The death toll would grow. And where the security cameras picked up Desade's form, it was that of a woman in a black cloak, and a blood red light-staff. And as she cut through the door to the establishment's offices, she made sure her voice was heard well, the door collapsed, and she calmly entered the room.
"About your deal with the Sith, we'd like to renegotiate the terms," she purred. She could see the woman wasn't that Aurore she was hunting, but it didn't matter... The woman was about to confess ignorance, but was silenced with the swipe of her blade. She paused for a moment, then moved to stalk out of the room. "That part of our objective is done, Tranquil... now to the finish things," she purred. Finish things, would result in the rescue of any hostages that this corrupt organization had taken, which was a shame for Desade. She much enjoyed killing things. But now, once that footage released, people would begin to think that Aurore had made deals with the Sith to get to where she was, no one would work with her now. There job was done, but she wasn't going to meet them half way, she was going to make sure the job was done.
She'd practically vanish again once she hit the street. She'd begin by seeking out the Klatoonian, this was his operation, after all. And they had caused a gang war, that had sparked a riot in it's midst, local authorities would be too busy to deal with a murder or two.
Against the Wind
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Rhoden Carbine
- Full Member
- Posts: 611
- Joined: Thu Sep 14, 2017 11:20 pm
Re: Against the Wind
"Yes, yes." Rhoden said, smiling and wiping a bit of blood from his face. He reached down to retrieve the blade sticking from his last victim, "It's been a distinct pleasure doing business with you." he said, smiling. The man scrabbled at his hands to try and prevent him from removing the only thing holding his blood in, but Rhoden plucked the blade out and turned away.
Rhoden followed Silence without further comment, once again becoming a shadow in every sense of the word. He prided himself on his stealth capabilities, few could detect him when he truly wanted to remain hidden--and those that could usually had some kind of unnatural advantage. Even when he was identified, be it purposefully or otherwise, he could well and truly keep his identity hidden. Pending a DNA record or some other most intensive identification process, in any case.
Some had said in the past that soldiers, Imperials and otherwise, could be discerned by their posture--Imperials distinctively so. Rhoden thought this foolish in the extreme when dealing with intelligence agents, and in some cases typical officers. Regardless of questionable reliability it was entirely possible that such people were in place specifically to lure out or drive away specific groups--and it unfortunately worked far too often. He sighed. Markus Bareil was his greatest foe, but in a way Rhoden respected the man--even the Other One could admit that. At least Bareil knew what he was doing.
Rhoden followed Silence without further comment, once again becoming a shadow in every sense of the word. He prided himself on his stealth capabilities, few could detect him when he truly wanted to remain hidden--and those that could usually had some kind of unnatural advantage. Even when he was identified, be it purposefully or otherwise, he could well and truly keep his identity hidden. Pending a DNA record or some other most intensive identification process, in any case.
Some had said in the past that soldiers, Imperials and otherwise, could be discerned by their posture--Imperials distinctively so. Rhoden thought this foolish in the extreme when dealing with intelligence agents, and in some cases typical officers. Regardless of questionable reliability it was entirely possible that such people were in place specifically to lure out or drive away specific groups--and it unfortunately worked far too often. He sighed. Markus Bareil was his greatest foe, but in a way Rhoden respected the man--even the Other One could admit that. At least Bareil knew what he was doing.
Lieutenant Rhoden Garrick Carbine, Task Force Inferno, Galactic Empire
YT-2000 Firehawk
Dot (ID-12), Shadow (R2), Stalker (3P0), Ravager (Assassin)
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Master Buggie
- Staff
- Posts: 1053
- Joined: Sun Sep 03, 2017 7:03 pm
Re: Against the Wind
The Klatooinian thought for only a moment. Magjan seemed to be doing the Blue Stars' work for them by formulating a plan to deal with the hostages, and more, he had accepted the cooperation of the pirate group. Desperate times, indeed...
"I will have the guns you require at your disposal within the hour," the Klatooinian assured, slipping him a secure comm frequency from which Magjan could reach the Blue Stars.
With that, the meeting was concluded. The Klatooinian explained the comm frequency and assured Magjan that when he was ready, the men he needed would be waiting at his instruction at the location he specified. Turning to leave first, the Klatooinian instructed Magjan to wait a few minutes before leaving, if discretion was indeed the order of the day.
