Faction The Solution for Overwhelming Odds (Darkwire)

[Peyton Steele]

Peyton had been doing a lot of thinking. This Darkwire team was something that she'd seen before. A small group, motivated, and with a common purpose. This was a story she knew too well, this was part of her story. From the Alliance to the Underground to the Scar Worlds Initiative, Peyton Steele had worked time and again to help defend those causes, she worked in small units, not classically trained, but trained in their own unique way, to take down something much larger than themselves. It was very similar to the Underground, but not as hidden away. It was active, and it was obvious.

A bit too obvious for her liking. But she had a few ideas.

Step one was getting those leaders and combatants that wanted to, into a meeting. She had her own money and was able to rent a small warehouse under a shell company for a few weeks. It wasn't going to drag too much attention, especially with her partner Cuan Kunn flying a freighter or two in once or twice a solar week it helped add some legitimacy.

Corpos wouldn't look until their pockets were threatened. That was one thing she was fairly confident on. And setting this room up for a make shift training area, to go over tactics, and most importantly, sparring. She was bringing in a few items, mostly from Tricks of the Trade, easy to use and definitely useful in most fights. But she'd also reached out to some of the other companies, what Darkwire was building, what Moonveil had in store. Tools these kids could use.

She wasn't sure if they were all, like, literal children, but many were. And they seemed sick and tired of what the Corpos were doing. A call had gone through the TatChat … tool… thing… It was an interesting piece of tech, to assemble at the warehouse. It wasn't quite deep into any one of the warehouse districts, but it was pretty nondescript all the same.

Those that arrived would see a few extra crates of power cells, one of short blasters, one of long guns, and a few boxes of stun batons and other hand held tools, plus the boxes from the internal Darkwire weapons. O top of that were a few binders of flimsi, for those who could read, with tech being what it was, Peyton learned that sometimes putting things in plain view in writing was enough to hide a message.

Tactics, especially with dealing with larger numbers, was one thing.

The other was combat. How to fight a stronger or more abled being. Peyton herself wasn't all that big, nor was she strong, but she made up for that in smarts.

Cuan Kunn had remained behind this time. His SoroSuub shuttle down to get some leave in the Upcity, but he was here to assist in translating, and to provide Peyton a sparring partner for any demonstration. The mouse eared alien looked to the hybrid.

"I know the roster seems young, and they seem a bit home grown… They've got spirit though. I think they just need the right push." This conversation was going on while some were coming in, but they weren't hearing it in Basic, it was all in a Sullustese and Huttese language. Better to mask in case of wandering ears. But as she saw people stepping in, the hybrid stepped up, wearing form fitting work out and tumbling gear, she smiled.

"Welcome. I'm glad you are all here. I know I don't know you and you all sure as hell don't really know me. But if you are here you saw my messages, saw what my history is." She let people get settled in.

"Now…" She shook her head a little, and held a hand up, palm up. "Purely academically, whats the first rule of fighting a bigger force than what you have?" The sparring mats were not too far, but she had a few house keeping things that she wanted to point out before letting people beat each other up.

 

[Ruby Jaxx]

Ruby walked into the room and instantly cast a suspicious side-glance at Peyton Steele having a conversation in another language. She sidled past the pair on her way in, almost in a confused way… like she didn't know if she was in the right place. And she sized up the blonde instructor, in her curious ensemble of activewear, "psssh."

Like Ruby'd ever be caught dead in clothes like that.

The shadowrunner crossed her arms and stood silently as Peyton introduced herself. Wait, what was this class about, now? Ruby had been under the impression that there would be snacks. But instead, there were mats spread out on the floor. Great, was there going to be participation required? This was not going to be fun.

"Is the first rule hiding?" Ruby asked, arching a brow. "Or ducking for cover… or running away?" There was a sarcastic tone to her voice, but these were all things that came directly out of the Ruby Jaxx Rules for Fighting.

 

[Samnai Rouber]

There were few people in the room, just the two women Samnai had seen before in the tatt-chat and some rat-like being. The woman who had called them here was talking in another language with the man when she arrived, stopping once she spotted the occupants.

She ignored everyone else and stretched for a bit, before glancing over to her side. It seems her opponent would be—Ruby, was it not? Luckily Samnai knew quite a bit about hand-to-hand combat, though she didn’t dare underestimate her opponent.

