Knights of the Old Republic: Rise of the Reavers

[LadyTevar]

"Trouble, guys... the ones you're following just turned in your direction and raised weapons," Trys warned, probably a little too late as the riot gun opened up. "Oh ... kriff...."

All alone on the Sunrise, nothing she could do to help them from here. "Kriff."

[Comrade Tortoise]

They didnt know where he was, and this was making them nervous. They were not taking the bait like they were supposed to. This would need to be fixed. He need them to either spread out, or get into the corridor where the rhodians would be cover against each other and their lieutenant.

Asarak had an idea. He looked around for an appropriate object. And wouldn't you know it a... Asarak couldnt even tell what it was anymore. It might have once been a shoe.

The narrow catwalk he was just on, the one he wanted his enemies to go down was perpendicular to the one he occupied now, and the object was on the other side. Perfect, it would not be exposed as something essentially thrown. He telekinetically lifted piece of refuse and used the Force to skip it along the catwalk making a sound like that of a person running down the catwalk in the direction opposite him.

[Hotfoot]

Zyke noticed the flash of the blaster fire before he heard the distinctive report, and his body responded with practiced ease as he dove towards the nearest available cover. His eyes darted around, looking for a path. Marcus and Dewaddik knew enough to keep the gunner busy with their own heavy weapons, and if they were lucky, they might even bring him down. Zyke's strength, however, was in misdirection. While the gunman was busy with the two large, intimidating targets, he would sneak around and get a well placed set of blaster shots into the side or rear of the target.

What mattered, of course, was getting there without getting shot at. Setting up an enfilade was no easy task in unfamiliar terrain, but it was something he had done several times in the previous wars, and his armor was specially crafted to allow for a fair bit of mobility. As he went, he looked around for any other sources of blaster fire, mindful that he who takes point is the first one to be shot at by the enemy nobody behind you sees.

[Marcao]

He walked purposefully as his helmet moved from side to side as he dissected his immediate surroundings and beyond. Duty assisted him with the task, the visual enhancements that were part of the helmet allowing the process of plucking sensory information to occur at a far more efficient manner. He did not assume that he was safe even now he knew very well where such thoughts led. He was half way past an intersection when his helmet turned as an amplified sound caught his interest.

That had sounded like...

His body reacted before his mind did honed by countless days and nights spent in the battlefield. He had an armor that was capable of absorbing fire but damage had to be repaired and he preferred to not get Duty any more banged up than it had to be. He kneeled and rolled, the armored suit completing the motion and allowing him to stop behind a nearby building and momentarily out of sight.

Blaster Carbine.

The sound had been distinctive. He stood and glanced past his cover for a fraction of a second in order to get a sense of their adversaries location. He caught sight of Icgar as he fired and then caught sight of Kass a moment later through visual enhancement.

Mark VII. This complicates matters.

He faded behind cover for a moment before he spoke.

"Alright. We have two targets, one with a carbine and one with a Mark VII. The Mark VII has a lot of power but not a lot of range, it can make some types of cover disappear however so be mindful of that. I will get the ball rolling and try to keep the Mark VII occupied, Dewaddik take whatever opening you see and Zyke I leave you to your own devices."

A moment later he popped out partially out of cover smoothly, aligned the triple barrels of Honor with the target and letting loose a withering array of fire in the direction of the creature with the Mark VII who seemed positively itching to try it. He could risk a few hits from the carbine but not from the Mark VII, the best way to help alleviate the threat of the heavier weapon was to keep its owner preoccupied. Honor lacked the raw destructive power of the Mark VII but it had a faster rate of fire and more importantly was far more accurate. It was one thing to shoot calmly at people when they did not know they were there. It was a different thing entirely when your potential victims were shooting back.

After about two seconds of fire he sought to kneel and shift slightly, altering his profile while trying to maximize the cover. He had two escape options in mind, he could seek cover behind the building again or he could use Duty's jetback to propel him forward and into the second floor of the building opposite him. He would have to see how his adversaries reacted before he would act.

[frigidmagi]

Dewaddki threw himself to the floor cursing as blaster bolts flew fast and free. He started rolling towards cover, pointing his heavy repeating blaster at the enemy and returning fire with a roar.

[Cynical Cat]

Zyke went to ground as the riot gun hosed the walkway with blaster bolts. He only needed a momentary distraction to break from cover and begin flanking, but at the moment he didn't have it.

