• Welcome to Skyrim Forums! Register now to participate using the 'Sign Up' button on the right. You may now register with your Facebook or Steam account!
  • Hey there, and welcome to our roleplaying section. Please take some time to read two of these useful resources below, if you're already a roleplaying expert, then there's no need to read the following beginner's guide, but be sure to read the rules.

    Free Form Role Playing Guide for Beginners
    JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.

    Baneloth

    Well-Known Member
    Derek remained in cover, taking fire from various sources. The bar was sturdier than he'd thought, but if the mercs flanked around his position or call in reinforcements, he'd be in trouble. Jessica and Skylar joined him and he noticed the Imperial had a painful looking burn on her shoulder. Corvis and Simus had shown up, and were putting down covering fire, but the mercenaries weren't giving up. Baroth was pinned down somewhere near the VIP section and Derek didn't think he could get to the man. Not without getting both of them killed.

    "Alright. Step one is done. We've regrouped. Now we just have to get out of here. Where's Kyle and the others?" Skylar shouted over the roar of the continuing fight. Meanwhile, Simus and Corvis had edged closer. Simus argued that they should stay and help the people in need, and Jessica agreed. Corvis on the other hand pointed out that Dorvalles people were shooting at them just as much as the various thugs and mercs in the place. And he pointed out that the Iron Hands could have reinforcements on the way. Derek didn't need to be told twice. "We're leaving. Someone grab Baroth before Morne or the mercs get to him." He glanced over the counter to see a group of Dorvalles security approaching, weapons aimed. Derek fired a few shots and the group scattered, looking for cover. He ducked back behind the bar and thumbed on his comlink. "Kyle? We're pulling back now. What's your position?"

    At the rear of the loading bay, Kyle cursed and ducked behind cover as the mercs opened fire on his position. Mar, Lyssa and the big man with the odd weapon were returning fire as best they could, but he didn't think it would be long before the mercs blasted them. As he popped up to fire with both of his pistols, he saw Dah'Sharrah dash by, a merc falling to the ground as she passed them. Instead of stopping to help, the Khajiit sprang up the stairs. For a second, he was confused. Then he realized she'd been listening to the conversation he'd had with Derek. They all had. Her arrival had distracted the Iron Hands temporarily, and Kyle took the opportunity to fire on them. Two men crumpled, and the rest turned their attention back to the others.

    "Kyle? We're pulling back now. What's your position?" Dereks voice was nearly drowned out by blaster fire, but he sounded unhurt. "We're pinned at the loading bay. These mercs really don't want us leaving the party early. Dah'Sharrah went back inside. I think she's going after Ataro. I'm going after her." He reported. "What? Kyle don't-" but the younger bounty hunter was already guessing how fast he'd need to move to get to the the stairs without the mercs gunning him down. "Sorry, no time to talk. Get back to the safehouse." Then he glanced at Lyssa. "Cover me!" He sprinted to the stairs, aware that the mercenaries were shooting at him, and Lyssa and Mar were shooting back. He made it to the stairs and bolted up them after the Khajiit woman.
     

    TheShadedOne

    The Angry One
    Dah'Sharrah made it to the third floor without being shot. She got to the door of Dorvalles' penthouse, and took cover. She wasn't sure that the mercenaries hadn't called ahead and warned Ataro. If that was the case, she could be walking into a hail of bullets and energy rounds. She hit the touch pad, and the door opened, revealing a very spacious living room. No mercenaries were in sight, and she didn't spot any of Dorvalles security either. She could hear the others arguing about whether or not they should stay and help his security clear out the mercs.

    "Nice place." She muttered, keeping her side arm up at shoulder height. There was a good chance that Ataro was waiting in ambush. Or Dorvalle. She cleared several rooms, but noticed no sign that anyone had scrambled for a hiding spot. She made her way to Dorvalles office, noticing the door was closed but not locked. Reaching out with her free hand, she opened the door. A man, matching Dorvalles description sat facing away from her. The chair behind the desk was empty, and Dorvalle made no reaction when Dah'Sharrah entered the office. The scent of a feminine perfume hit her, and she guesed that Ataro had been in the chair opposite Dorvalle.

    Once she was a foot away from him, she reached out and poked him in the shoulder. The nightclub owner slumped forwards. Stepping around the chair she looked at the man face on. His eyes were open, staring, his mouth open, as if surprised. She heard boots approaching and looked up to see Kyle. She motioned him over. "Something tells me he didn't see it coming. You think this is what Ataro meant when she said final payment?" She looked around the office,"eitherway, Ataro's gone now."
     

    Drahkma

    Dashing Imperial Officer.
    "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." Corvis looked around the nightclub, and spotted the dining area. "I'll go get him. The rest of you get out of here before the Iron Hands back up show up to finish us off." He made his way across the place, exchanging shots with a couple of mercenaries. He saw the elf in the coat firing into a group of Dorvalles security. Corvis considered taking a shot at him, but decided against it. He was pretty sure Baroth couldn't move on his own, and having another enemy shooting was not appealing.

    He sprinted to the dining area, glass crunching under his boots, firing at the mercs coming after him. He found Baroth behind a pair of overturned tables. A glance at the mans injuries told him he wouldn't be going anywhere on his own steam. Corvis couldn't just leave the man behind though. If the mercs got to him, they'd probably torture him to get information. Which left him with two options. One; put a round through his head to keep him quiet, or two;get him out of the place in one piece. Normally, Corvis would have just shot him and moved on, but Simus and Jessica had some kind of relationship with him. And he got the sense neither of them really liked him all that much. Guessing by the amount of mercs that had attacked them at the nightclub, Corvis decided he didn't need any more enemies at the moment.

