The longest range in Lambastia, the Tuun Mountains cover up much of the northwest. Unlike the harsh Fe'gan Mountains, the Tuun Mountains have varying temperatures, from very mild to slightly colder depending on where you go and which sections you explore. (+3 Offense)

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Riddled With Darkness [P L/V Flame and I]

Postby MillietheWarrior » 12/21/2016 1:07 AM

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Jaing poked listlessly at a flickering fire; this far out in the mountains, covered by the snow, the wind and the trees, he wasn't really worried about the smoke giving him away. The wind had picked up and was blowing hard enough that any smoke from his fire was quickly dissipating on the frigid breeze. Clad in his armor, he didn't feel the biting cold, and sat heavily in the snow, hunched over a datapad near the tent and his flickering fire. inside the tent, it was warm, comfortable, and he'd made sure it stayed that way. Whomever he was going to be working with probably wouldn't appreciate the cold, nor would they come as well prepared as he had with a suit of armor of their own. His was well insulated, and could keep out both the heat and the cold, up to certain temperatures. He was nice and cozy in his own protective shell.

Tapping out a sequence on the datapad, he plotted the best course towards their objective. They'd have to get to the research facility, well guarded, well fortified, and well hidden, and get in, get out and get the data they were after before they were discovered. His estimation of their chances of success were about a hundred to one, and he counted those as pretty good odds, all things considered. Of course, the odds might be better if he had more information on who his partner would be; all he'd been told was that they were an extraordinary hacker, and their flair for working with technology made them one of the best in the business. Jaing had been silently offended by his superior's insinuation that he himself was unable to compete with someone so "smart," because, all things considered, he had been genetically engineered to be smarter than your average human being. Of course, there were people out there better and faster than him, but he liked to think he was pretty good. Not that his superiors cared; he was just another 'dumb clone' and he'd be happy to play the part, as long as it kept him off everyone's radar.

Leaning back against the tent, Jaing tapped another sequence on his 'pad, his mini probes that he'd set up in the nearby perimeter of his camp sending out silent pings and scanning for any movement or heat signatures nearby. Finding none, he shrugged and went back to work. He wasn't worried about anyone sneaking up on him; even if they did, he could always just shoot first and ask questions later. Out here, there were plenty of places to hide a body.

I love adventurous tales like that. That uplifting feeling that comes from seeing unknown lands and the knowledge that you came across—nothing can replace it! It opens a path from which self-confidence, experience, and important friendships—from the sharing of life or death situations—are born! But hearing it just isn’t the same. I want to create my own magnificent story!



A great adventure!


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Re: Riddled With Darkness [P L/V Flame and I]

Postby Flame » 12/21/2016 6:18 PM

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Felicity was not a fan of the cold.

As she trekked through the blizzard-like conditions, she shivered, even in spite of the thermal body suit she wore and the several other layers she was clad in over it. If it had been up to her, she would have been much happier taking a job somewhere on sunny Alderaan, or at this point, she would have even settled for the humid jungles of Felucia. Anything to get out of this cursed frigidness. She grumbled silently to herself, doing her best to snuggle herself deeper into the down parka which she wore, trying to hide her face as far inside the fur-lined recesses of the hood as humanly possible. Hell, couldn’t they have just sent a droid in her place?

Ellie knew better than to actually believe that would happen though. As a Mistryl, she took pride in the fact that she and her comrades were the elite of the elite, and it was a fact that the rest of the universe was well aware of too. For mercenaries, their fees were steep and they chose their work sparingly, but any person who actually managed to secure a contract with the Shadow Guard was guaranteed that their mission would be a success. It just so happened that her current employer was a very insistent client, and had deep pockets. Very deep pockets.

All of the briefing she’d undergone before she actually arrived here had been relatively standard – the job was straightforward, and there was nothing out of the ordinary at all about the work aside from one thing. The employer insisted that whomever the Mistryl sent had to be accompanied by one of their own; a Clone, if she wasn’t mistaken. Needless to say, the entire affair had seemed rather unorthodox, especially seeing as she was accustomed to operating alone – more people simply meant more liability, considering two people were much easier to spot in a place they weren’t supposed to be than one. Ellie hadn’t been particularly thrilled when she’d heard that part of the assignment, but even for her, there was a right price for just about anything.

