Fandom The Marauders - A Star Wars Tale

[LoneSniper87]

Ashlyn listened to everyone quietly, still thinking over her own aspect of the plan. Once she saw Jalen in pain however, she focused on him, listened as he relayed what he saw. "Alot of that is... Not favorable..." She said, stating the obvious. "Is it to late to get a ticket to the podrace? I can hopefully escape the Troopers like that, elminating my need to go through town for the most part." She said, hoping that solved her side. But it also brought more problems, like getting her weapons through security. She wouldn't be able to trick the guard, not in so public a place. "However I would need someone to carry my weapons in for me." She said, looking around the table.

 

[Epiphany]

"Well, the Force reveals what it reveals for a purpose. Such warnings should be heeded."

Sasha looked pensive as she turned over the details of Jalen's vision. "It's useful to know there will be another Jedi there, one we can potentially partner with. I'm not convinced it's the best strategy, though. With our Order disbanded, loyalty is...not what it was. And we are looking to acquire billions of credits. That's strong incentive for a Hutt, Jedi or not, to reveal what he knows. For that matter, the Hutt Cartel may seize him and try to use him to identify us." The Chiss woman grimaces and says "It's difficult to see the future, between so many possibilities. Perhaps another one of us is a bit more talented than I? Can we investigate if using Boti could help us? Or will engaging him bring about the vision we've already talked about?"

"As for Mandalorians..." Sasha shrugs slightly. "We didn't see my death or even capture. If the future shows a confrontation with them, it's not necessarily a deal-breaker for me. I've talked my way in and out of a great many difficult situations in my career. My cover for this job will stretch back to childhood. Short of them sending a ship back to Clan Besadii and outright asking, there's no way they should be able to spot me. I can withstand an interrogation and come away looking like any other employee, of the Cartel or of Black Sun. But if Ashlyn would like to change her approach to better support me, I'd welcome that in case my confidence is misplaced."

 

[HK Fifty]

Alashar listened to the details of the vision with a high degree of concern , growing until she was twice as nervous as she was in the bar. She seemed utterly disgusted by the idea of talking with a Hutt , former Jedi or not. The fact that he had returned to the bulk of his species’ criminal activities disgusted her yet more , bringing a nauseated expression to her scarred visage. Those who had noticed her almost guarding Sasha would notice her increase her protectiveness , subtly bristling at Ashlyn once it was suggested she wouldn’t be of any assistance to her beloved friend. She wasn’t sure why the Clone Army , or members of it at least , would be present at the podrace , but with the Empire’s corruption it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that they could have an overt alliance with the Black Sun organization , or even the Hutt Clans. Still , if Ashlyn couldn’t overcome a handful of base-level Clone Troopers to aid Sasha , the Miraluka woman could take little comfort that she was accompanying her. ‘If Sasha should be captured or , Force forbid , perish because of her incompetence , I’ll.. I’ll never..’ She stifled a low whimper by turning it into a slight growl , before shaking her head as if to clear it. Despite her apprehension and scarcely withheld aggression - or perhaps because of it - she listened in silence , deferring to Sasha what to make of the darkly foreboding vision. Ashlyn seeming to form alternate plans did little to soothe her , though the fact she even cared at all did at least remove some of the not-so-subtle hostility between herself and the human.

Once Sasha started speaking , however , every ounce of Alashar’s attention was immediately directed towards her. Instead of fawning over her , however , concern rolled off of her in waves - were she any more concerned she might’ve been tightly holding onto her friend’s beautiful form. She strongly agreed with the Chiss’ suspicion of the Hutt , as she , too , had thought the Hutt could very easily trade their lives - or at least their freedom - for the wealth of the Hutt Clans , or even something as simple as his own standing within them. Were it left to the Miraluka she’d rather not speak to him - but we’re it her choice , they’d also not be undertaking such a dangerous mission. Her teeth ground together at the thought. ‘I should’ve pushed harder for us to avoid this. Now the only choice I have is to attempt to protect Sasha , and all the others , as best I can.. and try to play my part as best I can.’ While she was well aware of her friend’s incredible strength and resiliency , the thought of her being interrogated and perhaps even tortured filled her with dread , causing her to let out a low whimper.

Once her beloved friend concluded her statement , Alashar started speaking in an anxious voice that heightened the subtle accent her voice normal possessed. “I have an extremely , extremely awful feeling about this mission you’ve forced us to take , Jalen. You should’ve never taken that Cathar’s offer - are you even aware of who , exactly , we’re working for? He can’t have been anything but the intermediary for a larger organization. Taking that mission may well be what gets us all killed.” She grit her teeth and suppressed any further aggression by grounding out the first line of the Jedi Code. “Sasha’s right that we can’t trust this Boti of yours you ‘foresaw’ me speaking to. You’re wrong that he’s the first Hutt Jedi - around 400 years ago another was welcomed to the Order , then known as Beldorion. On a mission with his Master and another Master and Padawan , he betrayed his comrades and set himself up as the Dark Overlord of a planet. If he could betray the Order at it’s very height , how could we possibly trust this Boti to be our ally with the Order irreparably destroyed? I’ll speak with him only if I have to , but I.. I can’t allow myself to trust him. The Hutts are a Vile , opressing species known for their treachery and deceit - even the Jedi cannot change such a dark nature.”

Alashar have a glance back to Sasha , collecting herself just slightly. “If the Mandalorians are to be there , we ought to do our best to avoid them. Even the weakest among their warriors can match a standard Clone Commando in skill , and quite a number of them could prove an equal or exceed an ARC Trooper. Their entire culture shares a common hatred for the Jedi , only propagated by the Clone Wars and Chan- Emperor Palpatine’s campaign against the image of the Jedi. Should they learn of our true identities they’ll hunt us down with zeal , regardless of any orders issued by the Hutts. They’re among the most tenacious enemies I’ve ever fought , in addition to the most skilled.” While only Sasha could’ve been aware of it , this was one of the rare times she referred to War and battle outside of the context of the Clone Wars. The horrors of that conflict hadn’t dulled their ferocity nor their skill , and the ranks of the warrior clans had only grown since the fall of the Republic.

The Miraluka seemed to suddenly think of more to say , prematurely cutting off any immediate reply. “If the Clone Troopers are present , can we be sure they’re in support of the Black Sun or the Hutt Clans? Black market activity has indeed thrived during the Empire’s reign , but for the Emperor - or one of his advisors - to be so open in support of criminal elements is.. troubling. We could find ourselves attracting more than the attention of the Hutt Clans and the Black Sun organization.. and I’d rather avoid having the attention of the Empire. Which we would certainly have if we stole that many credits under their watch , from their allies. I don’t desire having Jabba , Prince Xizor , and the Emperor’s displeasure all focused upon us. We’re all in enough danger as it is without arousing the Empire’s wrath!” She hammered the table with her fist. “Did you have to take this Force-forsaken mission , Jalen? You’re going to kill us all in pursuit of.. what? Credits? Power? Battle? I joined this team because I wanted a peace only Sasha could give me , not because I wanted to be hunted by every bounty hunter in the whole blasted Galaxy!”

