Mercenary Crew: Age of the Empire

[starmark2k]

((you've brought it forward a bit. but o.k i'll start this post a bit before your post.))

 

Tasser Goum sat in his cell quietly for the right moment, He had escaped from every cell he had ever been incarcerated in. The fight would have been a good time to escape but he couldn't fly and fire weapons at the same time.

 

He had already took off his cuffs and threw them on the floor, He looked around the room for anything he could use to get out... and found it. A slightly loose screw out of the bunk came in handy. Tasser pulled it out and walked over to the door, He pulled off the disabled internal door control cover. after taking two wires out he conected the screw to the reserve power and the emergancy release. The door swung open and the door shield short circuited.

 

Wade was outside with his back to the wall he heard the doors open and looked around. Tasser reached out and grabbed Wade, He threw him onto the floor and placed his hand on wades mouth so he couldn't scream. Tasser grabbed his disgaurded cuffs and used it to slice into Wades throat.

 

Tasser walked out of his cell and sealed the door behind him, now it was time to escape the ship. He knew a headhunter was on board from the comm-chater over the ships intercom during the tie attack. Tasser walked into engineering.

____________________________________________________

 

"Hey Captain. Come here a second. Theres something you may want to look at"

 

Nics Eyes widened quickly as he heard Jacks comm. "i'm on my way." Nic said as he stood up and pulled a shirt on. Suddenly Nic felt the ship shudder, they had dropped out of hyperspace. but Why. Nic thought this was too suspicious and grabbed his Knife.

 

He stepped of his room and looked to the left, He saw Tasser standing there looking at him. Tasser began to run at Nic. Nic threw his knife strait towards tesser impacting himin the right shoulder. Nic smiled as tesser Screamed in pain and staggered backwards a few steps.

"You didn't think i'd be carrying a knife now, did ya" Nic said in a cocky fashon

Tasser then pulled the knife out of his oun body and grinned brandishing it in a threatening mannor."now i have the knife."

Nics expression quickly changed "Yeah, I didn't think that through." Nic said as Tasser ran at him, Nic ran into his room.

 

Nic grabbed Betsy and swung around as tesser stood in his door way. "so what now?"

 

((now would be the tine jana gets grabbed.))

[Writer]

Jana heard the scream and looked up. Then, she glanced over at Beryl. "Stay here a bit... I'll see what that was about."

 

She opened the door and stepped out, closing it behind her. She saw Nic and turned toward him. "Everything alright?" she asked, unaware of the fact that the Galaxy Killer, Tasser Goum was standing behind her, bloody knife in hand.

[starmark2k]

"Jana Move!" Nic shouted but it was pointless, Tessar had already moved forward. Teeser grabbed Jana and stuck the knife by her throat.

 

"Try anything and i'll £$%@;:# ghost her." he shouted. "Come on honey, you're coming with me ."

 

Tesser then began to walk forward towards the ladder.

[Writer]

"Oh... this makes things interesting..." Jana muttered. Tasser ordered her to shut up and then forced her down the ladder with him. Just great... she told herself. Jana Vincent becomes another statistic related to the Galaxy Killer...

 

She wasn't scared... just angry at being so foolish as to have been taken as a hostage... a hostage she was sure wouldn't live. The Galaxy Killer never left people alive, not after they were of no use to him.

[starmark2k]

Nic followed from a distance, He knew that Tasser would not kill Jana as long as he had a gun pointing at him. After all he was a psycho but not stupid. "you hurt one hair on her body and i swear i'll scatter your ashes in to the cosmos."

 

Tasser simply laughed at this comment and continued moving.

[JasraLantill]

In Jana's room, Beryl heard the scuffle in the corridor, and being curious, she naturally opened the door. Her eyes widened, as she saw Jana's torso disappearing down the ladder, the Galaxy Killer's knife at her throat and Nic brandishing Betsy in the corridor.

 

"Uh-oh." She froze in the doorway, not moving, not wanting to add to the threat. No telling what the Galaxy Killer would do if he felt even more threatened.

 

It looked like they were heading to the hanger though...

 

Beryl grinned slyly. If that slimy yelt rat thought for one moment he was taking her Headhunter, he had another thing coming.

 

As soon as they were out of view, she slipped into her room and connected up her sim to the main computers. And interfaced with the Headhunter.

[ExtreamJedi12]

Cloud woke up when he heard a noise. He looked around and looked out his door. He oiled it so it wouldn't make a sound. When he opened it, he saw the Galaxy Killer. "Oh S*$%!" Cloud thought. "How could He have gotten out? That cell should've been foolproof."

[Writer]

Inside the sim, Riebe's voice sounded again.

 

"I'm surprised to see you again," she told Beryl. "I thought Jana would have told you not to get back online until you were sure I was gone."

