Showdown - Posturing
Posted on Thu Sep 28th, 2023 @ 12:11am by Remal Kajun & Patin & Captain Rhenora Kaylen
Mission:
Repairs and Retribution
Location: The Mrs Quarters
Timeline: Current
The sound of a skirmish erupted around the next corner, and Rhenora poked her head around the corner and nearly got it shot off by an errant blast of weapons fire.
"Guards are trying to subdue the prisoners" she panted, catching her breath as she relayed the next pearl of intelligence. "That woman's quarters are just beyond"
He knew whom she meant. They both understood who they were after. The Mrs had been the conscriptor, she who had placed a target upon their backs and the most resent bane of their existence. But was there more to it then that, and if they escaped would the Mrs come after them again? This was their chance to stop this here and now.
"Fists are no good against disruptors." Remal suggested even as he looked around for a different weapon. The guards in the courtyard might have weapons on them, but he had not seen any since they entered the central compound.
The Mrs on the other hand was now surrounded by her personal guards. Five in total, the Captain and four elites who were loyal until death. They had left the central compound and her personal quarters and were making their way to a nearby private shuttle. Her backup escape route for when the shit hit the fan.
Rhenora looked around and saw a gaggle of guards trotting down the corridor towards The Mrs quarters, weapons in hand. She elbowed Remal and drew his attention. If they played this right, they'd have weapons shortly.
Silently the duo tucked behind the corner, senses searching the surroundings to an accurate distance to their quarry. The boots indicated 4 of them, and the jangling of their equipment indicated a hurried or sloppy dispatch. She didn't dare peek, they would wait until the guards were going past before launching their attack. A pipe and fists wouldn't go far in a fight but coupled with the element of surprise, they would have the upper hand at least initially.
Remal readied himself, the lights around them flickering. As soon as the four were in sight, he lunged, arms wide, catching them off guard. It was a low tackle and he managed to get three out of the four. Knocked off their footing all three of them were thrown to the ground. He quickly rolled off the two, onto the one, pinning him, then grabbed a rifle, aimed, and fired at the two who were still trying to figure out what hit them.
As soon as the three were down, Rhenora swung at the last one standing with her metal pipe, catching him across the midsection but not enough to knock him off his feet. She regrouped and swung again, attempting to incapacitate him or at the very least disarm him.
It hurt, everything about that had hurt, but they had a job to do. So as he rolled off the remaining soldier, he laid a quick punch to the face, effectively knocking him out before standing up to check on his lady with the pipe. She was no longer brandishing said pipe which brought a smile to his face. "Feels familiar." He jested.
The pipe lay discarded as she brandished the disrupter, a much more effective tool in completing their task. Seeing Remal dispatch the last one they stripped their quarry of their weapons and pressed their advantage.
"A little too familiar"
While Rhenora and Remal neared the Mrs' chamber where she had first welcomed them home with a nice slice upon the cheek, The Mrs and her personal guard escort were making their way up and over to a small landing pad with a warp-capable shuttle. It was a personal gift from the local Magistrate for helping to keep certain details under wraps. She walked a steady pace, not bothering to duck the errant weapons fire. While divided in her goals between seeing the prisoners dead and living to see another day, she was choosing the smart way to go.
"This is it." Remal said as he laid hands upon the large wooden door outside her chamber. "Do you suppose she's hiding and waiting inside like a scared mouse?" More like a snake in the grass. he thought to himself.
Rhenora pressed an ear to the door, listening for any activity within. "I can't hear anything - maybe she's fleeing like the coward she is" The words dripped with venom.
Slowly he pulled the door open, knowing anyone waiting within would be watching the door and have an easy target if it weren't for Rhen having his back. As soon as there was room for their bodies, they both entered the chamber, guns drawn.
The room was indeed empty, several bottles lay strewn on the table along with used goblets. There had been a feast, or at the very least wine and nibbles very recently. It could be that The Mrs may be a little under the weather and would therefore make an easier target.
"This is recent" The Sunfire's captain indicated the table with the elaborate spread hastily discarded. As much as she wanted to eat as much as her stomach would allow, they simply did not have the time. She settled for a decent hunk of cheese and tossed another to Remal. "Somehow I think we're gonna need the energy"
"Agreed." He half joked before slowly ingesting the cheese. He was looking around the room, mostly cast in darkness except for the diminishing fire in the fireplace when he noticed the communications console. "Think that will get a signal out?" But as he got nearer he noticed a secondary monitor on the wall with a map of the facilities and a junction leading to a landing platform.
" We can try, if the Sunfire's nearby you can bet they'll take advantage of any disruption." She looked at the console before paying better attention to the map of the facility. Weapons fire indicated in several locations on the map but there was no discerning who was fighting who. Another group of markers indicated life signs near a shuttle that was preparing for departure.
"I'll bet you a bottle of '65 she's making for an escape shuttle." He commented while pointing at the screen and nibbling more of this cheese.
"The '65? hers or yours? Either way it was a good year. Cowards always run when their power turns against them." Rhenora sneered as she quickly calculated the quickest way to get to the shuttle.
The Mrs. stood at the entrance to her shuttle platform and debated with herself. The Captain of her guard was urging her forward towards the shuttle, while another was prepping it for flight. Her jaw was clenched in frustration at the thought she was both abandoning her post and home, and letting her husband's killers escape. She might not ever have the chance again.
Finally, she made a decision, "Captain. Make this location defensible. We will stand our ground here."
He eyed her questioningly before nodding, "Yes ma'am." Between him and the other guards, they began to fortify their position. There was but one entrance to the platform other than up and out.
The dynamic duo, fueled by cheese and determination jogged down the corridor towards the shuttle platform. They hadn't seen anyone since leaving The Mrs' quarters, and whilst in there had taken the opportunity to arm themselves better with her weapons of choice. In the distance, they could see the sand rising in thermals as the shuttle powered up. It was now or never.
TBC
