Test Drive (Lords of the Fringe Dominion of Javin)

[Belle Morte]

"I'll take the facility, commander." Belle looked on as she continued to move forward. Each step letting the rage build up in her, the facility would be theirs and what the commander wanted would come to them. She was in no hurry taking in the sights with her cybernetic eye and allowing the iron skin to sooth her. A wonderful feeling once you got rid of the cape and all the frills of it. She planned several things to try but for now the armorweave red a thin layer of synth leather for color was more then enough. "Continue forward men."

 

[Rusken Shaxx]

Zius found himself inside the LZ with black trench coat draped around his shoulders. He stood around and focused in on the gunfire and bloodshed, patching into the com system through his helmet.

"This is Zius, I'll be heading for the facility as well. Out."

The young Dark Jedi reached inside his leather coat and pulled forth a curved-hilt red lightsaber, igniting it and walking into the haze of battle. A few troops advanced toward Zius to cut him off, attempting to spray him down indefinitely. Zius held his saber up to his face and began to smack each round away, one being sent right back toward the head of an obvious recruit who had just been taught how to handle a blaster.

Said rookie soldier fell dead to the ground, and Zius didn't even crack a grin, uncaring for their pesky infantry. He entered his Ataru stance and went skyward, coming down unto a slow-witted Javin soldier, splaying his throat open with a quick swipe. Zius then spun in place and landed a round-house to the jaw of another slow, but determined piece of fodder. He crumbled to the ground like a bag of bricks, broken and unconcious, but the young Ex-Sith still held his teachings close and went for the kill, stabbing his saber into the back of the downed man.
As for the last couple, Zius raised his left hand and sent out a mere Force push, sending them flying into a broken wall, one being impaled on a bit of broken steel jutting out of said wall, the others' skull smashing into it with a deadly impact.
"En route."
He said over the com as he paced himself toward the coordinates of the facility, lightsaber held by his side. @[member="Belle Morte"] @[member="Ashin Varanin"]

 

[Kitt Solo]

@[member="Alen Na'Varro"]

Whelp, her targeted generator was blown hotter than some over-charred, double-fried nerfsteaks. Checking the readouts of the fighter, she saw her payload levels were low. Letting the last bomb loose near the capitol armory, she flew the fighter back toward home base, weaving between enemy fire. Luckily, most of it was still concentrated on the larger fleet, above.

With wheels touched down and hatch popped, the rogue-knight climbed down from the fighter, letting fingers run through the tangled burned-strands of chestnut hair. Satisfied that her helmet hair was mostly gone, she strode over to the man she assumed to be Alen. "Mister Na'Varro? Name's Kitt Solo with the Fringe. I'm here to help escort you and your posse to reach your objective. Might wanna get a move on, sir, we're in the middle of a war." With a wink, she checked the energy-setting on her blaster.

 

[Aran Finn]

"Really? Hadn't noticed.." Alen said dryly, his eyes passing over the wreckage of the machine gun emplacement and the twenty-eight dead bodies of the enemy platoon. The Fringe forces would use this as a breech to pierce the hastily assembled Javin line and break them. It was a lot easier to kill men whose backs were turned. Not Na'Varro's style, but he was sure that a few Fringers would be happy to cut them down. "Call me Na'Varro, or Alen. 'Mister' is a bit much."

Alen sighed and turned to look at the pass that they had to go through. It would be hot, full of fire and brimstone and whatever else the Javin defenders could find. He just hoped that @[member="Kitt Solo"] was up to the task. He had faith ... the Fringe might have been full of dysfunctional Forcers but from what he had seen, they were capable enough. Alen was an experienced General from wars long ago, he had no idea what Solo's experience was in war but he was sure that this wasn't her first barbecue.

"We have no need of an escort but if it's a fight you seek, feel free to join us." Na'Varro turned to his elite commandos and nodded. "For practicalities sake we'll split the boys. Spiers, Muck, Pencala and Sobel, you're with Solo. Rest of you, you're with me. Solo, stay on me for now and let's get this done."

