Taken

[Varn Badaash]

The laser fire slowed for a brief moment as the Mandalorian seemed to pull back. He didn’t stay gone for long as a loading droid slowly marched out of the garage with him tailing it and firing rapidly at the duo. Varn pulled more behind Kenobi to not allow a stray shot to break their defenses while he tried to consider what the Mando hoped to achieve. The Dashade’s dark eyes spotted a small figure move in the garage and then take aim, his vision quickly following the trajectory of the weapon.

“Kenobi ge...” his voice trailed off as two bolts burned towards the carried speeder. The first slammed the droid but the second found the fuel container. An explosion rocked the grounds and seemed to chain back into the garage. Varn didn’t know how off guard his Jedi companion was at the moment as he got kicked back by the concussive force. The Dashade rolled several time but thanked what ever technician had designed the Antarian Rangers armor as it took the brunt of the blast and following shrapnel. Unfortunately the classic Ranger leather jack seemed worse for wear.

The Dashade’s body still screamed at him as he slowly rose, his eyes still blurry and ears ringing. Varn assessed his current situation as he glanced around for his rifle which laid several meters away. He reached for his blaster pistol though at the moment what ever thugs were left had been wrecked by this unprecedented explosion.

As some of his senses began to normalize he realized Kenobi wasn’t valiantly standing ahead of him anymore. Varn’s head immediately went on a swivel till he spotted the aged master limp against the exterior wall. “Crik!” The Dashade cursed as he rushed over to the Jedi Master, his own legs throbbing as he went.

As he slid up next to Kenobi, Varn gave a quick glance back towards the garage where he spotted a figure rushing out to where he’d last seen the Mandalorian. They didn’t seem to currently be trying to shoot but Varn still impose him body between Kenobi and them. Quickly the Ranger reached down to his belt grabbing the standard medic and pulled a bacta patch and injection. He pressed the patch onto the open laceration on the Jedi’s forehead before injection the healing serum into the now exposed arm of the human. “You’re gonna be okay Master Kenobi,” Varn’s gruff voice attempted to speak reassuringly. With his initial treatment done he dropped the medkit and spun back around to make sure no one was moving on them.

[Jacobi Wylcott]

Well they had planned to blow the speeder up - what he hadn’t anticipated was the sheer mass of the explosion. Apparently these Huttswine had used the speeder as a racer back in the day and had loaded the tanks with starfighter fuel and so the explosion had a far greater yield than they had supposed. Kenobi - he was taken off his feet from the blast. Wylcott hadn’t been as close but the secondary explosions had got him and drowned him in the fireball that Kenobi had escaped. Then it was the blast wave that took him down.

Hit by the blast the Mandalorian’s beskar’gam soaked an incredible portion of the blast though a concussive force was still kinetic and lethal in even the most protected suits of armor. Jacobi was cast aside, crumpling into the mud and sliding some meters away, his shining armor now temporarily scorched until it could be polished up again. The heat index within his Mandalorian Armor had skyrocketed and he was sweating bullets. He wanted to yank free the helmet and breath in fresh air - though there was fat chance of any fresh air here on Hutta.

Dazed and - well - blown up, Jacobi made to aim back at the Jedi and the Ranger though his pistol was no longer in his hand nor was his second sidearm. “Damn it,” he spat and lopsidedly glanced around for them as his senses began to refocus. In the resulting chaos he only managed to find one of his pistols as someone arrived to grab him by the arm. He tried to roll away and swing at his attacker but flailed instead and flopped back into the mud.

Then he realized it was Kita and this time he accepted her assistance. Though as he let her drag him back inside the bio-dome he took a few wary shots at the Ranger that was protecting Kenobi.

Not a single shot would strike Badaash though as he wasn’t nearly focused enough at this distance to even get close to the target. It seemed that for now the fight was over though it was yet to conclude as they still needed to get to their ship at the back of the dome facility which was currently arriving now to load up the second of the Spaarti Cylinders. They’d likely have to make one final stand at the loading bay - hopefully Jacobi would recover enough by then to hold his own.