    He grabbed the mans arm, hauling him to his feet. "Up! You've still got a gun and another leg, don't you? Move, damn it!" He let the other bounty hunter lean on him. He made for the exit, shooting at anyone that looked like they were even thinking of opening fire, relying on Baroth to get those he didn't. He got Baroth outside, opened the rear door and dumped the man inside. "I've got Baroth. Let's get the hell out of here."
     

    fellowknight

    The Devil In The Details
    The more time that passed and the more he remained stationary, Baroth was losing steady amounts of blood that left the plush carpet stained with a dark crimson. His vision had begun blurring and his stamina had depleted. His arms and legs were weak as rubber and would soon go numb if he didn't try to stop the bleeding.

    He made said attempt by ripping off a strip of his shirt sleeve and tying it in a tight knot around the bullet wound. It was nothing short of a futile medical binding, but it would have to do for now. Hopefully, along with the polished suits and weapons, Derek had a complete medkit back at the safehouse. If not, Baroth would bleed out within half an hour.

    A struggle occurred somewhere nearby him. One merc and a bodyguard had come to close quarters without expectation of running into each other. What ensued was a blurred death struggle that ended with the bodyguard gaining the advantage by a knee to the crotch and a bolt through the chin. When he turned to advance and noticed a bleeding man behind some tables, his head snapped back following a gunshot from a pistol.

    True to the comms chatter, Corvis arrived several seconds later, firing a few shot behind him and making his way to Baroth. He paused, as if hesitating. And for a long moment, Baroth had expected to be gunned down by the merc. Granted, Baroth hadn't known Corvis so well and hadn't had such time to get to know him. But in the few interactions that he had with him, he reminded Baroth more and more of Aden.

    And if the two were anything alike in handling business, Baroth would soon be dead.

    To the contrary, Corvis pulled Baroth up to his feet and prompted him to walk. Baroth oblidged grudgingly and limped along with the bounty hunter as they shot their way out of the club. Obviously, there were targets Corvis himself couldn't reach, but Baroth made short work of them with the few rounds he had. He dropped the empty pistol as they exited and hobbled to a speeder down the street.

    Corvis shoved Baroth into the back and notified everyone he'd been evacuated. Meanwhile, Baroth's condition had worsened slightly and he was very tired and weak. The bullet was lodged in his femur and it would extremely painful to extract it; so painful to the point it might cause him to pass out.

    Luckily though, that was already happening.

    As his vision faded, he called out to Corvis and possibly the comms.

    "...i'm bleeding...out...bullet's stuck in...my....leg.."

    His eyes closed.

    "You....should've...taken the shot...Co-..."

    And finally, he blacked out.
     

    Baneloth

    Well-Known Member
    Corvis stormed through the blaster and bullet fire to reach the wounded Baroth. A couple of minutes later, The silver armoured hunter staggered out of the nightclub, clinging onto the badly injured Baroth. "I've got Baroth. Let's get the hell out of here." Derek agreed. "Everybody out! Now!" He stood, firing at the approaching mercenaries and security, drawing their attention away from Skylar and Jessica. He caught a glimpse of Morne. The Altmer agent was devastating the mercenary and security forces. Eight years had certainly not had a calming effect on him. An energy round hissed past, raising a welt on the skin of his cheek. He turned and made for the door.

    The group of hunters made for the space port, stopping by the safehouse to grab their equipment and Derek reset the traps. They arrived at the spaceport, and Derek parked the speeder that had been 'borrowed' by Skylar, and headed for the Nomad. The boarding ramp lowered, and Derek began to make his way up it into the ship. He looked over his shoulder and saw Skylar, and realized the woman was without her own form of transportation. She'd arrived with Marek, and since he'd left without her, she was stranded. "A-Skylar. Come on, I'll give you a ride. At least until we meet up with Marek again." Derek still owed Marek from having the man save his ass during the time they'd worked together on the destroyer years ago.

    Once she was aboard, he dropped his armour and weapons off in the ship armoury. "There's some food in the galley if you're hungry. Bathroom is on the other side. I'll be up in the cockpit. Join me when you're ready." He followed through on what he'd said, dropping into the pilots seat. He completed the pre-flight checklist, and took the Nomad out of the hangar. He opened the comms to the others. "Alright. Anybody know where Ataro is heading to?" Kyle spoke up. "Imperial space. Not sure where, exactly, but definitely going into Imperial space." Derek sighed. The response was very vague. "Alright. Let's head for Theren. The capital is a good place as any to start."
     

    Simus

    An Excellent Site Member
    "What are you talking about? They're..." Jessica was cut off by a blaster bolt landing inches from her head and realized it had come from one of Dorvalle's goons. It seemed that Corvis was right and they did indeed want them dead just as much as Ataro's mercs did. "fluff..." She transmitted. "I think we should leave after all." Simus said, seeing the same thing. He had now reloaded his machine gun and was ready to lay down more fire. Comm chatter form Dah'Sharrah told them that Dorvalle was dead and Ataro was gone. Their mission was a failure and they had to pull out. Ataro was most likely going off-planet after this and they needed to chase her down. Simus and Jessica were more than ready.

    Up to this point they had been on this hunt out of necessity. Jessica was doing this partly out of altruism but mostly because she had no ship and nowhere else to go. Simus had nothing and no one in this universe except her and Baroth and stuck with them out of both duty and survival. Now they were looking at the bodies of dozens of innocent people caught in in this ridiculous shootout. Ataro's mercs had gunned them all down, ripped their bodies apart with bullets or filled them with smoking blaster wounds, simply because they were in the way. Dorvalle's people had been no better and both of them had betrayed the other. This woman was nothing less than lawful evil, the most dangerous kind. Now Jessica and Simus knew beyond any doubt that she had to be stopped.

    "...i'm bleeding...out...bullet's stuck in...my....leg.." Baroth radioed. Jessica had been able to give Corvis covering fire while Simus reloaded and thought Baroth was okay despite his leg wound. He had been able to keep shooting all the way out the door. From her angle she could see Baroth loaded into the speeder but saw from his pale face that he was bleeding out. Simus could see it too.
    "You....should've...taken the shot...Co-..." Baroth cut off as he passed now and that meant he was in serious danger.

    Before now Jessica and Simus had felt only resolve to stop Ataro. Now she had made this personal.