"Now…" She shook her head a little, and held a hand up, palm up. "Purely academically, whats the first rule of fighting a bigger force than what you have?" The sparring mats were not too far, but she had a few house keeping things that she wanted to point out before letting people beat each other up.

“Kill them before they kill you.”

That motto was engraved in her heart. Years on the street had taught her at least that much.

"Is the first rule hiding?" Ruby asked, arching a brow. "Or ducking for cover… or running away?" There was a sarcastic tone to her voice, but these were all things that came directly out of the Ruby Jaxx Rules for Fighting.

She glanced over at Ruby, before looking back down. That—was also a rule, yes.

Peyton Steele Ruby Jaxx

 

[Peyton Steele]

There were a lot of people she expected to come here, but at the same time… well, the Darkwire were like the Underground. Once they were square with one another, they disappeared to the four winds. It was good, though, sometimes having too many in one place was difficult and dangerous. If the foes found them? It was why the Underground worked in a flat system, all united by the goal, but no one person in charge above any others.

Looking at Cuan, she nodded as a few others started joining them. The blonde moved to tie her hair up, not really in a ponytail, but a messy bun. With her first question, there were a few already answering.

Seeing the one who was clearly a shadowrunner and who seemed to not want anything from this. The other, well, that other one seemed to be a fighter. A grin on the blubreen's features as she shook her head.

"Sometimes aggressive tactics are needed, but they're not something everyone can throw out." She looked around. "Like me, I can do only so much on my own." She shrugged. Pointing at Ruby Jaxx she nodded. "You're closer at first. Hiding and watching is important. Then you can find the way to take them down." She grinned at the second one, Samnai Rouber

"And when you're hiding, have you figured out Denon enough, to stay out of sight? Or how to follow a target?"

 

[Daiya]

Daiya set along the routes to the planned meeting place. Her eyes glanced down side streets through the corner of her eye, taking second peeks down to the duracrete surface of the walkway to track any shadows following in her footsteps. It wasn't hard to find the warehouse meant for the meeting, the young shadowrunner could have used the software embedded into her streetwear armor to map out the easiest way. It sat under her clothes today, a loose hoodie that masked the high-tech nature of the gear she wore. Daiya turned a corner, heading deliberately down a street the wrong way, with a clipped pace that broadcasted a firm destination in mind.

She wasn't hurried along the streets of the ward, breathing with ease and mindful enough to take in some of the sights. Speed would attract attention just as much as her gear might, and these days it was a bad idea for Darkwire to attract attention. If she couldn't stick to the shadows in the wide, unencumbered paths through the warehouses, the teen decided to opt for misdirection instead.

It took her longer to arrive at the warehouse than intended, and by the time Daiya entered the meeting seemed to already be underway. She wasn't entirely sure what the point of it was yet, though an eye on the crates of weapons and power cells drew the young shadowrunner's eyebrow up. Whatever Daiya had just stepped into, it was about to turn into something serious. And fast. "Following someone isn't that hard."

Daiya hadn't caught the first question that Peyton had thrown out, but the self-proclaimed freedom fighter seemed to have already sized up the outspoken Ruby and Samnai so far. The teen recognized both already, and glanced over to the Jaxx sibling she saw the least of. Peyton was probably right to have judged the woman adept at hiding and watching...if Ruby could manage to mask the three-day old smell that usually followed her around. Daiya turned to hide her grin at the thought, peering at the obvious leader of the meeting to answer more of her question.

"Keep others between you and the target, don't be the obvious one walking right behind them. Use tech if you got it, or heights if you don't, staying out of sight is more important than keeping your target in sight." There was almost a bored quality to Daiya's voice as she recited the general principle of tracking a target. On a city world as big as Denon, there could be a dozen places to lose them in a single block alone, especially with the numerous levels involved. When the young shadowrunner had to deliberately track someone, she tried to guess where they were going instead.

Or in desperate times, try to get a Vision of their destination.

"And if you're spotted, whatever you do, don't fething stop. The whole play innocent routine is a dead giveaway, just keep going and make them think they're just paranoid for staring at you." Daiya grinned for a second, then whipped her head around to stare intently at Samnai. She thrust her neck out aggressively, as if offended that Samnai might dare to look in her direction. Then she shrugged and cast her gaze back to the group. "Nothing you can do once they spot you, except to not let them."

