[SWTOR] Derelict (please join at will!)

[KatarnCOmmando]

   Sel cursed, badly.
   "Damn. I can't get them on the damned net either. Do these fracking things EVER work?" he bellowed as he continued his charge down the corridor.
   He finally saw Al'ara, and he slammed the brakes on his own legs when she calmly gestured at the door with one of her ignited blades. The brand acted like a flashlight in this case, and it cast eerie reflections on the water and coolant that still flowed around their feet. She looked up at him as the four soldiers approached. Sarkur held the Consular up as best as he could.
     "I think there's someone in there." she announced, her voice calm and determined.
     Sel nodded; he and Elessa stacked up on the wall to the Jedi's left, and Sel place his left hand-his non-firing hand-on her shoulder and tapped once, his trust in the Knight absolute.
    She sliced through the door and stepped stepped in. It was another scene from hell, and the Jedi immediately  recoiled. The gooey red-black liquid covered the floor, and three men, clearly twisted by whatever it was, babbled feverishly. They stared at Al'ara, their eyes flashing with determination and rage.
    Then they charged.
    Their speed was astonishing given their broken appearance. Sel cursed loudly again and grabbed Al'ara. He yanked the Jedi back out into the hallway just as the first thing burst from the doorway. Al'ara whipped one saber up and lopped its head off, but the damned thing actually swung back at her. She reacted perfectly, her movements flowing beautifully as she checked the attack with a saber hilt and chopped the thing into tiny bits with several quick slashes, but the next bowled through and slammed into both soldiers and the Jedi, knocking them into the wall. Elessa rolled to her feet, and Sel slammed his head into the thing's face. He followed with a knee, an elbow, and with his left hand, a wicked slash from the retractable vibro-blade in his knuckle plate. It went down. The third creature however, turned and fled down into the next room, the medical bay.
   Sel jumped to his feet and ran after it, but Al'ara grabbed his arm.
    "Don't!"
    The door exploded inwards.

[Catri]

Al'ara leaped over the rubble into the medical bay and cut the charred remains of the third creature to pieces just for good measure. Then she knelt in the door frame and pressed her hand to the rubble using her Psychometry to call up visions of whatever impressions had been left in the Force about the object she was touching. She saw shaking hands assembling a bomb and attaching it to the door frame, rigging it to explode immediately after a person entered the room.Whoever set the explosive must have remained inside or the bomb would have been triggered already.

She surveyed the main room of the med bay. Tools were strewn across tables in disarray. Some of the diagnostic equipment was damaged, possibly from the explosion. Most of the beds were stained with blood, but some of them were missing their mattresses. The doors to the supply cabinets stood wide open, and it looked like someone had hastily removed many of the medical supplies. In the back of the room she noticed a door that must lead to an office or a laboratory. When it would not open she noticed that the controls next to the door were in good condition. Whatever was preventing her entrance was done on the inside.

"Captain," She called out to Seleur " I think there may be more survivors in here...at least I hope they survived."

[KatarnCOmmando]

