Welcome To The Machine [Incursion PvE]

[Venthis Zambrano]

Location: Maintenance Tunnels
Team: Dark Side
Route: 2 | Right

Standing back and waiting gave him an opportunity to choose. Instead of rushing in quickly, he had a choice. The two signs appeared and he gave it a thought. He glanced to the alarmingly high amount of people flocking through the left, which gave him the thought to head to the right. Following shortly behind a clear Sith Lord and a... droid. Venthis had little patience for droids, but he would put it aside for now.

As they enterred, Venthis' hand would twitch. His eyes still remaining focused but he would seem to not respond for some time, to anything. Movement, touch, smell- anything. Before he would gasp and snap back into reality. They found their way to a room.

Various terminals, consoles and all sorts of technology scattered around the room. Though there sat a holoprojector in the middle of the room. [member="Darth Venefica"] already sat before it seemingly waiting. He glanced to [member="HK-36"] inquisitively. "You can't do anything?" He said, squinting. "You'd think you'd be able to atleast do something since you are... a machine."

He would glance about in confusion, growing frustrated.

[member="Onyx"] | [member="Zircon"]

 

[HK-36]

Route 2: Main Terminal Area

[member="Venthis Zambrano"],

"I mean I can do some things."

The droid protested in response to Venthis' comment,

"I still have this little thingy."

He would raise one of his hands as part of his organic Vong armor spread away, opening up a way for a slicing spike to extend out from below his wrist,

"And if I may say so, I am fairly certain that it is above average length. You are free to touch it if you would like."

HK waved the slicing probe in Venthis' direction up and down,

"But most of my expertise surrounds reprogramming other droids or browsing the HoloNet for information, most of that code and security was written by organics, it is like child's scribbles to me, deciphering it and bypassing is not that difficult. On the other hand, programs written by other droids, you can imagine I suppose how that would be a different set of skills and abilities, their innate understanding allows them to make it far more complex."

Turning away from Venthis he would look back to the console, pressing one of its buttons before pushing his slicing spike into its data port.

"But if war or assassin droids were superior at slicing and engineering, then what would be the point of astromechs?"

 

[Caelag Vass]

• Route: 2 [member="Zircon"]
• Objective: Investigate
• Team: Lightside
• Faction: Iron Empire

Caelag had to sigh to herself as [member="Kainan Wolfe"] tried to be the big man and make his own way in a machine devised by advanced droids with enough forethought to create a multiple stage trap. She couldn't help but shake her head in almost disappointment. How clever was he to see through an obvious ruse and make the big choice himself? "Calm down sir. You aren't making a good choice either. See, if they are advanced enough to think all this out, do you really think they didn't plan on someone saying 'screw it I'm going through the center'? Hell that's probably the most dangerous route. They probably want us to go that way so they can kill us more efficiently. Every path that we can pick is one they've likely accounted for. So my suggestion is we play their game long enough to figure out the rules ourselves, then break them when we know what we're up against.

To that end, I'll be assisting the droid in his path. I would suggest more the tech inclined follow this right path, and those of us who are strictly good at killing things and blowing them up take the left. Sith I would recommend taking the left path and jedi take the right, but feel free to do what you feel is right. I won't stop you, I've a job to do."
Caelag turned back to door number two, lifting a hand and motioning [member="Ylva Solveig"] and @Aster Baelor Rose to follow her down. She'd spotted the princess, and the wild woman she just barely recognized, and assumed both would be of use this way. She certainly wanted to keep her princess close enough she could keep an eye on the girl.

Upon reaching the end of the path, who was she to find but [member="HK-36"], [member="Venthis Zambrano"], and [member="Vindica"]. She looked around the room slowly, sighing gently. What a ragtag bunch of fools to walk into a trap so far. Then again, Skywalker in ages past had been a naive fool, so perhaps it was only fitting that such a cycle was a thing. She glanced back over at HK, and spoke softly to the droid so only he could hear her concerns. "I'm sure you realize just as well that this is almost certainly a trap. I'd be willing to bet, sir droid, that there are a multitude of things ready to kill us beyond that door. So I want to ask you, my X-52 is far stronger than a standard blaster rifle, which you seemed to imply will be very ineffective against these enemies. Will the enhanced power of the weapon be enough, or should I be prepared to find a new method?"

He had made it seem, to her at least, like these droids would be well protected from blasters. Perhaps he knew something she did not...

