They Might Be Crazy

[Matsu Xiangu]

[SIZE=18pt]A Beast Hunter’s Guild Adventure[/SIZE]
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Perhaps it was a mark of insanity that Matsu was not very nervous about trying to capture two live exogorths. Even one was a massive and mostly suicidal undertaking. But she’d been one half of the team to do it for the Beast Hunter’s Guild the first time, and she intended to make a bit more history by doing it again – and at twice the risk. Since their time on the hunt for the first, she and Ike had become – strangely – close friends, and she felt more at ease knowing there was a rudimentary plan and this time they came with all the equipment.

Rudimentary because there was nothing concrete when trying to capture two huge, deadly beasts.

And this time they had a companion. It had been a long, long time since Matsu had had anything to do with the Confederacy – though it was now known under an entirely different name – and back then she had known a Seanna. Strange how the Galaxy worked, she thought.

She stood on the bridge of the carrier they’d been loaned – an ugly ship, but they did not need beauty for the job they were on. (A hard concept for Matsu, to be sure, but one she had come to accept nonetheless.) It would hold the two worms without incident but she and Ike had learned from their previous adventure. The hangars were cleared entirely, retro-fitted to allow for any thrashing the worms might get up to once they were captured within the ship. But even better – they’d estimated the approximate amount of tranquilizer based on the results of their last try and the relative size of their quarry and emptied the warheads beforehand to speed their process. If they could get it right, they wouldn’t even have to worry about the worms doing a dance in their ‘enclosure’.

The risks were great – she may not be nervous, but neither was she stupid. They had been looking for a young exogorth then. The order now was one live adult, and another for the Guild to tinker with. It would be a challenge that none that she knew of ever attempted – one at a time was a record. As they dropped out of hyperspace a bit in to the Tapani sector, she turned to face her companions.

Yes, definitely a mark of insanity.

[member="Matsu Ike"] | [member="Seanna Vel"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Matsu Xiangu"] [member="Seanna Vel"]

"Master the odds of successfully capturing an exogorth is ten million to one." The HRD was looking at her master as the petite jedi stood at the ready and had her arms crossed over her chest. They had done this before but being the one in ten million was not the proper basis for success. "Never tell me the odds Harmony, we did it before and this time we are prepared. Doing what we can with what we got." She had the warheads with the tranq and Harmony was coordinating with the engineers to make sure there was enough to secure the worms once they were in the ships. She had been working the calculations and working the possibilities of what they could do with these credits.

"I fail to see how being statistically benefited once out of the odds. It is not something many would brag about in the end master." The HRD was moving now and working with the vender droid, buying it and working with it had Sasori now taking a focus. With the Order of the Silver Jedi working to do as it needs o around their space and working on projects, Sasori was looking to expand and they were moving about the leftover inventory. Harmony was in charge of moving what they had from Baktoids warehouses into new ones being set up and that was easy enough to do with a connection to the holonet and coordination. She was looking at her master preparing and going about.

"You worry to much Harmony and I know that is only because Hanna programmed you to worry about me, it is what we need at times but please for this. Trust in me and trust in the force, me and matsu know what we are doing... we have a plan." The HRD looked at her with a straight face. "And that plan is." She could see her masters face. "We're going to clear away the asteroids, leave them no where else to jump and them let them jump at us." The droid kept looking at her. "There is a part of that missing." Matsu winked. "You're right we will need to shoot the warheads at them first, that makes the plan come together and then in the end we shall have cake."

Harmony looked at her.... while the holo of Matsu and Seanna came up. They had three ships for this plan. All setup to the specifications and improved upon since the first hunt. Now it all came down to what they could do and could think of to make it seem less crazy. "I believe a mental health examination is called for in this instance on all three of you." Matsu frowned at her and turning to the screen. "Harmony what woudl I do without you. Alright are you two ready for this? We know what to expect but don't be worried. Once we get one we'll be able to compensate and get the second one easier." Harmony saw the look on her face while Matsu grinned and looked out the viewport at the asteroids.

