Log:Sith: How Dare They?

The Sith investigate a distress signal

OOC Date: April 28, 2023
Location: Transport Layover Station Jenth-401
Participants: Tamsin Cas, Raskta, Kol Goren, Losor, Zoka Kanas, Darth Kuolo, Merulia and Reverberate as GM

The stations guidelights were sporadic at best description, ionization had caused many to simply blow out and surface damage from laser fire showed where others were destroyed. The remains of fighter defenses rotate in orbit around the old diamond-form station floating in the void. An old model that had served Palpatine's Galactic Empire, the New Republic and now The Sith - it was a transfer port for equipment going to the Outer Rim expansions and for valuable materials being brought coreward from the edges of the galaxy.

No communications were returned or broadcasted, MagCon shields at the primary hangar were on emergency reserve power and the deck was littered with bodies, organic and mechanical. Sith Stormtroopers were cast about, their cover positions overrun and the bodies of battle droids and figures in rag-tag armor around them.

Cargo loader equipment and droids were missing. Signs of storage containers having been hastily removed are everywhere. Signs of life were lacking and smoking heaps of station craft make the landing bay air smoggy and laces the air with the acrid reek of burnt metal and plastics.

Achlys stepped further into the bay, leaving behind the relative security of the transport, if one considered having breathable oxygen security, boots making soft sounds as she stepped further into the aftermath of whatever destruction had caused the station to go offline. "I sense no other living in the area." Aside from the team, one would imagine. "I will try to see if I can determine the current cargo. It might give us an idea of what was taken, why, and by whom." Everyone in the galaxy needed something. Some needed some things more than others.

Raskta Looks about she checks her brother and sighs " Be carful you fool you've been ijured twice now and once you went down " she growls at him " I have some armor you can wear perhaps that might save your hide " She sputters and fusses about him all the while telling him he's an idiot but still trying to make sure he's okay her head moves about though trying to take in everything but staying slightly back to protect her brother.

Whisper soft bootfalls traverse the boarding ramp of the landing craft and DT-X10 descends with the barrel of his blaster ascended. The blaster's barrel up and his torso shifting this way and that, keeping it aligned with his own field of view while he takes in angles and potential security risks present. The call from Darth Achlys that no living beings are sensed in the area is passively regarded as the black clad trooper steps off to the side of the boarding ramp with nary a sound of his booted feet touching down on the deck despite the distance. The Death Trooper is soon lost in a world of shadow and darkness, moving noiselessly within it.

The helmet aids in his steps, preventing any accidental or incidental sounds. He steps across a body in mismatched armor and then the frame of a droid soon after that. Slowly and carefully he picks his way across the remains of a chaotic battlefield with his rifle up and at the ready, taking in the scene. He treads in the shadows, prepared to engage anything that may lurk in the dark with him. While many converge on the scene and begin investigating, DT-X10 dedicates his time and focus to securing the area from the shadowy patches of the perimeter.

Losor stretches and rolls his shoulders with a smirk. "Oh be quiet now, I'm still alive, still here, and what's a warrior without battle scars and a story to tell?" He asks with a chuckle. "You worry to much, relax. I'll be fine, promise." Losor says as he too makes his way through keeping pace with his sister while staying just slightly behind everyone.

It's not as easy to be stealthy in bright red armor, so ET-6260 wasn't trying to be. With the report that there were no lifesigns, it means whoever hit this place had already fled with whatever they'd taken.

No power to check the manifests, either. The trooper also seems more focused on making sure the area is secure. The Sith will be able to use their abilities somehow, she figures.

Thanks to the dangerous nature of not-enough-breathable-air, the masked man was unusually covered. Kuolo's face was not exactly common, but, the atmospheric helm was potentially mission-critical. If Kuolo's concerns were of being quiet, he was a poor role model, walking through the center of the room with a left hand extended and held parallel to the floor. He was focused on something else, or someones-else.

