Jaigg Darklighter
Character
Mercenary
Posts: 6
Character Species: Human
Faction: Independent
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Post by Jaigg Darklighter on Nov 8, 2015 3:08:24 GMT -5
The Dune Sea on Tatooine was once the bed of an inland sea. Extreme temperatures and lack of water made the area inhospitable to most lifeforms. A Human could dehydrate after about thirty minutes from overexposure. The Dune Sea was home to the sarlacc that lived in the Great Pit of Carkoon. In the Tatooine navigation system, it was located in the planet's first quadrant. Image Source: Star Wars: The Old Republic
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Jaigg Darklighter
Character
Mercenary
Posts: 6
Character Species: Human
Faction: Independent
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Post by Jaigg Darklighter on Nov 8, 2015 3:26:33 GMT -5
The wind and sand whipped around Jaigg like a small hurricane as he opened the boarding ramp of his HWK-290 light freighter. This was certainly not the most ideal of locations to rendezvous with his contact, but then again she could have picked worse. The hot air bounced off the sand and he let out a cough before sealing the battle scarred clone helmet over his head; a salvaged piece of tech that wasn't completely outdated yet. At the very least it kept the sand out of his eyes and mouth.
Jaigg stepped off the boarding ramp and looked around at the desolate Dune Sea. Nothing worth living actually lived here. Why his father's family still lived on this dustbowl of a planet confused him. Jaigg considered stopping in to see them, his cousin couldn't be more than six or seven years old now, but he considered for only a moment. They didn't have any words to exchange. Blaster bolts, maybe. But words? No. No, Jaigg was on his own and he preferred it that way. Nothing tying him down. Glancing up at the twin suns, his helmet automatically tinted itself to protect his eyes from the harsh rays.
"Where the hell are you," Jaigg wonders aloud. He was eager to get rid of these crates. He'd spent far too much time, energy, and guile to secure them. And he's fairly certain his ship had got tagged in the process. He'd have to go into Mos Eisley or maybe Anchorhead before leaving the planet and see if he could reprogram the transponder codes. Jaigg groans just thinking about having to go through the hassle all over again. He liked the name, "Blue Claw." Just his luck he'd get stuck with a new transponder identifying his ship as the "Dusty Dewback." He couldn't wait to get off Tatooine.
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Clari Bree
Character
Jedi Outcast
Posts: 5
Character Species: Human
Faction: Rebel Alliance
Description: Smuggler
Alignment: Neutral Good
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Post by Clari Bree on Nov 8, 2015 3:49:21 GMT -5
She reached out, feeling for him even before she landed the craft. Just a touch, a flicker of something that she hoped wouldn’t be detected. Honestly, there’d only been hints and rumors as to how they’d been able to find all the Jedi to begin with. Some of those rumors had suggested the activity of a fallen Jedi. Of the Sith. Though she’d been as yet unable to confirm, through all the chaos. And so, Clari Bree reached out, seeing the ship through the scanners, and seeing the man through the force. One man. Not an ambush. Well. At least, not an ambush with more than one man. And though she didn’t hold herself in an excess of overconfidence, Clari knew her skills well enough to assume she could take down one non-force-sensitive man if he decided to turn on her.
So she brought the light freighter down to the ground, skids touching the dirt with a soft puff of sand, as she landed a short distance away. Sure, the location was remote, but Clari wasn’t going to take chances. And considering the materials she planned to acquire, she didn’t think her contact would want to take many chances, either. He almost certainly hadn’t attained these legally. Which meant they were both at least on the same playing field.
She tugged the hood of her wrap around her, pulling part of the scarf up to cover her lower facial features as the ramp fell open and she stepped out onto the sand. The wind whipped the wrap around, billowing it against the dirt as her black boots shifted forward. “I won’t waste your time,” she spoke, all business as her gloved fingers pulled a credit chip from her pocket. “Credits are here. You’re welcome to confirm. Four crates, yeah?” Hazel eyes watched his reactions rather intently, despite the hint of routine in her voice.
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Jaigg Darklighter
Character
Mercenary
Posts: 6
Character Species: Human
Faction: Independent
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Post by Jaigg Darklighter on Nov 30, 2015 23:01:41 GMT -5
As Jaigg watches the ship descend he flipped on his helmet's scanners. Just one life sign. That was odd, he had expected more given the nature of the cargo. But ultimately it didn't matter as long as there were credits involved. A lot of credits. Jaigg instinctively shields his face as the landing ship spews sand everywhere until he realizes that the helmet already protected him. Even so, it gave him peace of mind.
