[ACE - What Must Be Done] Team Black Aces

[ACE - What Must Be Done] Team Black ACEs

Competition

This is a team entry for [ACE] What Must Be Done,

Objective

First Mission Objective:
You are provided a Raider II-class Corvette and asked to investigate claims that a contact named Turis Windtide is in possession of several lightbows which the Regent would like to make their way back to Arx.

Team

Format: PIN - Snapshot

254 - Takagari Darkhawk
15510 - Hilgrif
14185 - Lav’anre
15036 - Xuner Holst
15134 - Calenhad Mobok’tel

Shroud walked into the engine room, turning his photoreceptors to zero onto the location his hive lord Hilgrif. “Master,” the droid gave a nod of the head and began to skitter intently toward the Verpine, “I have the reports the hive has been given access to on your allies for this mission.” The droid extended a claw-hand toward Hilgrif. As the Force Disciple turned the datapad around so he could read it, he realized it was pretty comprehensive summary report. Turning away from the console he had been manning, he began to slowly read through the contents of the included report, careful not to miss a detail.

The first individual on the list was Xuner Holst. The human had been born and raised to be a soldier, plain and simple. If the report were true, he had many battle scars to prove it. Hilgrif turned from the datapad to lock his eyes with the droid’s photoreceptors. “This Xuner has a very impressive history as a man of war. Do you think he will be a threat to the hive on this mission?”

Shroud paused for a half moment. The Verpine knew his droid had taken that half-moment to refer to his databanks to make a silent determination. The droid’s eyes flashed momentarily before he responded. “Negative. Everything on file indicates he is 100% loyal to the Naga Sadow.” His tone was even and monotonous. “So long as we aim to help the Clan, there is no reason to believe he will be any trouble to the hive.”

Hilgrif gave a nod and said “I agree with that line of thinking.” He looked to the 2nd member listed on the roster of this team and saw three question marks. Hilgrif looked up sharply to lock eyes to photoreceptors with his droid. “Why is there an error on the roster? It displays a trio of question marks where a name should be located.”

Shroud walked over purposefully, reaching out to wrap his arms around the confused Verpine. The hug was followed by the dull, monotone buzz. “It is according to my mission protocols. Your master also issued orders- to give you a hug before delivering a simple message.” The droid’s tone was flat and matter-of-fact.

A single line flashed across the Verpine’s datapad, reading: “Watch where you place your droids.”

Breaking from the hug, Hilgrif shook his head. “Locate all file changes since your last maintenance cycle. Tag any that were committed by Bentre, and revert them to the last confirmed setting.” The droid gave an affirmative nod, and when Hilgrif looked back down at his datapad, the file for the second member of the team was displayed. Shroud began to go through his assigned task as the Knight read the file silently.

The flashing of the droid’s eyes ceased. “Operation complete.”

“Shroud,” the insectoid addressed the droid, “do you believe that my master’s last apprentice will be just as annoying as Master Bentre was?”

“More importantly, do you think she will be as helpful?”

“Yes.” Shroud’s response was surprisingly quick.

Hilgrif gave shroud a deadpan look. “Well,” his tone was defeated, “that is great. I hope she at least picks on one of my other teammates.” Hilgrif then shifted his gaze down to entry for the next member of the team. His expression changed from annoyance to curiosity. “We have a VIP on this mission?”

Shroud gave a subtle nod, “Yes, master”

Hilgrif considered this for a moment before he spoke again. “Look up what you can on this Takagari "DarkHawk" KogaRyu so we can determine if he can help us grow our hive.”

Shroud did not miss a beat. “It shall be done.”

Then Hilgrif looked at the info of the last teammate and after reading it gave small shaking of his head then said in a annoyed voice “shroud the threat level of this manipulative old relic of a officer Calenhad Mobok’tel and the chances of a schein that he make will get the hive in a tough spot while he hides in the background not in danger”

Shroud paused for a few secs to run the numbers then replied “danger level by himself low to medium and chance of us getting in trouble because of him 50% chance he will put the hive in a bad spot for over planning “

Hilgrif gave a shake of his head and said to himself “why does he do this to me” then in a louder voice said “Shroud keep looking info especially on Calenhad Mobok’tel,Takagari “DarkHawk” KogaRyu, and Lav’anre. Hilgrif then turned back to checking the engines of the ship

Their orders had been remarkably straight-forward. Take the corvette, drop in, ask about some light bows and then get Arx some lightbows. The Twi’lek looked at her companions pensively. Each of them had a part to play in all this.

