Kaiden quickly kept his head down, he din't want to be noticed. After all he was trained to not be noticed. He nodded at their 'Tour Guide'.He turned his head to Neb. "Was assigned to another mission, then my superiors and I had an hour of conversation in the holo." He chuckled. He liked Neb's perspective, if it was not for a possibility of being stripped of his rank he would have convinced his commander to send someone else. But he knew another Intelligence rookie would most likely die in this excuse for a planet. He din't listen to what everyone was saying, except for the Drug Den. He was thinking of a better mission, 'Being dipped in Bantha fodder is better than this' he kept thinking. He looked at Twi'lek. Then to Jayce "Ill be joining commander." Kaiden was a man who gave respect.

@Piercing Light @Athol @Riffus Maximus

Fahz eyed Lahana with suspicion. He saw her uncertainty, her suspicion at being left alone. It made him queasy. After her master walked away, the Cathar approached the young Padawan. "You call him Master." He spoke in a gruff tone. "I know there is nothing I can say in the next five minutes to change your mind on this matter. But a young woman should call no being master. Your Jedi code has nothing you cannot divine from your own autonomy." While Fahz undoubtedly cast himself as an imposing, unfriendly figure, there was sincerity in his words, an almost fatherlike care that was unmistakable. He was not simply waxing poetic about his hatred of the Jedi religion, rather, it seemed he was speaking to Lahana as an individual. Or, at least, that is what Mehda observed. She saw Fahz's emotion with everything he did, saw him effortlessly switch from a brilliant scientist to a thoughtful philosopher. It continued to inspire her, after all these years. It was why she loved him.

Mehda had noticed that nobody was acknowledging her. It was not surprising. Most ignored droids, especially holograms - they assumed them to possess the same intelligence of a pet. She decided to be brave today. She had heard the twi'lek Neb mention she was a slave. Such a beautiful woman, Mehda thought to herself. She has great strength to be here today, willing to fight with us. Mehda walked over to Neb, nervously twirling her fingers as she did so. "I was also born a slave," she offered meekly. "I... don't know what sort of comfort that is, I apologize. I rarely talk to other escaped slaves, besides Fahz. I am glad to see you here."

@Piercing Light@Athol

---

The announcement that the mission was underway was good to hear, the sight of the probably cramped APC wasn’t. C’mon…how else you think we’d get there? Walk? Fly? Snipers or AA would have us dead in minutes. She thought, chastising herself.

When Kaiden announced his intention, she made a small wave. ”Well if I wanna get paid I guess a better come along too.” Before she could make a move towards the machine though, she was interrupted by a hologram of all things. She’d seen the new arrivals, the big cather male giving the ‘stink eye’ to the jedi, but she’d assumed the hologram was just some sort of computer assistant; Neb had encountered those before, but they had no real ‘intelligence’, no initiative.

Getting what most organics would call ‘uncomfortably close’, she watched the holograms reaction before backing off with a laugh. ”Well hot damn, there’s a brain behind that light show.” Still smiling, she regarded the cathari looking projection. ”Freelancers doing a little smuggler hunting nailed the ship I was on, found me and took me in…I was pretty young. Not really an escape, just got lucky.”

She shrugged, seemingly dismissing the most important event in her life so far. No use dwelling on what was. C’mon we’ve got some people to kill in the name of peace. She added, laughing once again.
_@Macro

Seeing the Mandalorian go off to perform his "Lone Wolf" routine and the Twi-Lek walking away as her happy-go-lucky self, Gloopra shook his head. He followed the others to the APC and saw the less than graceful entrance of their commander.

Vrerr approached the CO as he climbed down from the tank. "I want to thank you again for agreeing to take on this mission." she smiled. "Please try to watch out for Gloopra. He's tough, but he's getting old." Gloopra silently watched and nodded as they were ordered to embark. He stared at the cramped hold of the APC and thought back to his times as a youngster being forced into the cargo-holds and fighting pits. As the young Jedi passed him to climb into the APC, he looked at her.

"Is your master not joining us?" he asked.

@Piercing Light

As Jayce guided people into the transport vehicle Lahana stopped as a cathar man addressed her. She turned and looked at him, there was a cold glare coming from her eyes. A subtle pressure came from her, which would make it feel as if a small weight had been placed on those around her. "You talk pretty confidently for someone coming from a place of ignorance. The Jedi code as a citizen would know it hasn't been used in decades, and as for my master..." The pressure intensified for a moment. however she realized what she was doing and ceased it entirely. She was taught better than that. "I owe him my life, I would be nothing if it weren't for him. I call him master because that's what he is, a master Jedi." She shook her head and walked for the transport. As she placed a foot inside Gloopra asked her a question. "No, he isn't." She seemed to be saying it more to herself, as if what was about to happen only then set in.

The ride to the apparent drug den was a quick one, funnily enough the large armored vehicle didn't stand out much. Local gangs and the well off were often seen traveling in similar fashion. They stopped a block away from the target location. "Alright." Jayce addressed those that had decided to come, standing at the back of the vehicle. Using a device on his wrist that was connected to a small aerial drone he pulled up a holographic display of the structure. It showed a building 3 stories tall, though there was only one actual ground floor. The second floor was composed of scaffolding that gave access to large steaming machinery which was used to process all manner of synthetic drugs. On the ground floor blurred blue humanoid forms could be seen about. Ten of them were at long tables, seemingly handling their products, with two others instructing them. Scattered around were forty others that could be seen holding blaster rifles and pistols. There was one last form that seemed to be talking to four of the armed guards.

