18+ The Hunt

The confrontation with Skylar went surprisingly smoothly. As in, nobody got their head blown off. Mar continued to stare at the woman with his eyes narrowed, ears back, and the tip of his tail twitching. Derek came back into the main room, out of his armour, and good looking in dark jeans, a grey shirt, and a jacket over that. He announced that it was time to head to Ambrosia.Kyle explained that Mar and Lyssa were needed to enter Ambrosia as well, with Mar masquerading as a captured Imperial slave. She glanced at Mar. At the mention of slaves, the Khajiit emanated a low growl. She wasn't sure how long Mar had been a slave, but in her opinion, being a slave for any amount of time was too long. For a minute, she thought he wasn't going to agree to the plan. But he stood, and growled "Fine. For the sake of the mission, this one will cooperate."

A few minutes later, Kyle left the safehouse, on his way to house Ambrosia. Mar stripped out of his armour, and bodysuit, keeping the lower suit on. They managed to fit his armour and rifle into a pair of black duffel bags, that Mar carried with him. They made their own way to the entertainment district, and from there it wasn't hard to find house Ambrosia. The two bounty hunters circled around the building, until they were near the loading bay entrance. Then she turned to Mar, knowing he wouldn't like what was coming next. She removed a pair of cuffs from her belt, and held them out to Mar. The Khajiit eyed them warily, his lip curling to show a surprisingly white fang. "You want...Mar to put these on?"

"Sorry, big guy. But if we want them to buy it, you've got to look, you know...captured. I won't lock them." Mar growled softly, but dropped the bags and held his hands out. She put the cuffs on him, making sure they hadn't closed. She heard Kyles' voice in her helmet to com"cam feeds are looped. Feel free to come on in." Lyssa nodded to Mar. "Okay. Let's do this." Mar started walking towards the loading bay, and she heard him mutter; "Mar does not like this plan. Mar thinks, maybe you should be the one in restraints and half naked, and Mar plays the bounty hunter." She caught sight of a man standing at the bay entrance, watching the pair of them.

She smirked and gave her 'prisoner' a shove. "Quiet, you. Try to look miserable and beaten down." They reached the bay, and the man who'd been watching said "clear out, bounty hunter. We're not looking for trouble."

"Delivery. Imperial slave. Made a break for it, but I got him. Heard that Dorvalle pays nicely for slaves for his pit fights." The man glanced at Mar and frowned. "Delivery?" He looked down at his datapad. "I don't see any deliveries scheduled for tonight." Lyssa shrugged. "Fine. If you don't want him, it's your loss, and your hide if your boss doesn't get slaves for his fights." She started backing away. The man let out an annoyed sigh. "Wait. Fine, how much do you want for him?"

"No charge." Lyssa told him, and the man looked confused. Until the cuffs fell to the ground, and one of Mars' large hands lashed out and caught the man by the throat. While Mar strangled the man, she headed inside, making sure the bay was clear. A minute later, Mar joined her, with both bags, and she covered him while he re-armoured, and grabbed his rifle. Together, they took the stairs that lead to the penthouse level. "Okay, Kyle, we're outside the penthouse."

The X-70 flew stealthily across the city, the invisibility cloak covering up noise, as well as just the ship in general. Atin stood on the ramp as the ship made its way to the coordinates he had plugged in... the Ambrosia House. Pulling up the schematics he had taken, he saw that the penthouse was on the top floor. As the ship came to a stop about twenty feet from the top of the roof, Atin ran, and jumped out of the ship, doing a flip, and landing on the roof with a thud, cracking the concrete underneath him a little. Standing up in his full armor, he hefted his spear up over his shoulder and walked towards the roof entrance to the top floor... which was standing wide open. Pulling his spear back down off his shoulder, he flicked his right wrist twice, and a shield appeared on his gauntlet. Slowly entering through the door, Atin looked to his right, and then his left, and not seeing anyone, flicked his wrist again, and the shield disappeared. Pulling up the schematic in his left hand, he found the office he was looking for, and began walking down the hall towards it. As he turned the corner, he ran smack dab into a guard.
"Hey!" The guard yelled out. Atin reached out, and punched the man in his throat. The guard proceeded to gargle, and then slumped down, most likely dead. A door to his left opened, and two more guards came out to investigate the noise. Atin flipped his spear around, and triggered the blaster twice, ending both of their lives before they even knew what was happening. He walked past the two bodies with smoking holes in them, around the corner, to the office... Which also had its door opened. 'How odd.' He thought to himself. Entering through the door, he saw what appeared to be a young man, possibly even a teenager, sitting behind the desk. "Your not Dorvalle..." He said, pointing the blaster end of his spear down at the floor.

Once Jessica and herself had switched out of their combat gear and into some more casual clothes, they joined Darek in the main room and headed for the door. She had swapped her usual combat pants and ballistic vest for a pair of tan pants with a low cut red shirt and a fitted brown leather jacket. While most of the others operated in heavy armor and carried a huge variety of heavy weapons, Skylar was totally used to operating with minimal kit. Although her idea of minimal kit was slightly different than theirs. She still had a small hold out blaster in a close fitting holster on the back of her belt as well as a air of spear bladed knives slipped into each boot. Besides the weapons, she also had some tech. Her lipstick case doubled as a fingerprint duplicator and her comlink had easily enough power to hack through most basic security systems. She also had a ring that, if flipped around on her finger, could temporarily stun a person, although she doubted its effectiveness against someone like Mar.

Skylar led Darek and Jessica through the slums until she found the locker she'd stashed the Mercator Splinter in earlier. Tapping in the code, the door opened and she ushered them into the speeder.

"Careful with the seats, try not to get them dirty." She said as they climbed in. Touching the ignition, the engines and repulsors rumbled to life and Skylar nudged the throttle forward, easing the vehicle out of the locker and out over the buildings. House Ambrosia wasn't too far into the entertainment district so it would probably take about ten minutes or so to get there.

Because of the popularity of House Ambrosia, the three of them had to set the Splinter down fairly far away and walk the rest of the way. Skylar didn't mind too much. It gave her an opportunity to evaluate the crowd attempting to gain entrance to the club. In her experience, there were usually two types of crowds that frequented these types of places. Naughty, as in, everyone generally wanted to either get laid or start a fight. Then there was the belligerent croud who wanted nothing more than to get themselves excessively drunk to the point of blacking out. From the looks of it, the crowd tonight was more on the naughty side. That could pose to be a problem if a firefight broke out.

Nudging Darek as they neared the doors she said, "Watch your step tough guy, I'm sure you've been in rougher joints than this but I bet this isn't quite the crowd you're used too." The various patrons were not the usual vagabonds and lowlifes. These were career con-artists, drug kingpins, and even dirty politicians. And most of them had a few body guards, which added to the already impressive security employed by the club. "These look a little more wealthy and influential than the average crook. Step on one of these guys toes and you'll probably end up with a six figure bounty on your own head." She smirked at him as they arrived at the pair of bouncers guarding the door.