Considering this situation, she wondered, how likely are they to just try to bust in there? She shuddered to think of it. Calenhad looks like he would sooner crack skulls than offer a parley.

Looking from the Umbaran to the Verpine, she had to suppress a shudder. She had spent a lot of time in space, but had run into little that could compare to the dark green-carapaced technician.

The ambient hum of the ship was the closest thing that the Twi’lek got to comfort these days. She had been keeping herself busy, flying across the galaxy, gathering intel and building up her own reserves of strength. Her Master still made her shudder. There was something very wrong about the man. That glimmer in his eye, there was a sick hunger there. The less time that she spent in close proximity to her former mentor, the happier she would be.

“So I have to ask,” Lav’anre turned back to face the Verpine, “So how are you going to keep your droid safe on this little op’, Droch?” She flashed a smile she didn’t quite feel as she made an attempt at a nickname. Hilgrif stared back at her, his expression all but unreadable. A few moments of quiet passed, before he spoke.

“Why would I take my droid into combat?” The insectoid alien looked back at Shroud. “Would you take an astromech up against a B-2 Battle Droid?” Hilgrif shook his head. “That nonsense would only harm the hive. Nothing must threaten or harm the hive.” There was the barest hint of a threat in the Verpine’s voice.

“Oh.” This answer was more than she had expected. “Okay. Did not mean to make an issue of it.” The Twi’leki Knight shook her head, causing a lekku to brush over her shoulder. “I have been away from the Clan a little too long perhaps. They’re picking up all sorts of quirky beings, now. What would be next, an Ewok Marauder?”

The joke was met stony silence, which stretched on into discomfort. Lav’anre brushed her lekku back behind her shoulder before she glanced at Calenhad and Xuner in turn. Neither man seemed to regard the comment with any interest. “Here I thought master Stahoes was a tough man to impress.”

Seeing how deeply the others were focusing on their tasks, her second attempt at mirth faded, to be replaced with a grim determination. The time was quickly coming upon them. The mission came first. She would have to deal with her unease in her own time. Instead of continuing her attempts at humor, she sat down cross-legged, and closed her eyes. She focused on the Force around her.

For now, I will just have to content myself with quiet meditation. We will have to gather the fires that will burn down our enemies.

Xuner sat upon his chair with his legs crossed. He was in a deep meditative state, readying himself for the mission. He was communing with Vesh, his true Sith master who’s spirit had been bound to his cybernetic arm due to an accident many years earlier.

The Marauder was able to see what Vesh saw as she did around the area. She noticed the increased security in the area.

“Xuner?”

Takagari asked, peaking over to the Sith. He noticed that a small trickle of blood began to run down his nose. Holst didn’t respond, something that seemed to cause a bit of worry for the Quaestor. He shifted his body over, immediately following up with a raised arm onto Xuner’s shoulder. A quick nudge didn’t seem to do anything.

“Increased. Patrols.” He muttered. Maintaining the concentration was difficult enough, even without having the ability to speak without bringing himself and Vesh back.

The Quaestor heard what he had said and looked to alien operating the Corvette.

“Check the holonet for anything that led to an increased police presence.”

Hilgrif nodded his small, yet bulbous head. He turned around and started pressing his pincers on the keyboard in front of him. His head tilted at the screen. His mandibles clicked together with a small hiss. He turned his head back to Takagari.

“Lord, there was an incident. Successful terror plot. Many dead. PDF on high alert.”

Takagari shifted his body to face Xuner now, this trying again, this time with a bit more force to wake him. Xuner’s eyes quickly shot open revealing his burning yellow Sith eyes. The Knight’s body spasmed as he took a deep gasp for air with his arms and legs shooting out. He then choked, immediately spitting out blood onto the floor of the Corvette. This scene drew everyone’s attention.

“Xuner! Are you alright?” His Quaestor asked him.

“Yes, my Lord.” Xuner lowered his head trying to hide the growing across his face.

Every time that Vesh was released from Xuner’s cybernetic arm, it was never done correctly. She was still bound and the act of allowing her to leave her home caused a sharp, deep, and stabbing pain into the Sith’s arm and again when she returned. While this pain granted Holst strength in his connection to the Dark Side, it served another purpose. It allowed Vesh to act as reconnaissance whenever they acted alone.