      Sel hadn't even realized he was holding his breath until Al'ara emerged unharmed from the med bay processing center.
    "Captain," she called, "I think there may be survivors in here...at least I hope they survived."
    Sel exhaled in relief and pushed himself off of his knees. He spun around and aimed his weapon down the corridor while Sarkur and Hal Sanderlin carried the Miraluke consular inside. Elessa was the last in, and the normally unflappable sniper carried her frame in a way that suggested annoyance, and even anger. Puzzled, Sel ducked inside and gestured for a tight three-sixty.
     "Check ammo boys and girls. Sound off with injuries." he called.
   Moving like a pro, Al'ara slipped into the middle of the formation as the soldiers pulled tight to search their equipment. Sel switched to a private line and called Elessa.
    "What's wrong Chalky?" he said, using the private nickname very few people said around her.
    "My hair."
  She pulled her helmet off, turned her neck to the left, and Sel saw that her long pony tail really wasn't all that long anymore. He laughed.
    "Hey! That's not funny?!" she yelled!
   Hal and Sarkur joined in; all three of their voices filled the room and left Elessa grinning in spite of herself. Al'ara, sticking up for her fellow woman, slapped Sel on the back of his head hard enough to pitch the commando forward, an action that brought even more laughter from everyone. It continued for a few minutes before Sel, finally gaining control of myself, cut it out with a simple hand gesture.
    "Alright boys and girls, we've got possible survivors inside the Kolto bay. Sergeant Kahn-classic right-Sergeant Kahn picked something up right after she saved my Kriffing backside for the second time. We're gonna find out what's back there."
   He reached out and gently squeezed Al'ara's shoulder.
    "Thanks by the way. I owe you two."
   She simply smiled and shook her head. Sel pumped his hand twice, and Venom sprang into action again. Elessa wired the double-doors-the sealed double-doors-and began a bypass while Sel, Sarkur and Al'ara stacked up on the left. Hal Sanderlin covered the rear door and did his best to barricade the opening with desks, cots, and anything else he could find. They waited.
    With a loud BEEP, the doors shot open and Venom swept into the room. It was black, but the solid blue glow of the active Kolto tanks in the back provided enough radiance to see without the use of NOD's or flashlights. Two people bobbed and floated in the healing liquid while another, a human male wearing a torn and bloodied Marine Corps pattern uniform, lay in a heap on the floor, his blaster rifle serving as a pillow. He groaned a little as the Army commandos approached and cleared the room, proof that he was alive, but he didn't move or react in any other way.
   "Damn! Medic!" Sel called.
   Lights flew on and Hal Sanderlin ran into the room. Elessa turned to cover his section. The Corellian, Gold Team's medic, opened a bag and turned the marine over to work on him.
   "He's still alive. So are they, according to the signs and the glow. How'd they get here?"
   "I have no idea." Sel replied.
   Then his comlink came alive.
   "Gold team, this is Red again, over? Come over the net! Sithspit, are you even still alive?"
   Sel practically jumped into the air. He yanked another link off of his belt and turned it on to speaker. He yanked his helmet off and spoke.
    "This is Gold. Thank the Force you're still alive. What the hell happened? SITREP, over."
    "Hey! Boss, they're alive! It's the captain!" the muffled voice of a Kel Dorian called in the background. It came back over the net more clearly this time.
    "Captain, be careful down there. We've got all kinds of problems. We've sealed off the med bay and crew cabins up here with us inside. We heard Talon Guard over the net, but haven't made contact. Instead....boss, they're everywhere. We've got serious problems.
    "Copy. Who or what is attacking?"
    "Sir, I've got no kriffing idea. They use the force, they're evil as hell, and they wear these talismans that Kryll swears are ancient Sith. That black blood stuff is everywhere. They've got us trapped..."
   Gunfire erupted from the back, followed by a screech and more shots. Another agonized, blood-curdling scream echoed through the halls, and then silence.
   "Elessa?! ELESSA!?"
   Before Sel could move, the sniper rushed through the med bay door and sealed it behind her. She was breathing heavily and blood covered the armor of her left hand. Al'ara reached out to help her, but the Arkanian offshoot shook her head.
    "I'm fine. Not my blood. They ripped apart a crewman I found, ripped him limb from limb. I tried to pull him out, but, well..," she shivered. "We've got some serious issues."
    "Seal the door, now! Hal, figure out some way to get the survivors ready to move. We're sure as hell not leaving anyone behind."
    "Never!" the soldiers echoed.
    "You ok El?" the Echani asked.
    "Good to go sir. I'm a little shaken up, but I'm good. Boss, we CAN'T leave anyone to these things, not even Sith."
   "We won't. Let's move people."
   Elessa shivered again, unseen by all except Al'ara. She reached out and squeezed the sniper's shoulder. Elessa did the same and nodded.
    "Master Jedi," she whispered, "we're going to need all the help we can get."
   
   

[Jasyn]

The glow of the charge's tiny red light started to blink at a hastened pace until it seemed nearly solid.  Preceded by a single high pitched warning squeal--drawn out for no more than 5 seconds--it erupted into a frenzy of smoke and sparks.