"Fine. Dah'Sharrah, Corvis and Simus, you're our back up then. You all know your jobs. Let's get to it." Dah'Sharrah groaned. She wasn't happy about being relegated to a back up role while the others got to head out. Especially on a job as important as this. But she didn't bother complaining. At least not while those that were heading out were still around. Once they'd left, she flopped down on the couch, lifting her legs up onto the couch, and stretching. "Great. They get to go have fun, while we get stuck as the backup team."

They took Skylars 'borrowed' speeder to house Ambrosia. They made good time, despite having to set down quite a distance from the place itself. The crowd waiting to get inside was larger than Derek would have thought, but he wasn't terribly worried about a fight breaking out. These people were here for a good time, not to start a fight. The three of them made their way to the doors, and once they were in sight, Skylar said "Watch your step tough guy, I'm sure you've been in rougher joints than this but I bet this isn't quite the crowd you're used to." Derek could tell that from the uniforms of the places' security.

Instead of body armour, they wore neat suits, that didn't quite hid the grips of pistols. He also spotted a few bodyguard types among the crowd. Instead of staring inside eagerly, they watched the crowd with suspicion. "These look a little more wealthy and influential than the average crook. Step on one of these guys toes and you'll probably end up with a six figure bounty on your own head." She said, and Derek nodded. "I guess we'll have to watch where we step then." Once they were inside, Derek reminded the women "we're here to keep an eye on security and Dorvalle. No heroics. If this all goes to hell, get out."

The three of them split up, and Derek found a good place at the bar, where he had a line of sight on a pair of security men that were by far wall. He reclined against the bar, drink in hand and scanned the crowd. In what he assumed was the 'VIP' section of the bar, he saw a pair of men chatting over drinks. One, he recognized from holo's Kyle had taken from security footage as Dorvalle. He assumed the other was Baroth. A ring of men that were making it no secret they there to protect Dorvalle, stood nearby.

Dorvalle made a motion at his companion, and pulled a datapad from one of his pockets. He glanced at the screen, then put it away and stood. He smiled at the man he'd been speaking with, then turned and began heading for the rear of the building. His bodyguards began following but Dorvalle waved them away, his expression irritated. Which meant the owner of Ambrosia wasn't expecting any trouble. Which probably meant he was heading up to his penthouse. Derek lifted his comlink to his lips. "Kyle. How's it going up there?" He asked. Kyle responded immediately."Nearly done. Why?"
"Dorvalles heading upstairs it looks like. You've got maybe five minutes."
"Okay. Five minutes is more than enough time. We'll meet you outside."

Kyle was about finished siphoning Dorvalles computer for any ties to the Iron Hands, Kaylin Ataro, or her alias, Alison Gray. He was about to close down the console when the door to Dorvalles office opened. Kyle swore, his hand automatically going to one of the pistols at his side. 'He told me I had five minutes. It's been five seconds.' He thought. But the man who walked inside was not Dorvalle, or any of his men, judging by his reaction. A huge man in dark armour strode in some spear-like weapon clutched in his hand. "You're not Dorvalle..." The man said.

"No kidding" Kyle said, wondering how the man had gotten past Mar and Lyssa. Then he realized he must have slipped in the same way Kyle had. 'This is what I get for not locking the door'. "And you're not one of his people. Now, we can stand here talking about who we're not all night, or we can get out of here, and continue this conversation elsewhere." He headed for the door, and a second later, the big newcomer followed. They left the penthouse and went into the hallway where Mar and Lyssa were waiting. He ignored the curious looks they gave the new comer.

"He followed me in." He told them absentmindedly, already reading over the information he'd stolen from the computer. "Tell you about it later. Let's go Dorvalle's on his way-" an e-mail from the computer caught his attention. "-Up." Glancing around, he realized they'd already made their way down the staircase Mar and Lyssa had used to get inside. "Hold up a second." He muttered, going over the email more closely. The email was between an anonymous sender and Dorvalle. It mentioned a 'final payment' for services rendered, tonight. On a hunch, he opened a channel to Derek and the others. "I think...I think Ataro or one of her people is meeting Dorvalle here tonight.There's an email from an anonymous sender on his computer about meeting in his office for a 'final payment'"


Derek, sitting at the bar, frowned, wondering if he'd heard right. If Ataro was meeting Dorvalle tonight, it probably meant she was ready, or almost ready to leave Eregin. "That explains why Dorvalles security is staying downstairs." He said, then glanced around and froze. Mercs were walking in the front doors. If they'd been random mercenaries he wouldn't have paid much attention. But these mercenaries were in full armour, and quietly spreading out. It took him a split second to realize they were working on setting up a crossfire. Ambrosias security weren't blind, at least. A lot of them were watching the mercs, hands near or on their own weapons. They definitely were not happy about the situation. It took Derek a minute, but when he finally caught a glimpse of the mercenary insignia, he felt both apprehension and excitement shoot through him. It was a dark grey hand, closed into a fist. "I'd say Ataro is definetly here. Her mercs are crowding Dorvalles security. Be ready, people."

Arcanus found house Ambrosia without much difficulty. It was one of the largest buildings in the area, with eye hurting neon lights. A large crowd waited outside, and Arcanus joined them, elbowing his way through the press of bodies. He received a few looks that were none too friendly, which he ignored. He got past the bouncers, and into the club itself. The place was already crowded, or at least the main floor of it was. He made his way to one of the few free tables, and took a seat. He took his time looking through the crowd, knowing he probably wouldn't recognize any of the bounty hunters with Marek or Varastian, he'd definitely recognize them.

Eight years was a long time, but Arcanus had always been good at recognizing faces. It was one of the things that made him so good at his job. He didn't know who, exactly, this Ataro woman was, but he'd heard that she'd been causing all kinds of trouble for the Empire. More trouble than he'd assumed, if the Imperials were desperate enough to be hiring bounty hunters. He looked at the bar, and saw a familiar face, also scanning the crowd. 'Varastian'. "I have you now" he murmured, resting his hand on the butt of his pistol.As he stood, Varastian turned his head in Arcanus' general direction and stiffened. For an instant, he thought the bounty hunter had recognized him. Then he realized that he was looking past him, towards the entrance. Turning, he saw mercenaries entering through the main doors, setting up on either side of the room. Something else was clearly up.

Jessica gave a visible sigh of relief as Corvis lowered his rifle and ended the standoff, explaining that he just wanted to get things sorted with Skylar and not start a fight. He didn't do so because he was afraid of Jessica. A man as experienced and well-adjusted to violence as Corvis didn't scare that easily. So it must have been out pragmatism, in that taking on Jessica and Skylar would be an unacceptable risk or surprise in Jessica's sudden leap into action. She had clearly shown everyone in the room that she wasn't a defenseless girl and now they'd keep a closer eye on her. That was fine. That meant she wouldn't be forgotten.

