Origins [M/S RunOn: Solus Gar and Arden Karn]

Arden Karn

21-09-2012 12:08:18

I still can recall the day I first encountered Master Solus. Wasn’t exactly what you’d call a friendly meeting. In fact, quite the opposite of freindly. About as opposite friendly as an encounter as you can possibly have.

I was shooting at him.

It was about a year ago now I think. I was working with the Jade Dragon merc company out of Nar Shaada. Bunch of rowdy scum but they paid well and they recognized my skill and didn’t use me as a plain old trooper. I don’t remember the name of the planet, not that it matters. Steamy vine choked rock in the mid-rim that the corp that provided most of our work had a research station on. Apparently one of their rivals or some crime lord they stiffed decided to hire a bunch of mercs to take the place and their people. They’d caught wind of it but too late. The place was crawling by the time we got there. I was part of the recon team.

“Nice spot you’ve got picked out here Karn. Cozy, warm, full of bugs...” Felric said thinking he was breaking up the monotony of the observation when all he was really doing was breaking Arden’s concentration.

“Shut it Felric, you got a problem with bugzzzz anyway.” Shazz, Arden’s Verpine spotter couldn’t help but notice the thick human’s comment.

“Knock it off. I only picked it for it’s view. Now, lets see what we got here.” Arden said as he set down his pack and pulled his camo poncho’s hood up over his greasy black hair. The filter mask he had to wear on the moist planet was itching like crazy but it was far better than the alternative. Carefully pulling his rifle off his shoulder he laid down in the insect covered dirt on the rise about a half click from the facility. Further than he liked but he had a clear look at the whole compound and clear shot at most of it. From the outside it wasn’t much, a few prefab buildings, small landing pad which was occupied by a beat up looking transport, and a couple security towers. Even from here he could see the scorch marks of blaster fire on the walls of the buildings. Whoever took this place down had been pretty clean.

Pulling his scope up to his eye he started scanning the perimeter. He first noticed the pair of heavily armed men in each security towers. One of them, a hulking Weequay, had what looked like a light repeater He’d be target number one when the time came. Couple more humans patrolling the exterior. Wookie moving a guy in binder cuffs into a building in the middle of the compound. Great, hostages.

“Felric, what’s on thermal” Arden asked without moving his eye off the scope.

“ About seven scattered among the outer buildings. Eleven in the central building, eight of which are huddled together. Guessing that’s where the hostages are.”

Arden shook his head. “Means less than half the staff survived or they’re somewhere else. Shazz, comms?”

The Verpine buzzed out a response, “Pretty sophisticated encryption, these guyzz organized or something?”

Arden shook his head. “Don’t look it. No common markings I can make out. Bunch of normal looking...hold on a sec, might have found the boss.”

Oh I had found the boss all right. And in a way he’d found me. I had no idea who I had in my scope at the time. I wonder if he did.