At this moment though, she was beginning to regret that decision. Working with another person – or rather, having to babysit someone and keep them from getting killed – was one thing, but she hadn’t bargained for just how god-forsakenly cold it was going to be as well. She currently wasn’t making any particular attempt to hide her passage; after all, there weren’t going to be any patrols this far out from the objective, and any prints she left would soon be scoured away by the howling wind and driving snow. The only benefit of the climate here. Nevertheless, even when she wasn’t trying, it was still ingrained in her nature to be as inconspicuous as possible, and she moved quickly and silently across the frigid terrain, absentmindedly taking advantage of any cover which availed itself to her. There wasn’t much, that was for sure.

She was just about to pull out her data pad when a flicker of orange light caught her eye in the distance. Chances were, that was the location she was supposed to be headed towards, and where she was supposed to rendezvous with her ‘partner’. Either that, or it was possible that things were going to get hairy a little sooner than she’d anticipated. Making sure to keep to the shadows and any other cover she could find, she made her way towards the campfire, ignoring the cold for now in favor of keeping a sharp eye out for a possible ambush.

She was almost surprised when she basically waltzed right up to the makeshift campsite without meeting any resistance. A soft chirp in her ear told her that her scanning tech had picked up signs of other sensing probes nearby, likely placed there to warn the camp’s inhabitant of any unwelcome visitors. Unluckily for them though, being a part of the Mistryl Shadow Guard also meant that Felicity had access to the most modern tech, and on top of that, it was her specialty to get in and out of highly-guarded facilities without being detected. Her bodysuit was likely one of the most expensive pieces of tech she currently carried (its price alone would likely have been enough to arm a small army) as it was a mimetic suit that was woven out of baffleweave – designed to hide her from both visual and digital detection. To the unwitting probes and their keeper, she bypassed them without so much as setting a single one off despite the fact that she wore other clothing over her suit, making her way directly towards the fire.

Only one figure seemed to occupy the camp – she was sure that if there were any more, they would have been easy to make out amidst this bleak landscape. The one person was an entirely armor-clad individual – he cut a large silhouette against the light of the flickering flames he sat in front of. Ellie’s first immediate thought was a mental groan; for a stealth-based mission, it certainly seemed like her client knew how to pick the least sneaky-looking guy for the job. Great. Well, she hadn’t promised to bring him back alive and in one piece, so she wouldn’t worry about that fact now. If anything, she could trip him and use him as a quick getaway if necessary. The thought cheered her up just a little.

“Hey, there’s an intruder in your camp. Thought you might like to know.” Yeah, Felicity had never been known for her polite and tactful mannerisms and tone of voice. In fact, quite the opposite was true – among those she worked with, she was known for putting herself in unnecessarily dangerous situations simply for the joy of insulting an adversary. It was never anything she couldn’t handle of course, but after all, when your job was to steal important stuff and kill important people without being detected, it was nice to get some credit every once in a while. Even if that person would be dead within the next five minutes. She was sure that this man, as clumsy-looking as he appeared in that suit of armor, would be quick to react to her jibe (and likely in a less-than-welcoming fashion), but she was confident in her ability to outmaneuver him or any jumpy reaction he might welcome her with. After all, she was no stranger to being warmly greeted with a blaster bolt or blade aimed directly for a vital organ.
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Re: Riddled With Darkness [P L/V Flame and I]

Postby MillietheWarrior » 12/22/2016 1:59 AM

Jaing was aware of his visitor long before she boldly walked into his camp. Silently, he wondered what sort of idiot they had paired him with. Obviously, one with a very skewed sense of self-preservation. Before she’d even walked into the fire light, he had removed his blaster and aimed it in her direction, not even looking up from his datapad. The schematics on his helmet’s HUD gave him a very clear picture of where she was, and he could hit her without even glancing up. The crunch of snow was all that alerted him to her close approach, and he didn’t bother glancing away from his work; he’d find out what sort of person she was soon enough. At her jibe, he didn’t even make a noise of assent, but chose instead to reply in a flat voice. “I am very well aware,” he agreed.

