Atton Rand

IC: Dak paused. She wasn't sure what to say. She had been ordered to keep Evnairis safe, but there wasn't much she could do now that she had been found. "She's here, in the base. She's probably up in the garage working with Nadia."

OOC: Of course there'd be a mind trick. IC: "The Stormtrooper was redressed. I will take you to her." *** Dak surprised as she was shaken awake. She saw a member of the Vulkars in front of her; not one she knew. "There's someone to see you," the Vulkar said. Dak looked in surprise at the new arrival. She did not recognize the man at the door, but she had a bad feeling. "We had to redress her," the Vulkar explained. "She was afraid the rogue troopers would come after her." The Vulkar then stepped out of the room, leaving the two together.

IC: "So what exactly am I supposed to do?" the Sergeant asked.

OOC: Okay, this is a bit of an emotional shock. I'm currently speaking to Key and about what happened and hopefully at the very least we can figure out the best way to move on, but for now, I guess I'll focus on what I still have. IC: "A stormtrooper and a scavenger?" The Vulkar replied. "I don't know much, but earlier today there was a woman in a stormtrooper outfit who arrived at the base. I never got her name, but I heard that she was in trouble. Something about a mutiny against one of her officers."

OOC: Um... no. Mia's not dead. You have no right to kill off my characters without my permission. Did you not see the rules: In other words, you can fire the shot, but you can't say if she's dead or not. Only I can make that call. And don't tell me it's because of the "Keep it classy rule" because that could have easily been avoided without a Deus Ex Machina. All you had to do was not write that Mia was shot. Besides, I've already established that she was taken away, so her body isn't even still there. That said, one doesn't exactly get up and walk away from four bullets to the chest, so Mia's role might be reduced for a little while. IC: Mia looked around. She felt soothed, as one could expect from being submerged in a bacta tank, but that didn't stop her from remembering what had happened. She was starting to come to her senses, though she had no idea when she was going to come out. From the looks of it, she'd been through surgery already. Through the glass she could see she was in some kind of medbay. She had been shot four times. That was the last thing she could remember, followed by a pair of stormtroopers picking her up. She was probably in the medbay of the outpost.

IC: Private Ordo groaned as she woke. There were a few other stormtroopers present. She looked at them nervously. Mia was nowhere to be found. "You're awake," the acting C.O. said as he approached her. "Where is everyone?" The C.O. looked at Ordo. He took a seat next to her. "I'm afraid I have some bad news. While you were out, a platoon of dark troopers arrived and took a bunch of the staff on a salvage mission. I don't know everything that happened but it didn't turn out well. A lot of our own were killed, and one is MIA." "What about Mia?" The C.O. took a deep breath. "She's stable." He finally said. "She took four shots to the chest. She's lucky to have even survived long enough to receive medical assistance. She's been slipping in and out of consciousness." *** Once gain, Mia slowly began to open her eyes, but she quickly realized she was submerged in something. She couldn't speak, a large mask kept her breathing. Obviously, she had been placed into a tank of bacta, possibly kolto. Either way, she felt disorientation, confusion, and dizzyness.

OOC: Okay, it seems everyone thinks that Mia is an idiot. Now I guess I've got to find some way for her to redeem herself. In the meantime, there isn't much to do with her. IC: Mia Arkada walked along the halls of what was soon to become known as the Death Star. Twenty years in the making; she could still remember when it was just beginning. Now it was only a few months before it would become fully operational. Construction was more or less finished, it was mostly the weapons that were being developed at the moment. Still, this was a big moment for anyone serving in the Empire. She somewhat envied a childhood friend who had been assigned. Mia herself was here on temporary business, though nonetheless important. In front of her, a door opened, and she was approached by a face she had known well. She had never met him before, but everyone knew of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, "Ah, Lt. Arkada," he said as he approached. "I have heard a lot about you. They say you're an officer who can get things done." "That's right, sir." "Very good," Tarkin said. "I've been told that you are good at finding ways to get information. As you already know, the rebels have been working to steal plans for this battle station. They have managed to obtain several already and we are trying to find out where they are located. We have captured a young and devoted member of the alliance who has been...resistant to us. It was our hope that you might be able to retrieve information on what they have of the plans, and how to recover them." Mia groaned as she woke. She was lying on one of the stiff beds, back at the Outpost. Her limbs were still numb, she felt dizzy, and her vision was blurred; no doubt the result of being shot four times. That seemed a bit extreme; she could have just given them the microchip. It's not like it would have been much use to her anyway. Still, at least she wasn't going to be arrested under false charges, though she obviously needed to improve her standing. For now, she just needed to wait for the aftereffects to wear off. "Lieutenant?" She heard someone calling out. The voice echoed somewhat, and seemed a bit faint. She could make out someone approaching, apparently one of her own stormtroopers. "Lieutenant? You're awake?" She could see the white uniform; obviously it was not one of Raltz's soldiers. "You're going to be okay, but the side effects will take some time to wear off." That was the last thing Mia heard before she began to lose consciousness once again. IC: Nadia stepped into one of the small dormitories that served as residence for the Vulkars. "It's nothing fancy," she said to Dak. "But it gives you a place to stay." "It should do," Dak said. She sat down on one of the beds. "Something to drink would probably be nice. I don't suppose I can get some water around here?" "I'd try the cafeteria for that, or the washrooms. It shouldn't be too hard to find bottles you can fill." "Thanks," Dak said. "I guess that's all for now." "No problem," Nadia said. "I'll be in the garage if you need me." The Twi'lek stepped out of the room and made her way towards the elevator to the garage. Not much else to do, this was probably a good time to work on her swoop.