 

[Seanna Vel]

Just what had this one gotten herself into with those that she really didn't know of. Finding herself knowing a little of one as she begin herself in the CIS now after name changes it was the ACA which was more to her liking. With the business world to her liking for sure. Making sure that she was able to fly this thing to the best of her ability. After all someone like her could't be choosing it all to her liking but it was more then why she wanted this beast hunt it was because she need to get herself out ther ein the galaxy and what her company had to offer the galaxy after all she was becoming business savory in her right mind.

Walking towards the front again after feeling her mug up fully again. Feeling her healed boots hit against the duresteel. After a long paused she couldn't help but smile in the holograph to the other two ladies. "I think this is got to be a fun round up different then to my liking but she be a rodeo after all this is what I loved about creature that was the hew haw."

[member="Matsu Ike"] [member="Matsu Xiangu"]

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

She smiled when she heard the increasingly familiar sound of Harmony’s voice just as the holocommunication flickered to life, shaking her head at the accusation of mental health checks (and not admitting it was something she’d thought about herself already). “You worry too much Harmony,” she said, watching a flicker of movement behind Ike she could only assume was Harmony moving away so as to not deal with their human lunacy.

The plan, as it stood, was simple. It seemed bare bones were best in the face of something in which so much could go wrong but this had worked once before and with their fine tuning it posed an even greater chance of working. Matsu was sure that it would not go exactly as the last time and especially not with another variable involved but she was – though insane – optimistic.

They had three ships this time – Matsu stood upon the carrier frigate that would house the exogorths once captured. The ship itself was enormous, tipping the edge of its classification, but it’s size would work to their advantage: it would be the most obvious target for the Exogorths to jump to. It would be her job to position the ship and make any adjustments necessary to catch them in their characteristic mid-space leaps.

Ike was aboard a smaller, far more maneuverable ship carrying the repurposed warheads. A quicker, more nimble ship had been deemed necessary – that way, no matter what flight path the worms took towards the carrier, Ike could get herself in to position with speed to tranquilize them. Her ship was also fitted with cannons to begin the process of clearing the asteroid field in search of their quarry.

Seanna was aboard the third ship, outfitted with powerful laser cannons to blast even the largest of the asteroids out of the field – the powerhouse that would do most of the work in isolating the worms. Some might consider it a shame to blast away entire sections of space in the pursuit of two dangerous creatures, but Matsu looked forward to the dust-ring they’d form around some planet in the Tapani sector, pulled in by gravity in luminescent circles.

“Well if you’re looking for fun you’ve come to the right place Ms. Vel,” she said, leaving out the mention that Matsu Xiangu’s particular brand of fun usually involved an event that would waste the human body’s supply of adrenaline for the week.

“Right then, if everyone understands the plan, I believe we’re ready to begin,” she said as they neared the intended field of asteroids. It stretched as far as Matsu could see but the sensors on the frigate had been replaced with state-of-the-art tech by the Guild. “And speak of the devil – at least one lifeform large enough to be an Exogorth nearby.”

[member="Matsu Ike"] | [member="Seanna Vel"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Matsu Xiangu"] [member="Seanna Vel"]

Harmony listened to the plan and she had the same look on her face as before. There was less odds of success and her master was treating it as a game as the HRD looked at her. Their pilot moving the ship to start clearing out the asteroids and make the path as Matsu spoke. "We'll get it clear and ready, you be ready to catch and just like last time all about the small movements." Harmony was working the calculation through her mind for this while the ship moved looking at the scanners showing the creature in the asteroid. The quicker ship going to work to start clearing the asteroids around it as Matsu spoke to them.

"I am debating if we should try and find a second one, we might have better tranq but if it takes us longer to find a second one we could have one waking up mid flight." Harmony was working on the dosage they would need to fire into it and how long it would take. Based on what they had used she magnified it for an adult to sedate the worm and ensure there was plenty they could still use. "In case of time periods extending I am calculating a second dosage that can be administered but it will use the rest of our stores and there will not be enough or a third dose. If this works and these ships are not eaten we will have to be careful."