All around the area was obliterated. The thugs were dead or disoriented and fleeing. The thugs inside the dome were largely uninterested in facing the Jedi now after seeing the massive detonation - of which they credited the Jedi with causing as the mystical warrior was more of a superstitious boogeyman to many of these Hutta natives. It was feasible that some would still try for the bounty but the large majority of the thugs were more interested in self preservation than fighting something that they’d only heard fantastic stories about.

As for Jacobi, Kita and Mercy, they were almost done here. They only needed to buy a little more time.

[Kita_Ikari]

As Kita grabbed him by the arm, she hadn't expected him to start fighting back. She suppressed a laugh as he flailed about falling into the mud and partially disoriented. Placing her hands on her hips, she shook her head. "You just had to stand that close to the explosion didn't you? Your just fortunate I had stable enough cover to keep from being in your position to get you."

Sighing, Kita grabbed Jacobi by his underarms and began pulling the Mandolorian across the muck of Nal Hutta and back to the bio dome. "Ugh. Why do u have to weigh so much!?" She said irritability. Sweat dripped down Kita's skin as she dragged Jacobi back around the garage outside. Hearing the mandolorian's gunshots, she came to find he had a reason for it but she felt the wasted ammo was meaningless. The Jedi couldn't have been able to move after that kind of damage much less his partner. Surely he must have been as disoriented as Jacobi. But she wasn't going to fight over it.

Ignoring the fleeing thugs, Kita's mind was set on reaching the ship. She turned her head and looked back seeing it pull up with Mercy and the cylinders already being boarded onto the ship. Her arms and back muscles burned with the effort of pulling him along to safety. Kita was determined to get away with Jacobi and for them to be set on their way.

"Whatever it is you have been planning with these cylinders..." She said breathlessly. "It had better be worth it."

Finally reaching the ship, she wrestled picking Jacobi up off the ground with what strength she had left and helped him up to his feet. After making sure he could support himself, Kita then went into the ship.

[Ben Kenobi]

Ringing in a daze sat the Jedi Master, his head lulled from side to side. He could hear the muffled crack of blaster fire dying down to nothing or at the most a precious few rounds while a great and large form grabbed hold of him. Ben’s eyes swam to focus on the face and his ears on the voice though he managed little in the process. Blood was running down his face until… Varn… applied a curative that kept the life blood at bay. It did not even slightly try to feel better though Ben gave thanks in that he did in fact feel pain; it told him he was still yet very much alive. It seemed the healing solution while not dulling the pain it brought him something to center his mind on and so he did… in a moment his vision settled though his ears kept their ringing up indefinitely as he heard and failed to hear Varn speak to him.

Even though he could little hear his friend he nodded accordingly as the Dashade Ranger spoke and tended to the arm. The shrapnel had to stay of course, but for now the injection would be plenty enough. Varn was covering Ben now and the old Jedi managed to clamber up to his knee and finally up to his feet through a balancing act along the wall.

Still his ears would refuse him though and he would have to remain patient for it all. He held the power to heal himself but right this moment he lacked the ability to fully concentrate on the ability. He would have to give it more time and trust in Varn Badaash’s capabilities… or no.. he could not rely on his friend. Fumbling forward he stumbled and caught himself on the huge Dashade’s shoulder to steady himself. To Ben’s relief the mountain of a creature was as a rock or an oak and he hardly moved at the human’s actions.

Yet Ben was not there to just steady his footing. “Go.” He blurted. “Stop them from taking off.” His words were broken and slightly slurred but the meaning was clear and he hoped Varn would understand. He would be right behind Varn to help but It would take another moment for him to focus himself. For now it was up to Varn to step in and save Kita Ikari. To Ben, the girl’s rescue was more important than his own life and if Varn had to leave his side to ensure Ikari’s safety then Ben would not hesitate to send him off.

