Star Wars: Shattered Galaxy

[socialtangent]

"...if we manage to get down to the surface and make it to the Jedi temple, we could just grab random things and easily make a 40K profit on each item..."

Kass had to admit that he didn't think of that. The Nautolan had a valid point. Artifacts from the Jedi Temple would be extremely valuable indeed. Perhaps even enough for him to get another ship and keep flying. Nothing would ever replace the Screaming Mynock or her extremely talented crew, but he had to at least try. Staying put was the last thing Kass had in mind, and some of those precious Jedi artifacts just might be the key to starting over.

"The Nautolan's got a point, I guess," he said. "There's a lot of stuff in that temple that could get us a mighty fine sum. But is it worth the risk? That's what I gotta ask. And do we have enough people who can even use a blaster besides Soldier Boy over there?"

 

[CounterAttack]

In response to the question aimed at him by Joseph, Rec called up the routine answer from memory. It was one that had been asked of him a few times courtesy of his profession; he could recite it as if memorised from a script on a datapad. "I don't use blaster rifles. My talents lie in the use of a sniper rifle and heavy blaster pistol." As he spoke, he pulled out the two ranged weapons he used, holding one in each hand and indicating the guns as he described them.

"DT-90 heavy blaster pistol: optimal range fifty metres, maximum range seventy. DC-21x sniper rifle: maximum range while retaining accuracy, one thousand two hundred metres. For melee combat I utilise a pair of vibroblades built into the gauntlets of my armour. I have high - some might say excellent - proficiency in the use of all four weapons."

 

[ultrachicken]

Rana sheathed her worn knife and resumed brooding on the edges of the room.

"I've used blasters, sure. Mostly small arms; after all, if you're not a soldier, you don't have much call to be carrying around rifles," Rana explained, "I also haven't had anything even resembling formal training. All the more reason for me to get a lightsaber as soon as possible."

It comforted the duros to see that her companions knew how to handle weapons, but not so much the reluctance of some to travel to Coruscant. She wasn't keen on being in the company of people who could not see reason; without jedi training, they would die sure as if they went to the planet.

 

[UnusualStranger]

Marcus couldn't help but laugh at Kass. It was a question that had been asked a hundred times before, and looking for people with guns was like asking everyone in a Cantina if they could fight. It would only be known once a brawl broke out.

"I've got plenty of experience with blaster pistols, a rifle here and there, and my good vibroblade. Proficient in all three of those, and I've been doing this whole 'work in a hazmat suit' most of my days in space, as well as working in the rubble and mess, so I got first hand experience in what we will be dealing with on the planet." Marcus said with a grin from his laughter before.

"And...is it ever worth it? We could go hide in a damned hole, but I don't think it would be worth it. Besides, its not just for the money, as I figure we could actually use a bunch of the stuff we find. So, in a word, yeah, we can handle ourselves with guns if we need to. We just better not, or risk hitting something fragile and bringing a structure down on our heads." Marcus replied to Kass, shaking his head slightly.

Marcus didn't like the idea of going with soldiers in the group. They tended to shoot first at things which are suspicious, or bring along explosives that were used carelessly, or simply run into things or onto things causing even more trouble than they were worth. At least they were bodies though, and could carry things.

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

Admiral Cath spoke, "My armory can provide the equipment you'll need. Armor, environmental suits, weapons...as for transportation, I can send the corvette Malla to Coruscant as a scout. The Duros are currently the ones sitting on the system, I don't know why, but I doubt they'll object. They never have before. Just try to be inconspicuous."

"As far as salvaging, keep in mind that most of the things that are going to be valuable down there are Jedi artifacts." Luke said. "While some might be able to get you the credits you will need, remember that the primary people interested in such things are Sith. You could attract unwanted attention. A risk to consider."

 

[Smagmuck_]

Joseph grabbed his gear off the table, having an Admiral blatantly ignore your request was generally considered a no. He put everything back were it was supposed to be and placed his helmet over his head.

"If anyone wants to get outfitted, follow me down to the Armory." He said before heading for the door. If he was going down to a dead Planet, he's was going to be going down prepared. Thermal Detonators, VibroBlades, A decent sized Blaster Rifle, and a fresh helmet were among the things he felt he needed. There probably wasn't going to be much down there save for a few rogue outdated security droids. Hopefully no Rakghouls down there. He knew that Marcus was going to butt heads with him. But Knaake didn't care. He pressed the door release and it slid open for him to step out.