Skylar stood down a moment later, breaking the rest of the tension, and Derek took the opportunity to get down to business. He, Jessica and Skylar would be the infiltration team that would go into House Ambrosia and look for Dorvalle, Ataro and any meeting between them or their intermediaries. Kyle would slip into Dorvalle's office and try to hack his correspondence. Lyssa and Mar would be staging a slave delivery with Mar as the goods and act as evac for the infiltration team when they were done. Simus, Corvis and Shadari were backup if things went south. Baroth was to forge ahead to the club without them and ingratiate himself to Dorvalle, making all of their jobs easier. Overall it was a good plan. Clean, professional, and well organized. A plan worthy of a team of bounty hunters. Kyle in particular was a good choice for breaking into the office. Jessica was a better hacker and could do the job faster but Kyle knew what he was doing and he had the experience and discipline needed to do so quietly and without backup. It was what he excelled at while Jessica was better at coordinating a team and fit better in a social situation.

Soon Jessica retired to her and Simus' room, the fatherly man out back playing with his new toys and blissfully unaware of the now-resolved standoff. She got a much-needed shower and proceeded to get dressed. She had intended to wear a short, tight-fitting and very sexy red dress and tall high-heeled boots but Skylar and Derek were going more casual and Jessica followed suit. She settled on a black t shirt and light blue skinny jeans with black leather knee high riding boots over them and a fitted black leather jacket that she left unzipped. It had zip cuffs that she did zip and a collar that she put down. She applied a generous amount of foundation to her throat to cover her scars and did a good enough job to where they were white bumps rather than angry red slashes. Then came her wig. It wasn't as long as her real hair and it had more red than her natural dark orange but it was close enough and still looked very nice. It fit snugly on her head and was comfortable so it would do the job. Her bolt pistol, the less powerful and less conspicuous of her two sidearms, was on a holster on the right side of her belt and her void sphere was in a small pouch on her left. It contained her plasma pistol with a spare flux core and some legion-grade burn lotion if the worst should happen. There was also spare bolt ammo along with normal purse stuff such as a pack of tissues, phone charger, lipstick and a small mirror. Unlike Skylar's gear all of Jessica's items were mundane because she herself had or could instantly manufacture whatever espionage equipment she might need. She could blank her fingerprints and overlay new ones that would last until she touched something, she could toggle her eyes to see heat, wiring or even look through walls and toggle her ears to listen for any range of sounds, including radio waves and most comms. As monstrous a man as Mengsk was the Acadamy he ran and funded had given Jessica some truly incredible gifts. She missed the Acadamy and she wanted to go back. Now that Mengsk was dead and things would change, maybe she could.

Soon enough the three of them were off. The drive in their "borrowed" speeder wasn't too long and parking several blocks away let them enjoy the pleasant if cool evening. The light and noise of House Ambrosia hit Jessica's sense as soon as they turned the corner and she saw a long line of well-dressed patrons being filed in, along with a longer line of what could only be junkies being barred entry. Derek however got the three of them in with no trouble and they proceeded to spit up. Derek headed to the bar and ordered a drink, Skylar took the restaurant area and Jessica took the middle-mean. A small table with a nice view of the color-cycling dance floor. A dunmer waitress in a very tight black catsuit with matching boots attended to Jessica and she ordered a beer. As she drank she looked around. This was a dark, loud place with discreet staff, plentiful shadows and very tight security. Tiny domed cameras were all over the place and all the guards had pistols under their nice suits and either had visors or eyepieces that were linked to the cameras and alarms. No place in this club was unwatched and any trouble would be taken care of instantly. Dorvalle was clearly paranoid but it served his business well.

Jessica continued to play the relaxed patron until she got chatter between Derek and Kyle. Kyle was doing well and was almost done but security was heading upstairs and he needed to get moving. Jessica was worried they might be onto him. He had also ran into another intruder who was also looking for Dorvalle and they both had to evac to Lyssa and Mar. Kyle had found an e-mail mentioning some sort of final payment and he suspected that Ataro and Dorvalle would be meeting tonight. The security layout made sense. This was good intel and Jessica figured they'd be leaving soon when something made their mission a lot more complicated. A large group of mercs in full weapons and armor entered the club and quietly set up a crossfire. Mercs with a black fist on their shoulderpads. The security was instantly on edge. The Iron Hands had showed up but that wasn't what caused Jessica's blood to freeze. A very familiar bald elf was also watching the mercs and was looking at Derek. This elf was with Jessica and Derek aboard the Glory of the Altmer eight years ago and had been critical to their survival against the monsters that still haunted Jessica's dreams. But he had done things in the process that had made him the worst monster of all.

"Derek?" Jessica transmitted through her earpiece comlink. "Derek, we need to get out of here right now. Arcanus Morne is in this club and he's looking right at you."

"The Iron Hands?"

Dorvalle nodded. "May as well be her right arm. I had a guy who sold product so pure, other distributors wanted a piece for themselves. Even though he suffered from lung cancer, him and his partner made more profit than Ataro herself."

"I suppose she didn't like that. What happened to him?"

"Keyword being 'had'. This is what they do. Take out those who show off too much and manipulate the older ones to do their bidding."

"Reminds me of checkers, really."

Dorvalle chuckled and shifted in his seat. "It's more like chess, or fox and rabbit, really. It takes months to make a move and years for it to make a difference."

"Timed investment. I'm familiar with the strategy."

"Are you?"

"That's right."

Dorvalle sat up suddenly with a firm posture, speaking to Baroth in a hushed and direct manner.

"You strike me as a an inquiring individual, Mr. Suave. One who knows the streets and Blacklight well enough to survive and perhaps, make a small income on the side. And while you may not require advice from myself or anyone else for that matter, i'd offer a simple line: Leave now. Not just this building. Go to another planet. Ataro is more dangerous than i'm sure you and your people have deduced."

"What do mea..-" Baroth began.

A low buzzing sound caught his attention and Dorvalle held up a hand to stop him, fishing in his pocket to retrieve a small datapad and glancing at the lit up screen. He'd gotten a message of some sort. His lively demanor faded noticably as he put it away and looked at Baroth, masking a warm smile.

"Enjoy the drinks while you can. The next round is on the house."

"Of course." Baroth nodded.

Dorvalle stood and walked out towards the back of the room, likely towards the access stairwells to a suite or penthouse he undoubtedly owned. If the meeting happening, that's where Ataro or one of her people would be.

Moreso perculiar, he waved off his bodyguards and proceeded alone. So it was someone he was familiar with and could predict. He did reveal Ataro to be a frequent asssociate. And if she was here, the Iron Hands couldn't be far behind. And they weren't were far from the classy type, at least, compared to Ataro's level.

Dividing the group up was the initial plan and Baroth highly doubted Derek strayed from it in favor of another. One glance around the room let Baroth know Derek, Skylar and Jessica were at the bar and likely on watch duty for Dorvalle.

Being that Simus was getting used to the new setting and Corvis' group had some trouble with Imperial Inteligence earlier, they were likely on backup duty.

Lyssa and her Khajit partner, Mar, had probably found another way in past the guards. Maybe by way of the slave fight pits, with one of them posing as the slave and the other as a hunter. A clever plan, but if the Iron Hands showed up, it could all fall apart without the proper communication.

After having Oracle patch him into the groups comms and listening to the on-going exchange, Baroth loosened his tie and wiggled it a little to activate the mic. Sitting up, he retrieved his semi-filled glass and sipped from it, setting the glass back on the table after. He straightened out his mahogony dress shirt and ran a palm on his hair, frizzling it.

