The Beaten Path

[Miss Blonde]

The Beaten Path ​

Spoiler

[media] https://youtu.be/vIcgbm9zYYc [/media]

Rattling against the breaking of toxic atmosphere, the hull of Syndicate's drop ship shook slightly as they arrived on Anoth a world caught in a perpetual state of toxicity and cold. It had been a good week or two since the job on Roon and Blonde had spent the time with her family, just trying not to think about what she had done. That was all anyone could really do about it, not talk about it, and not think about it. There was almost an awkward tension in the shuttle, a silence that needed to be broken by asking the question of why she had killed those innocent engineers. And while Blonde never sought to explain herself, she honestly didn't want to. She did what she had to do to protect her people, and if people labeled her the villain for it, well they weren't wrong.

But regardless the tension needed to be broken. Someone needed to say something about anything, and since they were approaching the facility she would be the one to do so. She was their de facto leader after all. She was the only one keeping this organization afloat, and was already well aware of what would happen if she left the organization in less capable hands.

"The group we'll be meeting call themselves The Imperial Watchdogs. They dress themselves in First Order uniforms purchased off the black market and use fear and oppression to run slaver camps in harsh environments like this one. Sometimes with barely functional equipment, other times with no protective gear at all. So needless to say they make a killing in coin. That in turn allows them to purchase many expensive items." Blonde said as she sat herself up in her seat.

Taking a deep breath she let out a sigh and would briefly touch upon what had transpired last time around while staying on point.

"I know that many of you have questions about what happened the other week, and I need you to know that right now it doesn't matter. Right now we have the chance to not only score something that's been lost for years, but we can for once maybe do a little good. And with the Galaxy so set on tearing itself apart through war and destruction, it doesn't sound like a bad idea to me to put a little of it back together." Blonde then looked over to her fellow criminals and mercenaries before continuing on.

"So the plan is simple. Group one, follow me, mind your manners, and when the time is right we strike. Group two, you are tasked with a very special mission that I will send the details over to you." Raising up her data logger she pressed a few buttons and then sent a file over to her little group of assassins.

In the back of the drop ship you will find sets of Phantasm Class Stealth Cloaks, grav-chutes, and gas masks. You are to exit the craft before we land and infiltrate the facility in foot. Once inside the place will be highly guarded, move undetected until you reach the kitchen area. For our meeting they will be serving a Hapes made wine called Queen Mother's Blood, a lame name I know. But you are to poison that wine before it is served. You will not breath a word of this to the others, I don't need them trying to keep a poker face or attempting to lie like they don't know what's happening. This way we get their leadership in one fell swoop and we can mop up nicely. Also along the way, you'll see horrible things. No matter what you see, you keep moving. You get the job done, these people can be saved after we get what we're here for. Operational Standards are do not engage unless you have to, and if you do make sure it's quiet."

Now that everything was taken care of, the shuttle dipped down lower towards the gassy toxic floor of the shattered planet, and this was the signal for the team of assassins in the back to get the hell out and do their jobs. As for everyone else they'd have a moment with Blonde. Last time around they had only seen her from afar or heard her voice on the comm, never had they seen her up close and personal. And to be completely honest it was an odd sight to see.

A four foot eleven woman who was clearly a few months along into pregnancy wore a suit and a gas mask. She was positively tiny and petite with long flowing blonde hair. This was the vicious crime lord the Galaxy at times was so afraid of. Someone who might pass as teenager, though with the mask on it was difficult to tell her actual age. It was best for the crew to get their questions and concerns in now before they touched down.

[member="Macoda Haberon"] [member="Acaleus Thorn"] [member="Xiarr Sair"] [member="Vigil"] [member="Prostices Elmnar"] [member="Tanya Thiran"] [member="Halifax McCade"] [member="Keira Ticon"] [member="Jynx"] [member="Baghead"]

 

[Vigil]

Vigil, who'd recently been operating with [member="Miss Blonde"] semi frequently, was among the second group. Assassination, as of late Vigil was quite the dangerous librarian. Perhaps next time he had the pleasure of talking to the crime lord, he'd discuss a proper moniker for himself, he had more than a few accurate ideas. Regardless, that would be a task for another day, for now came the job at hand. Once more, he'd taken the guise of a Kel-Dor, intending to remain semi consistent with the group's perceptions of him until such a time as his identity was known more.

