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Post by Marcos, LE-9615 on Jul 19, 2016 15:25:50 GMT -8
It had not taken much to recruit a few of the gangs that 'controlled' the area around the garrison. A few spare blaster given out here, a threat or two there, a few kneecaps shot in another area & suddenly his force grew from 200 plus troops. Of course now it was 200 plus troops & a nice thick layer of ablative meat, but it was the thought that counted. The real value of the added numbers however wasn't their strength in combat. Personally, Marcos was fairly sure the combat abilities of the gangs in general made them roughly useful for being herded toward an enemy to deplete enemy ammo stores, at best. They did, however have information connections with the locals. There was plenty of information to pin down where his lost ship might have gone down. He just had to extract it. Of course the gangs in question were all relatively tiny. They were big by local standards, but by his count there were nearly fifty gangs in this town alone. Most had about fifty members, though there where a fair mix of both smaller & larger gangs as well. The only thing that all of them agreed on was that they all hated all the other gangs. He had managed to impose some small amount of order in the three gangs he had taken control of, but it was obvious that they would start killing each other again at the first chance unless they could be directed at another threat. Unfortunately he couldn't aim them at the other gangs because they were already used to that sort of tribal warfare.
He wasn't making much progress on finding the missing ship, but it was still better to be out here that doing nothing back on Muunilinst. As an added bonus, he occasionally got to crack heads when the gangs got too out of line.
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Aerandir Calmcacil
The Jedi Order
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Post by Aerandir Calmcacil on Aug 14, 2016 22:57:06 GMT -8
"Even if I wanted to fight," *the gravelly voice of the Dug captain Pubolto explained,* "what could two puny pissants like you offer us?" *He gestured with his suspended legs and his gaze around at the small gaggle of Dugs and larger number of other assorted species gathered in the nightclub, in the basement of the tavern that served as a front for the operations of the "Black Seals" gang.
Across the table from him sat the disguised Jedi and daughter. Aerandir could sense Morgan's disgruntlement at the insult, but he only leaned forward, propping an elbow on the table, replying simply,* "The continued freedom to operate outside of a dictatorship."
*Pubolto laughed derisively, as did many of his circle who chose to take more interest in his guests than in the myriad indecent "festivities" this "establishment" offered.* "You're but a two-bit bounty hunter and a smelly Jawa," *he mocked.* "The First Order would have you for a tasty snack. Perhaps I should kill you myself and deliver you to them as a show of good faith."
*Aerandir again sensed Morgan's tension, as though preparing to defend herself, but Aerandir did not budge, offering a smug smirk his brother Ambar would be jealous of.* "Better men than you have tried."
*Pubolto seemed to take offense at this, hopping up onto the table with a loud slam, glaring down at the bounty hunter with bared teeth. While Morgan jumped, Aerandir did not move an inch, except to reach for her hand to keep her from drawing her weapon and to turn his smirk into a very bored, unimpressed look. The Dug studied him for a moment, glare slowly fading, then he chuckled as he lowered himself back down to the floor.* "Nothing startles you, eh? Very brave, or perhaps stupid." *He appraised the Jawa for a moment, then scoffed.* "Can't say your Jawa is as unshakable, though."
*Morgan's tension was rising, a combination of her uncertainty regarding their safety and her frustration at the Dug's constant insults. Aerandir had warned her about this, but he knew her aversion to belittlement. He gently squeezed her arm, attempting to assuage her feelings with a nudge through the Force.* "Jawas are jumpy by nature," *he explained,* "but this one's skills haven't let me down yet."
"We'll see about that," *Pubolto replied skeptically.* "Fearless you may be, but you haven't proven why we should help you fight the First Order."
"Like I said—"
"I know what you said. I want... let's say... a resume. You haven't even given your names."
*Aerandir gave him a level gaze, before replying,* "Satt Aleet. And this is Ket." *Sitting up straighter, almost more business-like, he continued,* "Let's just say I've been around the block. Seen many things, many governments rise and fall, whether democracy or dictatorship. The dictatorships? They let you play around for a bit, sure, until they decide you've done what they needed you to do and are no longer useful. Every time. But," *he concluded with a renewed smirk,* "they haven't been able to silence us. So that means I know a thing or two about how they work. Their 'weak points,' as it were."
*Pubolto seemed to study him for any trace of a lie, but Aerandir held his gaze hard and fast. Seemingly satisfied, the Dug shrugged his feet.* "Maybe I judged you wrong, but if it's just the two of you, I still don't think joining your little 'resistance' is going to be much good for us, yes?"
*The smirk remaining, Aerandir explained,* "Oh it's not just us. We're in a sort of... coalition, let's just say, buddies of ours we've gained over our years of... 'service.' But there's not enough of us to take on what the First Order's got here on our own, which is why I'm appealing to you."
*The Dug scratched his nose with his left pointer toe, contemplating the proposal for a moment.* "... but we can't be the only gang you're reaching out to?"