"We've caught them in the middle of a deal it looks like. Those handling the drugs may be hostile but they don't appear to be armed, the forty that are packing heat are our primary targets. Those that can provide long range supporting fire, I want you to take positioning here." He pointed to an alley on the left side of the building where piping could be used to enter a few windows and reach the scaffolding on the second floor. "Those of you that want to go in loud, we're entering through the front with a blast charge. It should disorient some of them, but don't count on it making you completely safe as we enter, It looks like their weapons are of pretty decent quality. The crates and machinery by the entrance should make for decent cover. You all got that? Good, let's move out.

Jayce picked up a blaster rifle and opened the back of the transport. Lahana didn't have any blasters on her, she was mediocre with them anyway so she followed Jayce to the front of the factory. The street was oddly sparse, and now that she thought about it, it was strange that no one was guarding the door. Jayce placed a circular device on the door which stuck like a magnet to the metal surface. After giving the long range team time to get into position he activated the device, which blew open the door with a concussive force, and flashbanged those inside. The metal door flew into one of the guards facing the hooded buyer knocking him out cold. and all at once they began yelling and firing. Those that had been handling the drugs scrambled for the exit in the back, some of them frantically shoving pills and powders into their pockets. Yellow and red blaster bolts flew towards them, Lahana drew her green lightsaber and began deflecting shots back at attackers. One shot flew back into a man's head, ending him there. A single purple blaster shot came towards her, she deflected it like the rest, but felt a noticeable mass to it. She ran behind cover of a crate, parts of which exploded and splintered as shots came her way. She cut through one man that decided to try and flank them, and ducked back into cover.

Three down, that's thirty seven to go.

Meanwhile at the Republic base a man guarded by five armed individuals had arrived. They were stopped by the gate and checked for anything suspicious. After a tense exchange between them and a shaky Fufuro they were allowed to come inside with their weapons, though eyes would be on them the entire time. An elderly man entered Gallowin's office, three of his men standing outside the door and two others just behind him. He seemed to be in his early sixties, and had what appeared to be a cybernetic band around his bald head.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with us sir... I never actually got your name?" The Commander spoke, holding out his hand.

"Match, is my name. And I must thank you for even attempting a diplomatic approach, such a thing is rare on this planet." The man said, speaking with a calm, smooth voice. He took Gallowin's hand in both hands and shook it, before placing them back by his sides.

"Right, So. What would it take for you and your people to cooperate with us in setting up a democratic government?" The commander said.

"What they said about you was true, straight to the point I see. Well... To be honest the Republic hasn't done anything just yet to inspire confidence that you can succeed in taming this world. We expected an armada, yet we only see one ship there in the sky. How do you plan to take down the corruption and evil pervading our home?" Match asked, interlocking his hands behind his back.

"By showing that the Republic is a force to be reckoned with. Organized thugs are just that, thugs. We clip their wings and they'll come tumblin' down to the ground."

"I see." The man pulled out a small screened device, looked at it, then back to Gallowin. "I take it the assault on that infernal drug den is part of that plan?" Gallowin let out a sigh and tapped his forehead in annoyance.

"I knew word of that had gotten around somehow, was that your people?" He asked. Kale raised a hand, intending to speak.

"Perhaps we could use their assistance in gathering intelligence?" The Jedi Master said.

"Perhaps, but I would need to know that it is worth it. I would be placing my community in danger as well. Does anyone else have a say in this matter?" The old man asked those in the room.

---

The ride to the mission location was thankfully short. Stuck in the cramped metal box with a bunch of others was a bit of a personal hell for Neb, so she spent the trip with her eyes closed and tried to distract herself by humming small snippets of song she knew; it even worked…somewhat.

When the rig stopped and Jayce began to lay out the plan, she opened her eye and took in the details. ”So,” She quipped, doing a quick double check on her F-11 as she spoke. ”The plan is to kick the door in and blast anyone dumb enough to shoot back? Simple but effective…I like it.” Following Jayce and the padawan, Neb moved into a ‘stack up’ position and waited for the charge to blow.

Like the others she was in hard on the heel of the flashbangs, and quietly kicking herself for not seeing if they’d‘ve let her raid the base armoury for some thermal detonators…those were always a hit. A snap shot took a guard in the head and he dropped like a puppet with cut strings, which was followed by a flurry of shots from the dead man’s companions.

Ducking and weaving, Neb just about made it to cover when an impact to her right shin knocked her off balance and sent her tumbling; fortunately her reactions were quick enough that she was at least able to guide her fall so that she did end up behind the cover she’d been. ”Sithspit!” She hissed, looking at the charred remains of her pant leg and the exposed durasteel shin underneath. Getting back to her feet, she poked her head out for a moment, which immediately drew fire; but that was fine, she’d seen enough. After a mental five count, she popped out from the other side of the crate she was behind and opened fire.

Several guards had gone to ground and where firing from behind a knocked over table that was, annoyingly, apparently sturdy enough to block blaster bolts for the moment. However, Neb wasn’t shooting at the guards or the table, she was taking shots at some barrels she’d seen with lovely ‘flammable’ and ‘explosive’ warning labels on them. The barrel she hit exploded in a rather large fireball that in turn set off the one next to it, and rolled a sudden inferno over the hunkered down guards. One caught the brunt of the blast and was dead before he’d realized what’d happened, while the remaining ones were forced to abandon their now burning cover.

Jaida looked over the unfolding dispute with clear disapproval in her eyes. Two Mandalorians and Neb trash talking each others about how shit the others' homeland were. Well that was just grand. The Gamorrian had expected much more professional and righteous people, coming from the Republic. Instead, she seemed to be stuck with some rabble for mercs and a few Jedi. Honestly, most of those people looked like people she could've picked over by the local cantina and hire them for a revolution.

