Tilt07

The Akalay Light Freighter departed from a Star Destroyer that loomed over the planet. It's dark, steel gray coloring almost matched that of the standard Imperial equipment if not for the darker shading and the secondary orange and red accents. The Mantis was a battle ready vessel used by an aerial assault unit otherwise known as, "Bad Company," As they called themselves. A high risk three man team that dealt in sabotage and espionage behind enemy lines, hijacking and hacking of Intel, equipment, and vehicles, and most important jumping from high altitudes on unsuspecting enemies. While they could fit into any role, so far the unit had been involved in infiltration, hijacking, and assault, something they were very much used to. The Mantis approached the planet and was asked to give a clearance code which the pilot did, and from there the freighter was guided to a landing dock near a palace that seemed lively with activity. Once landed the trio of soldiers, Grand Republic Clones, had restocked munitions and supplies for any long trip and dire situation. The lead of this particular unit was one CT-0207, otherwise known by rank as Captain and by name, "Tilt," Who specialized in CQC, CQB, and anything almost assault related. Captain Thumper, or, "Second Captain," CT-1567 was one who utilized cyber warfare, reconnaissance, small scale explosives, and was an expert marksman to be the teams sniper. CT-0985, Sergeant Riggs, was the weapons expert and repairs, small to large scale demolitions, and artillery. They covered each others weaknesses and strengths, had each others backs since the day they were recruited into the company. The trio were approached by an important looking fellow, beckoning them to follow as ordered. From what the officer has stated they were to meet the new Emperor, there was info on the next objective after the Liberation of Falleen so it was to be expected that there were a variety of missions, always were. And the boys were always up for it. Following the officer did they walk through the damaged hall of the palace, guns holstered yet they remained ever stoic and alert just in case. Once in their designated area there appeared to be a gala going about, festivities of the elite weren't necessarily what the Clones were used to nor did they like it. Getting overtly drunk and starting fights? That was better. Once the trio arrived to their spot they could see the new Emperor speak aloud. The room was silent as he spoke about Onderon, the Sith world as far as they knew, but this wasn't the briefing but an announcement of the next siege... Tilt thought. It was clear that their next goal could surround Onderon, but he wouldn't know until the briefing itself.

Much of the battle had led to a variety of small victories and deaths as time progressed. As the Jedi stormed the great temple in the cities center, Sovereign and Imperial units fought in the streets against the Sith enemy and those aiding them. From there, Tilt and his squad had been quite resourceful in the efforts of their fellow soldiers. Being far behind enemy lines allowed them to quickly operate and dispose of enemy fortifications and munitions dumps that were made swiftly when the fighting started. That was where the fun began. With Thumper taking rooftops and acting as overwatch and sniper, Tilt and Riggs had a much easier time navigating and striking the enemy first. Between the makeshift turrets and garrisons that were once houses, the Bad Company made short work of them, eventually tearing through blocked pathways that prevented many units from having an easier access to the enemy. From there they pushed up and around catching certain individuals off guard and disabling any other fortifications, vehicles, and thereof. They picked up broken squads and stray soldiers along the way which was the only time they had stopped at all aside from assessing any damage to body and equipment, and still they pushed forward until orders and confirmation came in that the battle was indeed won and to return back to a base at a rendezvous. The rendezvous was an LZ turned into a small command post, utilizing a combination of buildings and tents for a variety of purposes and even apprehended vessels repurposed for the needs of the Sovereignty that was present. Unfortunately due to the Mantis being damaged the trio of Clones had to get a ride from an anonymous source... Unfortunately they were gone too. Instead they would need to leave with someone else to wherever else. R&R was something to be desired, however Tilt and Co. could definitely go for more action after they catch their breaths, and for the third unfortunate, they had to wait for whatever commanding officer would brief or debrief them. Wait was not the greatest thing in the world. "Oooohhhh my god how long are we gonna stand around?" Riggs groaned turning to his Captain, "Can't we just paych them through?" "No, we were given orders to regroup here. Fighting practically done, they have additional forces pushing further abd rooting out any remnants," Tilt replies sitting on an empty steel crate, "Use this time to assess your equipment, Sergeant, you too Thumper, we don't know what's next or no."