Then the Mandalorian opened up, blasting apart a two meter swath of railing and a cluster of pipes as his fire suppressed the gangster with the Mark VII. This in turn drew the riot gun's fire and Zyke was momentarily forgotten.

The Mandalorian took a glancing hit on his left shoulder and was sprayed with white hot pieces of razor edged shrapnel, but received no injury more serious than a minor burn from the shoulder hit. The riot gun's fire might have forced a change of plan if not for a single complication. A big one. Wookies were always big complication.

Dewaddki's gun hit as hard as a heavy blaster rifle and possessed a rate of fire superior to that of the riot gun. The Wookie wasn't in the ideal position for accuracy, but he had made himself a much harder target and quantity has a quality all of its own. One of his bolts grazed Icgar in the left leg. The thug was wearing tough, thermal resistant coveralls designed and so managed not to lose the leg. He did fall screaming to the deck and rolled away, firing a spray of blaster bolts in the vague direction of his enemies.

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"Chumacka wanga," said one of the Rodians and darted ahead to get a firing position on the catwalk where he heard the disturbance. The other one stayed back, providing covering fire against attacks from some angles. The movement did, however, take the first Rodian out of Merdar's line of sight.

[Comrade Tortoise]

It was not perfect, he would have preferred to take both Rhodian's out. But this would have to do. Besides, if they lived it would teach them that they cannot trust their senses, fear may be of the Dark Side, but applying fear to one's enemies certainly had its uses.

The Rhodian was out of sight of the Lieutenant, and the other Rhodian could only defend him against some angles of fire. Asarak moved as quickly and as quietly as he could until he was within striking range. Careful to keep out of the other gunmen's line of fire unless absolutely necessary.

For the final strike, Asarak used The Force to move swiftly and keep facing any arcs of fire he knew of.

Asarak was on the Rhodian before he knew what hit him. He managed to get a few blaster rounds off, which were deflected by the Padawan before Asarak removed his blaster arm with an upward stroke and cleaved him from his right shoulder to left hip with the downward slash back to his guard position.

The second Rhodian fired his blaster. But Asarak was facing him, deflecting blaster fire as he moved out of Line of Sight and prepared to relocate.

[Hotfoot]

He started moving the moment there was an opening, and as predicted, Marcus and Dewaddik served up covering fire on a golden tray. Sliding up under cover, diving through any open areas, Zyke worked his way to the side of the attacking gunmen, attempting to catch them without cover. All the while, he glanced around, looking for any additional support the gunmen might have, as well as for any indication that his targets were tracking him.

[Cynical Cat]

The generous amount of cover fire allowed Zyke to dark along the catwalks and get a decent angle on the gunmen engaging his friends. It also allowed him to notice Threel sending the other four goons around to engage them on the right flank while the Terrible Trio was engaged on the left. The grey skinned man himself didn't join them, but continued to descend into the pit.

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White-hot fragments of metal lacerated Asarek's skin as Merdar's blaster bolts tore shanty walls apart and blaster craters in girders, sending out a deadly spray of shrapnel. The gunman didn't have a good angle on the young Jedi, but the barrage was enough to make life unpleasant.

"Bring in the droids," Merdar said over his mastoid implanted comlink. "No, all of them. All of them. Now. The Jedi are dying hard, but we're already in profit."

[Hotfoot]

Zyke spoke softly into his comlink while setting up the shot on the current bad guys. His blaster carbine might not have the power or rate of fire of the heavy blasters currently cooking off the cover, but a few carbine rounds in the right places would do more than a proton torpedo in a star. "Four more on the right, coming up. Dewie, get on them."

The shots lit up his concealed position as he pulled the trigger, but a pair of shots struck out, one at each target, before he dove back down behind his cover and started moving again. If they survived and focused on him, they left themselves open to Marcus and Dewaddik, and if not, he'd get another good angle in a moment.

[LadyTevar]

All Tris could do at this moment was listen in helplessly. Blasting off in the Sunrise to rescue them was not an option. It was not that she -couldn't- get the ship down into the pit, it was all the stuff between them, as well as the planetary security's reaction.

All she could do was wait, and try to distract herself by slicing further into the camera systems.

[Comrade Tortoise]

Asarak did not like shrapnel. This became especially true when a piece of hot jagged metal slashed across his left shoulder among other places. NOT LIKE SHRAPNEL!!!

