Taris

Tavelon · July 30, 2010

Blackstone heard the screams of the civilians pouring out of the bar behind them. He continued jogging along when a crunch permeated the sounds and a fresh wave of cries rang through the air. Blood sprayed as an LAV tore through the crowds. Instinctively, Jason dove for cover as Horatio commanded the others to do so as well.

Blackstone and Michelle dove at the ground, rolling away from the shrapnel of a blast from a laser cannon. Blackstone quickly surveyed the situation. Laser cannon, heavily armored transport, probably there to retrieve the princess. "Jason, copy. Do you see that alley?" he whispered into his comlink. Looking across the street he saw Jason shake his head. The LAV was scrambling their coms. Blackstone looked around to see if there was a small alley he could dive into. The LAV, while looking a little overheated, was still armored and armed with a laser cannon.

The filter on the front of the LAV was humming furiously as troops poured out, filling the street. They pointed their blasters around the corridor, searching for the prey that they knew was not far off. Blackstone then quietly took aim with his blaster and prepared to fire at an oncoming officer...

Michelle held her breath, mouthing a silent prayer, she looked down the sight of her blaster, straining to see in the dim light, she, too took aim at an officer who was scanning the street with his nightvision... she rested a finger on the trigger of her blaster and applied pressure...

Jason took his time, waiting to hear shots from the others before compromising their position. He waited until he had found almost suitable cover by a dumpster. Not effective at hiding from the cannon, but better than nothing. He took soft, regulated breaths and slowly aimed his blaster at the LAV, eyeing the air intake on the front, he wondered if it would be vulnerable...

Even the soft sob from the princess had died down. This was a fight, and she knew that she could fall victim to a blaster easily as any of them. So Blackstone surmised that she had decided to remain silent... or Horatio had simply covered her mouth.

Suddenly a scream came from an officer and fire erupted in the street. Blackstone hugged the ground and reached for his belt. He swiftly pulled out a concussion grenade and rolled it toward the line of men. Had he been spotted or was this only fire trying to flush them out? Or maybe one of the others had revealed the position. Not taking chances, Blackstone prepared for the sound of the explosion and took aim with his blaster to return fire...

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Tress · August 2, 2010

Things had been running relatively well until Khedryn heard the shrieks of terrors of civilians behind him. As he turned he saw an LAV streaking through the streets and mowing down all in its path. The alleys were turned into blood soaked pathways of death. Khedryn did not hesitate, even for a split second, and he instinctively flung his body behind cover. He peered over the object he was hiding behind, which happened to be a rotting table presumably from a local bar, and saw the Tress had taken cover. He scanned the nearby area, but he could not locate Travis.

Khedryn thumbed his commlink and tried to contact Travis, but the comm transmissions were being jammed.

God dammit. Travis better not have gotten himself killed.

Khedryn heaved his body up off the ground and saw that to his left was an alley that was littered with old furniture and scraps of old machinery. He carefully slid across the ground, all the while making sure to not catch the attention of the oncoming guards. As he reached the alley he took yanked a concussion grenade off of his belt and quickly set it. With a quick turn of his body Khedryn heaved the grenade towards the LAV and miraculously it landed just where the troopers pouring out of the armored craft were. The concussive wave went off and sent a tremble through the area. Khedryn was unsure of how many he had taken down, or if he had for that matter.

They probably have armor designed to protect them from such assaults.

Khedryn peered down the alley he had come from and saw a guard approaching his direction. The man spotted Khedryn and quickly brought his blaster to his hip and went to unleash a volley of fire from his weapon, but he was suddenly struck by a stray blaster bolt from one of his own men.

"Holy shit that could have been bad." Khedryn muttered under his breath. The area was starting to fill with a rechid smell of death. The scent permeated everything and filled Khedryn's nostrils with a burning, horrid odor. He let out a cough and continued on. He knew he wouldn't do much good from here so he headed towards Horatio's postion. \

Just as he got up from where he had been a volley of fire came towards him and peppered the building with scorchmarks. The accrid smell of burning flesh let Khedryn know he had been grazed in his hand. He quickly squeezed the trigger of his trusty sidearm and aimed it towards the fire.