“Because the intruder doesn’t seem to realize that there are about six or seven different ways I could kill her without moving from my spot, blaster not included. I assume you are the partner I was sent here to work with.” The matter-of-fact tone he used indicated that he wasn't threatening her, just stating a fact. He didn’t say he was disappointed out loud, but the resignation in his voice clearly showed his displeasure at the situation he found himself in. “And since an intruder wouldn’t still be standing there waiting for me to blast her, I can safely say my assumption is correct. Have a seat, if you like. Here, or in the tent. It’s warmer in there and I can still talk to you just fine.” He twirled his blaster once around his finger before holstering it again with a creak of leather. He still hadn’t raised his helmet, and his fingers went back to tapping out sequences on his datapad.

“At least you’ve arrived on time; that was impressive. Now that you’re here, I’d like to discuss our strategy for entering and exiting the building. Our main priority, of course, is to mine for data, the specifics of which you are aware of. Once we’re in, we won’t have a lot of time before they realize what’s happening. They sent me along to be your muscle, I guess, but more likely because they don’t trust you. I apologize for that, but you know how military operations can be; trust no one, plan for everything and all that osik. I figure I’d work better as a decoy than your actual bodyguard; I’ll keep them busy, and you just work on getting the data. We can have this done in the space of four or five hours, maybe less if we’re efficient.” He finally lifted his helmet, though he didn’t need to, to look at her. “Does this sound acceptable to you?”

I love adventurous tales like that. That uplifting feeling that comes from seeing unknown lands and the knowledge that you came across—nothing can replace it! It opens a path from which self-confidence, experience, and important friendships—from the sharing of life or death situations—are born! But hearing it just isn’t the same. I want to create my own magnificent story!



A great adventure!


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Re: Riddled With Darkness [P L/V Flame and I]

Postby Flame » 12/22/2016 2:52 AM

Felicity heard the blaster leave its holster before she saw it, but instead of flinching or ducking like any normal – read as ‘sane’ – person might, she simply grinned under her fur-lined hood. “Oh good. I just wanted to make sure you knew – we wouldn’t want to give anyone a nasty fright and do something they’d regret later.” Well, if this guy didn’t sound like a big stick-in-the-mud, she honestly didn’t know who did. If she wasn’t mistaken, he came across as being one of those “all business, no fun” kind of people – the worst kind to be saddled with, especially for a two-man mission. She intended to change that though; if she was going to be forced to work with someone up close and personal for more than just a couple of minutes, the least she expected was some amusing banter.

“Well, I might be interested to see a demonstration some of these “different ways” you claim to know. I’m nothing if not an avid student of the art of killing people in creative fashions – the old rooty-tooty-point-‘n-shooty gets a bit stale after you’ve done it long enough.” Her tone was only half-joking – there was a part of her that really was curious as to whether this man could actually teach her something new. He certainly seemed to think that he could incapacitate her if he put his mind to it, and the competitive, adrenaline-junkie side of her wanted to dare him to try. Nevertheless, she made a point of trying to keep her impulses in check; after all, she was supposed to be working with this guy, and it probably wouldn’t look great on the report if one of them ended up being a casualty, especially before the mission itself even started. Perhaps she would keep her less gentle ribbing in reserve until she at least got a better read on the guy first.

“Oh, god, yes,” Felicity replied to the armor-clad man’s offer of shelter inside the tent, and there was no need to feign the relief in her voice. “Anything to get out of this god-forsaken cold.” Of course, any civility he’d shown a moment ago was quickly counteracted once again by the next words that came out of his mouth. Typical. “Yes, yes, I’m well aware of what I was deposited on this wretchedly cold planet for, as hard as that may be to believe. Trust me, this wouldn’t have been my first pick for vacation spots.” She sounded mildly irritated at the implication that she might not be entirely sure of the game plan, but quickly brushed it off. She did have to admit that the man was being somewhat pragmatic about the whole mission though – after all, she had her doubts about just how much help he might be as she tried to maneuver through the facility undetected. Using him as a decoy was actually a decent suggestion.