Her distress was only growing , her hand wildly gesturing. She was practically yelling by now. Sasha would recognize that all the concerns , the aggression , and all the other negative emotions she was holding in were starting to boil over now , a tendency Sasha had seen numerous times before but never manifested quite this harshly. “Now you’re just going to put Sasha in more danger than she should rightfully ever be put in infiltrating the Vile Hutt Clans for.. for some Cathar who only seems to want to use us as tools! I don’t care how many credits we could gain , nothing is worth Sasha’s life! She’s all I have , Jalen! If it It’s weren’t for her I’d be.. well , I’d be dead by now - probably killed doing exactly this stupid mission you’ve forced us to undertake! If she dies , if I die , if any of us die , it’s all your fault , all because of the very greed that destroyed everything we used to hold dear! And now you’re going to destroy what little we have left over nothing!” She fell into an opening stance , keeping her Lightsaber on her belt - for now , anyway. “Well , I won’t have it , Jalen! I can’t , I won’t lose Sasha over this! She’s all I have left now! She’s everything to me! I love her!” The declaration seemed to surprise her , but despite that she refused to back down. If the situation wasn’t de-escalated somehow her tension would boil over into a fight with Jalen , though she didn’t yet draw her Lightsaber.

 

[Jadus]

Scavenger HK Fifty LoneSniper87 Epiphany

Jalen hears the concerns of all the group but they are settling on the negatives. The visions were an insight to the dangers, helping to advance the mission. Marauders were failing to see this...his thoughts bordered on simply dropping the mission entirely. As Alashar began to lash out Jalens black orbs settled on her, his face settled as if made of stone. Alashar took a stance, Jalens lip twitches...did she really? Finally her voice begins to settle down yet she remained in the stance, clearing his throat Jalen finally responds "You're new here...So I'll go ahead and let that go. If you ever raise your saber to me, it shall be the LAST time Would you have let me answer instead of flying off the handle over whatever it is you have with your 'Dear Friend' over there." The nautolan looks over the map again, not shifting his stance at all...Alashar was not a threat, simply passionate.

"As I was going to say, after what I have seen. Change of plans. Zuu and I will flank Sasha under the guise of Enforcers of the Black Sun. Sasha I understand this is a rush order but see what you can do. We'll be in disguise, I'll show you our costumes in a minute." Holographic versions of the trio are in the repository area, preceding with the infiltration of systems, becoming Sashas direct protection. Turning to Ashlyn he says "Ash. New plan you are going to use the JT-750 and patrolling the outskirts. With this new mobility you can change positions depending on our needs. I'm hoping it won't be too much of a hassle my friend." R5K6 rolls over sending his own two cents into the conversation " Sir, if it helps any. The hutts have been having an increased rivalry with the up and coming crime industry Kanja Club. If your disguises during the actual robbery are emblazoned with Kanja Club insignia...it might actually fool them."

Jalen nods reiterating everything to the group who didn't speak droid. Finally he settles on Alexa saying with a reassuring "Alright, so my vision showed quad-jumper. Though I will provide you with the credits to get a burnership. Nothing fancy just something that won't burn up in re-entry. Two weeks to find this ship as well as attach that grav clamp. Its a tall order but R5 can help right little buddy." R5K6 beeps a curious intrigued thought "I....suppose..." Jalen smirks patting the bot on the head like a puppy. Looking amongst the faces he continues "This is going to be difficult, true. Though I sense something in the force far beyond these moments. If it makes you feel better, our future is far from these next weeks. I've seen that atleast." Looking to Dasdana saying "Keep Alashar on point, as seamlessly as she remembers the code she tends to be teetering on the edge of some aspects."

Jalen scratches his chin studying the plan more before finally saying "If there are no other inputs, lets get it done." The orbs center over Alashar once more "Can I speak with you and Sasha alone...please."

Spoiler: JT-750

 

[Scavenger]

Lexa internally groaned at the thought of a Z-95 blighter's were robust but a pain to repair and their annoying hyperdrive computers would forever make her hate them. Other than that Alashar's plan seemed fairly solid although Lexa wasn't entirely sure of that she would be able to pilot the fighter around the air defence. As Jalen closed his eyes she could feel the force begin to move and be drawn into him as a pained filled his face Lexa began to receive brief glimpses of blurred images, fighting then as she began to move away from Jalen to try and stop his lessened control from pushing images onto her she saw a blurred body on the ground even as Jalen's face turned to true pain. Even after Jalen had left the vision the pain that filled the force around him caused Lexa to take up a position on the far side of the room, even as it suppressed her normally cheerful demeanour. Jalen explained what had actually happened in the vision and Lexa worried, although she knew force visions were not set in stone one that seemed to suggest such a high chance of failure was troubling, she was slightly surprised that he did not mention the body but given the pain it was likely his own secret to keep.

Ashlyn's plan held merit and it would be much easier to blend into the crowded stands, especially with the panic from Alashar's attack, than it would be to try to get off the planet at the same time. Lexa didn't think it likely that Ashlyn would have any problems getting through security, the few that she had seen often had spectators wielding weapons, either due to dodging the security or greasing some palms.

Sasha's reluctance seemed well placed someone who had successfully reintegrated into the crime world, even a former jedi, could never really be trusted and Lexa suspected that it was quite possible this was the person who had given away their location in the subsequent snap shots. Lexa shrugged despite being behind Sasha when she suggested that someone try to divine the future, with so many variables it would be hard to obtain any kind of concrete view and while she could try, her strong connection with the force might help, she had always focused more on the living and physical force than the unifying one. Additionally she often tended to see more negative outcomes due to her natures predilections to the dark side. Although she shared in Sasha's wariness over the mandolorian threat she was also slightly excited by it, the possibility of obtaining one of their suits of armour was always valuable as much of their forging techniques could be replicated with the force but Beskar itself was very heavily regulated.

She was most surprised however at Alashar's outburst, she had noticed her position in front of Sasha but the Mirukala had always been quite before even when being forceful with her opinions. She disagreed with Alashar on the skill of the mandalorians and believed that the war tested jedi was greatly underestimating their skill, after all the Arc troopers were trained by a mandalorian. While Alashar's raised voice was shocking it wasn't all that dangerous however as she began to get physical and anger began fully manifesting in her aura Lexa began tapping into the force and push a calming aura out from her, although not all that powerful when being spread over the entire room she hoped that it might take the edge of Alashar's anger and at the same time her presence all around should make it more difficult for Alashar to pull on the force for either combat or to heighten her emotions.

As Alashar finished Lexa focused all of her attention on Jalen who thankfully appeared to have calmed down since his earlier force vision and was responding with a level head instead of rising to the challenge as she knew that he may have when they had first met. As Jalen faced her she decided that the threat had likely passed and so allowed her aura to dissipate before focusing in on his words. Lexa's head began shaking almost as soon as he began his sentence, as soon as he finished she added her piece "Sure I can get us a burner ship but a quad-jumper would take a lot of work to bring it up to speed, I mean it lacks a hyperdrive and it's grav-clamp would need re-wiring to bring it down to the bottom instead of leaving it on top. Something older but partially equipped might be more suitable, especially if I'm still fitting a hyperdrive into the sprite, shouldn't even need the can's help if we did that" a cheeky grin appears on her face at the last statement before becoming serious again "Although with you on the ground and Alashar in the fighter I'm not sure that I will be able to outmanoeuvre the air defence, especially in a burner, and we shouldn't risk roasting the town with an early jump" as she had been speaking she had walked back over to the map table and as she finished speaking she slid onto it so she was sitting next to Jalen looking at him expectantly.
Jadus

 

[Epiphany]

Alashar's outburst shocked Sasha. Ten years was a long time to forget the strictures of the Jedi. And if she were honest with herself, they were both Jedi Shadows and their role in the Clone Wars had required a certain moral flexibility that didn't leave them especially well balanced even before the Order was disbanded. She'd never seen such emotion, such passion, such fear in her childhood friend and fellow survivor. It took discipline she'd rarely needed to suppress her own emotional response to that fear. The Jedi Shadow were trained to hunt the Dark Side and that required more training to manage fear than most Jedi went through. So she mastered herself, even as she marveled that Alashar's own training failed to master her.