They had a duty to preform here...

[Varn Badaash]

Laser fire briefly shot wildly in the general direction of the Jedi and Ranger tho the duo were in no danger from it. Varn’s dark eyes followed the figure as it dragged the Mandalorian till both disappeared into the bio dome once more. He suddenly felt Kenobi’s weight lean on his should causing the Dashade to shift ever so slightly to bear the Jedis burden. Varn would not be able to give the Jedi the proper medical treatment he needed till they got him back on the Talon.

The Ranger wanted to argue against leaving Master Kenobi in his current state but he knew if he did the Jedi would likely just push forward himself. “As you wish, Kenobi,” Varn replied, his voice even more gravely than usual due to all the exertion. He gave the Master Jedi a moment to stand on his own two feet before pushing off towards the garage to follow the Mandalorian and his accomplice which in turn would hopefully lead to the woman they were here to rescue.

Varn’s legs and chest cried out to him as he ran, the explosions effects would probably carry with him for several days. As he rounded the corner into the heavily demolished garage, Varn reached into his toasted jacket. His clawed hand looked for the pocket that held his military grade stims from his mercenary days, feeling a bit of moisture he feared they’d all been damaged in the explosion. His large hand pulled the stimpacks out and to his relief one was still intact.

Quickly he pulled the device from the scraps and activated the injection. A hiss escaped the pack and Varn felt an all to familiar feeling as his body briefly shook, his eyes refocused and the large Dashade dashed into the biodome. For now the pain dulled and his body quieted, now it was just the mission. Pushing through the smoke he found the open door way and briefly spotted the slower moving duo rounding another corner, he knew if he kept his pace he’d be able to catch up.

He burst out of the biodome as some sort of large device finished being loaded into a Firespray. Varn wasn’t sure what it was but it looked not to dissimilar to the one that had been on the gravtruck though his focus did not remain on it long. Keeping his forward momentum the large Dashade pushed straight towards the Mandalorian as the individual who had been dragging him ran up the ramp. Varn’s intention was to throw the armored warrior right back into the mud and hopefully delay him long enough for Kenobi to recover and catch up.

[Jacobi Wylcott]

#8


They made it to the Jai-Galaar where the Spaarti Cylinder had just been loaded by a couple of old pit droids. Mercy was inside finishing the process of locking the container down to the deck. The ship was already running and infact hovering so Mercy would be able to take off very quickly once they were ready to leave. Kita ran up the ramp to take care of something and left Jacobi to stand at the base of the ramp - he didn’t like to be drug around and so this was good enough for him. He holstered his pistol as he turned to face the bio-dome which had caught fire now due from the explosion and the leaked fuel.

He was pretty confident nothing was getting through that growing inferno - yet as he went to turn around he caught out of the corner of his eye the Ranger clearing and checking his corners and breaking around the last one to the open view of the loading bay.

Jacobi cracked a lopsided grin. This was going to be easy. At this medium range his sidearm accuracy was spot on and he’d nail that wretched looking thing right between the eyes. He squared himself up, drifted his right hand towards the hip holster of his blaster, his helmet set a targeting icon over the Dashade that gave him distance - not an essential setting but one of convenience. It assisted in aiming too as it provided a more clear picture of the target. This Dashade was as good as dead.

He drew his sidearm and sapped his elbow up to shoot from the hip. It was a quickdraw technique that only a skilled pistol marksman could pull off. Jacobi had always been known to be a sharpshooter with his pistol more so than his rifle - there was no way that Dashade was going to make it another step into the open before getting gunned down.

Squeezing the trigger he sent a single red bolt outwards - it slammed into the Dashade’s forehead and pitched him backwards with a smoldering crater as the remnant of his skull………………..

….……..Or that was what he’d imagined.

