Faction Train and Space Elevator Heist (Open to Darkwire and Any Independent Mercenaries)

[Underworld Tales]

Location: Devaron | Route: Through the low mountains and deep valleys. Then up into Space.
Contractor: Tarn Kavross via Darkwire Holonet The Pyke Syndicate
Contract: Read then Delete

Spoiler: Contract Details

1) Board the Train (Space Elevator) while planetside, ensure it isn't shut down or stopped by the drivers.
2) Subdue or detach all guards. Estimated Guards 60. Mostly small arms.
3) Stop the Space Elevator, at the waiting Darkwire freighter in low orbit, and Load Cargo Containers into the Freighter. Defend the freighter and elevator.
4) Profit. 10,000 Credits each per container. There are 6 marked containers out of 50, with a C on the side that should all be together.
*The owner of the train is TT Mining, but it is rumored to be a front for the Crymorah Syndicate.

OOC Thread - Drop questions here.
Darkwire Muse Music

Jungle World, hot and humid moisture in the air. Preservation of the Environment is exactly what required a train rail to remain largely unused. Nobody was expecting much traffic and due to the Devaronian's protecting their environment, very few sensor stations or ships were to be found in the wilderness. The perfect place for a smuggling ring, and the perfect place to rob one! Pylons and cables lay along the route, running power and giving structure to the hurtling single rail line.

The train was the beginning of a space elevator that would join the mainline to enter orbit about 20 minutes from now, taking the cargo for them all the way off-world, in theory. Currently running through a low mountain pass, the fifty car train was vulnerable, but also heavily guarded. TT Mining the owners, rumored to be a front for the Crymorah Syndicate who were trying to kickstart their spice trading operations back up.

Their competitors thought they should do otherwise.

Cue Darkwire and the mercenaries along for the credits. About to get a large bump of credits if they pulled this off. Aboard several small craft, they came individually on their own steam or together with Darkwire. Two bulky Barloz class freighters flew over the top of a tunnel system on this jungle world, the low mountains giving them cover to pull over their target unseen. While at least two small starfighters or other craft in the sky provided a limited escort.

50 Train Cars, 25 each side of the single rail. They had Six to secure, the rest didn’t matter. Each marked with a Blue C and hopefully all together. They could move inside the cars, but moving outside when they got into space, oxygen would be an issue, so they better carry some. Magno-grips had been provided for their feet and breath masks provided if needed for later, all optional extras for the job to use or carry.

Lower the freighters and starfighters came in, the landing ramp coming down, with the train almost in view… time to jump The metal cars appeared out of the tunnel below. Jamming the train's communications to the outside world was the first concern for the hackers and slicers. Nobody had seen them yet.

 

[Cei Kyros]

The Idiot's Array was too conspicuous for a drop off so Captain Kyros labored over the controls of an HWK-290 lining himself up before he received the go signal. He had his own crew back in the Territories but after a year marooned out by Cosm's Well the duros missed what it was like to have a fast ship and dangerous job on his hands. He'd never worked with the Darkwire before but he wasn't worried. Very few gun hands in the galaxy could outdraw Cei Kyros, and besides he had backup.

"You ready for some fresh air?" he called over his shoulder to The Fool , "Its now or never!"

Cei and Roman knew nothing about each other and they both liked that just fine. Sometimes that's how it went in this line of work. People just fell in together for no other reason than the other improved their odds of not getting killed. Sadly this was not the first time Kyros had jumped out of a moving ship. Only last time it had been onto an airspeeder. That was one wild week on Naboo. He let Finley take over flying and joined Roman by the ship's hatch.

"Don't forget to turn on your boots."

He winked at the human and took a running leap overboard. Kyros felt the lurch of freefall and for one terrifying instant he worried that he'd overshot his target but then the train's high speed momentum caught up with him and the duros was bouncing off metal. His arms flailed desperately for a handhold before he remembered his own advice and kicked his magno-grips into life.

"Come on!" Cei shouted back up at the freighter, "Jump!"

Underworld Tales​

 

[Finley]

Finn eyes were intently fixed on the navigation screens ahead, as he heard Cei Kyros begin speaking and moved out of the main controls,
Finn frantically moving over as he began flipping switches and muttering curses under his breath, but only in vain and to himself as Cei leaped from the ship and onto the train. Finn, a rather smug, arrogant, hot-headed youthful son of a rancor... wait, were was this thought going?.... oh yes, albiet those things, he rather enjoyed working with and learning the ropes from Cei. The old man, always seeming to push him to the ends of his wits, really knew his stuff.