When the woman left all hell broke loose. From the bar all the way down city blocks did the Clone Troopers find themselves in a fleeing effort away from as much conflict between the Alliance and the Sith Empire, which, evidently were here. That was no secret now, while there was of course the fact that their reconnaissance was now long gone after the trio lost the Cultist they were following. And now Falleen was a warzone that while the Alliance sought to liberate the dark planet inevitably it also meant civilians getting caught in the crossheirs of the frantic battle. At the moment the Clones could only try to help in some manner, they were further away from the more active parts of the skirmishes and trying to make their way to them, but the fleeing citizens in the way did not help matters at all. Moving into a very short alleyway, the trio would use this moment to catch their breaths and focus on the situation. It was nothing short of chaos and there was no clear goal aside from assisting allied forces... If they didn't shoot the Clones first. Riggs took his helmet off to catch a fresh breath with Thumper snacking him upside the head immediately, "Out your bucket back on, idiot!" "Oi! There's some things fresh oxygen does that a damn filter can't! Where the hell did that creepy lady go?! We were tracking then-!" "Then she disappeared once chaos and panic set in. Get your helmet back on, Sargeant, we're still on mission." Tilt replies, even he was uncertain as to what to do but even then their goal was reconnaissance. It didn't help that he forgot who assigned them the now pointless mission, just when he thought they got their foot in the door the Imperial Remnant launched an invasion. With a hard sigh, Tilt leaned against the stone structure and tried to come up with a plan, do something somewhat meaningful instead of being fodder. What would Wayforward have done? "First time I've seen you stumped. Want a suggestion?" Thumper asked Tilt as he kept lookout between either ends of the alleyway, "We don't need to go big or go home, Captain, it's clear command had other ideas. Maybe our "reconnaissance" mission may have been a way to get us out of their hair. It's not like back then when we were sent on constant suicide missions, we could simply aid our units, that's just as good as anything..." Tilt stood straight up, and looking upward he could see the mixture of smoke and energy bolts soar in the sky. Thumper was most likely right, the days of the Grand Republic were all but history, in the end Tilt and crew were nothing more than numbers, bodies, and soldiers, not the bonafide badasses they were and the feats they did that scared even the strongest of steel willed Ark Troopers. Crazy, low survival rates, yet rarely did a Trooper die in the Bad Company... Another thing turned to history. Perhaps going for something more tame like firing support from here on out, finishing careers as old men who proudly served the Galaxy, maybe even spending the next years in ordinary squads and perhaps training a few cadets? Tilt nodded slightly before hoisting his Westar up to his chest, looking to his two men, his mind almost made up. Just as he was about to speak, Thumper continues with, "Or... Knowing we aren't pansy ass recruits who suck their mommas teet, you want things to be high risk, don't you?" Tilt's grin grew as unfortunately, Thumper had to say what he was thinking. And to think he was actually about to join ranks with regular soldiers! Not that they didn't do their fair share, what they did on the front lines was brave... But what Tilt was used to was unorthodox even by the Republic standards back in the day. He looked to his sniper and asked, "What you got in mind?" "Common sense tells me we should ask command, I honestly believe we should still try to help other-" "Awww c'mon! They're just gonna pull some crap to get us outta the way! We had to beg to even be on Falleen!" Riggs interjects, to which Thumper holds up a hand. The sniper holds down a button on his tacpad gauntlet which allowed for a signal to the nearest Imperial commander. They had to call up anyways in case things went south as instructed, whether their higher officer liked it or not, "This is CT-1567 of the 153rd Battalion, calling in to command. We're... Well behind enemy fire, so much so we're removed from the battle just East of the city, awaiting further orders as instructed." "Either they'll be pissed or... They won't care. Hey, what about that temple we seen earlier?" Riggs quietly said to Tilt as the two start to keep watch for unsuspecting visitors. "Contested. Jedi, Sith, there'll be a massive amount conflict up there... Maybe if we're lucky we'll join 'em, probably get killed too, chances are low, our position here is better than most and we can probably..." Tilt choked down a bit of pride, he never viewed himself above the average soldier, but adding himself to the front lines alongside others felt weird for lack of better words, "Simply join the rest of the soldiers. Let's see what the bosses have to say, yeah?"

"Oh... That's neat..." Thumper said as he kept his pokerface as to not arouse any suspicion. . He said it as of it was a weird statement more than anything, and the crazy occultist had a hold of his arm. Then there was a look of fury upon the woman's face which the Clone merely raised his brows, she dropped his wrist abd started for the door which the trio merely looked to each other abd shrugged. While the woman's back was turned Tilt gave a few habd gestures to signal that they get ready... For whatever. They put on their helmets, uncertainty about their thoughts now. Tilt approached the woman but kept a good two foot distance. He asked, "Ma'am... You alright?"

The Clones looked to each other, confirming any suspicions of enemy activities. Welcome to Falleen, Tilt thought as he was the first to present his wrist, and the others followed. Already he could feel the emotions of his brothers, he knew their thoughts, and it seemed that it was time for further digging. It meant taking down a black market operation which the triad were trained for, but that also meant delivering the goods... Well... They could just start blasting the place. "I have to ask," Thumper removed his wrist for just a moment and whispered to the woman, "Not that it really matters, money is money, but what exactly are those kids for? I mean, if you're selling organs you can go nuts... Humor us at least." Tilt was also curious but with how normally vocal and blunt Riggs was, the brother was oddly quiet. He didn't like this idea one bit. Thumper made it obvious he didn't care for them one but but he k ew how to control his emotions, the lady never said, "No questions," So ge was taking advantage of that. Tilt and Riggs slowly removed their wrists as well as they too were intrigued, but this could only go so far. If things went according to plan then they'd get on and take care of business, if things went awry... Well, At least they could start shooting up the place.

Tilt stared at the sharp-toothed woman, frowned, then looked to Riggs and Thumper. The former gave a half smile and shrugged and the latter sighed looking another direction. So it seemed they were in business yet again! Tilt looked back to the lady and nodded, "Alright, guess we're the men to do it. Should we talk business here or..." Tilt finished his sentence with an open suggestion to anywhere.