*Aerandir nodded.* "I realize you'll be hesitant to that, but you have to look at it this way, if you don't set aside your differences to overthrow the First Order's attempted reign, you won't get to continue your little rivalries. Right, Ket?" *He looked aside at Morgan, who was staring off at something else. He followed her gaze to discover where it led: The dancing stage, where some rather scantily-clad exotic dancers performed. Fighting a grimace, he hissed,* "Ket! You'll have free time to stare at girls when we're not busy negotiating!" *Except not even then! he added in his thoughts.
The hissed name drop made Morgan jump and she whirled to look at him, and he could sense her embarrassment. She stammered and replied,* "R-right! Sorry D— boss," *her vocoder translating perfectly into Jawaese.
Nodding, he studied Pubolto again, reading his expressions and sensing his thoughts. The Dug definitely seemed to want to agree with Aerandir's proposal, but there was quite a wall of pride there. If only Aerandir was able to read shatterpoints, he could have more efficiently found a way to chip through this creature's barriers. If he believed Morgan was capable of handling negotiations, he might have let her try... but worries over a potentially-faulty vocoder also kept him from considering that angle.*
"... right. I'll throw my lot in with you," *Pubolto announced at length before grinning.* "You're lucky I'm a risk-taker. But you're right, I can't let our fine establishment be put out of business." *He gestured around again at the nightclub.* "Of course I'd like a more substantial reward as well..."
*Couldn't have been that easy, of course. But Aerandir had just such a token.* "Better weapons. Looted from the First Order themselves. I can have them discreetly deposited when we're ready to declare open season, and the Black Seals will have first rights."
*Aerandir raised a questioning eyebrow, which was met by a greedy grin and uproarious laughter from the Dug.* "You should have opened with that! We'll make those First Order sleemos cry for mama!"
*That had been shockingly successful. One gang already in on the cause. Aerandir tried not to get too excited; Pubolto had promised fair play with the other gangs, but he wasn't sure how truthful that would be. And what of the gangs the First Order had already taken for their own bidding? Perhaps he should have floated the suggestion that the gangs allying with him would have a shot to eliminate those rival gangs as well... perhaps in future negotiations.
Morgan, happy to be freed of her stifling Jawa robes, was laying sprawled out on the bed, soaking in as much cooling as she could from the air conditioning unit. He chuckled at her, then, recalling the moment in the nightclub, asked,* "So, why were you looking at those dancers? Just pretending to be an easily-distracted Jawa, I hope?"
*Morgan's eyes widened a little and she seemed unable to respond for a moment, then, blushing slightly, she looked away and answered,* "I was... just curious..."
"I see..." *In spite of things, he laughed softly to himself and shook his head, then frowned as he briefly considered telling her more about those kinds of dancers... Particularly, how many of them may have been doing so against their will. Deciding she didn't need to be burdened with that information just yet, he let the topic go as he reviewed everything he knew so far, preparing for the next step.*
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Post by Marcos, LE-9615 on Oct 7, 2016 18:59:53 GMT -8
Marcos grinned. It was the sort of grin that would have terrified everyone within ten long paces had his helmet not hidden his face. It was the sort of grin that very clearly said the owner was enjoying himself very much, while someone else was very much not enjoying himself. The somewhat short alley had become a maelstrom of burning objects, small craters, & flying blaster bolts. At the far end, about twelve people were hiding out in a pair of buildings flanking the street. Much closer another 20 'friendlies' were scattered in various doorways, arches & other bits of cover. It was quite clear to Marcos that neither group was managing to hit anywhere close to where they were aiming.
Marcos was smiling because now came the fun part. Now he was fairly sure of the target's (the objective was far too weak to bother calling an enemy) location, skill & numbers. He could have given a verbal order & let the comms do all the work. Instead he raised his arm in a short sequence of motions. Then he walked around the corner & into the alley. Behind him came the first squad of the first company, known informally by the members as the Double First. Sergeant 'Dazzle' NL-5273 was at the head of the small block of highly trained troopers, shoulder to shoulder with Marcos. Behind them was a double column made up of the rest of the squad with two exceptions. The squad's dedicated riot trooper & the squad's engineer equipped with a matching riot shield formed the point of the formation. The group moved at a double-time march down the center of the alley. It was a maneuver that took considerable time & skill to use reliably. Each trooper was moving at just under a jog, with barely a hand's length between them & the trooper in front of them. Each trooper had a dedicated arc of fire, alternating down the line between high & low. A battering ram made of muscle, metal, plastic & burning energy. Most of the fire directed at the troopers was caught & dispersed by the prow formed of riot shields, while other shots bounced off the heavy armoured pauldrons of the troopers. The Phase IV Novatrooper Armour had been designed specifically for tight unit combat. It was nearly impossible to get a head on shot at a block of Novatroopers & glancing hits where merely absorbed & deflected.
At ten paces from the target, the engineer cleared the breach of his Z50 around the inner edge of his shield. There was a short, sharp bark as the stubby barrel lobbed a grenade in a flat arc that ended at the door to one of the occupied buildings. Instantly, the doorway filled with fire & shrapnel as the door itself exploded. Barely slowing, the Double First charged into the newly widened doorway. Once inside, the unit went to work with the stun pistols each trooper was wielding. It took less then twenty second to clear & secure the entire building. From one of the upper floor windows, the Engineer put several stun grenades into the building across the alley. This provided both cover & distraction as one of the columns of troopers dashed across the alley & repeated the process on the other side.
