Bogged Down (Kita, Buggmeister)

[Professor Mors]

***Bogg 1, Bogden System, Inner Rim, Grid Coordinates M8***

“Notice how the upper console shows our angle of descent and the change in gravity density”, Sa’ato commented dryly as he angled the nose of the YT down toward the planet’s surface, “The flight computer can handle this for you- but in case of emergency it's important to practice manually landing when you can”. The Neti sighed and glanced briefly at Kita as the freighter dipped lower and lower toward the swamp moon. As a rule, he thought of most sentients under a century old little more than children. Still, this girl was especially pitiful.

Almost twenty cycles of age and with so little education to speak of. This was as close to charity as the old professor got- and besides, if instructing the youth put him on better terms with their mutual overseers, so much the better. “The lower console here while highlight the strain on the reactor and engines when you exit the upper atmosphere”, the Neti continued, keeping one eye on the front scanner suite as their ship cut through a swathe of thick fog, “The larger the planetoid, the greater the strain on your systems”.

Shooting a look at Ikari to make sure she was paying attention, Sa’ato exhaled quietly as a thick canopy of vine-choked trees and other flora appeared below the cloud line. Off in the distance he could just barely make out the communications spire attached to the local spaceport and whatever sickly watering hole was affixed to its side. He knew better than to land so close. When on Teta, do as the Tetans do. When entering a den of thieves, don’t leave anything out in the open.

Hazel eyes alighting on a small clearing a few clicks away, the Neti concentrated on performing a proper landing as a means of example rather than talking through it. Perhaps he would have Kita attempt to take off once they had concluded their business: barring any unseen complications. The job was simple enough. Make contact with the local brigands, offer the pretense of making a weapons sale. Acquire said weapons for a cheaper deal. And by cheap, Sa’ato intended it to be free of charge.

Jostling from side to side as the YT touched down on slightly uneven ground, Sa’ato quickly unbuckled himself and set about arming himself. If all went well, he would advance his worthiness in the eyes of his new benefactors, and obtain the means to further other more potent schemes. Lifting a finger in momentary recognition, the Neti retrieved two datacards from a belt pouch and passed one off to Kita, “Our passports for the time being. Until we return to the Reach, you will be known as Ritta Haxbi. You shall refer to me as Vos Velkon”.

Pausing as the passenger ramp thunked down onto solid ground and sent a clanging echo throughout the ship’s main corridor, Sa’ato turned at last to disembark before adding, “If you’re hungry, I suggest you eat something now- we have a bit of a walk ahead of us”.

[Master Buggie]

**Inner Rim, Northern Dependencies - M-8**
**Bog Moon of Bogden**
**Action V Transport Outland 02**

As he strode through the blast doors to the bridge, former Antarian Ranger Gary Storm announced, "Looks like the cargo is still secured after our landing. Can't say how accurate that will be if this swampy ground swallows up the landing gear, but for now, we're doing okay."

That elicited a low, rhythmic buzz from Buggie, which was the Human equivalent of a chuckle. As Buggie flipped through the shipboard computer's readout of this moon's spaceport, though that term was used loosely in this case, he attempted to glean as much information as possible. The twin heavy freighters of Outland Transport had landed on the bog moon of Bogden after running into an Imperial patrol in the Null system, within the Trans-Vulta sector. After exfiltrating themselves from the Gordian Reach by way of Feriae Junction, the intelligence that they had been provided indicated that loosely following the Hydian Way would be the safest route to their next destination. The information said nothing about the squadron of Xg-1 Starwings stalking the navigation buoy or the Victory II-class Star Destroyer orbiting the planet. Buggie and Storm had barely escaped that unexpected encounter in their unarmed freighters, and they felt relatively secure in the fact that they had lost their pursuers by the time they decided to lay low within the Bogden system. After assessing their situation, they decided that refueling was the first priority. That, and avoiding any further trouble.