He was not yet skilled enough to put up a good telekinetic shield to protect him from this sort of stuff. He could do it against singular thrown objects, but he couldnt keep out numerous small fast objects. Especially when they came from different directions.

he really needed to learn how to deflect blaster fire back at the shooter.

He managed to get behind some shanties, and turn a corner. They couldnt see him and at this point would not know where he was. It was Merder, the one Rhodian, and maybe a couple others who had stalked him before.

One thing he had not been doing was utilizing his telepathic abilities. He could plant a false hunch if he needed to. He reached out with the Force, and tried to make contact with Merder's mind

[Marcao]

He felt the glancing hit on his shoulder almost as quickly as it occurred. The pain was hardly a new sensation. Even as angry neurons screamed their message to his brain, Duty’s HUD lit up showing him the damage it had sustained and offering to inject him with a chemical cocktail designed to soothe the angry nerves. There were many warriors that had set up their armors to deploy such “boostersâ€

[Cynical Cat]

A stream of triple blaster fire completely demolished the Mark VII gunner's cover, sending him crouching on the floor as smoke and hot gasses wreathed the area. Then a single shot flew from Zyke's carbine and took him in the upper chest and he fell.

Zyke's other shot narrowly missed the wounded thug who twisted around and unleashed a poorly aimed barrage in Zyke's general direction as he simoultaneously attempted to crawl towards cover.

The other four thugs advanced, firing as they came. Two had pulse-wave blaster pistols and their initial fire missed, but was close enough for debris to singe some of Dewaddik's fur. The other two opened up on the only other highly visible target, the Mandalorian with a blaster pistol and a bell mouthed, full auto, shoulderstock equipped, flechette launcher.

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"The other way!" Merdar shouted, influenced by Asarek's telepathic trick. "He's gone low and tried to shift around and double back on us. Back up and watch to the right!"

[frigidmagi]

Dewaddki snarled with frustration and discomfort as the smell of singed Wookie fur lofted gently in the air. The Jedi was somewhere deeper in the Pit, likely under fire or being hunted. While these overarmed thugs did nothing but hold them up. They Did Not Have Time For This!

Rolling under cover Dewaddki eyeballed the distance between him, his team and the 4 advancing hostiles. He pulled out a frag grenade, pulled the pin and threw it, aiming for slightly behind the thugs.

"wohoworcrorhoowaro waooohwh!" He cried as the grenade arched through the air.

[LadyTevar]

Trys wasn't even nearby and she instinctively ducked at Dewaddik's warning. It meant he had gotten out the grenades.

[Cynical Cat]

The grenade bounced and rolled around the deck, sending the scum diving for cover. One didn't get a meter before it went off. The durasteel egg exploded, sending its casing out in the form of hypervelocity shrapnel.

The unfortunate pistolier received five shrapnel wounds which were individually life threatening a dozen other serious wounds. He slumped to the deck a bloody mess. The blaster armed thug was serious injured by shrapnel, but the flechette gunner and other pulse waver managed to escape with minor injuries.

Of course, the process of diving for cover meant they weren't shooting for more than a few seconds and were out of position for even longer. More than enough time for a professional to exploit.

[Comrade Tortoise]

"The other way!" Merdar shouted, influenced by Asarek's telepathic trick. "He's gone low and tried to shift around and double back on us. Back up and watch to the right!"

And now to decide how to proceed. Asarak needed these men dead, and he needed them dead before they managed to gather additional droids. His suggestion would be maintained without the help of The Force so long as he did nothing to make them think it was a lie.

He could hear two gunfights, one behind him where he fallen from, probably involving the Sith, and another. The individuals involved in this gunfight resonated strongly in The Force. Given his prior feelings, and what he could gather from their resonance, they were part of the extraction team sent to get him out, or were at least potential allies. But he felt something else. Something he could only describe as a spiky ball of Malice. This was separate from the Sith he encountered earlier. This was someone else, someone he did not want to run into without fire support.

He went toward the gunfight and the exit. It was the only way he would get out of here alive.

[Hotfoot]

Zyke popped out of cover several meters away from his previous position, his carbine leveled at the remaining of his former two targets. He unleashed a short burst of shots before disappearing again. "Shoot and scoot" was a well practiced method he had learned in battle, never staying still long enough for the enemy to get an accurate bead on your location, and using cover not so much to defend against enemy fire, but to prevent enemies from seeing where you are and where you will be.