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King Kheldar vos Correlli · August 2, 2010

Ruling on the killshot against Tress and Travelon.

First off, an excellent work of collaborative RPing by all parties involved- BS Agents, Tress, & Travelon, as well as the restrained and carefully RPed use of NPCs.

There's no denying that the group's in a bad situation- pinned down in an alley with superior firepower raining down on them. Despite that, there's been good use of tactics and cover, as well as coordinated use of explosives. The use of cover and/or diving I think was sufficient to avoid the initial volley of fire, and the two concussion grenades from Blackstone and Khedryn more than enough to repel, if not out and out defeat them.

Regarding the NPCs, I believe Jason and Michelle were able to survive this because of their post, as well as Horation and the princess. I have to give props to Tress for the damage he took in his post, though I'd also be a bit wary of posting the actions of an enemy NPC in the future since that might not be appreicated by other RPers- though in this case that was a very fitting and well characterized post given their very reckless entrance.

Killshot failed- and while not out and out countered, the Taris police are pretty much routed at this juncture.

Tavelon · August 2, 2010

... Blackstone applied pressure on the trigger of his blaster, taking down a police officer with a shot to the neck. He squinted down the sights, bringing another target into view... So many officers... there had to be a way out of this.

Jason decided against trying to damage the LAV. It could be useful to capture. Instead, he systematically started firing shots from his cover at the dumpster. A scream told him that he had made contact, and he looked to see a trooper who he had shot in the leg. Excellent.

Michelle pulled the trigger on her blaster, her hand shaking. Shooting off a blaster bolt, it missed her target, punching a hole in a trash can down the street. A putrid smelling liquid started leaking out, but it was hardly noticible in contrast to the dank surroundings of the undercity. Michelle prepared to fire again, her confidence shaken (along with her hand). Trying to steady herself, she took another shot, this time hitting an officer in the foot. She rolled over to some debris from the laser cannon's shot, then emerged, ready to fire again...

Blackstone was about to squeeze the trigger on his blaster when both concussion grenades went off. Blood and shrapnel flew across the street. Blackstone was knocked back by the explosion, soon accompanied by a severed arm that landed on him. He gingerly picked himself up, removing the limb. Keeping low, Blackstone slowly moved through the debris. He looked down in disgust to find himself flecked with bits of debris, burt flesh and blood. Quickly wiping himself off, he resolved to take a good shower at the earliest opportunity. But that wasn't important at the moment. He looked around for the rest of his team, glancing nervously at the arm, wondering who it belonged to. The slap of running feet on the pavement and nervous calls indicated that the Taris police were routed- retreating on foot. Blackstone advanced, nervously. "Everyone, regroup at the LAV" he called, his comlink still not working. He stepped gingerly over dead and dying bodies, slowly making his way to the LAV. Hopefully it was abandoned.

Jason was at first taken off guard by the explosion, but like any good soldier, he knew how to react. Ducking behind the dumpster, he was showered in a wave of dust and debris. Holding his breath, he brought his shirt up to his face and took a couple breaths with the makeshift filter. He then sat back, brushing the dust out of his face, and resumed his position. Just because something exploded that didn't give everyone the right to jump out of cover. There could still be more out there. Carefully, he crept from cover as he saw Blackstone making his way across the battlefield. When he saw the Taris police routing, he stood up and approached Blackstone. "Well done. Instincts... could have been better. Be on your guard at all times. Including now. They could still be here" he said, surveying the landscape. Blackstone nodded, taking a nervous glance around the street. "Oh, yeah. Forgot about that" he responded quickly. "Where's Michelle?" he asked, looking through the debris.

Jason smirked "You're the commander. She's probably back there somewhere..." he said, indicating the place where they had taken cover. "..Hiding" he finished under his breath. Blackstone started walking over to that area "You check the LAV, make sure there's nothing left there" he called over his shoulder.

"My thoughts exactly" Jason responded. "Besides, it could be useful if it's still operable."