“Don’t you worry about getting the data, big guy. I’ll have that part taken care of no problem. You just concentrate on not getting killed – something tells me your bosses wouldn’t be too happy if I returned you to them in used condition.” She was about to state her concurrence with the plan he suggested when he removed his helmet, and the words seemed to evaporate right out of her mouth, as if stolen by the howling wind. “Oh. It’s you.” Her voice was suddenly completely flat and entirely matter-of-fact – there wasn’t any particular emotion behind it, simply a statement of what was. Under the helmet was a familiar face – she was quite accustomed to seeing Jango Fett’s face all over the universe these days – but Ellie had a discriminating eye for detail, and unlike most other non-Clones, she had the ability to tell each one apart. It came with being in a line of work like hers – everything was about the details. “Well, that explains a lot.”

Just a few days ago, she’d been on Coruscant, engaged in the talks that eventually solidified into the contract she was currently carrying out. She’d only been planet-side a couple of times in the past, and her memory of the night-life on the urban planet served her well. It seemed there was always a place in the galaxy for bars and nightclubs as far as the eye could see. It had been in one of those bars that she’d happened to run into a couple of Clones – which was a common occurrence and generally not one to think twice about – but this guy in particular had stuck out among the rest. Never had she seen someone look so plain depressing at a bar, and that was saying something, considering how many shady bars she’d frequented in her life. When you lived a life as dangerous and fast-paced as hers, you tended to make the most of the good times when you could get them, and that man did not look like a good time.

Nevertheless, that wasn’t going to affect the way she carried out her job – it simply caught her a little off-guard. Shrugging off the momentary surprise, she returned the favor by flipping her own hood back as well, revealing bright gold eyes and a ponytail that was a shocking shade of dark pink. “So, if I say ‘yes’, can we go inside? That is, unless you want to buy me dinner first. I don’t usually make a habit of going into tents alone with strangers without at least a little foreplay first. Well, except for that one time…” Yeah, this guy was probably going to end up using one of those moves he'd talked about on her before they could even get started working together.
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Re: Riddled With Darkness [P L/V Flame and I]

Postby MillietheWarrior » 12/25/2016 7:12 AM

Jaing internally sighed; couldn’t he be partnered with someone who didn’t have a smart mouth? It would make his life so much smoother. Silently, he snorted to himself; if his life was going to get any easier, now was certainly not the time. It had been quite a ride thus far, and he doubted fate would throw him a bone now. “Look, I am not interested in having a contest of witty banter and snappy insults. I just want to get this done, and get back to the base.” He figured being straightforward might be the best course of action with this woman; she would probably turn out to be incredibly tedious, so maybe if he cut her off at the pass, he could save himself a future headache. Shaking his head, he held open the tent flap for her to enter, choosing to sit just outside instead of joining her in the warmth of the shelter. He’d rather keep his distance, metaphorically and physically; it made things less messy in the end. He tapped something into his datapad, eyes going back to his calculations.

“Don’t worry about returning me in the same condition you borrowed me in; I’m not exactly the deluxe model or anything. Clones are a dime a dozen, you know. They can just pop out a new box of us anytime.” Although his words were meant in jest, the dry and humorless way he said it, without even managing a glance in her direction, made it sound far worse than he intended it to. At the unpleasant tone she used when she realized who and what he was, Jaing finally did glance up, getting a good look at her for the first time without her hood. “Oh, yes. I do remember you,” he remarked placidly. “Your hair makes you stand out far too much. Maybe you should think about changing it so you can blend in more.”

It was, he believed, a pragmatic suggestion. She stuck out like a sore thumb, and if she ever wanted to have any hope of being a spy or doing undercover work, she should try to look less conspicuous. He made a motion to the tent flap, looking exasperated as he went back to his datapad. “Go ahead, go in,” he informed her quickly. “If it makes you more comfortable, I’ll stay out here. I don’t really need to get warm; my suit keeps me from feeling the cold.” He reached up to replace his helmet, eager to once again hide his face from the world; being behind the cold, expressionless mask made things a whole hell of a lot easier when he had to interact with people.

“So, listen. Our top priority is that data; more than likely, I’ll have my hands full with whatever security forces they’ve decided to employ. I probably won’t make it out.” He shrugged one shoulder nonchalantly. “My mission is to get you in and out safely; your mission is to get the data. Are we absolutely clear on that?”