[Marcao]

His targets came in firing, but that had not been unexpected and he answered in kind. He had the advantage of knowing the overall direction of their approach and benefit from Duty's enhanced sensory systems. The fire came his way and he did not shrink from it, rather he twisted slightly offering the thicker parts of his armor to take the fire from the blaster pistol and the flechette launcher. Had he been wearing lighter armor, he would have been ill advised to do so. With Duty wrapped around him, he did not even feel the need to activate his armor's full defensive capabilities.

Honor unleashed a torrent of fire which he focused on the target with the blaster pistol first before the stream of fire was walked towards the flechette launcher carrier. He registered multiple impacts along Duty's outer shell but the bulk were flechettes that found penetration a difficult task. Dewaddik was not an immediate concern. He expected that the wookie would survive the situation. The grenade that flashed in the air a moment later was tracked and highlighted by Duty's optical systems. The warcry a moment later could not be mistakened for anything else.
The explosion was an impressive one, not so much for the explosive power of the device. He had seen larger explosions but his vantage point allowed him a particularly impressive vantage point to admire the carnage. The response to the grenade had been a mechanical and predictable one, but that did not make it the incorrect one. He was however in a position to exploit the situation and he readily attempted to capitulate.

He concentrated on those two that seemed to through a combination of reaction time and good fortune escaped the most grievous injuries.
Honor shifted in place and settled to track the flechette gunner as he sought suitable shelter. His raised position made some forms of cover offer less protection than expected and he sought to remove him from play with a second long squeeze of Honor's trigger. A moment later and Honor shifted once more, trying to track the pulse waver and doing the same working in conjunction with Zyke where possible as he sought to weave a web of fire that would ultimately remove from the game all the gathered pieces still in play not on their side.

[Cynical Cat]

The sound of the last blaster shot died away. Smoke rose from blasted flesh and cratered metal. Tiny fires burned sullenly. Nothing moved.

[frigidmagi]

Dewaddki sprang to his feet and barked with a bit of contempt.

"Let's go boys!" Dewaddki cried and started jogging forward heavy repeater blaster at the ready.

[LadyTevar]

"Well, gentlemen, it will thoroughly annoy the locals, and I'd probably be banned from ever landing on this rock again.. but give the word and the Sunrise can be there for pickup," Trys stated, making her decision.

[Marcao]

He did not admire his work. He could hardly claim full credit for it but it was not something that was new to him. The unnatural stillness that clung thickly to the air was a sensation that he was intimately familiar with. He had felt that feeling in over a dozen worlds. It was Dewaddik that acted first, the wookie driven by the instincts of his people. He heard his cry and all but felt the contempt as it slithered across the air towards parts unknown.

He jumped down from his current position, a one and half second burst from his jetback slowing him enough to land somewhat gracefully. He moved to Dewaddik's side as he jogged forward, the Wookie's alert senses joined by the enhanced senses of Duty as they both plowed forward.

"Don't be afraid to keep up Zyke." he said and trusted Duty's internal communications to carry those words to the Zabrak.

A moment later, Trys made an offer that they would be foolish to refuse. "Considering that we no longer have surprise and probably never had it, it may be something that we will need." As much as he liked to think that people tried to kill them out of simple fear there had to be more than that at work. Had someone deduced their reason for being here? He frowned as he made an effort to keep up with Dewaddik while keeping his senses alert for a potential ambush or sounds that warranted his interest.

[Comrade Tortoise]

The gunfight had died down, but Asarak could tell through the resonance in Force that his allies had been successful. They had driven off or killed their opponents.

He was approaching them, a man in Mandalorian Armor, A heavily armed Wookie, and a Zabrak. A sight for sore eyes is what they were. As he approached they could see a black and yellow Hortek, essentially a reptiloid, carrying an amber colored lightsaber. He was also bleeding from multiple lacerations, had several wounds that were cauterized by hot metal shrapnel, and was bruised and dirty pretty much everywhere.

"I am Asarak Set" he said to them as he got even closer "I am in your debt, bounty hunters ambushed us. They killed Melek and engaged a sith we encountered as well. The sith I suspect was an outcast of some kind, he did not recognize us as Jedi... but there is a Dark Side adept here, strong and full of malice. I only felt him but I am sure he hunts us"