But then, this was the first time love had been laid between them, open and exposed for the world and each other to see.

The Chiss listened to Jalen's response and nodded once at his new instruction, silently approving that he'd mostly mastered his own response to that passion. Threats didn't become a Jedi, but then none of them were that anymore and it'd never been her place to judge. Instead, she tapped her comlink and sent a secure message to a specially prepared holo-terminal that would then route the request for two additional identities on to the slicers she'd already used today. The cost would go up but they knew she was good for it.

When the meeting wrapped, Sasha nodded once more at Jalen's request to talk. Her gaze drifted to Alashar and she said softly, "That would be best, for us to talk."

And as she waited for the room to clear out, she followed Lexa's example and projected her own emotional state. If Alashar had been fierce, furious and afraid, Sasha practically glows with calmness, with serenity and beneath that a soul-deep affection for the other woman. An offered support, an offering of strength, a strength one could rest against or use to stand no matter how hard standing had become.

"Sit with me," she said, patting the seat next to her, a plain invitation to Alashar. Then she looked Jalen in the eyes and waited for him to say what she knew he needed to say.

 

[HK Fifty]

Alashar was a hair’s breath from trying to start a fist-fight with the leader of their rather patchwork team , standing directly in front of Sasha , her eyes locked directly with Jalen’s. She wouldn’t draw her lightsaber unless Jalen drew his first , as she didn’t wish to harm him in any serious manner , but she certainly was ready to do whatever she must to ensure he puts Sasha in less danger. Once his sternly given admonishment began to register in her mind - which took an unusually long time for the normally very keen Miraluka - she immediately dropped her stance and assumed a submissive posture , her head lowered and her hands clasped behind her back. It wasn’t so much the words themselves as it was the withering tone he used , and the disregard he seemed to hold her in as an opponent. It reminded her of her own Master in the worst manner possible , which caused a cold sweat to break out across her brow.

Despite her dismay Alashar still wordlessly paid attention to everything said around her , keeping her head down. She felt just the smallest measure of victory that Jalen was choosing to accompany Sasha as a bodyguard , which ensure her a much greater measure of safety - the very thing she had been so adamant in securing. At least now the Chiss would be accompanied almost constantly by capable and readily available bodyguards , which should even the numbers against the Mandalorians and serve as a buffer to anyone holding ill intent towards her beautiful friend. A triumphant smile flashed across her downcast features , though as she was shorter than all her comrades only R5 and Sasha herself had any chance of noticing it. She couldn’t be certain that Jalen and Zuu would be skilled enough in Sasha’s own skills to hide within the disgusting ranks of the Hutt Clans without much notice , but at least they could provide her with reliable allies should she find herself in mortal danger.

Alashar didn’t have many thoughts on the remainder of the planning , as much of it didn’t related to herself or to Sasha. She bit her lip and swallowed once Jalen openly stated her shortcomings , keenly aware of how foolish she appeared - her pale cheeks burned at the thought. ‘He’s right to call attention to my weakness. I shouldn’t have been so bold in my dislike of the plan , it wasn’t my place. I shouldn’t have challenged him under any circumstance. What sort of Jedi lets their emotions rule them? Whatever he discipline he chooses to enact on me for my insubordination is what I deserve for my actions.’ Still , the idea that he would punish her - and would certainly verbally rebuke her - for her challenge filled her with dread , as her Master’s punishments and rebukes were rather harsh without the company of others to witness them. If it weren’t for the calming Force presence of her beloved friend - and Lexa , to a much lesser extent - she very well might have been shaking.

Alashar gave a numb , shallow nod to his request to speak with them. ‘At least the initial rebukes won’t be before the entire team.’ Unlike Sasha she chose to avoid speaking , even once all the others left - and even though she should’ve told Lexa she didn’t need the Aethersprite modified for the moment. She took the offered seat beside Sasha , though she sat rail-strait with her gaze still toward the floor , looking away from the beautiful Chiss sitting next to her. Taking comfort in her friend’s affection would only make the punishment worse , she knew , and as things were now she already merited an especially harsh treatment. The only option available to her at the moment was steel herself as best she could , and ensure she would never make such a mistake again.

 

[Jadus]

Scavenger HK Fifty LoneSniper87 Epiphany


Jalen rubs the bridge of his nose, looking over the plans once more before finally saying "Sasha shall be flanked by Zuu and Desdana Epiphany they have been trained by myself they are more than capable to guard you." Leaning forward he turns to Lexa "Whatever ship you think is best, well make it work. I will go with you to the market and assist with the purchase. I can help placing the extra parts on also so we can hopefully minimize the time." Jalen still alittle perturbed looked at Alashar before her and Sasha sat "You will be trusted with being alone handling the distraction. HK Fifty As Ashlyn will be rounding the small area finding new vantage points to provide cover where need be LoneSniper87 " Jalen waves everyone away, he would meet with each one of them later to further discuss the mission in detail, but for now he had to discuss dissension in the group.

Pacing back and forth in front of the pair his eyes were closed in thought trying to choose his words properly. Finally stopping with his hands behind his back Jalen speaks quietly but firmly "This is not the Jedi Order. I do not discourage romantic relationships. Though when it interferes with business then it becomes MY problem." The intimidation creates a sort of pucker-factor in the room, like the calm before a storm. Jalen closes his eyes once more saying "Let me tell you a story...Once upon a time, a young Jalen was a Padawan under the great Qui-gon jinn. His former Padawan Obiwan Kenobi had a apprentice of the same age, Anakin Skywalker. The two grew to become rivals as well as friends. Nigh inseparable and a powerful fighting force." The Nautolans face becomes a sort of grimace as he continues though gritted teeth "Anakin let the loss of his mother destroy him and reshape my friend into a monster with no remorse...forsaking the principles of our code... though this wasn't the worst part."

The force around their captain begins to become darker and shaded. Jalens voice becoming gruffer "They fell in love with the same woman, Padme Amidala. Though Jalen held fast to the teaching he refused his urges, yet still loving her fiercely. Anakin had no such reservations. I refused to separate myself from her entirely so I became her best-friend...it was enough I guess simply to be around her." His hands become fists behind his back continuing "Then the rise of the empire brought out the worst of Anakin, now taking the identity of Lord Vader....He killed Padme by betraying her love.....you see Alashar. We've all lost things, we're all scared, and we're all angry. Some of us are just better at hiding it than others." Jalens' eyes open, the black is now rimmed with a red and yellow tinge. ​

 

[HK Fifty]

Alashar tentatively risked a glance to see if the others had left , trying to avoid Sasha and Jalen’s eyes. The newest set of changes to the plan weren’t entirely unfavorable to her beloved friend and herself , though she would’ve wanted Jalen to stay with Sasha along with Dasdana and Zuu. A small part of her wondered just what role Jalen himself intended to carry out - asides from purchasing Lexa’s ship - but she knew it wasn’t her place to ask , especially not after her earlier insubordination. That she wasn’t going to be chaperoned was favorable to her , however , as that hopefully meant she was trustworthy enough to take care of herself and allow Dasdana to help ensure the safety of her friend instead.

Once all the others had left and Alashar was seated beside Sasha she couldn’t help but anxiously await what punishment she’d be assigned , keeping her head down and avoiding eye contact with the Nautolan or the Chiss seated beside her. The surprise that she wasn’t discouraged from having a relationship was readily apparent , although it was quickly stifled by Jalen’s menacing aura. Indeed , by now she was starting to shake despite her best efforts , though it wasn’t hard to discern that she was more afraid for her friend than she was for herself. ‘He’s going to punish Sasha too , and it’s all because I can’t even control myself well enough to properly submit to authority. I don’t deserve to be her friend if all I do is get her into trouble.’