The boarding ramp lowered and out walked a smaller female figure, wrapped closely in semi protective wear. He appreciated her down to business attitude, but something told him she wasn't the actual recipient of the cargo. She didn't look like she could use it all. She was probably just another runner, an intermediary, someone to throw off the Empire's scent. And that worked just fine for Jaigg.
"Yeah, four crates."
Tapping a button on his bracer, Jaigg mutters, "Droi, Hay lapa no ya."
"But before you say anything else. I don't want to know anything. I don't want to know your name. I don't want to know your ship's name. I don't want to know osik. Got it?"
As he spoke an dinged up, repainted, half-rusted B1 Battle Droid walks down the Blue Claw's boarding ramp pushing a hovercart containing four clearly Imperial issued crates. A double starburst insignia is emblazoned on each side.
"These crates are hot. As in, it won't be long until someone starts missing them badly."
Jaigg pulls one off the hovercart and it slams to the dusty ground. He kicks open the top revealing the contents.
"DLT-20A's. BlasTech Industries finest military grade heavy blasters. Four crates of fifteen. That's 60 boom sticks. I don't know who these are going to, and honestly, I really don't want to. But you better tell them that it wasn't easy. I lost two droids and burnt three contacts. I expect some sort of hazard pay for this."
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Clari Bree
Character
Jedi Outcast
Posts: 5
Character Species: Human
Faction: Rebel Alliance
Description: Smuggler
Alignment: Neutral Good
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Post by Clari Bree on Dec 2, 2015 22:18:51 GMT -5
She didn't smile at his words, not necessarily. But there might have been a lightening in her eyes, a relaxing of her altogether businesslike features, upon hearing his words. She understood all too well. She didn't want names, contact information, license and registration. Not when she simply wanted to grab the cargo and go. Not when it was a job, as he said, that was as hot as this one. They sent Clari on the good runs, the decent ones where she'd have to maneuver in secrecy and hope she didn’t get caught. Clari Bree was good at what she did. And not just because she happened to be a Jedi.
No, Clari was good because she knew the routine. And she knew how to stay hidden, if her record for not having been found by the Imperials had anything to say about it.
She stayed back a step or two, her wrap billowing faintly in the wind of the desert as the man tugged down one of the boxes and kicked the lid off. The sound startled her, the crash not as unsettling as the sound accompanied by the set of the helmet covering his features. Oh, she was letting herself get carried away. Grab the crates and go. Same as she’d always done.
Clari stepped forward, the expression on her face impassive as she looked down to the detail of the crate’s contents. “Sixty sticks,” she repeated, looking down into the crate and running her gloved fingers briefly along the top of one of them. A second’s hesitation, followed by a raised eyebrow in question to the man, and Clari tugged one out, hefting its weight to verify the accuracy.
“No names, no details,” she spoke, finally lowering the weapon back down into its case as she looked back up to him. “No problem.” She shifted, tugging the credit chip from one of her belt pouches and holding it up. “I’m sure it was a bloody mess of things getting these. But pay’s not really my decision. And I imagine you lot already had a deal sorted before I left port?” She holds the chip up, the heat of the sun beating against it briefly before she hands it over. “As I also imagine you knew up front that this wouldn’t be easy.”
A hand reached up as Clari casually tucked a loose strand of brown behind an ear. “Verify that the amount’s to your liking, please. But..” Her eyes shifted to the crates, and then drifted back up to him again with just a hint of caution thrown to the wind. “.. I don’t think either of us want to hold onto these any longer than we need. Have we got a deal, then?”
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Jaigg Darklighter
Character
Mercenary
Posts: 6
Character Species: Human
Faction: Independent
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Post by Jaigg Darklighter on Dec 7, 2015 2:44:01 GMT -5
Jaigg took a couple steps forward and snatched the credit chip from her outstretched hand. He looked it over before pulling a datapad out from the inner lining of his jacket and slid the chip into place. He glanced down as the readout displays the agreed upon amount. It covered his expenses. Barely. Had he not lost the two battle droids in the firefight that spilled out onto the docking bay floor, it'd have been a major payload. But now... he'd have to find another job sooner rather than later if he intended to keep flying.