Michelle had just been aiming down her blaster when the grenades exploded. Thrown back by the blast, she took a piece of metal shrapnel in her arm. The cover she was behind was not very suitable, and the impact blew it back. When the second grenade impacted, a lamppost fell, and she felt a searing pain in her leg, coupled with the sound of a sickening crunch. She tried to scream, or at least call out for help, but she found herself choked by the dust. Her leg pinned under the lamppost, she carefully tried to extract herself from the pile of rubble. Every time she moved, however, a sharp pain moved up her leg and she let out a whimper. Eventually, she gave up and lay back on the ground. Looking to her right, she saw her blaster was broken. Feeling at her belt, she sighed in relief to see that her pistol was still intact. She heard voices and the sound of running feet. Unsure who had just won, she wasn't sure if she should reveal her position. Rather than wait to die or be captured, Michelle took out her pistol and fired a shot up to see if she could attract some attention.

Blackstone whirled around at the sound of the gunshot, aiming down his sights he was about to fire, but saw no enemy to shoot at. Looking down at the ground, he saw a hand poking up from behind a large pile of rubble. Moving over, he found Michelle, pinned under some debris and a large lamppost. Blackstone slung his blaster over his shoulder and extracted her from the wreckage. Coming from one of the galaxy's leading producers of bacta had it's advantages, and Blackstone had a fair knowledge of medicine. He set her down on the pavement and quickly surveyed her wounds. A piece of metal shrapnel sticking out of her arm... several abrasions and cuts... it looked like her tibia was cracked and her fibula possibly broken as well. Blackstone proceeded to carefully remove the piece of metal lodged in her arm. "Jason, can I get some help over here?" he called. Jason looked over from the LAV, nonchalantly. He nodded and started walking over, but suddenly stopped. He turned around, drew his blaster pistol and fired three shots at a pair of officers who were making a getaway. One took a shot to the head, the other was hit deliberately in the leg. "I'll get back to you later" he grinned, and came to Blackstone's assistance.

Michelle grimaced "Aw, this was my good jacket, too" she joked feebly. She inhaled sharply and bit her lip as the shrapnel was removed, blood flowing freely from her arm. Her jacket was now not only torn up significantly, but it had several dark red blotches on it's left arm. Jason put pressure on the wound, trying to stem the bleeding. He kept a wary eye, surveying his surroundings at all times. Every few seconds he would twitch and make a move for his pistol. "You know, we should really get moving" he muttered. "I don't have time to run a hospital here" Blackstone nodded. Trying to stabilize the leg, he made a makeshift brace. "Here, Michelle, try to stand up" he said, offering his arm. He picked her up and they started walking, her legs feebly dragging on the ground. "We have to move" Jason said impatiently. Blackstone nodded and they approached the LAV

Tress · August 3, 2010

Khedryn saw two troopers go down dead instantly and a third had a burning hole in his neck. Where skin had been now only charred flesh had been. His trachea had been blasted away and he would either die from shock or a lack of oxygen. The trooper flailed in agony and could only emit sickly gurgling sounds. Khedryn chose not to shoot him and kill him.

After he had seen the troopers go down Khedryn quickly went to work on his hand. He used bacta spray to help the wound and then wrspped it in sterile bandaging. When Khedryn returned to the battle he saw the remaining troopers fleeing for their lives. Deciding it would be a waste of his energy pack to pick them off, Khedryn turned and motioned for Tress to come over towards him. The Chiss man nodded in acknowledgement and quickly jogged over to his position.

"Sir it looks like we should get out of here soon. I really doubt that reinforcements won't be coming."

"Agreed. First we have to find Travis and then meet up with the others at the LAV."

Khedryn had seen the Blackstone and Jason carrying out Michelle from her position. It was a shame to see such a young and beautiful woman that badly injured, but that was generally the result of firefights.

"I believe I saw him over here sir" Tress replied as he pointed over towards the porch-like area of a nearby house. The two men headed towards the area, but the recruit was nowhere to be seen. The two were about to split up and search the alley until they saw a body laying on the ground a few meters away in a pile of slimy, putrid liquid. The person was dressed in the same gear as Tress...