In the back, alone for a moment, Vigil was able to read the message on his 'datapad'. Truthfully he'd read it in his own head, but perceptions were important.. especially since he was unaware who would be joining him on this stealth mission. Before he could find out, the signal to jump came. Grabbing a cloak and grav chute, Vigil made his way off. The cloak would hide even his holo-projected form as he landed safely, drawing his Sieries 9 and attaching its silencer. He'd have to take a minute to observe who would be joining him, best not to work alone if he had no need.

 

[Hadrian Bjormund]

Mac could feel the tension in the air, though it didn't affect him much. He did not witness the slaughtering that he heard back on Roon, and he wasn't about to ask questions when he didn't want to know the answers. Mac took the liberty of positioning himself next to [member="Miss Blonde"] as the shuttle made its descent down to the toxic planet that awaited them. He never saw the crime lord on Roon, his only communication was over a comm link. Mac was surprised when he saw her, she was much shorter than what he expected, and a tad bit younger too. Mac must've stood almost two feet taller than Miss Blonde and a good head taller than the rest of the mercs in the shuttle.

He assigned himself to group one. Mac wasn't a stealthy individual, he knew his strengths and weaknesses. What he excelled at was close quarters combat. Mac's hands rested against his axes that were holstered on each side, a subconscious act to make sure that they were still there. Mac had a feeling that this job would prove to be more interesting than the one a couple of weeks ago. He wasn't phased so much by Roon but that was largely because he wasn't with Miss Blonde. He looked around at the other mercs, some of whom were eyeing Blonde. Unlike last time, Mac will be up close and personal with the boss.

This is going to be quite a learning experience.

His work with the Black Tie Syndicate was proving to be quite profitable and less time consuming than pirating. Whenever he had a break from being [member="Lady Kay"]'s personal pilot, he found himself working for Miss Blonde. It was fun, or at least adventurous. Something that Commoner is not exactly known for. Still, Mac maintained his loyalty to the Queen of Commenor, and part of his earnings would go towards paying his debt to her. Of course he would need to be alive for that to happen. He wasn't taking any risks. With that in mind, he turned to Miss Blonde.

"How much resistance are we expecting here, miss?"

 

[Poe]

​Halifax grunted under his T-visor helmet, there was no need for their leader to explain her actions. The galaxy, like she said, was tearing itself apart; but survival was the name of the game. It was a dog eat dog galaxy afterall. He was no stranger to violence, for he himself was guilty of what the galaxy would call war crimes against humanity; except what he killed were Jedi and Sith. In his mind, the galaxy was a more desirable place with their numbers thinned. But again, he put his prejudices aside for the work that lied ahead.

​Halifax was a man of few words, so diplomatic scenarios wasn't his forte, despite the appeal to close quarters combat. He killed, he had murdered, and he had assassinated all in the name of self-preservation; and money. So it was no surprise to anyone the man opted to join the assassination team. He knew very little about poisons, but knew a great deal a lot about fighting. Missions, regardless how well planned out, always seemed to get caught up on hitches. He would provide cover and strong-arm tactics for those that knew how to deliver the package more efficiently.

​He crushed the data pad in his hand, absolving himself of any connection to the mission. Halifax grabbed the cloak, then looked at the grav chute. His armor came equppied with a jet pack, but those things were rather noisy when fired up; and since this was a stealth mission, he grabbed the chute on his way to the exit point. He smirked under his helmet, taking the leap of faith out the back end of the drop ship. He landed as gently as an armored man could, ripped the chute from him, and pulled his twin blasters from their holster. The first entity he saw was Virgil.

"looks like we are working together again, ​vod."