Rising from his seat at the co-pilot's station, Buggie decided, "I'll see if I can find the port master and get someone sent out to refuel us. Keep an eye on Outland 01 as well. We're easy prey with just the two of us covering both transports."

After Buggie and Storm spoke for a few more moments about the transports, Buggie set out down the boarding ramp of Outland 02. The ground outside was fortunately not as wet as he anticipated, which left his two-toed feet unmuddied. Finding solace in that small blessing, Buggie straightened his jacket and strode off into the inner limits of the spaceport.

[Kita_Ikari]

To say Kita was frustrated and confused was a understatement. She had been trained in battle, in the force, in most weaponry and hand on hand combat...but when it came to ships...she felt lost. There was so much to take in at one time that it was overwhelming. And shr was finding herself bored half to death. If she died from boredom, well it would be on Sa'ato's head. He would have to explain to the Sith Lord where his apprentice had gone. And she quickly imagined him being chopped up and thrown into his hearth within the throne room. This gave her a small laugh before attempting to keep mind set seriously on her teachings.

She nodded trying to take in the controls and their purposes. "Angle of decent...gravity density..." She bite her lip and sighed while bringing a hand to her head as they dived down with the ship. "This is gonna take me forever to learn." She said irritably.

“The lower console here while highlight the strain on the reactor and engines when you exit the upper atmosphere. The larger the planetoid, the greater the strain on your systems”

As he looked into her direction, Kita grew nervous. The neti made her uncomfortable sometimes due to his age alone, and the fact she had never met his species before until he joined the Sith Order, she was unsure what to think. "So...keep a extra eye on the reactor and engines when entering and exiting the atmosphere?" She asked trying to find confirmation that she was taking this in properly.

Her blue gaze peered out the window as they began flying overhead of the forest below. "Well this beats a frozen wasteland for the third time." she thought as she admired all the greenery and creatures down below.

It was best the Neti had just stayed silent and let her watch how he landed the ship. Half of the time Kita learned best by watching and then doing. Observing was something she was rather good at. The young sith apprentice knew what Sa'ato had brought her here to do. To obtain weaponry. She had already figured it was probably just gonna be taken and not actually bought since the Sith always usually took what they wanted by force. She had prepared for just the occasion. Her lessons from both her Master Lord Tormentous and from her previous Battle Master Warvanus, she had learned to always be prepared for any occasion. And the main was being Battle ready.

She had been wearing a silver jacket, yellow top, black tights, and grey boots, along with a silver pouch and belt. A pistol hung from her belt while a smaller vibroblade dagger given to her as a parting gift from the War-Bringer hung on the opposite side in its sheath. She had her vibrolance nearby to grab it once they got parked.

She held onto the armrests of her chair as the ship rocked back and forth before landing. Naturally she unbuckled herself and got up to grab her vibrolance while strapping it to her back. Standing nearby, she awaited and watched Sa'ato as he prepared himself. "Would have been quicker if you already had them equipped." She said seriously.

Taking the card, she raised a brow curiously at the alias. "Hmmm. Do i look like a Ritta to you?" She asked. She put the card in her pouch and nodded remembering to use his alias name as she followed along after him down the ramp. "I'm good. I ate awhile ago anyway." She replied casually. Kita held her head high as she observed the activity in the area.

[Professor Mors]

“As I said before”, Sa’ato commented dryly, otherwise unfazed by the youth’s lip service, “It's a kilometer or two to the spaceport proper- whether we leave now or in five minutes makes no great difference”. The Neti paused and turned to look Kita up and down, “And I really couldn’t say. I studied history, not anthropology. There are a million varieties of humans across a million star systems”. Rotating back around, the academic peered down the loading ramp and shrugged his shoulders before concluding, “All I know is that one ought not use their own name for such work”.

Tilting his head with a curious air as boots splashed audibly into the muck below, Sa’ato scanned the duo’s immediate surroundings before tapping at the side of his helmet to obscure his facial features. Off in the distance, some bird cried out, its warped voice echoing out beneath a canopy of gnarled vines and dense shrubs. Once Kita had made her descent, the Neti waited until the entry ramp had clamored back up against the hull before double-checking their heading on the wrist module built into his flight suit.