One instant Tilt was about to go make an order, tired of waiting and starving though he was calmed about it. The boys had been getting a little more than riled up that MRE's wouldn't do a damn thing and he was getting a bit too afraid to get anymore drinks, Thumper was surprisingly vulgar when he's buzzed and Riggs... Riggs was Riggs. Things didn't help that eyes were on the boys in the tavern constantly, it was enough to keep Tilt's paranoia on edge. But it also didn't help that they were clad in gear and looked exactly alike. As soon as the pressure dropped on Tilt's shoulders he went with it, he had seen from the corner of his eye a feminine individual before and now must have been them. What strength, it excited the Clone Captain rather than scare him! He was buzzed, but certainly not drunken enough to cause a scene. Well discerning the fact that they were surrounded by individuals, and the bar itself was enclosed and crowded enough they could be heard. Immediately Tilts' hand raised up halting the two subordinates as he had seen the slightest indications they were about to start blasting. He then heard a whisper in his ear, a warning, harsh and true, however he wasn't born to be submissive, but then again he'd show respect and understanding... Contradicting the fact he would argue what she said. Tilt calmly and quietly said, "We haven't caused too big a ruckus. But, since we have liquor in us perhaps we're being a little too... Loud, for other's comfort. So sorry 'bout that. It's not easy being us when people don't know how not to stare." Tilt turned his head, an obvious glance to the priestess that he was completely calm with the situation. He had jerked his head lightly to the Hutt who had been watching them, "Afterall, can't blame 'em either for staring, but it's to the point it's made us uncomfortable enough that... Well... We start to make fun of people, instead of just walking up and tellin' them to quit. All we want is a drink, a bit to eat, and we'll be gone. Now, we can let bygones be bygones and continue to pay for the services, hell maybe you could even join us. Or we can leave, other than that-" "Wait you knew Delta? CT-073?" Riggs asked the woman quietly... A bit louder than his brother, his brows furrowed as he seemed more inquisitive now. Thumper interjected, "Hold up Thumper, you knew Delta? I call crap on that." "No no, seriously, I was under his service for a short few months before I got moved onto our battalion. Was originally a Sarge for a heavy-weapons unit, we talked here and there. Guy was a bonnafied badass and a great leader, but lady- C-Can you tell us where he is? Is he alive? It'd be great to see the tough bastard again!" "Riggs, inner voice!" Tilt silently hissed as the EOD starts to get a lottle too excited. He sighed and shakes his head, looking back to the woman, "Look, I get we... Are causing some serious worry amongst your patrons just by being here, and I do apologize about that, getting back on topic. Truce?"

"The dancer, she seems like a fun little thing..." Riggs said quietly as he watched the woman almost in a hypnotic state. Tilt replies in equal near silence, "You should go for the Hutt, the one with the beard, he's been staring at ya for quite some time." Behind the group were a gang of punks who had very good ears and were talking about everything that the Clones said to their buddies. They chuckled, and Thumper caught on quickly before jumping in, "Imagine it this way, all that flab makes for good leverage, you got natural oils that are so thick they could be used as lube, and let's not forget how loose and slimy they can get, the noises would be like churning butter." Thumpee made sure to make lireral churning slushing noises while rotating his fist abd moving his arm back and forth. Some of the gangsters spat out their drinks, all of them standing up and cussing the Clones as they walked out with a ruined mood. Good. Riggs looked uncomfortable now and leaned his head onto his hand, replying, "Oh... Not feelin' too good... You're an ass Thumper..." "Speaking of which, I'd seen the menu, cheese sticks look good. Figured I'd go for a burger and fries too. Anything for you?" Tilt asks, being the vocal one of the group, would wait until the waitress came back around. He watched every action and reaction, every movement that all had committed to their current placements. He watched as the Jedi left, which they could easily be tracked given his record of running into the bastards constantly back during the war. His war. But he didn't reminisce about that, instead if things went awry the Clone already thought up of every exit, enemy, and how many casualties there would be.

They opted to remain quiet, conserve energy, the battalion although really a squad of three Clones, the "Bad Company," spent their time reloading abd repairing equipment and weapons. This also included repainting and fixing the damage on the armor of primary black and accented orange, not the standard colors of the Galactic Alliance nor the Imperial Remnant, but it works better than not. When Falleen was mentioned the Clones hid the Grand Republic insignia as their battalion symbol was left on, they didn't know what situation Falleen was in but given it was originally either a Sith occupation or a sieged world they did not was to run the risk of the republic patch being recognized. It was always nice to work for someone you don't openly "associate" with from time to time, doing illegal things for the sake of the law was fun in itself. Neither of the Troopers had been on Byss, however they remained silent and more or less focused on the tasks at hand. Still they would be traveling alongside two Jedi this time, maybe even pick up some souvenirs or a drink. Once they landed the soldiers suited up and checked their gear, and after exiting Tilt would tell the duo befire they passed the squad, "We'll be shadowing you, Generals. If something goes wrong we'll relay you, but otherwise we got your backs." On e everyone was on a move, the squad would literally blend in with the surroundings, walking more like actual mercenaries than soldiers, looking around for trouble and of course a "job" if they picked one up. Of course right now they were keeping an eye on their Jedi to make certain they weren't in trouble... Not that the Jedi would be, still, it was best to have backup in case things got too hairy. Upon the rain getting heavier the Jedi moved faster until going into a nearby bar where the Clones would follow. No one had said much, just that they were more or less tired from the back to back missions and combat they were involved in, but at tge same time the squad was very much awake and focused. When entering the bar Tilt immediately led the group to the opposite end of the bar to a lone table. They took their seats and started to quietly chat, however in truth they were very much keeping tabs of the ongoings of the bar.