Nothing Daiya had learned so far, anyway.

Peyton Steele Ruby Jaxx Samnai Rouber​

 

[Ruby Jaxx]

Ruby turned a wide-eyed glance at Samnai Rouber , like – dang. Jump right to killing, eh? She could definitely see the benefit of not beating around the bush. But no matter her own 'tough' front, she didn't think she could do something like that. Not unless her own life – or that of her sister or close friends – depended on it.

She was honestly surprised when Peyton Steele said she was close to having the right answer.

She'd never done well in school before.

Then, a familiar voice spoke up towards the back of the room. Ruby turned, even though she already knew it was Daiya . Despite being a teenager, Ruby had to admit that Daiya knew things. And she had spunk. A lot of it. Which became evident when the teen seemed almost to challenge Samnai with a look.

Jeez. Was this class going to end up in a fight?

"Uh, yeah," Ruby added. "That stuff. What she said."

She didn't really have anything else to add.

 

[Samnai Rouber]

Samnai nodded at Peyton Steele . They had different fighting styles, it just mattered whether or not they would mesh well.

She turned as Daiya made her entrance. She seemed energetic as always, and even challenged her with an intense gaze. It reminded her of those small dogs that seemed to be made of nothing but pure rage. Amusing. Samnai returned it calmly, not moving her eyes until the girl turned to the rest.

She shrugged and crossed her arms. “Hiding in plain sight. This is a crowded place, so it’s easy to lose your target, but it’s easy for them to lose you too. Knowing their routine is good, getting a tracker on them is better.” She had followed people even before her current job, and she embraced it like a fish to water.

Ruby Jaxx

 

[Johnny Diamonds]

[Johnny's Soundscape; The Seeds of Revolution]

As they all looked to one another, trying to answer Peyton's question, another voice came from the shadows, offering it's own take.

"Or, you know, wait until they are preoccupied, then you make your move. Stick to the shadows, and don't make a sound. You're only in trouble if you get caught, Dig?"

It was then that Johnny Diamonds emerged from those very shadows, near where Diaya had been standing. If stealth was where it was at for this motley lot, then they sorely needed a few new lessons. Still, he had to stifle a bit of a laugh as he leaned up against one of the lode-bearing pillars, adjusting the strap on his black messenger bag. He was dressed in dark attire; a loose-fit t-shirt with a hooded jacket over top, black pants, and a pair of running shoes. His hands were clad in what appeared to be lightly armored gloves, a thumb hooked into the clasp of his belt. Dark, Hazel-toned eyes looked toward Daiya, and he gave her a bit of a wink and a lighthearted chuckle.

Johnnyboy had exactly zero trouble finding the place. He was the premier Slicer Dicer in the sector, and he'd dare anyone to prove him otherwise. Even Hacks couldn't get one up on him yet. Still, it was only recently that the technomancer youth had been out and about in meatspace. And well, you know how it goes. Can't play the game if you didn't have any cards in your hand.

"Misdirection, that's always been Rule Numero Uno for me." he said matter-of-factly. He glanced from left to right, and had a realization that he could not help but smile and laugh at. "Oh, yeah, like... Oops. Name's Johnny. Johnny Diamonds. Slicer Dicer, Mr. Fix-it, and all-around Cool, Cool Guy. How's tricks?"




Peyton Steele | Daiya | Ruby Jaxx | Samnai Rouber ​

 

[Peyton Steele]

The galaxy was a changing place and combat was the one way to always get people to be able to level their own playing field. What she was prepped for were some beings who had some knowledge of combat and reducing their foes to bleeding messes. Or, well, not bleeding but cauterized messes of buns. The trick with that, Peyton herself was an agent, so she was not a soldier either. Why she was suspecting to find some soldiers here on Denon was beyond her. She was an infobroker and knew that the group of Darkwire was not combat people.

It was a lot of techies, and that was just as dangerous. And they came with ingenuity. Predicting a soldier or a Forcer was sometimes easier, especially when you found out what type of Forcer they were. Mandos had a good idea, with their scatter guns.

But a tech user? They invented things on the fly. As the younger blonde was speaking, Peyton couldn't help but smile. She knew this world, as most of Darkwire did. "Keeping on your own path,, and not giving them the benefit is smart. Making them think its just them is perfect. Can always tag your foe and circle back…" Peyton was nodding.