    "Everybody give me covering fire. These fluffers just made this personal." She transmitted. Derek was holding the mercs back, giving Skylar some room to maneuver but the door was still blocked. Tapping into her destruction magic, Jessica wreathed herself in crackling purple energy, leaned forward and became a white-hot mass of energy, surging forward right to the door, leaving a burning trail and violently knocking back everything in her path. Two tables, a merc, a security guard and a railing were plowed right through and crushed against the far wall. Jessica reformed in a grenade-force explosion that killed two more guards and staggered a merc. Her hands were wreathed in the same purple energy as she grabbed the merc with her left hand, reared her right arm back and crushed his helmet and skull with a massive exploding facepunch. To her shock she audibly roared when she did this. It had been days since she'd been able to make any sort of vocalization and didn't expect to be able to any time soon. Her throat burned for it but she was able to make a sound. Did this mean she really was healing?

    Her path of destruction let everyone who was left, Derek, Simus, Skyler and herself, get out of the club and into their stolen speeder. Police and rescue forces were just now arriving but they were able to make it out in time. The stopped by the safehouse and Derek gave them five minutes to get their gear. Both Jessica and Simus were packed and ready so getting their things was simple but there was the issue of how they were going to get off-planet. Derek was taking Skylar aboard the Nomad but didn't have enough room for anyone else. Merek had left for parts unknown and he was Jessica's ride. Baroth was in critical condition and couldn't fly them out of here. The other imperial woman with the Khajiit, Lyssa Jessica thought her name was, had Baroth on the kitchen table trying to heal him with restoration magic and asked Jessica to hold their position while she worked. She was worried that Ataro's people had followed them and a report from Adjutant said she was right.

    "Warning: Mercenary forces approaching the safehouse. You must leave immediately Jessica."

    "plops. Hurry up Lyssa! We've got company!" She transmitted, then switched to the entire team. "Derek, it's Jessica. Baroth's condition is critical and Lyssa needs time patch him up. Simus and I are still with them at the safehouse and we've got company. We'll find our own way off-planet and radio you when we do so. Ataro's probably heading to Therin. It's the capital of Imperial space and very well-protected. Someone like her WILL have friends there to shelter her. We'll meet you there. And in case we don't meet up, tell Kyle...well...just tell him to stay alive. If he doesn't he's gonna be in huge trouble. Jessica out."

    She cut comms, then switched to Oracle, Baroth's A.I. Gunfire had just slammed into the front window.

    "Oracle, it's Jessica do you copy?! Baroth is down, I say again, Baroth is down! We needed immediate evac! Get Baroth's ship over here and get us the hell out! LZ is hot, I say again, LZ is hot!"

    Simus had described the Hustler to Jessica and it sounded like a top-end ship. She wasn't sure why Baroth hadn't just flown here himself instead of getting a ride with Merek but that didn't matter so long as it showed up now. Jessica had been able to change into her armored bodysuit and equip her boltgun but it wouldn't be enough against an army. She and Simus picked their targets and started cutting down the advancing mercs, determined to give Lyssa as much time as possible before they either died or Oracle arrived.
     

    willowwisp

    Well-Known Member
    Lyssa, Mar and Kyle made their way to the pair of stolen speeders. Over the comms, she heard that Baroth had been shot, and was bleeding out. Lyssa made her way to the speeder Mar on her heels. " She took a seat beside the unconscious man. She tore a strip of his shirt off, and made a tourniquet. They stopped at the safe house to gather their things. Mar grabbed the badly wounded man and slung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The four of them got into the safe house, and Mar looked at Lyssa for instruction. She cleared the kitchen table. "Here." Mar dumped the man unceremoniously onto the table. Lyssa removed her helmet, gauntlets and gloves.

    She'd been a medic for a few years, and she hadn't always relied on her restoration magic. She glanced at Simus and Jessica. She didn't like people knowing about her restoration magic. Mostly because, these days, magic users weren't very trusted. Of course, there was no helping it now. She managed to dig the bullet out of his leg. She counted herself lucky that the man was already unconscious. She cursed when Jessica shouted for her to hurry. "I can hurry, or I can fix your friend!" She yelled back over the blaster fire. First, she placed her hand over the hole in his leg. She healed the chip in the bone, and rewove the nerve, muscle, and skin. Then she went to his face, the burn was bad, and Lyssa wasn't even going to attempt to heal it completely. Instead, she focused on repairing the worst of the damage on his face, but left the outer edges of the burn untouched.

    After she'd finished, she was pale, and a subtle tremble had crept into her hands. What she really wanted to do was grab something to eat and take a nap, but the mercenaries had found them. "Are you okay?" Mar asked. "Fine. Let's get out of here." She cleaned herself off, put her gloves, gauntlets and helmet back on and drew her pistol. "You three are on your own getting out of here. Come on, Mar." She waited for a break in the shooting, before heading out the door of the safe house, shooting at anything that looked like a mercenary. "Are you sure we shouldn't go back and help them?"

    "You're not going soft on me, are you Mar?" She teased. The Khajiit bounty hunter growled a negative and the pair made their way to the spaceport. Once on the Hunters' Bite, she tuned into the comm chatter. Jessica and Derek were talking about heading to Theren. She took the pilots seat and punched in the coordinates for the Imperial capital.
     

    fellowknight

    The Devil In The Details
    In the desolate void that was cyber space, Oracle conducted an engaging search across the net that fed her a continuous stream of pop-ups and notifications pertaining to the completion of her multiple searches.

    Code fell like rain, filtering through the clear space around her and blurring off into cyberspace. A pulsing line in a bounding box kept her up to speed with the teams comms without interfering in their business. Though their ongoing discussions let her know what exactly that entailed.

    A deal with $50 mil fugitive Allison Grey and owner of the local brothel House Ambrosia, Dorvalle. Behind Ataro were the deadly Iron Hands and more than likely inconspicuous assassin groups. Dorvalle obviously had his own private security under his belt, alongside drug cartels and any other kingpins he was cozy with.