I love adventurous tales like that. That uplifting feeling that comes from seeing unknown lands and the knowledge that you came across—nothing can replace it! It opens a path from which self-confidence, experience, and important friendships—from the sharing of life or death situations—are born! But hearing it just isn’t the same. I want to create my own magnificent story!



A great adventure!


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Re: Riddled With Darkness [P L/V Flame and I]

Postby Flame » 12/27/2016 11:45 PM

Felicity was still getting over her initial surprise at her discovery of who her partner for this mission was. Why couldn’t it have been any other one of the guys she’d seen at the bar the other night? Sure, not all of them looked like winners, but at least none of the rest of them had looked like they’d just seen a puppy get kicked either. The only thing she was glad for was the fact that it wasn’t the guy that she’d left the bar with that night. Ellie was very much so a first-impressions kind of girl, but she didn’t particularly care for second or third ones. Well, the head honchos up there must have had their reasons for picking this one out of the whole litter, so she would do her part and play along with their little game. After all, it wasn’t as if she required his presence to actually complete her mission here.

“Perhaps not, but it would make this tedious assignment a heck of a lot less boring, don’t you think?” Her words were lost upon deaf ears though, and she knew it, but hell if she wasn’t going to continue doing it anyways, if only for her own entertainment. His statement about Clones and their disposability earned him an odd look though. If he was trying to make a joke, then she certainly had her work cut out for her – something told her that humor wasn’t something that came naturally to this particularly morbid Clone. “That’s not what they told me during the briefing. I’d been under the impression that I was getting a limited edition model, or something. If they’ve sent me the standard issue, I’m demanding a refund.” If she’d been bothered by his morose tone at all, she certainly didn’t show it.

However, his next words did elicit a short bark of laughter, although it was relatively certain that that hadn’t been the reaction he had been going for. “Oh, thanks for the tip – I’ll definitely take that one to heart. I can’t believe that they forgot to mention it in spy school, silly them.” She made a beeline for the warm interior of the tent as she spoke though, eager to get out of this frigid weather. Ellie did notice though that the Clone opted to remain outside of the tent, which earned him yet another strange look. After all, it was kind of weird talking to someone through the open flap of a makeshift doorway, especially when the conditions were so dramatically different inside and outside of the tent. “You can come inside if you’d like, you know. I hear this place has pretty good amenities, although I think they only serve a continental breakfast.”

Once inside, she found herself a somewhat softer spot on the floor and settled down, cross-legged. Whether the guy came in or not was his problem – she was just happy to be out of the cold herself, and if he was content to stay out there, then so be it. “Blending in is overrated,” she continued, clearly not yet done with the subject of her hair. “I don’t know about you, but sometimes it’s nice to believe that you’re known for something. Like me, I like to think that I’m the equivalent of a movie star when it comes to killing people and taking their stuff. It’s nice to have fans. Plus, it’s nothing that a little hair dye can’t cover up – I mean, really, did you think I was a natural pink?” She chuckled lightly at the thought of herself as a baby with hair this shocking shade of color. “Plus, I figured you of all people would understand wanting a bit of uniqueness. After all, from what I understand, all of you Clones share the same face and whatnot, but you’re not the same at all. I’m sure no one would begrudge you a little fashion flair or color-coding.”

Ellie seemed to be in a rather chatty mood, although her frank way of speaking sometimes had a tendency to turn people off. She just saw it as a way to differentiate between the people who could and couldn’t take the truth. In all honesty though, this was how she was, and in her own, odd way, it was her method of trying to get to know this stranger, at least a little bit. It was a very odd situation indeed for her to be working with anyone, but she didn’t particularly want him to feel uncomfortable in her presence either. After all, who knew when he might hold her life in his hands at the mercy of their adversaries? Best not to make an enemy of him quite so quickly. “Well, it’s nice to know that I’m at least working with an optimist,” she replied to his statement dryly. “Unless I’m terribly mistaken, I thought you guys were specifically trained to not die in combat. Well, either way, I think your superiors want you back in one piece, so I guess I’ll just have to do my best to keep both of us alive. Maybe this is all a weird test or something. Regardless, try to get the bad guys with the shooty end before they shoot you, okay? I feel like that’s not too much to ask of someone.”
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