"Trick with hiding and keeping your eye on the target is that sometimes you're found out." The Blubreen flexed his fist and relaxed. "Misdirection is the best, especially for people like us. But sometimes you are partially surrounded, your escape route may be compromised, and you've lost your flight chance, leaves you to fight. That's what we're here for."

"I'm assuming most of you are carrying some form of tech? What are you all typically carrying?" She was going to see what she could come up with, then probably start getting them swinging on each other.

Daiya Ruby Jaxx Samnai Rouber Johnny Diamonds

 

[Ruby Jaxx]

Ruby's head turned as a new voice filled the room.

There was a young man now standing near Daiya. Well, she supposed that was one way to make an entrance. When the guy winked at her friend, Ruby wrinkled her nose and may have made a sound like, "ugh."

And then he introduced himself.

"Johnny Diamonds?" Ruby narrowed her eyes skeptically. "That name sounds fake as hell," she muttered under her breath. She didn't know if he'd heard because Peyton was speaking again and Ruby realized that she hadn't been listening. She caught the end, and the question about tech.

"I don't carry much," she said with a shrug. "I guess I'm not one of the cool kids."

Peyton Steele, Daiya , Johnny Diamonds , Samnai Rouber

 

[Daiya]

Daiya turned away from Samnai, offering a bemused grin at Ruby. The young shadowrunner figured the tangle-haired woman was capable enough, even more than she was, so the compliment came as a surprise. Her heart swelled, sharing its happy sensations to all corners of Daiya's body with every pump. Invigorated by the elder Jaxx sister, she turned to see a newcomer join their group.

A newcomer she already knew from a job set high above the clouds. Daiya was glad to be back down planetside, though she wasn't certain if Johnny Diamonds had gotten the same message. The teen had to keep from giggling at the excess of flair that came with his answers. Sidling up to Ruby, she leaned over to offer her own whispered appraisal of the man to the woman's ear. "Betcha anything Mr. Sun in His Eyes can't do half of what he claims."

Her eyes rolled until she settled on Peyton again, softly giggling to herself at the private joke for a moment longer. The freedom fighter was lecturing again, and soon the words meant more to Daiya than the responses from those around her. She felt each one fitting into commandments already written into her heart, the ones she'd etched there after witnessing the alternative and barely escaping the consequences.

It was why Daiya was the first to pull up the hem of her hoodie to show off the armor she wore underneath, her expression turned more thoughtful when she explained. "If I know I run into chit, I put on light armor. It's flexible, but strong enough to keep me from choking on own blood if someone gets a hit on me."

The teen hesitated before removing the rest of her hoodie to show off the entirety of the black armor. Without a job to do, and among fellow shadowrunners, it seemed more like showing off. Her eyes looked around for reactions, her hands hesitating over the pockes and holsters on her suit. "It's got other features, stuff that's made to work in the city..."

Her face fell on Ruby, squinting with giddy eyes at the woman who seemed too reluctant to share. She kept her gaze there for only a moment before looking to the others. "But I wanna see what others have first."

Peyton Steele Ruby Jaxx Samnai Rouber Johnny Diamonds​

 

[Samnai Rouber]

She felt the man’s presence right before he appeared. She watched, face blank, as Johnny Diamonds introduced himself, and thought that despite his carefree persona there seemed to be something deeper underneath. She didn’t comment on it, of course—not her business.

"I'm assuming most of you are carrying some form of tech? What are you all typically carrying?"

“Just a gun.” It is a simple, old thing, but has served her well all these years.

Samnai was a little surprised at the extent of Daiya ’s armor. It seemed well-fitted and tough, though the wearer herself looked shy. Her impression of the girl changed just a bit.

Ruby Jaxx Peyton Steele

 

[Johnny Diamonds]

Figures, Johnny thought quietly to himself. The Force was something that was simply a reaction to those trained to use it, and he was no different. Whether it be a quick reaction to avoid something, reaching out to feel the meaning behind words spoken, or even to listen to that which normally would be inaudible. The Force was a constant companion, and sometimes it did as it wanted, not what you may have wanted. And so, as always, Johnny heard that which was never meant for his ears. It was a survival trait, where he lived back on Nar Shaddaa. Always keeping 'one ear to the ground' so to speak. Not like I haven't heard that about sixteen thousand, seven hundred and thirty one times, he thought as Ruby spoke in a mumbled whisper most likely meant for herself and no one else. He kept that rather stupid, incessant grin plastered across his face though. Didn't want anyone catching on.