Until Jayce made his entry, Jaida had her hand close to her belt, her trigger-finger itching as the escalating conflict and the seemingly trigger-happy Mandalorian made her nervous. If he would be making trouble, she'll gladly draw her blaster and shoot a hole clean into his skull. She didn't need a loose cannon to liberate Gamorria.

When the mission was further explained, the human huntress agreed to join the strike team, embarking on the vehicle with the others. As the operation was being run over by their new leader, Jaida was preparing herself. Preferring assassination over close-quarter combat, she proposed to be part of the sniper team to cover their asses.

When it was time to move out, Jaida positionned herself to the directed location up above. If one was to look carefully at the way the bounty hunter was climbing her way to the second floor, they would notice how quick and agile she was, using her physical skills along tools to move very efficiently.

Taking position, the green-eyed young woman waited for the assault to start. When shit hit the storm, she was ready. Up there, she had a clear view of pretty much everyone, which made her job that much simpler. Shouldering her sniper and bringing the focusing lens to her eye, Jaida took aim at the strongest-looking foes, the ones with the bigger and more dangerous looking armors and weapons. Taking down priority targets to ease the battle for those down below, that was her strategy.

Finger pressing the trigger, her shot was true with the intention of killing. A laser beam scorched the air and darted its way right into a tough-looking thug. Nothing remained of the guy's head, not even his helmet. The sniper's firepower was so immense, it simply disintegrated what it shot.

Feeling the sniper overheating, Jaida lowered the gun down, removing her hand from the gun's searing barrel. After she had taken her shot, things began to explode in the drug den, no doubt caused by shots fired at chemicals. It was impossible right now for the backup support sniper to help properly with all these explosions and heat blocking her line of sight.

Until the mess cleared up, the raven-haired bounty hunter remained aware of her surroundings. She looked around and made sure no hostile reinforcements were coming to ambush her or her allies. When the fog of war would clear up and the barrel of her sniper would cool down, she'd take another shot at someone else who looked dangerous. And so on.

Surta Matahari Huchson

---

She opened her eyes inside the suit, looking at all the information feeding in through the suits system. Bringing up the sensors, she started scanning the building before the screen suddenly popped with a rather unspectacular krick. Surta sighed; perhaps she should have replaced the oscillator before she worked on the coupler and the power converters.

But, regardless, she simply waited for the others to start once the vehicle stopped, using her abilities to feel around the place instead, though she was careful not to trip over the senses of the Jedi present in the attack.

Even with all the features missing, the power suit still tore through the entire room, bursting past Lahana with the help of the repulsors on the suit, crashing into three of the thugs even as Neb exploded something. Blaster fire was hitting the suit, the others perhaps drawn to the hulking figure now crushing the head of one of their comrades. As she picked up a blaster rifle from the ground and started to return fire, her commlinks flared to life as she contacted everyone that joined the drug den bust.

"Strike now." came her voice, calm even as more and more blaster fire rained upon her.

A fast strike with overwhelming power to point all eyes towards one location, before hitting them in their blind spot before they recover fully. It was a favourite of hers, though she wasn't sure these group would be able to destroy them as efficiently as her band
could.

Gloopra sat with the Padawan in the APC. "I'll go with you on this one." He said to her. "You take the lead." He grunted. It was very strange for a Master ranked Jedi to take orders from a Padawan, but then again, he was Master in title only. He had never had an apprentice, he had never lead a battle, merely taken orders from others. He was just a glorified warrior. The APC rolled quickly along and soon, they had the orders to bail-out. He followed the Padawan around to the front and waited for the go. Instead of going in through the door, he jumped through one of the large windows onto a steel grating up-high. He ignited the Double-Lightsaber. "REPUBLIC RAID, DROP YOUR WEAPONS!!!" he ordered. At this point, all hell broke loose as the mercenaries in the team decided to earn their keep by firing at anything that was moving. He groaned a little. He was a Battle-Master, but he was still a Jedi and was a little annoyed that nobody seemed to be accepting surrender.

He didn't have long to contemplate his annoyance before instincts kicked in as 4 came running along the steel grating and into a firing position. A spin of the blades deflected the first volley of blaster-fire. He thrust his palm out, before bringing it up to his face and balling it into a fist. In response, the Blasters flew out of their hands and towards him, where, a quickly flick of the blades saw the Blasters severed. "Surrender!" he ordered. 2 of them jumped over the side of the catwalk and made a break for it, whilst 1 drew a Vibroblade and the last one set off at a charge the other way. The one that stood his ground, a Twi-Lek, gripped the blade tightly and looked like he was going to engage in a duel. Not a smart move on his part. What was smart was that he instead threw the sword at Gloopra and then also jumped and began to run. Gloopra didn't even need to deflect it due to it's poor airodynamicness. He sighed as he jumped off of the catwalk and behind several of the goons that were covering the entrance. He reached out with the force and invisible hands smashed 2 of the goon's heads together, knocking them out, then beginning to choke a third whilst the 4th turned and began firing at him with a blaster, he deflected the bolts to the sides, before a blaster bolt from one of the snipers took out the would-be assailant. Gloopra then dropped the man being choked before knocking him out with a well-placed kick to the temple. He then saw Lahana covering behind a crate that was getting shredded by blaster fire. With one high jump, he managed to gracefully sail across the factory floor before landing next to her.

"Orders?" he asked.