Alashar listened very carefully to the story Jalen was recounting to the two of them despite her fright , still rail-strait and shaking. So much of the story consisted of events she had never known of , both large and small. She knew of Darth Vader’s former identity , and of course she knew who had been Jalen’s Master , but she hadn’t ever guessed that Jalen and Anakin had been close friends. In retrospect it seemed obvious , due in no small part to the closeness Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi shared , but she hadn’t ever fully made the connection even after the Clone Wars , always too busy fighting the Jedi’s enemies to ever reflect on anything.

All the more shocking was that Jalen had once fallen in love too , just as Alashar herself had , only to restrict himself - though likely not due to the same reasons she did , long before the Clone Wars could blacken her heart. She almost couldn’t believe that the Nautolan nor Skywalker were both in love with the Senator of Naboo , and yet here the information was presented to her. If he had cared as much for Padme as the Miraluka did for Sasha her death must’ve torn him to shreds , doubly so since his best friend was the one who killed her. ‘It would’ve been just like if Alpha-97 or R4 killed Sasha at the end of the war.’ She marveled at his level of self control , even as his intimidating aura had her quaking in her seat.

Nevertheless , Alashar felt the Dark Side presence emanating from him , controlled but still powerful enough to color her eyes. If he was as much like her own Master as she thought this anger would be directed somewhere , causing her to whimper. Perhaps if she spoke first most of Jalen’s ire may land on her instead of her beloved friend sitting next to her. She didn’t want Sasha to be harmed for her mistakes , even if that meant she would take more of a punishment than already due for her. Her voice wavered , her gaze was still away from him and her form was shaking worse than ever , but she still found the courage to speak. “I-I believe I understand , Mas- ah , Jalen. M-my concerns amount to , to nothing before y-your own. I d-don’t matter of my own right and I n-never will , m-my only importance is what I may do in s-service to the F-Force and to y-you , my Maste- oh , oh dear , I’m so sorry , I meant to say , ah , Jalen , s-sir.” The visibly terrified Miraluka ached to find shelter in Sasha’s gentle embrace , but she knew that if she were to allow herself that comfort it would only serve to bring more harm to her beloved , all-important friend than the Chiss should ever have to bear. ‘And every bit of it’s all because I lack any semblance of discipline.’ She started to whimper in an odd sort of fashion only Sasha would know indicated the sightless , eyeless woman was failing to keep herself from sobbing.

 

[Epiphany]

Sasha had the good grace to look a bit embarrassed when Jalen outright stated his stance on romance. She calmed herself and instead listened raptly to his personal account. The admission at the end brought out a great well of sympathy from the Chiss Jedi and she radiated compassion for the experience.

Alashar's reaction didn't surprise her but still concerned her. The hand on the Miraluka's back pressed firmly and she straightened in her seat, encouraging her best friend to do the same. She could feel Alashar's fear, Jalen's anger, and despite all they'd lost, she let the emotions surround her without touching her. For a Jedi Shadow who'd spent a career hiding and blending in with some of the least disciplined minds in the galaxy, her reflexive centering found steady ground at once.

"Let's be clear here," she said at last. "I think we can agree that there's still value in our discipline, even if there's no value left in our Order. I think we can also agree that certain events and trauma in the past can make that discipline difficult, for all of us, in different ways. We've agreed to do a mission. It falls to us each to make it successful, to be the professionals we've become in the last ten years, to execute on our individual assignments without letting fear or a temper color our approach. And we can do that, especially if we support each other, if we strengthen each other."

"Your experiences have shaped you, Jalen. It's to your credit that you've largely kept an objective perspective despite them. I'm here, all of us are here, because you found the focus despite your loss to organize us and channel us to something useful. I'm grateful for that. You have a right to expect the best of us. As long as we work in the Marauders, we have the responsibility to give our best to you. I'll do all I can to see you receive it."

"Now, Alashar, I want you to look at me."

This was the awkward part for her, for Sasha's own emotions distracted her, posed a risk to that professional decorum she'd just encouraged. More than that, she had to set some of that professionalism aside. For the frightened Miraluka next to her mattered so much to her, for all they'd been to each other, and all they'd become to each other over the last year. Sasha raised one hand to cup Alashar's cheek but her other hand found one of Alashar's and she squeezed the other hand tightly. The lack of proper eye contact meant so little when one was open to the Force, as they both were. For her friend, Sasha loosened the shutters around her heart and took a deep breath.

"You are worth so much, my love." There, the hardest part done. It would be easier now, she thought, even as she shivered slightly from nerves jangled by the power of that admission. "You are worth everything to me. You matter. So, your concerns matter too. If you truly believe they don't, then I'm sorry I never said this to you sooner. You matter. You matter to Jalen too. Even if he and this group have only known you for the last year, they've been through the same war we have. He hasn't suffered the same way you have," and her tone turned gentle as her meaning became plain, touching on the awful things known and implicitly known that Alashar had done in the years since the Jedi Order's fall. "But as you can hear, he's suffered his own way. His pain doesn't make yours less important, though. So I want you to believe what I'm telling you; you matter. And the more you believe that, you more you will be a better survivor, a better (lover/lifemate/mine)...friend." If Sasha's final choice of word was a little reserved, the feelings behind it were not.

"And the more you will be a better member of this team. Jalen needs to be able to count on you and your strength, to carry out what he needs you to do. If you ever question that strength, just think of me. I know you'll find all you need."

Smiling, Sasha at last turned back to Jalen and said, "I'll have the new identities worked up in time for our deployment, Jalen. I'm sure all of us have a lot to do to prepare. Shall we get to it?"

 

[HK Fifty]

Alashar harshly grimaced as soon as Sasha’s beautiful voice sounded beside her. The Chiss woman was articulate as ever , outlining a great number of sound points that marveled the terrified Miraluka - where her friend found the courage and serenity to be so well-spoken she would never know , as she has never been able to do serenely stand up to an angered authority figure. However , she couldn’t keep herself from fearing Jalen’s retribution despite Sasha’s skill with the spoken word - it would’ve never saved them from her Master , and Jalen had a frighteningly similar aura about him.

Once Sasha asked Alashar to look at her , she reluctantly agreed , slowly turning to face her as if she were worried she was about to be struck. Feeling the full effect her vibrant blue , serene aura calmed the shaking woman. Somehow this wonderful , amazing Chiss she was allowed to call ‘friend’ could stay so calm , so perfect , surrounded by Jalen’s ire and the radiating fear she knew must’ve enshrouded her. ‘She’s the most perfect Jedi anyone could encounter , even now , with the Jedi Order long dead.’

All the more awe-inspiring were the impossibly kind reassurement Sasha offered to her , reassurements Alashar knew were the most deeply kept , genuine feelings her beloved could’ve voiced. For quite some time she wasn’t sure to make of it , deeply blushing and holding tightly to Sasha’s soft hand. It wasn’t easy to surmise that the Miraluka truly did think little of her importance , and how few times - if ever - she’d been informed of any level of importance she possessed , beyond simply being a useful tool to be sent into battle. If anyone but Sasha had delivered the gentle reassurement she wouldn’t have believed it , but every word spoken by her beloved Chiss were taken as fact. She sat , bewildered and yet overjoyed , for quite some time. She seemed to forget the sheer ire radiating from Jalen , the assuredly imminent punishment , and everything else surrounding her save for the impossible serene , loving woman before her.