In the end, Marcos was watching as nearly twenty stunned figures were piled into the back of a a couple speeders by the local help. It was a good haul & soon enough they would begin questioning the latest batch to be brought in.
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Ryker Caldwell
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Post by Ryker Caldwell on Oct 12, 2016 22:01:26 GMT -8
Ryker walked from the tavern and headed down the street, making sure Ovluv was keeping up. After a few turns down some streets they came to what appeared to be a main road. An A-A5 Speeder Truck was sitting a short distance away with the loading ramp down and a man leaning against the side of the truck fiddling with some small object in his hand. He glanced up as Ryker and Ovluv approached the vehicle and grinned.
"Took you long enough!" He yelled at Ryker, lifting his arms into the air to emphasize his statement. Ryker grinned back as he closed the distance between them. "hey, can't rush perfection." Ryker turned towards Ovluv "I'd like you to meet the Co-Pilot of my ship, Glade." He looked back to Glade, gesturing towards Ovluv "This is Buh Shess Ovluv, our new investor.
Glade had a friendly smile as he placed the small object he was holding in a pocket and extended his hand to greet Ovluv "Investor huh? He glanced at Ryker "What kind of lies did ya spill this time? He had a joking tone in his voice. Glade returned his focus to Ovluv "Only joking, we got the best crew in the business. Whatever you need, we can get it."
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Post by Buh Shess Ovluv on Oct 16, 2016 21:11:47 GMT -8
*Back into the hot air of the open streets of Mos Eisley. Horrible heat, but heat Ovluv could endure, especially when there was discovery to be had, possibly the kind that would put him on the galactic map! A little heat was nothing to the man, it was merely one ingredient to the recipe that was true adventure!
Ryker led him to the speeder truck, where another man awaited. After exchanging a greeting, Ryker introduced him as the co-pilot, Glade. Ovluv smiled and shook the man's hand firmly.* "Pleasure to meet you!" *Releasing his hand, he shrugged and replied,* "Well I certainly hope that's the case, and I'll willingly invest all I need to assure it gets seen through!"
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Ryker Caldwell
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Post by Ryker Caldwell on Nov 8, 2016 20:03:02 GMT -8
"That's what we like to hear! Glade said as he placed his hand on Ovluv's back to usher him up the loading ramp into the speeder truck, chuckling as he did so. Ryker followed closely behind, shutting the door behind them as he stepped off the ramp. They were now standing in a decent sized space with bench seats running down either side. Behind the bench seats were rows of tall skinny lockers for storing gear and supplies. The floors appeared solid, but anyone that was observant would notice there was small latches hidden close to the benches, which would allow the floors to open for hidden cargo, clearly the sign of smugglers. On the opposite side from them, there was a small blast door which led to the cockpit of the speeder truck.
Glade walked forward and opened the blast door and walked into the cockpit. The door slid shut behind him. A few seconds later the engines hummed to life and the speeder lifted from the ground. Ryker sat down on one of the benches. "Have a seat anywhere you like." He guestured to the lockers 'You can secure any gear you don't feel like holding." He leaned back against the locker behind him. Placing his hands behind his head he gave a slight grin. "Other than that.... make yourself at home and enjoy the ride."
The speeder truck began to move towards the open dessert, gaining speed as it got further from the city.
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Telarial Bralor
The Mandalorian Assembly
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Post by Telarial Bralor on Dec 20, 2016 17:31:11 GMT -8
*Adonias, a 17 year old human smuggler set his ship down within the Mos Eisley spaceport. After paying the standard docking fee, he met with his contact, Milo Travis. The 17 year old teen kept a hand near his blaster when he spotted local security patrolling past the docking bay. While it was true that this was not his first illegal smuggling op, he was still on edge. Once his promised credits were deposited in one of his numerous off-world accounts, and the cargo transported off his ship, he made sure that his freighter was re-fueled and re-supplied and boarded the craft. He breathed a sigh of relief once the spaceport was far behind him. Adonias hacked into the spaceport's security cams that were hidden within the docking bay where the shipment was delivered. He watched as Milo Travis was stopped by the security team. The cargo, containing 220 kilos of spice, was confiscated minutes later. The young lad mumbled to himself as he plotted coordinates for a hyperspace jump. Never realizing that he had in fact verbalized a Mando'a word. He had no memory of his true home and could not remember his past. Recently however...his vocabulary slowly began to change, even if he himself didn't realize it.*
"What a di'kut*. Milo should have had the brains to conceal his shipment...what an amateur."
*Adonias jumped to lightspeed moments later.*
*Idiot (Mando'a)
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Aerandir Calmcacil
The Jedi Order
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Post by Aerandir Calmcacil on Dec 20, 2016 20:05:58 GMT -8
*Local gossip was almost as reliable as any intelligence network when it came to reports on First Order movement. Raids, conducted predominantly on other gang members, resulting in many of them being hauled off... and few, if any, returning. An alarming notion, and forcing "Satt Aleet" and his Jawa companion "Ket" to have to work faster in their negotiations with rival gangs. Using the raids as kindling for the fire that was opposition, he was able to entice more than a few gangs over to his cause, with the promises of freedom from tyranny, better arms, and a chance to wipe out some rival gangs that had chosen to side with the First Order.