****

Vrerr was watching the reports back at base, when a man calling himself "Match" arrived. He had a short conversation with the commander. "I am Senator Ordo." she approached "I personally lobbied for this planet's assimilation into the Republic." she extended a hand for him to shake. She listened to him talking about his want for a Diplomatic future for Gamorria. "I see this world much like my own. Good, honest people that are forced to live under the oppressive rule of thugs and warmongers. My world saw an end to it and I wish to see this world do the same. Remember, there may be a lot of them, but the more people that turn away from them, the more and more their power will diminish. I will not lie, many of my people died to oust them and although they keep trying to come back, so long as we put up a united front, tell them that we will not live their way, then very soon, acquiescing to your demands will be their only option. I do not like that force was the first option of the Senate, but democracy is as the people will it. Please, tell me how I may help gain the people's confidence in the Republic."

After finding that the group had come to a stop Valter quickly got his barrings on the field scoping out the guards in front of them he ran out of the NPC with his rifle in hand and provided suppressive fire as he moved for any possible nearby cover as he did so he made sure to keep his head down, and avoid as much blaster fire as he could. Any knowledgeable soldier should know the importance of cover in any battlefield situation. Eventually finding large crate to fire behind he quickly aimed down, and focused his fire on enemies out in the open. "Don't let them form a defensive formation! Press them!" Valter quickly shouted to everyone who could hear him as his trigger finger went to work sending out quick bursts of blaster shots at his enemies.

The perimeter surrounding the base—Enclave Zeta—appeared secure enough to withstand assault from a respectable group of enemies. Those that were not hard at work unloading supplies, managing information on consoles, or communicating with other individuals were well-armed patrolmen making rounds. Anari could not deny the Commander in charge of the base kept the men and women watchful, for not one appeared lax in the duties assigned to them. Everyone remained alert, their bodies and minds focused on the task at hand, acting with the drive she came to expect from members of the New Republic. As the perimeter check concluded, she let herself breathe easier.

Now, only the other members chosen for this assignment, as well as the Commander’s decisions, were to be critically examined.

By the time she finished introducing herself to some of the staff responsible for watching the perimeter, as well as those who maintained the defense systems in place, she stepped out to find that the gathering of unique individuals vanished, and in the place of that gathering was single, elderly man closely flanked by five armed men. They did not wear garb related to the New Republic, nor did she recall the man’s mention by description. From what she could tell based on how several men stopped to stare at the group, they were new to the base. Locals. An opportunity for diplomacy, perhaps.

Anari counted down from ten before she strode after them, noted the men watching the door, and came to a stop nearby to listen in to the conversation within, ignoring the curious and lustful gazes from the guards. Her eyes trained to the ground below her, she heard the introductions—“Match” was the name, or alias, of the elderly man within. The exchange between the two told her much, yet it brought several more questions to the forefront of her mind. Questions that no one—not the fellow Jedi within, nor the Commander, nor the other, a Senator—seemed to be asking. If there was one thing she could not stand in the galaxy, it was carelessness.

Biding her time up until the Senator concluded her introduction and attempt to relate closely to Match, Anari could no longer stand idle. Her eyes opened and she moved for the door, opening it with a subtle wave of her hand. Once inside, she contained her irritation, instead bringing her attention to the most important question she could for Match to answer for. Her desire to receive his complete attention was strong, so much that she stepped in front of him and met his eyes with a powerful stare betraying her soft features.

“Before you answer the senator, I would ask that you answer me.” Anari gave a brief pause, yet spoke again before any could intervene. “The New Republic’s presence here is not welcome by all. We have enemies both mysterious and resourceful on all sides, and they likely outnumber you and your community. There are forces here that may not take kindly to you being here and suggesting you could help us. You, who traveled with five armed men, would not have gone unnoticed. Don’t think it for a second.”

Five men armed and surrounding you made you difficult to approach, but not difficult to see. Coming here so boldly was careless. Careless and stupid. What good was an ally that lacked tact and believed only in immediate safety, rather than the long term?

“So, I ask you, “Match”, what good is an ally that cannot keep their head down—especially one that may have been followed here?” Anari asked. “You not only risk your life, but the lives of those who have confidence in you. Reckless. Foolish. Someone is going to want you dead for this.”

No one had spoken to Kel, which was generally normal. Still, he didnt mind. At least they werent going to act like he was a zoo attraction. As a result, he had hung back when the rest of them went towards this...something...zeta.

Kel hadn't read much of the briefing, as he had gone into a complete state of panic when he realised he was meant to attend a meeting, but missed the memo because he spent so much time researching the planet when he was meant to meet a figure of authority on this world. He had barely had any time to get his armor on before this operation, either.

So he decided to let the others go first, partially because he was in the back of the group, mostly because he realised that a bunch of mercenaries and who knows what else would not give half a womp rats ass about his rank and any authority it might bring.

"I wonder if becoming a Major would solve that problem?" he said aloud with no context whatsoever as he began to follow the others, because stopping. Everyone was ahead of him, so he couldnt go all out. Otherwise, he would hit them, raising all sorts of problems for everyone.

Rolling his eyes at his own slowness today, he began to break into a jog, beginning to head around the building.

______

Arriving around the back of the building, Kel was beginning to hear a lot of interesting noises from inside. He wondered who the screams belonged to, before pushing the thought out of his head. It wasnt his problem, after all.

Unfortunately for him, there didnt appear to be a back door, or at least there wasnt one near him.

No matter.

He would make one.

Casually walking to a bit of wall he liked, he took a small square object from his belt, slapped it on, and strolled away, with the posture of a man who had absolutely no need to rush. Or as much of a posture as you could tell while covered in armour.

