Chapter 2: Forges of Ithyari

[Rogue 4]

Layla sighed, running her hands through her hair. Why won't he get out of my head today...is it because I'm doing undercover work again? No...that can't be it, maybe it's because... She flung her legs over the side of the bed and stood. She walked to the mirror and composed herself, more than a little upset that everyone had seen her that way. Maybe it was vain of her, but she cared a lot what people thought of her, physically and otherwise. Finally satisfied that she didn't look like death, she walked out of the bedroom, and past everyone to get a bottle of water.

Her eyes fell on Tak as she passed and she looked away, almost feeling the hole that should have been through her heart.

"So ah...what did I miss?"

[Drake 53]

Tak gave a look of concern as Layla entered. He noticed how she looked at him and then suddenly turned away. Something had happened in her nightmare and Tak had the feeling it involved him.

Clearing his throat, he answered, "Nothing special, really. Brier and Aston have input their information into this map readout of the city. We were just about to find the best way in."

[Rogue 4]

"Oh good, so I didn't miss the fun part." She said, taking a seat once she'd grabbed her waterbottle.

[Andy 60]

Aston continued, a bit put off by Layla's scream, and spoke as he added his observations into the holo-map. "As with any camera network, there are a few gaps... The only one that I thought might be useful was in the south-east grid."

Tak nodded as Aston repeated his earlier suspicions about the south-east.

"I couldn't see any stormies around there, but there were a handful of armed security gaurds." Aston paused, trying to think. "I saw at least 4 patrolling the area. There are two blaster turrets near the building's south-east entrance. I'm not sure on the exact model, but I'm fairly sure they were of a model I've disabled before by slicing into the local power grid and cutting their main and backup supplies off."

[Vergere 1]

Brier just nodded as Aston spoke, listening and thinking, but not saying much at all.

[Drake 53]

Takeshi nodded, thinking over the options running through his mind. At last he said, "Okay, so the south-east entrance is where we will make our break-in. However, we're going to need a distraction." He looked around at the group, then at the map, then back to the group. "I only want two or three people to go in to the relay building. The rest will help with the distraction. Aston, can you set it up so the power grid goes down remotely at a specific time?"

Edited September 8, 2007 by Drake

[Andy 60]

"That shouldn't be a problem," Aston replied, "but who's going into the building, and who's doing the distracting?"

[Drake 53]

"You, Layla and Szen will go in. You for your slicing skills, Layla for her infiltration expertise and experience, and Szen because she'll need to send a message to the rest of the Revs. Once you get in and gain access to the sensor network, I want you to program a 'glitch' in the systems."

Tak hit a couple buttons on the holoimager. The map of the city shrunk rapidly, zooming out to a map of the countryside, continent, and lastly the entire planet of Ithyari. He hit another key and a point near the northern pole highlighted with a red blip.

He continued. "Open up a hole in the sensor network here. Once that's done, Szen, transmit those coordinates to Captain Tunon." Tak handed a datapad to Aston. "This will have the coordinates and comm frequencies you need to work with."

He set the holo back to the map of the city. "The rest of us will stir up some trouble at the southern entrance. This is the one Jaim, Layla and I reconned earlier. It's more heavily monitored but should fall quickly when the element of surprise is on our side. I'm hoping that, when the southern entrance falls, the guards at the south-east will be called to fight us. That, in combination with the failure of the power grid, should give plenty of time to get into the building."

"Does anybody have any questions about this?"

[Vergere 1]

"When you talk about 'distraction'... what exactly are you wanting us to do?"

[Drake 53]

Ender, I'm hyjacking Jaim for a line or two. Deal with it.

Takeshi smiled at the question. "I'm so glad you asked. Earlier you mentioned that there were some who were discontent with the Imperial government here. You may also know about a resistance movement on Ithyari. Jaim, what do you know of them?"

"They call themselves the Ithyari Resistance Organization, or IRO for short," Jaim said. "You may have noticed their occasional graffiti markings sprayed around. I've had dealings with them before. Factory workers mostly. Some resident merchants too, tired of the high Imp trade tariffs."

Tak nodded. "Thank you. The most important thing about the IRO, however, is the way they mask their numbers. Whenever they make an open attack, they disguise themselves identically in black with hoods and red bandanas covering their faces. Before we left, you were asked to bring black clothing. Now you know why." He pointed to a duffle bag resting next to the far wall. "Hoods and bandanas are in there. Suit up and take whatever weapons you feel are necessary."