For a while, silence ensued as the pair traversed muddied ponds and tangled weeds, the din broken up periodically by bursting bubbles of natural gas and the recurring cry of foreign fowl. “Honestly Child”, Sa’ato spoke at last without twisting his head to meet Kita’s gaze, “You do yourself no favors calling flight the impossible”. The professor stopped in place once more to inspect their bearing once more, and continued on, “Your religion is built on intention is it not? How can you measure the difficulty of the task when you’ve barely attempted it?”.

Sa’ato sighed in spite of himself. If this was a registered student in one of his courses, he would have given them a verbal lashing by now. However, on this lawless dirtball, he needed every friend he could get. Or at least, an amenable associate. “I think you will find that when you try you hand at it, things will become easier”, the Neti offered in as polite a tone as he could muster, “When our business is concluded, you will handle take off, and guide us into orbit. When I first learned, we did not have the computers you have no, why it should be-”.

The aging lecturer stopped to a dead halt with such vigor he wobbled a bit where he stood. The snapping of a branch had halted his dialogue. Normally, such an occurrence would not disarm him. But the volume of the sound was cause for concern. Even without Kita and her better’s mysticism, Sa’ato knew movement when he heard it. And soon, the source made itself known. Two wolf-like creatures carefully stepped into the clearing, their pronounced hunchbacks sitting but a few inches below the Neti’s chin in terms of height.

They quickly snarled at the traveling professor and his human counterpart, their long black whiskers bristling and undulating violently beneath their chins. The Sungwa, one of the few fauna on this moon Sa’ato had hoped to avoid. Carnivorous, hostile- and, as another snapping of twigs sounded out behind the party confirmed, given to hunting in packs. Tilting his head ever so slightly back toward Kita, the Neti cautiously withdrew his blaster pistol from his holster, and waited.

Kita was more militant than the retired teacher could hope to be. As a fern out of its planter, he deferred to her expertise in this case: whether to attack, or wait to react, was her decision to make.

[Kita_Ikari]

Kita nodded. Made sense to her not to use their real names while trying to obtain equipment and other things from businesses. Otherwise they could be easily traced back by anyone.

The muddy ponds were no issue for her. It felt similiar to being on Nal Hutta. The vines however were becoming a pain to get by as sometimes she felt like they were trying to capture her or cause injury. Taking out her smaller vibroblade from its sheath, she sliced through any vines that stood in her way as they walked.

"Honestly child."
The young sith apprentice narrowed her blue eyes glaring at the back of Sa'ato's head and frowned. "I'm not a child." She stated irritably. His next comment was not helping her mood.
“You do yourself no favors calling flight the impossible. Your religion is built on intention is it not? How can you measure the difficulty of the task when you’ve barely attempted it?"

This guy was going to annoy her to no end. "First of all, i don't consider what I'm learning a religion. I see it as a way of life. Secondly, I have tried flying...once. There were so many controls that it was overwhelming and I couldn't figure out how to work them while we were in battle, so i had my partner at the time take over while I used the guns on the ship."

Kita wasn't to thrilled at being told she would be the one taking control of the ship next. She was about to argue with him before he stopped in his tracks, hearing the sound of a twig breaking. She felt the force warn her (Danger sense) that their was trouble awaiting them. Unsure of what it was, Kita scanned the area while putting her dagger away in its sheath and slowly grabbing her vibrolance off of her back. Reaching out with the force as she gripped her lance tightly in her hand,  she sensed (life sense) how many creatures or people they were up against. It seemed...like a pack or group. Possibly 8 of them.

"Great..." She muttered to herself.

Stepping out from the brush, Kita kept a stern face as two of the creatures made their appearance before them. The young sith probably should have been afraid...but she wasn't. These wolves were bigger then she was and nearly as big as the neti himself. But she had fought creatures about this size once on Zoist with Jacobi on her first outing for survival training. And Warvanus had taught her the way of battle quite well. Even though there was still much for her to learn, she was ready to take on these wolf like creatures without hesitation.