His voice is low, held more for himself than anyone else as he walks and surveys the area. "Salvagers," he mutters quietly, "A cover?" His eyes settle onto one of the droid bodies.

Merulia knew the benefits of being hidden, knew what it was like to move across the aftermath for beasts hunting in wild and dangerous frenzy. Here? It was almost eerily similar in some ways and now the Sith were hunting. Clad in her usual wrappings that formed the Nightsister's outfit along with the outer cloak of the Sith, the blonde Sephi that was Meru moved with the polished hilt of her lightsaber held in her deceptively delicate looking hand.

"It could be a scavengers picking the bones, but that does not make them harmless if they have enough of these droids."

Voices echo with a clarity uncommon for a station docking bay, one wrecks of support craft smoking in its docking alcove issuing a brief, hissing, fountain of sparks to the ground before metal swelling from the heat of its burning interior causes a panel to bend and pop loose on one side with a heavy report like a slugthrower rifle.

Silence returns and again reigns supreme, in the bay bereft of its normal cargo stacks, maintenance crew and regular patrols.

Achlys did not have any difficulty in the low light, nor did the smoke appear to much bother her. The reports from the team, as they came in were taken notice if, helmet turning to consider Kuolo as he spoke. The terminal was soon found, but the fingertip she touched to the controls was soon pulled away, as the terminal spat and sparked, perhaps in solidarity with the transport above that looked ready to fall apart at the slightest breeze. "Whatever atmosphere is left in this outpost is unlikely to last if we cannot get full power back."

Raskta Takes a moment to start checking various box's and places to see if somebody forgot anything or it was left behind by accident she's pretty sure not but dosn't hurt to double check

<<"Moving to main engineering for a reactor check. ET-6260 with me. I'm on point,">> comes the cold voice of DT-X10 through the team's shared comm frequency, relaying information and intentions. The sparks thrown from the terminal when Darth Achlys reaches out to touch it only spurs Kol along faster. Time is of the essence after all. Such starbases from the old Empire's era did tend toward following a rather uniform layout and structure; DT-X10 had studied all manner of layouts, tactical or otherwise, in his time for purposes very much like the team encountered now.

He moves ahead with the barrel of his blaster leading the way. He takes care to check corners and once a corner has been checked, he waves ET-6260 in the form of Zoka Kanas onto the next corner. Only when the stormtrooper in the crimson armor has anchored that point does DT-X10 begin to move again. Leap frogging their way through corridors, intersections, and other obstacles.

They work their way through the starbase, while DT-X10 makes barely a sound in his movements. Communication is kept relevant only to their current objective: traverse the starbase in order to reach main engineering and the reactors that will hopefully await them there.

<<"Clear,">> he announces while holding one of the corners for ET-6260 to move through their latest intersection in the base's corridors. The verbal signal shared between troopers to summon Zoka forward to the next anchor position and only when she has reached her position does X10 break away and resume point. Eyes peeled, ears open; threading their way through the seemingly abandoned base isn't just about safely reaching their destination. It's also about gathering intel and relaying it when it's found.

Losor sticks by Raka's side stun saber hilt in hand his eyes peeled. Ever alert ever vigilant his guard remains up, head on a swivel.

The red-clad trooper falls in step behind the Death Trooper, letting him take point and following his commands as they move to clear the hallways, working their way down towards engineering. Each time that he sends her forward, she moves up and anchors at the corner, her F-11D covering before she motions for him to move up on his part of the bound.

She hasn't spotted anything that seems too out of place...At least not in regards to the obvious, like the smoke and dead bodies and blaster marks. Takes a lot of guts to attack an outpost like this. She does wonder if it could be some kind of insurgent or pirate group rather than just scavengers.

Kuolo didn't seem to glean as much as he may have wanted from the study, so he returns his focus to the present and looks back towards the partner. After a thought, he pulls the hilt of his lightsaber into hand. "One of our runners was here just a few days ago on a mission out of Corellia. I doubt anything on the logs will show up out of the ordinary, but, this is a big mission for random salvagers," he says, crossing towards her and the panel that was definitely shorted through no effort of hers whatsoever. As he does, he pushes a broken droid of the way with a boot. "Were the valuables here and taken, or, were they expecting the valuables to show up after the attack?" He asks, academically, as if a studious instructor.