Truthfully, the raids alone had broken down their barriers some, though nearly all of them had begun to ask just who "Mr. Aleet's coalition" consisted of. He had prepared for this after his meeting with the Dug Pubolto and had made contact with affiliates on Ryloth, a reluctant member world of the Alliance. One Commander Lesara and a group of Twi'lek mercenaries were all that could be spared, but it was enough for him to prove his credentials to the would-be recruits.
For the time being, Aerandir chose to keep them separated, although he did provide a list of other gangs that were involved for transparency's sake; not only would putting them together be potentially hazardous to their mutual health, Aerandir could only see difficulty in trying to keep such meetings incognito. He was at least able to keep in contact with each gang's leader, or leaders as the case sometimes was. He had to admit to himself, he was a little concerned about the possibility of there being some kind of mole, which was why he had never referred to Commander Lesara nor Ryloth by name as of yet, nor that the group was preparing to leave and lay in wait a short jump away from Tatooine.
Morgan, meanwhile, had not done much talking until they had safely returned to their hotel room. It usually started with some comment about how stifling her Jawa disguise was, or some related noise of impatience, before she would review the plan so far so that Aerandir could be sure her head was in the game. She was keeping up well, but had wondered how well she'd be able to defend herself should she need to do so in the disguise. Aerandir reminded her that the Force would guide her, and she did have sufficient training with the blaster given her as part of the disguise, though he knew she preferred more physical combat when she had to, as well as in less-restrictive gear.
Still, she would have to make do with what she had... As would Aerandir.*
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Post by Marcos, LE-9615 on Dec 20, 2016 21:13:36 GMT -8
Lieutenant 'Aberration' CO-5251 was not your normal Novatrooper. For one, he was placed in charge of the 1st Security Platoon. Meaning that while we was technically only a Lieutenant, he actually had the power to overrule or otherwise deal with anyone else in the entire Battalion with the exception of the Major. Secondly, while most Novatroopers were intelligent to some degree or other, most focused that intelligence into the fine art of hurting people in the most efficient way possible. Aberration on the other hand liked to know, well, everything. It was what made him so good at his job of both keeping the troops in line & keeping them informed.
Abe was worried. True, the FO control of the immediate area was still continuing more or less unopposed. However, he wasn't sure how much longer that would last. Reports were coming in again & again that the general level of violence in the city was dropping. More & more gangs seemed to be calling off their wars with each other with each passing day. Alone & with the raids the FO was conducting, at first glance it seemed like they were attempting to hide from a more powerful foe. He also had reports that someone was talking with various gangs here & there. There was even scattered word about another off-world faction getting involved.
Abe would be keeping a very close eye on these trends to see where they went. Out in the courtyard, the latest raid returned with yet another load of informants. Abe couldn't wait to collect more reports.
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Aerandir Calmcacil
The Jedi Order
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Post by Aerandir Calmcacil on Dec 22, 2016 23:10:08 GMT -8
*Six gangs. Some smaller than others, but this seemed fairly sufficient at least for an opening "demonstration." Aerandir just needed to make good on his promise to the Black Seals and supply them with First Order gear looted from Garqi. He would also have to ensure there was fair distribution; not every single gang member would be able to arm themselves with better gear, he realized, but he could at least ensure the "important" members of each gang were well-armed. Fortunately, Aerandir had made that connection with the Alliance, and a portion of the looted goods had been delivered to Ryloth to be transported to Tatooine care of Commander Lesara.
Fortunately for him, First Order monitoring seemed to only extend to Mos Eisley for the time being, with no word of a fleet or other sorts of detection in orbit. Still, they had to make this delivery as discreet as possible, which was why "Satt Aleet" and "Ket" rode with Pubolto's men in a speeder truck towards a secluded canyon some distance away from the city. There they rendezvoused with an otherwise-inconsequential transport, sporting the assortment of looted goods from the Garqi train.
Two Twi'lek soldiers flanked the boarding ramp while one stood between them. They were initially wary of the approaching trucks until Aerandir had given his signal that they were friendlies—and reminding him to use his current code name.*
"This better not be a scam," *Pubolto declared as the trucks came to a halt. The Dug nevertheless seemed eager as he hopped out of the vehicle, followed by his two new comrades.*
"You won't be disappointed," *Aerandir assured him, then approached the ship.* "Commander! Good to see you."
*The yellow-skinned male Twi'lek nodded, replying,* "Same to you, Mr. Aleet."
"Where's the goods?" *The Dug interjected.*
*Lesara looked to Aerandir. When the latter nodded, the Twi'lek gestured up the ramp.* "Right this way."
*The Dug chuckled gleefully as they entered the ship and were led to the creates containing the various assortment of gear: Blaster rifles, handguns, grenades, even a handful of riot shields and batons. Pubolto and a handful of his men who came with him examined the gear with their eyes, seeming intrigued by their shape. When one reached for one of the blasters, however, the sound of Lesara's and another Twi'lek's own blasters powering on signaled their act of drawing their own weapons upon the Dug.