IC: Mia grunted as she semi-consciously listened to the commotion around her. She could feel herself being searched, which seemed a bit extreme. "I could have just given it to her," she thought. She could feel two people lifting her up and carrying her away before she finally lost consciousness. IC: "I don't know what's going on here," Gonzai said. "But whatever it is we're in the middle of something big." "What do we do?" Nadia asked. "I don't know," Gonzai said. "For now, we'll let them stay until we have a better idea of what's going on. On the other hand, I don't want to get on the Empire's bad side." At that moment, Dak stepped into the room. She looked very different, now cleaned and dressed in a set of plain clothes. Her brown hair had been brushed, and tied back into a braid. "You look a bit more like a Vulkar now," Gonzai remarked as he looked at her. "That said, I'd like to ask that you and your friend stay in the base as much as possible. If Mia is in as much trouble asyou say, the last thing we need is for you to get spotted coming in or out." "I did act under orders," Dak said. "It's not like I'm a deserter." "Yes, but that might not stop this mutinous trooper from trying to make it look like you're one. In the meantime, I can make a few inquiries and see if anyone has any information on what's happened to Mia. Right now, you could use some rest. Nadia, do you think you could show her to the bedrooms?" "Sure thing," Nadia said. "Come on." The Twi'lek stood, leading the Stormtrooper out of the office.

IC: Mia was getting annoyed. It was no shock that Raltz was stubborn and blaming her for everything, but that didn't make it any less infuriating to deal with. "You never said anything before we were under fire either! In fact, you never said anything about being under fire at all. All you said was that we were retrieving information from some b-wing in a junkyard. Nobody said anything about scavengers wanting to kill us. You walk into my outpost unannounced when half my stormtroopers are intoxicated, tell me you want to salvage some fighter craft, and you didn't think to mention that we even had enemies in that area?" Mia paused for a moment to catch her breath before she continued. "This man has performed nothing but insubordination from the moment he arrived at my outpost! All he has done is try to tell his superior officer how to do her job. He does not appear to understand that he is not supposed to issue orders to his C.O., mocked my methods, and now he has decided to turn against me. Raltz, you do realize you are having me arrested for not following orders that were never given which were supposedly issued by someone under my command who failed to provide the information necessary to carry them out properly? All you said was that we were getting the data, and I tried my best to do that. If anything, you're the incompetent one who should be court-martialed for ignoring protocol and attempted mutiny." IC: "What?" Gonzai asked. "A mutiny?" "That's what Dak said," Nadia replied. "Apparently they were on a mission to recover a b-wing and one of her stormtroopers decided to steal command." "That's rough," Gonzai said. "Viseria mentioned that there was a man in the cantina who was trying to find a b-wing. You don't think that has anything to do with this?" Nadia paused. "I don't know," she said.

IC: "The chip was broken when I found it." "He did not. All he said was that we were supposed to reach data from a b-wing's computer and astromech. He refused to say anything else and didn't mention anything about classified information until after I activated the computer."

IC: "No ma'am. All I found was a broken microchip."

OOC: Great, now I've given everyone the impression that Mia is incompetent. Now I'll have to write flashbacks showing one of her better moments so that her abilities are more clear. IC: Mia groaned as she woke. She hadn't moved, though there seemed to be more people. Raltz had probably told them something to make everyone think his mutiny was justified. Fortunately, she knew not everyone in the empire would agree, she just had to get through this first.

IC: So far, so good. Nadia had managed to reach the Vulkars base. The presence of a stormtrooper uniform drew a few looks but nothing huge. "Viseria, show them around and find some new clothes. I'm going to have to speak to Gonzai." OOC: And as we all know, the Empire has never done anything like that...