Indicating that Solo should take his side for now, he waved two fingers in the air and pointed forward. Move out. Danzig took lead and they moved into the pass, treading carefully. Na'Varro kept the Force within him, surrounding him and penetrating him. He was aware.

 

[Kitt Solo]

@[member="Alen Na'Varro"]

She fluidly fell in step with Na'Varro. "Just how I was raised, Mist--, Alen." She nodded to each of the boys, myrtle-ellipses giving them a once over for weapons. Steady-hand gripped the blaster set to stun. Unlike her other Fringe members, she didn't take too kindly to killing.

It just didn't sit right.

Even with the hand-picked troops and one Alen Na'Varro, she still felt exposed in the pass. They were easy targets. Tactically, they were in horrible positions. The force nipped at her senses. On instinct, she suddenly turned into Na'Varro and shoved him roughly to the ground, quickly rolling off him as the air around them filled with poisonous darts.

"The rocks, get to them for cover," voice cut through the mayhem unfolding in the pass as she yelled at Muck-what's-his-name and the others.

 

[Rusken Shaxx]

Zius saw the barrage of poisonous darts heading for his direction as he just about rounded a corner of a destroyed building, his single eye went wide for a moment as he jerked himself back into cover, allowing them to pass. He also caught a glimpse of @[member="Kitt Solo"] tackling @[member="Alen Na'Varro"] to the ground in order to save his life. He yelled out to both of them to get their attention, peaking his head out of cover after the darts had all passed by.

"Perhaps you lot could make room for another? It's quite lonely killing by yourself!"

Zius looked around before advancing on their position. The only feature that shined through the visor of his helmet was that same ol' red cybernetic eye, scanning both of them and recognizing them as fellow Fringe. Now he only awaited their plans in-order to tag along and to provide assistance in the war.

 

[Shinju]

@[member="Kiyala Demont"] @[member="Rave Merrill"]

Shinju felt a buzzing in her head, and tapped her ear as the sound of Ashin's voice came. Sending her to join Rave and Kiyala... Which wasn't such a bad thing. Kiyala was... she didn't know she wasn't certain if she had ever met Kiyala but she knew Rave. The woman had such pretty eyes that looked so delicious. If others looked at the nightsister with lust, then Shinju thought of her with hunger cause those eyes and hair were unique. They were something to be savored and Shijnju skipped off as she held the chainblade in her hands. Letting it rev up in her hand. A wonderful toy and tool that served a much of a purpose as the twin derriphan's on her back or the saber on her thigh. She was going to get the scepter for her little Bundori give the girl something to play with. "Rave, Kiyala I am moving towards you I think."

 

[Aran Finn]

The pass was a trap, clearly, but sometimes the best way of dealing with a trap was to spring it. The Javin defenders had the high ground, the numbers and positional superiority. The Fringers had Na'Varro and @[member="Kitt Solo"], two adept Force Users, and eight elite commandos. They were out of position, but they were superior. This fight would be short. Na'Varro hit the ground with an oof and immediately scrambled into cover, grateful for Kitt's alertness.

"Good looking out, Solo." That was when @[member="Zius Aurus"] made his appearance, asking a question with an obvious enough answer. "Of course. You're welcome to throw your lot in with us."

Another volley of poison darts flew past them and thudded into their cover. A waste of ammo, in Alen's opinion. These guys were brave amateurs, nothing more. He had a peek out of cover to see what the deal was. There were a lot of them on the high ground, turning the pass into a bottleneck. The only way through the pass was through the defenders, who had set up an elaborate network of cover from which they waited. Their choice of weapon was strange, as most of the Fringe ground pounders were wearing some sort of body armour. Danzig and his boys weren't wearing helmets for vanity's sake, which Na'Varro would never understand. If they even got nicked on their noggins, they'd end up dead. Regardless, the situation could be dealt with, and with a minimum of smart tactics. For they had the Force as their ally, and the Force was a powerful ally indeed.