Kel tapped a button on his wrist, and the device on the wall detonated. At the same time, Kel brought his assault cannon up, setting it to heavy ordinance. With a single flick of his wrist, he fired multiple explosive rounds around the hole that his breaching device had made. The wall had been built to stand up to various forms of explosives, but this didn't mean a thing as the explosions tore the metal wall to pieces, sending melted metal flying everywhere. A drop hit Kel in the arm, making him frown.

Kel walked forward, raising his cannon again as he stepped through the hole, ignoring the warning symbols in his helmet that warned of the melted metal. One criminal had been behind the wall and had taken the full impact of Kel's blasts. The Chiss lazily kicked his body aside as several enemies appeared around the corner, obviously checking to see what that noise was. Kel counted three.

Kel had already heard them coming, and had set his cannon to automatic. His cannon whined for a moment, and proceeded to blast out over a dozen blaster bolts in less than a second. The three simply looked at him, and disappeared, torn to shreds by the torrent as Kel let out a smile, and let his finger release the trigger.

This was always amusing.

Hearing a noise, he looked up and saw a gantry. Two more criminals had seen what he just did, and were taking pot shots from their hiding place. One shot hit Kel directly in the face, doing absolutely nothing.

"...are you done?"

He didn't wait for an answer, instead illustrating his point by aiming and firing another explosive round, hitting the part where the gantry joined the wall. With a shriek of tortured metal, the entire thing gave way, sending the two plummeting down. Kel smiled again and lowered his cannon, slowly walking to where they fell.

One had died instantly, breaking his neck on the floor, while another was still stunned, and didn't even notice the armored giant step towards him, and lower his cannon.

Whom then stopped, raised it again, and proceeded to slam an armored boot directly on the survivor's neck, snapping it like a twig.

Kel watched him expire, and turned around, mind already set on other matters.

"Colonel maybe...i like the sound of it and the uniforms look nice, but it does sound like i would be forced to lead directly..."

Between the screaming, blaster fire and explosions, Lahana almost didn't hear Gloopra speak to her. Orders, he wanted orders from her? Why? She wasn't the leader here, Jayce was. Why would he want orders from a padawan anyhow, he was doing fine on his own so far. Did her master put him up to this? Clearly she was being tested. An ally in bulky power armor created enough of a distraction to halt the bolts being fired towards her. "Help them, cover the left side, I'll take the right." She sprang up from behind cover and sprinted towards a man hap haphazardly shooting. She ducked under his fire and rose with a slash of her saber, then taking off before the man had time to even touch the ground. She kept moving forward, striking down anyone along the way. If Gloopra did his part along with the others still fighting then the remaining enemies would be forced to move towards the center of the warehouse where there was only minimal cover available. Eventually there were only four people remaining now, and three of them had thrown down their weapons to surrender. The fourth man was...

Lahana blinked, then narrowing her eyes at the man draped in a black robe. Had he been standing in the middle of the room the entire time? She hadn't even noticed his presence. Jayce moved from behind a smoldering machine damaged by blaster fire and walked up to the four men. "And here I thought all of you scumbags would be unreasonable, now how about we have a nice drive down to- oh come on!" he raised his rifle as one of the men pulled a pistol from his back, he grabbed the robed man and pointed the gun at his head. Lahana could have sworn she saw the robed man let out a sigh from under his hood.

"You're gonna let me outta here, I-I'm gonna walk out the back an-" The man suddenly stopped yelling his demands, his body shook as he dropped the gun and held his hands to his throat. The robed man grabbed the gun and stuck it in the man's mouth, then raising him from the floor. At the same time the other two men were locked in place as they grasped at their necks, desperate for air. Both of their necks simultaneously bent at an unnatural angle with a sickening crack and they fell to the floor lifeless.

"Now that was just rude, what if you had accidentally pulled the trigger? That can happen sometimes you know, I read an article about it." The robed man did just that, causing a bolt to sear through the man's skull. The gun was let go, causing the man to crumple to the floor as smoke poured from the back of his head. "Yesh, see, it'd have been really bad if that had happened to me..." The robed man let out a yawn as he looked over the three men's bodies. "I really hate it when the boss is right..." He mumbled to himself in a tired voice.

He turned towards Jayce and pulled back his hood, revealing a young human man. He had no particularly interesting features, he had short black hair, an unassuming face you'd easily miss in a crowd, and light tan skin. Well, there was one thing of note about him, something Lahana noticed. His eyes looked tired, just like hers. "Oh uh, sorry about that. I uhh..." He looked up and to his left at nothing in particular and was silent for a few awkward moments. "Feared for my life? Yeah, that's it."

"Sir, this man is a je- no, a force user. We need to be careful." Lahana spoke to Jayce, keeping her eyes on the man as he nonchalantly waved to the others in the room.

"I can... see that." Jayce said, keeping his rifle raised. "I'm going to have to ask you answer some questions." He said.

"Sure." The man responded. "My job here is kinda moot at this point. Oh, I'm Blank by the way. Welcome to Gamorria."



Match was taken aback by the sudden entrance of Anari. Commander Gallowin only raised a brow and Kale leaned back as if amused. Match took in what the woman said, assuming her to be a Jedi based on the door seemingly opening on it's own. He looked back to one of his guards and let out a short laugh. "I like this one." He said, nodding his head towards her. He looked back to her and met her eyes. "You are not wrong Jedi, The way I arrived was not the most subtle. However, would you believe me if I said it did not matter in the slightest how I came here?"