OOC: Mia destroyed the data? It's not like she carefully took the time to install the security system so that it would "accidentally" wiped. Also, it doesn't look like anyone else thought about the possibility that maybe the b-wing's owner would take a few precautions so that secret information isn't obtained so easily. IC: Mia quickly fell to the ground. There was not much she could do right now beyond hope that Raltz didn't execute her before she could get her name cleared. She had been a respected officer, there had to be someone she could turn to. It was just a question of who that was. IC: Viseria watched as her friend rocketed around the track on her swoop. Nadia was at full speed, shifting gears quickly. She was good. There was no doubting that. Of course she would be, she'd been practicing most of her life. "HEY! YOU THERE!" The Miraluka turned in surprise as she saw two young women entering. One of them was wearing a dirty stormtrooper uniform, the other dressed in the worn clothes of a scavenger. As she looked at them, she could not shake the feeling that something strange was going on, and this was not just a matter of Imperial business. "I'm looking for Nadia Rinlo," the Stormtrooper said. "She's on the track," Viseria said. "She should be off in a second." Sure enough, a few seconds later, the swoop came to a stop and Nadia climbed off. The Twi'lek quickly approached her friend. "How was that?" "Pretty impressive," the Miraluka said. "There's someone here who wants to talk to you." "Really?" Nadia approached the new arrivals. "What do you need from me?" "Nadia Rinlo?" "That's me." "My name is Dak, and this is Evnairis. We're friends of Mia Arkada," the stormtrooper explained. "She's in trouble and you're the only person I can turn to." "What sort of trouble?" "Mutiny," the stormtrooper explained. "Look, we just need somewhere to lay low. I'll explain everything later." "Mia has done a lot for me," Nadia said. "Alright. I'll take you two back to the base. We can get you some food and a bed, plus a change of clothes." "Thank you," "Okay, now let's get out of here before anyone sees us."

OOC: I guess we're at the part where we start to see some of the division among the Empire. That would make sense. With the Emperor gone, especially without any real warning (the most he had was the thirty seconds it took for Vader to throw him into the shaft), I could see there being different groups within the Empire that, while still supporting it, have different ideas on how it should be structured. Evidently Mia and Raltz have different views in that regard. IC: "Disobeying orders?" Mia asked as she reluctantly dropped her pistol and put her hands up. It was obviously not a smart move to try and fight back. She just hoped Dak wasn't foolish enough to try and come back for her. That did stop her from smiling at the irony of the remark. "That's funny, coming from the man who has done nothing but try to tell his own C.O. how to do her job this entire operation. Our mission was to locate the b-wing and retrieve its data." *** Dak quickly took cover behind the wreckage of an old TIE Fighter. Evnairis was next to her. "I can see the elevator," The Stormtrooper said. "Once we're in the Lower City we should be okay, but we'll need a place to lay low." "Like what?" "I know one place we could try," Dak said. "Mia's got some friends who know this area. If we're lucky, one of them can get us somewhere safe. It's just a quick sprint. Ready?" Evnairis nodded. The two women ran towards the Elevator. Evnairis was the first to enter. Dak took a moment to look around. It seemed most of the dark troopers were too busy to notice. A part of her wanted to go back for Mia, but she also had her orders. She carefully backed into the elevator and started it. The doors shut, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she felt it moving. A few minutes later, it stopped, and they were able to step out into the streets of the Lower City. "So what do we do now?" Evnairis asked. "I promised to keep you safe, and that's what I'm going to do. We need to find a place to lay low. Mia had some contacts in the local gangs. There's a Twi'lek she did some services for and who might be able to assist us. Hopefully, we can find her at the swoop track."

OOC: Okay now, I didn't even know it was possible to fit an astromech into a b-wing. I know it's usually done with an x-wing, y-wing, and a-wing, but that's not what we're working with here. IC: Mia had to search thoroughly. It was obvious the astromech couldn't have been stored in the cockpit, and there was no spot designed for it to be placed like on many other rebel fighters. That meant it had to be hidden in something. Possibly in one of the maintenance hatches, and that was assuming the owner hadn't taken it already. The other possible location was in storage. Usually that wasn't used for much more than essentials, but if the droid was small enough it might have made a suitable hiding place. She approached the small storage area and opened the hatch. Inside, she was surprised to see there was an astromech droid somewhat stuffed in, though it seemed to be deactivated. She looked at it with intrigue. Raltz evidently thought there was something of value in it. She opened a small hatch, finding what appeared to be a small microchip which she removed. She examined it carefully when her comm went off. She reached for it, and was surprised by the voice she heard. *** Dak was following orders, escorting Evnairis towards the shuttle when it happened. They had gotten some distance when they saw Raltz flying over them. They were able to quickly move towards a downed y-wing, and fortunately it seemed that in Raltz's charge towards Mia, he had failed to notice them just yet. "What's going on?" Evnairis asked. "Change in plans," Dak said. "You got a comm?" "Yeah," Evnairis pulled a small comm link out of her pocket and handed it to Dak, who quickly adjusted the frequency so that only Mia would hear. "Lieutenant," the Stormtrooper whispered. "Something's wrong. It looks like Raltz is planning some kind of mutiny." *** "What do you mean?" "He's been requesting authorization to take 'special action,' and he's moving your way now, by jumppack." Mia could barely wrap her mind around what was going on. This stormtrooper had done nothing but disobey orders, and it sounded like he wanted to take command. That didn't leave much. There was just one thing she could do before Raltz arrived. "Okay, change in plans," Mia said. "See if you can find another way out of here. Your top priority is to keep Evnairis safe. Understand?" "Copy that," *** Dak turned toward Evnairis. "You're a salvager, right, from the lower city?" "Yes," "How do you normally get down here? You have a ship or something?" "Normally we'd just use the elevators. There's a few around the edges of the junkyard. If we can find one they should take us right to the lower city." "that's probably our best option, then," Dak said. "let's move!" *** Mia could feel the ground shaking as Raltz landed in front of her. "I should have known you'd try to kill me," she said.