"You won't see me again, Mister Magjan," the Klatooinian voiced over his shoulder before passing through the threshold, adding a Huttese farewell before he was gone.
"I will have the guns you require at your disposal within the hour," the Klatooinian assured, slipping him a secure comm frequency from which Magjan could reach the Blue Stars.
With that, the meeting was concluded. The Klatooinian explained the comm frequency and assured Magjan that when he was ready, the men he needed would be waiting at his instruction at the location he specified. Turning to leave first, the Klatooinian instructed Magjan to wait a few minutes before leaving, if discretion was indeed the order of the day.
"You won't see me again, Mister Magjan," the Klatooinian voiced over his shoulder before passing through the threshold, adding a Huttese farewell before he was gone.
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Neive Undant
- Full Member
- Posts: 941
- Joined: Thu Sep 14, 2017 6:06 pm
- Location: Texas, USA
- Contact:
Re: Against the Wind
Neive looked down for a moment, contemplating the situation. Such a violent personality, the pirates set their sights on. Goes about as well as any would expect. But sometimes, it makes Neive glad the pirates were on their side. The chaos that usually ensues would be too much for Neive, and that's coming from a former sith...
Neive took the momentary pause to walk away from the bar entrance, keeping his hood up and over his head as Neive took his leave, letting the Pirates deal with the current affairs.
Neive took the momentary pause to walk away from the bar entrance, keeping his hood up and over his head as Neive took his leave, letting the Pirates deal with the current affairs.
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Baurzhan Magjan
- Registered Member
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2018 1:18 pm
Re: Against the Wind
Baurzhan had never had a mind for languages, so his new 'partner's' words were lost on his ears. It didn't seem likely to be an insult, though, and the other's message was clear enough. Baurzahn looked down at the fine wood, actual wood, of the table they were seated to. He ran a finger along the grains, trying to discern some truth to make him feel better about the deal he'd just made. It wasn't as though anyone else could help; this was too small for the new, struggling Alliance. The Empire would not care even if they were present and the other cartels and gangs were even worse options. Sure, these pirates were the best option he had, but that didn't mean he needed to be happy about having to use that option. He'd be even less happy if he wasted any more time, however, and stood with a sigh.
The local monorail took him to where he needed to be, even with the double-back he took to lose any followers. As the train zipped along, he sent an address to the first comms frequency he'd been given. A double dot came back; promising, the mark of professionals with no time for excess words. He'd meet them soon enough. He had to take care of the Imperial issue, first. He contemplated them, and what best to leave them with so they would no longer trouble him. By herself, the woman could have been mistaken for one of the cultists in the wealthy circles of the underground. Her partner seemed too professional for that, even with the outburst of the giggles. That, he'd seen before, a soldier pressed too long and too hard and starting to crack. Someone else would have a very bad day when that happened. Although maybe...hm. Yes, he knew what payment to leave, now.
Just beyond the town's edge, the monorail came to its first almost-rural stop. A few blocks away, Baurzhan found James waiting. "Did you have any trouble?"
"None," the other man said with a rueful grin, "Lenna is a little unhappy with it all, though, but women, eh?"
Baurzhan grunted in amusement, shaking his whiskers. He rummaged about in his lockbox, retrieved his old fatigues and an armored vest, plus a blaster carbine and the other items he'd needed. Two he plucked out and wrapped in a simple sackcloth. He handed them to James, saying "After you drop me off, put these in the monorail dropbox. And have DT put out the payment."
"Got a team, then?"
"Twice over. Sort of," grumbled Baurzhan. He gestured out to the smoke filling a small portion of the sky. "Payment is for that. The team, luckily, is someone else entirely."
"Someone else you don't have to pay?" James asked. Worry tinged his voice. "Commander, what did you do?"
"What I had to. I'll tell you along the way. We need to be moving." Baur slapped the human on the back and climbed up into the bus.
************************************************************
In the Llanic Personals, an ad appeared.
(OOC: Both items have stories, but will require some investigation. And the simple puzzle of finding and opening the right locker. Unless you steal the whole wall, of course. Can be sorted through RP or PM.)