He walked briskly down the hallway, towards the elevator. Now, if his memory was correct, the Armory was going to be near the center of the ship, from where he was. He was fourteen decks above it and far to the aft. Since the Ready Room was near the middle of the Con-Tower, he would be taking a bit of a long walk. He thought to himself, The Sith killed an entire battalion of PURK troops, Joseph didn't like that. He set himself a goal. Destroy the Sith, avenge the deaths of millions; and he wasn't going to stop until he had heads of Sith on a Pike or he was dead. He keyed the elevator controls, and waited. His HUD showed Adrenaline rising in him.

 

[UnusualStranger]

Marcus watched as solider boy walked off to the Armory to try and get everyone outfitted, but Marcus didn't need to go there just yet. He would likely need to make his own modifications to the suit he was given to make sure he had full movement, full view, and the best protection he could on the thing. Regardless, he needed to know a little more about the situation before he went off to get armed.

"Admiral, I can't claim to have been part of any expedition to the planet before, so I need to know anything I can about it. Atmosphere, gravity devices, defenses near the Temple, and even if there are some form of force traps or doors. High explosives will need to be out of the question since the city around it is likely decayed to a point of which collapse is coming shortly." Marcus began, rattling off his usual requirements, though he had no idea what to expect on record from the capitol planet.

Well....here I go. Stupidity in going there with someone else watching over it, and even more stupid going there with soldiers of all things. I swear, if they try to go there with ordinance that is downright explosive, I am going to ask the Admiral to shoot them for me, or have them tossed down there in their own little pod to get themselves blown up.

"And by no means do I intend to take Jedi artifacts for sale. There are things around the temple, and likely consoles around still connected that data can be taken and sold from. I would think that any Jedi items would need to stay with us unless they were purely artistic, Commander Skywalker." Marcus continued, speaking to the hologram.

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

"I'll have all the data you need gathered and loaded onto datacards, we'll place them on your shuttle. My recommendation, bring anything you think might be helpful onto the shuttle." She grinned. "Actually, we have something you might be interested in. Most of the time, we only use it for boarding actions. When you go down to the armory, talk to Garon and ask to see the Beam Cutters."

Skywalker nodded. "That's wise. You'll want to keep anything you find in a safe place assuming it's not of immediate value - eventually, you and your comrades will hopefully resurrect the Jedi Order from the ashes, and those will prove invaluable in your efforts."

 

[ultrachicken]

Rana followed Joseph into the armory, and briefly marveled at the massive amount of blasters lining the walls. It felt reassuring to know that all of this was accessible to her. The duros began to sift through the crude guns. She strolled over towards the small arms section, and immediately noticed one model that was the same as those that the famous Cad Bane used. She felt compelled to take one for this reason alone.

Rana clasped padded combat armor around her limbs and torso, not bothering to remove the filthy clothing that she was already wearing. It was a little larger than she would have liked, as the bracers were loose around her wrists, but the sandy, brown armor still made her feel nearly invulnerable. She tossed her ragged shoes off and replaced them, grabbed a helmet, and returned to the others up stairs, her chin held high with a feeling of power.

 

[Smagmuck_]

Joseph switched out his damaged helmet for a fresh one. It came in a pristine white and deep grey, standard issue. He placed it over head and it linked up to the rest of his armor, a grid of his armor popped up on his HUD. His helmet was green, his lower extremities glowed a faint greenish-yellow, his right arm was orange as was his chest, and his left arm was yellow.

"Garon, I'm going to need a new upper torso, mine's pretty banged up." He asked, and with out a reply, Garon slid a poly-composite box through a slot. Joseph popped the clamps open and lifted the lid. Inside was a brand new set of PURK Armor, complete with a replacement Right Shoulder Pauldron. He disconnected all the worn parts from their magnetic sealers and replaced them with the newer ones. Everything was green across the board.

Excellent.

He began picking his way through weapons and gear. He wanted something light but it also had to pack quiet a punch. He found something, it resembled a ancient Blaster used by the now dead Republic, it had the body of the old DC-17m, but it had a full stock and small scope for extended ranges. He liked it, he plucked it off the shelf and attached it to a sling, he also pocket enough ammunition for what he thought he needed, plus three more extras.