“We know where they are.” Xuner said.

“They?” Asked Calenhad. Xuner took notice of the Umbaran’s hand on his rapier.

“The person we’re meeting has men positioned along a patio that overlooks the area.”

“How do you know this?” The Twi’lek chimed in, not believing in the Human’s words.

“I had help.”

“Xuner, are you a hundred percent on this, how do you know?” asked Takagari.

“I am boss, my vision revealed this to me” replied Xuner.

The seriousness in his tone made it abundantly clear to the Quaestor, this was an opportunity to take advantage of. Takagari was well aware of others having the Force ability to see flashes of future events. And maintaining the upper hand in any situation is always advantageous to keeping one’s head upon their shoulders.

The Quaestor paced around the room contemplating the events so far. His mind raced with what-if scenarios, trying to formulate a plan that would help the team achieve their objective and not get anyone killed. But Xuner’s connection to his Sith Master was solid and DarkHawk was well aware of that.

“If that is the case, we are going to need two rovers on the rooftops. Our two rovers will be mobile enough to manipulate the roofs, getting a birdseye view of the area. As always securing the higher ground will greatly increase our odds exponentially. By securing the high ground allows our rovers to identify and take out their staged goons…quietly. With their guns out of the picture, it gives us a tactical advantage and the upper hand during the meeting. With staging men on the overlook, our mark is bound to be overconfident and approach alone or with limited bodyguards. The rovers will be able to identify as our mark approaches, from that point on our rovers can position themselves to dispatch our mark quickly. Our best play here is to let him think he is in control, we are going to have to stall him, a little cat and mouse, we want him to get frustrated, lose his composure.”

The room fell silent for a few moments. Cal spoke next, “How are we going to know who our marks men are, we barely have intel on this…”

DarkHawk pondered Cal’s comments for a moment, then spoke. “There are always telltale signs, a meeting like this especially out in the open tells me our mark is not professional in this arena. His men will not be too discrete about themselves, designer clothes, what they read, how they stage themselves. A pro would have all the exits covered and closing off any chance of retreat. I have a feeling this is not the case here, but rather be wrong, our best play here is to send our rovers in early to survey the scene and watch who comes and goes.”

“So what do you all think…?” DarkHawk asked.

The young Twi’lek Marauder sat with her legs crossed, rubbing her chin thoughtfully as she contemplated what her fellow Sadowan had formulated. She passed a gaze over all of her comrades in this endeavor before she stood and walked over to one of the port windows.

“Is, everything alright?” asked Xuner.

The Knight stood silent for a moment then responded, “Well enough” She turned her attention to Takagari before she spoke again. “Quaestor KogaRyu” the young woman gave a respectful half-nod to her superior, “Your proposal seems quite solid. In fact, I feel confident that my old master would agree as well” she nodded thoughtfully. “However, I have to ask: who will be our two rovers?”

“Well, without singling anyone out, the biggest obstacle is we would have to be one quiet, and two….out of sight out of mind. If one of us were going to handle the negotiations, then they would need an envoy to accompany. Leaving the remainder of us to take on the rover guise.”

The girl nodded, considering the implication.
“Yes, indeed sir, though the biggest obstacle I see is identifying their men and taking them out. I thoroughly agree though. However we go about all this, stealth in this chapter of the mission is a prerequisite.”

“Well, fortunately for us, we have a couple of people here that are quite adept at reaching out and touching someone from a distance.” DarkHawk said as he gestured to the three Journeyman.

A devious smile broke across the Force Disciple face, “That ought to make things interesting. With your permission, let’s tighten up the details of this mission and get ourselves ready” Lav’anre spoke the words with relish. She was starting to get excited now…

Hilgrif started to do some quick typing on his data pad. He knew in any advanced city like this, there should always be a network of holo cameras to provide a view of almost anywhere in city, from almost any angle. If he could hook up to the holonet. he would just need to find the connection to the cameras. The Verpine displayed no change of expression as Shroud contacted him. “Master, from what i have found about the Droch insects, it appears she has somehow uncovered some hint of our hidden plans. I do not understand how as we have been keeping a low profile in the clan. I advise we take some extra caution in the future,”

Hilgrif paused a moment before using the force to send Shroud an order. “I agree. When I leave the ship, try to send the rest of the hive an encrypted message. Make sure they do not leave any clues of our current goals for our allies to discover.” Hilgrif turned back to focus on the pad again. He had found a connection to some holo cameras that gave him a series of good views of the building around them. It also gave him a pretty clear view of the meeting place.