    While Dorvalle undoubtedly knew Blacklight to its roots and darkest corners, Ataro simply had an abundance of professional killers and advanced weaponry.

    It could only end two ways.

    With each passing second, she was hacking into and deriving information from hundreds of online and system-based sources following key names. The security measures for said search engines and databases were hilariously inadequate and thus didn't have the slightest chance to match Oracle's capabilities to even a half point.

    It was easier than robbing an empty bank in a power outage.

    Her electric eyes darted from one screen to the next as quickly as they jumped forward to yield their results; some empty or with useless information and others with potential leads. When a red flashing screen came forward, it meant that website's security had caught a whiff of her trail and was working on reporting the suspicious activity to Blacklight's Technical Support and Protection Center.

    With a swipe across the screen and a sequence of finger taps, Oracle effectively snapped the outgoing connection and erased all traces of her presence on the website by wiping the code index clean.

    Time went on like this seamlessly until a link-up from the local comms systems requested her attention. Putting her work in a sort of "auto-pilot" mode, she accepted the link and was flooded with hectic chatter on the opposite end. The speaker she recognized as Jessica Psyrakon, the scarred girl whom she'd briefly met on Aden's ship.

    "Oracle, it's Jessica do you copy?! Baroth is down, I say again, Baroth is down! We need immediate evac! Get Baroth's ship over here and get us the hell out! LZ is hot, I say again, LZ is hot!"

    In the background, she could audibly hear mechanical gunfire and inaudible shouting before the comms link was cut. A gunfight.

    Which told her the deal with Ataro and Dorvalle had gone sour and they'd be chased off to the safe house. But what happened? She'd have to examine the comms history later on.

    "Damn it.." She said to herself, being there was no living being around to hear her.

    With a blink and a few taps on the screen in front of her, Oracle erased all evidence of her inquiry and vanished along with all of the virtual windows. Electronic devices of all sorts had an odd short-circuit in a pattern across Blacklight; TVs fizzed and cellphones glitched as a large amount of both energy and electrical power surged over them via the power lines.

    In the spaceport the Hustler's primary engines roared to life, followed by the blast of its boosters as the main drive of the ship began calculating a route to its surface location. With a storm of dust and deadly bursts of scorching hot air, the ship exited the metal hangar.

    (Here would be a good time to play Everyday I'm Hustlin' by Rick Ross. Just fits the scene.)

    The assault on the safehouse was getting worse and more heated by the minute. Those trapped in the building were hopelessly outnumbered and could do little to defend the structure with the given time frame and advancement of the mercenaries. Two had already moved by the door to begin breaching procedures while the others provided covering fire and flanked the rear exits. They were surrounded.

    But the mercenaries hadn't expected the screeching roar of an aerial ship overhead. Nor had they expected the percussion from a heavy plasma projectile to scatter them like roaches.

    The initial explosion instantly vaporized those within a twelve foot radius. The others were flung by the shockwave, blinded by the flash, deafened by the magnitude of the blast, and showered in sizzling-hot sand.

    The Hustler soared to hover just a few yards above the street, its boosters clouding the area with a thick sand storm. The mercenaries who were left had no choice but to take cover, hold their breath, and pray they'd have enough strength to crawl away from the bloodbath.

    And most did so. The rest were not so wise.

    The ramp lowered open to reveal an armed and armored android jumping from the ship to the ground below, using its built in boosters to slow its descent. Once on the ground, Rex layed down suppressing fire on the few mercs who were left in cover as he made his way to the safe house door. He set a marker on the door's panel and allowed it to load, effectively unlocking the double doors with a loud hiss, compliments of Oracle.

    Rex had expected the initial shots to clash with his body shields before Jessica Psyrakon and her Grander Grand-father Simus Psyrakon recognized he was in fact, not a mercenary.
    They lowered their weapons as Rex stepped forward. The doors closed shut behind him.

    "If we are to survive, we must leave immediately." He looked at Simus. "Mr. Psyrakon, your body build is superior to that of your grand-daughter's. I would suggest you carry the unconscious body of Baroth." He looked down at Jessica. "Mrs. Psyrakon, you are an excellent shot and exceptionally light on your feet. It would increase your chances of survival if you were to assist by providing covering fire for the transfer. You must lead the exit through the rear access doors and proceed to a public park two blocks west of here for evacuation. I will draw the fire of the advancing mercenaries forces away from your efforts to expand your escape time. We will rendezvous at said destination in an estimated five minutes."

    He allowed them a glance at one another. Gunfire slammed against the door and punched into the walls.

    "Do we have a deal?"

    "Yes!" They yelled in unison.

    Rex nodded and motioned for Jessica to follow him to the access doors at the back of the safe house while Simus recovered Baroth from the kitchen. Once they'd regrouped, Rex used the same marker to unlock and relock the doors once they'd cleared the hidden mercs. After setting them on their way, Rex ran out into the street and opened fire on any exposed hostiles tagged "Iron Hands", cutting down some in hails of bolts.

    They returned fire and followed him when he took cover, as expected, leading them to become oblivious to the escaping Psyrakons. A few broke off to pursue them, however. Rex was utterly sure the Psyrakons could handle them. When the Hustler made a landing in the evac zone, all three quickly entered the ship as it ascended into the sky at maximum speed. Rex had made a risky retrieval for Baroth's armor that he'd left stashed in the entertainment district.

    After they passed the Dominion blockade, Oracle set course for Theren as the comms had suggested, and put the Hustler's navigation systems in auto. This allowed her to materialize and move about the ship as freely as she wanted. She checked on Jessica and Simus, then discreetly went to the medbay to observe Baroth's wounds.

    Rex had since switched back to his 'Service' module, dissembled Baroth's gear, cleaned it, stored it, and proceeded to check on the Psyrakons once more. It would be a long course to Theren, and they'd need some relief and comfort in the given situation.

    "Hello again." They jumped, nor expecting the android nor having heard him approach. "Are the two of you feeling all-right? It has been a long day indeed. Perhaps I could offer some beverages or accommodate the two of you to a comfortable room with sufficient bedding?" He said with a mild concern about his tone.