Apparently his stubborn determination had allowed him to stand when otherwise he shouldn’t have been. To quickdraw his weapon and accurately make such a crack shot - well - it was impossible in his still dazed condition. He’d grabbed his pistol well enough but as he drew it the pistol slipped out of his hand and flew straight towards the oncoming Dashade.

Whether it had struck the Dashade or not wasn’t clear - but what was clear was that annoying and massive alien had charged him in a bum rush and struck him like a sledgehammer. Jacobi Wylcott was a skilled warrior. Likely could be counted upon one of the greatest fighters in the galaxy. But physics demanded that they be respected. The Mandalorian was pitched from the base of the ramp and he landed right slap flat on his back in the mud. While there wasn’t much damage done for his beskar’gam was well beyond such an impact, the kinetic force was still kinetic force and it had tossed him pretty hard. He grumbled angrily to himself and it was good he was wearing a helmet for it muffled the scathing expletives he was casting at the Antarian Ranger.

It seemed for the moment it was going to be up to Kita to keep this bastard at bay. She was about to make a rash decision. Take her freedom and go with the Jedi - or fight and stay with the very man who’d kidnapped her. But this was it - the moment she’d choose for her very future.

[Kita_Ikari]

Figuring it was needed, Kita had quickly tied up her hair and grabbed a helmet from the equipment nearby in the back of the ship. She hated wearing helmets but found the need for it at the moment for protection. Things were getting a bit to crazy now with gunfire to avoid wearing any kind of armor. And she didn't have time to don a full set.

Rushing back to the opening of the ramp, she found Varn not far away from the ship and Jacobi flat in the mud as the ship began hovering, preparing for take off. "This is not good." Unable to worry about the mandolorian, Kita looked around and quickly grabbed a nearby grenade. Explosions seemed to be her favorite option today. Pressing the button, she threw the grenade in front of Varn. Closing her eyes and ears, she ducked low behind a crate and awaited, expecting a explosion. However there was none. Instead it was placed with a bright flash of light. Unknown to her, she had thrown a flash bomb mean't to blind anyone who became it's victim in their line of battle.

Looking up, she settled herself low steadying herself on the crate with her pistol as she kept a eye out for the Jedi. She didn't nessarily wanna hurt him, but she did want to stop him with all means nessary. Holding a second flash grenade in her other hand, she awaited the Jedi's appearance with her pistol ready.

[Ben Kenobi]

One step at the time the Jedi Master moved over to his staff and retrieved it, using its long haft to lean on and he made an acceptable pace in going after Ranger Varn and Wylcott. His senses were shot. He was very disoriented and so he would have to continue in relying on his physical abilities, which in his defense were pretty sharp. As he walked he slowed his pace enough that he could properly enter a calming and centering exercise so that he could better recover from being concussed. Even as his boots sank in the mud he trudged onwards all while his mind was at busy work to set right his frayed senses.

He was exhausted and he could feel bruises forming all over his body not to mention he sharp pains that still haunted him such as the wound in his side with the shrapnel still lodged between his ribs. Each step brought a grinding sensation that nearly kept taking his breath away. He would have to favor his side if they came into any sort of melee battle or risk the shrapnel doing some serious damage internally.

Kenobi concentrated now on the Lightside of the Force, the great wellspring that surrounded him flashed brightly upon his aura when he asked the Force for help. To him a wave of Light washed over him and soothed his wounds and refreshed his fatigue. Such a power of revitalization could not have been underestimated as within moments Ben Kenobi felt as if his mind had not been more clear during his chase of the Mandalorian and that his weary muscles and tired body felt as if he could carry on a marathon.

He had not realized that he had stopped walking in this instance and when he opened his eyes he found himself not far from the loading bay at the rear. Varn was ahead of him and Ben was not about to let his good friend run straight into harm’s way without backup.