Meru herself moves along with a light frown on her lips before biting my bottom lip in thought. "It -could- be a theft, they could be laying in wait for more to arrive." A beat, her amber eyes lift towards Kuolo and his questions. "Or it could even be an ambush for those like us who would come to investigate."

Fortunately the way to engineering has clear markings for any who know Sith military or technical lingo. What might have been difficult, or guesswork, for someone not knowledgeable of such is much easier for the troopers. While much of the corridors are eerily empty, and terribly cold when it is clear that atmosphere had been lost, if briefly, via the holes blown in the hull early in their journey. Further drains on emergency power and a likely reason for the distinct lack of bodies to be found.

Until deeper in. The shape charge blasts on a blastdoor show military precision. Foreknowledge of where it would be weak. More bodies, organic and droid are found - but no more Troopers, only regular security detail and far more of their bodies than the invaders. All the way up to the reactor room. Where there is signs things could be stabilized, perhaps even some levels of basic power.

But there's a 10 meter sphere of equipment that is just -gone-. Some of it part of the main reactor, but fortunately not where it would have caused a chain reaction.

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In the main hangar, all remains quiet but the currents of the Force filtered through the Dark Side begins to lace thoughts with an anxiety. A sensation of eyes from all directions but focused near some of those bodies that lay about their final battlegrounds. The smoldering of the station craft leeching away more and more of the viable atmosphere. Smoke thickens at the roof and there is a buzzing hum at the MagCon emitters followed by a rattle of nearby detritus that skids several centimeters then stops.

There are no boxes, save for tool kits that had been open near now ruined craft. All cargo gone, the signs of the fighting precise. The traces of fighting left by trained military fighters like the Troopers are seeing in the engineering sections. Well organized. Nothing seeming to be out of place, from flipped over work tables used to put a durasteel defilade between attacking points to the signs of where grenades had been thrown.

No fault of her at all. Achlys looked up as Kuolo came to join her, her black robed figure contrasted against his white form. "The only thing of value to come after the attack...is us. And they did not stay around, unless they've managed to hide themselves somewhere beyond our scope of vision." Which would be a feat. "Corellia may be the key. We have had reports of unrest in that system." A shift in her attention, as she switched to the group's comms system "X10, report." And then, as she waited, back to the group. "I always expect an ambush," despite remaining unarmed, "Certainly in an outpost with minimal life support." Perhaps hoping that Kuolo might be able to work his literal magic on the mess she made of the terminal, Achlys moved away to put her training to use as she began to examine the detritus left behind in the battle. Bodies were examined, comments offered as she worked, taking a knee by one of the downed shuttles, and prying a datapad from the hands of one whose uniform designated them as outpost staff. A dockmaster, perhaps. As she worked, she indicated a few of the bodies, "Signs that they were moved. Possibly to create a specific tableau. or to make room for whatever it was they were moving out of the station."

Raskta Reminds herself she needs to learn some tech skills or something because right now she can only thing of Stacking various Crates and Items starting to make barracades and choke points so that if things go south they have a spot to jump behind and take cover.. Setting up a Forward base of sorts since they have securited the area

<<"A large section of the main reactor is missing,">> comes DT-X10's answer to Darth Achlys' order to report in across the team comm channel. A nod is cast toward ET-6260, Zoka, before he lifts two fingers to the deep green visor of his helmet. He points where, presumably, his own eyes reside. Then circles his finger in the air as if to encompass the engineering chamber. The hand signal's fairly clear; search the area, report any findings. Then he sets off into the darkness and gloom, sticking to the shadows where possible. The Death Trooper's footfalls barely make a sound as he treads across durasteel decking and steps carefully over the body of a fallen security officer.