She looked at Sa'ato as he removed the pistol from his belt, giving her a weary glance at the situation. Kita knew he probably didn't have much skill in battle yet. So most of the fight was probably going to fall on her shoulders. "There are eight total." She said seriously as a couple more stalked out growling at Sa'ato from the bushes. "I suggest we split them...however that may not be possible. Especially since all you have is a pistol." Without keeping her guard down, she got a idea from their surroundings. No using a river to drown her enemies this time. She gave a small smile to the Neti, a flash of misheif in her blue eyes. "I'd suggest using the vines to entangle and or strangle them." She said.

Kita handed out to him her larger vibroblade while keeping her attention back on the wolf creatures. "I'll attempt distracting and injuring some of them enough for you to do that while I kill off the rest." She added. Once he took it, Kita instantly activated her lance and swung it downwards at the nearest wolf. It whimpered as it electrocuted the large animal, while the other already took a chance leaping up at her on her left side. Catching it's movement from the corner of her eye before it managed to knock Kita over on the ground, she swung the blunt side of her lance out to the side, stopping the creature from knocking her over and swiftly unsheathed her dagger. Thrusting forward into its stomach, she swiped upwards before releasing the weapon from its flesh. There wasn't time to think as the wolves innards began falling out from its body onto the forest floor.

The electrocuted creature had already come back to its senses before snarling, angrier at her before lunging at her right ankle. Easily she pivoted aside and struck it again in the side with her activated side of the lance before pulling back and giving the wolf a swift kick ramming it into a nearby tree leaving it dazed. Hearing another wolf growling from behind her, she used her vibrolance and catapulted herself out of the way just seconds the wolf was about to rip into her from behind. The wolf was met with nothing but dirt underneath it's paws, it giant head swiveling around with barred teeth as it growled with hunger in its eyes.

She quickly glanced over at Sa'ato to see how the Neti was fairing with two of the wolves from earlier before quickly turning her attention back onto the other wolf, while the one she had rammed into the tree was still dazed.

[Master Buggie]

Just because the Blue Star Pirates maintained a hidden presence within the Bogden system didn't necessarily mean that everyone Buggie might encounter within the spaceport was friendly to the cause. The Bogden system was also a refuge for desperate sentients that wanted to escape from trouble. Those that opted to settle within the system might have been safer in a minimal security penal colony, but they often valued their freedom to perhaps leave someday or eke out an existence for themselves on Bogden or one of its twenty moons. Buggie had learned quickly to prepare for danger and not assume that all of the inhabitants of any given settlement were benevolent. The pain he had earned in his dealings with the principal secretary back on Muzara had left enough of an impression on him.

As Buggie ruminated on this, he located the small shelter used by this spaceport's closest approximation to a port master. He had to do little more than flash his Blue Star captain's medallion and pay his docking fee before the port master agreed to send someone out in one of the spaceport's hovervans. The vehicles, the port master pointed out as one of the vans conveniently passed by the shelter, were fitted with large tanks which they used to disburse whatever fuel stores the spaceport had to offer. Repulsorcraft were a necessity on this moon, it seemed, due to the mud and muck in some of the outlying regions, particularly after rainfall. With his business conducted, Buggie departed the shelter. He was about to head back, but the thought of running into trouble back within the Null system lingered on his mind. Hearing what the local spacers had to say about patrol patterns, convoy movements, and other potential save havens could be life-saving information. Buggie decided that rather than push he and Storm's fortune within their unarmed freighters, new information would be desirable.

With that, Buggie spotted a shack that seemed to be playing host to a number of sentients that looked as if they hadn't bathed outside of the sonic shower and only had fresh mud on their boots and pant legs. Though it wasn't much more than the shelter he had just emerged from, Buggie entered the tavern, instinctively tapping his chest where his lightsaber was stored as he passed through the threshold.