The local monorail took him to where he needed to be, even with the double-back he took to lose any followers. As the train zipped along, he sent an address to the first comms frequency he'd been given. A double dot came back; promising, the mark of professionals with no time for excess words. He'd meet them soon enough. He had to take care of the Imperial issue, first. He contemplated them, and what best to leave them with so they would no longer trouble him. By herself, the woman could have been mistaken for one of the cultists in the wealthy circles of the underground. Her partner seemed too professional for that, even with the outburst of the giggles. That, he'd seen before, a soldier pressed too long and too hard and starting to crack. Someone else would have a very bad day when that happened. Although maybe...hm. Yes, he knew what payment to leave, now.
Just beyond the town's edge, the monorail came to its first almost-rural stop. A few blocks away, Baurzhan found James waiting. "Did you have any trouble?"
"None," the other man said with a rueful grin, "Lenna is a little unhappy with it all, though, but women, eh?"
Baurzhan grunted in amusement, shaking his whiskers. He rummaged about in his lockbox, retrieved his old fatigues and an armored vest, plus a blaster carbine and the other items he'd needed. Two he plucked out and wrapped in a simple sackcloth. He handed them to James, saying "After you drop me off, put these in the monorail dropbox. And have DT put out the payment."
"Got a team, then?"
"Twice over. Sort of," grumbled Baurzhan. He gestured out to the smoke filling a small portion of the sky. "Payment is for that. The team, luckily, is someone else entirely."
"Someone else you don't have to pay?" James asked. Worry tinged his voice. "Commander, what did you do?"
"What I had to. I'll tell you along the way. We need to be moving." Baur slapped the human on the back and climbed up into the bus.
************************************************************
In the Llanic Personals, an ad appeared.
In the lower left corner of a locker wall nine units high and nine wide, a knife and a cloak sat locked away.8 tentacles, 1 Diagona looking for love:
I be n Lanik 6 weeks, find 0 love. Pls hlp. Turn u pleasing 2 11, moor thin any 1.
(OOC: Both items have stories, but will require some investigation. And the simple puzzle of finding and opening the right locker. Unless you steal the whole wall, of course. Can be sorted through RP or PM.)
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Baurzhan Magjan
- Registered Member
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2018 1:18 pm
Re: Against the Wind
Night had begun to settle in when Baurzhan stepped off the bus. His fatigues and armor helped blend him into the lengthening shadows dusk brought, though his head still stood out. As James sped off to his overwatch and recovery point, the leader of the team promised by the Blue Star representative stepped into view. The Gotal wore shadowed, unremarkable armor and his head was blackened with soot, including his horns. He motioned Baurzhan into the alleyway, where two others awaited.
"The captain said you've got some history, so we won't waste any time. I'm Sarge in charge, this is Axe and Tink," the Gotal explained, gesturing first to a large, bearded human male and an Arcona wearing some sort of high tech visor. "Twitch has been watching your building's perimeter. Fifteen mikes ago, hovervan pulled up and picked up seven. At least one more went back inside. No Sullustan."
"Distraction is working, then. Glad I didn't pay for nothing." The sounds of the gang riot were soft, half a kilometer away. Baurzhan pulled out a small datapad and pushed behind a dumpster to deflect the light of its holoprojector away from the building. He tapped the southwest corner. "Defunct utilities hookup here, from before the undergrounds got put in. Looks like the same brick, but it's formed plaster. Should be quiet, with a service ladder into the basement. Before you were here, that was my entrance. Your call."
"It's good," Sarge said, shooting Baurzhan quiet look of approval, "We'll take it. Tink, scout it, and let's go."
Baurzhan hitched his carbine up to the low ready, pulled on his balaclava, and made to follow. The four of them crossed the street to their target building, under a camera that seemed determined to look the wrong way. That no-one stopped to provide cover or bound surprised him, and Baurzhan started to wonder if this Blue Star team really had the skill to match their aesthetic.
A feminine growl from behind him quashed any further curiousity. "You move well, for one so old." As Baurzhan looked, a canine woman seemed to manifest from the material of the wall. A Defel, peeling from a cover position. Lucky as well as professional, then. Baurzhan said nothing, but grunted with amusement. As they came to their point of entry, the human pulled a curious small, hooked axe from his belt and began tapping along the wall with its back. Soon enough, he'd found the edge of the plaster and jabbed the head of the axe through. There was a brief noise as he twisted, but with a twist he had a corner of the cover off and wedged open with his little axe. The Arcona stepped under him, scraped the plaster and held a sample to his flat nose briefly. His hand dove into one of his many pouches and came back with a hypospray. The two of them proceeded to quickly and quietly remove the cover, Tink liquifying the adhesive holding the plaster to the wall, and Axe pulling away. Soon enough they were in.