"Yeah, fine, we've got a deal." He stepped back and replaced the cover back on the crate. With a nod to the B1 battle droid, the droid lifted the heavy box back onto the hovercart and Jaig spoke, "Ohtoo, load the cargo on her ship, then get back to the bay and finish repairs."
"Roger, Roger."
There was something odd about a man wearing a clone helmet giving orders to a battle droid. But Jaigg shook it off. He'd barely fought in the Clone Wars, and it'd only set him back in life. Though there was something humorous in the whole thing. Neither the Republic nor the Confederacy had won, instead it was the Empire left standing after all was said and done - as some twisted perversion of what the Republic once was. But that suited Jaigg just fine. He didn't care. Despite whatever politician was running the show the backwater planets never changed. Whether they be crawling with Clone Troopers, Battle Droids, or now Stormtroopers - it was all the same for him: survive and fly on.
The battle droid was only a few meters from the boarding ramp of Clari's ship when a shadow passed overhead. Jaigg glanced up to see the one thing he was hoping to avoid for the foreseeable future.
"Oh kark."
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Post by Stormtrooper on Dec 7, 2015 3:05:15 GMT -5
A squat Imperial gunship rumbled overhead and circled around the two ships below. As it did so, the bay doors on both sides slid open and six Stormtroopers jettisoned out onto the sand below.
"Sergeant, I've got a fix on the target vessel," shouted the pilot over the thunderous engine noise and wind now whipping through the cabin. "It looks like the exchange has happened. The weapons are being loaded onto the other freighter by a droid."
The Stormtrooper Sergeant stood over the pilot's seat looking out the forward viewport window as the gunship circle around to face the two fringe vessels. "Destroy it." He then put a hand up to the side of his helmet. "All units, take the subjects into custody."
The six Stormtroopers that had lept from the gunship activated their jump-packs and came to a semi-graceful landing on the sandy surface of the planet. Quickly pulling their blasters they raced forward, switching their blaster settings to stun. Meanwhile, the gunship itself hovered overhead and opened fire on the battle droid pushing the crates.
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Clari Bree
Character
Jedi Outcast
Posts: 5
Character Species: Human
Faction: Rebel Alliance
Description: Smuggler
Alignment: Neutral Good
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Post by Clari Bree on Dec 8, 2015 1:46:33 GMT -5
Clari simply nodded at his words, shifting back half a step as he ordered the battle droid to shift the cargo. Of course he had agreed. No matter how much he’d gone through to get this, he wasn’t going to get a buyer needing these specific items. He’d be stuck with illegal cargo. He’d be as much a target as she anticipated she’d be if she ran past any port with a decent checkpoint. The droid spoke, shifting to move the cargo off to her ship, and Clari offered a polite tilt of her head in the Clone’s direction. “They’ll be in touch if they need,” she spoke, still business. Still lacking any hint of conversational banter.
Because honestly, neither of them needed it or wanted it.
It served a decent enough farewell, as Clari turned and made it probably two steps forward into the sand, before the heavy sunlight faded to a dim shadow.
She felt it, before she saw it, the presence of others, and the thick air of warning. And for a heartbeat, her eyes shifted to her ship, to the cargo toddling along to her own opened cargo bay. For a breath, she thought she might make it, a quick dash, a force shove-.. but, no. It would take more than that. She could possibly move herself fast enough, but she’d never get the cargo in time. She’d never get the ship off the ground. And she’d reveal far too much about herself. Smuggling illicit weapons was one thing, a prison sentence. Possibly death by stray bullet, if they decided not to take them alive.
Showing her force abilities would most certainly be a death sentence, if not worse.
She felt his trepidation, heard his curse, and spoke one word as training pushed down the rising fear. “Move!”
The gunfire from above broke through her tones, as the ship opened fire on the battle droid. Troopers had leapt to the ground, landing and running toward them. And Clari Bree moved, shoving at the man as she intended to move them both back toward his ship. Her ship was no longer an option, the battle droid heavily damaged from the spray of fire, and one of the cargo cases toppled to the side with the contents spilling out to the sand below.
“STOP!” one of the Troopers shouted, the six drawing closer with blasters trained on the pair. “You’re under arrest and will be taken into custody. By order of the Imperial-..”
The metallic tang to his words broke off as she sprinted, and the one who had spoken simply gestured to the others to open fire.