"Understood, sir," Tilt states as he catches the device, immediately walking to.the main control panel and stabbing the drive into the port, "Thumper, I want this ship out of here, you have the controls and the coordination. Riggs, I want you to help Thumper with whatever he needs." In the following minute that the ships engines kicked on, more of the droids had come to life with the new programming, purged of any of the previous CIS. Thumper in the meantime had helped guide the ship carefully and around, turning it to its proper destination and lurching the vessel forward. Riggs in the meantime was helping by setting up the ships defenses from outside intruders, at least the best he could. The Captain meanwhile was overlooking everywhere else, ship diagnostics, droids that didn't fall in battle, and generally security footage of everywhere important. Tilt then said to Vangar, "General, we have several units en route to our location. Several Destroyers and Standers. They'll be able to escort these individuals to the nearest holding cells... Unless you have plans for 'em? Could always interrogate the tech and the capt'n." Tilt gave a visored glance to the scared technician. It was both said jokingly and seriously, a suggestion that is normally used by the Clone Captain himself on occasion. Things seemed to be more under control and the situation in their favor, however beneath the personality was the boiling hatred he felt for the ship as a whole. If it were up to him, he'd burn it all to the ground.

"That didn't last long..." Riggs said wiping the sweat from his forehead, hearing the comms clear as day from his helmet even when it was off, "So uhh... Thumper, ya gonna do the thing?" Thumper smirked as he took off his own helmet, messing with a small data pad connected to his left wrist. He tapped a few things since he was wired and rigged into the control stations, and of course the various droids he individually hacked. Thumper then said, "General- Errr uhh, Mr. Vangar, sir, we have control of a lot of droids. All this time we spent hacking into the systems of the CIS army remnant, standard Battle Droids, Super Battle Droids, Vultures, Crab, HMP's... Whatever we came across, we hacked most of 'em. Right now, I'm activating al of them, they were "reworked" to protect the slaves, us, and fire upon any slavers. If the enemy surrenders or flee off ship, we take prisoners and let the runners run." "Well... Hop me up on Deathsticks," Riggs replies after a moment pf hard thinking, "We started near the far end of a hangar... I aint the sharpest knife in the crayon box, but you did all of that in that short amount of time?" "Thumper, are all of them active?" Tilt asked, keeping his sights on the Captain of the Lukrehulk. "Just about... There! With how big the hangar is, we have plenty of reinforcements between here abd out starting point. Our allies across the way will have backup soon." -------------------------------------------------- With the new firefight starting between the other teams and the slavers, anyone would have easily been unaware of the activating droids. Everything that was hacked up by the Bad Company had been indeed reintegrated to follow the specific commands of the Clones, recoding out the old CIS hardware and programming, in with the new data. One of the engineers at the station started to see the droids come to life, they attempted to shut them down but to no avail. At first, they were curious and were trying to give vocal commands to the machines, but as the squad of engineers gathered around they realized that realized the droids were starting to shout, and what they shouted made them think on not running when they had the chance, followed by being gunned down soon after. "For The Republic!" The Droids shouted out loud, loud enough for all to hear throughout the hangar bay to the control room. All hell was breaking loose. There were scattered fights breaking out, slavers who weren't gunned downed and surrendered captured, while slaves were being secured by the CIS automata. Quessax and the Knights too would hear the screams of Droids shouting profanities and orders that only Republic Clones should know... ------------------‐-----——————

"That wasn't too bad," Riggs states as him and Tilt start looking for their opening, Thumper just a few feet behind covering their six', "So we managed to damage a light freighter, unalived a few people, and hacked into a buncha clankahs. If anything this has gone pretty swell!" The group continued their search until coming upon the door to the deck. And then further down was an opening.. A small opening of wires that one would have to belly crawl. Tilt was the first to go, holstering all but a pistol and had his energy parma ready for use, Thumper would be last if Riggs wasn't so fidgety. The Clone Sargeant got down as well albeit slower than usual, a lot more cautiously than usual. It drew questions, but none were asked until the trio were in the ventilation shaft which was hot enough as it was. "G- Guys?!" Riggs almost shouted, nearing the exit was no enough apparently, and the Clones could most likely be heard from the control room, "I'm not feeling too good!" "Shut up, Riggs!" Thumper hissed, "We're almost there... I think- Wait what's wrong?" The Sargeant was breathing heavily halting his trek forward, almost seeming like he was trying to take his helmet off, "I uhh- I can't breath, and there's a lotvof cords and you can't see very-" "You've been blown out of three transports, punched a variety of droids, was too close to explosions because you "liked" the sight, and have a bad habit of screwing anything that walks. And out of all of that, you're scared of tight spaces?" "Both of you, cut it out," Tilt said firmly, "Riggs, be a man, push forward." After a solid minute of crawling and the Sargeant muttering a few things trying to calm himself down, Tilt saw the light from the other room. As soon as he came to the exit, he dropped down with both blasters raised, Riggs dropped in to the floor apparently not ready for the sudden loss of grip, and Thumper carefully crawled out then dropped with his blaster rifle ready as well. Tilt seeing that Vangar had the situation under control, spoke to him, "Sir, took us a moment but we're here. Sorry for the delay."

After helping a pair of slavers suicide themselves and stuffing their bodies into a broken pod, the Clones moved forward, seeing the hangar slowly transform into more built and recognizable area of operation. And it seemed to be congested of every guards. Tilt gave a hand signal to fan out but keep it tight, using the droids and towers of junk, including broken pieces of Fighters and Vulture droids for cover. Tilt stopped, giving a yellow light for his team to halt on the HUD, he pulls a knife as a duo of engineers passed by, both with rifles and simply scanning the area. The Captain waited, and when the two passed him, he gave the green light and pushed forward. The guards were constantly moving from route to route, getting that timing down however was cakewalk. One by one, the Clones pushed forward and passed the guards as they periodically changed positions. Tilt of course was the last to pass them, and as he snuck by with little effort, he could have swore he heard an Umbaran speak rapidly, the six guards swapping places abd routes constantly taking up arms and holding their weapons aiming for something. Tilt had passed through the doorway quickly, regrouping with his comrades and patching into his comms quietly, [C]"En route to the command center, so far sk good, Vangar we're just a minute or two from your position."