IC: Mia ignored Raltz's message, but paused in surprise as the b-wing's computers began to shut down. A few attempts to reactivate them proved unsuccessful. "What happened?" Dak asked. "I'm not sure," the Lieutenant said. "It looks like whoever owned this thing had some kind of security measure involved in case someone tried to access his data. She reached for her comm. "Raltz, I'm afraid I got some bad news," Mia said. "It appears the owner of this thing was expecting us. There seems to be a security measure designed to prevent anyone from trying to access the data. All the computers shut down, and it doesn't appear they'll be starting back up again." A few more attempts to turn the computers back on. Nothing happened. "I'm not sure if we have any useable data in what we've got. When we get back I could see about trying to decrypt it in case there's something hidden, but no guarantees." Mia quickly climbed out of the cockpit. So far, they had not found much, at least as far as they could tell. Raltz would probably be arriving soon, and to make things worse he was probably going to start interrogations now that the computer was no longer working. Mia knew well her methods were unusual among the Empire. In the past, she had been known to be a more humane officer. Her interrogations with captured rebels had usually been based on developing a trusting relationship, and trying to ensure they received fair treatment for co-operating. It had proven successful, too; not only had she acquired a lot of useful information, but she even managed to turn a few devoted rebels into effective double agents, but she had a pretty strong feeling that Raltz didn't share her views on the subject. "So what do we do now?" Dak asked. "Evnairis," Mia said. "You've done your part. We didn't get the information we needed but that wasn't your fault. I also know you didn't mean to be involved with any of this. I will need you to come with me back to the outpost so that we can record your testimony of what happened. After that, you will be released, though I may need to reach you again for further questioning." Evnairis remained quiet, unsure of what to think. Mercy was not something the Empire was well-known for, though that was a broad generalization and not always an accurate representation of the men and women who actually served it. "Thank you," she finally muttered. "It's the least we can do for you," Mia said. "Dak, I'll need you to escort her back to the shuttle." "What about the others?" Evnairis asked. "I'll do what I can for them," Mia said. "I can't make any promises." "What about you?" Dak asked. "I'm going to see if I can salvage anything else from here, then I'll report back. You should probably go before the shooting starts up again." Dak nodded and began walking away. Mia pulled out her comm. "Raltz, I am sending one of the scavengers to the shuttle under the escort of one of my stormtroopers. She is not to be touched. You don't speak to her, question her, or in any way harm her. Understand?" Now for the tricky part: figuring out where to find an astromech droid in a b-wing...

IC: Alone on the swoop track. Nothing unusual about that. Aside from the Trandoshan mechanic who had brought the swoops for the Vulkars to use, there was virtually nobody else. That was hardly a bad thing. For Viseria, it meant no crowds. For Nadia, it allowed her to improve her skills for when people would be watching. In any case, there was peace and quiet for now, though that was about to change. Viseria was the first to climb onto her swoop. The Trandoshan handed her the helmet, which she carefully applied. Her face was still masked of course, and part of her hood was still visible underneath. Still, with her skills it hardly mattered. She kicked the swoop into gear. Moving it onto the track with ease. Nadia grabbed a databad and set a timer. Viseria sat on her swoop. The cool breeze ran through across her. For the first time that day, she felt relaxed. All her tensions seemed to disappear at the seat of her swoop. She could put aside her worries about Laire, her questions about where she came from. All that mattered now, was the track. Over the loud noise of the engine, Viseria couldn't hear much else. Nadia stood at the side. As Viseria gave her a thumbs up, Nadia gestured to mark the start of the race. The young Miraluka might have seemed gentle and shy when it came to her personal life, but on the track she was a force to be reckoned with. No sooner had the race started than she was off. She was charging over the speed boosters with ease, and avoiding most of the debris as well. A woman like her had good instincts when it came to racing, one which few could match, except Nadia... most of the time, though they also had the advantage that she was often underestimated by the lesser-educated gangs who often assumed her to be blind. Nadia watched as her friend's swoop suddenly came to a stop at the finish line. The Miraluka quickly pulled off her helmet as she stepped off her swoop. She was noticeably out of breath, and covered in sweat and dirt. "How'd I do?" She asked. "Amazing," Nadia said. "As usual." The Trandoshan quickly ran towards her with a bottle of water, which the Miraluka quickly took a large swig of. "You think you can go again?" "Are you kiddin'?" Viseria asked. "I was just getting started."