His expression turned more serious, and he addressed not only her but the others as well. "I may have eyes here and there in this city, but the ones that truly run this planet... It is as if the sun and moons are their eyes. I only stand before you right now because they allow it. They are well aware of me and my people's desire for order and peace. By coming here I have made it clear that we will no longer simply wish for order, but are taking action." He looked to the Senator. "I do not know how things were on your world, but I assure you the loss of life was guaranteed the moment I stepped out of my home. We are ready for war, what I need to know from you is, are you prepared for what it will take to win this war?"



"Well, Blank, thanks for the warm welcome, but do know why we are here? You don't seem shocked to see us. And what the hell are you doing here?" Jayce said, lowing his rifle.

Blank scratched his head in thought for a moment. "You mean why you all are here in this warehouse, or why you're here on this planet? Well, you're in this warehouse because some of these idiots don't know how to keep their mouths shut... That and I'm assuming the smoke pouring out of the roof was kind of a giveaway. And uhh, you're on this planet to 'bring it to order.' Whatever that means." He let out another yawn and checked a digital screen on his wrist. "As for what I'm doing here, the boss said it was important I come here, didn't say why. It's usually someone much lower on the ladder that comes to pick up product. I can see why now though. He's gonna want a report on your abilities, shame there isn't much to say."

Lahana grit her teeth. "Sir, we can't let him escape, and capturing him alive will probably be impossible." She said. She drew her second saber, igniting the white and black speckled weapon.

"I'm afraid you're right." Jayce said, aiming his rifle once more.

"Now hold on, don't you have anymore questions for me? How about you guys?" Blank motioned to the group surrounding him.

"Not getting paid to ask you questions fool. Just be glad it isn't some rival gang that's here. You'd be dead." commented Valter as he walked up holding his rifle down at the ground. He had done his best to provide covering fire, and that had seemed to work. However with all of this happening it would seem that things were getting rather ugly. Things were progressing quick but at the expense of success. He remembered the days on Duro where he had to burn down an entire gang's club. It was ugly work, and none of them survived the night after all was said and done. It had sent a clear message to the enemies of Voja. "Someone keep an eye out there's a possibility there are enemies that didn't engage us still being nearby." Valter quickly stated as he scanned the nearby area trying to find some hint that something may be off.

The dust finally cleared out as the shooting and the explosions stopped. Jaida could see now what was happening in the warehouse once more. What she saw was... troubling. That man, she never saw him coming, at all. He wasn't among the men protecting this factory. Hell, from her vantage point she never even saw anyone approaching this building. How did he got there past her watchful eye?

What scraps of discussion she heard through her long-range audio frequencies, the robed man was speaking in vague terms. But the way he spoke, and his remarkless traits. This man seemed like a... ghost of some sort?

It was like the rumors. Tales amongst Gammoria's underworld of a man, or a woman even, who simply just seemed to appear and disappear at important locations. Whatever was the unknown entity's goals, no one really knew. Was he employed by some crime syndicate or was he working as a freelance mercenary? Most bounty hunters made names for themselves in this underworld of crime. But that guy, no one knew anything about him. Hell, some pissed off crime lords even put a hefty sum of credits on an faceless bounty, but Jaida never had been able to even start tracking thie shadow, to the best of her abilities.

But hearing what she heard, and watching what she seen, it seemed she finally found that ghost. And if he was really the man of rumors, then he had to be taken care of. Seeing him snap people's neck simply from force of will, it made the decision that more urgent.

"Copy that. No one in sight outside the building... yet." Jaida whispered to the Mandalorian warrior in her comlink, keeping her voice low as to not give away her hidden position.

Taking a deep breath, the young woman rose her sniper to eye-level, setting her sights on the would-be shadow of a Jedi. Then, she slowly let out a quiet breath as she pressed the trigger, sending a deadly beam howling towards the newcomer's head.

Surta Matahari Huchson

---

She didn't like this at all.

Someone they didn't know, or was supposed to be here, admitting openly they're here to spy on them. Whoever this was, they were good. Perhaps even as good as she was. But, she would rather not out her abilities; Jedi did not take well to other force users, especially one that uses their abilities as freely as she did.

But... this was not her problem.

The Jedi was here, and thus there was no need for her to interrupt. Nor did she want to waste her time on needless things. Valter had the right idea however, and Surta simply gave a small nod to the merc as she brought the power armor to move out of the place, ignoring the feeling as Jaida tried to snipe the unknown person.

‘No, I wouldn’t.’

It was Anari’s first and foremost instinct to deny Match’s belief. To say that nothing would have changed was an exaggeration, one often used by those lacking foresight. If his arrival were truly dependent on the approval of those working against them, she would have to question the choice of bodyguards that accompanied him here. She then wondered if it was because he was smart enough to know that he did not want to die easy, yet Match was stupid enough to choose this course of action over anything else available to him. It didn’t add up. Nothing about this situation spelled good things for either party, that is if Match was indeed telling the truth.

After he addressed Senator Ordo with assurance—false ones, ones she herself could still not believe—Anari would quickly cut in once again, preventing the Senator from speaking over her.

“You risked your life and the lives of your people by traveling here only to doubt our ability to achieve ample results, all based on the lack of starships filling the skies and armed soldiers storming the streets?” Anari questioned bitterly. “This world is diseased. We wish to be a cure to good people here, people you claim to be part of. And the way I see it, “Match”, you have already placed your community in danger by being here. There were better ways to reach out to us, yet you chose to waltz here both bold and stupid. Now, without a doubt, people will suffer for it.”