Khedryn sprinted over towards the Travis and quickly flipped his body over. His chest was still rising and falling slightly so he was still alive. When Khedryn looked at his face, or what was left of it, he wasn't sure for how much longer. His face was severely burned to the point that only thick gooey plasma over charred flesh remained. The man was no longer recognizeable; they had only knew it was him from his uniform.

"Hey...Travis...can you hear me?" Khedryn took the grimy hand in his, graped it firmly. "Travis... it Khedryn..."

Travis no longer had much in the way of eyelids, and Khedryn knew he must be blind. But he turned his head slightly, and his mouth moved.

"Khedryn.."

"Don't try to talk...you're gonna be fine. We'll pop you in a bacta tank, and you'll be chasin' girls and shootin' Imps in no time."

A faint thread of expelled air and Khedryn recognized it as the ghost of a laugh.

"Wrong...Khedryn...Shoulda been...merchant. Not meant...fight. Das...was...right." The lax fingers tightened once, and then released. Khedryn leaned over and checked for a pulse, then released his grip. He took off the young man's blaster pistol, energy packs and any other useful items. He handed these items to Tress and then ripped off the man's ID tags and put them in his pocket. He would make sure the man's parents got them.

"Come on let's go meet with the others." Khedryn said. Travis just nodded and turned away. They went to the LAV with the others and quickly got inside.

"So where are we going boss?" Khedryn asked Horatio.

Black Sun Agent(s) · August 5, 2010

Horatio dragged the body of one of the officers from the pilots seat. He had been nicely fried by the hail of blaster bolts from all sides. Horatio smiled slightly, these agents had done well....

But what ho! Where did the Travis one disappear to? It was then that the other new agent appeared, looking sad.

Horatio, shook his head. More paperwork! Just what he needed, more stuff to keep him from his loved ones.

"Well men, lets keep moving!"

He tossed the girl into the back seat and bound her with synthrope. "Drive will yah? We killed these ones, but more could soon appear."

He glanced over his agents, one dead. A few wounded. Perfect.

Paperwork.

The LAV headed off towards the shuttle.

Tavelon · August 5, 2010

Blackstone grimaced as he watched Travis expire. He felt bad for the man and his family, and thankful that he had not actually lost an agent. It was probably pretty hard on Khedryn to feel responsible for that. That said, Blackstone felt a small part of him inwardly curse Khedryn, too. They could have snuck up on the bodyguards, keeping the whole situation quick and clean, but Khedryn had made the situation an open firefight.

But that was the emotion in Blackstone, and there was certainly no time for emotion at the moment. No one was really to blame for the losses but those who fired the blasts. As for guilt... Blackstone and Khedryn would have to deal with that later. Blackstone resolved to harden himself to emotion should anything further happen to his agents, sorry as he felt for Michelle.

Jason walked back toward the man he had shot in the leg, who was struggling feebly. "Give it up" he said, pinning him to the ground with this foot. Blackstone rolled his eyes "Come on, Jason, we don't have time to take prisoners" Blackstone called. Jason nodded, giving the man a kick to his wounded leg, then went toward the LAV. He stopped by the front to pull a charred foot out of the front bumper then hopped into the LAV. Blackstone followed, picking up Michelle and carrying her the rest of the way to the LAV, at her protest. "Come on, I'm fine! Stop trying to be a hero" she complained. Blackstone shook his head. "I'm not trying to be a hero. You're slowing us down."

Michelle sighed. "Whatever. It's really not necessary" she continued. "... But if you are going to cary me, would you mind going a little easier on the leg? It sorta hurts" she asked. Blackstone suppressed a smile. Why did she join Black Sun? This was probably not her thing. He hauled her into the LAV and set her down. Blackstone took a seat, noticing he was covered in blood. He quickly checked himself for wounds, but apart from minor abrasions, he was unharmed. Other soldiers blowing up and carrying a bleeding agent had stained his clothes, but he himself was unharmed. Blackstone surveyed the inside of the LAV.