    (Once again, I apologize for the sucky quality towards the end. This was just another one of those posts I was working on and off for a few days. But I'm sure everyone could get the main idea of the post anyways.)

    Android_by_jamajurabaev-992x521.jpg

    Rex's "Combat" module. Still in proto-type stage.

    8d2398a4549501b8bfc7beacdd9cee6f.jpg

    Rex's "Service" module.

    None of these images belong to me and I claim no creator's rights over them.​
     

    Andre Marek

    You can run, but you'll only die tired...
    An explosion ripped across the viewport of the Judicator courtesy of the hidden flak guns attempting to target the ship from the moons surface. Aden didn't even flinch but he did yank the control yoke to the side, slamming the throttle into reverse and then back to full power in a maneuver that would have likely fried the engines had he not installed top of the line heat and G-Force distributors. He squinted past the crack in his helmets visor before ripping it off and letting it drop to the ground where it skittered across the floor and bounced off the bulkheads as the Judicator dived through evasive maneuvers. Blood ran down the side of his face from a gash on his head and pain lanced through his side from several small burn marks that stitched up his side. A few of the bolts had made it through the plates of his armor only to be stopped by the blaster resistant vest underneath. The heat had still been enough to singe the skin underneath though. One blast from a shotgun slug had torn clean through the armor on his left leg, leaving a deep wound that was still bleeding profusely, making him light headed from blood loss. Another explosion caused the Judicator to jink to the side as the ships VI attempted to help keep from being blown to pieces.

    The Judicators guns roared as Aden wheeled the ship around and brought it in line with the generator that was powering the shield that was preventing him from leaving the moons immediate surface. Bolts of energy resembling lightening arced away from the generator as the housing was destroyed by a hail of high powered blaster bolts from the Judicators main guns. Aden squinted as blueish explosion erupted from the generator. Without hesitation, he pulled the Judicator into a steep climb, pushing the throttle to the limit as the sublight engines screamed. At the same time he yelled for the VI to put in the coordinates for Eregin.

    As the surface of the moon receded, Aden took a moment to catch his breath and leaned back in his seat, allowing the VI to take over control of the ship as they pulled out of the flak cannons range. With a sharp hiss he stood up and made his way to the back of the cockpit, favoring his injured leg. Once he reached the ladder at the far wall he glanced back to make sure the lightspeed countdown was engaged before climbing down to the medbay. He quickly stripped out of his damaged armor, staking the plates on one end of the cot against the wall. Grabbing a single use antiseptic syringe from one of the cabinets along with another filled with numbing agent he jabbed both into his upper thigh, wincing as the medicines dispersed throughout his body. Almost immediately he began feeling better as the pain from the burnt skin on his side and the hole in his leg lessened immensely. Next he grabbed a cauterizing kit from the counter and charged the small metal spike watching as it began to glow bright orange. He grabbed his belt from the pile of armor where he'd left it and folded it in half. "Take the ship to Eregin and meet up with the others. Let no one but Skylar assume control of her until I wake up. Understand?" The VI burbled an affirmative. He stuck the belt in his mouth and bit down hard as he touched the cauterizing rod to the wound on his leg. Aden arched his back and groaned through the belt as the heated spike seared the wounded nerve endings closed. It took only seconds but by the time he was finished both the entrance and exit wounds, he was drenched in sweat and the burns on his side had opened up and had begun to bleed.

    Shakily Aden stood and limped over to the stand up regen-chamber against the other wall. The state of the art chamber was a recent installation on the Judicator and a pricey one but he deemed it as well worth the price tag. The chamber would put a patient into stasis and slowly begin rebuilding damaged tissue, doing in hours or days what took the body weeks and months to do alone. He had only just had it moved in when he arrived on Theren a couple days ago. This would be his first time using it. He quickly programmed it not to wake him until his wounds were fully healed or if there was an emergency on the Judicator and placed his pistol on the table next to it so he could quickly reach it if he needed to. Then he opened the glass door and stepped inside, placing the breathing mask over his nose and mouth. A quiet hum filled the air and before he knew it his vision went black.

    The Judicator accelerated into lightspeed only to wink back to normal speed a few hours later as it entered the edge of the Eregin system. The VI immediately recognized Dareks ship as it fled the planet and registering it as semi-friendly, sent out a hardly noticeable ping to the other ship. Engaging the stealth systems, the VI simply waited for a response with the weapons systems activated in case of a threat and a escape route already plugged into the navacomputer in case something went wrong, just as it had been programmed.
     

    Simus

    An Excellent Site Member
    Jessica's relief was almost palpable as the Hustler literally pulled her and Simus out of the fire and they escaped into the cold void of space. She'd had enough of Blacklight to last a lifetime and now that she knew what kind of person Ataro was she was ready to see the hunt through to the bitter bloody end. Rex had led them into a large kitchen and common room area behind the cockpit. The same one Simus had stayed in when he first boarded this ship yesterday. It was larger than you'd expect for a corvette-sized vessel like the Hustler but this was Baroth's private ship and he obviously enjoyed being comfortable. Or at least liked to keep guests comfortable. It was a nice change from Merek's bare-bones annemities aboard the Judicator or her single seat X-Wing. Jessica could see herself having a ship like this some day. Something small enough to be fast and maneuverable but large enough to be comfortable in. And with two or three others to travel with her. Enough to keep her company bit not a crowd of hundreds like on the Dragon's Talon.

    Overall it was a nice though. Maybe once she got her cut of that fifty-million she could make that happen.

    She and Simus sat at the kitchen table, putting their arms on it, laying their heads back and just happy to be alive. Oracle stopped briefly to check on them but they were too tired to acknowledge her just yet. A few minutes later Rex's service platform came in and asked if there was anything he could get them. Jessica was ready for a large meal and a good night's rest. Simus was ready for a drink.

