Day 3 | Morning | The Second Dream

[Kannon]

There was a reason, and an insurmountability. They were facing the back of a pru-door. If it worked as designed, there was an active pentashield on the other side, tuned to field frequencies letting pass only individuals carrying precise genetic mark. A very popular Ixian technology nobles employed to secure escape routes. They could use laser only if they felt really lucky about it being no longer active.

The good news, if any, was that from this side there was a chance to deactivate it.

By the door, the comm chatter got clearer. Atreides were dying in numbers. The Sardaukar, apparently led by by the son of their Supreme Commander Zum Garon, had some practised way to turn off personal shields of the Duke's men. Laila could feel unease setting in along the line. Even if they got through now, would it be into a massacre?

[Average Skulduggery or Mechanics to deactivate the pentashield]

[Kiran Alsahar]

Kiran worked away on it, muttering under their breath. "Fuck! Come on..."

Skullduggery avg: 3eA+2eD 0 successes, 2 advantage

[Kannon]

So not that way. Nothing blew in their face, though. They could try again, the price of the delay being the body count outside that door.

[Advantages to try again with a Boost.]

[Laila Bridger]

"Hey, guys, stay frosty... this isn't the first pig's ear I've been mixed up in, and we made a few silk purses out of 'em in our day... if they're counting on us not knowing our shields aren't foolproof, then fight like they don't work at all. With these Telilaxu fucks, it's not like they won't just las us anyhow..."

[Kiran Alsahar]

"For fuck's sake," they grumped.

Skullduggery Average + Boost: 3eA+1eB+2eD 0 successes, 2 advantage

[Laila Bridger]

"Hang on, this guy I used to have a thing with-"

A guy I still have a thing with? I want to have a thing with?

"... showed me a trick once."


--
Can't hurt to try, right? Mechanics Average: 2eA+2eD 1 success, 1 advantage


Because of course meathead Laila can figure the fucking door out.

[Kannon]

The shield went down, as did the lock. The troops were pushed into a chamber that may have once been a palace bedroom, but now was only a locus of past scavenging and present battle devastation. There were seven bodies of Atreides soldiers scattered across the floors of the room, inventively slaughtered, and only one dead Sardaukar. The Atreides shields were... turned off. The battle had already advanced elsewhere into the underground city of Vernii.

Before morale would take another dip because of the gore, Duncan barked orders to form the Atreides phalanx, and led it forth as they spread out into a much wider corridor of the Grand Palais.

He drew out the Old Duke's sword.

"We are Atreides, for fuck's sake! Sardaukar or not, we'll see this done, we won't betray the faith of our Duke and our allies. If you get me passage to their commander, I will end him, and I will end this."

After a Ginaz salute, he led them forth.

[Laila Bridger]

The faith of our Duke?

Fuck him.

I'm here for these poor bastards on each side of me.

[Kiran Alsahar]

Kiran didn't have that level of loyalty to the Duke, but they did appreciate Laila in that moment. "Thanks!" There wasn't much chance for more as they followed Duncan's orders.

[Kannon]

The battle ensued right after they exited the palatial halls into a monstrous cavern, hundreds of metres deep. Fighting was everywhere, on the ledges and bridges above as well as in the suboid warrens below. They became separated from Duncan and the men he'd trained, saw how those trudged their way through toward the Sardaukar commander at a terrible cost. They could witness the trick Sardaukar used - they had trained a hand-movement timed to bypass the shield and simply turn it off, priming the Atreides for slaughter. The phalanx led by Duncan was able to preclude most of it, but it was an exception. The only thing evening the odds were the collapsing bridges, making both sides fall to their deaths below.

They could fight in the mayhem biding time for the final duel or... they could chase after a Tleilaxu who had weaselled out of the battle and was now fleeing into the tunnels!

[Kiran Alsahar]

Kiran immediately takes off after the runaway. That didn't look good.

[Laila Bridger]

Like she was gonna let the Scout/Dancer/Friend(?!) go it alone.

Laila fell in step, pistol in one hand, knife in the other.

[Kannon]

As they gave chase after the fleeing Tleilaxu into the tunnels, the sounds of battle were quickly becoming dampened, remoter, until nothing reminded of it anymore except for denotation tremors. The grey-skinned fugitive was fast but not fast enough to lose someone with Laila's athleticism and Kiran's ability to see in the dark.

Eventually, the Tleilaxu made a mistake in choosing a turn and found himself at the dead end.

Tleilaxu.jpg (24.59 KiB) Viewed 2232 times

"I'll doom you, powindah! Don't you dare assault me!" He screeched, with the back to the rock.

[Laila Bridger]

Pure, animal hatred suffused Laila at the mere sound of his voice, at his choice of words, at what part of her mind recognized from before this had begun.

"You make a lot of funny noises."

She raised her pistol.

"I wonder what sounds you'll make without your kneecaps."

[Kannon]

[Laila: Daunting Coordination w/ 2 Challenge]

[Kiran Alsahar]

Kiran stood ready to back up Laila.

[Laila Bridger]

[Coordination? She's not shooting yet, she's talking shit.]

[Kannon]

[You talk shit... and things happen. Underestimate the Tleilaxu at your own peril. Just roll.]

[Laila Bridger]

Her murderous rage toward the Telilaxu in general seemed to steady her.

[Daunting Coordination, 2 Challenges, Using Enhance on the roll since she can, "I love violence almost as much as I hate it" statement upgrade: 2eC+2eD+1eF+2eA+1eP 2 successes, 1 threat, 1 Dark Side


Use the Force pip from Enhance as an Advantage to cancel the Threat.]

[Kannon]

Two darts flew from the sleeves of the Tleilaxu and only flash instincts prevented Laila from them digging into her flesh. She could expect that not the darts themselves but what they were doused with was lethal.