Deciding that the metal i-beam post he was leaning on didn't quite meet his needs any further, he hopped up onto a crate that was up against it as well, seat-of-the-pants first. Sitting there, he leaned back as Peyton went on about this and that when it came to not getting caught and keeping your skins firmly on your backsides. Nothing he hadn't heard about a thousand times before in his youth, when he was even younger than the two giggle-snorts and the curly-haired girl that looked to be about his age, more or less.

It was then that the Half-pint with the bad attitude and the holier-than-thou way of speaking muttered something to Ruby, that caught Johnny's attention. Force be dammed, sometimes he couldn't turn the damn thing off in his head. There were reasons for that, but not even Johnny was aware of them yet, let alone anyone else.

Sidling up to Ruby, she leaned over to offer her own whispered appraisal of the man to the woman's ear. "Betcha anything Mr. Sun in His Eyes can't do half of what he claims."

Johnny's eyes slowly moved to look at Daiya, and while he kept up the illusion that he was just a laid-back, chilled out na'er-do-well, her comment cut deep. Not because she thought he was full of it and couldn't do what he said he could; everyone underestimated him his entire life. Again, nothing new to the twenty-year old Corellian. 'Mr. Sun in His Eyes.' That's what did it. He knew enough to know what she meant by that, and truth be told, while Johnny truly did let chit just roll off him like it was nothing, this one he took to heart.

Strike One.

Taking another drag off his cigarra, the faint scent of sage would linger in the air as he reached behind his back, underneath his coat. As his hand came back up, it was not empty, no. Within his grasp, his rail pistol; a Hogosha F-1. Finished in a sleek high-gloss black, he rested his arm up on his bent knee, the pistol dangling along with the hand that held it. Peyton wanted to know what they typically carried, right? Well, this was it, weapon-wise. Well, that's a bit of a lie, truthfully. But he kept his other piece of tech well hidden on him, and only used it in extreme life-or-death situations. Another story for another time.

"I keep this fun little toy on me, though Johnnyboy don't ride. Last resort type-deal. Not a big fan, but hey, rather have it and not need it, than need it and be left high-n-dry, Dig?" he said to Peyton with a bit of a twinkle in his left eye. He then looked at Daiya, and spoke quietly. "Under the electric lights, we all find illumination, Squirt."

Peyton Steele | Daiya | Ruby Jaxx | Samnai Rouber ​

 

[Peyton Steele]

It was a safe zone, but still, the way that people were all ready to share was an interesting thing. Sure, there were some of her gear she shared with all of the Underground, her stun batons, revolver, but her wrist top datapad that was able to slice and shunt off parts of terminals was all her own. Between that and her armor's minor probe droid that would be useful in tracking a target should she need it, there were a few things she kept hidden.

But they were not her weapons, they were things she used in case the worst happened and she had to hunt one of her own down, or stop a system. Her team knew she had a moral compass, a lawful lean, in some sense of the word. If the worst should happen, she'd be able to track her team and find those that she needed to put a stop to. And would adjust her weapons loadout to take them down.

A surprise here was that it was all offensive gear. Nothing to help themselves out in a pinch. Well, aside from the armor that Daiya wore. The blonde blubreen reach down to her belt and took out a small pouch, made of a synthleather. She placed it on the table and opened the snap button. "Its always good to have the offense handled. But what if you aren't able to escape in time? Have a lead on any medicines or stims?" The pack she had contained a few stim canisters. "These stims help with pushing you past your limits. The smaller packs are just bacta. Always good to have in you're about to get into a fight."

Looking over to her Sullustan friend, she nodded. "We can find some stims for the Darkwire teams if you need them…" Peyton may or may not be getting the gist of how they operate. "But talking about fights, how have you been trained? Or is it just bar brawling in the streets?"

Ruby Jaxx Daiya Samnai Rouber Johnny Diamonds

 

[Ruby Jaxx]

Ruby couldn't help but giggle-snort at Daiya's remark about Mr. Sun-In-His-Eyes. "Probably, yeah," she agreed. But who knows, really -- people didn't take Ruby for much, either. She wasn't super capable or anything, but she could withstand a beating and that was surprising. Which turned her attention back to the lecture. Peyton was now talking about stims and how they'd been trained. So far as she was aware, there'd never been any kind of... organized fight training. People showed up, they had what they had -- be it armor or not -- and just did their thing.