No guards, as yet. Unsurprising, with the ones that had been sent to reinforce the riot. They stepped into a side room and found the trap door leading down into the basement. After Tink unlocked it and presumably disabled any alarms or traps, Axe pulled it open. Where the ladder should have been were only empty mounts. Baurzhan set his jaw, and started to reach for his datapad before Twitch growled softly and simply jumped through the hole, shimmering into shadow as she fell. She made no noise as she landed, and the silence held for a brief moment before she knocked on the wall beneath them twice. Sarge motioned everyone forward, and Axe stepped through next. Tink followed, and Baurzhan saw Axe catch him as he stepped up. A three meter drop, and nobody was going to catch his bulk. He shook his head and dropped through.
As it turned out, he wasn't too old for this, but pretty close. He landed with a roll, and came up still functional. His knee had a new tick as he walked, though. The door was simple, but Sarge held them up in the room they were in. He poked his head out, and tapped Twitch out into the hallway. The shadows engulfed her as she stepped into the hallway, and a long minute stretched before she came back.
"Eyes on the objective. Main room at the end of the hallway, some sort of temporary ray shield keeping them enclosed in the center. Three in that room, but there's an armored guy in the next side room over. He's watching something, so we could sneak by..." reported Twitch.
"Nah, we gotta clear him. Axe, take the Boss for backup.," Sarge ordered, "We'll prep the main room for breach."
The potential flanker needed to be taken care of, Baurzhan agreed, but he wasn't quite sure how to do it quietly. He followed the burly human to the side door as the others sneaked past. Axe motioned him to take the far side of the door. "On my mark, knock on the door."
Baurzhan frowned, but watched as Axe pulled another of his namesake weapons from his belt. The head on this one was much larger and more direct, and Axe pulled the telescoping handle to a full four feet of length. With a twist, he locked the handle and flicked the vibroaxe to active. He adjusted himself against the wall, set his distance, and took a wide grip on the axe. The butt of the weapon led, gripped in his left hand, while his right was halfway up the length of the weapon. The man nodded, and Baurzhan knocked. There was a light clatter as the criminal inside startled and dropped his holoplayer. His mumbled swearing grew louder as he came to the door, and opened it. He peeked his head out, and began, "Wha-"
He was cut off as Axe buried the head of his weapon in the Twi'lek's neck, right above the collarbone. The wet crunch was noisy, but far less so than a blaster. Baurzhan crouched and grabbed the gurgling victim, setting him down quietly after Axe freed his weapon. Neither bothered to look behind as they caught up with the others. "We're going loud," Sarge whispered as they aligned themselves with the entry. Sarge rubbed the matting camouflage from his horns while Tink worked the door. There was a soft click as it unlocked. "Boss, cover Tink while he takes down the shield."
Baurzhan nodded, pulling off his headgear and bringing up his carbine. A kick, and the storm was on. Sarge went through first, his blaster screaming peals of thunder as he gunned down the first thug. His innate hunter's sense gave him a distinct edge. Axe went next, taking the opposite direction, and Twitch followed. Time stretched in his perception as Baurzhan went after the Arcona, Tink, a crack of blasterfire scorching the wall behind him. A door opened out between himself and Tink. Baurzhan thrust himself forward, shouldering into it. The door slammed into the gangster that opened it, forcing his shot to go wild as he toppled. Baurzhan threw the door back open and put two shots in him. The room inside was clear, just a pile of blankets on a mattress. He left it, and went to cover the technician.
The room had quieted, although there were now noises from above. A the rattle of a few more doors, then came the 'clears' yelled across the room. Axe and Twitch took up positions at the main entryway, watching the flight of stairs from cover. The ray shield dropped with a trilling whine.
"Uncle!" Baurzhan snapped back into reality, whirling as his niece rushed him. He picked her up in a hug.
"Eva," he smiled.
"Still your show, Boss, but we gotta get outta here," Sarge said, interrupting the reunion.