[member="Astromech DD2-R8"]

 

[HK-36]

[member="Caelag Vass"],

HK glanced aside as Caelag approached him, whispering to the droid quietly while he tried to slice and hack his way through the terminal to hopefully find out more about how to open the door or why it seemed that the consoles were not connected to anything. As the sniper asked about their rifle, HK glanced aside to it, looking it over up and down,

"An X-52, eh? I have not seen those models for a while now, probably since around the Cold War. They were phased out of service for a reason you know. But yes, if their soldiers will wear only durasteel plating, even with additional armor its high intensity is probably enough to melt through them. If they will use duranium or stronger materials still it might become an issue, not to mention deflectors and ray shields being fairly effective at dispersing energy bolts, that would be my greatest concern. Although to be honest, from what I have seen so far, the Contingency's war droid models are much more crappier than anything me or the other Metal Lords could come up with. Good thing we are on your side I suppose."

The droid would reach back around his body, hiding his arm beneath his cloak as he fished through various gadgets and weapons he brought along with him, probably having even more hidden within his body. After couple of seconds he produced a pistol and offered it to Caelag, in comparison to real-life weapons it would look like a luger or other WW1 era pistols.

"This is the Stinger, an old shattergun pistol I used, from its designs I was able to manufacture more advanced magnet based weapons Abregado now produces. You have 50 shots, small caliber, light, but armor piercing, it fires its shots fast enough to shatter most armor and droid plating out there, it pierces light vehicle armor, and I do not doubt it could bent Phrik as well. It does not fire fast but it will be much more efficient in tight quarters, as I suspect we will have to fight in those, than your rifle. Do not lose it."

And with that Caelag would be free to borrow the pistol for the time being,

"And I realize that we are walking into a trap, it does not bother me much."

HK continued,

"The Contingency may be prepared for a lot of things-"

He would turn his head to look at Caelag directly, washing the light of his glowing crimson eyes over them,

"But no one is prepared for me."



Glanced aside then towards the tunnel, perhaps this was at the time Aster and the Wildling Girl were catching up with them,

"The Princess back there, she should not be here."

The droid stated, looking back to the console he was working on before glancing to Caelag once more,

"Has she talked about me? Did she tell you about how she came to meet me?"

 

[Vereshin]

Location: Back room
Objective: Play with the doggy
Allies: [member="Pom Stych Tivé"]
Curiosities: [member="Rainbone"]

The sorcerer and the sorceress stood alone in a vast utility division. Pausing for a moment to gather his bearings, Vereshin still held Pom's hand as he gazed upward and over the network of cables covering the roof. Red lights flowed through the fiber and lead elsewhere to a generating source of power. They appeared to have stumbled upon the back room of the Machine. The moment of silence ended before the vicious scraping of metal sounded from a cage beneath the shadows. Slowly releasing his grip on Pom's hand, Vereshin slid a foot forward to take a closer look.

A droid constructed in the shape of a canine leaped forward and through the door of the cage with an almighty mechanical growl. Vereshin grabbed Pom's shoulders and stepped quickly to the side to avoid the bounding direction of the mechanical beast. With his back facing the droid, he held Pom in the opposite direction in a protective gesture. As the creature created a mess of the room, Vereshin and Pom watched it tear apart wires and all manner of electrical cords. The sorcerer quickly shifted his feet away from the wall to move to the center and avoid the stray sparks of electricity.

The droid however, did not seem intent on harming the two mages and instead simply ran towards them with a bundle of cords in it's mouth, stopping before them to plonk down the cords at their feet. The wires sparked and cackled, throwing dangerous sparks in all directions. While standing behind Pom, Vereshin extended his palms and blocked the flying sparks with a barrier of energy. He began to move forward and pushed the invisible pane as he moved, absorbing the electrcity with every stride until they began to die to down. The droid continued to flap it's ears and wag it's tail, hounding borks down the hallway and scampering around the room

"I think he wants us to play with him." Vereshin mused aloud in front of Pom as he watched Rainbone tear apart more wires. He steadily moved forward with his hands casting the barrier, just in case any more stray sparks flew in their direction. Bending down, he approached the pile of wire and gently applied a hand directly above them and destroyed the active source of energy flying from the broken cords, dissipating the matter and causing the red lights to dim and fade. Rainbone stopped before the wires and wagged his tail. After a moment of thought, Vereshin reached out a hand and lightly patted the top of his cold head. The dog barked and ran away, looking behind for one of the sorcerers to respond.

Vereshin retracted his hands and levitated one of the wires off the floor. He held it in the air and cupped his hands, gently rotating the object and crushing the form until the material crumbled away and the matter came to resemble a ball. He applied more force and compressed the mass of wire, until the recognizable form left a sphere of perfect blackness behind. Red sparks danced over the immaculate surface and the ball of dark energy hovered and swayed in the air. Surging forward a palm, Vereshin slid too fingers into his mouth and whistled, before sending the sphere bounding through the air for Rainbone to chase after.