[member="Miss Blonde"] l [member="Vigil"]

 

[Xiarr Sair]

The massacre back on Roon was a surprise, to say the least. While Xiarr hadn't actually witnessed it directly he was nearby and heard the screams and the sound of blaster fire. He hadn't seen it, but he could definitely picture the incident in his head. It was probably best to forget about it and focus on the current mission, but Xiarr knew that it was a lingering thought they all had. Nonetheless, Xiarr had agreed to come along on the next job with Blonde. As per usual with her, the details about this job were vague, to say the least. All Xiarr knew was that there were going to the toxic world of Anoth to take a certain item for the group forcefully.

Xiarr had decided to join the group that was fighting on the front lines, as he thought it suited him most. While he likely was capable of stealth, he was more comfortable fighting in the fray than sneaking around. Xiarr expected to be accompanied by your typical brutes and heavy hitters, and it looked as though he wasn't entirely wrong. He recognized one face from Roon, the pirate that had been with the bigoted Mandalorian. He also saw Miss Blonde herself, but she looked far different than from what Xiarr had expected. He had caught a quick glance at her while on Roon, but she was zooming through the streets and thus he could barely make out any details. Now that he saw her in person, she was a tad bit shorter than what he had expected, and also a lot younger as well.

The pirate asked Blonde on how much resistance they would face on Anoth, a question which he was also wondering. But either way, they would all soon find out.

[member="Macoda Haberon"]
[member="Miss Blonde"]

 

[Tanya Thiran]

Tanya was surprised at herself for working with blonde again, especially after the massacre on Ron. She hadn't seen it, but she could feel it. And her own memories flooded back, making it all the worse. But now, miss blonde herself surprised Tanya, standing shorter, and almost definitely lighter than Tanya, and she was pregnant. Ignoring this, Tanya sat there, ensuring her light saber was ready, but hidden. Just in case.

Tanya finally broke her silence. After waiting for miss blonde to answer the enormous pirate's question, Tanya asked
"Anyone know what' sip with the force dead Kel Dor? Something's off about him, aside from being force dead."

[member="Halifax McCade"][member="Macoda Haberon"]@Vigil@Miss Blonde

 

[Prostices Elmnar]

Elm set her rifle down, leaving it behind as she grabbed a apgrav shut and a stealth cloak. She knew a decent amount about poison, enough to kill someone, but she was nowhere near an expert. Elm and joined the assassination team, as she preferred to stay away from the heavy combat, and knew that her rifle wouldn't help sneaking around or in close quarters. She kept her knife and pistol on her though, to provide quick and quiet kills when necessary.

On the ground, she saw two people, one a Kel Dor, and the other a mandolorian. The mando said something to the Kel Dor, but nothing of note to Elm. Currently, she was focused on getting into the base, and completing the objective. Elm grabbed her knife and blaster, keeping ready, and surveyed the area. All clear.

[member="Tanya Thiran"]
[member="Xiarr Sair"]
[member="Halifax McCade"]
[member="Macoda Haberon"]
[member="Vigil"]
[member="Miss Blonde"]

 

[Baghead]

Baghead had remained silent throughout the entire flight, and intended to do so until the gunship landed. So far his little trip had been uneventful, but he had gone with crime cartels before, he knew not everything was fun and games. Looking around he could see all of the participants of the operation, he ignored actual members of the syndicate, and rather focused on the mercenaries. He had come on this mission, not for money, and not to do any good for the galaxy, but to make some friends, or at least acquire some business contacts. Once he was off this delight of a planet, he could use some names to help him in his "quest", but that was a latter matter, now all he needed to do was try not to kill some innocents, a challenge in itself.

Baghead did not wear any special gear, nor arm himself with anything big, he didn't need a gas mask, a benefit of his, situation. Instead, his token paper bag had a crude gas mask drawn on it, mocking the other members of this little operation. As the assassins in the back jumped with their chutes, Baghead twirled his hand at them, "Toodaloo!" The appearance of the crime boss left Baghead, unsurprised, he had met many crime lords, and had killed a few of them, she was like no other, of course her sympathy for her victims showed as her weakness, something Baghead could use later. Baghead rubbed his hands, "Let's get this show started!"