"Does anyone know how to drive this thing?"

Someone apparently took the controls, as they began speeding off towards the shuttle. One obstacle down... how many more to go?

Tress · August 7, 2010

As the LAV raced down through the maze of alleys towards the shuttle, Khedryn sat solemnly in his seat. He could not help but feel solely responsible for the death of Travis as well as everything else that had occured. It had been him who had fired off the shots at the guards. He knew they could have stealthily eliminated the guards. He cursed under his breath several times and continued to stare down at his blood-splattered boots.

Tress was also staring down at the floor of the transport. He did not feel guilty for what had happened as he had seen many fellow recruits die, but Travis had been a special young lad. Tress looked over at Khedryn, not with a burning rage but more with sympathy, and their eyes met in a cold gaze. Neither could bear to look for long and they both continued looking down.

The princess had quieted down from her earlier shrieks and now she just sat there shaking and mumbling under her breath.

Poor girl is probably scared out of her mind. She didn't need to be exposed to this.

The LAV was bound to reach the shuttle in a few minutes...

Tavelon · August 14, 2010

Blackstone sat, exhausted, holding his head in his hands. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, wiping blood and sweat from his forehead. After catching his breath, he took a look at his new surroundings of the LAV. The agents were all recuperating, collapsed in he seats of the LAV.

Jason heaved a large sigh. He let himself go for a brief moment, collapsing into a chair. He quickly collected himself in order to maintain professionalism. He set to work, cleaning his gun and checking his ammunition. Anyone observing him could tell that he had be doing it for a long time; he systematically ran a cloth down the length of his blaster, wiping the blood and grime from every crevice. Upon reaching the stock, one of his hands reached to his belt, almost subconsciously. He checked his ammunition and grenades, his fingertips sliding over the pouches, he didn't even have to look. He looked at the charge on his blaster, counting the shots he had fired. Everything was in order. Now was the time to stay vigilant and finish the job.

Michelle winced as she laid down across several seats. Blood oozed from her arm onto the seat. She rolled her eyes, glad her mother was not there to chide her for staining the furniture. Michelle let out a small laugh, but stopped, wheezing. She rolled over and spit some blood out of her mouth, feeling a small cut on her tongue.

"Very ladylike" Jason commented dryly, without even removing his focus from the task at hand. Michelle stuck her tongue out at Jason, who was oblivious, his eyes still fixed on the gun he was cleaning. Michelle smiled and looked at the ceiling, listening to the hum of the engine. Blackstone walked over to her and took a seat, pulling out a small canister of bacta spray. Blackstone was far from a medical professional, but he had considered the career once... a long time ago. Now he had gone to the causing of wound rather than the healing of it. None the less, one didn't grow up on the bacta run without somewhat of a knowledge of medicine.

Blackstone tore the cuff off of her tattered sleeve and dampened it with water, applying it to the wound. Systematically he cleaned it, the blood beginning to flow freely again. Pulling out a small bottle of alcohol, Michelle's eyes widened, hoping it was for drinking. "Yeah, you know" she started "You really don't ha--ahh!" she stopped as Blackstone swabbed some alcohol into the wound. Michelle bit her lip to fight the pain. Blackstone took a tube of bacta salve out of his pocket and applied the sickly sweet smelling contents to the gaping hole in her arm. Michelle winced, recoiling from the cold touch of the salve, then slowly relaxed her arm. Skin cells slowly started regenerating around the torn tissue and the torn muscle began to come together, one fiber at a time. Slowly but surely the torn tissue was coming back together. Blackstone applied a little more, then placed a patch of cloth on the wound and placed Michelle's hand over it, applying pressure to the depleting blood flow. The gash was a rather deep one, and complex tissues and fibers did not heal as well as skin cells- even with bacta. Epithelial cells produced at thousands per minute, while muscle fiber takes considerably longer. Jason grimaced at the smell.