“I hope your men don’t overextend yourself again like that. Still, good plan captain.” “Fair warning. Not sure what this os about to do. Probably going to get some attention.” "Ahh sh*t!" Tilt mutters to himself as he felt the soft vibration of the ships engines combined with the lights turning on. It indeed was going to get interesting. Tilt quickly motioned for the group to start moving forward, preferably closer to the control room as much as they could without getting caught. But of course, Thumper taps Tilt and point to an HMP Droid Gunship and another more complete control terminal unguarded. The group looked about, careful of their now cramped surroundings. With a silent breath, Tilt signaled for his tech expert to handle the situation. The Captain and Sargeant covered the other Clone assuring his safety and their security, it'd be a shame to lose an upperhand and a soldier. Tilt said into the Conns quietly, ["In case all hell breaks loose we'll have an edge. We're getting closer to the control room, just taking a detour however."] Once Thumper finished his work he rejoined the other two soldiers and silently pressed forward, using whatever cover they had between junk towers and droids. Already theyvwere ready for anything.

Progress was made, and while there were no guards or droids passing through Thumper gave a quiet but obvious hum. He had already hacked into a variety of Battles Droids both standard and heavy models, the Vulture drpids were especially hard but they only proved a half minute's worth of trouble but even then there was no technology beyond his scope. At least in regards to fixing them up or doing exactly Thumper did, coding and reprogramming. Being on a time restraint, infiltration, and he'll call it what it was, reconnaissance, it made things a bit difficult, but nonetheless the Clone did his best and that's all he could give. After finishing up a batch of Vultur droids, at least four of them, he signed just slightly while atop of one from a ladder. Thumper looked about until spotting something bulky in the distance. He pulled a binoculars from his back and looked through them, trying to focus around the darkness and lenses and see exactly what he was looking at. A pair of maintenence Umbarans were playing with a terminal, a half built thing but judging by their operation it was functional. He'd watch as the pair turned on several Battle Droids from a distance but immediately turn them off. They would discuss something but otherwise strolled off elsewhere. "Captain, I'm looking at a control center for droids. Looks like it's functional at least." Thumper reports into a comm-link between his squad. "Is it worth the risk? We're swimming in deep water as it is." Tilt replies quietly, still looking for any trouble. Thumper responds a bit more aggravated, [C2]"It can be, if I can get a hold of that thing I can an hours work done in the soan of a minute. Remember, we've done things like this." Without even waiting Thumper moves from the Vulture and starts his way through the series of droids. Cursing to himself, Tilt motioned for Riggs to move up, seeing no time to argue he instead opted to staying silent unless necessary to tall. He wasn't too happy with his soldiers decision but had no choice but to move along given Thumper quickly closing in on his target. They moved quickly and aggressively, Tilt thankingthr higher powers they hadn't been seen just yet. As soon as Thumper was close to the large computer system he only had seconds to stop and quickly duck behind a downed Vulture. The two engineers from before had returned, they were speaking about something that the Clone couldn't understand but what he understood was that he was too eager. He realized the fault of the situation, perhaps he shouldn't have gone for the control station? Instead he lied and wait not wanting to risk getting caught going forward or moving back. Tilt didn't wait however. He saw the engineers coming toward Thumpers location, he bumped Riggs and gave a motion with his hand with two fingers up. The Sargeant understood and picked up the smallest but heaviest object he could find. He chucked the thing far behind the engineers toward a large junk pile that sat next to an Umbaran light freighter. The pile was carefully hoisted by a makeshift platform and wires that bately contained it. And as soon as the piece of junk hit the pile, the wires snapped and the several tons of parts and trash fell atop the freighter, with the platform swinging from momentum and slamming hard into the windows of the cockpit shattering them. All three Clones seemed to have stopped in unison, cringing at the loud noise, but it seemed to have gotten the attention of slavers and engineers alike. Tilt and Riggs quickly hid amongst tool towers and droids while Thumper maxe use of the distracted engineers and quickly hid himself in an old fighter cockpit which had been covered in tarp. Riggs and Tilt watched several engineers, slavers, and whoever else rush toward the noise, Thumper waited for everyone to clear up and heard shouting of anger in the distance. Taking advantage of that situation, he moved toward the terminal and immediately started to get to work with the system. Meanwhile his other two comrades had pushed in and took positions, Tilt on the ground floor blending in amongst ruined droids while Riggs stayed atop an upper platform after taking a ladder. [C2]"Oh man, looks like that's one of the head honchos," Riggs whispers over his comm link, "Chewin' all of 'em, he looks pissed!" [C2]"Focus Sargeant. Thumper, how long?" Thumper makes a few hand signs between hacking the terminal. After a good minute Riggs gave a "red light" to Tilt, letting him know that the individuals were getting back to work stations. The Clone Captain was about to cuss his subordinate until Thumper starts to make his way back. As soon as he returns the three quickly made their own path between all the droids and junk using the chance to cross the way deeper into the ship. Once they were cleared of units, Tilt ordered his squad to stay in tight formation for better security. And to avoid anymore runoffs. He was going to have a long talk with Thumper.