Harmony saw the nod from Matsu as the ship went to work, even out of their own ship the Harlequin crew was skilled and operating this one they moved quickly going through the asteroids to find and fire upon them. A great amount of care coming from the HRD while her master was going over the holoview of the fields. They had as much as they could cleared while Matsu moved speaking. "Move in Seanna and bring it about, we want to wake it up so the shot can go down the gullet and it jumps at Matsu."

 

[Seanna Vel]

Taking her own voice to the mix that had already been spoken adding her two cents worth. "Well, sugars if one thing I know about animals if these are wanting to keep their spieces alive going to need a mate.", as she started to look for another one in these heavy rock clusters. Then it came then it went this was very strange. Even so she waiting until she heard the order given after all she was riding shot gun on this.

At less she knew that not master level ploting skills would be required or would it. Either way she would get this job done and she would have a payday bar waiting for her at the head quaters

[member="Matsu Ike"] [member="Matsu Xiangu"]

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

Despite her worrying, Harmony’s tendency to hem and haw had her bringing up good points. Only catching one worm at a time led to a large problem: separate doses meant separate half-lives with one worm coming to before the other. The consequences of that weren’t crystal clear but none of the outcomes were good either. To avoid that, they would need to identify more than one exogorth in the asteroid field and try to get them to jump at about the same time.

Oh yeah, piece of cake.

It was unlikely they would find two exogorths in the same asteroid due to their size and the nature of their reproduction – the creatures, as far as common knowledge went, produced asexually. And due to the colossal nature of the crimson variety they hunted it was even less likely two of the worms would be ‘roommates’.

Matsu was about to speak up when a low alarm sounded on the radar for the frigate…just before the lifeform in question reared its ugly head out of one of the asteroids as if to try and take a bite out of one of them. “Look out everyone, 2 o’clock,” she warned, narrowly avoiding the range of the creature’s current reach. She couldn’t see any of the tell-tale red markings along its side that marked the variety of worm they needed.

That would complicate things.

Her scanners showed the movement of her companions moving in to position to clear the asteroid field and she did her part by pushing further for signs of life. “We’ve got two fairly close together on the other end of the field. If we can start clearing closer to that exogorth we just passed, we may be able to stop it from getting too close while we capture the other two.”

She stood at the helm of the carrier and watched the show as the field started disintegrating in front of her fellow Hunters.

[member="Matsu Ike"] | [member="Seanna Vel"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Matsu Xiangu"] [member="Seanna Vel"]

Harmony was watching and they were getting to work now, she needed and hoped it would work while the reports and scans of another worm after they had went about territory had the HRD overloading on her scans and numbers almost. She was calculating chances of two crimson worms being in the same location as two or more regular and based on the data it wasn't good. Her master had blind faith in the force being their allie... She didn't now understand that while moving about and setting the coordinates for it as more scans as she spoke. "Long range scans are indicating another possibility roughly forty five kilometers away in the asteroid field."

She could see her master looking at her and more ideas were written across her face as the HRD was glad she didn't have emotions.. She'd be panicking right now about it all and the words came out of her masters mouth before she could kill all communications to not let the crazy ladies plan get out. "I have a new idea, Seanna get your tractor beams and we're going to lure both of them out with a little bait... then to the ships." Harmony continued to stare at her while Matsu went about making aome movements. "Matsu position your ships here, halfway between while we start clearing the asteroids."

"Then we're going to catch two flying worms at the same time and we're going to do it with the force and some special talent..." Harmony spoke quickly looking at her. "You're plan is still missing something isn't it." Brains and sanity... "Yes we'll do it blindfolded, Matsu's ship will have to be perfectly aligned to catch them both with minimal corrections." That was insane but the HRD started thinking about it, started runnign the numbers while a holoimage of the plan came about. The best wa she could think to do it throwing logic and reason away for sheer strength of will and imagination. Two concepts she was not sure about would keep them safe.

 

[Seanna Vel]

Coming on the comm after she had thought about it for some time was they just plum crazy or what. Sweet peas you as crazy as hutt bathing out in the Tattooine sun.", going to work right way but still as hot as every. After all she better come out of this in one piece. After which she pulled her ship out of its spot going to work as she did so. Feeling this was a bad feeling as if they had stumble on someone nesting ground. Heck what should she know abut this after all she just some heck kiffar that spent most of her life on Nerf Ranch.