Finn flipped a few more switches into position, and then stood up as he tucked in a remote control fob, knowing once the job was finished; they needed to ensure the shop would quickly pick them up for a fast get-away. He activated his mag shoes as he jumped from the ship, landing with a gentle thud he unholstered his pistol and smirked at Cie. “Never fear Cei, the party can now begin.” Finn moved hand to his hand as he flipped a see through pair of glasses over his eyes, a neural interface, the ship now responding to his commands it quickly moved out of site. He spoke again, his usual carefree demeanor gone and replaced with a “all-business attitude”. “What’s our next move Cei? It won’t be long before we are detected.” ​

 

[The Fool]

Roman generally avoided contracts where he had to extensively use the combat expertise he attained during his time in Force 13, the Nebula Front's commando unit; such jobs brought back memories he preferred to keep buried in the subconscious. It also paired him with others, something, as a lone wolf, he hardly liked. But after spending all the cash he earned from the job for Valerya Tion on five-star gourmet meals and gambling aboard the luxurious Bounet barge casino, the veteran found himself in a quick need for liquidity. There was no chance going back into a five-month laying low ordeal, surviving on cheap Rodian fast food.

Train heist. A classic in crime holonovels.

Paradropping had been one of the exercises back at Force 13 he and his former wife thoroughly enjoyed, he recalled. The adrenaline rush could have you going for a week. Better than natural spice. Far better. He smirked briefly before waving away the vivid memories.

He landed almost neatly on the hull of the train, a few feet away from Cei and Finley - a pair of outer rim trash. Hey, beggars can't be choosers. At least they were fine in dropping, hinting they had previous experience in such endeavors; otherwise, most would've ended up free falling straight to the pits of the afterlife.

“What’s our next move Cei? It won’t be long before we are detected." He heard the younger of the two ask. To answer him, Roman forced himself against the hard hitting velocity to reach the hatch on the wagon. Pulling out carefully a grenade, a really illegal flashbang he got from the black market written on this job's expenses, and squeezed open the hatch with a lot of effort. Once open, he dropped the 'nade inside, and looked sideways. A snap was heard and he counted to three before urging Cei and Finley to drop inside. Ideally, any passengers on the wagon might have been disoriented enough to give the assailants a window of time before they were able to call in reinforcements.

But as Roman had learned the hard way over the years - no plan was ideal.

Cei Kyros Finley

 

[Vher Nall]

The freighter rocked, his skin itched, the heads up display flashed what it considered pertinent information. Life outside of the arena was still new. Vher Nall once sailed through the stars, pursued great hunts, and made glorified predators into the shyest of prey, but it had been a lifetime ago. A younger Vher Nall would regard the the use of such “advanced” armor and weapons systems as cowardice, but those who survived life in the galaxy were made wiser by it. He lost nearly a decade of his own to pride and ignorance. Not again.

At his core he was still the same, but an older wiser Dashade didn’t deny newer tools of war. Still, these new tools came at a cost. The cost of his every possession after Affavan. Now he needed credits to recoup his loss and find his place in the galaxy, and so he took to the hunt once again.

time to jump

Vher Nall didn’t require the provided assets for stabilization or atmosphere during the latter phase of the mission. His new second skin would accommodate him. The Dashade descended the lowered ramp. Below the dual linked train cars barreled across a lone rail at the base of the lush mountain.

Without a second thought Vher Nall leapt. In free fall he veered off onto a collision course with the mountain side. His HUD flared a warning followed by course correction data, then accommodated the Dashade. Maneuvering thrusters compensated for his size and weight, then adjusted his path. With a resounding thud he slammed atop one of the train cars. For a brick, he flew pretty good. Although, someone would’ve heard that. Instincts took command and pushed the beast to his feet, clutching his rotary cannon and readying the weapon. Up top had been clear of any defensive measures or sentries. Ahead one car, a trio of others contracted had already landed and began to breach the train.

“Good, no need for silence,” he said approaching the nearest hatch. He tore the plated entry straight off and prepared to board.

 

[Vallaro Kindall]

C:\Missions\With: Gierhyst Xzun | Haro Lergo | Moira Connell

Proximity alerts blared as The Surreptitious flew dangerously close to the jungle canopy as it followed their objective. The ship's active camouflage was hard at work making it virtually impossible to see from above or below. Vallaro checked his sensors. The train's route through the jungle provided little in the way of safe landing but safety came third after profit and pleasure. A series of beeps came from his console as he tapped away at keys leaving the ship with a set of instructions that would help him and his crew make a clean getaway once their job was done.