<<"Many bodies along the way to and in main engineering; both sides. Blast points as well: precise, professional. Multiple small - but significant - hull breaches along the way,">> DT-X10 explains for the sake of the team's awareness as well as answering the call to report in. The more information circulated among the team, the better decisions may be made. <<"Advise to handle bodies and droids with caution. They had enough time to load cargo, but not take their dead? I'd have booby trapped them or left the droids in a low power state for an ambush.">>

Then he's back to his search. After securing the chamber to the best of his ability, Kol sets to the task of inspecting the main reactor. It's inoperable on account of a whole chunk of it missing. Then it's onward to the secondary reactors. A cursory inspection soon has his cool and calm voice issuing across the team comms once more, <<"The tertiary reactor looks like it's operational, but requires being brought online. We can probably maintain life support for a few days until a full repair team can be on-site. Permission to bring power online?">> No matter their importance or standing within the Imperial war machine; there is always someone above to answer to.

Losor keeps himself on track his mind focused on the area and the task at hand. Ever present ever ready for whatever danger may come. Gripping the hilt tightly he paces about.

There's a lot going on in the reactor room as the Trooper looks over at the damage to the main reactor, <"What kind of weapon could do that?"> She wonders, carefully moving around some of the bodies in the reactor room. Heeding the Sergeant's advice, she doesn't mess with any of those bodies. ET-6260 finds her way towards the power system, searching through the secondary power, finding the primary ignition chamber. As she's looking over it, she pauses, <"The secondary power ignition chamber has been sabotaged."> She states over the comms, <"There's a weld here, made to look like a stray blaster shot. We turn this on and the station probably explodes."> The Tertiary power should work, it won't provide nearly enough to get the station online but enough to get repair crews, she thinks.

"I do not like this," Merulia offers in her accented tone. "This place has my nerves on edge and my instincts-," she begins only for her inspection of one of the bodies to be followed by a widening of her eyes and the Nightsister coiling down and leaping elegantly high and backwards. She might be the only one who heard the click, but the sudden explosion she'd -just- managed to avoid as the trap went off? There was no missing that!

The lights rimming the edges of the landing bay brighten and the magnetic containment field flares a bright blue in the same moment Merula gets clear of the explosion that hurls the remnants of a body and flings others that had been nearby. The red glare of emergency illumination cutting through the pal of smoke and even allowing a brief voice of the alert klaxons.

In the reactor room, there is a keening sound when power comes up, much of the tertiary systems focusing on engineering, the rumble of life support re-engaging creating a din for the troopers to contend with or switch entirely to comms to avoid miscommunication.

But with it there is a distinct -KLING- sound. The sound of something popping loose and then the growing whumpwhumPwhuMPwhUMPwHUMPWHUMPWHUMPWHUMPWHUMP of a dynamo starting to twist off its bearings and the throaty rumble of fuel rods somewhere having a reaction.

In Achlys's hands, access to basic functions begins to boot until security passes from... higher tiers of Sith command are entered. A notation of the equipment that was being taken. Equipment intended for Sienar and even KDY in the core. Fighter parts, weapon systems, ion engines.

And enough proton torpedoes and space bombs to arm a three squadron battlegroup. All of it below board, so that not even the station crew knew what they were hauling.

And then the MagCons at the hangar entry shift, become solid. Ray shielding.

The explostion that rocked the bay, and sent the Nightsister acrobatically escaping damage brought Achlys' head up, and the datapad was tucked away, for the moment, "X10, 6260, back to the shuttle, now." She did not yell the command, but then, she never yelled anything, "There is nothing here for us but death. Everyone, back to the shuttle." Achlys began to move in that direction, though she would not be the first back. She would, however, hold the door, as it were, until everyone was away.