After what may have been an eternity - or merely a second - Alshar fell into a tight , loving embrace , her head draped over Sasha’s shoulder. “Thank you so much. I truly don’t understand how I was fortunate enough to have such a.. a perfect woman as my best friend - my lover - and yet you still seek to ensure that I believe in myself. You’re the most intelligent , well-spoken , inventive being the Galaxy over.. and you choose to love me , a lost , blind girl broken thrice over by all manner of horrors. You know I’ve done awful , unforgivable things , but still you choose to heal me.. to love me. I’m still important to you despite it all. You believing that I’m important , that I matter , means more than anything ever could. I promise that anytime I doubt myself I’ll think of how much you believe in me , and therefore bolster my confidence. If you believe in me than I can’t possibly be daunted or put down by the opinions of anyone else. You’ve done more for me than I could’ve ever hoped. I can’t ever repay that kindness , Sasha.” She pulled back from the tight hug just enough to face her beloved. “I love you , Sasha. Nothing will ever change that. From this moment onwards I’m yours , forever , until the very Force itself should die.” The Miraluka was oh-so-close to kissing Sasha , before she remembered that they did indeed have a mission to focus on. ‘After we survive this mission , my Love.’

This time , Jalen’s anger didn’t cause Alashar to shake , only causing her to straighten. Sasha’s love and confidence had filled her heart with a bravery she’d never had before. “I believe I understand what you’re saying now , Jalen. I shouldn’t allow my fear to dominate me. I swear to you both that the next time I disagree with a plan I shall express my thoughts in a calmer manner than I have today.” She smiled a little and tightened her embrace before letting Sasha go. “If we’re to be focusing on the mission I need to figure out where I’m able to acquire a Z-95 or an R-22 interceptor. And ask Lexa which of the two she’d prefer , since it’s her and R4 that’ll be making any modifications to it.”

 

[LoneSniper87]

Ashlyn had nodded as Jalen told her what she had to do. "If you need me comm's on." She said, tapping her ear before he got to berating the two. She could have eased things, she thought, if only she wasn't at a loss for words. She walked to her room, set her rifle down in a special case for it, then got back up and left to do her part. She pulled up her scarf to cover her mouth. She walked the underground, eyes scanning everybody. It reminded her of her times of as a Padawan, though ironically. She never really touched the underground, most of her life spent on ships or in the upper class of worlds, helping to restore domestic order or open up relations with other worlds. It saddened her slightly, to be seen now as a criminal, of sorts, but it was also a thrill. The once calm, level headed diplomat never expected to be such an adrenaline junkie.

 

[Scavenger]

Lexa nodded at Jalen acknowledging the plan before making her way out of the room, staying around would only get him more annoyed but she kept her 'ears' open to the force just in case his anger got the better of him, she could already feel a small thread of the dark side beginning to thread into his force presence and resonating with the one inside her. She left the briefing room and headed over to hers, as she opened the door she was greeted by the familiar sight of cables spilling across the floor from a large central column and some of them linking to a large bank of screens on the other side of the room. As a rule she tried to keep as much as she could on the ship but she let herself leave this behind simple because it was to big to fit inside. She sat at a chair in front of the screens and felt around in the force until she felt a small signature, smiling she pushed it and instantly all the screens in front of her lit up and behind her in the tower a glowing crystal like 6 pyramids placed on a cube started floating and letting out occasional sparks to the couplings above and bellow.

 

[Jadus]

Scavenger HK Fifty LoneSniper87 Epiphany

Jalen couldn't help pine for the love they shared, he knew the like before...but that was long ago. Nodding with a slight smile he waves them away so they can continue with mission preps.

Fourteen days have passed As mission preparations have gone well The crew now waits in their planned positions waiting to begin. Lexa Scavenger with the help of Jalen was able to secure a burner ship as well as fit it with the proper equipment and software for the mission. Jalen sticks with Lexa making sure that she has everything she needs up until the mission. R5K6 is busy checking the systems of the ship, and like always he makes them seamless. They are now in orbit of Tatooine, serenely cloaked to keep them out of radar or line of sight. Jalen sits at the bridge with R5K6, Lexa is in the co-pilots chair monitoring their systems.
Jalen was able to provide Sasha Epiphany with a set of photos which showed exactly the costumes Zuu and Dasdana would be wearing, it was up to her to come up with suitable Identities for them to rehearse before the mission. At this point Sasha would already be on Tatooine flanked by her guards.

Spoiler: Zuu Disguise

Spoiler: Dasdana Disguise

The JT-750 was brought out of storage and provided to Ashlyn LoneSniper87 who would be in charge of having gotten it ready for the mission as well as having her arsenal ready. At this time she is in the dunes of Tatooine with the silhouette of Mos Espa in her keen sight.
As Alashar HK Fifty had been busy readying herself for the mission, Jalen would pop in from time to time seeing if she needed any assistance with preparations. She was now in Mos Espa waiting to enact her part of the plan.​

 

[HK Fifty]

Alashar was walking down one of the narrow , merchant-filled streets close to one of Mos Espa’s docking bays , looking as if she was perusing the bustling market that surrounded the spaceport. Of course , donning the fearsome mask of the Ubese none of the citizens , shopkeepers , or various criminals of the city could truly tell just what she was truly looking at , though none seemed bold enough to ask her - or even so much as meet the slit-visored gaze. In truth she’d found herself to be too stocky to match the Ubese’s lithe frames , a fact it seemed none took note of. ‘Or so it seems , at any rate. Fortunately I’ll be long gone by the time any Hutt , Black Sun , or Imperial authority would arrive even should one of these criminals recognize my form doesn’t perfectly reflect an Ubese’s. If the Twin Suns are any indication , we’re close to the Vault being sealed.. and thus the initiation and execution of our plans.’

Indeed , the internal chronometer in the helmet told Alashar it was nearly time for her to begin her portion of the plan - Sasha was likely already undertaking her’s. After glancing around once more to ensure she wasn’t being followed she strode off in the direction of her docking bay. Her close proximity ensured the trek wasn’t awfully long , yet long enough to lose or confront any pursuers she may have had - Mos Espa was a city of twisting , winding streets , after all. Once she arrived she was greeted by the stark sight of her black-and-red V-19 Torrent , emblazoned with the symbols of Kanji Club in place of the Republic’s emblem. While she was originally intending on acquiring an R-22 Interceptor Lexa had suggested the three-winged Starfighter in it’s place , which the Miraluka quickly agreed to. It hadn’t taken very long for Lexa and R4-F16 to bring the fighter back to working condition , and the fighter already containing a Class-1 Hyperdrive meant the mechanic and her Astromech Droid - who wasn’t accompanying her , as the ship didn’t have an astromech slot and she’d rather not lose the loyal Droid - weren’t required to modify the ship to contain one.

Once Alashar had climbed into the cock-pit the ship rose out of the circular docking bay , wings locked into flight position in a sight she had seen hundreds of times before. It only took a moment - just long enough for the vault to be sealed , she estimated - for her to arrive at the racetrack , situated on the very outskirts of the city and cutting through a long stretch of the surrounding desert. Despite her frightening disguise she’d been able to learn much about her target , both in what would be the best targets and what enemies she might face. She’d heard much of Black Sun and the Hutt Clan’s presences at the race , but nothing of any Imperial personnel that may have accompanied them. To the best of her scouting ability the bulk of the air-capable craft she’d encounter would be Cloakshape fighters , Z-95s , Skipray Blastboats , a wide variety of bulk freighters , and a myriad of medium sized hovercraft such as desert skiffs. The Hutts and the Black Sun didn’t have many anti-air batteries at the tracks , asides from Medium blaster weapons mounted onto rails - their defense seemed mostly proofed against a ground assault and dangerously undefended against a fast-moving fighter such as her V-19. ‘As long as I can avoid the few large anti-air cannons - not much of an issue , as most seem out of date by quite some time and rather sluggish - my shields should protect against the small arms fire. I shouldn’t find it difficult to outfly the pilots of their lesser craft so long as they don’t have an ace among them.’