 

[Muad Dib]

LOCATION: Power room (door 1/left)
OBJECTIVE: to give the Contingency a bad day

As he waited in the dark hallway things changed. A thrum filled the hall as power flowed from ahead back to the main room where most of the invading fabric members were milling. Ahead a faint light shown, casting an illumination down the murky hall. Clenching his first, the energy fed through the Force dissipated. Sighing he moved forward once more as he shook his head at the game of cat and mouse being played with the ones who had come to investigate the coded message.

At the entrance of the room he looked at the seams of the doorway, noticing the track where a blast door could conceivably close behind. Possibly matching the two similar blast doors currently closed inside the lit room. Pulling his lightsaber from his belt he activated the azure blade and made several diagonal slashes upon the frame and it's track ensuring that a door could not close behind them effectively.

Walking into the room he extinguished the blade and returned it to it's place upon his belt as he slowly roamed the room. Several levers and monitors, two doors, and a low pitch hum. Frowning slightly he moved to the levers examining them.

[member="Onyx"] I [member="Atlas Kane"] I [member="Jorah"] I @ whoever else comes

 

[Jsc]

Jessica decided to go left. Towards the sign, Power Generator. ([member="Onyx"] )


Still. First she stood with [member="Kurayami Bloodborn"] and [member="Andorreth Vikar"] a moment. Nodding to the mysterious pilot as he introduced himself most welcomingly.

"Ah. Welcome good Master. Indeed, decisions decisions. Hehe. ...What a strange dungeon we have here today. Even the Force is perplexed. Signs and buttons and fine terrestrial ergonomics too. Hehe. How quaint. ...Well. Naturally. You are most welcome to stand amongst it. Among these strange allies. Among perhaps, even these lost friends."

Then she smiled under her helm and pointed left.

"Yes well. I think I'll go that way. ...Hehe."

Jessica waited not and departed post-haste. A quick trot to her titanium boots. For as it spoken above, time must wait for no man. Yet. In quiet boldness. The Force traveled with her. Down down.

Down into the machine.

 

[Vaylin]

Location: Main Terminal Area [ Route 2 | [member="Zircon"] ]
Objective: Investigate the Facility
Team/Allies: Dark Side - Sith Empire

Vaylin had found a couple familiar faces in the end, namely @Venthris Zambrano and [member="Darth Venefica"], recognizing them both as fellow Sith within the Empire. And frankly giving how many strangers were surrounding her, the Zabrak was more keen to remain close to those that she knew - or at the very least was allied with.

So she did just that, sticking close to the Zambrano as the crowd shuffled along. That's when Vaylin caught sight of [member="HK-36"] and immediately narrowed her eyes. Ever since the Time Foundry she had grown wary of...well not all droids, but mainly those that came across as particularly lethal. Which in Vaylin's eyes, HK certainly was.

But for now, it seemed the droid was more interesting in talking, a lot. So Vaylin remained silent in her observations, unsure whether the droid was truly on their side or not.

Eventually she followed Venthris down towards the second door, joining up with [member="Caelag Vass"], [member="Kainan Wolfe"] and [member="Astromech DD2-R8"]. The Zabrak looked around the room they found themselves in, eyes lingering on the monitors and what was showing on the screens, then the holoprojector and a similar set of buttons.

"This is following a previous tactic the Contingency used, luring their targets in and then sealing all possible exits out behind them." She finally spoke up in response to Caelag's words on the subject. "What we should be focusing on, is this." Vaylin stood before the holoprojector. "Do they intend for use to solve a puzzle? Find the correct sequence and reflect it on the monitors around the room?"

She turned her head to look, hearing and feeling two others approach. Vaylin twitched, instincts telling her to go for her lightsaber but the Zabrak refrained. Her eyes were on [member="Ylva Solveig"] and [member="Aster Rose Baelor"], particularly on the latter as she felt more of a Light presence from the girl. Although that was replaced with curiosity, an eyebrow raised as she looked over at HK.

"Princess?"

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Muad Dib"]


The Mad Knight's suspicion was understandable. However, unfortunately for Muad, a lightsabre would burn the metal, not bend it. Certainly not in such a manner to achieve the desired outcome on the door. It got him some attention though.


Twin auto-turrets sprouted from the ceiling above and directed some loving attention towards him. They fired their bullets extremely fast - at hypervelocity to be precise. This meant that the projectiles travelled faster than the speed of sound. The kind of speed that hit a target before you heard them cut through the air. With enough power to pierce most forms of personal armour or break bones upon impact. Blocking or dodging would be very difficult.


The Contingency remembered him from Far Harbour, where he had caused the station to blow up. They were not being vindictive though, since while quite nice, the station did not have anything they coveted.