[JasraLantill]

"Erm...well...Jana's a bit...preoccupied at the moment," Beryl responded to Riebe as her fingers hurriedly tapped responses into the simulated computer in her simulated Headhunter, which was linked up to the real one in the hanger. She was a bit worried about Jana. Nic could probably handle the situation, but in case the Galaxy Killer did make it to the Headhunter, there was no way that space slug was going to get off this ship alive. Not if she could help it.

 

Primary drive? Off line.

Targeting systems? Off line.

Weapons? Off line.

Life support? Beryl raised an eyebrow. Oh yes. Definitely off line! If the Galaxy Killer somehow managed to get the Headhunter launched, he'd find it rather difficult to fly without breathing.

 

"But I'm glad you're still about, Riebe. Might have time for another game...erm...after. Say," she said, changing the subject, "I'm curious,where did you see that manoevre I did? Not many people know how to do it."

[Writer]

"Actually, I've watched you do it before, to be perfectly honest," Riebe answered. "I was at the TCTA graduation ceremony where you did that..."

 

There was a short pause and then Riebe said, "After what? Your ship pulled out of hyperspace... something wrong?"

[JasraLantill]

"Wrong? Erm...no. Well, sort of. It's nothing really," Beryl said as she typed in programming code to link up to the Headhunter's exterior targeting cameras to a window in her sim. "Just our captain walking the corridors with a blaster shotgun. Of course, that's not unusual. But doing that while stalking a maniacal killer who's just killed their guard and then taken the first mate hostage, well, that's the kind of thing that makes you pause and take notice, you know?" she said with a calmness that surprised even her. "So, you're a TCTA grad, eh, Riebe? Tell you what then. I'll bet you twenty creds that our captain can take care of the whole situation without even firing a shot."

 

But just in case...

 

The window popped up to the side of her. At least now she could see if anything happened in the hanger bay.

[Writer]

Riebe was silent for a long while. "That's definitely a sticky situation..." She sounded thoughtful. "First mate? Jana? Oh, I see. Yes, that would be the kind of thing to take notice of... too bad Jana wasn't more careful with what went on around her, yeah?"

 

"Oh," she went on. "And I never said I was a TCTA graduate. I was there when you graduated is what I said. Actually taught there for a year... though under a different name."

[JasraLantill]

“An instructor?” Beryl laughed out loud. Come to think of it, Riebe’s voice did sound slightly familiar.

 

“You know, Riebe, as much as I want to ask what your name was, I think I’d rather keep your true identity as a mystery. Especially if I was ever in one of your classes!”

 

Beryl had been a good student, excelling in all of her classes, especially flight control and mechanics, but had often been sent to the Head Prefects office by her instructors for ‘disruptive behaviour’, otherwise known as having fun, or ‘disagreements’, otherwise known as arguments/brawls. But being as her father was a major financial contributor to the academy, she had never really been worried about dismissal.

 

“Oh,” she added, “and that whole thing with the refreshers flooding in Dorm C? That was totally blown out of proportion. I mean, it was just a little water.”

[Writer]

Riebe chuckled. "Yes, Beryl, you were in one of my classes." Her voice sounded terribly amused. "And you made it very clear to me that there was no way I could possibly be the instructor for the class. I asked why and you told me I was too young... then again, my age is another mystery, which is what I recall telling you at that point."

 

"And don't try talking your way out of the refresher incident," she went on. "I saw the water... there was more than you'd like us to think."

 

((As a TCTA instructor, Riebe was called Tarla Vel. ))

[JasraLantill]

So, it was Tarla Vel. Beryl remembered the ‘age’ discussion well. And the writer’s cramp she had gotten when Vel had made her handwrite ‘Outward appearance is not a measure of a person’s intelligence or their ability to impart their knowledge to others’ a thousand times.

 

Beryl snorted. “It only covered the floor of the west wing!” she protested in jest. “Well, and part of the rec area. Oh, and the lobby.” Beryl paused. “Okay,” she admitted, “so it covered a lot of the ground floor. But it was less than a meter deep. Barely enough to take a swim. And no one drowned. Besides it was an accident.”

 

It had been, although no one would believe her. She had been tasked to remove the ‘inflammatory emblem’ she and some of her friends from Dorm A had painted on the floor of Dorm C, right before the end of term field competitions. How was she supposed to know that the internal plumbing couldn’t cope with a pressure washer?

 

"So, I'm assuming that you didn't come all this way to make me write lines for something you discovered I did after I graduated. Are you at liberty to tell me why you're visiting in this region of space?"

[stingerhs]

Ryshana woke up suddenly. A small disturbance had disrupted the Force causing her to suddenly wake up. As soon as her eyes opened, she could feel something wrong. Quickly throwing on her robes, she opened her door and headed down the corridor. Moving past the cell door, she saw Wade lying in a pool of blood. She felt his lifelessness and knew that this 'Galaxy Killer' was loose.