Centering herself , Alashar blew out her breath and launched a barrage of laser fire strafing the race track’s starting line , dropping a large catwalk onto the track and spewing large chunks of debris - and some organic matter - across the track. Several of the pods ran head long into the debris and crashed , or were crushed by the falling catwalk which covered the entire width of the starting line. After that she took a sharp turn back towards the track and unleashed another barrage at the skyboxes the wealthiest patrons of the event were said to be in , bringing down carved stone roofs and lighting ornate enclosures aflame. After her initial salvos were over she peeled off and awaited the assuredly swift response , ready to evade anti-aircraft fire and starfighters in whatever quantity they’d be sent hurtling towards her. She could only hope that would spark enough chaos to divert all the attention towards herself and ensure Sasha could undertake her part of the mission freely , and most importantly without being harassed by the various criminals that surrounded the Black Sun’s leadership and the vile Hutts. ‘May the Force be with you , my Love. With the Force’s blessing we’ll be reunited soon , unharmed and successful.’

 

[LoneSniper87]

Ashlyn rode the outskirts of the desert, nobody bothered her at any rate because she was in the middle of nowhere. Her E-11s was slung to her back, binoculars in her hands as she hovered in place on her speeder, scanning the crowds. It was certainly a busy day, she saw Alashar begin to come down and she quickly put away be binoculars and shouldered her rifle, checking the magnification. It was perfect, and she had good view of anybody coming from the track and had a decent view of those who may try to come from the opposite way, but it'd be close. She cloaked her speeder and dug into the sand, almost invisible as she had made sure her rifle was blended well into the color of the sand.

 

[Epiphany]

"Alys, I think it's happening!"

Sasha strode through the secured control room, flanked by Zuu and Dasdana. They had cover identities of course but their guises so obviously screamed 'muscle' no one had bothered to check them. Not since her own had passed the cursory scrutiny last week, and then again five days ago when Jabba's Security Chief ran a deep check after she chatted him up and name-dropped the Black Suns and her homeworld of Makeb. It made it simple for him to indulge his curiosity, while finding answers that would satisfy him before she came under further scrutiny. A few drinks and shared confidences later, he'd been ready to hear about the 'Fantoma Spike', a signature tick in the environmental controls caused by the Fantoma Malas, a decidedly hostile piece of infiltration software used by the Empire dozens of times in the last decade.

And used, once or twice, by one Chiss Jedi named Nosashi.

"What's that, then?" She leaned over the Security Chief's computer terminal. The cautious Falleen, a male named Robear Joi, pointed at several holographic displays before toggling through several more menus. "Oh."

"It's just like we talked about. There's that 2 degree spike in the auxiliary environmental regulators, every fourteen hours, going back seven days. Backtracking the code doesn't show any telltales but when I do a general query to the active memory, I'm only getting 40% of the return I should."

"If it is the Fantoma Malas, partitioning the active memory for decompiling analysis will trip it. It'll pull all of your data somewhere it thinks is secure and crash every security system you have." Sasha poked at a flashing sigil. "Seven days ago did you say? I'm guessing it's waiting for a trigger. Since it hasn't happened yet, we still have a little time. Get one of your pit-droids to interface and try a partition. If it's the Malas, it'll fry your droid without going active."

Robear Joi grinned at her and signaled a pit-droid over. While the small robot interfaced with the terminal, the tall Falleen leaned back and eyed the Chiss woman with her two escorts. "You arrived seven days ago, didn't you, Alys?"

"As you well know," Sasha said with a sigh. "Along with 127 others."

"Most of those couldn't slice our computers and plant the Fantoma Malas. You could, though."

She nodded once, sharply. "Of course I could. If I worked for the Empire. I'm a Cartel servant, though, just like yourself. If this was the precursor to a takeover, I would have gone with...oh, the Chiaroscuro Sunset. Locked everyone here out of their systems and coopted them. The Malas is too destructive. Fries everything. Besides, if I'd planned to use the Malas-"

"You wouldn't have told me how to spot it," Security Chief Robear Joi said, scratching his chin. "Unless you have a deeper end-game."

"You've met Durga, haven't you?"

The Falleen made a face and said "Good point. And there goes the droid." As, indeed, the pit-droid suddenly shorted out and dropped like thirty pounds of dead metal, which it now was. "That's it. Full infiltration. I need to alert Jabba."

"And I need to clear out. Much as I enjoy talking 'shop' with you, Robear, you don't need Jabba asking you why you had someone else's security in your control room."

Sasha made it a dozen steps before the Falleen's footfalls came after her. She repressed a smile with Jedi discipline, not so much out of habit as out of awareness that everything in here was recorded. She wanted to leave no record of her complicity here, in case Alys ended up being a userful cover in the future. Instead, she let Zuu and Dasdana intercept the Security Chief before turning with a raised eyebrow at his alarm.

"You never told me how to beat the Fantoma Malas!"

The Chiss raised both eyebrows, then gave a pained smile. "You don't. Not without a week to decompile your unpartitioned active memory. You don't have that kind of time. We both know what this is probably about."

Robear Joi flinched, as he was doubtlessly well aware of just how much money was locked up in that repository. "Jabba will have my head."

"Unless you get really creative." Sasha shrugged at his speculative look. "Don't ask me, I never found a way to beat it when it had this much of a head start. The Empire did too good of a job. Every direct computer approach can trigger it, with a second's notice. You touch any setting in the repository and it'll blow your network before turning itself and the facility itself to the Empire."

"Unless I cut the power to the repository."

Sasha was an excellent actress. As a result, she knew her look of complete surprise was completely convincing. When she narrowed her eyes as she seemingly considered it further, she knew she had him. "That...could work. But it'll shut down the repository itself. Shut down all of your security."

"In the event of a loss of power, the whole building goes on lockdown. Dead drop doors, several tons in weight, seal the place up. It's not like we need to get in there while the races are going on. We just keep everyone out while I dump active memory and reboot from last week's backups."

"...you're good, Robear. You're very good. Let me know how it turns out."

Of course, she'd planted the idea of shutting the power down the other night during dinner. Thanks to Sasha's talent with Flashburn, Robear Joi didn't remember the source but the inspiration remained. And all she had to do was stroll out of the security center, let Robear get on with his job while she and her escort lounged about watching the races. And when the fireworks started...

The ground shuddered as Alashar's guns strafed the race track, dropping debris, catwalks stone roofs and buildings down. Sasha glanced at Zuu and Dasdana, again managing to look completely surprised for the cameras, silently grateful that they both wore helmets and thus couldn't tip their foreknowledge of the plan with poor acting. "We're under attack! We have to evacuate Durga!"

And while the Jedi fighter craft continued to ravage Jabba's facility, while the repository crashed its own power systems and left itself vulnerable to infiltration, Sasha coordinated with Durga's security detail to evacuate the Hutt...while ensuring she and her escort took a support vessel to cover the Hutt's escape before making their own.