Vallaro spun out of his chair as he let the ships autopilot take control. He walked back towards the crew quarters of his ship to let his compatriots know that it was time to get to work. The door slid open with a pneumatic hush.

“Alright guy’s we’ve arrived.” We looked around the room and frowned. One of his crew was missing yet again. “Alright, can one of you find the child? There’s no freeloading on this ship. Just be sure to drop in the next hundred and seventeen seconds or you’ll miss the train”

He continued to the cargo bay and dropped the ramp. A rush of wind filled the bay, extinguishing his cigarra and picking up loose bits of trash littered across the floor. Looking down he made a rough estimate that he was about fifteen meters above the train. Not a bad drop height but one that was sure to hurt without gear. He stepped off the ramp and let physics take control.

Falling quickly Vallaro activated his rocket boots for only a fraction of a second. It slowed his fall and propelled him forwards at the same time causing him to land dead center on the last car topside. His boots immediately engaged their magno-grip upon landing and Vallo quickly began cutting an opening at the top of the cart with his Skeleton key.

The metal below gave way quickly as the bonds between molecules where obliterated in the disruptor beams wake. Within seconds he’d cut a man-sized hole in the top of the car. It would be impossible for anyone inside to not have noticed it but that didn’t give Vallaro any pause. He turned to Gierhyst, the ace up his sleeve.

“You’re in first. No offense but I sure I speak for all of us when I say; I’d rather you get shot at first”

 

[Haro Lergo]

Partners: Vallaro Kindall Moira Connell Gierhyst Xzun

Alright, can one of you find the child?

"I'm on it you two can go on ahead I'll meet you down there" Haro stood up from his seat in his quarters and walked out giving the immediate area a once over before making his way to the entrance to some of the maintenance ducts. He could see Moira asleep in one of the ducts through the floor, man did he love having force sight.

He reached his arm into the duct and proceeded to pull Moira out by the back of her shirt "Wakey wakey it's time to earn your rent" Haro proceeded to tuck the small girl under one of his arms and make his way to the open hatch of the ship before nonchalantly throwing Moira out of the ship before taking a step out after yelling "Yee Haw!"

Haro fell one hand on his hat, making sure it didn't get lost somewhere in the jungle during his descent he could see Vallaro and Gierhyst on the last train car he activated his boot's rockets slowing himself down as he landed on top of the car engaging the magno-grips. He walked up next to Vallaro "Found Moira she should be down in a second hopefully she has her gear on probably should have checked oh well, so what's the plan we let the big guy in first?"

 

[Moira Connell]

Teammates: Haro Lergo | Vallaro Kindall | Gierhyst Xzun

When she fell asleep she didn’t imagine she’d wake up to be plucked right out of her impromptu nest she made on Vallaro’s Ship. Unfortunately she wasn’t so lucky as she was getting carried underarm down the hall.

“Let me go, i can walk on my own.” she struggled against the Cowboy’s grip.

She didn’t even know why she was coming along on the heist. She didn’t even know how they knew she was on board. She sighed as she consigned herself to being carried, it beat walking. Soon they were at the cargo bay, the doors wide open.

“Alright time to let me go now.” she said nervously to Haro to no avail. Using her Precognition she knew there was only one way she was leaving the ship this time. She was unceremoniously thrown from the ramp as the hot humid air hit her right in the face. It was like falling through warm pudding. She had only a few minutes to find down as she plummeted the 15 meters to the train. Haro wasn’t as good a shot as he thought as Moira was falling towards the side of the train. She pulled out her Vibro Climbing axes and managed to catch the train, her arms felt like they were nearly torn from the sockets. She climbed up to where her team were waiting.

She stowed her axes and brushed off her clothes. “You could have just told me ya know, didn’t have to throw me out of the Ship!” She said sourly. Pulling out her Shotosaber and Stormburst she readied up at the hole behind the Gen’Dai. Looking into the future it was going to be a busy day.

 

[Gierhyst Xzun]

Buddies: Vallaro Kindall | Haro Lergo | Moira Connell |

The slumbering giant awoke with a start as the alarms of The Surreptitious blared. He rolls to a sitting position as he feels the ship careening towards what he expects must be, "Payday." He grins underneath his helmet as he stretches, now standing, ideas of new investments dancing through his head. Vallaro Kindall entered the room, with the usual hiss. “Alright guy’s we’ve arrived.” The Gen'dai looked down at the near-human, the thought of fun new experiences absorbing him before he turned back in. "-ou’ll miss the train.” Vandall leaves with the Gen'dai in tow. "I'll just keep up and follow him, won't miss it then."

