Private Tib and Jes in: "Chippin' In"

[Tibera Jessen]

Tibera stood at the base of a mountain on Deneba. The nameless rocky expanse seemed to go all the way up to the cloud layer, the dark earthy browns being lost in the ominous reds of the planet's sky. Heat beamed down on the heavily armored merc practically boiled inside sealed suit. The helmet made her face sweat, but it was better than getting scratched up by all the sand.

The objective was to meet up with another mercenary, Jessica "Jes" Howe . Jes and Tibera had concocted a plan to make some easy cash, and have a little fun besides! A band of particularly successful smugglers had holed up inside Fort Hiram, a large Old Republic Era fort. They dealt in guns and drugs, something both women were interested in finding.

The musclebound lady placed two fingers on the side of her helmet, keying the mic for her short-range comms. "Hey, I'm at the mountain. Don't see you anywhere... Are you near the meeting point? Or do I need to pull some one woman army stuff?"

The visor of her helmet lifted, letting her scan through the expanse of red sand and rocks. Wind whipped around her, a howling gale that kicked up scratching particles all over the place! There was some distant rumble, like thunder coming from everywhere. Jes was a hellion, and there was no telling what kinda mischief was happening.

As Tibera looked around, she contemplated the best way to get up the mountain. Climbing up the side was out, not without some serious gear. Maybe there was a path up the side, but that'd take forever. A speeder or walker might be able to do the job, but Tibera had walked most of the way here so as to draw less attention.

"Crazy metal head better not get herself killed getting here..."

 

[Jessica "Jes" Howe]

Tag: Tibera Jessen

It was good to have a job already, much less one that was very much so her style... Good ole smash and grab, these fools won't know what karkin hit em.
​

"Hey, I'm at the mountain. Don't see you anywhere... Are you near the meeting point? Or do I need to pull some one woman army stuff?"

"Affirm- Ya, I'm closing in."

Through their secure connection, Jes starts to send in info she had gathered.

"Details should be on their way, found an old map of the place. Chances are it has hardly changed, stashed some charges nearby... So if blowing through a wall is more your style, I have you covered."

Next was recordings, straight through the eyes of Jes herself.

"Earlier I did scouting, there, there... Anddd there you can see areas I marked as having what I call a deadlock, mounted guns or even just some standard boots taking of those corridors is gonna result in some damage."

A pretty reliable map, and prior scouting. This may be her first new job as a mercenary, but she was determined to get the high score. The feed goes silent as Tibera hears boots crunching in the arid ground, Jes appears, raising a hand for a simple wave.

"Ready to roll?"

Jes didn't appear to be heavily armoured like Tibera, the mercenary even having the audacity to wear a black turtleneck out here. Yet, one couldn't deny she was armed. A shotgun in one hand, a heavy slug machine gun firmly strapped to her back. ​

 

[Tibera Jessen]

A small smirk formed on Tibera's scarred lips, she was happy to have backup from a heavily armed borg. She had to admit, Jes didn't look quite as crazy as some of the other auged up people Tibera had served with. Most gearheads that she knew were covered in bolts and wires, whereas Jes still could pass for a human. Well, as long as she didn't have to pass thrugh a metal detector.

"Blowing chit up sounds like a good time, nerfherders won't see that one coming."

The armored merc started her way up the mountain path, it'd be a long and winding road, no doubt one patrolled by the smugglers. Walking up such a steep incline while covered in probably a hundred pounds of duraplast and metal was a chore, enough to make Tibera wish she had a desk job. While the pay would suck, it beat this heat.

"Cripes, wouldn't have killed them to put their smuggling operation somewhere that didn't require a week's worth of cardio to get to?"

Tibera huffed, never stopping her walk up the path. She swore after they finished looting this place, that she'd find a nice resort planet to lounge on. Simply put, she was built for strength, not long hikes up treacherous terrain. Long marches were something that drove anyone crazy, the stomping of metallic boots clanging and thudding on rock. Over, and over, and over the constant dull thud, not loud enough to cause a start, but repetitive enough to drive one mad.

Maybe she was being too chatty, but she had to do something to drown out the dull thudding. Naturally, she couldn't do much but walk and think, think about what she'd do with all the cash from the operation. Maybe these smugglers had a whole trove of treasures, enough to keep her in wine for months, that was a good thought.

"What are you hoping they have in that old fort? I mean, besides money. For me I hope they have something real juicy, maybe some old tech we could sell for a pretty cred or two," Tibera said, not seeing the glint ahead of them on a high rock. They were being watched through a red lens. A sniper drew a bead on Tibera.

Before she could open her mouth again, a bolt broke the air with a CRAKK!! The red bolt struck Tibera in the chest, singeing the outer plate of her armor and knocking her prone. Other than having the wind knocked out of her, she was fine, for the moment...