Where the hell are they? Though they were mercenaries at best, Baroth honestly expected a bit more organization from them. Not to say he had any fondness towards them.

As if on cue, an entire squad of mercs entered the club armed armored to the teeth, positioning themselves evenly in vantage points. They expected trouble. Or even worse, they were looking for some. Baroth did not intend to be caught in the middle, though his curent seat disagreed with that intention.

And yet, Baroth found himself wondering why Ataro's people expected trouble when Dorvalle himself did not. Was she planning to ambush him and kill his men? DOrvalle's bodyguards did set their eyes on the mercs and didn't dare to look away, hands at the ready for a shootout. Why bring a whole squad of mercs for a simple meeting?

Moreso adding to the questionaire, Baroth barely noticed a bald Altmer watching Derek from time to time. His armor suggested he was concealing something, likely weapons or some other sort of ordnance.

The fact he'd set his hand under his coat showed he was alert, but then again, who wouldn't be in the face of ten plus mercenaries? He could've been a number of things, judging the elements of his armor and appearance.

His head looked shaved and by regulation, if Baroth remembered the handout correctly, all Special forces were required to keep their hair cut for maximum manueverability. The simple factor of his race may have suggessted he was with Dominion Intelligence, or something of the sort. Baroth had ran into one or two agents not too long back.

Or, perhaps he was a simple bounty hunter/assassin. He was well-equipped to play both, after all. Looking back on the situation and Oracle's research, Derek hadn't made too many friends in the past, and recently, he hadn't been to quiet either. Then again, none of them had. Be loud to match the crowds was a popular trend these days.

Derek had payed him no mind so far, so perhaps he was insignificant. Or Derek hadn't noticed him yet.

Baroth heard Jessica give the altmer's name away via comms and expected Oracle had heard and was paying attention. If she wasn't, Baroth would remember the name for keepings-sake.

"She's right. He's been glancing at you for a bit now." Baroth mumbled into the mic, idly picking lint off his suit. His shift in movement made the nuzzle of his pistol poke his back side uncomfortably. Good thing it was on safety. "From this range, i can accurately disrupt those mercs and get a shot or two at this 'Arcanus' if he's a problem. He looks fast though, so it's unlikely i'll actually hit him. Just an option."

Lyssa turned as the door to Dorvalles penthouse opened. She'd heard the comm chatter between Kyle and Dorvalle. She expected the green armoured hunter, but she hadn't expected the dark armoured man with him. She stared at him, but Kyle explained that he'd followed him in and would elaborate later. Lyssa glanced at Mar and shrugged, before following the other hunter back down the stairs to the loading bay. Once there, he stopped."I think...I think Ataro or one of her people is meeting Dorvalle here tonight.There's an email from an anonymous sender on his computer about meeting in his office for a 'final payment'" he told the others.

Lyssa couldn't believe their luck. If Ataro really was meeting Dorvalle, now was a great time to take her down. Before she or Mar could head back to the stairs, a squad of twelve heavily armoured mercenaries came into sight. She guessed they were the Iron Hands she and Mar had been hearing about since they'd arrived on Eregin. She barely had time to register that before the mercs brought their weapons up and opened fire. It didn't take a genius to realize the four of them were sitting ducks in front of the stairs. She grabbed Kyles backplate and shoved him towards a stack of shipping crates, Mar following. She crouched behind one crate, careful to keep an eye on the newcomer. She wasn't afraid to shoot him in the back if he decided to cause trouble. Firing over the edge of her cover, she glanced at Mar. He'd found a pair of crates stacked three high, tall enough to offer him some protection. For now, anyways. If this went on much longer, the Iron Hands would simply flank them. She considered calling on the others for help, but in a break in the fighting near them, she heard distant shots. It didn't look like Derek, Skylar or Jessica would be helping them anytime soon.

The others departed for the nightclub, leaving Dah'Sharrah, Corvis and Simus behind. The old man had gone outside to try out the various rifles. The Khajiit woman was stretched out on one of the living room couches. Corvis spent the time pacing, knowing that just because they weren't needed at the moment, Derek, Jessica and Skylar had gone into the place unarmoured and lightly armed. It helped to stay prepared, even if the others were just trying to get data on Dorvalle and see if he was linked with Ataro.

He'd done plenty of jobs where information gathering had gone horribly wrong. Usually, he'd been the only one to walk away as well. True to his expectations, his helmet comm picked up the conversation between Derek and Kyle. "I'd say Ataro is definetly here. Her mercs are crowding Dorvalles security. Be ready, people." Corvis snapped his fingers at the Khajiit woman to get her attention. "Ataros' mercs are at house Ambrosia. Which means Ataro is probably there too. I'm not missing out on a chance to get fifty million creds. Let's go." Once Simus had joined them, he lead them outside. The only problem, was the distance. There was a good chance the mercs would kill off Derek and the others before Corvis got there. Not that he'd shed any tears over the deaths of an Imperial agent, the girl, and three competitors. But if Ataro escaped when Corvis was still trying to get to Ambrosia on foot, there was a good chance he'd lose her.

The problem was easily solved. A land speeder, looking like it was in relatively good shape, cruised down the street. Corvis stepped into the vehicles path, planting his legs shoulder length apart, and motioned for the vehicle to stop. It did, and the driver, and angry young Dunmer stuck his head out the drivers window. "What the hell do you-" his eyes widened as Corvis drew his pistol and pointed it. "We need to borrow your vehicle, friend. Mind stepping out?" The elf stepped out, keeping his eyes locked on the weapon in the bounty hunters hand. The others got inside, and Corvis took the drivers seat. "Thanks. You'll get back in one piece. Probably." From there, he drove to the entertainment district, where house Ambrosia stood out, even among the similar buildings. Mostly because, people were doing there best to get away from the place. He parked the vehicle, and got out, drawing his weapon again. "Let's go say hello to Ataro," he said, making for the main entrance.

The moment she heard the name over the comlink Skylars eye's scanned the room and locked onto the man who's name she knew from memory. She had the hold out blaster she'd brought with her held under the table and trained in his direction. Although she'd never encountered him in the field, Skylar knew all about Arcanus Morne, or at least she knew the dossier that Imperial Intel had on him front to back. He was one of their deadliest agents. She could only wonder why he was here but whatever the reason, it wasn't to play nice, judging by the way he was eyeing Darek at the bar. With her other hand she brought her drink up to her lips and discretely eyed the Mercs as they spread out around the room.

"Darek, she's right. Morne is bad news and besides him those mercs have some serious firepower and they look like they're looking for someone. Probably us." Before the mercs, Dorvalles guards or any of the bounty hunters could make a move, there was a commotion at one of the corner booths. A large man was sitting in the corner seat with a few women next to him. Across from him, standing, was a younger man who had drawn a blaster. Without a word the young man shot the big man twice through the chest. A classic mob hit at exactly the wrong time.