Aerandir immediately put up a hand.* "Easy, gentlemen."
"Comrade or not, Sir Aleet, I don't entirely feel comfortable simply allowing them to draw weapons in our ship," *Lesara replied flatly.*
"Understandable, but I made them a promise. If you're so worried, how about a condition?" *He turned to the Dug ringleader and gestured to him with an open hand.* "Boss Pubolto may be the only one to examine them... for now."
*The Dug clearly wasn't pleased at the drawing of weapons, but, after a quick glance at the loot, he begrudgingly nodded.* "I accept." *After the Twi'leks lowered their weapons just as reluctantly, the Dug reached for one of the blaster rifles with his foot, lifting it up and examining it with his eyes, running his toes along it as though searching for any weaknesses.*
"Dug feet are so weird, but kinda cool," *Morgan commented aloud, vocoder again translating perfectly.*
*Every Dug present whirled on her, making Aerandir grimace and prepare to apologize for her lack of tongue control, but Pubolto only laughed.* "I prefer the term 'unique.' Now then." *He tossed the weapon to Aerandir, gesturing toward it with a toe.* "Since they won't trust me, how about a test demonstration?"
*Aerandir caught the weapon effortlessly and glanced at Lesara. When the Twi'lek nodded, Aerandir shrugged.* "Sure." *He primed the weapon and removed the safety as he aimed at the bottom of the ramp, squeezing off a few quick shots that left small burning marks in the sand just outside the ship.
Pubolto seemed pleased.* "Doesn't seem too cheap then. I'd ask about these..." *He scooped up a detonator and tossed it up and down, smirking.* "... but I don't think you'd like that."
"Put it down, Dug," *Lesara warned.
The Dug caught the grenade and gently set it back in the crate, scowling at the Twi'lek.* "It's 'Pubolto.'"
"Gentlemen, easy," *Aerandir interjected.*
"And what's this?" *Pubolto asked, holding up a baton.
Aerandir gestured for it, and the Dug tossed it to him. Aerandir caught it in one hand, handing the powered down blaster to Morgan.* "A new weapon. Quite a curious one. Stand back." *He took a few steps back himself, even as Lesara and Morgan gave him space. Aerandir held the handle firmly before triggering the weapon, the two conductor vanes extending and electricity screaming to life.* "A Z6 riot control baton. A dangerous weapon with a curious feature: It can even resist a lightsaber blade. Not that we'll be running into any of those, I hope."
"Impressive! Well, you've sold me, 'freedom fighter,' now let's get this stuff back to the city!"
*Aerandir nodded, deactivating the baton and lowering it to his side.* "I did say you would have 'first rights,' but do leave some for the others, yes?"
*Pubolto gave a deep, raspy laugh in response, smirking at Aerandir.* "Of course! 'We're all in this together,' and all that, but I think you'll forgive me if I want to ensure my men have a fair advantage when the gang wars resume, no?"
*Aerandir returned the smirk with an insincere one of his own.* "Fair enough."
*With the terms agreed to, Aerandir, Pubolto and his men, and a couple of the mercenaries helped load the speeder truck with the weapon crates. Aerandir's next step was to determine a meeting place at last for the six gangs as well as himself, Morgan, and Lesara, then prepare for open season on the First Order. Commander Lesara joined the convoy back to Mos Eisley upon a speeder bike, no doubt to scout the current atmosphere of the city and what they would be getting into.
It would begin all too soon...*
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Post by Marcos, LE-9615 on Dec 25, 2016 22:16:00 GMT -8
Sergeant 'Fritter' OW-9842 looked over his group one more time. Squad four, the Fabulous Fourth was ready to go. Word had come down from intel that some group had been distributing First Order gear to the some of the local thugs. One of those groups was the target Fritter was about to crush. Reports stated there should be about fifteen to twenty beings in the structure. There was no word on layout of the structure or any bolt holes or tunnel that may or may not be present. It was the type of assault that made life an interesting mess. In turn, Fritter had gathered up twenty of the local thugs that had signed on for use as fodder to trip any traps & soften up the target. Once things were well in hand, then the squad itself would sweep in & win the day.
A sharp nod to the squad's engineer was the signal to go. There was a single PUNTsound as a small explosive round traveled down the diagonal length of the street & blew a crater in the door. As that happened, the twenty thugs charged forward, hoping to cover the nearly thirty meters before the defenders could recover enough to catch them in the open street.
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Aerandir Calmcacil
The Jedi Order
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Post by Aerandir Calmcacil on Dec 29, 2016 23:47:37 GMT -8
*This particular establishment was home mainly to a group of Tocoyans, who found the desert world of Tatooine pleasant and reminiscent of their own homeworld of Tocoya. The odd, wrinkly creatures had set up their own little gang here that they preferred to think of as a "crew," as they felt their actions were less nefarious and more self-preserving. It hadn't taken much convincing for them to join with Aleet's coalition against the First Order, especially after all the news of raids. They especially hoped the promise of a selection of First Order weaponry wasn't an empty one, for that would do nothing but bolster their strength and allow them to keep their skins attached.