 

[Andorreth Vikar]

Location: Heading towards the rave/ club/ power generator with Jessica
Allies: Jessica Matthews and other lightside partiers
Objective: Explore, not die, wreck face of savage robots wanting to harvest all

Hearing how the left was crowded at the moment I shrugged "Doesn't matter much to me whether left or right but if these sentient machines want us all harvested. Tactically it'd make sense to cut their power supply I'm with the well dressed and quirky Jedi." Tapping two fingers to my helm in salute to the pilot and one time master I pressed the stock of my rifle against my right shoulder and headed after the female Jedi into the darkness. Belly of the beast would be the last place they'd expect us, after all who who expect the heart to be pulped from within?

Still this whole thing perplexed me....I'd only recently found out about the last galaxy-wide osik-fest that'd split Corellia in two. I may not be a fan of group operations, even less of a fan knowing that Dar'jetiise were here supposedly working with us. I'd be damned before I let others fight for the galaxy without me though. I owed it to my training as Mando'ad, I owed it to the memory of Corellia and I owed it to myself. So I headed into the deep, dark with a female Jedi I barely knew to save a galaxy that probably wouldn't recall my name anyways. This is where the fun began...

[member="Jessica Matthews"] ~ [member="Kurayami Bloodborn"]

 

[Astromech DD2-R8]

DD2-R8 now rolled over to Route two after [member="HK-36"] kindly asked. The Astromech originally wanted to see the power station, but terminals were its specialty!

It felt more at home with the droid, and since DD had designated HK as a good leader, it was only natural to roll with that idea. Upon noticing the slicing probe, the Astromech made a funny noise.

"*Quit waving that thing around, you'll hurt someone.*"

The droid interfaced with its own choice terminal, waiting for a moment before shaking its dome.

"*This is a no go! I suggest we press all the buttons, including around that projector. Let me delete some code and see what happens...*"

Who knew what would happen then, probably nothing as deleting code tended to break it even more, not fix it.

 

[Atlas Kane]

Doorway #1 -> Room at the end of said hallway | Engaged the turrets
Team Darkside | Sith Empire
[member="Onyx"], [member="Enyo Typhos"].

Theme

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzdhTGaWzec

He remained in the doorway for a moment, allowing his eyes to readjust to the darker hallway before him when the change of a small detail caught his attention. There was an additional light illuminating the area behind him, reflected slightly off the metal walls. With a step backwards he glanced at the new source briefly. Power Generator. Presumably the heart of the facility, the most important organ. That would be where he would strike, a swift and efficient blow to eradicate this blemished spot on the galaxy's already flawed visage. He cared little for the Contingency themselves, if droids wanted to band together to achieve the same delusions that drove pathetic creatures like the Jedi, that was fine by him. However, the moment they aimed to take what rightfully belonged to the strong, the moment they claimed to posess power, was when their mere existence turned from an annoyance to an insult. An insult directed to Atlas personally. He had endured too much, achieved too much on his own to simply allow these pretenders to take that which he had claimed by right with their inflated sense of power, an illusion caused by their misguided existence.

The hallway was darker than the previous room. There was little need to rely on his eyes here, it was too dark to properly make out an ambush and his visor did not possess any technology that allowed for an enhanced vision of any kind, but he still had a fallback. The Force could be a most useful tool when allowed to take control for a moment, guided by the hand of a Sith's will, it could be as a Veractyl, a beast exploited for safe passage or advantage in battle. As his mind immersed itself within the fabric of the Force he allowed himself to close his eyes for the few dozen steps it took him to the next chamber, right behind the armoured humanoid. He could feel his surroundings during this brief period of time as if the sensation of touch extended far beyond the limits of his nerves, their scope broadened by the all-permeating energy field of the Force. There was no threat before him here, at least none he could perceive, it was a simple hallway. Originating quite nearby on his right, however, were the reverberations of growling that made their way almost unnoticeably through the walls. There were more words uttered further behind him, yet he saw no reason to pay attention to these ones either, simply allowing them to disturb the silence with their noise as much as their footsteps would, their words' meaning simply bouncing off his mind as it concentrated on the efforts to register every little detail of his surroundings in an attempt to notice anything that may be important. There was nothing. He felt at least four follow him and the armoured one, however. One barely noticeable in the Force, another unrefined, and two more powerful, one tainted by the Light, the other lacking any dedication to either Light or Dark.

Ba ... dum. Ba ... dum. Ba ... dum.

There was little point in waiting for them. He had his sights set on one goal, a goal he aimed to accomplish as quickly and efficiently as possible, leaving little room for improvisational plan smithing with those unfamiliar with his ways. He worked best alone, anyways. It was a mindset reinforced by his interpretation of the Sith teachings. To be Sith meant to strive for perfection, one's own perfection; an endeavour that left little room for attachment to others. Allowing himself to fall in with these strangers would be nothing more than to undermine his very purpose. He would work alone, he would not see them as equals, they were cannon fodder, pawns to be used in the game of Dejarik he had entered into with the Contingency's highest authority. To see them as anything more would be a Jedi's response and he was Jedi no longer. He'd transcended their misguided ideals, their foolish notions of self-sacrifice for the good of others. It was a thoughtless devotion born of imprudent ideas that dictated all life was worthy of being saved, which was simply not the case. A lesson he was reminded of each time he viewed the image in his refresher's mirror.