And got hurt or not.

So, maybe some kind of protection or back up plan wouldn't be a bad thing. So, Daiya did have some armor... it was probably hot pink or something. "I got a leather jacket if that counts for anything," Ruby said. "And it's more like bar fights for me." She'd been in a couple of scraps in bars, and she had a thing for attracting wayward elbows (right in the face). Call it a talent. "Stims though?" Ruby was actually intrigued. "Never tried. But maybe I could." She shrugged.

Peyton Steele, Daiya , Samnai Rouber , Johnny Diamonds

 

[Daiya]

It was a strange thing for Daiya to feel self-conscious at the weight of a dozen eyes on her, she was more than comfortable being the center of attention in any other circumstance. Her cheeks grew warm as eyes explored the extremities of her armor on display, driving her focus to her doffed sweatshirt which she haphazardly folded between crossed arms over her chest. Not until Peyton spoke up again did Daiya find herself relaxing again, managing a grin when the freedom fighter praised the teen's ingenuity.

"I dunno why more of you don't wear it," Daiya suggested about her fellow Shadowrunners' lack of armor. She glanced at Ruby to frown at her tangled locks of hair, then thought better of her expectations. "Mine wasn't even my idea!"

Daiya shrugged with a return to focus as Peyton brought out a pouch full of stims, with the suggestion of distributing them to Darkwire. They were something that had never really entered her thoughts before, she thought stim users were more like addicts. The streets and trams were already full of Spice-heads and Slumm-leeches hoping to beg enough credits or sympathy to get just one more hit. '

The young shadowrunner was distracted before she could ask a question, the freedom fighter woman moving at breakneck pace through her panel of questions. Daiya nodded to Ruby's answer, adding in her own experience on the nature of fights she had encountered. "Not much training besides just shooting a blaster, or cracking a doorlock. You pick up a lot by watching, though, plus a lot of luck."

"I try to stick to a distance for most fights, but sometimes you get jumped. I've done a little training on fitness, not a lot yet for taking a punch." Her rooftop sessions with Cartri Keswoll had even covered throwing them, even if she pretended to know less about it for his benefit. Still, the teen could do with more know-how in taking the hits if she couldn't avoid them, especially if a particular four-armed cyborg decided to show up for revenge again.

If Peyton had an answer, Daiya wasn't waiting.

"Don't those stims feth you up when they wear off?"

Peyton Steele Ruby Jaxx Samnai Rouber Johnny Diamonds​

 

[Samnai Rouber]

Samnai pinched the packet between her fingers. She wasn’t the fondest of using drugs to get a boost—side-effects were a pain—and she had no plan of using these unknown ones either, so she put it back on the table and returned to her position.

"But talking about fights, how have you been trained? Or is it just bar brawling in the streets?"

“...Street fights.” Technically, that was true. She just stumbled her way into becoming an assassin, and stayed because of the pay. Her skills were honed over time, of course, but the base was just from surviving on the streets.

She nodded slightly, and pointed to the pouch, asking a question of her own, “Where did you even get these from?”

"Don't those stims feth you up when they wear off?"

No way she’s putting them in her mouth without even knowing their origins.

Daiya Peyton Steele Ruby Jaxx Johnny Diamonds

 

[Johnny Diamonds]

thoughts | speech

Medicines, Stims, and Bacta Patches, Oh My! thought the young corellian. He was starting to wonder about this group of ragtag teenagers that called themselves the Darkwire. Honestly, Johnnyboy, what the kark have you gotten yourself tangled into this time? he thought with a bit of a sigh before taking a drag of his sage-scented cigarra. He had to crack a bit of a grin at Ruby and her whole leather jacket deal. Total smart-arse, this one. At least she has a sense of humor. Bar-room brawler, that was something Johnny was well acquainted with. Happen all the time back in his neck of the woods on Nar Shaddaa. Honestly, places he went, you were just as likely to get high off Ryllspice and dance yourself into a black-out as you were getting tossed over the bar and being knocked-out. That was just how that particular cookie crumbled.