Jya cleared her throat. When Tak looked her way, she asked, "What would you like me to bring, Lieutenant?"

Takeshi grinned. "Everything. We're going to start this party off with a bang."

Edited September 8, 2007 by Drake

[Vergere 1]

Brier nodded, "Fun." She stood to go get the rest of her things and get rid of the non-black clothing on her person.

[Ayingel 24]

Szen nodded at all of the instructions. No kidding this is going with a bang.

[Ender 8]

That's fine, no biggie.

Jaim changed his clothes and made sure all his weaponry was secure. "These boys can tend to be a little nuts, so if you want to yell and scream like some tribal warrior, it'll work."

[Vergere 1]

Returning a few minutes later, clothed in all black and with weaponry all over her person, she just smiled softly. "Yell and scream like a tribal warrior, hey? I like that."

[Ayingel 24]

After thinking a little while longer, Szen got up and went to change. She had almost forgotten Captain Brier was in there, but she remembered to knock just in time for the door to open and for Szen to almost all through.

"Heh, sorry..."

Edited September 8, 2007 by Ayingel

[Vergere 1]

She grinned, "No problem."

[Ayingel 24]

Regaining her composure, Szen walked into her room to change and get ready.

This just came way too fast...

[Vergere 1]

Dressed and ready to roll, Brier went and got her hood and bandana, going ahead and putting them on.

[Drake 53]

When everyone else had left, Tak put a hand on Layla's arm, keeping her back.

Concerned, he asked, "Before you say anything otherwise, I know that something's wrong. I saw the way you avoided looking at me back there. What's up?"

[Rogue 4]

Layla cringed a bit at the unexpected touch, and when she turned to face him she avoided his gaze. "Nothing...I just want to finish this up, head home and hold my baby girl, that's all."

[Drake 53]

Tak sighed. "I thought we had gotten past hiding things from one another, Layla." He gave her a weary smile. "I just want you to trust me. I understand if you're scared of me for what I really am and what I did in the past...but I just want you to see that I'm different than other Mandalorians. I'm not like other commandos or assassins. I..." He cut himself off, glancing down at a spot on the floor between them before looking back into her eyes. "I have the ability to feel, to care, to...love."

He looked back at the spot on the floor. Tak had his share of relationships in the past but nothing was like this. Most of the rest were purely physical relationships but Layla had sparked something different inside of him. She made him feel incredible and her sudden change towards him left him more than a little confused.

"Sorry," he stumbled. "It may surprise you to know that I'm not really good at this sort of thing."

[Rogue 4]

Love? Did he just say... She wasn't sure if she was ready to hear that. Tak had been a good friend to her the past three weeks, and everybody had joked about how one was rarely seen without the other...but their relationship had taken a sharp turn over the past forty-eight hours, and she knew that neither of them were in the right mind to decide just how far their feelings ran just now. She knew she wasn't.

Her later experiences with Deign had left her more than a little scarred. She had thought she loved him, but he had opened up a wound in her that had never quite healed, a wound that might not ever heal. One that ran as deep, if not deeper than the one violently placed through her heart in her dream. And when she sat down and thought about it some of the similarities between Takeshi and Deign were a little startling. I'm not sure if I even believe in love anymore...

She opened her mouth to speak, and found herself lost for words for the first time in a long time. She tried again. "Tak...I...I don't know what to say."

[Drake 53]

He sighed at his own foolishness. "You don't have to. Forget I said anything. I don't know what I'm saying, honestly. Can we talk about this all after the mission? I'm sorry I brought it up now."

[Rogue 4]

Layla bit down on her lower lip, looking down at the floor. She should have said something else, anything else that would have brought less pain to him. He poured his heart out and I just...

"I'm sorry Tak, I didn't mean to..."She sighed, taking his hand. " It's just my dream...Tak, you were in it. I saw you turning into..." She looked down at the floor again. "And you shot me...I just, regardless of how I may feel....I don't want to get hurt again."

Edited September 10, 2007 by Rogue

[Drake 53]

Tak took a step back as if shot himself. "Oh...I'm sorry, I didn't..." He was quiet for a moment, then said, "It was Deign, wasn't it? I'm not him, Layla. You know that."