The snap-hiss of a lightsabre broke his train of thought and his concentration. Instantly his eyes shot open in response, his entire body weight shifting in order for him to enter into a more combat-ready stance. Through the thin fabric of his gloves, he could feel the carvings on his own lightsabre as his hand lingered on it. False alarm. The armoured humanoid only a metre or two in front of him had ignited the lightsabre not as a weapon, but as a tool to seemingly sabotage the door at the end of this hallway. A quiet, yet sharp, burst of air escaped Atlas' lungs. The man's reckless behaviour would only draw the attention of this facility's defence mechanisms, and while Atlas himself was certainly no friend of the shadows or of intrigue, he wasn't a complete tactical nerfherder. He understood the advantage of being as stealthy as possible, especially while behind enemy lines. Although he doubted that they had stayed unnoticed after the drones had caused that entire commotion, or after their transports had been blown up, or after the lights had indicated which hallway led to which area of the facility, he still believed that keeping a low profile would be nothing but beneficial.

The sound of rapid gunshots and the subsequent impacts broke the quiet atmosphere that the armoured one had left in his wake. Twin-turrets had sprouted out of the ceiling, no doubt in response to the man's deeds. Atlas was luckily still in the hallway when the man had walked off further into the room and the guns didn't seem to be too interested in him yet. The situation was exactly as he wanted it, the other was serving as cannonfodder, a distraction to allow for Atlas to seize the advantage he was presented with. With quick steps, he made his way into the room, in the opposite direction of the armoured one. His speed was enhanced somewhat by the Force, though it only had minor effects due to his relative inexperience in the technique. He studied the turrets' positioning during these moments, mind analysing the situation and determining a trajectory that would allow for his lightsabre to hit the twin-turrets when thrown. It would be tricky, but he might be able to make the shot. The sabre slid into his palm, thumb igniting its shattered crimson blade with a low roar. His arm then moved in a wide arc, fingers releasing the blade from his grasp as he focused the Force onto the weapon, altering its path to achieve the maximum damage possible to the turrets. The blade's beautifully unchained crimson dance illuminated the room in a colour more pleasing to Atlas' eye.

Ba .. dum. Ba .. dum. Ba .. dum.

[member="Muad Dib"], [member="Kurayami Bloodborn"], [member="Jessica Matthews"], [member="Jorah"], [member="Andorreth Vikar"].

 

[Kurayami Bloodborn]

Location: Hallway heading to the power generator [member="Onyx]
Aliies: [member="Andorreth Vikar"], [member="Jessica Matthews"], @everyone else in Door 1

Kurayami had been hoping that the Force would give him a sign...perhaps not in such a literal sense though. Still it works in the end, even if it seemed more than a bit convenient. It wasn't long before [member="Jessica Matthews"] made her decision and set off towards the left door with [member="Andorreth Vikar"] close behind. With a flick of his wrist he opened the cylinder on the revolver and did a quick check, making sure all chambers were loaded. Indeed they were. Having double checked he made his way towards the left door shrugging as he did so.

"Left side it is then, lead the way ma'am."

The sensors outside of those vital to navigation or vision were set to passively collect data and map out the area around him and his allies as he made his way into the depths. He was still less than comfortable about the idea of possibly missing so much as a shot while down here. He would have to be in rare form with the pistols, and if things got too crazy he'd have to fall back to the saber on his hip. He kept himself a slight distance behind the other two, bringing up the tail position. He could take a bit of a beating if need be.

Taking the chance he opened himself once again more fully to the Force, reaching out to see if he could determine any possible ambush points along the way to the generator. Great idea in theory, bad idea when executed, simply due to the fact that this whole place was set up as naught but a trap. It forced a decent sized strike team to split into two each one with similar but in the end, exclusionary goals. They were funneled into a predetermined route and...

His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of automated turrets. These didn't sound like your run of the mill blaster turrets, there was something else. Slugs? There was a distinct sound to the firing, notably the lack of anything other than the whir of servo motors and a crack. Hypervelocity rounds. Those things were definitely going to have to be deactivated if they were to press onward.