Before the second shot had even connected with the big man, everything went to hell. Dorvalles security shot the young man before he could turn around and before they could lower their weapons, the Iron Hands began shooting at them.

People were screaming, broken glasses were flying and bodies were dropping as Skylar kicked her table over and ducked behind it. Turning she took aim on the nearest if the iron hands mercs and fired two quick shots through his visor as he attempted to take cover behind a pillar. The man dropped and Skylar grabbed his assault blaster and two of the thermal clips on his belt before ducking back behind the table.

Popping her head over cover for a moment she spotted Darek and Jessica taking cover near the bar, "Well this isn't the best situation. Ideas?"

She glanced around in search of Morne and spotted him just in time to see him snap the neck of one of Dorvalles people.

Morne became aware that he was being watched, much like he had been watching Varastian. Keeping an eye on the mercenaries, he scanned the crowd, and froze when he noticed a woman wearing a red shirt, with a brown jacket over it. She was human, Imperial, which immediately rose his suspicions. And the way she was staring at him...she knew what he was, if not who. Since she was an Imperial, he guessed she was with Imperial intelligence. "Blast it" he snarled, hand going under his coat and closing around the grip of his pistol. A thrown knife would be quieter, but he needed to make sure she was dead. A bullet to the head would do better than a knife that might be intercepted by a passerby. Then he'd deal with Varastian.

Before he could take action, one of the men sitting with another man, and a pair of women, stood, and promptly shot his drinking partner in the chest. The security, already jumpy, shot him. A split second later, the mercenaries started shooting. And not just at the security. Bullets and energy rounds crisscrossed, hitting security, servers, and patrons alike. A young dunmer woman was nearly torn apart by a hail of energy rounds, her smoking corpse landing a meter from his table.

Arcanus leapt out of his chair, kicking the table over. It was far from the best cover, but it would serve, for now. He saw the woman shoot a mercenary, a pair of very accurate shots going through his visor. Morne took a moment to admire her aim, before sending a couple of bullets towards her. One of the security men approached him, backing away from a pair of mercs who were tearing apart a group of security men. Stepping out of cover, he grabbed the man, and with a quick twist, broke his neck. He noticed Varastian had taken cover by the bar. Unfortunately, with all the panicking people in his way, he did not have a good angle on the man.

A blaster bolt tore through the space an inch from his head, and he turned to deal with the merc that had fired the shot. He returned to the table, firing a few shots at the man. He jerked as the high powered slugs punched through his bodysuit. 'This is not going well. There's a chance Varastian and his friends will make a run for it before the mercs kill everyone.' He decided.

Derek heard Jessicas voice in his ear. She warned him that Arcanus Morne was in the club. A minute later, both Baroth and Skylar chimed in, validating Jessicas claim. He remembered the name well. Eight years ago, Derek, Aden Marek, Kyle and Jessica, had been on an Aldmeri star destroyer, overrun with abominations. Morne, working on orders of the Aldmeri government, had helped the bounty hunters, but while they were trying to escape, Morne had tried to abduct Jessica. Derek and Marek had shot the Mer, and been forced to leave by the arrival of a fresh horde of zombie...things.

Derek had believed Morne had died on the destroyer. For eight years, there'd been no news of the destroyer, and for the dangerous Thalmor agent to show up now was...worrying. He didn't think he was working for Ataro. He couldn't think of any other reason though, unless the elf wanted a little payback. Derek had to admit, if he'd been shot, fallen off a catwalk, and been left to die to a pack of flesh eating monsters, he'd be pretty pissed too. "Damn it. This is not what we need right now. Baroth, don't take a shot unless you're sure you can get him. Extract to the safehouse now." He started to get off the bar stool when a pair of shots rang out.

He spun, hand going to the pistol hidden under his jacket. A man in a suit was collapsing, weapon falling from his hand. Dorvalles security had taken him down. An instant later, the mercenaries opened fire, hosing the security and party-goers with bullets and blaster fire. Derek dived for cover, avoiding a hail of blaster bolts that destroyed most of the counter behind the bar. And it wasn't just the mercenaries and security that were firing. Every bodyguard, petty drug dealer, and idiot with a weapon were firing at anything that moved. Derek popped up from behind the bar, shooting a merc just above where his chest plate ended. The man fell back, his finger pulling the trigger annd stitching the wall and ceiling with bullets. "Well this isn't the best situation. Ideas?" He heard Skylars voice. "Head towards me!" He instructed. "The four of us are going to have to shoot our way out. Back up team, give us some cover!"

A voice chimed in right after Baroth had made his comment. Skylar had added to the growing assurance that Arcanus was a dangerous man and it seemed all three of them were familiar with the mer in a vaugely negative manner. What happened between them? What had Arcanus done?

She also hinted that the mercenaries were holding serious firepower and were likely looking for them. It was a highly probable situation, being that Ataro herself was rather evasive and the run in with Imperial Intelligence earlier had probably caught her attention.

He'd also seen Skylar's look. The way she had stared Aracnus down, like she knew something was awry. From the angle Baroth couldn't tell for sure, but how Morne had returned the look confirmed it. Either they both knew each other or one knew the other. Now he really was curious.

Somewhere, somehow, they were all connected.

"Damn it. This is not what we need right now. Baroth, don't take a shot unless you're sure you can get him. Extract to the safehouse now."

He hasn't looked at me so far... Baroth thought, his right hand inching over his leg and along his waistband for the pistol.

A pair of shots rang out, followed by two more that made Baroth jump and look to the source.

A large man in a suit slumped over after being shot twice by a much younger suit, who was then lit up by nearby security. Instantly, his Baroth's head flipped back around to see the mercenaries raising their guns just as the bodyguards did. And he was right in the middle.

fl*ff...

He threw himself into the floor and pulled on of the tables over with him, just as both sides began firing at each other. Patrons and servers were caught helplessly in the crossfire and quickly scurried about for cover and escape. One of the cushions in the nearby couch combusted and rained fluffy feathers as Baroth disabled the safety for his pistol and crouched to aim over the couch at one of the mercenaries.

Hasty footsteps behind him caught his atention and he flipped around in time to drop two bodyguards before another two arrived, spraying the area with their blasters.

Baroth rolled to the opposite couch to avoid the hails and fired several times through the couch's cushions, hitting the pair sucessfully but leaving him weaponless. The crossfire was intensifying and if he didn't seek better cover, one side or the other would advance and kill him. Derek had prompted everyone to regroup, but Baroth wasn't exactly in a good positon to make a run for it.

Suddenly, a mercenary darted over the couch a few feet opposite to him in hopes of seeking cover, and froze after he saw Baroth. It was fair to say they were both surprised. Baroth jumped forwards and grabbed the barrel of the mercenarys rifle, throwing a hard jab across his helmet and pulling him to the floor.

"Gaahhh!"

They squirmed and struggled for a few seconds before Baroth was able to position the muzzle under the man's jaw and squeeze the trigger. Fragments of bone and splatters of brain sprayed across the floor and he went limps. Baroth threw the body off of him and assumed cover behind the couch, timing a peek to see where everyone was. Specifically Arcanus.