Baurzhan set his niece back down with a sigh, and pulled out a comlink. "James, you're up. Front door," he said, as he began a headcount.
"We'll have to go through a few more, that way," Twitch called out from the doorway.
"We've got thirtee...." There were only twelve people in the holding cell. One was missing...DuVeen's teenaged granddaughter. Baurzhan whirled back to the door he'd slammed close, pulling Eva along. Sarge followed. Suspicion became dread as Baurzhan noticed the dead thug's undone belt, partially-down pants. The blankets inside the room shivered as he approached. "Eva..." he gestured, loosening his armor. He began to shrug out of his tunic, under his vest, while Eva gently pulled away the blankets. A short wail and sobbing revealed the girl, balled up into a fetal position. Baurzhan handed Eva his tunic to clothe her as he turned to Sarge. The Gotal's face was hard. "No survivors."
Sarge nodded in silence, and turned from the room. The girl was having trouble standing, still crying. Gently, though she wouldn't let go of Eva's hand, he picked her up so she sat upon his left bicep. Carbine in his free hand, he stepped back out. Axe glanced back, and a scowl darkened his bearded face.
"Let's go."
"The captain said you've got some history, so we won't waste any time. I'm Sarge in charge, this is Axe and Tink," the Gotal explained, gesturing first to a large, bearded human male and an Arcona wearing some sort of high tech visor. "Twitch has been watching your building's perimeter. Fifteen mikes ago, hovervan pulled up and picked up seven. At least one more went back inside. No Sullustan."
"Distraction is working, then. Glad I didn't pay for nothing." The sounds of the gang riot were soft, half a kilometer away. Baurzhan pulled out a small datapad and pushed behind a dumpster to deflect the light of its holoprojector away from the building. He tapped the southwest corner. "Defunct utilities hookup here, from before the undergrounds got put in. Looks like the same brick, but it's formed plaster. Should be quiet, with a service ladder into the basement. Before you were here, that was my entrance. Your call."
"It's good," Sarge said, shooting Baurzhan quiet look of approval, "We'll take it. Tink, scout it, and let's go."
Baurzhan hitched his carbine up to the low ready, pulled on his balaclava, and made to follow. The four of them crossed the street to their target building, under a camera that seemed determined to look the wrong way. That no-one stopped to provide cover or bound surprised him, and Baurzhan started to wonder if this Blue Star team really had the skill to match their aesthetic.
A feminine growl from behind him quashed any further curiousity. "You move well, for one so old." As Baurzhan looked, a canine woman seemed to manifest from the material of the wall. A Defel, peeling from a cover position. Lucky as well as professional, then. Baurzhan said nothing, but grunted with amusement. As they came to their point of entry, the human pulled a curious small, hooked axe from his belt and began tapping along the wall with its back. Soon enough, he'd found the edge of the plaster and jabbed the head of the axe through. There was a brief noise as he twisted, but with a twist he had a corner of the cover off and wedged open with his little axe. The Arcona stepped under him, scraped the plaster and held a sample to his flat nose briefly. His hand dove into one of his many pouches and came back with a hypospray. The two of them proceeded to quickly and quietly remove the cover, Tink liquifying the adhesive holding the plaster to the wall, and Axe pulling away. Soon enough they were in.
No guards, as yet. Unsurprising, with the ones that had been sent to reinforce the riot. They stepped into a side room and found the trap door leading down into the basement. After Tink unlocked it and presumably disabled any alarms or traps, Axe pulled it open. Where the ladder should have been were only empty mounts. Baurzhan set his jaw, and started to reach for his datapad before Twitch growled softly and simply jumped through the hole, shimmering into shadow as she fell. She made no noise as she landed, and the silence held for a brief moment before she knocked on the wall beneath them twice. Sarge motioned everyone forward, and Axe stepped through next. Tink followed, and Baurzhan saw Axe catch him as he stepped up. A three meter drop, and nobody was going to catch his bulk. He shook his head and dropped through.
As it turned out, he wasn't too old for this, but pretty close. He landed with a roll, and came up still functional. His knee had a new tick as he walked, though. The door was simple, but Sarge held them up in the room they were in. He poked his head out, and tapped Twitch out into the hallway. The shadows engulfed her as she stepped into the hallway, and a long minute stretched before she came back.