 

[Zark San Tekka]

Location: Route 1 | [member="Zircon"] | [member="Enyo Typhos"]
Objective: Purge the Hereteks
Allies: [member="Andorreth Vikar"] | [member="Jessica Matthews"] | [member="Muad Dib"] | [member="Atlas Kane"] | [member="Kurayami Bloodborn"]


As the larger party had begun to split off into two teams, the speechless retainer shrouded in overlarge crimson robes that had followed [member="HK-36"] up until this point suddenly peeled off with the barest of nods between the two. With his mechadendrites folded into the small of his back and the billowing fabric shrouding his appearance save for two glowing yellow eyes, Lord Calixis of the Mechanicum had been operating in low profile mode per his comrade Lord Hunter Killer's request. As the fellow Metal Lord had said, and indeed there was some statistical data to back this up, that Archim's 'whole thing gave off kind of a creepy vibe', in the eloquent way the droid had with words.

True enough. Even in the best of times, the reactions of most organics to his presence tended to range from morbid curiosity to mild revulsion, and these were most certainly not the best of times. With the galaxy held hostage by these techno-aberrations that had named themselves Contingency, as well as those who still remembered the wounds of the Clockwork Rebellion, it was not exactly the most robo-friendly of galaxies these days. And who could blame them? First the Machine Cult on Duro, then the coordinates attacks, and now this...no, best not to reveal his true voice and visage unless it became absolutely necessary.

A stranger among the others, most of them blade wielders who worshipped in some way or another the Living Force, Archim moved slowly through the hallway as others plunged forward, pausing to take comprehensive scans of his surroundings. Facilities didn't just appear on remote planets, nor did droid revolutions manifest out of the ether. There was a greater purpose here, albeit twisted in its intent, and if the Iskalloni cyborg could just understand it, he could maybe begin to devise a strategy to thwart it. Some of the structure's construction materials or some other property of the base had prevented him from creating a comprehensive topological survey of the layout, which meant they would have to conduct an analog search.

A microsecond after the turret fire began, the hood of the Metal Lord's cloak jerked upward and cocked its head to the side, scanning the room before him and its contents. One of the blade wielders had seemingly triggered some sort of automatic defense protocols, and by the time Archim had reached the blast doors another had used this cover to sneak off in the opposite direction. Admiring the calculating, droidlike logic but all too aware of his own responsibilities, Calixis adapted to the situation and appropriated the tactic, to make for the nearest monitors. Ducking reflexively as a crimson saber hurled by overhead, he glanced around his immediate vicinity conspiratorially before opening the front of his robes to the monitors.

Wires shot out of his chassis, forming together into a sort of crude scomp link, as Archim plugged into the systems in the room in an attempt to deactive the defenses and learn more about his immediate surroundings.

 

[Marcus Faust]

Location: Route 2
Team: Lightside
People In Vicinity: [member="Astromech DD2-R8"], [member="Vaylin"], [member="HK-36"], [member="Caelag Vass"], [member="Venthis Zambrano"], [member="Aster Rose Baelor"], [member="Ylva Solveig"], [member="Darth Venefica"], [member="Zircon"], [member="Kainan Wolfe"], [member="Jorah"]

Of course most of the fething dark siders went down the same path as him, of course. Beneath the mask his mind seethed in frustration, pointless, irrelevant frustration. Regardless, HK had come as well, as had several members of the Iron Empire, including a shining light in the force amidst the sea of gray and black, the princess he assumed. It obviously wasn't the Zambrano, who was just more proof that all Kaine did was ritualistically murder, conquer, and sire children. As the group came to the room he stood there in silence, letting the astromech and HK do what they needed in order to help them progress.

When one of the less potent darksiders, a female Zabrak apprentice, took notice of Baelor, the hooded man found himself stepping between the two. He didn't know either of them, for all he knew this Vaylin was just like him, and was stranded in a situation where her emotions had been manipulated and pain had been exploited until she though she was doing what she wanted. Or, she could've been like Kaine, and the dark side and all its chaos brought her joy as she relished in every last scream. He didn't know, he didn't care, Vindica simply put himself between them to discourage interest. Because Aster was good, that much he knew, and he wasn't going to let something good be corrupted by something bad.

The gesture could've been taken any number of ways, too many for him to truly contemplate, but he felt that for once he was doing something right within the confines of the dark room. It was a strange feeling.

 

[Rekha Kaarde]

Location: heading into the Facility - Route 1
Allies - lightside forces -
Gear: Thunderclap | Woebringer | Taozin Amulet | Backpack with bottle of whiskey

She waved to HK who she suspected was going to go with his other droid buddies as much as she enjoyed him this place made her mistrust what could happen. There were two doors to choose from in her mind she tossed a coin head left, tails right.

She could see it spinning and falling till she heard a ding, was that a bell?

Oh feth. Route?? the coin stood on edge. There were others already into the halls moving quickly down them, taking the fight to whomever they could find. Rekha.. hung back some. An old trick you know let the newbies go first and get picked off, then bring in some reinforcements...course...now being alone meant she heard more. whirling noises, clicks, clanks, thuds like the walls were alive around her.