About that time he heard the sound of a blast. The sound was a detonation that carried both a concussive bang and a sharp crack. Ben had been around conflict for many years of his life, he was able to properly identify that the crack-bang that had showered the area was not a fragmentation or incendiary device but likely a flash-bang or a concussion grenade. It did not bode well for Varn Badaash as he had just recently turn that corner at a high rate of speed. If Varn had just gotten flashed then he would be in danger of being at the mercy of that Mandalorian.

Jacobi Wylcott was known for being ruthless. But also honorable in a fight.

But that did not mean Ben was willing to bank his faith of Wylcott to not do harm to Ranger Varn if he was visually impaired. Ben started running towards the corner though by now his senses were ready and if another attack came his way he was confident that he would turn it aside…

[Varn Badaash]

Crack...

A blaster pistol slapped across the Dashade’s chest as he bullrushed the Mandalorian. A feeble attempt to slow down the charging alien, though Varn wondered if it was just that or a bigger plan from the Mando. When nothing more came he thanked his ancestors that it hadn’t been something bigger or even large chunk of metal.

Thud.

Varn slammed Jacobi into the mud which grounded his charge to a halt. The Rangers shoulder would be mad at him in the morning, hell it was even a bit pissed off right now but it couldn’t stop him, not right now. Pushing forward through the continuing pain the Dashade pulled his power mace and was about to demand where Kita was when a small cylindrical device nearly landed on the Mandalorian at Varn’s feet. For the briefest of seconds he couldn’t help but wonder if the one aiding Jacobi was also trying to get the Mandalorian killed. The Ranger however couldn’t linger on the thought as he forced himself to dive to the right to hopefully lessen the damage on himself.

POP!

The bang from the grenade rocked the area the two combatants were. Varn’s earpieces did their best to dull the second ear piercing crack he’d been in proximity of in the last twenty minutes but still Varn’s head throbbed. His closed eyes burned from the accompanied flash and the Dashade’s body shook from the concussive blast that partnered with such weapons. Thankfully they were outdoors and device could be used to its full potential.

Varn opened his eyes and tried to stand up, which he immediately regretted as the dizziness kicked in. He propped himself slightly on his mace as he knew these side effects would only last a few seconds but in a fight like this a few seconds could be the difference between life and death. Lucky however it seemed the individual who had thrown the grenade had chosen not to continue their attack on the Dashade and Mandalorian.

[Jacobi Wylcott]

Jacobi looked up and stared at that damn alien beast in disbelief and then to his empty hand. Whatever kind of critter this was - well he wasn’t very appreciative of the species and if he never saw one again then it’d be too soon. Although, it was turning out to be quite the worthy adversary and both his choler and his adrenaline started pumping as this was turning out to be a fight indeed. At first the thugs weren’t worthy opponents but he knew the Jedi would have been - Jacobi’s first introduction to an Antarian Ranger was becoming an interesting event.

Finally his brain started to recover from being so rattled, his eyes were already there and part of him wished that he was still stricken with blurred vision - Dashade were fugly and it wasn’t the fuzzy and ugly kind. They almost appeared daemonic in a way.

He started sitting up to fight the monster in the closet when a cylindrical device plopped in front of him, he barely had time to life his hand up to block the flash but the concussion boxed his ears even through his helmet. His eyes were relatively unphased as his helmet’s visor automatically polarized and dimmed in reaction but he couldn’t hear hardly anything now. Whether the Dashade was hurt or not he did not know and washed interested in finding out - he rolled the opposite direction as the beast and used his wrist mounted blaster to scatter a rapid fire spray in that general direction. The wrist lasers weren’t high powered and were meant for close combat - honestly he’d been meaning to swap out the module for something more lethal but they served the purpose for now.

From the corner of his eye he spotted his fallen Westar and his mind went through his options in which he could retrieve it without getting crushed by that dangerous looking power mace. In the mean time - he drew his short vibroblade and activated the vibrocell. If that acursed alien wanted a fight then by Manda he’d give it to him.