He then found an attachment for his armor, a drop leg holster, he inspected it and then attached it to his thigh armor's magnetic couplet. He then pulled a PURK derived DC-17 Hand Blaster and then slid it into the holster, and then slipped a couple extra power packs into ammo holders. He also packed a large Vibro-knife onto his duty belt, it was five inches long and serrated. Perfect for a quiet kill. He pulled two EMP Grenades and put them in pouches. Before he left, he attached a binocular attachment to his helmet and snagged two oxygen tanks and affixed them in his back pack, he had two days work of air to last him. He rehooked the back pack on his back and left the Armory, feeling confident.

 

[CounterAttack]

"I shall take you up on your offer of arms, Admiral Cath," Rec said, giving the admiral a deft bow before turning to the holocron's projected image. "Master Skywalker, you may just be an artificial intelligence and imagery projected from a machine, but it is an honour nonetheless. I pray that we have the strength to restore the Jedi to their rightful place; as peacekeepers of the galaxy for time immemorial." Bowing to the holo-projection with the same reverence he gave Cath, the game hunter turned and left the meeting room.

Upon arriving at the armoury, Rec began to investigate the enviro-suits that appeared to be in working order. He had little knowledge of how their effectiveness was measured, or what caused them to malfunction; perhaps someone in charge could help him out. Rec made a mental note to do as Cath had suggested and ask about something called Beam Cutters; presumably they were some type of blowtorch or a weapon of a similar nature.

 

[UnusualStranger]

"Beam cutters? I think I will need to give that a very good look. Thank you for the offer of resources Admiral Cath, now I need to go check these items you have graciously provided. I figure it best if I get going. If you will excuse me." Marcus said, giving a slight nod to the Admiral.

"I can't promise anything quite like that, Commander Skywalker. I will do what I can though, and hopefully will see you again. Have....fun." Marcus said, not exactly sure what he would say to the hologram Jedi master, and not even knowing if he would see him again. Collecting the Holocron, Marcus took his leave.

Walking briskly out of the room, he made his way to the armory, finding a few other individuals already there. He proceeded to look everything over, noting that his armor was already in better shape than what they were offering. He might pick up a second blaster and rifle later, but first things first.

"Garon? If you are him, I've been told you have some nice Beam Cutters here which I might find very useful in the near future. May I see them?" Marcus asked the fellow he had seen in the armory.

I think I will pick up that blaster. Appears to be the exact same make and style as my own. Going to have to find a suitable rifle though...unless these beam cutters are as good as I think they should be.

 

[blaze96]

Prenlarr followed the others to the armory. He would of course see if he couldn't get some better tools out of this situation since they had been promised a great amount of resources. Once he arrived he grabbed a blaster pistol with a holster and attached it to his belt before joining Marcus.

"I'm also interested in the beam cutters. Would you also know where I might find a an actual set of tools? The engineering section of Graveyard station was makeshift at best."

He wouldn't be much help in battle, but if he had everything he needed he could at least open some locked doors and help them with more technical issues. It wouldn't be much, but it would be better than nothing.

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

Garon was a battered old Verpine, sergeant's chevrons on his shoulder, his exoskeleton covered in nicks and scrapes. He chittered for a moment at Marcus' request, then nodded. "Beam Cutters. Right." He pulled open a case and pulled out a long device that looked like a bulky, short-barreled rifle with a cable attached to a belt-mounted power pack.

"This is a beam cutter, mate." The Verpine pointed it down the range and squeezed the activation studs, a foot-long blade of red appearing, so bright looking at it was disorienting and somewhat painful. He fiddled with the controls, the brightness and length of the blade increasing and decreasing. "It's based on the same principles as a Jedi lightsaber. The crystal core burns out every few minutes, though. Some problem in the synthesizing process. Our boarding parties use it to cut through bulkheads, and it's a good weapon for dealing with heavy armor at close range. What do you think?"

 

[UnusualStranger]

Marcus couldn't help but smile as he saw what the Beam Cutter was. The device would have been much more handy than his usual plasma cutter or other ordinary salvage tools. This would allow him to easily get past any locked doors, or to even use it as a very useful weapon if he needed to carve his way through a close range opponent.

"So no extended use huh? Not like I would plan on firing such a thing like this longer than a minute or two anyways." Marcus said, hefting the weapon. While it didn't seem to be too much heavier than the usual energy based rifle, the extra controls meant that he wouldn't be able to swing it about like the lightsaber, but then he really wouldn't ever need to do that with something like this.