    "Both of those sound great Rex and thank you for saving us." Jessica said. "You too Oracle!" She shouted over the comm systems. "We could both use something to eat and we'd really appreciate it if you could prepare us some quarters. What's Baroth have in the fridge? And how's he doing? I saw Oracle looking after him and my IFF showed he's still alive but he lost a lot of blood. Oh, and it's Miss Psyrakon by the way. I'm not married. You can call me Jessica or Jess though."

    She gave Rex a silent smile and rubbed her throat scars absentmindedly, hoping they really were healing.
     

    fellowknight

    The Devil In The Details
    "Both of those sound great Rex and thank you for saving us." Jessica said. "You too Oracle!" She shouted over the comm systems. "We could both use something to eat and we'd really appreciate it if you could prepare us some quarters. What's Baroth have in the fridge? And how's he doing? I saw Oracle looking after him and my IFF showed he's still alive but he lost a lot of blood. Oh, and it's Miss Psyrakon by the way. I'm not married. You can call me Jessica or Jess though."

    Rex nodded, uploading live stats of Baroth's vitals and fluid levels, along with camera feed from inside the Hustlers medbay. A materialized Oracle stood at Baroth's bed-side with a touch-screen medical scanner in her hands, fingers flickering as she ran the proper procedures to stabilize Baroth's condition.

    "Most certainly, Miss Psyrakon. Considering the amount of blood loss and the shock from the attack, Baroth will need a few hours of rest before he can move comfortably. It is estimated he should regain conscious with an hour an a half. He'll make a full recovery within a few days, however, and should sustain only minor scars though he'll undoubtedly be weak throughout this process."

    Proceeding to the stainless steel fridge, Rex announced the ingredients contained within.

    "Hmm..." He began, assorting his options with the given ingredients. "Perhaps I could re-warm a platter of kajun-seasoned shrimp-fried rice with fried eggrolls? Or would you prefer a simple baked and seasoned pizza? I have a specific technique I use that Baroth is fond of."

    He eyed Simus. Adrenaline rushing and stress toxins told Rex the man would require a rather stiff drink. "Mr. Simus, might I entice you with a bottle of Budlight beer? We had a Beverage Customization Station installed last month. Maybe your grand-daughter could suggest a beverage to best suit your state. I would imagine you'd prefer a rather bold drink. Perhaps Smirnoff Vodka would suffice?"

    He gestured to the left hallway behind Simus and Jessica. "The first room to your left has quarters already prepared with two single beds, a standard plasma T.V. with eighty-plus channels, a mini refrigerator, and a bathroom fit with a small shower."

    Rex stood at full attention, ready to carry out whatever request they made.

    (OOC: Sorry for the scratchy post, but it moves my side along for the time being. Hope everyone can get the point :D)
     

    Baneloth

    Well-Known Member
    As the others evaded the Dominion blockade, and Imperial fleet, and set the coordinates for Theren, Derek prepared to do the same. A barely noticeable ping got his attention.He paused, hand hovering over the hyperspace lever. He checked, then double checked the coordinates the ping had come from. Despite what his sensors were telling him, he saw nothing. Except....He focused, staring out the viewport, searching for anything out of the normal. Then he spotted it. A suspicious looking gap in the stars. Not large, maybe big enough for a large fighter, or a ship like his. He sent a ping back, and sent the Nomad towards the gap. "Hey Skylar, get up here. There's something I think you should see before we jump for Theren."
     

    Andre Marek

    You can run, but you'll only die tired...
    Skylar was in the midst of touching up the burn on her shoulder when Darek came over the come, "Hey Skylar, get up here. There's something I think you should see before we jump for Theren." She grimaced slightly as she poured rubbing alcohol over the area before grabbing a square bandage and pressing it down on her shoulder and leaving the bathroom for the cockpit. They'd only just barely gotten past the blockade so whatever it was Darek wanted to show her had to be on the edge of the system. Darek was leaning over one of the sensor screens at the helm when Skylar got to the cockpit. Leaning on the back of his chair while keeping the bandage pressed to her shoulder she watched as he pointed to a spot on the screen displaying a plain looking starscape. It wasn't long until her keen eyes picked out what it was he wanted her to see.

    A barely noticeable gap in between the stars, slightly larger than normal. It was undoubtedly a ship. One with a very good stealth system. She glanced at Darek,
    "Did it hail you?" Darek was an excellent bounty hunter, one of the best in the business, but there was no way he could have spotted something that inconspicuous.

    Darek pointed to another screen, drawing Skylars attention to an incoming ping signature that her eidetic memory immediately recognized.
    "Thats the Judicator's signature. Thats Marek..." She trailed off. Marek was a cautious man but he wasn't over cautious. He knew Darek well enough that the stealth systems of the Judicator shouldn't have been engaged. Something was wrong. "Line up with the ventral hatch on the bottom of the gun turret. If he's got the stealth system up then something is up. I'll go aboard. If anything, I at least know how to keep my head amidst all of his defense systems."

    Darek didn't argue with her but took the controls and eased the Nomads hatch up to the ventral hatch of the Judicator like she asked. On her way down the hall from the cockpit to the airlock Skylar grabbed her jacket from the bathroom and slung it over her shoulder. A gentle clang ran through the Nomad as the docking clamps attached the two ships together and a loud hissing noise filled the air as the airlock opened, revealing the Judicators maintenance shaft to her.

    Skylar prepared herself for the gravity shift when she boarded the Judicator but she still felt some slight vertigo when the floor of the Nomad turned into the wall of a chasm falling away below her. The Judicators maintenance tower was a vertical shaft so she closed the hatch behind her and began climbing the ladder on the wall. When she go the where the medbay and holding cells were she called out,
    "Aden? Where are you?" The ships com system beeped and a synthesized voice came over the PA, "Mr Marek is currently in the medbay awaiting your arrival."

    "What the hell is he doing in the medbay?" She said to no one in particular. The VI chimmed in anyway, "Mr Marek came under heavy fire at our last stop and sustained some injuries."

    "What kind of injuries? Where was the last stop?"

    "Mr Marek sustained a gunshot wound in the leg, a large burn across his left side, and slight cut on his forehead. I am not permitted to answer your last query."