"Let's play hammer and anvil. I'll be the hammer, they'll be the anvil. Feel free to cover me if you think you can spare the charge on your blasters, boys." Physical facets were an important part of being a Force User. Crucial. With the Force fueling his movements and providing him protection from enemy fire, Alen would close the gap quickly and take the enemy apart. He aimed to get a few kills himself, but his main strategy was to force the defenders from their entrenched positions so Solo and the commandos could take them down with accurate blasterfire. He wasn't sure what the other Fringer would do, as he had no idea how he fought, but he was welcome to join Alen or attack from range.

A pause, and then Na'Varro burst from cover, his crimson lightsaber ignited and ready to be used.

 

[Rusken Shaxx]

Zius watched @[member="Alen Na'Varro"]'s movements from his own distance, these said Javin defenders did indeed put up a decent defense, but not for long. Zius waited for Alen to spring into action to be sure if he was thinking of making the right move. The young Dark Jedi used a Force jump to vault himself next to the man, brandishing his own dark red lightsaber which he intended to use justly and for the slaughter.

"Why have one hammer when you can have two?"

Was Zius' witty comment, perhaps even a bit corny to state but this wasn't the time to judge one on how well they could conjure a pun for the sake of humor. He held said saber in front of his visor, watching closely as to what the Javin would attempt from their defensive perch. Perhaps another barrage of darts? or would they take an even more bold course of action? Despite their efforts, it would seem almost certain that these brave yet daft defenders were about to be met with an inevitable fate. They would be death's bill, and the Javin were going to pay dearly with their lives.

 

[Kitt Solo]

“We’ve got your six, Na’Varro. Time to shoot those Javin fish in the barrel.” Nodding to the commandos at her disposal, they spread out and prepared the sniper-like shots as @[member="Alen Na'Varro"] leaped into action with @[member="Zius Aurus"] – a Fringe member she had yet to formally meet.

Nothing said meet and greet like the battlefield.

She tried not to become distracted by her sudden attraction to Alen’s leadership style and the way his excellent form looked leaping into action…

A poisonous dart zinged the lip of her cover, bringing her gaze back into focus on the enemies and not so much on Alen’s six. Exhaling, she surrendered her control to the force, and began picking off the enemies with a high-powered stun-bolt as Alen and Zius ambushed them from their hiding places. Snapping her hand forward, she sent a concentrated-invisible blast high-up into the ranks of the Javin to give her boys a chance at better firing positions.

“Try not to hit the friendlies, boys.” Grunting, she too, pushed her position forward and continued to shoot into the pass.

 

[Rusken Shaxx]

Zius used his TK to cause a weakened part of a building to fall upon a few of the Javin soldiers, crushing them as if they were mere insects beneath a boot. He cracked a devilish grin behind his visor at the violence happening amongst the battlefield. War was like a party, with all the exceptions but the cake; however, seeing his enemy die miserably would suffice his sweet-tooth enough. Zius craved being in battle, it was only natural for a being of his creation to be put to the test and endurance. The Sith made him to kill, to hunt, to be a predator. He swatted away a blaster round, the red beam of energy leaving a scorch in the stone along with residual burning ember in the center.

Zius proceeded further into the heat of war, avoiding the blazes of enemy fire by hopping from cover to cover to get closer to the hypothetical throat he wanted to rip out; their stationary position. He managed to reach them, using his TK ability once again to send a barrage of broken metal toward them to act as shrapnel. In that moment a couple Javin attempted to rush the Dark Jedi in hopes of catching him off-guard, but to their dismay, it would prove fruitless. He turned quickly and caught one of said defenders in the gut, ripping the lightsaber upward while catching the other with a Force push to the torso, sending him over a ledge and hurtling into the ground below. This is what Zius came for, and this is how he would prove his mettle.