Still, they couldn't rest easy just yet; for all they knew, they were the next victims of a raid. They were a lot more on edge than usual, especially from paranoia that word might get out about opposition... or that "Satt Aleet" was a spy and was rounding up all those that would dare oppose the First Order. Why else would the promise of their weaponry sound too good to be true?*"Take cover!" *The shout came from one of the men standing at the window, who had seen the small object hurtling towards their establishment's front door. But it came too late, as the entryway was blown to shreds, debris and shrapnel scattering as dust clouded the foyer. Those that weren't injured scuffled about, tipping over tables as cover and priming their weapons. A couple dragged those disoriented by the blast away and into cover.
The Tocoyan by the window shook off as much stupor as he could before smashing out the window with his elbow and aiming a few shots down the alley at a somewhat-blurry gaggle of thugs rushing towards them. He couldn't exactly trust his aim, but it was better than just standing there hoping to get better!*
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Post by Marcos, LE-9615 on Dec 30, 2016 21:56:27 GMT -8
Even with as wild as the shots were, the thugs were clumped up too tightly to do anything more than continue their charge. A few of them few of them fell either from the shots or just tripping & got mildly trampled in the process. The remaining thugs however poured into the still smoking gap pushing through mainly through sheer weight of momentum, though the few at the front did open fire in un-aimed, wild sprays of fire.
Back in the original alley, Fritter watched the progress through the feed of a small video cable poked around the corner. Seeing the fire from an upper window, he tagged the frame & sent it to the squad's engineer. A moment later, the trooper poked his head around the corner again & launched yet another roundPUNTtoward the window in question, with no order needed from the sergeant. Fritter had trained well with his squad. He rarely had to bother giving verbal orders anymore. A quick image or hand signal & his will was done.
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Aerandir Calmcacil
The Jedi Order
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Post by Aerandir Calmcacil on Jan 2, 2017 21:50:03 GMT -8
*The dust cloud formed in the opening of the establishment was at least one minor advantage to the defenders: They were briefly afforded additional cover, but it would only last until they began their first salvo.
Which was the moment they knew the thugs had entered the building and began opening fire wildly. A handful of the defenders did their best to mentally trace the origin of the shots and fire in that general direction, hoping they connected and could at least thin the enemy ranks.
The worst part of all this was that they couldn't make out their attackers in the dark; was this a raid, or a typical gang war? Considering the rumors, it was unlikely the latter; the introduction of the First Order seemed to cause gang wars to dwindle from a combination of raids and assimilation. In the minds of some, this meant their worst fears had been realized and they had been betrayed by their supposed "comrade."
Others couldn't care less and were more concerned with defending their turf against the immediate threat.
Suddenly, a burst from above, and part of the ceiling collapsed in the corner of the room, raining charred debris across the room. As well as what was left of the watchman from upstairs...*
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Post by Marcos, LE-9615 on Jan 7, 2017 23:34:44 GMT -8
The damage from the blast wasn't restricted to just the defenders. Several of the thugs still outside were hit with shrapnel or bumped by the shock wave. At that range the shock wave alone would not kill, but the flying fragments of facade were a different story. Several more of the thugs fell, but those remaining were suddenly pushing all the harder to get into the structure & out of the line of fire of their 'allies'.
As for Fritter, he would not have ordered the shot with Novas making the charge, but he personally didn't care about the locally recruited thugs. In fact, he felt that the more or them that died in the process of helping them with their goal, the fewer the Novas would have to kill once they pulled out.
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Post by Marcos, LE-9615 on Apr 26, 2017 19:23:16 GMT -8
It had been a week since that raid. There had not been many survivors from the raid itself, & none of those had known anything worth while. Fortunately, no Novas had been injured in the attack so it didn't really matter. For me moment, it seemed that the rumors of First Order weaponry being sold was false. In the week following that raid the Novas had managed to take control of the center of the city. It was nearly a quarter of the total area, & included most of the 'vital' areas including much of the spaceport & the pathetic excuse for a planetary government center. The remaining gangs of the city were quickly discovering that they couldn't stand alone against the elite Novatroopers. While some managed to join up with the Imperials, most weren't even given the chance.
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Aerandir Calmcacil
The Jedi Order
Posts: 1,731
Affiliation: The Jedi Order
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Aerandir Calmcacil on Apr 26, 2017 23:49:11 GMT -8
*The hit on the Tocoyan gang was felt within the little resistance pocket and met with varying response, from worry to anger to even a sudden loss of confidence. Aerandir, however, used it to rally the gangs that had not yet pledged allegiance to the resistance. The Tocoyans had been one of the more "peaceful" gangs, more focused on self-preservation than crime, and it was a shame what had happened to them. It seemed that many other gangs, even the ones that seemed to mock them for being less "active" than others, at least respected this, and had no intentions of standing for a regime that would so willingly wipe out even the least violent of gangs.
The Tocoyans were to be martyrs, then. An unfortunate fate, but martyrdom was a powerful symbol. In their memory, Aerandir would keep Tatooine free from the First Order.
So their numbers swelled, and now they had the capability of putting up a fight against the First Order. They just had to strike back, demonstrate that they weren't going to simply allow this to happen. The additional arms were in particular an advantage; from what Aerandir could observe and what other gang scouts corroborated, the other gangs weren't being supplied with better weapons. Of course, Pubolto in the Black Seals had done everything in their power to secure as many arms as they could, going a little beyond reason, but there were still enough to at least arm each individual gang's best men.