Again, Clari felt it before she heard it. Training and attunement to the force caused her to throw herself to the ground, narrowly avoiding the blaster shots. And in a half-second decision, she spun, rolling just underneath the ramp to give herself a quick second. She couldn’t pull out her lightsaber. She couldn’t be seen with it She didn’t have a blaster on her. She didn’t have a bloody karking option.
From above, the gunship offered another series of blasts toward the battle droid, to finish off the job.
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Jaigg Darklighter
Character
Mercenary
Posts: 6
Character Species: Human
Faction: Independent
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Post by Jaigg Darklighter on Dec 8, 2015 2:20:53 GMT -5
"Damn it all to Mustafar!" was all Jaigg could shout over the blasterfire. The gunrunner shoved him back toward his ship, and Jaigg complied, pulling one of his pistols as he did so. He glanced over his shoulder just in time to see the Imperial Gunship make a second strafing run on Ohtoo. The droid, already beaten past what should have been it's breaking point years ago, was ripped into pieces. Fierfek, that's three in as many days, Jaigg thought to himself. But a thought was all he managed as a stray blaster bolt from the gunship's canons ripped into one of the cargo crates.
"Not good... not good. Get down!" Jaigg shouted at Clari as he tackled her down to the sandy ground. The cargo container behind them erupted in a massive yellow and green explosion as 30 DLT-20A's and their spare power packs ignited sending sand, dirt, and shrapnel in every direction. The explosive shockwave ripped into the second crate, sending it spiraling into the side of Clari's vessel.
His ears ringing, despite the helmet's sound suppression system, Jaigg slowly clawed himself out of the mound of sand that now covered him. A piece of shrapnel from one of the blasters-turned-explosives was sticking out of his left leg at a painful angle. And to top it all off, the Stormtroopers were still bearing down on them. He turned his blaster pistol toward the approaching troopers and fired off three shots as he struggled to stand. The pain in his leg was nearly unbearable, and it took every ounce of energy to pull it out from the sand. Staggering backwards while popping off shot after shot at the Stormtroopers, Jaigg made his way to the Blue Claw.
"Ohfour! Power up engines and get those canons online!" Jaigg shouted as he approached the open hatch.
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Clari Bree
Character
Jedi Outcast
Posts: 5
Character Species: Human
Faction: Rebel Alliance
Description: Smuggler
Alignment: Neutral Good
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Post by Clari Bree on Dec 8, 2015 22:47:33 GMT -5
Clari had just gotten back up, just prepared to make a dash for her ship, when the Clone tackled her back to the ground and an explosion rocked the air. Not only the crate busting to pieces, but a section flinging into one of the outer thrusters of her ship and exploding with a brilliant orange of fire. The blast shocked the air, sending shrapnel flying, though most of it avoided Clari as she remained sunk into the ground. It was more the sound, the concussive peal of decibels that pierced at her ears with a fierce ringing that dulled out any other sound. Unlike the Clone, unlike the Troopers, Clari had no helmet to protect her. The blast nearly knocked her out.
The Clone was moving, getting up and dashing toward his ship-… no, hobbling. Moving slower. Clari could hear nothing, save for the drone of a ring in her ears, and the motion almost appeared surreal as he fired off shots to the troopers. Silence, nothing, heartbeat. And throbbing pain from a shrapnel blow to the side of her head.
She still couldn’t hear, beyond the ringing, but she didn’t need to, as she started to push herself upright and caught sight of one of the troopers heading in her general direction, blaster held at the ready. The ringing kept her from hearing him, the sounds around likely too loud to catch the, ”This one’s down,” spoken by the lone trooper. But she didn’t need it. As he stepped closer, Clari remained laying on the ground and spoke the words only he could hear.
“She’s not going anywhere. She’s down.”
She couldn’t hear his voice repeating the words into his mic, but she could see the hesitation. ”She’s not going anywhere. She’s down.”
“Leave her. There may have been others on that ship.”
Again, a hesitation, and his head turning toward the direction of her now-defunct ship. ”There may be others on the ship.”
“Go!” Clari nearly hissed the words at him, broken and finally starting to come back to her as sound as the ringing dulled just enough to catch her own voice. It worked, and the trooper took off toward her ship, gesturing to one of the others to go after him. That left four. And just one functional ship.
In the concealment of the still-blowing sand, blood from her injury stinging her eyes against the dust, she sprinted behind the Clone toward the open hatch of his ship.