Hilgrif then tapped an icon on the toolbar of the datapad. The device pinged. The cameras were already set to track motion. His program would allow the Verpine and his team mates to be alerted to any movement that might occur on the cameras. It would also sound off an alarm if there were an increase in network traffic. Such activity might indicate that someone else was trying to follow in his holonet footsteps. He had to be careful. They couldn’t have anyone else slicing into the camera feed.

Hilgrif then activated the ship’s dedicated holo projector to give him a better view of the camera feeds. He began to systematically flip between the various camera feeds in quick succession as he spoke. “Here is the location where we are supposed to be meeting up, according to our plan…As far as I can tell, on these two buildings will be two teams of two. They will be on look out, so we have to keep clear of their line of sight. Based off of what was observed in the crowd, it appears that there are 6-7 men who match the features you said that we should be looking for.” Pushing another image away, he revealed a separate pair of images, each showing one or more of the men the team might have to engage. “Everyone except our negotiator should keep out of sight until they are given the signal.”

“We need someone to act as a decoy to buy time for everyone to get in position.” Calenhad spoke up. “I’d like to volunteer for the role. I have considerable experience with dealing with low-life’s. In addition my armor makes me the optimal choice to be place in harm’s way.” Calenhad paused to allow the group time to think about his proposal. “If things go south all of you should be close enough to respond.” Calenhad added, knowing that it would be enough to sway the group to his point of view.

“I can personally attest to Calenhad’s competence” DarkHawk stated. “We would not have brought him along for the mission unless there was some amount of faith in his abilities. I say that we give his plan a chance.”

Xuner nodded affirmatively. “We worked together to help take down Meridian. I trust him to not get us all killed.” Calenhad smirked beneath his helmet. “Well we seem to have a majority vote. Someone please notify Hilgirf as you place yourselves in positions to enter the building.”

Calenhad left the group and began making his way toward the building. Thud! Thud! Thud! His armored footsteps echoed through air, alerting the inhabitants of the building that something was amiss. He paused right before the decrypt buildings door, eyes glancing over the rotting wood. He brought his right boot up to chest level, before lashing out against the door.

The door shattered beneath Calenhad’s armored boot, sending him forward in an off balance sprawl. “Well that was unseemly” he muttered to himself. Placing his right hand on the ground he pushed himself into a crouch. The umbaran raised his head to see a multitude of blasters pointed at him. “Well hello there.” He spoke. A blaster shot slamming into his chest served as the answer.

“I would appreciate if you would refrain from shooting me, especially as I am here to talk business.” Calenhad announced to the room. He stood up revealing that the blaster shot had left his armor unaffected, due to the advanced magnetic field which wrapped around the armor. The umbaran observed his audience. An avian race that he could not recognize appeared to be the authority figure, surrounded by a host of Weequay and a Zabrak. The ACE crate containing the light bows were guarded by a massive Wookie covered in jet black fur, patches of which bore burn marks and signs of struggle and conflict.

“My name is Calenhad Mobok’tel, Captain of the Iron Legion of illustrious Dark Jedi Brotherhood. I have imposed myself upon you today because the cargo sitting beside that Wookie there belongs to us.” The rooms occupants raised their blasters and took aim at Calenhad. “I’m not done talking.” He stated, placing his repeating blaster upon the ground as a show of peace.

“Why are you telling them this?” DarkHawk asked via com link. Calenhad ignored the question and continued his performance. “You see I find myself in need of skilled individuals who are capable of performing certain activities. You all seem to fit the bill quite well. I am willing to compensate you for returning what was stolen and offer you an opportunity to make much more, if you are willing to follow my orders.” The avian stepped forward from the crowd. “If yer so rich as to afford our so called services what’s to stop us from relieving you of your credits now?” The creature asked.

“I see” Calenhad replied. “I had expected that stealing a shipment from ACE would involve a great deal of intelligence and operational skill. I am disappointed to have been so far from the mark, it was merely a fluke after all.” Calenhad muttered regretfully. He raised his comlink toward his face and stated “Kill them all.”