 

[Scavenger]

The last two weeks had been stressful for Lexa, she had been rushing around doing all the jobs that were needed to prepare the equipment for this mission. She had thanked the force multiple times once she convinced Alashar to go with a V-19 that cut down on the amount of work that she had to do significantly. She knew her way around those fighters blindfolded and their military origins were obvious in the way that components could be missing or jumped without massively compromising performance. As Alashar had been securing her fighter Lexa had gone with Jalen to find a suitable burner ship and eventually located a Wander-class jump freighter, the one that they found was pretty beaten up and seemed to be close to the end despite it's relatively recent age. This was ideal, the large number of modifications that would have to be made meant that something falling apart was almost better than a new one.

Modifying it was long, most of the weapon power was diverted to a newly fitted mining laser on the nose, the hyperdrive received a small upgrade bringing it to a class 1.5 but also fitting it with a series of small class 12 hyperdrives that would activate just before a jump on various trajectories flooding the area with Cronau radiation and preventing the jump from being tracked by that method. The grav clamp was relatively simple to fit, Lexa made sure to fit it on a pneumatic cannon so it could be fired out of the back to make the recovery easier. The final modification required her to sit in the ship for several days the metal and systems of the sub light engines flowing in front of her almost like an organic system, during this her force presence changed to be very tightly contained around her and with a core of the darkside clearly evident but being contained and channelled. Through all the modifications the two astromechs were doing things to try and help but often found themselves pushed out of the ship by "Freak gusts of wind".

Lexa was currently sitting in the co-pilot seat of the Wander carefully changing the shield frequencies to keep the ship hidden from the sensors of the planet bellow. She was also trying to keep an eye on their own sensors and so noticed when Alashar's distraction started and several smaller craft around the city began to power up and begin to take off, it looked like Alashar would have quite a party heading to her. As the attack run finished the power to the repository went down, giving a small force nudge to the engines brought them to life as she turned to Jalen "Alahsar has started her distraction and the power is down".

 

[Jadus]

The group is performing amazingly, Jalen was sitting waiting intently for the distraction to begin, at the exact time Lexa mentioned Alashars part commencing he began flipping switches before maneuvering the Wander into a dive-bomb nearly straight down. The velocity only increasing with the pushing of the acceleration module, Jalens face slate as he is one with the force as he pilots. As they are coming within range of the repository the ship veers with a mad swoop of downward gravity and air. Jalen flips the makeshift lever which caused the mining laser to begin to prime, while activating retro boosters to stabilize their station above the repository, internal scanners showed just as the power was dropped. The nautolan captain waits the necessary five seconds before pressing a red button! A powerful red beam erupts from the mining laser performing as promised, severing the repository from the main building. Turning slightly Lexas captain acknowledges her good work with a slight nod. Ground forces begin firing on the ship though their basic lasers had no chance piercing the shields...tho the heavy anti-air cannons did! Scavenger Jalen activates the grav-clamp putting the thrusters to full tilt, the groan of the ship protests but the force was strong with Jalen...he knew it would hold. They begin to rise away as the severed repository adamantly tries to stay put but the added hyper-drives give it a final yank releasing it from the foundations. Jalen says to his co-pilot "Reel it in I gotta get us the hell out of here." The ship begins to meticulously dodge the shots trying not to jar the repository loose.

Zuu unceremoniously grabs Sasha shoving her down a narrow alley way with a muttered "Sorry...this way" Dasdana covers their retreat, hand glancing her saber as she mutters "I have a bad feeling Zuu..." it is true there seemed to be a sort of shade over them...something might go wrong. Zuu leads Sasha into a sort of warehouse, looks like a chop shop, several unfinished ships lay there as well as a transport. Epiphany An old empire light transport, seems to be in working order, sits idly. Zuu smirks in his helmet, with a somber "Bingo" they are about to clamber on the ship when Dasdana senses it "There!" with urgency that Zuu recognized during their time in the clone wars...bad things are coming. Through an adjacent door enters a group of Mandalorians lead by the infamous Boba fett, even at a young age this clone exceeded his own fathers talent in all things assassination. In a fraction of a second laser blasts begin to barrage the ship, although they wished to draw sabers, it would only give notice to what they were. Zuu climbed on the laser turret which by their luck was still working firing two rounds before it overheated the zabrak growls "Piece of junk!" though it had given them a suitable escape route. Dasdana shoves Sasha into the cockpit before getting into the drivers seat drilling them through the opening on the side of the warehouse. Dasdana yells up to Zuu "We need a ship!" looking into the distance he spots a docking bay pointing shouting back "There!" Dasdana guns the ship in that general direction while Zuu precariously balances on the roof...Boba in hot pursuit with some of his compatriots.

Alashar had the exact desired affect causing mass chaos away from the clean grab of the repository, Light anti-air turrets fire green lasers rapidly at the v-19 seeking to blow it out of the sky as enemy medium hutt fighters begin to converge on her location. Jalen says into the comms "Alashar you've done your job! Get out of there! As soon as you clear. JUMP!" worry was clear in his voice, though she was a major pain in his ass...Jalen cared about his team. Two fighters perform a lazy flip seeking to perform a pincer move on Alashar to cut off her escape, though it is quite obvious these hutt fighters piloting skills are sub par at best. HK Fifty

As Ashlyn was perched in the sands she had a clear view of nearly 80 percent of the scope of Mos Espa which let her essentially see every single one of her crew-mates perform their parts in the plan...then the following repercussions. One in her direct control was that of Zuu, Dasdana, and Sashas escape. She had the visual of the Mandalorians in hot pursuit, some on foot with booster packs such as Boba Fett, and others on speeders. If something wasn't done they would be cut off before they reached the docking bay! LoneSniper87 Zuu mutters into his comms at Ashlyn "You know, whenever you're ready to lay any of these guys out Ash. It would be great!"

Spoiler: Light Anti-air

Spoiler: Empire Light Transport

​

 

[HK Fifty]

Alashar found it rather easy to avoid the sluggish light anti-air cannons , poorly manned as they were by the Hutt’s ill-trained minions. Her ship cut an impressive series of manuevers through the air , not allowing a single blast to so much as splash against her shield. It took a surprisingly long time for any Hutt-affiliated Starfighters to launch against her , and even then nearly all of them were poorly-flown , sluggish medium fighters that were easily outmaneuvered. ‘I can only hope that Sasha’s found her half of the mission playing out as smoothly as my diversionary actions have been. I heard rumors of Mandalorians , but I never actually sighted any of them.’

The Miraluka heard Jalen’s voice crackle over the comms as she was taking a very sharp turn to avoid being cut off by a pair of the Hutt’s inadequate starships. “I already told you before we left , Jalen - I’m not leaving until Sasha’s clear , at the very least. If I withdraw now all their focus will be on preventing her from escaping , and if not her on preventing you from escaping. I can dodge their ships as long as I need to until I know she’s clear. I can take care of myself , if it means I know that the rest of the team is safe.” The implication was left rather clear that she’d much rather sacrifice herself than see the rest of her team harmed. She very nearly flicked the comms over to the channel she knew Ashlyn was using to communicate with Sasha and her team , but she knew that they didn’t need her concern distracting them. It wasn’t as if her providing air-support could help their situation , at the moment anyway. ‘I’d just draw more attention their way. At least as I am now I know there’s Hutt-aligned forces on my tail that aren’t directed towards Sasha.’