"Jamming beacon out of play, sir!" reported Unyn.

"Gee, that's swell, sergeant!  Let's keep moving, team!"  The slow minutes that Captain Farcross and his Talon Guard squad stayed soundless and motionless in the cargo alcove felt like hours, but with the nucleus of the Imperial troops departing for other decks, they were finally able to seize the opportunity to resume their pursuit of Venom's last known whereabouts.  As they crawled deeper into the corridor, finding and disposing of a portable jamming beacon erected by the Imps was merely a bonus.  "Fourteen, do what you can to amplify secure Republic frequencies and start scanning for chatter.  We need to make contact with Venom."

Accompanied by a sequence of buzzes and beeps, the squad's battle droid voiced a response.  "Affirmative!"

On the move as they followed a bend in the corridor, a bolt of blaster fire from ahead suddenly ricocheted off Chayce's shoulder guard.

Lieutenant N'Jargo's voice crackled through the filter in his helmet.  "Company incoming, captain.  If I had to guess, they don't look as thrilled about the sergeant's results."  The lieutenant hauled his assault cannon from its holstered position, mounted on his back, and with a heave, aimed low at one of the two approaching Imperial troopers, sending the oncomer reeling as the blast knocked him backward with concussive force.

Fourteen launched a tow cable at their other quarry, the clawed end grappling him dead center in his chest armor.  The Imperial flailed as Fourteen rapidly reeled his cable back in--causing the trooper to make an airborne approach toward the battle droid.  Chayce swung his own assault cannon from over and around his shoulder and whipped the trooper in the head, causing him to fall into a limp heap on the water-covered flooring of the corridor.

"Gosh!  Let's hope there aren't anymore where these fellows came from," Chayce said with his usual glass half-full optimism.  "I was pretty sure we'd outwaited them all."

"I bet they were left behind to guard the beacon," N'Jargo supposed aloud.

Chayce came to an abrupt stop, extending his arms to hold back his team's advance.

"Problem, captain?"

"Did you hear that, Jargo?"

"No, sir.  What was it?"

"Hrm," Chayce pondered.  "I could have sworn I heard a quick round of blaster fire nearby for a moment there.  We'd better continue on."

Before the team could resume their course, Fourteen emitted a few clicks, whirs, and other electronic audibles as he began to vocalize a transmission.  "Captain Farcross!  Positive identification on comm channel chatter.  Keyword analysis confirms Venom Squad, sir!"

"Jeepers!  What are you waiting for, Fourteen?" Chayce said enthusiastically.  "Patch me in."

Meanwhile, Unyn motioned for N'Jargo to join him at a nearby doorway to which he'd been drawn.  As Chayce waited to link up with the comm channel, the two of them began to examine the damage to the door, seemingly caused by a lightsaber.

"Sel!"  Chayce called into his helm mic as he received confirmation of his audio link.  "Farcross to D'Salantia.  Can you hear me?  Are you out there?"

Behind him, N'Jargo peered into the darkness of the exposed room's ruins.  "What the...?"

Lieutenant Unyn lifted a piece of scrap from what remained of the door.  The scarred markings were not enough to mar the lettering on one side of the panel.  Still clearly legible, the words said: Med Center.

[Kaliala]

Xachia the apprentice lay sprawled on the floor  caught between a small bunk and the wall.  Nearby lay a man, crew member of the Emerald Fire, dead.   His murder had been a mistake.  She had simply meant to force choke him until he was more cooperative.  He had invited her to his quarters for a simple dinner but once Xachia began the delicate process of extracting information his fear rose to such heights that it amplified her powers.  She lost herself in the euphoric  feeling of the power of the force, and then he was dead.  Oopsie.   His death was inconvenient in the fact that now she had to hide a body and she  gained nothing from it  not one sliver of knowledge regarding the object of power being transported on this vessel.   Xachia did not even know what the object was only that a Darth of considerable power and influence wanted it  and if he wanted it then Xachia wanted it more.   She gambled that she had a good chance.  As an apprentice her appearance had yet to begin to change due to channeling the dark side.   She was able to pass as something other than Sith.


