon their visors, snapping their necks, and making the detonators fall into the sand behind them. The resonating booms sent up a rain of grit over the battlefield, and Ghorua felt a flicker of memory dash across his mind.

He banished it, and the dark cloud it held. Can't get distracted.

- [member="Jay Scott Clark"] - [member="Kalen Genet"] -