[member="Xiarr Sair"]
[member="Halifax McCade"]
[member="Macoda Haberon"]
[member="Vigil"]
[member="Miss Blonde"]

 

[Acaleus Thorn]

The droid he left in the zone to hear the entire plan did the job. Acaleus was already near, using the cloak with his new space suit, that could resist the current enviroment (X) The AT-120 was in the system, hidden from any scanners. Venus was piloting, being ready to give assistance. From now on, he would be in radio silence, but Venus would be his voice in the meeting. The same R2 unit got close to [member='Tanya Thiran'] "Well maybe he is disguising his force aura. My employee was interested in that trait years ago. [member="Miss Blonde"] , Acaleus Thorn is currently in the ground, near the compound. He will meet with others that might pass as allies. End of transmission." the R2 unit turned off the holoproyector, and waited, ready to follow or stay, depending the situation.

Now for the assassin position, it was already a mystery, even from himself, as it was his first time on the planet. He hated being inside of a suit, because of the low rate of movement, although for the job it was perfect. Crawling, using rocks or other debris to evade any possible position of cameras was... "I wont fail" the thought got away as fast as his will came to get things in order. The freaking place could distract a professional mind like his. Why would anyone live in a place like this, so far away. In the millions of planets in the outer rim system, why here?

At least the suit worked perfectly, the systems for now didnt seem to have malfunction, but he needed to reach the location, fast. The assassin didnt liked to rely in things for any job. He took out his Skorpion Evo while laying on the ground, searching for any cameras or sentry. Taking mental notes, as even a ten centimeters depht whole could screw everything. The last paycheck was good, he expected that that didnt change "I´ll wait to know if there is anyone near. I could use a hand..."

[member='Macoda Haberon'] [member='Halifax McCade'] [member='Xiarr Sair'] [member='Prostices Elmnar'] [member='Baghead']

 

[Miss Blonde]

Miss Blonde simply sat there in her seat with her legs crossed and her infamous gas mask staring blankly at the wall. There was a bit of silence to her until she heard the beckoning of words being thrown at her, her head then snapped over to see it was one of her mercenaries. She couldn't quite recall his name, and to be frank she really didn't want to. She didn't need another name of a friend to bury, she had done too much of that in her life. But for the sake of professionalism she brought the man's Information up on her HUD. A one Mister [member="Macoda Haberon"] and his question on expected resistance. A fair enough question to ask, and one she thankfully had the answer to. So in her robotic laced voice she would give it to him and everyone else.

"Expect heavy resistance if team B does not succeed in their mission. If they are successful then we should be facing light to medium depending on if they surrender or not." Not that she'd let them live even if they did.

With his question answered she would keep herself focused on the prize ahead. She didn't care about redemption in the eyes of those around her, or even for herself. She was too far gone to ever go back to the life of arresting criminals and fighting the Sith.

But she at least had to do the best with what she had now. So in the interest of doing her best, she would continue to speak to her hired hands. They were the ones who decided to be here, and even if Blonde was paying them, she knew that they certainly had plenty of other options other than working for a crime lord with a lengthy track record for mass murder.

"I want all of you coming with me to contain yourselves. When we're inside, you will see things. Things that will cause your blood to boil and heart to hurt. You will see the very worst humanity has to offer, what makes even me look like a joke. So have faith in me and I'll make sure everyone makes it out alright." She only half way believed that, and while she certainly could sell it and make others believe it. She just felt empty reciting the words. She had buried too many friends, too many sons and daughters.

Spoiler

[media] https://youtu.be/UzXuQbcp8Yc [/media]

- Music

So she simply just sat back and refocused her sights on the wall. They were still a good two kilometers out from the base and they'd arrive in a few minutes. But for those in the back, they'd have to hoof it through what might scar some of them.

The larger team of infiltrators in the back were all nice and suited up for the mission. With their cloaks, grav-chutes, and masks all set up the men and women were allowed to leave the craft when the red light turned green signaling they were set to jump. Ushering in the toxic environment into the back end of the ship's hull, the door quickly closed once they had exited. Then from there they'd get a first hand look of what suffering really looked like.