She kept her pace looking about...what was going to happen....she should have brought the red boa. She began to hmm a little to keep her mind of the idea she was being watched and the creepy metallic noises around her.

Spoiler

[member="Kainan Wolfe"] [member="Caelag Vass"] [member="Catherine Soja"] [member="Kaili Talith"] [member="Allyson Locke"] @yuroic xeriac [member="Audren Sykes"] [member="Archim Calixis"] [member="Luyioth Dakwin"] [member="Formorta"] [member="Aryn Teth"] [member="Ylva Solveig"] [member="Aeshi Tillian"] [member="Nima Tann"] [member="Nathan Sandusky"] [member="Razel Kolt"] [member="Captain Ironbeard"] @astromech DD-R8 [member="Wellen Jones"] [member="Aster Rose Baelor"] [member="Laira Vereen"] [member="Taryc Ap'Irae"] [member="Kurayami Bloodborn"] [member="Vindica"] [member="Jessica Matthews"] [member="Jorah"] [member="Muad Dib"] [member="Andorreth Vikar"] [member="Tempest"] [member="Auron Song"] [member="Arisa Yune"] [member="Anka Revik"] [member="Zai Avery"] - would welcome some company

 

[Kirk Skobra]

[member="Anya Malvern"], [member="DT-2417"]​

​

Kirk Skobra​

Location: Shuttle; Maintenance Tunnels​

Objective: Investigate/Search and Destroy​

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be_OVqLTyX4

“What the hell was I doing?”

The thought lingered in the cerebrum of the veteran bounty hunter. He wasn’t some motivated idealist, or some over-qualified soldier; he was too old, too bitter, and too lazy to care about whether this galaxy lived to see another day, or died at the behest of the choked hands of the Contingency. Kirk was here to get paid, and ultimately, build a relationship with the new Galactic Empire; it was a political thing really. The Galactic Empire had provided financial incentives for bounty hunters operating under Imperial law, but any spice junkie with a DL-18 that he found in a toilet could sling a bounty on a guy walking down the alleyway. They needed someone they could trust for stuff like this – which is of course why he was here.

People that don’t get business assume that mercenaries and bounty hunters are always in it for the next paycheck, wherever they can find it. That could mean screwing over your employer, extorting your employer at the end of a deal, or anything along those lines. That’s not how the market works. You needed confidentiality, your integrity – you needed your track record spotless. All these years in the business taught Kirk that, and those that behaved like a bunch of brash egotists were lucky to be where they were – the ones that were still alive, anyway. It was the attitude that might’ve got you killed if you were placing demands in front of a wealthy Hutt like an idiot.

These thoughts ran through Kirk’s mind, as he was in the back of a shuttle with a platoon of twelve-thirteen Deathtroopers. Pestilence, they were called, along with another crimson-haired Sith and a Trianii. Normally, out of habit, Kirk would’ve made some small talk with the occupants of the shuttle ride, to kill time. However, it didn’t seem like there was any point in making any talk with any of them; the mercenary kept to himself for the shuttle ride there with a taciturn discretion.

Once they’d arrived, Kirk stepped out of the shuttle, standing at the top of the ramp, to take in the sight of Rishi. With his Westar M5 Rifle fielded, it wasn’t before long before he’d head down into the facility with his posse.

 

[Audren Sykes]

Route: To the Left
Team: Lightside
[member=Onyx] | [member="Captain Ironbeard"] | [member="Muad Dib"] | [member="Jessica Matthews"] | [member="Kurayami Bloodborn"] | [member="Andorreth Vikar"] | [member="Atlas Kane"] | [member=Jorah] | [member="Rekha Kaarde"]

?"There's no use going in alone, even if you are the greatest force user ever seen. Need some extra firepower?"

Audren gave the man a quick glance. Piratical garments, weapon at his waist. The man didn't seem the sort to normally associate with Force users or join in on missions such as this, which unfortunately didn't rule much of anything out about him. For all the Sephi knew, the man could have been a mercenary hired by Dark Siders to assassinate whomever he could when he could. The gun at his waist appeared powerful however, and it couldn't hurt to have that with them. Wasn't there an old adage in any case, keep enemies closer than friends? Or potential enemies, as it were. The Sephi simply nodded his acceptance of the offer.

"Audren Sykes."

Just then, two labels flickered to life above the doors: Terminals and Power Generator. How convenient that they'd lit up while the team was discussion which direction to head in. There was no way this could be a trap now. Assuming the labels were actually legitimate, the choice was simple for him. He'd never been the most technically-savvy despite the creations offered by his companies, and generators offered options. While it was likely that this Machine was entirely dependent on the generators, whatever it's methodology was would need quite a bit of power to affect the entire galaxy. Shut down the generators and they could at least localize damage. Of course, they could theoretically go the other route and overload the generators, or alter power flows and damage or destroy Contingency forces. Point was that he had options in this direction instead of simply standing around at the terminals.