OOC: Wait, there's coffee in the Star Wars universe? I didn't realize that was actually a thing. IC: It had not taken much time to obtain the pieces and return them. Now they just had to wait for their swoops to be ready and they could go practice. In the meantime, there still was not much to be doing. As the two women began to make their way towards the track, they quickly noticed the Stray Tach, the bar they had visited a few hours ago. "You want to go get a drink before we race?" the Twi'lek asked, half-sarcastically. "I don't think so," Viseria muttered. "I find that drinking is better for after." "You're always so worried about safety." "Well, I'd rather not crash," Viseria said. "Alright," Nadia said. "That looks like a coffee shop nearby. Why don't we get something that won't impair our driving?" "After that drink," Viseria muttered. "You could probably use some. Let's go." The Miraluka quickly moved toward the coffee shop, her Twi'lek friend following. That was until she stopped. "I'm feeling something," she muttered. "What is it?" Nadia asked. "Liare is here. The man you spoke to at the Stray Tach." The Twi'lek looked carefully at the street. It was a bit crowded, but just outside she could barely make out a man who looked familiar. "You sure that's him?" "Yes," Viseria said, her voice soft. "I think we need to get out of here." Nadia turned toward her friend. "Is something wrong? You did seem a bit quiet when we met at the Stray Tach." Viseria paused. She took a deep breath before turning around. "Let's go, before he notices. He won't forget us easily." "What do you mean?" "I didn't want to say anything in front of him," Viseria muttered. "All I can tell you is I've got a bad feeling around him, and I'm not sure we can trust him." "Relax, Viseria. I've got friends in the Empire." "At least Mia you got to know first," Viseria said. "There's something wrong about this guy." Nadia paused. She took a moment to think. Viseria's claims might have seemed a but quick, but she did have a way of telling when something was off. Even though Nadia still didn't fully understand her friend's perception, Viseria did often see things that others could not. "Alright," Nadia said. "If it makes you feel any better, we'll go." The Twi'lek began to walk away from the coffee shop, moving towards the race track where they had hoped to practice. Viseria began to walk away, breathing a momentary sigh of relief.

OOC: I've been instructed to temporarily withhold any posts that could potentially advance the b-wing plot. It shouldn't last too long, but I have to wait until M31 can write a response before continuing that thread. I guess that means it's time for the everyday life of a swoop gang. So it would seem that Nadia's open for interaction. I guess it's just a question of who else is. IC: Nadia groaned as she finally woke. She began to sit up, carefully trying not to accidentally roll onto her lekku. She didn't know how long she'd slept for, though based on her partial infamy for being a deep sleeper and snoring loudly, some time had probably passed. Viseria was no longer lying in the bed next to her, obviously she had woken some time before. That wasn't too surprising. Viseria never did seem to need much sleep, at least not compared to other species. Nadia stretched as she stood, and made her way towards the door. The hideout was bustling with activity now. She could see members of the gang going about their business. She'd probably overslept, or at least kept everyone else awake. That was when she spotted Viseria stepping out of the elevator to the garage. The Twi'lek quickly approached her friend. "You're awake?" Viseria asked as she noticed Nadia. "Barely," Nadia said. "Did I miss anything?" "Gonzai's busy paying for medical treatment. He says it will cost more than the Life Day Party he tried to throw." Nadia chuckled at Viseria's remark, remembering that somewhat embarrassing moment in the gang's history. "Oh that was amazing. Just watching him try to find gamorrean-sized robes." Viseria smiled. "I just hope they're okay." "I spoke to him after you turned in," Nadia said. "They should be okay, though it might be some time before they can race again. That means there will be more time for us to practice." Viseria smiled. "I guess that's something," she muttered. "Though I'm not sure when the next race is. One of the mechanics gave me a list of parts he needed." She handed the Twi'lek the datapad. "It's not much but it's something to do." "I wouldn't mind getting a chance to practice," Nadia said. "Why don't we go see what we can do about these engine parts, then we can go out on the track and get some drinks afterwards. "Sounds good," Viseria replied. The two women began to make their way towards the exit.

IC: "I'm entering the b-wing now," Mia said. It had taken a moment to get the cockpit open, but she was quickly able to climb inside. It was a tight space. Her figure just barely slid into the seat. "How do they fit people into here?" She asked. "Anyway, we've got to find the ship's computer. This looks like it, right here." A quick push of a button and the screen flickered to life. "Not much in the way of security," she muttered. "This isn't very hard to access. We've got some radio messages, a few star charts. Records of maintenance. Nothing huge but it would give us some idea who we're dealing with." Mia reached for her comm. "Raltz, I'm sitting in the b-wing right now and I've managed to access the computer. I am beginning the data transfer." IC: Viseria stepped out of the elevator and looked around the garage. She quickly recognized her swoop, which was being examined by a Twi'lek. Nadia's swoop was in storage. Not surprising, most of the mechanics were probably too nervous to go anywhere near it. Examinations of the swoops was not too unusual, not that she couldn't do her own repairs, but it was always good to make sure the swoops were in working order. Nobody wanted to have an accident on the track. "Hey," she muttered as she approached the Twi'lek. "I wanted to see if there was any work for me." The mechanic paused for a moment, before he began speaking. It was Twi'leki, but living in the gang and having one of his kind as a close friend had allowed her to gain a basic knowledge of local alien languages. Of course, she still had yet to learn that of her own people. She did not know if there were any others like her to be found on Taris, and if there were she would not know where to find them. There were plenty of other aliens, but none quite like her. She could only hope that one day she would meet another of her species, but in the meantime, she had to focus on the present. The Vulkars were the closest thing she had to family. Nadia was the closest thing she knew to a sister. "Mostly it's just basic maintenance," the Twi'lek replied. "Just making sure everything's in working order, but there are some parts we're running low on. If I could get you a list, do you think you could get some of them for me?" "Of course," Viseria replied. The Twi'lek handed her a datapad. "I'll see what I can do." "That would be great. I'll see you later." Viseria made her way back towards the elevator. Not quite the work she was expecting but there wasn't much else going on right now and at least she had something to keep herself occupied.