DT-X10 takes a good, hard, long look at the tertiary reactor control panel. Then it's off to ET-6260 that his helmet shifts, nodding once toward the stormtrooper in order to both gather her attention as well as acknowledge her, <"Get the reactor online. Can you do that?">. He ensures that when he does vocalize locally, he does not do so using the secure channel of his own team; otherwise it would sound like a transport terminal's public address system on Coruscant. Neither does he bother checking that ET-6260 is properly certified to perform maintenance or initiation activity with that model of reactor. Now isn't the time for such prudent regulations. The question is presented and only after it's answered does the black clad trooper begin to shift his position.

While ET-6260 is occupied with matters of importance, Kol sets himself to the task of maintaining security for the otherwise distracted trooper. The T27 blaster rifle remains up and at the ready, gripped securely within his gloved hands.

After a little time the reactor begins to power up. Only after that distinctive clang, followed by the less-than-ideal sound that follows it. DT-X10's helmet shifts, turning to regard the reactors as they begin powering up. He wastes little time in commenting across team-wide comms, <<"The reactor is unstable, be advised,">> he pauses when Darth Achlys' own order to return to the shuttle is given. Only after Darth Achlys' comm traffic does DT-X10 convey spoken traffic across their comms to ET-6260, <<"6260, double time it back to the shuttle. Go. I'll be on your six.">> Despite the precarious circumstances: DT-X10 still speaks in that same cool, calm manner. As though they aren't about to potentially explode.

Their intended escape comes to a swift halt however when the blast doors promptly close during their egress. It's then that DT-X10 points toward the blast doors with a pair of fingers, commenting within their internal comm system between himself and ET-6260, <<"Get those blast doors open, 6260.">> It's not a request. It's an order. Niceties and gratitude can be exchanged later.

Only when Zoka, ET-6260, successfully gets those blast doors open and reveals their path to salvation once again, does Kol begin to move. Still X10 holds the doors until after ET-6260 has dealt with the override and the crimson armored trooper begins to make way once more. They move at a run and X10 follows after, ensuring that none - specifically ET-6260 - are left behind or otherwise suddenly encounter some obstacle or pitfall that may present a risk to their safe return. He does double check that his helmet's recording feature has been running, so that Intelligence may later review the team's findings and the state of primary engineering, along with the discoveries along the way.

Losor slowly backs up and starts to follow Raka and Tamsin. His head remains on a swivel his guard up but he pushes forward and heads off with a pride and grace in his steps.

She's not an engineer, but she knows that sound isn't a good one when that massive clunk and whirring begins to happen, <"Roger, sir. Moving now!> She calls out, as she turns and heads for the door, only for the blast door to seal. She curses under her breath, quickly getting up to the panel next to the blast door.

She's quick to run her fingers over the panel, as she glances back over her shoulder to DT-X10 when he pulls up behind her, <"Almost got it.."> She mutters, though finally there is a positive chime from the panel and the door hisses and opens up.

As soon as the door is open, she books it, ensuring that the Death Trooper is with her the whole way. He may not want to leave her behind, but the sentiment is exactly the same, she wouldn't want him left behind either.

Dusting herself off with one quick 'sweep' that was probably also intended to make sure she hadn't caught fire, Merulia looked up as Achlys made her call, the Nightsister nodding. "We have information, it is all we need to find the culprits."

Of course, even with that thought voiced the Sephi was still headed back towards the shuttle as commanded, lightsaber unlit and held clasped in her hand.

For the Troopers, the sounds of hand ordnance going off behind them, setting off more complicated explosives. A rigging intended to kill those who came to investigate the station most certainly. Like a fiery broom to their footsteps to sweep them and their enemy away. Atmosphere warnings engage and lights dim when more and more of the emergency power is drained for containment shielding. Chasing on the heels of Zoka and Kol in their flight for the docking bay.

The ship lifting off of its struts, wings still raised but the ramp kept in place the blazing flame coloured sabe of Darth Achlys pinwheels in a twisting path, avoiding contact with potentially slowing materials or those that might strike the hilt. Dizzying in its movements which shift in precise adjustments of flight until it levels out, point forward and driving home into the fragile emitter array at the center of the docking shield systems.