    Skylar cursed as she climbed into the medbay. She immediately spotted the new addition and walked up to the door. Through the thick glass she could see Marek, nude, suspended in a clear liquid with a breathing mask over his face. he must have been in the chamber for some time already, judging by how healed his wounds were already. The burns were no longer present, neither was the cut on his head. The gunshot on his leg was visible as a bright red, jagged scar but judging from the severity of it even know, it must have been far worse when it was inflicted.

    She glanced at the readout beside the glass and saw that he would be inside for a few more hours so she opened up a com to Darek as she left the medbay and made her way to the cockpit.
    "Darek. Aden definitely found something. He's pretty banged up. I'll take the Judicator and meet you and the others at Therin. Hopefully I'll Aden will have something for us by then." She cut the link and sat down at the Judicators helm.
     

    Madrar

    The Shadow in the Dark.
    Arcanus fought his way free of the panicking party-goers, and made it to the street. He managed to slip away before the authorities arrived on scene, though by the sound of sirens, not by much. He opened a link to the base. "Lieutenant Aedoth." It took the lieutenant seconds to respond. "Sir?" Arcanus had seen the wounded bounty hunters slipping away. It was likely they would try to make it off world, with mercenary troops and local authorities looking for them. "Order major Jaerosin to send his troops to the space port. No one is to allowed in or out. Understood?"

    There was a long pause on the other end of the comm. "Lieutenant?" When Aedoth finally responded, she sounded more than a little nervous. "Uh, agent Morne...Blacklight control just registered several ships leaving the atmosphere nearly five minutes ago."

    Morne cursed. His suspicions were correct, and unless he acted quickly, the hunters would slip away from him. "Get my ship down here now." He ordered. "I'm making my way to the spaceport. Have a squadron of interceptors ready in orbit. Those bounty hunters do not leave the system." The lieutenant acknowledged, and Arcanus made his way to the spaceport. His ship, an Autarch class stealth fighter, which he'd named Phantom, was waiting for him. He climbed into the cockpit and started up the engines. Within minutes he was out of Eregins atmosphere, and joining up with the interceptor squadron. "What are our targets, sir?" the squadron leader wanted to know.

    "Unaligned ships. Bounty hunters. They're probably past the blockade by now." The pilots acknowledged, and the squadron, along with Morne, passed the Aldmeri blockade. Within moments, his sensors picked up an unaligned ship. "I see them. All fighters, fire at will." The darkness of space lit up as the interceptor squadron opened fire. However, before they could get through the bounty hunters shields, the ships jumped to hyperspace. Morne sighed, disappointment replacing the excitement of the fight. Then one of the pilots spoke up. "Sir-We captured their jump co-ordinates. Should we follow?"

    Arcanus smiled grimly. "Negative. Feed me the co-ordinates and return to your station." The co-ordinates appeared on his screen a second later. Theren. With a humourless chuckle, Arcanus sent the phantom into hyperspace.
     

    Baneloth

    Well-Known Member
    As Derek waited in the cockpit of the Nomad, Skylar arrived, pressing a bandage to the wound on her shoulder. It looked like it stung, but it wasn't life threatening. The Imperial agent confirmed his suspicions by mentioning that the cloaked ship was indeed the Judicator. She instructed him to line up with the ventral hatch of the ship. He gave her a nod when the docking tube had pressurized, though she was already heading to the airlock.

    He didn't have to wait for news long. "Darek. Aden definitely found something. He's pretty banged up. I'll take the Judicator and meet you and the others at Therin. Hopefully Aden will have something for us by then." Skylar cut the comm and Derek disengaged the tube. A minute later, the Judicator jumped, and Derek was preparing the Nomad to do the same when his lock-on alarms went crazy. Glancing at the sensor screen, he saw the cause for the alarms. A full squadron of Aldmeri interceptors were coming at him from the blockade, lead by a ship whose readout he didn't recognize. He glanced at the nav-computer. Hyperspace co-ordinates to Theren were locked in. His rear shields took a pounding as the interceptors came into range. "Time to leave this party." He loosed a sight of relief as the stars elongated and the ship successfully jumped to hyperspace.

    The trip to Theren was a little longer than the Cyris to Eregin jump had been. When he finally came out of hyperspace, they were greeted with the sight of literally, thousands of ships. Most of them were commerical or civilians vessels, but Derek spotted a few star destroyers and other military ships among them. He opened a channel to the other hunters' vessels. "Welcome to Theren, people. Heart of the Empire and what not. Planet's mostly urbanized. Make for the Imperial city space port. We'll meet up there. And behave yourselves."

    He followed his own instructions, answering the queries of Therens Imperial city ATC, and landing in the assigned bay. He lowered the Nomads ramp, and moved out into the space port itself. Kyle joined him a short time later. "You really think Ataro is here?" Derek shrugged. "Why not? Hide in plain sight. And the Imperial city is a good place to disappear in. The Empire doesn't control the undercity." Kyle nodded, and suppressed a shudder. The pair of them had taken a job in Therens' undercity a couple of years ago. It had made the slums of Eregin look like a royal garden.
     

    Drahkma

    Dashing Imperial Officer.
    Corvis entered the Theren system, and immediately activated one of his fake transponders. It was unlikely the Imperials would shoot him down, but he hadn't gotten where he was by being careless. He got clearance to land, and set down in bay B-15. He found the location of Dereks ship, and made his way over to the green armoured bounty hunter.

    "So what makes you think Ataro is here?" He asked. "I mean, I get the whole 'hide in plain sight thing. But why here? The other side of Theren is just a good a place. Entire planet is city." He looked around. "Are we the first ones here?"
     

    TheShadedOne

    The Angry One
    Dah'Sharra made her way through the Imperial spaceport. It was large, impressive, by any other planets standards. It was filled with merchants coming in from various worlds, and not-so honest characters drifting in after them. Neither types surprised her much, to be honest. Theren had always been a hub for legal, and not so legal transactions, despite being the Imperial capital. She'd been on many a job here, usually in the planets' undercity.