“What in all the blasted hells of the galaxy are you doing, Calenhad? Are you daft?” Lav’anre growled into the commlink. "We could have talked to them easily enough. We could have tried to avoid starting out with shooting things up. It might not have worked, but at least we could have avoided pulling everyone into the line of fire like this!” The young Twi’lek’s anger could be heard rising in her tone as her voice increased in volume. She deactivated her commlink with a deep growl of anger, hoping to stem the long line of less-than-kind words that threatened to erupt.

In order to assist her allies, she would have to give up the position she had planned to take. Now pressed into action by the hasty actions of the boastful Mobok’tel, she had little time to weigh her options. The thermal detonator was out, for now. Too many possible casualties.

Besides, she bristled, I might have to shove it down that fool’s filthy grub-pit after we finish cleaning up his mess.

Whipping the blaster from the holster on her side, Lav’anre loosed a series of shots in the general direction of the beings who seemed determined to turn the Loyalist into a pile of flesh and ash.

“This development puts the hive at risk,” the clipped, efficient tone of the Verpine chirped over the commlink, “this development puts the team at risk! Cease your course of action, Twi’lek. Cease your course of action, Umbaran!”

Though none of her shots seemed to make their mark, the female Marauder was quickly garnering the attention of the hostiles soon after she had slipped through the doorway into the meeting place. Her threats of violence, in the form of her singular DL-44, were little heeded, however. Instead, a single blaster bolt streaked through the air, seeming for the briefest moment to catch the Marauder unaware.

However, her attackers were disappointed. A raised hand acted as a herald of what was to come. Where the expectation of blaster burns or even a dead Twi’lek were fully expected, the energy bolt seemed to splash harmless off an unseen, rounded obstacle. Smiling grimly as she peered from behind her outstretched fingers, Lav’anre shook her head. “I can’t let you die here on your own, Calenhad. You should know better than that. Bentre would never let me hear the end of it.”

“Well, this just thick like right from the jump…” DarkHawk thought to himself. Blaster fire reigned down on the Shadowans from almost every direction. The Equite watched the young Twi’lek Lav’anre splinter one of the henchmen’s head with her blaster. “Impressive…” he said to himself. Takagari immediately unholstered his Nightsister bow, depressing a button hidden on the hilt the bow snapped into form. Charging forward, the Battlelord released two rapid fire shots sending plasmas arrows racing out only to pierce one henchman directly in the chest, staggering him backwards. The second plasma arrow penetrated the man’s skull pinning him to a wooden support post. A cloud of blood splattered across the gazebo structure, blood and brain matter painted the face of the henchman as his life left his soul.

DarkHawk continued on his trek and sprinted toward the closest building. Scaling up the side of the building the Equite pushed off and up launching himself enough to grab the roofline. Using his own momentum, DarkHawk pulled himself on top of the roof and right into a forward roll. Stopping his movement into a prone position, Takagari now with an elevated advantage, unleashed another volley of plasma arrows down at the Sadowan’s aggressors. One plasma arrow narrowly missed a henchman’s head, he dove forward as the bolt of pure plasmatic energy exploded a wooden support beam behind him. As the man struggled to get up, the distinctive sound of a BlasTech A280C Blaster Rifle, echoed through the makeshift battlefield. The man slammed back down to his chest, a thick pool of blood spilled out from underneath him painting the grassy knoll around him a rich crimson color.

DarkHawk looked over and Xuner tipped his head in acknowledgement of the shot. The Equite smiled as he fired another volley from his energy bow.

Hilgrif came over COM’s “You have two more stationed at the far end closing in on Cal and Lav’anre!” he exclaimed.

Sprinting across the roof and leaping to a second building. Xuner was close on his six o’clock as two more henchmen could now be seen posted on the building directly adjacent from the two Dakhanians position.

“Xuner, I will get their attention, reach out and touch them, let them know we are watching!” DarkHawk exclaimed.

The Battlelord drew back on the Nightsister bow adding about eighteen degrees of elevation to his aim. “Breathe…breathe…release.” Two bolts of cobalt colored energy raced across the rooftops slamming into the structure directly in front of the firing henchmen. Shingles and wood shattered in every direction as the energy bolts blasted through the roof. The two assailants now catching the brunt of debris and splinters interrupting their target allocations. As they shielded themselves from the structural onslaught, Xuner cracked off two rounds from his blaster rifle. His shots accurate and flawless, the blaster bolts exploded both men’s chests at center mass, sending them rolling backwards.