@[member="Kitt Solo"] @[member="Alen Na'Varro"]

 

[Bundori]

GOING AFTER THE AUNTIE COMMANDER

Bundori danced around the room as they were heading down there, her mommy was going after the scepter and auntie commander was going after something else.... and Bundori the invincible was going to help her as she made sure she had plenty of things. A doll, a small knife and one of the Rakata's who held a large warblade. "Come on we're going on an adventure."

 

[Aran Finn]

In the heat of battle, Alen forgot that @[member="Zius Aurus"] was even beside him. He attacked with fury, ripping a duracrete block used as cover from its moorings and crushing three Javin defenders brutally. The Dark Jedi fueled his strides with the Force and came into the action just behind it, taking advantage of the defenders natural instinct to move backwards. Alen was a bull, the defenders were matadors ... only there were a few more of them than normal, and none of them was particularly good at dodging. He was going to have a field day. And he was on them, running through a defender before he could react and blasting the corpse onto another defender, knocking him over. The coup-de-grace was instantaneous. The Force sung to him and he deflected two blaster bolts from the same weapon, the first one into another defender's face and the second one back at the attacker. Another two down.

Now they rushed in to attack him close quarters with vibroswords, figuring that they could overwhelm him with numbers. Not so. Alen dropped, cutting off the first attackers leg at the knee and then piercing him through his chest as he came down. He slashed backwards now, taking out another man who attempted to take his back, and then he was on the rest, encased by crimson fury, the light of his lightsaber hanging in the air as his blade worked quickly and with impunity. Several men dropped, and finally Alen roughly shoved his blade through a defender's chest, just as a blaster bolt from @[member="Kitt Solo"] dropped a man who came at him from behind. Na'Varro had sensed the man, but Solo had dealt with him before he could turn. Good looking out, Solo indeed ...

~ That might be two I owe you, Solo. ~ Alen sent that thought to Solo and turned to look for Zius, and to see how he was doing. Well enough, it seemed.

 

[Kitt Solo]

@[member="Alen Na'Varro"] @[member="Zius Aurus"]

Grimacing at the bloody mess, she finally lowered her blaster arm and offered a hand-up to one of her commandos. Luckily, Alen wouldn't be able to see the color rise to her dirt-smeared cheeks as his smooth-mental voice invaded her thoughts. Sensing no more immediate threats through the force with a confirmation of her physical-gaze, she allowed herself to enjoy a brief moment of respite.

Tugging on the invisible-channel Alen had already created, she sent a silent message back to him: If we get out of this, you can take me out to dinner and we'll be even. We're clear down here. Shaking out her blaster arm, she fell into formation with the men.

"Let's set-up a perimeter. Keep your eyes sharp, boys. We're getting close to the site." She nodded up to Zius, trying to push the feelings of his enjoyment at carnage out of her senses. Being an empath could be a real pain in the arse.

 

[Rusken Shaxx]

Zius looked to @[member="Alen Na'Varro"] and gave a deep and slow nod before using another Force jump to land next to him once again. Twirling his lightsaber casually, which had become a typical thing for him to do after a battle. He slipped it into his trench coat once again, shrugging his shoulders as his visor split apart and receded to either side of his face, revealing the youthful face beneath. It was something definitely unnatural, artificial even. His flesh was a pale, pure white due to the artificial blood coursing through his veins. Only one eye to be seen as the other was hidden behind a blackened cloth tied around his head, with long white hair to compliment.

"It's a pleasure to meet a fellow member of the Fringe, the name's Zius." He said with a cold, distorted voice. Almost as if speaking through a distorted radio with a harsh piercing tone.

 

[Aran Finn]

Heh. They had done well amongst the carnage of battle, and now he had himself a date. ~ I'll pick you up at eight. ~ Na'Varro sent back dryly, though he seriously doubted that they'd be finished by eight. Probably nine thirty, or the vicinity of ten if the Javin defenders grew backbones or gained any tactical nous. Though they were in the midst of a battle for control of a vital world, Alen couldn't help but realise that he hadn't taken a woman out to dinner for a good eight-hundred and ten years. Since then he had lost his estranged wife to the blade of his greatest rival, fallen through a wormhole with his base-born daughter (who in fact was not even his base-born daughter at all), and lost his two legitimate children to the ravages of time. All of the baggage. Luckily, the bearded man had learned to deal with baggage. He acknowledged it and confronted it, at least. That was the sign of a healthy mind, and Alen knew all about unhealthy ones.