Derek, Skylar, and Jessica were all behind cover in the bar area, making their way to eachother while both Dorvalle and Ataros people continued the deadly shootout. In the mix of bullet shells and blaster bolts, Baroth spotted Arcanus near the bar, having just fired a few heavy slugs through a nearby mercenary.

For a single moment, he was distracted. And Baroth might've gotten a better shot later on, but he couldn't take that chance. He raised the rifle and set the crosshairs on Arcanus, pulling the trigger.

The first two bolts connected with Morne's shoulder and lower stomach, causing him to recoil in momentary shock and pain, looking directly at Baroth. He was wearing fl*ffing body armor.

Oh pl*ps... Baroth dropped as Arcanus opened fire on the couch before darting for cover. He looked around for a way out but couldnt see one. He was stuck.

"fl*ff!" He yelled. "Just go, just go! I'll move back around! Go!"

More bodyguards approached on his left and Baroth raised the rifle to shoot them. Then he looked at the table he pushed over, and got an idea.

Simus was immediately on his feet when he heard Corvis order them to get moving. The mission had gone bad, a huge fight had broken out and the infiltration team needed their help. Finally there was a situation he could help with. He was practically itching to try out his new weapons and armor. He had practiced moving around in it, running into things to test durability and punching walls to see how strong and responsive it was. Despite the ugly paint job he found it protective, comfortable and practically immune to puncture or abrasion to hard surfaces. It was an excellent suit and he was almost eager to get shot at to see how well it stopped enemy fire. As for his new weapons he remained split on guns and blasters. The guns didn't penetrate as well and had to be reloaded more often but they put out a higher volume of fire more quickly, hit his target instantly and were simplicity itself to use. The blasters were easier to aim, had to be reloaded less and penetrated the targets better but reloading took longer when he did have to do it and he had to play with the settings more to get the range and power just right. He decided on a scoped blaster carbine for its accuracy and range and a light machine gun (though there was nothing light at all about the large, heavy weapon!) for its sheer killing power. One ammo belt with armor piercing rounds was already folded into the feed box for the gun and in place but he took two other belts with him and made a sort of crossed bandoleer around his chest. He also took two flashbangs and two EMP grenades. They were in tight quarters with lots of civilians and regular grenades would do nothing but cause a lot of gruesome deaths.

When the speeder carrying him, Corvis and Dah'Sharrah landed in front of the club Simus got out of the speeder and sprinted into the club's open and broken glass doors. Minutes of nervous energy were finally relieved as the aging general slammed into a mercenary proving covering fire for his fellows. He hadn't expected anyone to show up at the front door so he was completely unprepared for Simus jabbing his LMG's barrel between his shoulder blades and knocking him into a railing. Simus surged with adrenaline as he unloaded a hail of bullets into the merc's back. His gun bucked and fought against him but he held it steady. He fired until he saw blood coming out of the man's back. That got the other mercs' attention. Simus felt supercharged with power and let himself fall into bloodlust. He roared with primal fury as he hosed down three mercs with bullets, the booming sound of his fire and the rattle of steaming shell casings all he could hear. He actually laughed when a fourth merc brought up a pistol before gunning him down. It was when a fifth charged towards him with a shotgun that Simus realized he was out of ammo. There was no time to reload and no time to get his blaster. Seeing no other options, he charged.

The merc shot him from barely two feet away and it felt like Simus had been punched by an orc wearing a mailed fist. His chest was badly bruised and his armor had a small crack but he was okay and it didn't stop him. He roared again as he fell on top of the merc and began beating him with his armored fists. The man clearly hadn't expected to be stuck in a brawl like this and didn't know what to do at first, trying to shield his face with his arms. But one of his comrades had seen the struggle and tried to shoot Simus in the back. By a stroke of luck Simus rolled away as soon as the blaster bolt connected and it hit one of his EMP grenades instead of his back. It dazed him and his HUD went dark. He clutched his helmet, now a dark bucket, to try and get it off and that gave his opponent the advantage. He flipped Simus over on his back and pulled out a knife. Just as Simus was able to get his helmet off the knife was swinging towards him. He had precious seconds to grab the man's arm and the death struggle continued.

Before Skylar could make move for the bar to regroup with Darek and Jessica, a volley of bullets smashed into the table. Cursing, she let a burst of blaster fire go in the direction the shots had come from and ducked back into cover. With a quick peek, she confirmed that the shots had come from Morne. Crouching up, Skylar took aim and pulled the trigger, blasting apart the top of the table he was hiding behind and slowly began working her aim down the makeshift piece of cover in an attempt to saw it in half and flush him into the open.

Suddenly the rapid cycling of an LMG filled the air and she paused to see Simus barge through the entryway and cut a mercenary down with a close range barrage of steel jacketed rounds. She gaped at the sight for a moment before blaster fire made her duck again. It wasn't long before the bolts of red energy had disintegrated her cover to the point where it was useless. Standing and sprinting towards the nearest merc, Skylar sprayed bolts from her borrowed weapon to the right of the entryway where most of the mercenaries had regrouped.

The mercenary she charged at hadn't been expecting a tactic like that and hesitated just a moment. He was even more surprised when he turned to aim at her but instead she threw her blaster rifle at him, knocking his weapon away. Skylar closed with him before he could get his aim again, snapping her left fist into his throat. Despite the body suit covering him, the merc stumbled back a step and dropped his gun but didn't go down. Skylar quickly followed up with a jab at the inside of his right knee, making him widen his stance as it twisted to compensate for the blow. Next she snapped her right leg up in a front kick, her boot connecting with his groin. She was rewarded with a sharp gasp as he immediately grasped at his crotch and placed a hand on her shoulder as he leaned forward in pain. With a smirk, she looked over his shoulder in time to see two of the mans comrades glance in her direction and turn to deal with her.

Grabbing the hand the first merc had on her shoulder, Skylar gave it a sharp twist, causing the man to turn his body to avoid breaking his wrist. Keeping a hold of the mans wrist, she palmed his elbow, breaking it. As he screamed, she reached down and pulled his sidearm from the holster on his leg, and at the same time pulled him in close to her to use as a shield as she backed towards the bar, firing the blaster pistol the whole while. She hit the first merc in the chest with two shots but didn't penetrate his armor but the third hist him in the throat, burning through the body suit. The second man, dived for cover, spraying bolts in her direction. Most of the shots hit the merc she was using as a shield, she felt him jerk as almost a dozen rounds slammed into him and suddenly he was dead weight. Skylar dropped the now dead merc just in time to see Simus grappling with a merc by the door. Taking aim, she slotted the merc neatly in the side of the head, causing him to slouch forward onto Simus. The abrupt loss of resistance allowed Simus to throw the merc off himself.

Only a moment after she killed the merc Simus had been grappling with, a bolt fired by one of Dorvalles security hit her in the shoulder, spinning her around. She instinctively dropped and rolled into cover behind the bar, wincing in pain as she stopped next to Darek. Tugging at the hole in her jacket, she was relieved to see that the bolt had only skimmed her arm, leaving a nasty burn that stung like hell but she wasn't too worried about. Looking up, she noticed Darek give her a look but she didn't give him any mind as she once again drew her own pistol and fired several bolts over the counter.