 

[LoneSniper87]

"Yeah, I get that! Good shots take time!" She shot back as she lined up her shot, firing once, the round making a beeline for the empty space in front of a Mandalorian, the round hits home on the pilot, but not her intended target, he actual speeder. The speeder veers out of control and slams into a wall, causing a large explosion. She lined up and fired again, missing her target is only barely. She inhales slowly, calming herself down as her surroundings get drowned out, her only vision her scope, her only hearing her own heartbeat and the faintest of crackles on the comms. She fires a final time, knowing that they probably would get her location and call it in, or have done so already. The round nails the speeder, causing the reactor to overheat and explode in a brilliant flash of energy, with only shook the Bounty Hunter slightly. The explosion took out a few of the ground troops, leaving only Fett and one more female Mandalorian. She stood up from the sands and went to her Speeder, making her way quickly to the city.

 

[Scavenger]

As Jalen begins to put the ship into a dive Lexa leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes pushing her awareness out and into the ship, several of the force based modifications made to the systems allowed much better performance but consequently required her attention to ensure their functionality and to ensure that the lines of force into them remained stable. She felt it as Jalen pushed the engines diving into the atmosphere and felt the g-force on both her actual and mechanical body as he brought them to a halt above the repository, as the mining laser lashed out she quickly redirected power from the other weapons and began circulating coolant around the lenses and focusing chamber. As Jalen fired the grav clamp and reversed the engines she instantaneously redirected power and coolant, several abnormal small fins opening up on the outer surface of the engines to try and radiate heat as quickly as possible. At Jalen's barely heard command she began to real in the winches bring the repository inside of the ship. As they ascend back through the atmosphere she almost completely lost herself in the flow of the force around her and through the ship ignoring her physical body, this meant that she could use precognition and all of the ships sensors to ensure that power distribution to the shields and engines occurred exactly when it was necessary.

 

[Jadus]

Scavenger HK Fifty LoneSniper87 Epiphany

Jalen gets out of the atmosphere making sure their trajectory was clear before heating up the hyperdrive, he didn't bother Lexa with anymore commands she was handling it without moving. Finally without a second to lose he jumps into lightspeed before coming to a slow drift out of the atmosphere of the meet up planet. Scavenger

Zuu comes to a XM-990 an old hutt freighter, looks well enough to get them out of here just long enough to ditch it and get back on their burner ship. Turning in a double take Zuu had missed this upon the first look at Boba Fett...he had what would be trophies of jedi kills. They were padawan ponytails, there is hardly any policing when it comes to the murder of ex-jedi, the most preyed upon were padawan for the lack of experience and fighting prowess. The anger in Zuu began to rise turning to face Boba and the other bounty hunter he says through gritted teeth "Get Sasha on the ship, start it up....this won't take long." Dasdana looks concerned saying "Zuu no. We must go." The love was so pleading in this statement but Zuu was blind to this. He simply turns to her with a more ferocious "Now." the obvious hurt was concealed inside her helmet, but it was prevalent in the force as she climbed into the ship with Sasha Epiphany . As the two get closer Zuu removes his lightsaber and ignites the majestic purple blade crouching into a stance that heaved death. The female mandalorian got off one shot, as Zuu easily reflected it back to her scoring a easy head-shot. Zuu growls at Boba "afraid to fight without your toys? you're a coward like your father" Boba visible stutters in his step, putting away a blaster drawing a vibro-blade...obviously with cortosis-weave, The young bounty hunter made his first mistake rushing forward blade held high. Lashing out in anger, Zuu weaved in catching the rage driven youths wrist weilding the blade, holding it in place with vastly superior strength, almost crushing the wrist. Zuu huffed "You are weaker than Jango, now...I take my trophy." Using his saber held in his right hand Zuu slices Bobas arm at the elbow, causing the smell of Cauterized flesh to engulf the immediate area. With a final resounding kick Boba tumbles back grasping the stump in pain, Zuu runs towards the ship chuckling darkly carrying the severed forearm still holding the balde, Dasdana begins to pull away as Zuu force leaps into the open hatch. Dasdana catches sight of LoneSniper87 Ash and her speeder, she whips the freighter around with the hatch on the ground for her to enter, Zuu waves for her to enter. A dark humor made Zuu feel...joy, he not only humiliated Boba Fett but actually scarred him for life.

Jalen speaks into his comm device. HK Fifty "Alashar Sasha is about to be clear, get out of there that is an order."

Spoiler: XM-990

 

[Epiphany]

After the explosions and the voluntary loss of power, Sasha knew her work was done. Zuu and Dasdana's rough handling goes without complaint or even comment. While the Chiss woman was an excellent fencer and well trained in battle, Sasha's real specialty lay in creating chaos. Their specialty lay in surviving it and right now that skill set was very much in demand.

The old Republic transport was a welcome sight and she almost relaxed before the Mandalorians showed up. Sensing their impending arrival, Sasha hustled into the transport, sliding into the cockpit with Dasdana's assisted shove. She was a fair pilot but the other woman seemed interested in the job, freeing the Jedi Shadow to instead bring up the systems board, heating up the engines and monitoring the power systems as the laser turret drew what it needed to recharge.

Zuu's confrontation with Boba was unfortunate, his use of a lightsaber even more so, but what really cautioned her was the thick tide of Dark Side energy wreathing the man like the corona of a star. As the man passed, Sasha caught him with a touch on the arm and a warning look. "We all have a lot to be angry for. Make sure that anger doesn't make you what our real enemies became. See to Das, she's worried about you."

With Ash retrieved as well, Sasha strapped in and prepared for a rapid escape. She couldn't risk a comm to Alashar, for fear of blowing their cover. It was important Jabba not realize how much of an inside job this really was. Still, she allowed the role of Alys to slip away at last, remembering once more the woman who'd become the reason she did any of this.

 

[HK Fifty]

Alashar jinked and juked through the air as only a Force-Sensitive pilot could manage , dodging a growing - yet still smaller than she had anticipated - number of starfighters and light turbo laser cannons. Small arms fire continued to uselessly splash against her shields , mostly from medium repeating blasters produced for military use decades before the Clone Wars , though she did spot an EWHB-10 that seemed to suggest if he existing Imperial stock of such weapons had been recently replaced by a newer design. In the slowly building resistance to her efforts she had enough precense of mind to notice Jalen’s ship jump to hyperspace , partially because that caused the few fighters and cannons targeting the freighter to turn their attention towards her instead. She grit her teeth and snapped to the side to avoid a crimson anti-aircraft turbolaser bolt , just managing to avoid it.

Just as the Miraluka executed a harsh barrel roll - a move made easier with the intertial dampener Lexa had installed - as Jalen’s voice sounded in her ear. She took a long moment considering it before she ever spoke - Sasha was almost safe. Almost. She very nearly launched into a large argument about how she’d never let Sasha’s life be another ‘almost’ in a long series of ill-meaning almost , but she bit down on her tongue once she realized he was right. ‘If she’s taken a Hutt ship as the plan was , my distraction won’t matter anymore. She’ll simply blend in with the large convoy that should be fleeing with all the rest of the Hutt’s escorts , and whether or not fighters are tied up fighting me won’t matter.’

With a very heavy , reluctant sigh the battle-worn Jedi Shadow broke away from the engagement and put in her hyperspace coordinates. “Jalen , you had better be right. I can’t lose Sasha - without her I’m nothing but another hollowed out killer in a Galaxy full of hollowed out killers.” She pulled back the hyperspace levee and watched the stars stretch into lines and collapse into the black and blue tunnel of Hyperspace , feeling an intense concern that she was barely able to keep from consuming her. The Miraluka had to convince herself that Sasha was more than able to keep herself safe , or else she’d pull herself out of hyperspace and simply continue to engage the Hutt forces , which wouldn’t help Sasha in any meaningful way. “May the Force be with you , Sasha. I love you.” She whispered the words under her breath so quietly only she would’ve heard them , even with the comm device in her ear connecting her to Jalen and Lexa.