As soon as they landed, Thumper powered the ship fully excluding the security system and pulled his WESTAR commando rifle to his chest. Out last, the Clones stepped into a dark portion of the hangar and realized they were surrounded by droids. The same droids that the Clones fought again for so long, all compact together in organized unison deactivated. For Riggs it was no issue as he took it with stride, Thumper was more weary despite the droids being disabled, however Tilts mind raced in paranoia and claustrophobia. This wasn't good, so thought the Clone Captain. "Night vision," Tilt whispered softly which received green light on his HUD from the other two troops. It was a much better option than flashlights and gave then a better advantage. Being more a rear guard and avoiding sight by utilizing tool towers, junk and automata for cover, Thumper couldn't help but notice and note the strange armor the rogue faction were wearing here and there, not enough to get back good glimpse from afar. At least the Umbarans as he could guess were wearing them, though they seemed far and in-between, he started to lag until feeling a tug from Riggs urging him to move forward. Several guards and several stops later, they approached to a stop which the Wing Guard started their work. Thumper wanted the chance to start digging into tech but held himself back mostly, with Tilt keeping him in check and Riggs keeping Tilt sane with occasional bumps and such. As of now the Clone Captain was trying to not "check out" and remained almost focused on the mission. It difficult due to so much of the CIS tech being familiarized in so many of his brothers deaths as well as his own brushes on numerous occasions. "Thumper... Riggs... We're going to break off for the moment. Vangar, we'll keep you posted." Tilt says to the other rear guardsman, breaking off just as the Clone said to take care of something. That something being the CIS Droids. As uncomfortable and painful as the machines presented to Tilt he remembers a portion of the mission that needed to get taken care of. Using the droids to their advantage. Tilt would say after they allowed a patrol by, careful to not be loud, "We're gonna reprogram a few... Or a lot of these clankers... Thumper, you know how to do it without activating them?" "Of course, I wasn't an info siphon for nothin' back in the day. Just keep me guarded, let me know what's happening." Thumper replies, starting to get to work on a back row of the machines against a wall. While Tilt and Riggs kept hidden and posted, for Thumper it was like playing with a puzzle. All droids of a same series had similar if not the same wiring, hardware, and software. Used to he would capture a combat Droid and hack into its mainframe to get an idea of layout or information for his team, now he was deleting and uploading a series of codes into the killing machine. Codes that made the droids fight for the Clones, their entire infiltration team, and of course benevolent toward passersbys such as the slaves and common workers. Rinse and repeat, what at first turned into a three minute operation would become a 30 second hack per machine, of course, he was we'll aware of the patrols and engineers, he would find his own coverage preventing from getting spotted.

"Oh... Well... That's no good," Riggs states as he was looking through the targeting scope of one of the ships guns. And like Riggs said Thumpers and Tilts minds practically said the same things. A small fleet of scavengers, possibly military black market but there was no knowing for sure as they certain meant business. ”Pilot! Get this bird docked on the double. We’ve got company!” "Already on it," Thumper say's aloud as there was a sudden lurch of the Mantis with what the Clone putting everything forward into the engines, "Should ingo ahead and patch in a frequency with the 'hulk, Tilt?" "No, just focus on getting us to the vessel. I want that surprise in," Tilt's reply seemed a bit hesitant, holding onto a strap above to keep balance of the shifting vessel, he counted the fleet across from them and made a mental note, "If those fighters break off and head right for us I want all guns active." "Aye aye, Captain," Thumper replies, "Should I mention that Corvette is a Marauder-class? Not to mention the various Lioaoin Corsairs they've got, despite being a patrol class ship those aren't for show-" "Just get us to the hulk, Thumper." Tilt say's hoping for the best and for his brother to shut up. The Mantis was moving at it's fastest she's ever seen and it seemed to groan here and there from the exertion it faced. Tilt had his weapons ready, and Riggs wasn't far behind, meanwhile Thumper moving the ship as of she was brand new. The Lukrehulk was in mere distance, closing in extremely quick and as of nothing was happening the Mantis easily slid into a docking bay, Thumper landing the craft.

Upon entering the space shared by the Umbarans, Thumper carefully navigated toward their objective. When he and the team left someone would have to stay with the ship... Or not, given the mission, it'd be a shame of the Mantis got hijacked... By the same people if not similar it was originally stolen from. However the codes were up to date if not decently shaped to be recognized as a light freighter for transportation. All things considered for the vessel were handled by Thumper, so there was no absolute way that they were going to get caught based on the pile of iron that glides through space. As Tilt and Riggs readied a few more things, they would hear Quessex ask Thumper a question. Tilt made his way up to the cockpit and was about to answer until he too saw something of the ships radar. Thumper didn't notice it until he actually looked up from the pad he was given and frowned. They both looked upward but didn't see anything at first, and as Tilt looked back down at the radar the blips seemed to have gotten closer. "Mines?" Thumper asked cautiously. "Fighters... Or scav ships... Be ready for anything Thumper, " Tilt expressed carefully then shouted, "You all better buckled in or hold onto something, we've got contacts incoming!"