OOC: Okay, apparently I'm not allowed to actually develop any of the Dark Troopers as actual people, so I have to cut part of my last post. IC: "We should be getting close now," Evnairis said as they moved on. The sounds of battle were growing more distant. Cover was barely needed anymore, now that the scavengers were too far away and too busy engaging in the opposite direction. Still, Mia made sure to examine the area, looking for wrecks they could hide behind quickly if they needed. "So how big is this junkyard?" Dak asked. "Well, when you've got hundreds of years worth of ships, speeders, and whatever other bits and pieces of debris end up here, it can get pretty big." Evnairis paused. "Is that it, there?" Mia stopped, looking in front. It did look like the wreck of a B-Wing. Structurally, it was still intact, though any further observations would require analysis. "That might be it," Mia replied. "Let's take a closer look." IC: Viseria slowly groaned as she woke. She wasn't sure how long she'd slept for, but some of the other vulkars had turned in by now. Several of them lay on the beds surrounding her. Next to her, she quickly spotted Nadia, who lay fast asleep on her side, one of her lekku dangling over her shoulder. Of course, it was hardly surprising that Nadia would be out cold. Between the racing, that fight, and the heavy drink, she was probably not going to wake for a few hours. Of course, going back to sleep wasn't much of an option as Viseria was quickly reminded of one of her friend's flaws: she snored, very loud. Right now was hardly an exception. Nadia seemed to otherwise sleep peacefully, her lekku occasionally twitching, but unless he could find some noise dampeners Viseria it was going to keep her awake. The Miraluka slowly climbed out of the bed, and made her way towards the door, entering the main Vulkar base. She quickly spotted Gonzai seated at his desk, analyzing a datapad. The Gamorrean looked up as she approached. "Oh, you're awake?" "Yeah," Viseria said. "You never did seem to need much rest anyway," Gonzai said. "I've just been taking care of some of these medical bills. Those injuries are going to cost us a lot of credits. Oh, this will be worse than that time I tried to host a Life Day party." Viseria smiled at the memory. "How's Nadia doing?" "She's out cold," Viseria replied. "Though her snoring might keep everyone else awake." The gamorrean chuckled. "Yeah, it's not to surprising that she'd be tired. You didn't go get drinks again, did you?" "We went to this place, the Stray Tach." "Oh yeah. I've been there a few times. It's not too bad. At least it's better than that joint the Dulok tried to open a few weeks ago." "You mean the one that had Nadia thinking she was Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise for three straight days." "Yeah, that was strange. Wasn't it? I guess she got one of her strong drinks." "Sunshine Surprise, I think." "That'll do it." "There was something else that happened in there. I felt something." "You did?" Gonzai lifted his datapad and opened Viseria's medical file. "Was this another one of your strange overwhelming presences?" "Yeah, and it happened a few times. There was also this man who showed up, Liare. He sat next to us and I thought I felt something strange. I don't know if I can explain it, but I didn't want to say anything." "Did he say anything about what he was doing?" "Something about a downed b-wing," Viseria said. "That old thing? There were some reports of a b-wing crashing but it didn't sound like there was anything of value in it. Black Sun's probably all over it now anyway." "Nadia recommended that he speak to you about it, but between the two of us, I don't think I trust him." "You have always been a good judge of character," Gonzai said. "Well, when you see the world like I do, you see things others don't." Gonzai laughed. "Well, this b-wing doesn't have much to do with us, and my information is limited. If he comes by it shouldn't be any harm to us." "I hope so," Viseria replied. "But I would recommend that you be careful." "No problem," Gonzai said. "I think I might need something to do now. You got any work available?" "We could always use an extra hand in the garage." "Works for me." Viseria turned to move towards the elevator. Sliding in her key card, she stepped inside and took it to the garage floor.