They say in the Corellian legend and the layers of hell, the last one doesn't burn. There's no flame, no lake of fire and ash. It's cold. A frigid gripping cold that tightens around your body and causes you to freeze down to the bone. That was what it felt like on the surface of the planet. With toxic air coupled with crippling frost, the infiltration team would hopefully land safely and regroup. But as they landed they'd see the beast bellow, and for any force sensitive there would be loud and terrifying screaming going on within their minds. An agonizing painful sound of raw and unbridled suffrage brought on by physical torture. And for the non sensitive organics, feelings of dread and discomfort would enter their body grasping and squeezing around their hearts.

The source of this were raggedly clothed slaves. Men, women, children, aliens and humans all forced into fields of crystal. Behind them were men and women dressed in the warm winter uniforms of the First Order, stolen and illegally obtained to trick these people into believing that if they rose up simply more would come to massacre them. But the screaming wasn't coming from the slaves, it was from the crystals. The planet's native inhabitants. Living crystals with thoughts, emotions, feelings, all of which were being cut from the crystalline base to be harvested and sold as power sources.

Slaves with barely working masks toiled in the cold and when one fell from exhaustion the fake imperials would simply grab them and pull their limp body out in front of the others before ripping their mask off. Slowly the fallen would choke on air and die terribly. It was horrific, all of it truly was. But Blonde had given them orders, and she expected them to follow them.

"Don't let them see it hurt you. Never let them see it." the cold voice of Blonde came over their comms giving them that piece of advice.

[member="Vigil"] [member="Macoda Haberon"] [member="Halifax McCade"] [member="Xiarr Sair"] [member="Tanya Thiran"] [member="Prostices Elmnar"] [member="Baghead"] [member="Acaleus Thorn"]

 

[Jynx]

One of the last to land on the ground, it'd seemed that everyone else had already gotten acquainted.
"Oh don't tell me I've missed the pleasantries." her voice came out distorted.
This mission was a good chance to try out the goodies she'd earned last time. Though she still hadn't figured out how to turn off the voice scrambler.

Still, the cloak would make this sort of mission would go a lot more easily. At best, it'd involve grabbing a uniformed nobody, knocking the poor fool out and hoping the uniform fit. Otherwise, it would include a very uncomfortable amount of time of shapeshifting into uniform and explaining why the new recruit happened to walk in on somebody else's shift.
"Oh the wonders of technology."

[member="Miss Blonde"] | [member="Acaleus Thorn"] | [member="Baghead"] | [member="Prostices Elmnar"] | [member="Tanya Thiran"] | [member="Halifax McCade"] | [member="Vigil"]

 

[Baghead]

Baghead bounded off the gunship like a little girl getting out early on a school day, he danced around his fellow mercenaries and criminals as they trod through the dreary place that was Anoth. He stared intently and mockingly waved at the poor slaves, he chuckled, "Well, these folks little a little dreary, it would sure be a shame if they didn't get a show." Passing them by, he rejoined his group, he still had acquaintances to make. He tore off the bag he was wearing to reveal a paper bag clean of any marks or drawings, dusting off his suit, before speaking to [member="Xiarr Sair"], "So, buddy, why are you here? Can't resist cold hard cash?"

[member="Miss Blonde"]

 

[Xiarr Sair]

Whatever team B was doing, they better get their job done, if not they would all suffer as a result, and if the enemy decided to surrender, knowing Blonde Xiarr doubted they would be allowed to live if they did surrender. When they reached their destination Xiarr jumped out of the dropship, and as soon as he landed he heard the screaming in his head. Horrific screams of agony and suffering, and to the extreme of which he had never heard before. He did his best to suppress the screams, but no matter how hard he tried he never got them out of his head. The source of these screams was a mystery to Xiarr, it could have been a number of things, the slaves being the most likely case, or at least that's what he thought. Xiarr looked in the distance to see slaves being forced to work under the watchful eyes of their slavers, which were all wearing the armor of the First Order. Xiarr's observation was cut short by the sound of someone asking him a question as to why he was here. He turned around to see a man wearing a bag on his head while somehow wearing a suit. While this man might have been a psychopath, Xiarr thought would still be best to respond. "I suppose that's part of it, maybe the thrill and adventure drove me here as well."