One things Johnny was becoming more and more sure of, these teeny-boppers didn't know jack-all about real fighting. Pull a trigger, or slice some code. Amateur hour, really. But Johnny wasn't about to say any of this out loud, no way jose. He was crazy, not stupid. Maybe he just felt bad for them? Could be the reason, dammed Jedi training in him trying to exert it's will like always. He was getting real sick of his mind always wandering toward helping others. No one ever helped him, so why the hell should he lift a finger. Hell, if that stupid rusted wreck that got 86'd into the core of a star was any indication, this would be a thankless job no matter what. Still, he knew better than to let his frustration get the better of him. He may not be one of those holy-roller space wizards anymore, but he sure as geth didn't want to end up on the other side of that coin either. He actually shut his eyes tight for just a moment, shaking the thought from his head, before listening to Daiya speak up once more.

Well, that's that, he figured. They really didn't know a damn thing about combat. Well, except that Samnai girl that was here. She seemed to be a more perceptive type, and didn't really offer much information past what was required in an answer. He'd met the type before, and knew damn well she most likely wasn't someone you'd want to tangle with in a bad way. He just had a feeling about her. Maybe it was his gut? Maybe it was the Force? Feth if he knew. But his instincts usually proved to be pretty accurate most of the time.

As the girls were talking on about stims; how to get them, where they came from, how to use them, why they were a good idea, he just let his head lean back on the i-beam behind him once more, idly twirling his rail pistol around his finger in various ways that seemed effortless. He had a habit of doing that without even realizing it, which was another reason he barely ever used the thing. He spoke up after Samnai's inquiry of the origins of the said stims, his voice sounding almost annoyed, but not quite. "I'll be just fine when it comes to the ol' smash & dash. I know how to fight, and damn well. I just don't unless I literally have exactly zero other options..." he trailed off, and with a flick of his wrist, the rail gun left his hand, popping into the air. It twisted a few times, before coming back down into his opposite hand, and he slid it back into it's holster nestled against the small of his back in one smooth, almost unnatural motion.

"And I've never needed armor before, don't plan on any now. Who knows, maybe I'm made of sterner stuff. Like I said before, Johnnyboy don't ride, Dig?"

Peyton Steele | Ruby Jaxx | Daiya | Samnai Rouber​

 

[Peyton Steele]

Maybe she was just expecting a bit more from some of the louder faces in the front. The real trick was that Peyton was in the Underground and her father was an Antarian Ranger. She was paramilitary all the way down. Then the Alliance happened. She got to be an agent, and now she was doing what she could to spread the good word and help people. Darkwire was doing the fight, and she was hoping to help them out.

"Nah, I guess using the term stims is a bit over the top." She laughed. She had seen some stims that were based off of spice and the likes. These are more medicinal and tested on some militaries. "These are more for health and stamina, doesn't leave you too drained after one or even two… but if you start stacking them too much?" The blonde let her statement fade into the air.

"Its up to you. I've used them on missions and sometimes that second wind you can get really does what you need it to do." Indicating the small stash for those who were interested.

"But for the rest of it, I think we should be getting some sparring in. See where your skills set lie." Tossing a look to Johnny, she shook her head. "I'm sure you are, but trust me, someone knowin' what they can do and how to apply the right bit of pressure… With the right tool?" A hand was on one of her stun batons. "Who wants to pair off?"

Peyton could pair off, or so one of her other assistants, and not worry about helping the less-than-talkative background Darkwire folk.


Ruby Jaxx Daiya Samnai Rouber Johnny Diamonds

 

[Ruby Jaxx]

Stims. The idea seemed pretty addictive, which meant that Ruby was still interested. Just don't stop taking them, and never suffer any ill effects... right?

But Peyton cleared things up by saying that these were different... not the spiced-up things they were probably thinking of. Darn. Now, the woman was asking them to spar. Ruby frowned. Who wanted to pair off? Well, not Ruby. But for the sake of the class, she would... because she guessed that she didn't really have a choice in the matter. She glanced at Daiya... no, she'd seen her all fired up before, and she didn't want to get her arse kicked.

"Uh, you," Ruby said. "Diamonds or whatever." She nodded slightly at Johnny. "Let's do this."

Ruby would remain where she was positioned on the mat, eyes squinting at her new sparring partner. She'd wait for him to make a move.

Peyton Steele, Daiya , Samnai Rouber Johnny Diamonds