Cal and Lav’anre continued to return fire, the two were quickly being flanked by the remaining assailants. Cal continued to lay down suppression fire at his eleven o’clock position, the feisty Twi’lek followed up with shots of her own, causing one of the charging goons to dive behind a large boulder. The Twi’lek’s shot ricochet off the rock and caught the perpetrator in the calf of his left leg. The man screamed in agony, rolling over to his back to catch his breath, the last vision that registered in his conscience was that of a giant Wraith bearing down on him from above. DarkHawk was a mere six feet above the flailing lummox when he released the plasma arrow. The bolt of pure energy burrowed through the man’s skull before completely eviscerating it against the rock.

As Xuner rushed off to meet up Calenhad and Lav’anre, he noticed something strange. The box that contained the lightbows seemed to have gone missing since the fighting started. In the chaos of the fight, the unknown avian mercenary and two others took the box and fled through a back door.

Xuner ran through the door and upon seeing the trio disappear down the long corridor placed his cybernetic hand on the wall. He began to concentrate, muttering to himself an ancient incantation with an equally ancient Sith tongue. Unbeknownst to the Sith, the same avian being stealthily crept up behind him. Xuner finished his small prayer with a exaggerated grunt. Underneath his armour, the runes that bound Vesh began to glow. Takagari and Lav’anre both noticed the clear, yet sudden shift in the atmosphere.

Vesh was released, this time with control over Xuner’s form. In the time that expired during this moment, the mercenary crept every closer, drawn knife in hand. Vesh, flicked her flesh and blood hand, having casted an illusion over the alien without even looking. With a reverberating shrill, the xeno began to act erratically, trying to furiously wipe some invisible thing off of himself. With this failed attempt, the alien threw his hands up wildly stabbing the knife into himself, trying in vain to kill whatever it was he imagined. His eviscerated body dropped into a growing pool of blood and entrails a long minute later.

Hilgrif, too far away to have noticed the change, simply watched from a holocam position in the darkest corner overlooking the hallway. He tried to contact Xuner on his comlink, but failed. While his face showed no clear sign of distress, his demeanor did. He looked stunned, unable to understand what had happened.

Vesh very eerily turned her head towards the camera as if she knew it was there. She stared into the camera, as if peering deep into Hilgrif’s soul. He shuddered in fear. Vesh snapped her holstered blaster pistol and shot the camera.

“Just like old times!” Calenhad shouted as he continued to lay down suppressing fire. The building lay in ruins, blaster burns marked the walls and floor. Furniture used as makeshift cover had broken down under the combined fire of Calenhad and Lav’anre. Upon seeing the ruined state of the room Calenhad stopped firing his repeating blaster. He turned toward Lav’anre and asked “We seem to have cleared the building, shall we continue after our lost cargo?”

The Twilek glared in response. “Are you absolutely mad? You could have gotten us all killed! Who do you think you are running in there and opening fire in the middle of a negotiation? What if we were not in position yet? What would you have done then?!”

Calenhad was taken aback. He did not plan to upset the Twilek in such a manner. “Lav’anre, I had control of the situation the entire time, that I assure you. My armor is a custom work that produces a magnetic field designed to deflect a lightsaber. I had no doubts that it would hold up to a few blaster bolts. In addition I trust in the competence of my team, I knew that you could all adapt to the coming situation.”

Calenhad was interrupted by the beeping of his commlink. “We have a situation. Xuner. Acting strangely. Butchering enemies. Shot out camera feed.” Hilgrif alerted the group. “I’ll deal with you later” Lav’anre growled towards Calenhad. “Calenhad and I can respond, DarkHawk should remain on overwatch upon the rooftops in case any others show up.”

The pair left the building, exiting the back door that Xuner had smashed open in his haste to pursue the box. It was not long before they noticed a trail of blood leading into a space shadowed by a small overhang. The duo marched forward to gaze upon a group of bodies, well what was left of them. Limbs were torn off and ground into the road. Bloody splotches surrounded the pieces, a macabre tribute to those who resisted the apex predator. Calenhad twitched as the disassembled bodies reminded him of hunting the Republic ARF troopers upon the planet of Teth. Always hiding, waiting for the right moment to strike. A glance towards his companion revealed little. The Twilek appeared to be coping with the carnage admirably.

Xuner stepped out from the shadows with the box of lightbows in his hands. “The opposition is taken care of and the box has been safely recovered. Let us return to ACE.”

The group returned to the ship, ill gotten goods in hand. Not one of them noticed the runes softly glowing upon Xuner’s hand.