Unfinished with the guilty parties within the room, Anari turned around, coming face-to-face with Commander Gallowin.

“As for you, Commander, I expected better from one so decorated and experienced. Our position is not solidified. Do not treat our enemies as common gangsters. They have the run of the planet. We do not. Respect that fact, or they will make you.” Unable to bear the thought of him running his mouth, Anari held up a hand to silence him before she’d seen a twitch at the corners of his mouth. The last thing she needed was to hear an argument from anyone here, least of all him.

“We need more than their drug processing facilities. Something serious. Something that will throw them off their guard.” She glanced over her shoulder to Match. “Is there such a target, something to infiltrate? To disassemble from within? If so, provide it, and we can show you that the New Republic can accomplish this mission. Not everything need be solved with a full-scale invasion.”

Gloopra saw the last of the goons being rounded up before he came around a corner and felt something hit him like a punch to the gut. Drawing his green Lightsaber, without igniting it, he approached the man in the dark cloak. He listened to him talk to the Commander and the padawan, then saw the rest of the party starting to close in. "Stay back." he ordered to the mercenaries. "In the name of the Senate of the Galactic Republic. I am hereby placing you under arrest." He said, sternly. He then saw the Padawan ignite her lightsaber, claiming that taking him in would be difficult. "Not while I am here. Now put the weapon down, that's not the way Jedi do things." He grumbled. He couldn't believe that he was the one being the voice of reason here. The boy was strong in the force, that much was obvious, but he was about to face down one of the Jedi's hardest veterans, one who trained under Grand Master Luke Skywalker. "You will stand trial. Now, drop your weapons." He ordered. "I will not ask again." He ignited his own blade and brought the tip into a defensive position as he adopted Form-VI Ataru, a stance designed for a single duel. If the man knew anything about Lightsaber forms, he would know that Gloopra was ready for any attack against his person. "Make a move that's not to disarm and I drop you. Padawan, once he has disarmed, bind him." He ordered. He had faced a few Sith before, but not many.

Something pinged in his head. Danger... He heard the shot from the Sniper Rifle and with almost instintive presicion, drew his Blue Lightsaber and threw it to intercept the sniper-bolt, doing so forcing him to change his stance instantly and losing the advantage on an attempted escape from this mysterious being

****

Vrerr listened to Match, he did speak some sense, she did not live here, she didn't fully understand the political climate, nobody did except the top-brass of the crime syndicates. Just as she was about to speak, the Jedi Shadow jumped in. She listened to the Jedi's wise words, it was clear that she was versed in the ways of war, something that a Pacifist like Vrerr could never truly learn about. Her specialty was not fighting. As the Jedi came to the end of her tirade, Vrerr stood for a few moments.

"I... If the crime here truly is a disease... An infection if you would, then Knight Sato is correct. A scalpel will prove much more effective than a butcher's knife. That being said, I appreciate that this is a Military operation, but diplomacy may still be an option for talking down some of the smaller crime families. Stopping the crime here altogether is impossible. Even on Coruscant, the heart of the Republic, crime is still a very real threat. But the important part is finding a way to control and minimize it. As disgusted as I am to be contemplating this, I am nothing if not a realist. I believe that several of the smaller, less experienced families will be more than willing to help us oust the larger ones and put them in charge. We will then be able to use their illusion of power to slowly and surely take control of the planet away from them." She sighed. "It is dishonest, underhanded and allows wicked men to go unpunished... But as night falls, this is the way I can see bloodshed being kept to a minimum." She looked around the room and saw the looks on everyone's faces. "You fight this war in your way, allow me to suggest we fight it in mine."

"Oh, okay." Blank let out a bemused puff of air and turned his back, ready to walk away as his offer to answer questions was dismissed. As he did Gloopra took action. Lahana narrowed her eyes at him.

"Don't tell me what to do with my weapon, you aren't my master. This man is too dangerous to let go-" She stopped speaking as her senses kicked in. Years of fighting alongside the force even as a mercenary meant her body often made choices on it's own. She threw her green saber, only realizing afterwards that she had done so with the intention of blocking Gloopra's own saber. A quarter second later she realized why, she wanted the blaster shot to strike Blank.

Blank's gloved right hand crackled with purple electricity, he rotated his body and swung with his hand, backhanding the blaster bolt. The sniper bolt was deflected with a spark and the shot was sent soaring straight into a different target, The Twi'lek girl Neb. The wayward shot went straight through her chest, ending her life instantly.

Blank let out a sigh. "Well shit, sorry about that. Force of habit, ya know? That one's on you guys."



"I don't think I got your name young lady." Match said.

"That's Anari Sato, she's a Jedi shadow, which is apparently a position that lets you talk down to your superiors." Gallowin stood up from his desk and walked to the front of it. "You wanted to see how committed we were, huh?" He asked Match. The old man nodded.

"I needed to see for myself who it was we would be working with. At the same time this means there's no going back. Choosing to work with the Republic now makes me an enemy to those that run this planet. We have been complacent for too long. As for what you can do now, hitting the slave market would be a smart decision. There is a club called Neon Glow that would be a good place to start." Match then turned to Vrerr. "Turning some of the less prominent gangs against those in their gliding towers could prove useful, that is if we can make it work. Though I wouldn't be thrilled about giving them any power, frankly they're quite dimwitted."



"You bastard!" Lahana charged directly at Blank, swinging her white saber down towards his head. He struck the saber with the palm of his right hand, deflecting it. After experiencing it firsthand she could see that he was not wearing ordinary gloves, but weapons. She pulled her green saber to her free hand and quickly swung it at his right side. Instead of deflecting this blow however, he stepped forward and grabbed her by the wrists. A surge of purple electricity was sent through her body, causing her to drop her lightsabers and fall to her back.