"I get the distinct feeling this will be very useful in my future. Thank you very much for the presentation. You been working on this? It is quite the interesting piece of work." Marcus added, putting the Beam Cutter down. Marcus figured that now that his rifle he was taking along was satisfied, he went to the nearby wall and grabbed a pair of DL-44 heavy blaster pistols with a grin.

Why hello there, my handy weapons. I get the distinct feeling that we are going to have a good future together. Never figured I would get a pair of you this easily, but it seems that with insane times comes insane rewards. Now...to modify these things.

"By the way....got any other nice toys that don't make a lot of kickback or explosions? Really can't afford to make those where we are going." Marcus finished, looking over the blasters and placing them in their respectable holsters.

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

"Actually, we've adapted to that problem." The Verpine pulled out a small case and opened it, showing several reddish crystals. "The port's on the underside, just press this switch and it'll eject the burned out crystal, then insert the fresh one into this port. Not really great for extended combat and if you have two, don't cross the blades."

Garon rubbed his chin. "Well, carrying a vibroblade is always a good idea. Maybe a coma gas grenade or two. I'm afraid we can't crack open some of these without approval from the Chair, so the Fenex is out...you should probably take some sensors. The helmets are fairly basic, just heat and night vision. Get a palm sensor with some of the more advanced features..." The Verpine rubbed his carapace. "Sorry, I'm blanking."

 

[UnusualStranger]

"It's fine. I'll just take a little look around, and if it's in a box I won't go after it." Marcus said, looking over the crystals which had been placed in front of him.

"Well, do you have any masks instead? My head doesn't exactly agree with most traditional helmets, as you can kind of see. And would you happen to have any reinforced HAZMAT suits for more dangerous work in environments, would you? If not, I'll have to contact an outside dealer...." Marcus paused, suddenly having an odd thought.

"...Or some durasteel reinforcement that I can put onto the armor myself? I really want to make sure that my suit is ready for a small amount of beating without breaking. What happens if I do cross the blades, is there some sort of feedback?"

Good information to have...just in case I somehow run into some Jedi or Sith and all I have is this beam thing. Not a lightsaber, but I would like to know if its a good idea or it would just cause the stupid thing to explode.

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

"Sure, sure." He pulled out a flexible hood of clear plastic. "This isn't as resistant as a helmet, but it's tear resistant. Won't stop a vibroblade like the helmet, and it definitely won't stop a blaster bolt. But the helmet wouldn't either. No durasteel, I'm afraid. We have something better - laminanium plates. It's memory metal. You take a hit that's hard enough to dent or deform it? The laminanium will regain it's shape after a minute or so. Lighter than durasteel, too."

The Verpine shook his head. "Not feedback. These blades only start really sucking on the juice when they encounter resistance, like a durasteel plate, but the blades of other cutters can't be cut, so it'll start draining both until one of them burns out, and then there'll be a tragic accident."

 

[blaze96]

Prenlarr shrugged as he was rather ignored and decided to look through the armory to see if he couldn't find what he wanted. He would take a beam cutter though and some crystals with him, but he wanted to find some armor and a helmet first. He heard the part about the hazmat suit but decided he wanted at least a little protection. As he combed the racks he found a helmet that would fit as well as some armor, but then he happened upon exactly what he was looking for.

These are perfect, such immaculate condition. You'd almost think they had never been used before. He immediately pulled every tool out of his belt and replaced it with a counterpart from the rack in front of him. At this point he could do anything he needed to, be it bypassing a system or opening a door.

After switching out the tools he gathered his armor and waited to see if there was much else before he could grab a plasma cutter, some crystals, and change into his new armor and hazmat suit.

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

Garon gave the armor Prenlarr was putting on a glance, then slapped his forehead. "Knew there was something I was forgetting. They're special issue, but the Admiral gave you priority one, so..." He pulled out a keycard and opened a secure door off to the side, returning a minute later with a large case.

"Meet the next generation of personal protection." He opened the case, revealing several devices that looked like they were supposed to be mounted to the arm. "How they work isn't really important. Too complicated, you wouldn't care. But these are personal shields. Not very powerful - a blaster rifle shot will knock it out - but that's a hell of a lot better than being crippled or dead. Converts some of the energy into kinetic force, though, so you'll get a nice bruise. Once it's been disabled, it takes about five minutes for it's capacitors to be ready for another shot, so be careful. Oh, and it doesn't deal with other types of energy very well. A lightsaber'll go right through and a vibroblade it won't even notice. But still, better than getting shot. Here, take one for each of ya."