[member="Baghead"]
[member="Miss Blonde"]
[member="Macoda Haberon"]
[member="Tanya Thiran"]

 

[Tanya Thiran]

When they landed, Tanya was almost immediately overcome by the agony she felt around her. It was horrific, and the pain was unimaginable. Still, Tanya took miss blonde' words to heart, and desperately tried to ignore it. She focused on one step at a time, trying to ignore the screams. She followed the other mercs and miss blonde, staying in the center of the group, to allow as little view of the outside as she could, and, if she was overwhelmed, no matter what direction she fell, she'd fall on someone.
[member="Xiarr Sair"]@Baghead@Jynx@Miss Blonde[member="Acaleus Thorn"]

 

[Vigil]

"So it would see, Halifax. It will be a pleasure to work alongside you again." That satisfied the pleasantries, yes? Vigil didn't know if [member="Halifax McCade"], or [member="Prostices Elmnar"] or [member="Jynx"] for that matter, cared what he had to say. In either case, the cloak meant to obscure him entirely was activated, as he began to make his way to the objective, motioning for the group to follow. He knew poisons well, if only by virtue of being a computer, the holonet so to speak, and had could prepare a vial of particularly useful poison on the way. A slow acting one, perhaps half a minute, mostly tasteless. He had to be certain to do the job well... soon enough he had found [member="Acaleus Thorn"], mostly by accident.

He knelt down, using the stealth cloak to stay hidden while speaking quietly, the false Kel-Dor doing all he could to keep from startling him. "It would seem we've got our work cut out for us. What's our point of entry?"

[member="Tanya Thiran"] | [member="Xiarr Sair"] | [member="Baghead"] | [member="Miss Blonde"] | [member="Macoda Haberon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

It had been months - perhaps a year or more - since Keira had found herself employed under [member="Miss Blonde"]. At one point the two had been nearly inseparable when it came to operations within the criminal underworld, but now times had changed. After her brief disappearance from the galaxy those ties had been cut, now seemingly only temporarily. Because now she was once more back in the swing of things, armored and armed just like she would have been had this been another Black Tie mission, this time among unfamiliar faces that she didn't recognize, save for the infamous crime lord herself. Blonde would recognize her from the armor alone, not to mention the weaponry she carried, the majority of it crafted by the petite woman.

On the ride down to the planet she remained silent, observing the others, only half-caring about their presence. These were other mercenaries, and their true worth would be proved as the mission continued. Just like that she was back to the old mindset of a criminal, caring for her own well-being and that of others only vaguely insofar as their contribution to the task at hand was concerned. "I thought you weren't going back to this."
Well, conversation with the AI was inevitable, "Times change. She's an old friend. I owe her this much."
"You also have responsibilities to the Mandalorians, and don't forget that you pledged to protect Dxun as a Warden of the Vanguard. That is bigger than the underworld."
"Where do you think these credits are going? Myself and my family are already more than well off. All of this is for the vode, one way or another. Vilaz isn't like Ra."
"Not that you cared to begin with."
"No. But that will be sorted out later."

The transport shuttered slightly as it touched down, and as her attention fully turned to the present she inhaled sharply at the sheer ugliness their surroundings imposed on her senses, not standing for a long moment as she forced herself to slow down and think in order to become grounded once again. Her hands were clenched into fists that she forced to relax, pushing herself to her feet and disembarking with the others rather than subjecting herself to sifting through her thoughts. That would come later. For now, she would assure that those responsible would pay, one way or another.

Walking with the rest of the small group that trailed after Blonde, Keira made her way to the front so she followed just behind the woman, within a speaking distance that would allow for quiet conversation, her back teeth clicking in order to allow her voice to be heard, "Just tell me where you want me." It was just like old times.