"It's a pleasure to meet a fellow member of the Fringe, the name's Zius."

Alen acknowledged the @[member="Zius Aurus"] with a nod.

"I'm Na'Varro, mastermind of this little operation. The lady there with the blaster is Solo. Welcome aboard, you use the Force well."

At @[member="Kitt Solo"]'s statement, Alen nodded. She was right. He had a look at the datapad again ... they were about 1.5 klicks out from their objective, which was a stroll in comparison to a lot of ventures the Dark Jedi had been on. They had best press on if they wanted to get this fething thing done.

"Right. Danzig, take V'ronn and scout ahead. I'll take point." Alen signaled for the commandos to move out again, and they moved out of the pass and into the outskirts of the city proper.

 

[Jak Sandrow]

"PITCHOOOOMM!" Jak yelled as he slammed out of hyperspace.

Into the middle of a warzone.

Well... admittedly, it was going on about 1000 km planetside, but hey. He was here now, wasn't he?

Lowering the ship into high orbit, he strapped on his jetsuit.

Right, right, here we go... Hup!

He leapt out of the cargo bay, plummeting straight down to the ground. As he did so, he actuvated his comm. "Lords of the Fringe, Lords of the Fringe, this is Python - repeat, this is Python - logging in. Requesting landing coordinates, over."

@[member="Alen Na'Varro"]
@[member="Ashin Varanin"]

 

[Ashin Varanin]

@[member="Sargon Vynea"]

"Well done," she said. "That'll restructure things in useful ways."

She leaned down to the comm as the voice of @[member="Jak Sandrow"] came through. "Python, get yourself less Fre'udian callsign and an objective groundside. There's a few people going for the Sceptre, and they'll need security systems damaged or disabled by the time they get there. If you can get to the capital city quickly enough, make that happen. We need that secured to secure-" Well, a Kerts-Bhrg generator was a little out of his experience, all told. No need to bother his little head.

Cutting the transmission, she turned back to Sargon. Since the election, in a very real way he'd become her boss. He was a senior member of the High Council, and she...well, wasn't. And that might have been how she'd planned it, but it wasn't necessarily how she wanted it to be.

"Something on your mind, Sargon?"

 

[Kitt Solo]

@[member="Alen Na'Varro"] @[member="Zius Aurus"]

A ghost of a smile crossed her lips at Alen's comment. She offered a two-fingered salute back up to him and Zius, ears picking up on the other Fringe member's name. Feet padded along the district's streets. Classic warzone with glimpses of a panicked and hurried exit from the civilians flecked the streets. Gingerly, she stepped over a cart of fresh vegetables, falling back in step with Alen and Zius.

Myrtle-ellipses panned the surrounding area, always alert. "You think it's weird they fired sith darts? Doesn't make much sense to me. Must've been a stash the Mugaari pirates got on one of their latest runs." Slender shoulders rose and fell in a shrug as she mulled these thoughts over, verbally processing her assumptions to her two Fringe companions.

She'd rather it be that than run into some unknown sith mastermind pullin' the strings behind the curtain.

 

[Velok the Younger]

@[member="Penumbra"] @[member="Kiyala Demont"] @[member="Lady Exedō"]
BOUND FOR THE SCEPTRE

A few more deaths, a little running, and the situation resolved. Rave found herself working with a fellow High Councilor and a stealth expert, along with her fellow witch. Out of breath from running and fighting, she offered them polite nods and moved on.

The sceptre was in a gigantic government complex, just over a rise. The palace complex stretched out for miles. "Penumbra, can you get us in unseen?"