[Professor Mors]

Sa’ato had barely a moment to shake his head in refusal of Kita’s offering before the first Sungwa barreled towards him. Though he was hardly an expert marksman, at so close a distance it was simple enough for the Neti to land a hit while firing from the hip. Missing just short of the creature’s right eye, it howled a terrific whoop and wail as the professor sent a laser bolt sizzling through its pointed ear. Of course, the pack-hunter’s companion did not take kindly to the gesture.

As the first beast whimpered and attempted to right itself from the wound, the second leapt atop the academic with furious speed. Firing in vain, Sa’ato growled with discomfort as the carnivore sent him splashing down into the muck below. Hissing with displeasure as the Sungwa gnawed viscously at the arm to which his blaster hand was attached, the Neti dropped his weapon and wriggled about beneath the behemoth while working to remove his glove.

Exhaling with palpable fury, the retired teacher focused all of his energy into his left arm, until with one fierce crack, it shot up like a jet of water and hammered into the oblivious stalker’s underbelly. The creature cried out in dismay and flew three feet in the air before landing roughly against a downed tree at the edge of the clearing. His limb now extended out to three times its length, Sa’ato groaned as he stood up and let it fall limb to his side, before fishing a compact vibroblade out of his satchel with the less-spent arm.

Lifting the blade aloft, he eyed the two dazed Sungwa with violent intent. He assumed Kita was still tied up with her uninvited company, or else she stood watching him roll around with the mud. Either way, he would not beg for assistance. He had been tackled into this fight, and he meant to end it.

[Kita_Ikari]

The fact that the professor wouldn't even take her vibroblade just showed how stubborn the Neti was. He probably would have been fairing better in battle if he had taken it in the first as she caught a glance of him struggling in the mud against the Sangwa. He seemed to handle himself alright...despite the fact his weapons were not doing him much justice.

Kits was already back into the fight. Turning back to the Sangwa that had gone for her ankle earlier, with as much strength as she could put into it, she stabbed through the creature, cracking sound heard as one of its ribs snapped. The tip of her lance managed to pierce through the Sangwa's ribcage, burying itself and puncturing one of its lungs while also electrocuting it from the inside out. Pulling away, the Sangwa struggled for breath as blood seeped out from its wound before collapsing onto the ground limp and unmoving.

"Two down, 1 to go..." she muttered. The dazed Sangwa from earlier shook its head as it came back to its senses. Noticing its already 2 dead pack mates, it didn't want to stay any longer. With its ears lowered and tail between its legs, it ran off, disappearing into the foliage. Seeing Sa'ato struggling to fight off the two creatures already at him, Kita was about to jump in before hearing more growling...this time louder then before. The 3 remaining Sangwa had made themselves known. Cautiously rushing over to the Neti's side, she kept her eye on the 3 Sangwa snarling at her as they slowly approached. One of them appeared larger then the rest. Thankfully Sa'ato managed to daze the other 2, but how long was that gonna last. It was time to watch each other's backs...otherwise they weren't going to be able to get off of this planet alive.

As quick as a whip, she pulled out her pistol and aimed for the Sangwa on her right, pircing through its left eye. The hit killed the creature instantly, leaving the others surprisingly unphased...instead getting angrier as they stalked forward, fur bristling. "These are our remaining 4. Once we get out of this, we can move on with our mission." She said seriously. Both the smaller and larger Sagwa leaped at Kita in unison. She struck the smaller one aside a few feet away, but was bowled over by the larger one. Using her lance as a barrier, she struggled to keep the metal between the beasts jaws from biting down on her, its nails digging into her shoulders as it held her down. Drool dripped down her face from the Sangwa, its fowl breath hitting her nostrils. She furrowed her brows and kicked up with both feet into its underbelly before rolling on the muddy ground and swiftly grabbing tightly a hold around its neck. Drawing her dagger again, she sliced the beast throat, remaining to hold on until it went limp beneath her.