"Eyes on the objective. Main room at the end of the hallway, some sort of temporary ray shield keeping them enclosed in the center. Three in that room, but there's an armored guy in the next side room over. He's watching something, so we could sneak by..." reported Twitch.
"Nah, we gotta clear him. Axe, take the Boss for backup.," Sarge ordered, "We'll prep the main room for breach."
The potential flanker needed to be taken care of, Baurzhan agreed, but he wasn't quite sure how to do it quietly. He followed the burly human to the side door as the others sneaked past. Axe motioned him to take the far side of the door. "On my mark, knock on the door."
Baurzhan frowned, but watched as Axe pulled another of his namesake weapons from his belt. The head on this one was much larger and more direct, and Axe pulled the telescoping handle to a full four feet of length. With a twist, he locked the handle and flicked the vibroaxe to active. He adjusted himself against the wall, set his distance, and took a wide grip on the axe. The butt of the weapon led, gripped in his left hand, while his right was halfway up the length of the weapon. The man nodded, and Baurzhan knocked. There was a light clatter as the criminal inside startled and dropped his holoplayer. His mumbled swearing grew louder as he came to the door, and opened it. He peeked his head out, and began, "Wha-"
He was cut off as Axe buried the head of his weapon in the Twi'lek's neck, right above the collarbone. The wet crunch was noisy, but far less so than a blaster. Baurzhan crouched and grabbed the gurgling victim, setting him down quietly after Axe freed his weapon. Neither bothered to look behind as they caught up with the others. "We're going loud," Sarge whispered as they aligned themselves with the entry. Sarge rubbed the matting camouflage from his horns while Tink worked the door. There was a soft click as it unlocked. "Boss, cover Tink while he takes down the shield."
Baurzhan nodded, pulling off his headgear and bringing up his carbine. A kick, and the storm was on. Sarge went through first, his blaster screaming peals of thunder as he gunned down the first thug. His innate hunter's sense gave him a distinct edge. Axe went next, taking the opposite direction, and Twitch followed. Time stretched in his perception as Baurzhan went after the Arcona, Tink, a crack of blasterfire scorching the wall behind him. A door opened out between himself and Tink. Baurzhan thrust himself forward, shouldering into it. The door slammed into the gangster that opened it, forcing his shot to go wild as he toppled. Baurzhan threw the door back open and put two shots in him. The room inside was clear, just a pile of blankets on a mattress. He left it, and went to cover the technician.
The room had quieted, although there were now noises from above. A the rattle of a few more doors, then came the 'clears' yelled across the room. Axe and Twitch took up positions at the main entryway, watching the flight of stairs from cover. The ray shield dropped with a trilling whine.
"Uncle!" Baurzhan snapped back into reality, whirling as his niece rushed him. He picked her up in a hug.
"Eva," he smiled.
"Still your show, Boss, but we gotta get outta here," Sarge said, interrupting the reunion.
Baurzhan set his niece back down with a sigh, and pulled out a comlink. "James, you're up. Front door," he said, as he began a headcount.
"We'll have to go through a few more, that way," Twitch called out from the doorway.
"We've got thirtee...." There were only twelve people in the holding cell. One was missing...DuVeen's teenaged granddaughter. Baurzhan whirled back to the door he'd slammed close, pulling Eva along. Sarge followed. Suspicion became dread as Baurzhan noticed the dead thug's undone belt, partially-down pants. The blankets inside the room shivered as he approached. "Eva..." he gestured, loosening his armor. He began to shrug out of his tunic, under his vest, while Eva gently pulled away the blankets. A short wail and sobbing revealed the girl, balled up into a fetal position. Baurzhan handed Eva his tunic to clothe her as he turned to Sarge. The Gotal's face was hard. "No survivors."
Sarge nodded in silence, and turned from the room. The girl was having trouble standing, still crying. Gently, though she wouldn't let go of Eva's hand, he picked her up so she sat upon his left bicep. Carbine in his free hand, he stepped back out. Axe glanced back, and a scowl darkened his bearded face.
"Let's go."