Long before Xachia regained consciousness  she was aware of the acidic smoke that burned her nasal passages and chest but this was not a new sensation.  Xachia had lived most of her life to this point in the Galactic Slave Mines located in the Outer Rim..  The familiarity of the situation only brought terror to the young disoriented apprentice and in those fleeting moments between oblivion and wakefulness she imagined that the last few years had only been a dream and she was in fact still in the slave mines.
Out of habit she lay there conscious  but still as she listened.  No matter where she may be she did not want to reveal that she was awake until it was in her best interest to do so
Chaos.  There was the unmistakable sound of blaster fire and raised voices.  Xachia thought she heard a man screaming the word Liar but  she was unsure.  It came to her as more of an echo as if it had travelled a distance.  The ship itself was eerily quiet no sounds of daily living  the small whoosh of doors openings,  droids moving,  terminals working  just a lone man screaming Liar.  That in itself is odd Xachia thought  these republic types are so uptight they pretend that the Sith lie but they lie to themselves and each other  all the time they just not admit it nor do they scream.  Unless they are dying a stray thought came from the recesses of her mind.  Yes they scream when they die even when their screams can't be heard  she thought as she looked over at the man laying on the floor


Nimbly she rose to her feet and caught a glimpse of herself in the reflecting metal.  Years of malnutrition had stunted her growth so that she was one of the smaller apprentices in the Sith Academy.  Living underground had also left her with a extremely fair complexion and an intolerance for the sun and light in general.  Wary grey eyes and short white hair completed the picture.  She wore a simple hooded robe in a dainty yellowish gold color.  It looked hideous but who would imagine a Sith wearing yellow. 
Once again blaster fire echoed through the air along with some type of roar.  They are getting closer she thought.  I am not going to be able to escape without help  and I cannot explain to Imperial  troops why I am here.  Xachia stared at her reflection again  She looked frail and vulnerable.  It was a deception of course but it was usually too late by the time her victim discovered she was not entirely helpless.  More often than not they had sought to take advantage of her perceived vulnerability so she felt no remorse.


Out of the corner of her eye she saw the body lying on the floor and she approached it slowly.  He had honestly wanted to help her.  He thought she needed more to eat.  Xachia experience a fleeting moment of regret for her actions and then chased it away with anger   He should have known better than to help a strange person she thought to herself.  Faintly she could hear his communicator buzzing .  It was muffled because it was under his body.  Curious as to what was happening outside of her immediate area she forcefully yanked the communicator out from under the body.

"Farcross to D'Salantia. Can you hear me? Are you out there?"

"Two groups at least and they are coming.  They will find me that is certain ." she muttered to herself absently.   She was running out of time but time to do what exactly.  Escape yes but how.  Quickly she thought of her options  fighting was not an option.  Even if she had her lightsaber she could not hope to survive against one group of soldiers certainly not two or more.  She did have a stealth generator with her but if she was caught there would be no rational explanation for using stealth on a ship.  Being found is unavoidable but what will they find?   Xachia approached the small sitting area where she had been located before her attack on the crewman.  Swiftly without hesitation she slammed her head against the wall and crumpled back to the floor.   The unconscious innocent survivor awaiting rescue.

[KatarnCOmmando]