"Negative, sir," Tilt responds as he follows Quessex out of the tent, " Personally, I've never seen an Umbaran during the old campaigns, only heard rumors here and there one of which were their sight. That's gonna be tricky." Tilt's heart sunk despite having a vague idea of Delta, but life went on. And the situation would differ based on his decisions, another one fallen not to combat but manipulation and possibly madness. Clones, from what he heard, could potentially be controlled via Force powers and a Sith who were gifted in such ways could potentially "sway" a Clone... But Tilt and Delta both knew that the latter was much, much smarter than that. Despite how much it jacked his moral basis, Tilt had hoped Delta truly did die and that he would find peace. Now starting off to the Mantis, Tilt's mind was focused on the mission. To hell with the moral compass, as right now they needed to infiltrate and capture an old CIS warship that had a mixture of enemies, bystanders, and slaves aboard and outside of it. This wasn't going to be easy, but that was where Riggs- the explosives expert, and Thumper- the technology expert, came in. God only knows what those two had cooked up... ________________________________ "All set?" Riggs shouted from the back of the Mantis. "Codes have been changed and rearranged, if they try to scan 'em, it'll pop up as the old Sith vessel it used to be." Thumper replies as he shuts the various panels in the cockpit. The armor of the Clones were altered via paint job, fitting that of primary blacks and secondary/accented reds with the Sith Imperial logo sported on the left shoulder pauldron, right arm guard, or the left of the kama's. The paint itself wasn't anything superficial however it was extremely fast at drying and required actual chemicals to remove, but with a lot of degreaser and plenty of elbow grease it could be easily cleaned... Maybe. The Alliance symbol on the outside of the Mantis was also blotted out carefully and the gray color that was painted over or was perfectly aligned with the tones of the rest of the ship. They'd only hoped that this mission would stay solid only until they got into the ship, then Thumper could work his magic. Waiting for everyone to come along, Riggs and Thumper would spend the time conjuring any mishaps that could potentially happen during the mission. It wasn't that they couldn't do it but so much that a lot of lives were at risk, and if the droids we're activated before they could reprogram them? All hell would break loose for the worse.

"Right then. We can fit eight people in my ship, excluding gunners and pilot. She's well armored and equipped for combat in case things go wrong. That said, I should go see Quessex and find out any information on Delta that could help with the ruse... God only knows what he's done. Once we're in and we have some privacy, we'll be reactivating the droids and even reprogram them to fight for us, including any security hardwired into the vessel. Should things go awry, I'll link up with the comms and give a signal, or again, once it's time. But that's all in due time, plans change all the time and things happen. If that'll be all, there are preparations to be made." Tilt salutes then slid his helmet back on. He jerked a thumb in the direction of the exit which Riggs and Thumper followed. Exiting the tent, Tilt told Thumper and Riggs to head back to the Mantis and to prepare, all the while he would remain here and finding out what he could. With a brisk sigh, he entered the same tent Quessex was in, and said aloud after entering, "Agent Quessex, what can you tell me about CT-073, Delta? I'll be needing it for the mission."

Things were heating up, not explosive but to a boil Tilt's observation. He looked between everyone that spoke either those who agreed to go under cover as pseudo Sith and those who were completely against the idea. Perhaps it was natural to agree with Jedi, though their philosophy-driven lives were of religious kind, Tilt hasn't met a single one of them that were "wrong" in most situations. Mistakes happen though, and he wasn't the "good soldier" like he used to be. He was a free thinker, a fighter against the Sith unrestrained and unshackled from the Grand Republic, but there was that underlying guilt that strode in the corner of his mind. Perhaps his disagreement came from impersonating a fallen brother, Delta, a name he hadn't heard in what seemed like eons. They were the first set of Clones in that era, he'd participate in the battle on Geonosis, but extensive training was needed as he was deployed with the minimum much like the others. That was when Tilt met Delta, but their paths diverged after the former was deployed unto the 130th Legion. Here and there they'd graze on chance, the times that they had a chance to talk and see action together were rare but allowed for that respect to creep in. Even if Tilt didn't know Delta as an acquaintance or a fellow brother, his hesitance to impersonate another of his kind was disrespectful in some sense, no matter what paths or alignment they took on. Whether Delta remembered him or not was irrelevant, as far as Tilt knew, one of the few Clones who'd survive since the Grand Republic were dead. But life goes on. As Tilt watches Quessex move from area to tent, Tilt vocalized once more, "If it helps, us Clones can be disguised as Sith units... Delta, as Quessex said. If we can infiltrate the ship, we can reboot the deactivated droids and reprogram them for our needs. But if this is a delicate operation and cannot be seen as Alliance by any means necessary, then I suggest that whoever doesn't go under guise can pose as a neutral party- Pirates, mercenaries, a rogue faction or even a splinter cell of Sith rogues. I assume the Big Wigs running the ops are looking to turn the planet from a neutral or even enemy influenced one to allied, which is why "influence" and guise is... Necessary, I assume. I don't take solace in posing as the people who infiltrated and corrupted my Republic, but if it means getting the job done, so be it. "Now, if any of you wouldn't mind playing dress-up with us grunts it'd be nice to have a small group infiltrate the ship, besides us three, I don't mind having a squad between four and eight... Or it could just be us three. I don't want a larger-than-necessary force going in, it'd make things too complicated, small and nimbleness is what we're relying on; I'm not picky, just need some common sense and effectiveness. Or, it could just be the three of us, and we'll handle the infiltration ourselves. Any takers?"

The squad were greeted to an individual that went by Quessex, which was good enough for them. They listened to the orders or briefing rather and understood fairly what the task was bound to be. It wasn't the first rodeo with this kind of mission, but Tilt knew this was no longer the Clone Wars. They walked with the agent as they explained away the details of the mission and were introduced to Viceroy Vangar and Commander Raphenel Karlovci Contispex. This... Was going to be interesting. "I have to agree with Raphenal," Tilt opened up, taking his helmet off to reveal his face, "During the Clone Wars "Capture and Secure" missions were some of the things we did including under disguise, that was when everyone on our side and who believed in us were so solid in their beliefs that we had a little leeway to work with. From the reports and past campaigns that I read about the Alliance and Jedi Order, people have faith that is easily shaken. I'm not saying we won't do the mission, but there's the huge risk you're willing to take of people's trust in the Alliance as a whole."