OOC: That doesn't mean Mia knows. When you're on your own and trying to avoid getting shot, it can be easy to miss things like that. IC: Mia lowered her comm in frustration. She turned towards Evnairis. "You mentioned something about a B-wing?" "One of the others reported it." "Do you think you could lead us into the general area?" "I think so, but I can't give you the exact spot." "That's alright. It's a new and very intact B-Wing amongst a bunch of other wrecks. It should stand out." Mia activated her comm once again. "Change in plans, Raltz. I think I have a lead on that B-Wing. I'm going to try to recover it. You just draw their fire. I'm also issuing new orders effective immediately: you are not to use lethal force unless necessary. If your life is in danger, you can defend yourself, but scavengers are to be taken alive whenever possible. Oh, and Raltz, if you ignore this order and continue to assume you can give instructions to your superior officer I will personally see you court-martialed for insubordination." "What was that?" Evnairis asked. "The person we need to be watching for," Mia replied. "He likes to think he's in charge. He should be easy to spot, he looks like he belongs in some kind of role playing game dealing with the aftermath of nuclear war." Dak arrived seconds later. "Their numbers appear to be weakened," she reported. "It's still intense but if we lay low we should be able to move." "Okay," Mia said. "We're going to go find that b-wing, and while we're doing that we're going to find the rest of my garrison. LET'S MOVE!" Dak quickly stepped out of the wreck, rifle in hand. She looked around for a moment. "CLEAR!" Mia ran out, followed by Evnairis. "Okay, which way to we go?" The scavenger took a moment to look around. "It should be in that direction," she replied. "We can use the wrecks for cover." "Okay, we'll start by moving towards that old TIE Bomber," Mia said. A short sprint brought the three women to their next point of cover. The sounds of battle were becoming more distant. That was when they had an unexpected surprise. Mia began to step out as she noticed another stormtrooper, though it was not one of hers. This one was wandering, stumbling through the junkyard, apparently lost and disoriented. It looked like one of Raltz's demolitions troopers. She approached the stormtrooper. "Are you alright?" She asked. "I'm not sure," the demolitions trooper said. "There were so many of them. Who are you?" "Lieutenant Mia Arkada. You can remove your helmet if you want." The trooper reluctantly reached for her helmet and pulled it off, taking in a deep breath as she looked Mia in the eye. "DT-24601," she said. "I know you like to refer to the stormtroopers by name but if DT-204 finds out I'm speaking to you..." "Don't worry," Mia said. "You can come with us." Mia led the demolitions trooper towards her other companions. "How much experience do you have?" "I've been in the field a couple times," "That's more than can be said for Dak here. She's one of my soldiers, fresh out of training." "If you made it this far," DT-24601 remarked. "You must be able to hold your own. There were a lot of them and they were firing fast. I got disoriented and couldn't find the rest of my unit." "That's pretty much what happened to us, but I do have good news" She turned toward the TIE Bomber. "You can come out!" Evnairis reluctantly stepped out, displaying obvious discomfort at the sight of a dark trooper. "This is Evnairis," Mia explained. "She says she can get us near the B-Wing." "So I guess that's our next objective," 24601 said. "Let's move." IC: "Well, good luck finding your B-Wing than," Nadia said as she finished her drink. "Anyway, we should probably be going now. If you need to talk to me again you can come by the swoop track." Nadia turned toward the door, leaving Viseria to finish her drink. She turned toward the Wookie bartender. "I'm sorry about my friend," she said. "It's been a rough day. She's a little on-edge." With that, Viseria left the Wookie a small tip before turning toward the door herself. *** Nadia sat by herself in the Vulkar hideout. The gang was hardly what it once was, but it still had a diverse range of members. Twi'leks like her had always been a large part of it, but there were others. They did after all have a Miraluka, not that anyone seemed to know anything more about the species than their name. She was approached by a large Gamorrean, who took a seat next to her. In any other environment, one could expect that a sudden encounter between a Twi'lek and a Gamorrean would end badly, but not in the Vulkars. "I heard about what happened in the race. I'm sorry you had to deal with that," "It's alright, Gonzai" Nadia replied. "Was anyone hurt?" "As far as wookie attacks go, it could have been much worse," Gonzai said. "Nobody was killed, though a few won't be racing any time soon." "I'd like to find some way of getting back at those Beks. Show them just how petty they really are." "Why don't you get some rest for now," Gonzai said. "We can talk about this more in the morning." Nadia stood and approached the bunkroom. There were two rows of beds set out in front of her. Viseria was already lying in one. She still wore her hood which obscured her face; her soft snoring was the only way to tell she was asleep. There was no doubting that both of them could use the rest. Even if that wookie hadn't attacked, swoop riding could be exhausting work. She lay down on her side, looking at her friend. She smiled before shutting her eyes.