  Ranon Torrik slipped back from the blast door, his rifle still aimed at the small hole Kryll had burnt through the barrier with her last volley. She sneered at the wound in her left shoulder in annoyance rather than pain;clearly, lightsaber stabs barely registered in the tough Master Sergeant's pain index, and she proudly displayed her twenty years of Special Forces experience by easily dispatching the Sith that struck her with the buttstock of a rifle and her boot. She wasn't the only one wounded either, and the last wave of Imperial soldiers, Sith warriors and bounty hunters had been entirely too close, but they had held again. He didn't expect any other outcome.
   "Ran," Kryll yelled, "check the back and see if you can grab one of the heavies."
   "Copy that boss." the Kel Dor replied.
  He broke off and headed deeper into the crew quarters. Hs lost his helmet in the last attack-stupid Mando fired a flamethrower burst that melted half of it before Ranon blew him apart-but his breath mask and goggle held true, so he peered down the X-ray optic he mounted on his rifle manually. He moved cautiously but still made it to the heavy weapon he and Elessa had engaged before relatively quickly. He assessed the weapon in a glance.
    "1-1 this is 1-3."
    "Go ahead three."
    "Ma'am, we can use it. I just send Koa over here to give me a hand."
    "Copy. Four, go ahead."
   Koa wasted no time. The tall Gotal sprinted over and lifted the front tripod of the weapon...then he froze.
    "I sense...something. Someone."
   Ranon knew what that meant. Gotals sensed electromagnetic waves eminating from living creatures through the pair of cranial horns the species boasted. Koa actually cut holes into his helmet to continue to make use of them, and his natural abilities made him one of the best pathfinders in the Army. He often served as the "rabbit" for Ryen, when the sniper wasn't paired with Elessa, and he performed search-and-rescue and search-and-destroy missions constantly, his skills so in-demand that SIS often pulled him away from the rest of Venom for long stretches. The social, affable Gotal hated it-Venom was his family-but he endured and always returned smiling.
   "Where at?"
   Koa circled around.
   "There," he said, pointing at a petty officer's quarters down the hall, "and there's one living creature and one body. The body is human, but I can't tell the life form. It's...clouded. Damn this ship."
   "I agree. Let's hit it."
   The two commandos swiftly but silently swept down the hall. Kryll told them to check, but to hurry, and the pair really felt like complying, since the next attack could happen at any minute. They made it to the door and Koa backed to the left of it while the Kel Dorian soldier pulled a "flashbang," a concussion grenade, from his vest. He nodded, and the massive Gotal kicked the metal door in with almost contemptous ease. Ranon tossed at the same moment, it blew a half second later, and the two soldiers buttonhooked into the quarters and cleared it in less than two seconds.
    "GET DOWN!" Koa yelled as he shoved a stunned and malnourished female hard to the ground.
    "Clear!" Ranon called. "Who the hell are you?"

[Kaliala]

The blow while staggering only knocked her unconcious for a short period of time. She was confused and staggering to her feet when the first soldier came through the door.

Without preamble she was thrown back down to the floor. Her first impulse was anger. One thing she learned from being a slave is not to be a victim. The one pushing her down was also screaming asking for indentification. Since she was new to her training her first instinct was not yet to draw on the force. She had spent too many years fighting tooth and nail so that was her first instinct.

She rolled to one side and began to scream hysterically at the same time. She twisted up so she was sitting upright and started scooting towards the wall behind her. If she was going to fight she did not want anyone to have room to get behind her. She closed her eyes and filled her lungs preparing for one last blood curling scream before she launched herself at the nearest body.

She opened her eyes brieftly and staredupinto a pare of amazingly beautiful blue eyes. He was looking at her not with disdain for being a slave or a female but concern or perhaps kindness. Xachia was not familiar with that particular phenomenon so she was not sure. Immediately the air left her lungs and she was left speechless managing only a small "Oh"

She blinked a few times and covered her face with her hands. Her inner voice nicknamed the survivor commanded "Get it together. Focus!" She closed her eyes again and quickly accessed her predicament. Republic soldiers she thought to herself Still deadly but they would at least wait to see if she was a threat before killing her. Imperial troops would kill her if not outright then shortly afterwards.

All I need to do Xachia thought to herself is to let (She glances over at the large Kel Dorian) Problem (her eyes returned to the blue eyed Gotal) and Big Problem lead me out of here.

Xachia exhaled as she ran her hands through her short hair. She felt more at ease now that she had the beginnings of a plan forumulated. She felt the lump on her forehead and was pleased fo find a trickle of blood.

She looked up at blue eyes

"I think I need help"was all she said