A rumbling came from the ceiling of the warehouse and without warning it was blown open by an explosive. Debris rained down to the ground, and in the midst of it a beam shined on Blank, and in the next second he was gone. In the air was a circular spaceship at least fifty meters in diameter. It resembled a five pronged star with the spaces in between made up of metallic webbing. Before anyone could get a good look at the ship it flew away. While Jayce called the base for support Lahana lay stunned.

She found herself laying on not concrete, but wet soil. She could feel acid rain burning her skin, and the smell of death permeated the air. She opened her eyes to the sight of a dead man, his eyes still wide in horror from his gruesome fate. This wasn't right, she wasn't back here, she left, she left a long time ago. Her senses slowly came back to her and she was back in the warehouse, though the smell and the bodies were still real.



A large garbage truck crashed through the front gate of the base before stopping in the courtyard. Right away the entire base was on alert as a siren blared throughout the complex. A little over two hundred men and women stormed towards the base trying to enter through the ruined gate. A volley of green blaster bolts met the force of gang members, fired from organized Republic soldiers that were more than ready. Panels on the side of the base opened and turrets revealed themselves. The turrets opened fire, thinning out the numbers of the attacking force even more. Even still, tens of them were able to get past the gate and into the base.

Gloopra's Lightsaber had spun true, had the Padawan not intervened, he would have been successful in his defense, sending the bolt harmlessly into one of the nearby durasteel crates. As Lahana swung her blade and intercepted he felt a flash of anger, one he hadn't felt in a long time. Something deep down inside of him ordered him to kill her. But that part of his psyche, long since restrained, was now drowned out by the sight of the young Twi-Lek's life being snuffed out. He reached forwards in an attempt to catch the bolt with the Force, but he had yet to perfect his usage of the power and was otherwise helpless to watch. As the man let out a quip, he felt that part of his mind grow loud again, trying to shout over the other voices, as his free hand began to crackle with blue energy. He quickly forced it down, he had not given in before, he was not going to give into the dark side now. But this lapse in his judgement had now allowed the Padawan to attack "PADAWAN, STAND DOWN!!!" He roared at her, but it was too late as she dropped to the ground, surging with electrical energies. He quickly pulled his double-Lightsaber to his hand and ignited both ends, still holding the Green Lightsaber in his other hand. "Have it your way." he grunted as he prepared to strike, he then got the twinge of danger in his mind a gain.

His hearing was suddenly blocked out as the explosions shattered the relative quiet. Rooftop rained down, he retracted the Lightsaber blades as he threw his right hand up and held parts of the roof that were about to collapse on him, whilst his left hand swooped around and pulled several of the nearby allies into the bubble of telekinesis that was holding up the ceiling. Naturally, with the roof above him, he hadn't managed to see the ship. He held the falling roof sections above him before slowly levitating them to the side and placing them down. He let out a sigh of exhaustion, then turned around to Jayce. "Call for a medical team and see if anything can be done for her. Then start rounding up any survivors for questioning. I want to know who the hell that was." he pointed to Neb. He then walked over to the unconscious Lahana. He knelt down and pressed a hand to her chest, seeing if he could use the Force to bring her back to consciousness. As she roused, his was the first face she would see. "Disobeying a direct order, interfering in a Master's duty, negligence leading to loss of life, insubordination leading to the escape of a dangerous criminal." He slowly said to her. "I will be reporting this to your master." His face and voice calm. She would detect little to no anger in his voice. The only obvious emotion was an immense sense of disappointment surrounding him. This was a front for the immense anger that he was desperately pressing deep down. He got up and began to look around for the rest of the survivors. She would see the unignited Blue Lightsaber streak across the room and into his hand, before he reattached it to his belt.

He needed to Meditate.

****

Vrerr listened to Match as he talked "Slave rings..." She had read the reports, she knew Slavery was rampant in the Outer Rim, but she still hated to hear that it still existed. "We have our first targets then. Drugs can go on the back burner for now, Slavery makes far more money and suffering. I hate to-" At that point, the alarms around the base went off. "Already?" she asked. She had expected a counter-attack on behalf of the local crime-lords, but nothing so soon. "Someone must have tipped them off to our location." She grunted. There was no way that they could have found them and orginized this raid so quickly unless they had a mole inside. "We will play the blame game later, in the meantime, my shuttle should still be out back." She said, then pulled out her comm-link. "Gloopra, we're under attack, I could really use your help if you are finished." She said into it.

****

Gloopra was just inspecting the bodies of one of the men he had slapped binders onto earlier, but had been crushed under the falling ceiling, when the comm-link began to talk. "Gloopra, we're under attack, I could really use your help if you are finished." He grabbed the comm-link from his belt.

"Under attack, how?"

"Don't know, but we could use some help-" At that point, the crackled voice of a tannoy was heard in Vrerr's background "Bogeys have entered the base, section 6 breached." "Sith's blood..." She cursed "Look, just get back here, I'm with Knight Sato and Master... You know, I don't think I caught your name..." She looked at Lahana's master "But your help is appreciated."

"On my way." He replied, before pressing a few buttons on the Comm-Link and tuning it to his fighters astromech "R7, get down here, I need the ship." There was a Chirping sound in response. "Well hurry." He grunted. High in the atmosphere, the stealthy black fighter had just made a nose-dive and was now homing in on Gloopra's location. Gloopra ran over to Jayce "Round up everyone quickly, the base is under attack." He said.