    That was where all the spit and polish that went into Therens' shiny exterior faded away, to reveal the poor, diseased, and murderous people that made up at least half its' population, forced to live out of sight, and for the most part, out of mind.

    Her attention was drawn by a large holo-sign, welcoming travellers to the capital. It also warned against violence on the streets of Theren. She smirked. 'Theren. Safe and welcoming, until you slip through the cracks. Then it's just as bad as Eregin.' She spotted Derek, Kyle and Corvis standing around, chatting. She met with them, and leaned against a nearby wall. "So. I'm guessing there's no sign of Ataro yet? She doesn't strike me as the type to advertise her presence."
     

    Madrar

    The Shadow in the Dark.
    Arcanus' ship came out of hyperspace and he activated his ships stealth systems immediately. The ship was top of the line, and it was unlikely any of the Imperial military vessels would pick him up on their scanners. Unless it Arcanus crashed into one of the other ships, he should have no problems. He kept his passive scanners active, picking up the signature of his targets ship. The bounty hunters vessel was already near the atmosphere, and Varastian was probably on the comm with Therens air traffic controller.

    Half an hour later, Arcanus had set down in a hangar bay controlled by an organized crime syndicate. He paid a few thousand credits to keep the port masters mouth shut. Then he left the bay, and made his way on foot towards the hangars more commonly used by bounty hunters, smugglers, and the like. It took him another couple of hours before he found the right bay. Another bribe, and he was ignored by the bay guards, and port masters. There was no sign of Varastian or his companions, but the ship in the bay was familiar. It was certain they were on Theren. Arcanus sank into the crowds outside the bay, and decided to wait until he caught sight of the hunters.
     

    Simus

    An Excellent Site Member
    "The shrimp, fried rice and egg rolls would probably be best. And why don't you get Simus a glass of Supernova Single-Barrel Bourbon. That should fix him right up." Jessica had switched back to using her phone to communicate so everyone could hear her. "And I'll take a Fat Man Lagar. Or two. Or...well, just leave the machine open." Rex prepared their food and drinks in a few minutes and soon they were both eating. Everything was delicious and the meal gave them both new life. Simus couldn't help but stare out into the great empty void of space.

    "Everything taste good?" Jessica asked.

    "Yeah, yeah." Simus said absentmindedly. "Everything's...delicious. Especially this bourbon. I'm gonna need another glass I think."

    "Good. Glad you like it. It's strong stuff but there's nothing better to sip in my opinion."

    There was a few moments of silence and Simus continued to stare. Jessica was a little concerned. "Hey. You okay?"

    "I've...we're really up in the heavens aren't we?"

    "Yep. This is space. The great empty void the universe floats around in." She paused and considered how that might have sounded. "Sorry. I keep forgetting that this is all new to you. Space is...well...it's really big and there's a lot of terrifying things in it but there's also a lot of beautiful things too. And we have the means to reach all of them. I remember the first time I went into space. It was aboard an Academy shuttle and we were heading to a gas giant to see how a fuel station worked. I was 12 and it was so scary seeing Therin, my home, zip away out of my window. I thought it would never come back. I started to cry because I was in this giant nothing that was so much bigger than me and everything I'd ever know was gone. But the teacher leading our group, she sat down next to me, pulled me close to her and told me everything was gonna be okay. That space was full of planets just like mine and everybody fells this way when the leave. And that meant I wasn't so weird and that once I learned that it wasn't so bad. There's all kinds of places to visit out here and your home, your planet, will always be there for you to come home to."

    Simus smiled at her, this girl that was so much like Alice and yet a person all her own. He got up from his chair, walked up to Jessica and hugged her. She stood up and eagerly hugged him back. It felt really good to be able to give him comfort and his larger, warmer body felt wonderful against her relatively slender one. It reminded her of her dad. She missed him. "Sorry if that didn't help. I just wanted to try and make you feel better."

    "It did. And thank you sweetheart. Now, you look very tired and I for one am exhausted. Let's go get some rest. I've had enough running and gunning for a while."

    Jessica chuckled at that. "You sound like my mom. And my dad."

    "Well, I am your thousand year ancestor."

    "Yeah. I guess you are. You know...I never actually had a grandfather. Or at least not one that I ever knew. Could you...well...do you think..."

    "Yes." Simus sad.

    "Thank you Simus." Jessica hugged him again and he gladly returned it.

    "You're welcome Jessica. Now let's go to bed. This hunt still has a long way to go."

    They both headed to the room Rex had pointed out for them, got a shower, changed and got into their beds. It felt wonderful for Jessica to get out of her bodysuit and into her warm, clean, blue footy pajamas and it felt pampering to have Simus tuck her in again. He settled for a pair of mesh shorts Rex had laid out for him and thanks to exhaustion and a bit too much to drink both were asleep and comfortable withing a few minutes. Oracle said it would be ten hours to Therin, about twice as long as it should be, but she wanted to give Baroth time to heal. And they could all get a good night's sleep.
     

    willowwisp

    Well-Known Member
    "Lyssa. Wake up we're here." Mar said, shaking his partner. Lyssa rolled, over, grumbling to herself. Healing Baroth had taken more out of her than she would have wanted to admit. She'd fallen asleep almost as soon as they'd left Eregins atmosphere. The trip had taken about five hours, by her guess. She got up, rubbing the last of the sleep out of her eyes, and began putting her armour plates on. By the time she got back up to the cockpit, Mar had secured a landing area.

    "Is everyone else on the ground already?" She asked, putting her helmet on. Mar shrugged, "don't know. Let's go meet up with the others."

    The two bounty hunters joined Corvis, Derek, and Dah'Sharra by the spaceport. They were talking about Ataros' possible location. "First things first." Lyssa said. "We should find a place to operate out of. Like your place on Eregin. The less attention we draw to ourselves right now, the better." Then she shrugged. "But hey, that's just my thoughts."
     

    Recent chat visitors

    Latest posts

Top