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Baurzhan Magjan
- Registered Member
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2018 1:18 pm
Re: Against the Wind
Despite the violence the night before, Uolos Memorial Hospital was surprisingly quiet when dawn broke. Llanic was just civilized enough for its police force to be effective in some parts of the capital city. Uolos was one of those places, and whatever wounded criminals survived the night sought their medical care elsewhere. Too, the team loaned by the Blue Star associate was gone, dropped off before they arrived. With a bit more convincing, Baurzhan had convinced James to go home to Lenna. Most of the hostages had been reunited with their kin; some had left and some stayed. For all the joy of reunion, the room Baurzhan sat in was somber. He was watching his niece sleep when Lady Noreen entered.
"Thank you, Mr. Magjan," she began simply, "My grandson spoke highly of you before we finally put him to bed. I fear you may have caused him to enjoy his taste of adventure, however."
Baurzha stood, and met the Lady at the doorframe to softly reply, "I'm not sure I can apologize for that, my Lady."
"You can call me Xella, after this." For all the haut and elegance in her outfit, Lady Noreen was acting surprisingly human. Baurzhan had always consciously known the other board members were actually people, but it was sometimes hard to remember.
"Baurzhan, Xella," he gave, holding out a meaty hand.
She grasped it with a slight smile. But it faded as soon as she released him. "The doctors confirm that Mr. Magniea is gone," she stated. Their mutual employer had been brought in during the overnight, after a police response to a strange crime scene. He could breathe, but he simply stared at the ceiling, his mind blank. No person was left inside that shell. Xella continued, "Which means we now need to decide what we are going to do. Business like this allows no respite. But I suppose you know about that, don't you? I had a closer look at your profile after you brought in Georgos, and I would very much like to hear what you plan next."
"Next?" Baurzhan sighed. He leaned against the wall, and stared out the far window to study the pink hues of the horizon. "I hadn't thought about much past getting Eva back. Maybe transport offworld after that, but that was about it."
"Please do not front naivete, Mr. Magjan," Lady Noreen chided him, "If you intended to run, you would not have brought the others back, nor would you be here now. That witch will find most of us should we scatter, and DuVeen's girl is all alone. You may not have planned for the company's future, but you certainly had no intent to abandon it."
The card that Sarge had left weighed heavily in Baurzhan's pocket. Lady Xella Noreen was right; even if he hadn't been conscious of it, Baurzhan had intended to stick around. The card proved it. "Two weeks," he said, "In two weeks call a captain's meeting. I'll be back by then."
"Where will you be going in the meantime?" she asked.
"To find out what will happen next."
******This concludes the introductory part of Baurzhan's story**************
"Thank you, Mr. Magjan," she began simply, "My grandson spoke highly of you before we finally put him to bed. I fear you may have caused him to enjoy his taste of adventure, however."
Baurzha stood, and met the Lady at the doorframe to softly reply, "I'm not sure I can apologize for that, my Lady."
"You can call me Xella, after this." For all the haut and elegance in her outfit, Lady Noreen was acting surprisingly human. Baurzhan had always consciously known the other board members were actually people, but it was sometimes hard to remember.
"Baurzhan, Xella," he gave, holding out a meaty hand.
She grasped it with a slight smile. But it faded as soon as she released him. "The doctors confirm that Mr. Magniea is gone," she stated. Their mutual employer had been brought in during the overnight, after a police response to a strange crime scene. He could breathe, but he simply stared at the ceiling, his mind blank. No person was left inside that shell. Xella continued, "Which means we now need to decide what we are going to do. Business like this allows no respite. But I suppose you know about that, don't you? I had a closer look at your profile after you brought in Georgos, and I would very much like to hear what you plan next."
"Next?" Baurzhan sighed. He leaned against the wall, and stared out the far window to study the pink hues of the horizon. "I hadn't thought about much past getting Eva back. Maybe transport offworld after that, but that was about it."
"Please do not front naivete, Mr. Magjan," Lady Noreen chided him, "If you intended to run, you would not have brought the others back, nor would you be here now. That witch will find most of us should we scatter, and DuVeen's girl is all alone. You may not have planned for the company's future, but you certainly had no intent to abandon it."
The card that Sarge had left weighed heavily in Baurzhan's pocket. Lady Xella Noreen was right; even if he hadn't been conscious of it, Baurzhan had intended to stick around. The card proved it. "Two weeks," he said, "In two weeks call a captain's meeting. I'll be back by then."
"Where will you be going in the meantime?" she asked.
"To find out what will happen next."
******This concludes the introductory part of Baurzhan's story**************