As blood stained the ground, she jumped to her feet and twirled her lance as she looked over at the 3 remaining Sangwa. She was just happy she wasn't alone in all of this.

[Master Buggie]

The shack didn't consist of much more than muddy boards for a floor, a table and chairs, and a series of cargo containers stacked upon one another with a wide board placed on top of them for a bartop. Seeing as the table a chairs were already occupied, Buggie moved on to the bar, which was just as well, since that was where he would have headed eventually. Finding that the bar had no water and being rudely informed that patrons were expected to drink alcohol if they were at the bar, Buggie ordered whatever the local swill was called, and did little more than give it a polite touch once it had arrived in a cloudy-rimmed tumbler. Sliding a few credits onto the bartop, Buggie slid over to the nearest patron, whom Buggie had caught glancing in his direction.

"You're dressed like you're expectin' trouble, bug," the weathered-looking spacer said behind long, greying bangs and with a smile that was missing more than a few teeth.

Buggie looked closely at the spacer for a moment and concluded that the Human was addressing him as an insectoid, rather than intentionally calling him by a shortened version of his name. Buggie responded, "Just passing through and thought I'd find out how things are looking Coreward."

The Human squinted at Buggie with appraising eyes, "You come in here dressed like that and want to know how safe it is to fly toward the Core? What exactly are you haulin', bug?"

The spacer gave Buggie a dry laugh. Of course, Buggie's intention was not to let on what he was hauling, but like any experienced spacer, the Human had quickly recognized that the cargo Buggie was currently hauling was worth avoiding Imperial patrols over. That meant he had revealed the cargo was either valuable, illegal, or both.

"I'm just trying to deliver my haul on time and not get caught up in a fight between the Empire and the Rebels-- or whatever they're calling themselves these days," Buggie said coolly, "I heard that there had been some skirmishes in the Shwuy sector is all."

The spacer nodded at that and pointed Buggie toward the so-called "Ogemites" sitting at the table near the entrance. He called out to the duo of feather-haired near-Humans, and Buggie was welcomed to drag up a cargo container and sit with them, seeing as no more chairs were available within the shack. The hair on the pale-skinned Ogemites reminded Buggie of his master, back when he was only a Padawan learner. He didn't have long to dwell on that thought, as the Ogemite duo began conversing with him about the state of the Hydian Way and what they had seen and heard along their travels.

[Professor Mors]

Sa’ato furrowed the facsimile of an eyebrow as Kita darted back into his peripheral vision. He’d barely parted his lips to agree with her before the young humanoid leapt onto her next target and made a grisly end of the wild beast. In his private thoughts, the Neti had come to agree with the woman’s outburst from early: ‘child’ was a little harsh, and even if it wasn’t, the professor wasn’t keen to become a case of elder abuse. Shaking his head almost noticeably, the academic began to whip his overgrown arm out in front of him in a bid to ensnare one of the remaining canines.

He did not have to wait long before the gambit paid off. One of the smaller mammals quickly forgot its early abuse, charging forward and painfully sinking its fangs into Sa’ato’s arm. Growling with obvious discomfort, the wayward educator fell in with the creature. Aiming his blade down over the non-sentient’s skull, the digits of the Neti’s trapped arm cracked and contorted itself to allow for a two-handed grip as the sword split the sungwa’s head. A sickening pop filled the Neti’s ears as his weapon pierced down and out the predator’s chin before it fell limp at his side.

Sa’ato turned his head to get a bearing on the largest brute, and likely the leader of the pack, but could only manage a shocked cry as the mammothian quadruped slammed into his torso and knocked the Neti skyward. It took all of the professor’s concentration to catch the insulting party by its fur as it bucked and zipped about. Sloppily digging his blade into sungwa's side, the Neti let slip a curse as he felt the swordpoint strike bone. The beast only whooped and charged about in a greater frenzy, and it was all Sa’ato could do to hold on. Hopefully, his little rodeo stunt would give Kita enough time to handle the smaller obstacles in their path. Then, they would finish this messy business, and be on their way.