OOC: Right, so I just watch out for the guy who kinda looks like he walked out of Fallout and I should be okay? Got it. IC: Mia paused as her comm went off. She pulled it off her belt. "Lieutenant, I need you to rally your troops and engage the hostiles' second position once the shuttle is done with their run. My squad and I will assault the closer position shortly. As to your orders, I'd rather spend blaster packs then bodies, but we should save on explosives. If you need to move, have your troops throw up smoke to mask their positions." "That's going to be difficult, Raltz," Mia shouted into her comm. "Most of us got scattered as soon as they hit. I've got one of my own stormtroopers with me. I don't know how many others are alive. I've got cover for the moment behind enemy lines, but I don't know how long it will last. If you find any of my Stormtroopers they're going to have to work with you. It was probably luck and small numbers that got me as far as this, but we'll do what we can to make it easier for you." Mia put her comm away and took a deep breath. The salvager stared at the two women nervously, unsure of what to do. "Look," Mia said. "I don't want to hurt you. Dak, put the gun down." "Lieutenant-" "You don't have to drop it. I just think our friend might be more comfortable if she didn't have a gun pointed at her." Dak paused nervously, before lowering her rifle. "Now what are you doing down here?" "What do you think we were doing? We've been scavenging." "But you decided to attack us?" The salvager paused, leaning back against the wall of the freighter. "I was part of a salvage crew. We were just down here looking for things. You know, parts that would be worth selling." "What's she talking about?" Dak asked. "Some people are willing to pay good money for intact parts from abandoned wrecks," Mia explained. "How do you think Nadia was able to get us all that equipment? A lot of it was deals with salvage teams like this." "Look, I didn't mean to do any harm." "I'm sure," Dak replied. "That's why you were perched in a landspeeder firing at us." "I know, but that wasn't my idea. We were down here and my team saw your shuttle land. We didn't find much this time and a few people got into their heads that your craft would make up for it." "That's true," Mia said. "I'm sure the local gangs would pay good money for an intact Imperial shuttle." "They would," the salvager replied. "And that clouded their judgement. Out leader got it into his head that we had a chance at profit. I tried to talk him out of it but he just wouldn't listen. He was too obsessed with the profits to think about the risks involved. The rest of us were just trying to defend ourselves after he started shooting. I guess now you're going to arrest me." Mia looked at her new partner. "From what you've told me, you had no control over anything that happened and just tried to defend yourself when it did. Self-preservation isn't a crime. Still, any information you have may be useful. Can you tell me anything about what you found before we arrived?" "I didn't see much. We were on opposite ends of the junkyard when it happened. Most of the team just started taking their positions wherever they were at the time, but there was some discussion on the radio. There was someone, I think over in the west area, who mentioned finding a B-wing, one which seemed fairly intact. We were about to investigate when the shuttle arrived and my boss decided it was a better prize." "Sounds like you got mixed up with the wrong crew," Dak muttered. "Yeah, but it's hard to find work in the Lower City. You have to take what you can get." Mia approached the hull of the freighter and looked outside. The sounds of gunfire still rang out, but she could see little of the battle. She turned towards her two companions. "You got a name?" She asked the salvager. "Evnairis," "Okay. Now, we'll need to get some sort of bearing. We know unfortunately that Raltz is still standing. What we don't know is who is left or where anyone is. Dak, I'm going to need you to do some scouting." The stormtrooper nodded, trying to hide her unease. "Try to make it quick. Don't draw attention, and do not engage unless you have to defend yourself. Try and locate either our own or any of the scavengers, than report back to me." "Got it," Dak said. She reluctantly stepped out of the wrecked freighter. Mia turned towards Evnairis. "It's okay," she said. "We're trying to minimize lethal force. Hopefully we can take them alive." Evnairis just looked at Mia, not finding her statement to be very comforting.

OOC: I might have to just ask for clarification here. It sounded like you might have been referring to Nadia and Viseria, but I wasn't entirely sure. IC: Mia ducked for cover as more shots began to fly her way. Out in the open, there was no way two people could manage on their own. Fortunately, the wreckage was still providing cover, and there was lots of that. It was rather fortunate when a CR90 corvette proved to be within walking distance. Not the biggest ship, but it at least offered some shelter compared to the much larger star destroyers in the distance. Mia quickly managed to slide into one of the openings of the hull, Dak right behind her. The ship was obviously not functional; then again, most of the vehicles here weren't. "Do you think they saw us?" Dak asked, nervously. "I don't know," Mia said. "We won't be able to stay here for long." Mia led Dak along one of the old halls of the ship, before grabbing and exposed beam and climbing to a higher level. Upon reaching the platform, she extended a hand down to get Dak up. "What's the plan, then?" Dak asked. "This place isn't going to keep us safe for long." "I know," Mia said. "There is still something we can do from in here. I figure if we can get to higher ground, it might be possible to see who's attacking us. There's a hole in the roof we can use." Mia placed her hands in front of her. Dak stepped onto her hand and pushed herself up towards the top, pulling herself through onto the outside. A moment later, she had her hand down, and was pulling Mia up. "Not bad for your first action," Mia said as she climbed on top of the old corvette. It was barely any significant height, a metre at most, but it did allow for a slightly better view of the field, especially now that they weren't given as much attention, though she did see a few people beginning to enter the same way she had. "I think I see someone," Mia said. "Right there." She pointed towards a scavenger operating what looked like an old slugthrower from the driver's seat in an old landspeeder. It only took a moment for Mia to jump off, grunting as she hit the ground. Dak followed immediately, and the two began to approach. A quick sprint was all they needed to take the scavenger from behind. Dak was able to pull the gun out of her hands as Mia pointed her pistol at her. "GET OUT!" She yelled. The scavenger nervously stepped out of the landspeeder and into the muddy ground. Dak quickly pointed her rifle at her. Mia looked around. There was another wreck close by, one of an old freighter. "MOVE IT!" Mia yelled. The Scavenger began to run towards the wreck, Mia and Dak following. More shots were flying. Neither one of them could see any of their fellow troops, though they couldn't take much time to look for them. As they entered the freighter, Mia took a moment to catch her breath. She turned toward the nervous scavenger. "Now I'm not going to hurt you," Mia said. The Scavenger looked at her nervously. "We've lost enough people as it is. All I need is some answers. Who are you, and why are you attacking us?"