Gierhyst joined the epicanthix on the ramp, He could still feel the other ones getting ready. Like his pal, he dropped feet first towards the train, firing his boots just a few feet above the train. As his Magno-grips "clicked" on, He felt it... That slow burn exhilaration before every hunt. Vallaro begins cutting a hole in the roof of the car with some neat tool Might need to get one of those. “You’re in first. No offense but I sure I speak for all of us when I say; I’d rather you get shot at first.” He waits a moment for the strange stylin' man and the small monkey-lizard of a girl to land then drops into the train car, kanabo in one hand, "1-2 Combo" in the other. He lands on something... Soft?

 

[Daiya]

[post soundtrack]

The Wookiee's growls were meant to be encouraging, but Daiya wasn't buying it. Out of all the stunts they had pulled, this one might be the craziest. It was certainly no day at the pool! Tawrro seemed to think the drop from twice these heights were common for Wookiee toddlers...and that somehow this would be useful information. Daiya sincerely doubted that Wookiee toddlers were commonly trying to drop onto the cars of a moving train racing at ludicrous speed towards the incline of a space elevator. The girl shook her blonde hair, bound tightly in a bun for this mission. She had anticipated tight spaces once they were inside, she just hadn't anticipated how they were getting there. "You've got to be kidding me. This is crazy, you're all crazy."

Tawrro's response was still not very comforting to the teen's dampened ears, which were straining to hear much of anything beyond the whistling wind outside the airlock door. "Well, maybe you should have thought of paying for it before you bought a shiny new starship!"

It wasn't true, The Adiona wasn't shiny or new. But that, Tawrro had assured her, was part of her charm. Who would bother checking such an unassuming craft, much less expect it delivered the most precious cargo he could imagine? Daiya had visibly rolled her eyes at that comment. Sometimes the Wookiee took his duties as her self-appointed guardian far too seriously. She trusted him, but the reverse only seemed to go so far. The starship, he reasoned, would keep her safe between worlds even if he wasn't there to make sure of it.

The teen wondered what dark motives the ship's seemingly-benign processing chip held within its circuitry. She shivered at the thought, or perhaps just from the chill of the mountain air screaming past their ship. Other vessels, transporting the remaining members of the heist gang for this Darkwire contract, dipped low and dropped off their cargo. Daiya watched with wide eyes as a large Dashade fell through the air and nearly crashed into the narrowing sides of the mountainside track. She made up her mind right there. Someone else could heist this train; she'd save the death-defying stunts for someplace more familiar, like a nice warehouse firefight. The girl took a step back, and bumped into the bulk of a Wookiee behind her. She quickly found herself moving very forward, very fast, launched out through the airlock door and into the open air.

She screamed.

She screamed an earsplitting cry that should have bothered anyone near them, but with the violent airspeed and the mechanical noise of the train, the only bother came from the back of her throat as she fell. The fall seemed to last forever plus a few seconds, before the roof of the train car rushed up to meet her thrashing limbs. Daiya had tried to brace for this, to steady herself into some kind of pose to meet the landing, but she had neither the experience nor the preparation to handle this kind of fall. Instead, she jerked taut against the bulk of a Wookiee arm when he landed, Tawrro's beefy arm crushing her ribs in his protective squeeze. As soon as she squirmed against the discomfort, he released her to fall on her hands and knees on the roof, breathing heavily. A breathy bark of Shyriiwook was almost lost in the wind, but the girl caught enough of it to shoot back, "Speak for yourself, it was pretty bad for me! I'm going to remember this next time you chicken out of taking me to the outlet store."

Daiya grinned at her own cheek, humming a little ditty as she checked her equipment. Favorite blaster still strapped to her hip, breath mask hung around her neck, with its bulky respirator slung against her back like a knapsack, her usual combat boots replaced by a set made for zero-g, the datapad she used as her holojournal stuffed roughly into her back pocket, and the backup blaster strapped to her ankle. Everything in its place. The nervous pit in her stomach had ebbed away, slowly being replaced by an excitement for the mission ahead. The girl had never done a heist, of anything, and had no idea what to expect.

A screaming sound heard over the wind drew her attention to Tawrro wrenching away the access hatch of their chosen train compartment. She had noticed others tearing or cutting their way into other compartments as well, but waiting perched on the train rooftops. For the signal to enter, no doubt.

So, sidling up next to her Wookiee companion for this train job, Daiya peered down into the cave of wonders below. With any luck, they'd come away with plenty of treasure and not plenty of trouble.