In the morning the air hung heavily on Yselia, already the wind carried a humidity about it that wasn't necessarily the best thing to be outdoors for. But it allowed for a good sweat to build so that the wind would feel cool to the touch. That was the idea at first, but then the Bad Company would soon regret their decision of not remaining on a ship. The Mantis, a freighter redesigned for combat and stealth purposes, was posted just outside the parameter... At least outside of where the food was. After their meal, the three man squad lead by one Arc Trooper, Captain Tilt, were busy with cleaning equipment and the Mantis in case they were needed in the field. This was the first time they have received any proper sleep, even going as far sleeping in past their usual 0500 routine, one simply couldn't stay sane on limited rest. The squad was followed by another Captain, Thumper who was the technician, then Sargeant Riggs who handled weapons and explosive ordnance. It hadn't been long since their stasis in cryo sleep in which they had been on ice for a very, very long time. Long enough to miss out on various events and shifts throughout the galaxy. Long enough that Clones, at least the Fett based Clones, were all but near extinguished. But that didn't bother Tilt nor the crew, they moved on from their feelings toward the Republic albeit the old insignia was stamped on the left shoulder armor whilst the right bore the Rebel/Imperial Alliance mark. Should they be needed for covert ops the armor pieces could easily be replaced. There was a loud crash which caught Tilts attention, interrupting readjusting the scopes for the rifles. The crashing ended with Riggs cussing up a storm and Thumper moving to see what had happened, Tilt shaking his head as he continued his work. That was until a young male Zabrak, reeking of hyperlane fuel and covered in grime came rushing to the Clone who, out of instinct, pulled a blaster on the kid. Tilt said in a stern and steady tone as he holstered a weapon, "It's unwise to rush someone working on a blaster. What is it?" "Sir,” The messenger panted. “Director Qessax, successor to Grand Moff Kolchak in Imperial Intelligence has requested that you proceed with all haste to his location. Your Alliance needs you.” Before Tilt could utter another word the kid was already gone, leaving behind in the Clone's palm a tracking device. Tilt wasn't fully armored, instead had don a sleeveless white shirt which shown off his biceps and the cargo shorts he also wore. It was better wearing civvies in down time, but it seemed they were on call now. Quickly putting everything back together, Tilt put weapons in cases as well as spare parts and fuel cells for the blasters. It was time to move out. "Thumper, Riggs! Get your gear on and everything in order, we're heading out in five!" ______________________________________ "Okay, so we're waltzing about looking at that little gidgit?" Riggs asked as the trio made their way through the encampment and near the designated area. "It's called a tracking device," Thumper say's as of describing the thing to a child, "A shows you where a person is if you have a signal node on 'em!" "Yeah, I know what it is, but they couldn't tell us where we're supposed to go?" "It's easier to just have them do this," Tilt finally said as the approached the makeshift tent, putting the device away and sliding his helmet on, "Best behavior, both of you. I don't want to screw things up." Just before they could enter a security droid stopped the group, Tilt pulled out a tracking device and handed it to the machine just before entering, "We're here on orders of Quessex. 130th Legion, Captain Tilt."

”Welcome Captain,” Tilt heard a strong low woman’s voice called out from a podium at the head of the table before a real time screen that displayed the naval battlefield outside. “Please tell us what you know of the Misercordia. What did you see? Do you know anything of the Empress? The battle goes poorly. Sith and Allied craft alike flee the battle, hundreds of thousands more are dead including Grand Moff Kolchak. Where are your men?” Tilt situated himself at the empty seat after being guided by a service droid. He took off his helmet as the droid delivered a steaming cup of caf. He hated black caf, but it was better than stagnant water and it woke him up. Sugar, sweetener and creams were for R&R. He set the helmet to his side revealing the face of a Republic Clone and his expression was clearly showing that he didn't want to be there. 'Swallow it up, p*@#y.' "What I know of the ship was that it was overrun with Sith forces. Imperial and Rebel personnel were being pushed back, messy business, I was knocked for a minute when our transport was shot down within the hangar and my squad and I got separated. From there a small group and I had gathered whoever we could and sealed one of the exits that would further prevent additional enemy units from entering and taking allowed forces by surprise. When one of the combat engineers hacked into the ships security mainframe they reported that Sith were trying to sabotage the escape pods, that's where I and others stopped them, afterward we were ordered to immediately evacuate the ship. My squad got out and are on the ground now, but as for the Kolchak? I heard he died, last time anyone said anything, I don't know how accurate that is." Tilt shook his head as he downed more than half the mug of caf, it was hot and it stung his throat all the way down to his belly. It hurt, but it woke him up and allowed him to focus via pain, "As far as I know of the Empress? Nothing. Just that the main control room was compromised. That's all the information I have, Ma'am, I wish there was more I could give."

Tilts brow rose when the individual spine to him, although the brow couldn't bee seen under the helmet. He could answer like a smartass but needed to be professional about this, he found difficulty not to give a snarky answer. Then again they were in the middle of a war, and acting like Riggs was not going to get him anywhere. So without further ado, Tilt said, "Tilt, Captain of the 431st Legion, CT-0207; infiltration, air assault, reconnaissance, sabotage, espionage, and close quarters combat. I was under direct orders from Kolchak to board the Misericordia, however we were evacuated as the ship went under. I'm assuming that's it, yes? I'll make my way to the other officers then."