[member="Vigil"], [member="Tanya Thiran"], [member="Xiarr Sair"], [member="Baghead"], [member="Jynx"], [member="Acaleus Thorn"], [member="Prostices Elmnar"], [member="Halifax McCade"], [member="Macoda Haberon"]

 

[Hadrian Bjormund]

Mac had seen a lot of terrible things done by terrible people. He had seen his homeworld razed by the Zambrano family, he had seen his father electrocuted to ash by force lighting, he had seen the true color of slavery as a pit fighter, and he had seen greed and disloyalty as a pirate. Yet [member="Miss Blonde"]'s words gave him pause. Somehow he knew that Blonde wasn't the one to exaggerate. What's more, is that even though he had come to understand that Blonde felt some level of responsibility for the lives of those who worked for her, Mac suspected that some of the worst that humanity has to offer might just come from the crime lord herself. Mac rested his hands on the axes holstered to his sides. They gave him comfort in times like these. Mac trusted very very few people in the universe, but he could trust his axes completely. His thumb traced the Epicanthic engravings on one of the blades. He smiled slightly.

The shuttle touched down and he donned his gas mask which he was rather unused to wearing. He managed to stick closely to Blond as the first group of mercs exited from the spacecraft. Mac wasn't about to be separated on this hell hole of a planet. As they walked, blood curdling screams could be heard in the distance. It clearly disturbed some of the men, especially those who were force sensitive. Even he felt that the air was filled with malice. It felt the eerily similar to the air that the Zambranos exuded during their invasion of his homeplanet. Yet Mac wasn't a stranger to screams of anguish. Images of his father writhing on the ground, force lightning coursing through his flesh, flashed in Mac's mind. His father's screams still woke him sometimes.

No, I know screaming all to well.

Spoiler

[member="Keira Ticon"]
[member="Vigil"]
[member="Tanya Thiran"]
[member="Xiarr Sair"]
[member="Baghead"]
[member="Jynx"]
[member="Acaleus Thorn"]
[member="Prostices Elmnar"]
[member="Halifax McCade"]

 

[Poe]

​Calling up the HUD on his helmet, he brought up the microbinoculars and began scanning the area while [member="Vigil"] ​went to work constructing the poison. The area was guarded heavily in most areas, except for one. Zooming in on the absent guarded section, Halifax noticed it was a grate that led to an underground sewer system. The prospect of rooting around in the waste of others seemed unappealing, however it was the only possible entry point for them to conduct their stealthy mission.

​"There, about thirty yards out is a sewer system. I suggest we make that our entry point, then utilize these fancy cloaks for when we get inside the complex."

​Outside of that point of entry, the only way in would to fight; and even though he was more than prepared for a fight, it was their leader's mission directive they resort to stealth tactics.

​"I'll move ahead to ensure the path is clear."

​Halifax headed toward the grate, observing the area around him for any potential threats. When he arrived to the grate, he activated the wrist laser cutting the grate at it's hinges; catching it as it fell, then silently and slowly laid it on the ground. The tunnel was dark, but it was no problem for him. He activated the nightvision on his T-visor helmet stepping into the darkness, his dual pistols pointed out in front of him as he waited for the others.

[member="Jynx"] [member="Acaleus Thorn"] [member="Prostices Elmnar"]

 

[Prostices Elmnar]

Elm followed the mando, as he had made the entry point. Elm entered the sewer, activating her cloak as she went. The night vision in her helmet let her see in the tunnel. Then, Elm thought otherwise, and deactivated her cloak, instead opting to wait till either she was told off or eu reached the base. Which ever came first.

"Hurry up. The main team is waiting on us, and timing is critical.

 

[Miss Blonde]

With the shuttle now touched down on a landing pad, Blonde and her guards stepped down the ramp and into the toxic air of Anoth. With her was the pirate and her long time friend, Keira. Now Blonde was more than sure that Keira could handle herself, she knew for a fact that she could kill every last one of these bastards single handedly. That she really didn't need to hire anyone else here as long as she had her human wrecking ball in tow, but for the sake of a fair and open market of jobs she decided to set up her little plan. Besides she wanted to teach these people a lesson, and while wholesale slaughter was something she often put stock in. Today's massacre would be a little more artful in its design.