Cassus Akovin​

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Sssssscruuuu!

The screech of a swoop bike cut through the mountain air at the highest velocity Cassus had been in short of a starship. Though no one could see it, the boy was grinning toothily ear to ear, the adrenaline of chasing a train coursing through him in excitement. He was a Bounty Hunter, sure, but he was an opportunist, and Darkwire lent itself to many opportunities favorable to people like him. Ships flew overhead and settled above the various rail cars of the massive train, and he saw people jumping. He laughed a bit as he found one particular small looking person essentially plummeted, her mouth open in a clear and obvious scream that almost nobody would be able to hear, saved only by a wookiee close behind. When she stood up...

"Feth me, really?" Cassus laughed again but this time lacking his previous mirth. He kicked the Swoop a little faster and rode alongside Daiya and her chosen train compartment. This was an opportunity he had to take. With the Magnetic Anchors and projectors already installed on his swoop bike, he tilted it sidewise where he would surely fall to his death if he were an amateur. The bike quickly attached itself to this side of the rail car, and he climbed up deftly to the roof with no issues.

"You definitely screamed, kid. This a little worse than babysitting?" Cassus amplified his voice to be heard over the wind and watched the Wookiee work, and he heard screams.

 

[Underworld Tales]

Tag: Cei Kyros | Finley | The Fool | Vher Nall | Vallaro Kindall | Haro Lergo | Moira Connell | Daiya | Cassus Akovin

Spoiler: NPCs

Free to assume hits on all NPCs I mentioned, use in them your posts etc

@All

Pylons ahead with a small walkway overpass approaching might require those outside to duck or get a headache, cables running a powerline to the rail. Remotely Darkwires hackers tried to jam the comms systems with static but that was a constant threat while the driving car(s) were manned.

Through the mountains the double rail cars began to turn, shifting into a right bend along the rail. Commotion at the middle of the train, with the suspicions either end.

Cei Kyros | Finley | The Fool

Landing first they hit near the front. With two cars between them and the main driving car, an important goal to reach. Thuds on the roof didn’t seem to alert anyone immediately. The Fool ’s grenade flashed inside one of the passenger cars dazing some of the occupants, nobody realizing what was going on. Two devaronian syndicate guards groaned on the floor and a human mining service technician began walking toward the door, unarmed, hand over his eyes.

It all seemed to be going well for the first trio, but the cars near the front had more space in them, sadly more guards too. On one car ahead of them, a door could be heard opening. The ships overhead, action from the middle of the train, grenades or boots had caught someone’s attention. A small goggle-wearing head popped up over the edge and looked at Finley then Cei Kyros with a confused expression. His friend soon to follow him outside, and he had a grenade of his own.

Vher Nall

Coming in next hit around the middle of the train. Finding a surprised human engineer with a Hydrospanner blinking at Vher. Behind the engineer, two squidlike Quarrens with blaster rifles rose from their seats. A cramped car, full of large crates with rocks in, some valuable rocks no doubt but not what they needed. Out of the corner of his eyes he might see it wasn’t this car but the car OPPOSITE on the other side of the rail he needed, marked with a C across the side.

"WHAT THE FRAK?" One of the passengers shouted in Quarrenese, sounding like a gargling noise underwater. If he looked, the second of the quarrens seemed to be going for a communicator fixed on the wall.

Daiya | Cassus Akovin

Landing one car down from Vher. Daiya had slipped in almost unnoticed. The guards in her car were literally asleep, a bottle of Corellian whiskey lay empty on the floor, the smell of it and others filling the air. No immediate threats? A couple of drunk syndicate miners snoring away that should have been at their posts. Everything seemed peachy. There was an open rifle locker, with blaster rifles, a stun gun, couple of stun grenades if she looked. Five bunks. And…. a very invisible, very furry Defel behind her about to say BOO as it went for a bear hug on her companion Tawrro, probably waking everyone up and causing a mess. Bonus aged whiskey bottles and very expensive wines sat in a cabinet if she didn’t have her hands full! The officers cabin.

With Cassus approaching fast, he may or may not see another syndicate Defel crawling along the outside of the train, interested in his bike or rather stealing it. Not a good start for the dynamic trio, Invisible Defels let loose on a train moving a hundred miles an hour, could you be sure how many were actually here? The bike however would fit under the incoming walkway.

Vallaro Kindall | Haro Lergo | Moira Connell | Gierhyst Xzun

Coming in fourth the quartet landed toward the rear of the train. And... they got the hardest deal of all. From here they might or might not see the train had a SECOND driving car, one at the rear as well as the one at the front. Which was a complication, a second communicator system, a second way to stop the train. Worse the second to last car seem to have a man-sized blaster turret on it, pointing at nobody in particular presently. Used to shoot at those following the train in case of a chase.