Slowly doing what she was told but the rocks as they was very dense being moved slowly, what was that song stuck in her own head now.

[youtube] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI0x0KYChq4[/youtube]​

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[member="Matsu Ike"] [member="Matsu Xiangu"]​

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

Bait, ah yes.

Exogorths were known for looking to swallow just about anything that came near them, edible or not. (But then again, the natural predator of the exogorth was known to eat things as strange as stellar radiation, so perhaps they needed a diet to match.) Positioning her ship where they could see would act both as bait and get them started in jumping in the right direction with a little nudge from her partners.

If Harmony hadn’t been AI, Matsu would bet she’d feel the horror and disbelief all the way between ships as they all began to position themselves. Xiangu made the slow turn to bring the hangars towards the approximate location of their quarry.

“Alright ladies, now or never,” she said, just the slightest hint of apprehension as the plan set itself in motion.

[member="Matsu Ike"] | [member="Seanna Vel"]​

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Matsu Xiangu"] [member="Seanna Vel"]

Harmony was calculating as she and Matsu were there waiting and watching, the level of it all was dangerous and the jedi she noticed went off. Matsu knelt down and closed her eyes as she was speaking softly under her breath sending force energy the HRD was guessing in the moment while she saw the scans. Then they were there, one worm chasing the first ship with Seanna and a second one getting rustled to their presence while her hands were moving swiftly. They were preparing the warhead of tranq as it jumped. The warhead fired off as she watched it sailing through space. This was pure insanity and the casing exploded in the beasts maw.

Then there was the catching of it as her calculations were perfect with the creature to catch it and she could almost feel the shuddering of the larger ship before it was turning to catch the second. They were firing into its mouth as it came at them and Harmony worked to get more from the engines to outrun the large beast. She could see Matsu there standing now as the jedi spoke into the comlink and over the view port of the bridge the crimson worm sailed over them the skin nearly hitting them as her calculating were not off but she hadn't anticipated the size. She watched it going towards the other Matsu and had what humans might call a brief flicker of hope.... now it was up to Matsu's ship to hold together.

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

To Matsu, the Force did not care if you were sipping from the light or the dark – to the Force, it was just use, a tapping it craved. So when she sensed that care of nerves in her chest she remained calm, imagining the white-hot sin that powered her in a shell of glasteel. She did not have time to see the explosion that lit the space between them and the creatures like fireworks because she was too busy swinging the ship around to catch the worm, her heartbeat loud in her ears as the beast made contact.

A constant feedback of information was being relayed to her, droids placed around the hanger relaying positioning and confirming a secure capture of at least the first worm. It was angry, but from all indications its sedation was taking effect as quickly as hoped.

The second would not be so easy. As the worm leapt in after its familiar, the trajectory was off. A few degrees at worst, but enough to make a huge difference as the entire ship banked sideways with the impact of the second worm’s side against the hanger entrance. Nightmarish visions of losing the cargo entirely, of watching them drift back out in to space and rip the ship to shreds from outside popped in to her mind. The reports were coming like wildfire, the most anxious droid chatter she’d ever heard clanging in her ears as she attempted to right the frigate.

She did.
But it wouldn’t be that easy.

With a horrible tearing sound, the thrashing of the second exogorth bowed the hull of the frigate. Klaxons rang in her ears – but in this at least, they had been prepared. Droids – expendable, made for this and nothing else – rushed in past the slowly tiring creatures to begin work on holding the wall together.

She gave it a moment or two, confirming that she wasn’t about to be sucked in to the vacumn of space to mummify, before contacting her partners. “Well…it seems things went better than chance would ever have predicted. I have some damage to the frigate, but the droid component of the crew is working on keeping it stable. We should be ready to move and get back in the time calculated for the sedatives to keep hold. If you two would stay close while we travel, I’d appreciate it,” she said dryly, wanting a quick place to escape to if things went wrong.

“Otherwise ladies…we did it again.” She couldn’t help but grin.

[member="Matsu Ike"] | [member="Seanna Vel"]​