The scouting reports were surprisingly and thankfully consistent, reporting patrols of varying size, and raids of much larger size. Aerandir suggested hitting a few of the patrols as the safer bet, an act that many agreed upon; all were aware and accepting that this would escalate the conflict to a fuller scale. As far as civilians went, as the First Order's activity grew stronger, their presence dwindled. Children no longer played in the streets, adults only went outside as much as they needed to. The increased harassment from the gang patrols was perhaps the largest contributor to this.
So it had to end.
Thus the patrols were scouted, and teams dispatched to take them out. Each team consisted of mixed gang members, the reasoning being twofold: The sight of members from multiple gangs working together against them would potentially cause the patrols brief confusion, enough to take advantage of; and, were there any survivors or witnesses, send the subtle message of resistance throughout the city.
Three teams then set out, each aiming for a single patrol somewhere in the city. The First Order had mainly taken control of the city's inner portion, so at the moment, the more important task was keeping the rest of the city secured by eliminating some of the enemy gangs. But a strike in the First Order's holdings would also send a message, if the troopers were smart enough to figure it out.
It was this team that Aerandir personally observed, trusting the outer teams to do their job well enough. He and Morgan, disguised as ever, followed along discreetly, keeping to the alleys and side streets, avoiding the rooftops. The patrol didn't take too long to spot, and the resistance team, comprised of a handful of Pubolto's top men as well as assorted other races, struck. Much to Aerandir's surprise, it was a total one-sided victory over the patrol; seemed his concerns were unfounded after all.
Some of the criminals looted what they could off of the corpses before they made their disappearance, scattering in differing directions to avoid all being followed easily. They regrouped at their assorted hideouts, relaying their experiences with their respective gangs. Aerandir visited around each gang to collect this information; it was still too risky to have a single hideout, but that would soon have to change, he supposed. It seemed that, shockingly, a small patrol of five had given the most trouble; while the stories differed between gangs, apparently their coordination had not been the most perfect, resulting in some injuries but fortunately no deaths.
But ultimately, their first counter-strike was a success. This was pleasing, and now Aerandir would have to wait for the results. He warned everyone to be on their guard and prepare for First Order response, and urged them to come to each other's defense should that happen. He promised to be on the lookout as well, and keep close contact with Lesara—who remained beyond the outskirts—should it at last come to a full-scale assault.*
"Are we ever going to tell them that we're Jedi?" *Morgan asked in their apartment, once more freed from her stifling Jawa disguise.
Aerandir was looking out the window but contemplated the question for a moment.* "We'll call that a 'need-to-know basis.'" *He turned his gaze toward her.* "We'll try to keep our cover, but should it come to saving our own lives or the only way to prevent a massive loss of lives? The cover drops, and we'll explain later."
*She thought about this a moment before nodding, seeming to understand. Her serious air had been breaking down a little, though it was mostly replaced by lamenting the loss of water-based showers once more; she seemed to glean absolutely no enjoyment out of the sonics, seeing them as little more than a chore. He did his best to make light of this and keep her spirits up, though he had to admit, he missed running water too. He reminded her she'd been through worse, but she only countered that she at least enjoyed the planets those "worse" situations occurred on more.* "Fair enough," *he admitted.*
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Post by Marcos, LE-9615 on Apr 27, 2017 15:57:27 GMT -8
Lieutenant Abe was reviewing the reports for the day when he came up with something that stood out. It was not particularly uncommon for the patrols to lose some people now & again. For one thing, a number of them were heading out into areas that were still controlled by other gangs. This meant there was a nearly constant, if low strung gang war going on. However, three patrols had been wiped out completely on the same day. He couldn't be sure exactly where they vanished, as bodies tended not to last long on the streets.
It was fairly obvious this wasn't random chance. Maybe a single patrol vanishing would be random chance, but not three in a single day. Gathering up what details he did have, he passed word on while he finished going through the rest of the intel reports. He had little doubt how the Major would react. In two words, it would be poorly & violently. The loss of the locals wasn't an issue, there were always plenty more to be had. However, it would be seen as an attack on First Order interests & that wouldn't be allow to pass unchallenged.
Sure enough, the Major was livid about the attacks. Within short order, six squads had been assembled. It was roughly a third of the troops that had traveled to this dust ball of a planet. In retaliation for the attacks & to show that the Novas couldn't be pushed around, six raids would be launched simultaneously. They wouldn't be random however, all six raids had already been planed out. The only thing that would change would be instead of being spaced out, all six would happen in the middle of the night tonight. The hastily gathered up gang members were doing much worse than the trained Novas though. The majority of them had been grabbed more or less out of their beds.
It didn't take long for the gangs to be split into groups to match the squads & the raids were launched. Each squad would herd their gang 'escort' to the target & set them loose on it. Once they had softened up the target or suitable distracted it, the Novas would roll in with force. The orders tonight were clear. No prisoners would be taken.