So bringing up the rear behind her guards were a few unarmed War Dogs carrying long black crates of what was most likely vast sums of credits. They were of course here under the pretenses of buying a rare item, and one had to be able to sell that lie. And so they walked through the deadly air, Blonde heard Keira speak and she would of course respond. It had been ages since she had spoken to her, and while she certainly missed the woman and had lots to catch up on. It would have to wait, and part of her was a little glad she didn't have to explain why she was pregnant with a Sith lord's child just yet.

"When you see the signal, restrain the guards in the room. And I do mean restrain, not squeeze their organs until they spurt out from their eyes. Don't need a repeat of Tython and getting blood on my shoes." Blonde gave a soft chuckle and soon they were met by a man dressed in the grey imperial drab of the First Order.

"You here to see Roark?" The young man said with the grace of a Bantha in heat.

Anyone who wasn't a slave or mildly idiotic could tell that these people weren't really imperials. The young man in front of them had his hair out of regulation, his uniform was a mess, and his badges and medals were on the wrong side of his chest. It was a clumsily put together facade that seemed to work for them. For Blonde though it was pure cringe, the idea that this wrinky dink operation could ever pass as imperials and be successful in their cruelty was a enigma to her.

"Yeah. We're here to see Roark." Blonde said in a less than intelligent tone to subtly mock the man.

"You got the stuff?" He asked as scratched at his ear.

With a snap of her fingers the woman had her droids move around past her guards and set down the boxes. They then swiftly opened them to reveal rows of neatly placed golden credit chips that sparkled under the artificial lights of the building. The boys eyes widened at the sight of all that cash and his greedy hand reached out in an attempt to grab some of it.

There was then a flash of movement blurred in front of him and following it was cold steel pressed against the boy's throat. A bead of nervous sweat ran down the side of his face as he gulped. Blonde in a hushed tone of sharp intensity spoke in a low menacing volume.

"Now that's just not proper. You get the money, when I see the item. That's just how business works, sweetheart. Now are you going to take us to see Roark, or am I gonna give you a Corellian necktie to go along with that nice uniform of yours?" The boy gulped once more and then slowly backed away.

"Of course, right this way." he said with more than a few stutters.

"Why thank you!" Blonde said in a upbeat tone as they all entered the facility and were now free to remove any gas masks due to the filtration system.

Things were going a bit differently two kilometers away. The more than likely unnecessarily large team of infiltrators had begun their mission and they were now on the move. With a majority of them gathering and prepping to mobilize, it was clear that they were going to be in for a rough time at least visually and psychologically speaking.

Because the screaming, the feelings of dread and terror, they never went away. It was a constant thrumming of emotion and pain that rattled among everyone who was capable of feeling such things. The crystals knew they were there, while the slaves and fake imperials hadn't the slightest clue, the crystals certainly could sense them. So whenever one passed a crystal long metaphysical hands of emotion and psychic energy screamed at them for help, they begged and pleaded in dark tones and shades of swirling agony and desperation.

"Save us." they cried in their silent language. "They're killing us." These words and emotions filled the air flooding the criminals minds with the spreading collective consciousness of these crystalline brings. But the mandalorian merc had the right idea, he had found a sewer grate away from the screaming and pain and had jumped in. It was indeed the fastest way to get into the facility without having to risk detection brought on by the watching eyes of imperials or the desperate ones of slaves.

"NO BREAKS!! IF I FIND ONE OF YOU SLOWING DOWN I'M TAKING YOUR KID'S FINGERS!!" There was a crack of a whip and the overseer lashed at one of the slaves taking a pickaxe to one of the crystals.



[member="Vigil"] [member="Macoda Haberon"] [member="Halifax McCade"] [member="Xiarr Sair"] [member="Tanya Thiran"] [member="Prostices Elmnar"] [member="Baghead"] [member="Acaleus Thorn"] [member="Jynx"] [member="Keira Ticon"] [member="Prostices Elmnar"]