Out of the corner of his eye, Audren spotted another person joining them in the room, a woman. She was difficult to pin down using his Force senses, even though he could see her and knew precisely where she was. A coin was tossed...and landed on its edge, leaving her without clear direction. Without throwing much thought into it, the Master tossed her a 'come on' wave; in his mind she was welcome to work with him and Mr. Pirate. Not to mention that her face looked distantly familiar, but who knew.

"I've never been much good with computers. Care to smash some power generators?"

Without waiting for an answer, the Sephi started towards the left-hand door. Jessica, Kurayami, and their third had started around the same time so he ended up entering the tunnel not long after they. To his dismay, sounds could be heard from ahead. Whirring noises, plinks, cracks. Turrets, but not blast- or plasma-based. A slug variety then. One thing he knew about slugs: they tended to bounce. Depending on the strength of the walls around them and the direction of fire, this tunnel could very well channel the slugs in their direction, or machinery in the walls around them could send ricochets back at them from unusual directions. Hence the beginnings of a Force shield to either side, above, and the rear. Hopefully Jessica's team was savvy enough to think it through as well and do something similar.

In the same room where the firing originated, flashes of light could be seen. Azure and crimson...lightsabers. It appears the engagement had already begun, whether against the turrets or against machine soldiers was yet to be determined. After all, there were a couple people in hulking armor between him and the next room. The Master's lightsaber hilt was brought to hand but not yet ignited. No need. That wasn't to say that his senses - mundane and Force - weren't on edge in an attempt to detect oncoming attacks. If he'd designed this place, he would have put traps in the tunnels and not just the rooms. Hit intruders from behind while they were distracted with what was before them.

 

[Darth Bellum]

Location | Large gathering room
Objective | Investigate
Company | A myriad of people from many factions

​

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Vexen's gaze would shift to the people who were gathering in the room that had been slow to arrive. Quite a few of his fellow Sith peers and Lords have arrived as well. Good, they would be the ones to grasp and claim victory for the Sith Empire, unlike the motley crew from different factions. His hand gripping his saber would move to clip it to his belt, his arms moving up to cross over his chest as he stood with an upright posture, towering over most of the people gathered here. It appeared that a small few had already opted to forge ahead of the group, taking one of the doors while others seemed more intent on conversation.

In one corner of his mind, deliberation was an important factor to consider, especially against an enemy who he knew little about, but the other corner of his mind wanted to lead the vanguard and grasp victory in his own hands. There would need to be time for decisions to be made, but the Contingency was unlikely to offer up much time for the infiltration force to act. His head would turn to a particular point of conversation being brought up. It appeared nobility was amongst them. What fond memories Vexen had of nobility...

The large armored Anzati would make his way over to the female Zabrak [member="Vaylin"], from whom he sensed a set of mixed emotions. As he approached it would grow apparent to him as to why he sensed a particular feeling from her as he paused off to her side, towering over her as his gaze shifted from her to the [member="HK-36"] as he brought up the apparent topic that nobility was amongst them as he spoke in a deep vocoded voice, directing his comment at [member="Aster Rose Baelor"], "This is no expedition for children...Let alone spoiled nobility to be taking part in..."

Vexen would command an imposing presence as well as a dark aura, seeming more irritated that children had been brought to do an adult's work. More obstacles to be in the way in the event that complications arose. Then again, if they suffered it would be of no consequence to him, but possibly the destabilization of a royal lineage. The future would bring a series of events, though the exact nature of what was to come remained out of his grasp. He would let out a grunt as his hands stayed at his sides.

[member="Zircon"] | [member="Onyx"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

Everything was happening so fast. Allyson was barely scratching the surface of her memories when Kaili had burst into their room and demanded they begun to pack. There weren't a lot of words exchanged and Allyson was very quick to receive that something was beyond wrong. So she quietly packed her belongings and they boarded their ship and prepared to take off to who knows.

Kaili was serious and Allyson figured it was best to not argue at this time. Frowning she grabbed her belongings and placed a basic blaster vest over her white shirt. Corellian bloodstripes accented her outfit as she made her way towards where Kaili was located. Long sleeves and no skin showing minus the deep v-neck that had her rogue tags hanging from a thin chain. Once more she checked the twin blasters and strapped them on her thighs holster.

Eyes fell upon the battle ready Talith and she blinked. “So it's that serious eh?” Allyson sighed softly and shook her head. “If I didn't go with you, who is going to watch your back? Also I may have a foggy memory, but I'm pretty sure watching your back is my job. A grin and Allyson made her way to exit the ship.

[member="Kaili Talith"] [member="Onyx"] [member="Zircon"]