"Alright. Step one is done. We've regrouped. Now we just have to get out of here. Where's Kyle and the others?" She shouted over the roar of blaster and gunfire.

Dah'Sharrah got out of the speeder that Corvis had 'borrowed' and brought them to the nightclub in. She'd taken her sniper rifle with her, but considering the close quarters they'd probably be fighting in, it wasn't a great idea. While Corvis and Simus went to the front of the club, she turned away. "You two go in an rescue the others. I'm going to see if I can make some noise in the back." She didn't wait for their response, instead heading around the front of the building, and disappearing. Honestly, she was more concerned with taking down Ataro than she was helping the others. And she was sure Dorvalle had a few bounties out on him. Bagging Ataro and Dorvalle, seemed like a good idea. If she could claim the whole fifty million, she'd be set for life. Whatever bounty was out on Dorvalle was just a bonus.

She continued to circle around to the rear of the building, where she'd heard a set of stairs offered easy access to the top level of Ambrosia. She paused when she heard the sounds of a firefight. Then cursed herself for a fool. She'd forgotten, in all the excitement, that Kyle, Lyssa and Mar were taking the rear of the building to syphon data from Dorvalles computer. Peering around the corner, she spotted a squad of mercenaries firing at the three of them, plus another man she didn't recognize.
This was unfortunate, but the situation wasn't completely out of control. All she had to do was get past the mercs, and to the stairway. If she managed to take out a couple of them and make it look like she was helping, so be it. She knew it was unlikely she'd get a good shot on the mercs from her position. So, she drew her pistol and began to slink forwards, making sure she kept behind them. The sound muffling technology in her armour would stop them from hearing her, or their helmet sensors from picking her up, but if one of them looked around...

Luckily, none of them did. She picked her target and pulled the trigger. The energy round, delivered at close range, burned through the bodysuit and into flesh. The man dropped with a strangled cry. Before the rest of the squad realized what was going on, Dah'Sharrah was moving, firing another couple of shots at them. One of the mercs, faster on the uptake than his buddies, stopped shooting at the three other bounty hunters, and turned on her. She leapt in the direction she guessed was the oppossite of where his shot would be. Since her hide wasn't suddenly filled with holes, she'd obviously guessed correctly. Without waiting to give the merc another chance, she shot up the stairs.

"Don't do it Baroth. Don't even try. If you miss Morne will put you on his hit list and if that happens all you can do is run." Morne has scarred Jessica with fear and she could no longer hide it. She didn't care if Baroth or Derek fought less of her for it. Morne was nothing less than a spectre of death and nothing, not even a star destroyer full of zombies, could stop him. There wasn't any time to try and stop Baroth because as soon as Derek ordered everyone to extract to the safehouse the mercs opened fire. The entire club lit up with blasters and bullets and all order was broken down. Jessica's table by the dance floor was in a bad spot but she immediately went into combat mode. This was exactly the sort of fighting she had been trained for and she had gotten really good at it as a Red Sabre. She sprinted towards a smaller bar near her and took cover, just as the bottom liquor shelf exploded into glass. The bartender was the same catsuited dunmer girl who had served her and she was curled up on the floor panicking. Jessica felt sorry for the girl, only a couple of years more mature than her, and wanted to comfort her. It wasn't so long ago that Jessica herself had the same reaction. But she had to figure out what was going on first to make sure it was safe.

Jessica peeked her head out to see a complete mess. The Iron Hands were in a loose firing line at the front of the club whereas Dorvalle's people were at the back using bars, chairs and tables as cover. Over a dozen of them were already dead, those that couldn't regroup fast enough. Patrons and their bodyguards were all over the place and most were in such a panic they were shooting at both sides of the firefight. Derek was behind the main bar near the back where security was and Skylar and Baroth where trying to move towards him. It was slow going though and they needed help. Jessica already had her shields and ballistic protection up and her bolt pistol was out and ready. With a thought Jessica's neural HUD overlayed onto her vision, displaying her current status, her bioelectric levels her augmentations ran off of and an IFF indicator for everyone in the room. Baroth, Skylar and Derek were tagged green and labeled in white letters. All other civilians, security and employees were tagged green as well and the mercs were tagged red. Morne was also red and labeled and was having his own troubles. He was pinned down like everyone else. They had to use this opportunity to escape.

Two mercs noticed Jessica and charged her position. Their armor was large and bulky. It made them slow. Their guns were large and made them overconfident. They were stomping towards Jessica, never suspecting that she was ready for them. Like almost everything else in her body her adrenal glands were augmented. They could swell into overdrive on command and give her a brief but massive boost in reflexes or speed. Right now they were set to boost reflexes and a full green bar on her HUD showed her that they were ready for activation. She had used these very boosters earlier today to break up Skylar and Corvis' standoff. To the terrified bartender Jessica moved like a blur but for her the world became slow motion. She popped out of cover just as the mercs were about to fire and raised her pistol with both hands.

First one shot to the left one's head. It penetrates his helmet visor, cracking it. A second shot hits home. The ceramic and plastic cave in. Blood and a chip of skull spurt out. The bolt breaks through the back of the helmet. His brain spatters onto a dancing pole. He falls, dead. The second merc turns his head to see his fallen comrade. Jessica fires two more shots. Both connect with his temple with only a millimeter of separation. Blood spatters out of his broken helmet. The second merc falls down dead. A third merc sees the trouble and wields a heavy blaster towards Jessica. His armor is thicker than the two others and he's further away. His blaster produces a slow red beam of light which Jessica steps out of the way of. She fires at his faceplate but it doesn't break. She fires a second shot. A third. A fourth. He finally falls and Jessica ducks to avoid the blaster fire just in time. Her adrenal glands become depleted. Her world becomes normal again.

Jessica took cover behind the bar again just as her reflex booster wore off. Fifteen seconds was a long time to be hyper-aware and her brain needed a moment to recalibrate. She was dizzy and her vision momentarily went black but after a few seconds she was back to normal. She risked glancing up again. No more mercs were charging at them and the cycling of a Light Machine Gun and a man in gray and yellow armor told her that help was here. Apparently Simus had gotten used to his new weapons and armor because he had just gunned down five of the mercs by himself. She took the opportunity to move towards Derek while the bartender stayed put. That was the smart thing to do, even if she was terrified, and Jessica was proud of her for it. After she got to Derek she took cover beside him and gave Skylar and Baroth covering fire as best she could. Simus was having trouble with a merc but Skylar was able to take care of it. Ther mercs' ranks had been hit hard and they were thinning out. Everyone was regrouping and now they had the advantage. It was time to blast them out of this club.

"Alright. Step one is done. We've regrouped. Now we just have to get out of here. Where's Kyle and the others?" She shouted over the roar of blaster and gunfire.

"We have to stay here and secure this area!" Simus shouted. His chest hurt, his hearing was dimmed and his helmet was off now that it was fried but Skylar had shot the man he was grappling with and that let him get up and join the others. "These people need our help and we'll earn their gratitude if we stay and fight! We can use that!"