So far though the quartet had got in the quietest and they had the element of surprise, even with hole being cut in the top. Unfortunately for them if they looked through the small slit windows they would see they’d landed on the Houk car. Yes, there was a Houk Car. Four great walls of walking muscle and some of the biggest threats on this train inside this particular car. One of which was looking up at the cutting, eyebrow raised. Thankfully he was unarmed. Two other armored Houks inside went scrambling for their electrostaves, and one bolted out the door. Totaling four. No blasters from this crowd, but they did have the twirling electrostaves of legend. Thankfully none of these rear cars had C's on them, so they were all unnecessary. That blaster turret though, not a pretty sight to be sure, thankfully unaware of them, for now.

ZZZZZZZZZTTTTTT

What was that? That was an eletrostave swinging at quartet's feet! The fourth Houk pulling himself up to say hello.

@All

Could see the train approaching a small walkway overhead, they could crouch or lay below it, hold on to the sides of the train or enter a car. But they didn’t have long to choose. The really, really observant who read saw this far would notice a rodian guard up there looking down, and he apparently didn't look amused.

 

[Cei Kyros]

Kyros swung himself through the train's hatch as quickly as possible and brought his heavy blaster up to bear. Two devaronians incapacitated, so he plugged the standing human in the back before he could regain his sight or make it to another car. He slapped The Fool roughly on the shoulder for a job well down and glanced back up at the hatch to make sure Finley made it inside okay.

"Not bad for a couple of bandits like us, huh kid?"

The duros checked that Finn's blaster was out and primed before turning to head front and make sure the coast was clear. He reacted to the goggled sentry on instinct, firing his blaster from the hip and catching the man in the dome of his skull. Finley's shot followed close behind he noticed. Cei heard a cry of alarm from the next train car and fired another spread of shots blind. He heard a body thump, but did not account for the live grenade in that body's hand.

He didn't remember the explosion. One moment he was moving up to make sure they got everyone and the next Kyros was barely hanging on to the blown out front end of a train car. He looked down and wished he hadn't. The train was still mostly connected at least for now but both ends of each compartment had been shredded and were exposed to the blistering exterior. If he let go that would be it.

Fortunately Roman and Finley were still on solid ground.

"Mayday!" his shouts were nearly drowned out by high winds, "Mayday!"

Underworld Tales​

 

[Finley]

Finn smirked as Cei had a momentary celebration, only to be cut short by a blaster bolt, and one for good measure from Finn. He got a chill up his spine, and a pit in his stomach... Finn swallowed hard. For a spilt second, his mind started to wander ~ He always got this feeling when something was about to happen. In the past he always put it off as a “repeat” habit, he was just used to getting beatings and being outnumbered — NO, I can’t get distracted... refocusing himself on the present moment, but it was a second too late.

~ BOOM ~

It rattled the already unsteady train as debris violent flee out and around Finn and The Fool . Throwing his hands up, he felt small bits of shrapnel hitting around him like razors. The smoked cleared and he looked all around for Cei. Son of a —... He screamed, running towards the opened can of a box. “Cei! Where are yo—.....” And then, his eye caught the man, dangling and yelling up towards the pair. Finn reacted on pure instinct as he shot a grapple line straight into the top of the train, simultaneously grabbing the wire and jumping as his body swung in landing inside the remains of the box cart with a thud, as he scrambled over to the ledge where Cei Kyros was hanging from. “Grab my hand!”​

 

[Cei Kyros]

"I'm too good looking to die kid!"

Kyros reached out for Finley but his hand slipped. He wobbled unsteadily and felt his grip begin to weaken. Another regretful glance down and his stomach lurched. The duros leaped and grabbed for his first mate's hand and this time he gripped tight. High winds tugging at his coat tails nearly dragged Finn back out with him but he grabbed hold of the train car and flung them both to safety.

"Well that could have gone better," he laughed, "Thanks. Roman, you still with us? Let's see if we can rig up a line of rope to the next car. We gotta take the front."

They'd lost the element of surprise on this part of the train so that meant more danger ahead. Luckily when he'd dropped his blaster it hadn't tumbled overboard so Cei picked it back up checked that it was properly charged. The Fool had been hired to help them seize the train's control systems while the others secure whatever valuable cargo they could find. If they failed their accomplices would have to do some improvising of their own.