 

Heading towards the common area, she stopped when she saw Jana being held hostage. Talking straight to Tasser, Ryshana said, "Hey now, everything is going to be just fine. Let her go, and you can go."

[Writer]

Riebe laughed. "After I left the TCTA teaching position, I went to the Jedi," she said. "When Palpatine revealed himself as a Sith Lord and named himself Emperor, I played along just long enough to get away unnoticed. For now, I'm just wandering the galaxy..."

 

She sighed. "It's nice to hear a familiar voice, really... a remarkable coincidence, this. Us running into one another in hyperspace? It's hard to believe, isn't it?"

 

--------------

 

What the hell is she doing? Jana thought to herself, noticing Ryshana's approach.

[starmark2k]

Nic could only watch as Tasser pulled Jana back towards the headhunter hanger. His weapon was still raised and pointing at Tasser. He knew using the weapon now would kill Jana, it was mearly insurance. The arrival of their guest, Ryshana, caused Nic to get extra prepared, She could easily disrupt things and cause all mannor of trouble.

[XoRRoX]

Oliver did fall to sleep in medbay. he coulden't hear the "fight" outside medbay, but Oliver did sleep with a little blaster. "I don't trust one of our crew members. If they gonna take my juma juice, then...".

 

"Hey now, everything is going to be just fine. Let her go, and you can go"

 

Suddenly Oliver waked up again. By instinct he could hear, that something was totally wrong. When he was younger, he was always there, where the odd things was happening. Oliver opened the door very fast, with the blaster covered behind his suit.

 

"Hey wha..." he whispered to himself, when he saw, that Jana was taken to hostage by Tasser. He did take his blaster up, but turned it the wrong way.

[stingerhs]

Ryshana spoke as calmly as she could while slowly approaching Tasser and Jana. "There's no need to hurt anybody. Just let her go," Ryshana stated. She was now within 2 meters of Tasser and Jana.

[JasraLantill]

“Coincidence? I’ll say it is,” Beryl said to Riebe. “So, you fought alongside the Jedi, huh?” Beryl snorted. “You’re lucky to have survived then. Never did understand them. Always acting like they were superior to everyone else with their ‘ways of the Force.’ Load of bantha fodder, if you ask me. I mean, look where it got them? Nowhere. My father was right to tell them to bugger off when I was tested for…”

 

Tesser and Jana suddenly came into view on her screen, Tesser still holding the knife to Jana’s throat as he carefully backed his way into the hanger bay.

 

“Hold on,” she said to Riebe. “Something’s happening.”

 

Nic then came into view as well, advancing carefully while keeping Betsy levelled at the Galaxy Killer and his hostage. And then…

 

“Oh, now isn’t this cozy.” Beryl sighed as Ryshana came into view just behind Nic. “Just what Nic needs.” A distraction, or at worst, a potential extra hostage.

 

Beryl thoughts raced, trying to figure out if there was a way she could help. She did have control of the Headhunter’s weapons. But they were much larger than Betsy was, and not nearly as accurate at close range. And, she couldn’t exactly see Nic being grateful if she shot the Galaxy Killer but took out Jana at the same time. No, probably not a good career move. But, maybe if she just let Nic know that the Headhunter was under remote control, that would put him more at ease.

 

She flipped a single switch, then wiggled the control stick.

 

~~~~~~

 

On the real Headhunter in the hanger bay, the laser cannon on the port side extended slowly, then retracted, then extended again.

[starmark2k]

"You must think me a fool, Twi'lek." Tasser said moving the knife closer to Jana's throat. "If i let this Schutta go, the knife throwing Captain will blast me with that gun of his."

 

Nic watched the galaxy killer slowly back up and noticed in the background the headhunters weapons move. 'Beryl'. He knew that he had installed a remote unit for the headhunter but it hadn't been used since they got pilot for it.

[stingerhs]

Stopping where she was, Ryshana thought for a second. "Alright, that's just fine. We don't want anyone getting hurt," Ryshana replied calmly. "As a measure of faith, Captain Nic here is going to put down his blaster, right Captain?"

[starmark2k]

"Miss Uti you're new here so there are two things you should know, Number one: the gun has a name, Betsy and two: no one tells me what to do on my ship." Nic protested not taking his sights off the psychopath and his hostage.

[JasraLantill]

"Yes!" Beryl whooped. She had seen Nic's eyes flicker toward the cannon for just a brief milisecond when she had moved it. She let out a sigh of relief. At least he knew she was watching.

 

"C'mon, you slimy taffer," she said impatiently to the image of the Galaxy Killer as he exchanged unheard words with Nic and Ryshana. Just let Jana go and board the ship, she thought. You know you want to. I know I want you to. She grinned wryly with malevolent anticipation. And then we can have some real fun.