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Aerandir Calmcacil
The Jedi Order
Posts: 1,731
Affiliation: The Jedi Order
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Aerandir Calmcacil on May 2, 2017 22:01:20 GMT -8
*While the assault on the patrols had been successful, Aerandir was still leery of a response by the troopers; they'd eliminated an entire Tocoyan gang just for rumors of weapon movement, after all. He brought Morgan along with him, unwilling to leave her alone in a hotel room on this planet regardless of her skill, and they took to the rooftops, nighttime their cover, as they kept a watchful eye on the city's movement, closer to the perceived border between the First Order and resistance "territory."
Morgan began to speak, but it was immediately filtered through her vocoder. She stopped and lifted up her mask, looking at her father and speaking in a low voice.* "What are you going to do if they attack?"
*He didn't look at her as he responded, eyes still on the city.* "Gang leaders aren't stupid. They'll know retaliation is basically expected. When and how large are the unanswered questions, and I don't intend to let them get caught off guard." *He furrowed his brows as he thought he detected movement in the distance.* "Might be something now." *He raised his macrobinoculars with night-vision filtering on to confirm the movement.
What he saw was less than good. He extended his reach through the Force, scanning the presences. The results were incredibly alarming. He had expected retaliation but not to this size; this was at least multiple raids worth, and whether they were focused on one target or multiple, it was difficult to say. The only solace he could find in any of this was that the gang members they had pulled into these raids did not seem in the best shape, likely having been almost literally pulled from their beds.
So would Aerandir's own resistance, but they'd have adrenaline on their side at least.*
"That's a lot of them," *Morgan observed, a bit of worry in her voice. She too had turned her gaze outward to the city, but she returned it to her father, concern on her expression.* "We're gonna fight, aren't we?"
*Aerandir already had out his datapad and was furiously tapping out an emergency message, to be sent out to the leaders of each of the gangs united under the resistance banner.* "We're going to observe from the shadows," *he announced,* "at least, until we know what exactly the First Order is doing. I'm alerting them all right away and telling them to get their arms ready and prepare for raids. Any gang who isn't the target of a raid will be distributed in defense of another. We may not be able to save them all but we'll save what we can." *He lowered his head as the message sent and looked out over the city with his own eyes.* "We'll get involved once the pieces fall into place."
"Is it time to reveal ourselves?"
"Hopefully not." *He lifted his datapad and sent another message, this time to Lesara, telling him to keep on standby.* "We'll at least be blowing our cover of a coordinated resistance, but at least then we can be stop worrying about discreet communication. If it comes to it, though, then yes. The planet will know there are Jedi here tonight."
*As he watched the raid parties approach, the various gangs that made up the resistance scrambled to action as their leaders yelled for every able-bodied member to grab their weapons and ready what defenses they had; and if they weren't getting raided, they were going out hunting. This of course caught them off guard but the slight warning was enough to keep them at least alert. They grabbed their weapons and what little protective gear they could, making for the most strategic defense points in their establishments and prepping themselves for combat.
The war had truly begun this night.*
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Post by Marcos, LE-9615 on May 3, 2017 20:06:40 GMT -8
From their vantage point, it would quickly become clear that only two of the raiding parties were headed toward allied gang houses. A third would be passing close to another, but But would still be a few streets over. Those three also had the furthest to travel to reach their intended targets.
Dazzle led his Triple First Squad squad toward his objective. The house in question seemed a bit active for a random night, Either they had a party every night or had picked a really bad night for one. Sending his ganger support around the block to flank the house, Dazzle gave them a minute to get in position. Once his count was done, he signaled the attack. The first warning the party house had that it was under attack was a trio of grenades launched through the front door & a flame unit raining the front end balcony with fire. Unfortunately for the ganger support, they hadn't quite reached the flanking position before the attack began. They were still finding cover to fight from as waves of party gang members poured out of the house. The fighting was vicious & bloody. While very few, if any, of the party gang survived to escape, the gangers took heavy loses themselves.
Charmed Squad (first platoon, third squad) ran into trouble before it was even ready to launch the attack. The gang in question seemed to be more paranoid than the intel had reported as the squad tripped an explosive trap while getting ready to attack. The Sergeant for the squad, 'Lucky' BH-1313, caught the edge of the blast & was knocked unconscious. The trooper that had tripped it died instantly. The blast also had the effect of waking up the gang members in the house. By the time the fire fight that follow had been concluded, the entire compliment of gangers had either been killed or deserted, & two more Novas had been injured. All told, the raid ended with one Nova dead, three injured, & sixty gangers killed or missing.
The Novas in 2nd Platoon 3th Squad 'Bloody Hammer' made good time in reaching their objective. For a moment the Sergeant Blondey LZ-2398 was worried it might be a trap as not a single light was on at the target & no sentries had been place. However, he quickly realized the house was probably sleeping as the Novas hadn't launched any night time raids yet. Still to be careful, he ordered his gang support forward, urging them to be silent as possible until the killing started. Within a few moments the gangers began filtering into the building. At first there was little to mark any change. After a few minutes though a shot rang out from the house. The next thirty seconds or so included a lot of shooting from the house. However, at the end of it, the Novas were waved in. Apparently, the gangers had managed to take out the entire targeted gang without losing a single person.
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