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Jaigg Darklighter
Character
Mercenary
Posts: 6
Character Species: Human
Faction: Independent
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Post by Jaigg Darklighter on Dec 13, 2015 17:36:16 GMT -5
With a staggering last lurch, Jaigg threw himself into the entry hatch of the Blue Claw. Returning blaster bolts from the Stormtroopers whizzed over his head as he crawled into the ship. Jaigg could hear the slowly rising hum of the engines being brought back online by his last remaining droid, B1-04, and it gave him a moment of relief; at least he had a chance.
The blaster fire had stopped, and Jaigg risked a glance back into the now-burning desert to see why. The woman hadn't followed him as he had expected, instead she lay somewhat stunned and defenseless on the scorched sand with a Stormtrooper over her pointing his weapons at her head. Jaigg raised his weapon, knowing he'd be lucky to make the shot at this distance, but then suddenly the Trooper turned around and directed the rest of the Stormtroopers the other way. Jaigg stood there stunned. They hadn't shot her. They had left her alone and went after whatever was left of her ship? Why? As Jaigg stood there puzzled the woman stood and rushed toward him. Something was not right, but now wasn't the time to figure it out.
Jaigg sprinted to the cockpit and jumped into the control seat. Behind him was B1-04 in the co-pilot's seat tapping away at the pre-flight systems check. Jaigg pulled up interior monitors, and as soon as the woman made it into the ship, Jaigg pressed the control to close and seal the exterior hatch.
"Get on the cannons. I'll pilot us out of here," Jaigg shouted back to the attached cargo hold where Clari was. He pressed the seal on his helmet and slid it off his head, revealing himself to not be anything close to a clone. His skin was pale, his short hair was jet black, and he had cybernetic implants fused over his eyes and wrapping around the left side of his temple. "We ain't out of this yet," he said as he dropped the clone helmet to the deck plating.
With all systems online and with as many passengers as he was willing to take, Jaigg lifted the Blue Claw up off the surface and angled deflector shields aft. The Imperial Gunship had the firepower to take down the Blue Claw ten times, but it lacked the maneuverability and speed. All he had to do was avoid any incoming missiles. Simple. Jaigg swallowed hard and tightened his grip on the control yoke. This might get interesting.
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Clari Bree
Character
Jedi Outcast
Posts: 5
Character Species: Human
Faction: Rebel Alliance
Description: Smuggler
Alignment: Neutral Good
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Post by Clari Bree on Dec 13, 2015 22:45:31 GMT -5
The others were still after them, the remainder save for the two who had gone off to inspect Clari’s vessel. Four, no-… three? Possibly three, as one of them had either become injured in one of the blasts, or had become target practice for the Clone’s shots. But the confusion had been enough, the split between the group and the fact that Clari now threw herself inside the ship, that she narrowly avoided being shot.
“You need to close the hatch,” she spoke, loudly over the sound of the engines powering up and, as the words left her mouth, the sound of the hatch closing. Clari pressed her form back against the wall, chancing a peek out to see if the troops were still heading their way. They were. And as one of them lifted and aimed his blaster, she all-but shouted at the Clone, “You need to close the hatch faster than that!”
As if to clarify. Though she sunk back against the wall, as a volley of blaster fire hit the closing hatch, somehow missing the two and the inside of the ship as the door sealed shut. Clari took to the cockpit area as he shouted something about manning the canons. “On it-…” she spoke, and then broke off upon seeing his face. His actual face. Without the helmet, without the assumptions, and definitely not a clone. She stared for a half a second, surprise tinged in her otherwise wordless features, before heading to the copilot’s seat.
“Move,” she spoke simply to the battle droid sitting in her spot.
Bee-one continued doing whatever it was he was doing.
“Oi! Move it, sparky!” she spoke, and though no Jedi mind trick would work on a droid, the insistence in her voice and perhaps murder in her tone caused the battle droid to slowly shift out of position. Clari dropped in place, pulling the controls up to her as she felt the force nestle itself around her. Clari’s fingers danced fluidly over the controls, bringing the canons to life.
“Canons and smooth piloting, against a gunship?” she asked, throwing the words over her shoulder to the not-really-a-clone.
Something hit the ship, possibly the gunship, possibly one of the men from below, though it did little outward damage other than rocking the pair in their seats.
“Piece of cake. Is this thing fast?”
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