Underworld Tales​

 

[Vher Nall]

With the hatch free Vher Nall scanned his surroundings a final time. All became a blur as the train blew by the mountainside. Various HUD elements flashed to life highlighting pertinent data and points of interest. Fortunately, one of the marked train cars was connected was just across the rail. Unfortunately, even an armored Dashade was no match for the oncoming overpass while topside a railcrawler moving around 90kph. Atop the walkway a lone target had been highlighted and magnified by the sensor suite. A Rodian. A potential complication, one the hunter hadn't the time to deal with. The target grew closer, as did the walkway he was perched on.

Vher Nall leapt inside the opening just as the overpass beamed by. Durasteel gave to the Dashade's weight and dented under boot. Occupants? Three. One human, mouth agape, who had been sealing a damaged container shut. Behind him two Quarren's washed in red. The Minerva system was indicating that the duo was armed. Standard grade blaster rifles, threat level: minimal.

One of the Quarrens gurgled in their native dialect. Vher Nall didn't understand Quarrenese, but surprise was a universal tongue.

The hunt began. One massive armored claw tossed the human into the wall putting him out cold; the other trained the massive barrel of Vher's rotary cannon on target. One Quarren opened fire while the other darted for a mounted communicator. Two rosy beams slapped into a container to Vher's left, from it cerulean gemstones poured onto the floor. A third beam smacked into the Dashade's shoulder, his armor's shields flared taking minimal damage. With a squeeze of the trigger both Quarrens, as well as a slew of cargo containers, were peppered with blaster fire. The few seats in the car shredded. The communicator had been made a casualty as well. Easy prey.

Vher kneeled over and took a few of the gemstones and placed them in a containment unit along his armored leg. All the closer to buying himself a ship. He marched down the length of the car and confirmed all targets had been neutralized. The Quarrens were dead. The human was bleeding from his head but was alive. Should he be lucky, he might awake before the railcrawler took into orbit. His fate was his own.

Vher Nall established a secured communication line with his employer's men still aboard the freighter, "think we've been made, Rodian on the overpass," he relayed, apathetic as he was. It was time to consider the next move.

Underworld Tales

 

[Vallaro Kindall]

The buzzing of an electro staff cut through the air as one of the Houk pulled itself through the breach to confront Vallaro and his squad. It swung wide and fast, forcing Vallaro to dodge back. Toggling off the magno-grips of his boots Vallaro allowed himself to be carried back several meters by the wind before reengaging them. He stood at the edge of the car. Behind him was a blur of green as the train continued its path through the jungle.

“I’ll take care of this Houk. The rest of you get in, we’ve got a few hazards approaching fast,” He said in a half yell as he competed with the wind for priority over the coms. In one swift motion, the Houk pulled itself to the top of the train. Brandishing its electrostaff the beast spun it overhead in a display of strength and prowess then charged. It bellowed as it ran, bloodlust clearly on its mind. Vallaro remained unphased.

He knew he couldn’t take the Houk on his own in melee, but he didn’t have to. As the creature ran towards him the train grew ever closer to a walkway ahead. He waited for the beast to get just close enough before disengaging the magno-grips and activating his rocket boots. In the blink of an eye, he was well past the creature. It spun around clumsily, it’s considerable mass working against it and costing it precious seconds it would soon find out it didn’t have. Ahead of it, the Houk saw the walkway fast approaching. It ran back towards the breach against the wind. With each passing second, the walkway grew closer but the breach was still an eternity away. Just as the beast managed to get to its destination so did the walkway and physics wins all ties.

Vallaro was already several meters in the air before the Houk could turn around. Careening through the sky as speeds he never thought he’d find himself due to the combined velocities of the train and his rocket boots. New Information came through the coms; a guard had seen them and would have to be dealt with. Looking ahead Vallaro could see his new target; A Rodian guard standing atop the walkway he was flying towards. The guard was running towards the end of the walkway, clearly trying to avoid the Epicanthix turned missile.

Vallaro tried to maneuver but he was going too fast. He only had one shot to get rid of the guard. He whipped his arm out revealing a concealed blaster pistol. As he crossed the threshold of the walkway, he squeezed the trigger. The blaster furiously fired away unleashing a hell storm of blaster fire in the guard’s direction. With nowhere to hide the guard was riddled by blaster fire and fell to the ground lifeless as Vallaro continued on his trajectory back to the train.