Blackstone at that moment noticed just how large a quantity of blood Michelle had lost. Her skin was paling and she shivered slightly. Blackstone took her pulse. Not in mortal danger, but still not good. He noted also that her skin was cool. Making sure the wound was stabilizing, Blackstone began to work on her broken leg, still without uttering a word. Michelle made observation of this. "So... what's up? Why the code of silence?"

"Unlike you, some people don't say every glib thought that comes into their vacuous head" Jason commented acidly. Michelle rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Blackstone. "So...? C'mon, what's- ow... not so hard, will ya?... what's going on. Who made you doctor?"

"I dunno" Blackstone responded rather dully. "I suppose I used to be interested in the career. Dealt with a lot of bacta back at home. Learned a lot about it. This stuff is crap, though" he said, indicating the bacta in the first aid kid. "It'll get the job done eventually, I guess. " Blackstone made a makeshift brace for the leg. Too bad he didn't have a good syringe. A bacta injection would help a lot here. The topical bacta might absorb into the bloodstream, though, perhaps helping the bone heal a bit. Or they'd simply wait until they came across a good supply... or some bactade.

Blackstone took his work seriously. He could be very cold, especially in battle. But after the fighting was over, medicine was almost even a duty. Especially among friends, perhaps Blackstone's one empathy was for those receiving medical care. Even on occasion an enemy would receive treatment from Blackstone if he made it to a care facility... and Blackstone's unconventional tactics usually made sure that it never got that far. He was fond of head shots.

Blackstone stood up and turned his attention to the princess, who was sitting in a corner shaking profusely, muttering silent prayers. Being the de facto physician, Blackstone set to tending her wounds; a gaping hole in her thigh and a burn on her face. Blackstone wrapped a tourniquet softly around her leg, though the blood flow had slowed significantly at this point.

He gave her a blanket and treated her for shock. She had likely lost about 15% of her blood, putting her in early stages of shock from blood loss. Compounded with her psychological composure, she seemed to have almost lost cognition of her surroundings. Blackstone applied bacta to the wound on her thigh after cleaning it, then moved onto the face. She looked into his eyes almost blankly as he touched her, like a frightened animal. Blackstone quickly broke the eye contact, minimizing the chance that he might grow some sort of pity. The only reason he treated her wounds was because she was required alive and unspoiled... Though she did have a pretty face.

She flinched as Blackstone swabbed a cleaning solution into the burn on her cheek, removing the charred flesh. The bleeding started anew and Blackstone quickly applied Bacta to heal the skin. The fact that she was crying wasn't too bad, either, as the tears actually were rather healthy for the wound. Blackstone wiped her face from dirt and tears, and she felt it in wonder, as if the concept of a wound was foreign to her; the healing of it even more so. Blackstone stoically finished his work as the LAV came back to the shuttle. It gave a sudden jolt as it stopped, sending supplies scattering and Michelle falling out of her seat. She let out a yell as she hit the floor. Jason immediately stood up and walked over to her, bending over and extending a hand. Michelle nursed her hurt leg, which she had landed on with a harsh thud, and extended a hand so Jason could help her up.

Jason reached past her, and picked his blaster up off the floor.

Blackstone helped Michelle up and ferried the wounded girls into the shuttle. Grabbing some extra supplies, he left the LAV and boarded the shuttle.

Jason put his blaster back on the rack, alongside the others. It's condition was exactly the same as the new ones. He smiled at his own handiwork and took his seat. He went over to one of the supply cabinets and found a spare uniform which he tossed to the princess. "There's a back room over there if you want to change" he said, indicating her burnt pant leg. Michelle reached out to grab one as well, but Jason stopped her. "Aww.... But I look hideous. I'm all dirty!" She whined, returning to her seat. Jason, in his usual fashion, sighed. "I doubt a new set of clothes would help there" he muttered under his breath.

Blackstone rolled his eyes as he took his seat. There they were. One agent less, one captive more. Lost some supplies, found some others. They had returned scruffy, beaten and even wounded. They had returned after their first mission, closer to each other, and closer to becoming agents for the Black Sun.

Tavelon · August 14, 2010