"I agree with Simus." Jessica transmitted. "Obviously whatever deal between Dorvalle and Ataro tried to make has gone bad. If we help dig him out of this hole he'll owe us."

Baroth worked as fast as he could.

On either side, the ranks were thinning out but the immenent danger hadn't passed quite yet. Dorvalle's men were moving up and the mercenaries had to move forward from the close fire. He heard something. Unmatched firing from the entrance.

He looked up and saw Simus clad in the armor set Derek had given him at the safehouse and wielding a scoped rifle like a crossbow. So he'd gotten used to the tech. And, it seemed, he was eager to try it out. Baroth could only laugh on the inside, knowing Simus would undoubtedly have trouble but not too much.

He was one-thousand twenty five years-old, not dead.

Baroth took a crouch position and rolled the circular table over to him. He tossed the strap of his slug rifle over his shoulder and tightened it so it wouldn't fall off then stomped on the stem of the table in front of him, breaking off the part he needed. The tabletop. After checking his rifle for sufficient ammo rounds, Baroth dared another glance along his path.

If he timed it right, he'd get to the bar safely whilst eliminating a good number of Dorvalle's men. If his timing sucked, he'd have more holes than a donut shop owned by a tires salesman. His window opened when everyone made their way to regroup with Derek. He checked his ammo one last time then darted out from cover..

..rolling the circular tabletop for cover as he ran.

Mercenaries from the side the table was shielding immediately started taking fire. Splinters of the burnt wood exploded inward on Baroth as he ran, decreasing the durability of said cover. He needed to hurry. A bodyguard, with a rather omnious looking rifle, popped up from cover and instantly took his aim. Baroth swung his rifle up and ducked while running, laying down a spray of bolt that engulfed the shooter. A few others poked their heads out and took pot shots at Baroth's feet, and appearently, one got lucky.

Baroth stumbled and fell head first after a bolt connected with the space between his shoe and the tiled dancing floor. He fell hard too, and that made him a little frustrated. Luckily, he managed to land a in a partial roll so he was up quickly, but his cover was gone and he was left practically naked. The bar was close but he'd have to crawl if he wanted to get there untouched.

Laying down some blind fire, Baroth began rushing towards the bar when he froze in sight of something.

Across the room, Arcanus had his arm outstretched with a large pistol pointed right at him. He thought he saw the elf's mouth move, as if saying something to himself. Baroth only had time to cuss and hastily bring his rifle up to block the shot.

The bolt melted and ruined his rifle on impact and the blowback made the scorching rifle smash into Baroth's face and send him crashing over the rails into the dining area. He slammed into the edge of a glass table and crashed into the side of another in his fall to the floor, leaving him bruised, daised, and showered in glass.

The pain was immense and it would take Baroth several seconds to a few minutes before he'd be able to walk again. Not to mention the bruise and first degree burns on his face wouldn't go away for weeks and Oracle would nag him about it.

He took it slowly. First, he rolled onto his back and wiped his face free of the glass shards. Then he rolled onto his side and angrily smashed a fist into the floor, pushing himself onto his hands and knees. He took another long pause before forcing himself onto his knees and eventually, into a kneel.

What Jessica had said before he took the shot at Arcanus made sense now.

He thought it was just an embellishment or fear of seeing the mer in action, but she'd genuinely been terrified of the elf. Not from seeing his skills and accuracy in combat, but from a personal experience. Arcanus must've done something fairly f*ucked up to scare an augmented child, an experienced bounty hunter, and..Skylar. And the elf was relentless.

As Baroth rose to his feet, he scorned himself for making the foolish move and hoped Arcanus would be pinned long enough for Baroth to get back to him. He took a few wobbly steps before collapsing on his knee from a sharp pain in his upper thigh. He touched it and his hand came away wet. He'd been shot. Probably by one of the bodyguards from their cover.

Baroth shook his head and grimaced as he attempted to walk once again, putting less weight on the leg. The pain was too much for him at the moment, so he'd have to stay put. Simus and Jessica had suggessted staying behind to assist the people caught in the firefight and thus gain Dorvalle's favor, and Baroth agreed. Without a doubt, Dorvalle and Ataro's people were aware of the outbreak and had fled the scene in haste.

This could result in numerous things.

One of which could've been a shootout between the two.

He couldn't do much from his position, unless a body guard or a merc ducked in there for cover or was stupid enough to investigate. He'd grabbed his pistol, thankfully, but it was hopelessly low on ammo and he may need that for breaking out of the club in one piece. In either case, he pulled out the handgun and spoke into the comms after positioning himself behind a few overturned tables.

"We have to move fast. If Ataro and Dorvalle have heard this firefight, which i'm sure they have, there may have been a struggle. Ataro or Drovalle both could have contingency plans for something like this. And they could very well involve a back-up team." He checked his weapon for ammo. Six rounds. "I'm in the dining section, by the bar. Arcanus got me good, and i'm not sure i can walk on my own."

"If someone can make their way to me, i could help clear the area. From here though, there isn't much i can do. If not, then get out now. I'll find another way out."

"You two go in an rescue the others. I'm going to see if I can make some noise in the back." Corvis didn't bother trying to stop the Khajiit woman. Besides, she was already running off towards the rear of the building. Simus was already on his way towards the club entrance, and Corvis followed. As soon as he stepped into the place, he knew the situation was bad. Mercs, bodyguards and Dorvalles security were shooting at everything that moved. A quick glance at Simus showed that he had things under control.

Leaving the old man to his own devices, Corvis scanned the carnage, searching for Derek and the other members of the infiltration team. He found them, Derek, Skylar and Jessica huddling by the bar, Baroth off on his own, near the vip section. An elf in a long dark coat was shooting at him, and the mercs scattered throughout the place. Ignoring the elf for now, he brought his pistol up and fired at the first target he saw. The man wasn't expecting the attack, and he collapsed as the high powered blaster bolt punched through his bodysuit. The merc , drawing the attention of several other combatants, both security and mercs. They opened fire, striking him in the breastplate. He felt the impacts of both bullets and energy rounds as heavy impacts, but they failed to punch through the armour.

A glance behind him showed Simus grappling with another of the mercenary's. He didn't bother turning to help, instead firing into the crowd. He shot at both the security and merc forces, not particularly caring who he killed. Both sides would probably kill him, given the chance. Aiming at a clump of mercs, he armed one of his wrist rockets, and fired the dart. The resulting explosion took out several Iron Hands, but it also took down a pair of panicking civilians. "Whoops" He said dryly, turning and making his way towards Derek and the others.

"Alright. Step one is done. We've regrouped. Now we just have to get out of here. Where's Kyle and the others?" Skylar said, and Corvis agreed with her, for once. Just because the mercs had been whittled down a little didn't mean the bounty hunters had any kind of advantage. Especially since Dorvalle wasn't going to be happy with the damage they'd done to his place. Simus, Jessica and Baroth were arguing to stay and maybe get back in Dorvalles good graces. "Don't be stupid. Dorvalles people are shooting at us too. We need to get out of here before the mercs call in reinforcements."