“Sitrep? How are we doing”

 

[Moira Connell]

Teammates: Haro Lergo | Vallaro Kindall | Gierhyst Xzun

“I’ll take care of this one. The rest of you…”

Moira had already stopped paying attention. She had already turned her attention to the blaster turret. She didn’t need to look ahead to tell this was going to cause problems. She had to act fast before it started firing on her team. She took off on the train rooftops, it was a race between her and the walkway overhead. As she charged ahead she pulled out her ax and threw it in a high arc towards the turret. It felt like she had thrown it dozens of times before, she knew where it was going to land and when. Timing it out, she pulled her Stormburst again and fired the ascension line at the moment the ax would land atop the turret. It was almost muscle memory at this point, she was just running through the motions.

The line found its target and went taught, as she threw herself over the edge of the train. It might’ve been a race between her and the walkway but Moira was known to cheat. The walkway flying harmlessly overhead, a spray of blaster fire taking out the guard. The turret shifted to target the girl hanging onto a wire attached to itself. She was moving too fast to get a good shot in but that didn’t stop them, as it fired rounds down at her.

The motor in her sidearm whired to life as it pulled her towards the turret. When she got close enough she cut the line and landed behind the turret. As the gun turned to shoot her, her Shotosaber sprang to life. She was after the hydraulic lines in the back, attempting to stop the gun from turning. With a few swift cuts the gun stopped moving and started firing in protest, its rounds threatening no one.

“Sitrep? How are we doing?”

The Turret could still fire but only in a straight line, somewhere down on the port side of the train. No one should wander into its firing line and it shouldn’t be able to be repaired without extensive work.

“Moira here, turret should be dealt with. Wouldn’t hurt blowing it up however.”

Underworld Tales​

 

[Gierhyst Xzun]

Pals: Vallaro Kindall | Haro Lergo | Moira Connell

Gierhyst has to move fast, something he doesn't like to do. He's not a fast man, but he is a fast thinker. He could take two Houks, It just requires a careful touch, third he'd wouldn't worry about. "We got a runner." The armored giant fires his slugthrower from the hip. To a human, it would have felt like a solid hit that would have made them sit down and reconsider their current line of employment, to the Houk it was an enraging slap. The recently 'jabbed' Houk charges and the hunter grins, his prey running headlong into a trap baited by confidence and anger.

The Gen'dai moves carefully, waiting for both Houks to move closer before enacting his plan. He lets the angry one step in and thrust the staff forward, his pulse jumps as the staff knicks him as it passes by. He stomps forward, bring an armored boot-heel as hard as he can down on the Houk's foot, he feels it give. The other Houk was in range now, stepping around the first to get a clean hit at the attacking intruder.

Gierhyst tosses his slugthrower underhand at the bulky humanoid who surprised by the action catches it. He pivots, turning with his whole body to homerun the Angry, broken-foot owning Houk in the head with his Kanabo, the smack echoes. He then turns to the now aiming and searching for a shot. He keeps his momentum as he turns and slams the Houk's chin with a rising strike from the Kanabo."Look, I'm not going to kill you, but I'd really appreciate it if you'd go to sleep for some time. Okay?" The "Okay?" wasn't a question as the Kanabo's head was firmly planted on the chest of the fallen security and its secondary function activated, electricity convincing the downed humanoid to have a sudden dance party.

“Sitrep? How are we doing”


"I think everyone is okay down here. Just tucked in the last one." He says, hefting his kanabo back onto his shoulder and stooping low for a moment to scoop up his rifle. "This car feels empty as far as immediate threats."

Underworld Tales ​

 

[Haro Lergo]

Partners: Vallaro Kindall Gierhyst Xzun Moira Connell

Haro looked down from atop the train and could see the four Houks through the walls of the car thanks to his innate force sight, combine that and the power he was packing behind his revolver and shooting the Houk that was leaving the car through the walls was easy. Haro threw his poncho over his shoulder it getting swept up behind him in the wind of the traveling train and drew his revolver firing three shots the slugs easily making their way through the walls of the train car and finding their home in the chest and head of the fleeing Houk.

He smiles under his mask as a particularly strong gust of wind knocks the hat off of his head, he spins around on his heels and manages to catch his hat by the brim before noticing what looked like another driving car not mentioned in the briefing.

Sitrep? How are we doing

Putting his hat back on his head Haro responds into his com "I got the Houk that tried to leave the car but I think there is a second driving car at the back of this thing I'll take care of it you go on ahead I'll catch up." And with that began running towards the back of the train heading towards the second driving car using the rockets in his boots to help him jump from car to car. He runs along the top of the cars before stopping and dropping down in front of the entrance to the second driving car, reloading his revolver with explosive rounds Haro looks through the walls of the driving car to see what he had to deal with.