More alerts go off, chasing the returning path of the Sith's saber, warning klaxons of shield and magcon integrity failing at the moment hatches open automatically and admit red and black clad soldiers to emerge from the depths of the ship. With their own intelligence of what has happened here. Unlike what had been found with the Dockmaster's equipment. But perhaps just as vitally telling, in addition to having saved disaster for a repair crew that might not have been as fortunate while running through standard repair steps.

They've enough time, due heavily in part by the figure at the ship controls, to make for the ramp. With the shuttle able to maneuver with scant room past the failing shields, rather than be caught in the growing explosions of the dying station.

Achlys, still at the edge of the ramp, hit the controls to keep the ramp open, making certain that even as the craft lifted off, they had enough time to make it back to the ship. Not only the crew in the bay, but the two troopers making their way back from what had proved, in the end a faithless trip down to the outposts power generator. As the warning came that they could not lower the shield, the hilt finally came to Achlys' hand, and them winged away, to open the way for the shuttle. Only once everyone was saFELY aboard, and just before they would ahve lost atmosphere, was the ramp closed. As X10 passed her, Achlys lifted a hand, though she did not attempt to actually touch the trooper. "You do have a surprising gift for being right, X10. Perhaps I should test you." But that, much like reviewing the information they had recovered, would have to wait.

DT-X10 follows in pursuit of ET-6260. Prepared to offer a helping hand to a compatriot should they fall. The series of explosions that follow however indicates that falling isn't an option as the explosion begins to chase them from main engineering through the corridors back to the hangar bay. X10 doesn't waste his breath in notifying ET-6260 to 'go, go, go' or other such holo-drama nonsense. There's explosions. People know to run away from them.

X10 does however have the thoughtfulness to relay information back to Darth Achlys, <<"We have a series of explosions from engineering,">> and the sound of his breathing is decidedly heavy. He is running and he is dedicating a lot of his physical self to it. Enhanced as he may be, it is still a high stress and high intensity series of circumstances that necessitates his body being pushed to the limit.

As DT-X10 surges into the hangar bay hot on the heels of ET-6260, he begins to gain ground. Quickly he begins to overtake the crimson armored stormtrooper. X10 runs at a ground-eating pass, pulling alongside the other trooper and very nearly getting ahead. He does not pass her by though; instead he runs at her side, prepared to reach out and bodily drag her should the need arise. It does not. She is capable and competent.

As the two troopers, one crimson and the other black, surge up the shuttle's boarding ramp and DT-X10's gloved hand reaches out to grip tight onto a stabilizing bar does he answers with the sound of heavy breathing being rapidly brought under control as enhancements begin to fire and lungs begin to work overtime, <<"Thank you for saying so. I will try to do worse next time.">> Because no one likes someone who has a surprising gift for being right, especially when the subject matter isn't positive.

He holds on tight though before his helmet lowers, bracing his chin near to his chest while the ship spins and whirls about. Only after he's found his footing and brought his breath under control does X10 move to settle into the shuttle and buckle himself in. Despite the chaos of their escape, he calmly safes his rifle and clutches it with a curl of his arms to prevent it escaping his grip and becoming a danger to the passenger compartment.

Losor had taken up into the shuttle getting passed Achlys. "I got this, my skills in the pilot chair legendary." He says through gritted teeth. "Alright everyone hold on, this could be a bumpy ride!" He waits for all to board before punching it and taking them out!

Running is the best option right now. ET-6260 is running as fast as her legs will carry her. The flames lick at her heels as she runs through the corridors, the labeling of the hallways leading to the hangar bay thankfully (mostly) intact.

Rounding the last corner leading into the hangar, she spots the ship with its ramp, the only lifeline for them to get out of here before getting engulfed in flames. She pushes herself the rest of the way towards that ramp, bounding up the ramp with only about three steps and heading into the back of the shuttle quick to make sure she clears the path.

She takes a moment to orient herself in the shuttle before grabbing on to a seat and strapping herself in. She knows that just because she's on the shuttle doesn't mean they're out of this one yet.