Collan, Nightshade, Nill, Nim, Trax: Raid on Horuz

[Nim Naja]

"Keep it, he's got mine. I swear he'll be carrying all my babies by the end."

"Hey Buzz, do a scan for lifeforms."

[Nightshade]

Once Trax had the girl to her feet, Nightshade approached him for a quiet word alone.  "May I have a private word with you, Senshi?"

[Keshani]

Keshani blinked at Nim's comment about babies and then just shook her head and shrugged to herself, putting the commlink back on her ear.

"Maybe I missed something important growing up but I thought it was usually the other way around..." She mumbled to herself under her breath.

[Trax]

"Keep it, he's got mine. I swear he'll be carrying all my babies by the end."

"Hey Buzz, do a scan for lifeforms."

Trax turned to Nim with an amused look on his face.

"You keep saying stuff like that and people are going to get the wrong idea."

Sen what now? he wondered when Nightshade approached and requested a private word the amused look disappeared, replaced with a look of detachment.

"Privacy and the time it requires aren't luxuries we have right now.  And besides, might as well have it out in the open off the bat.  That way everyone is on the same page and we can keep moving.  What's on your mind?"

[Nim Naja]

Trax turned to Nim with an amused look on his face.

"You keep saying stuff like that and people are going to get the wrong idea."

"Well I'm not worried. Tis naive to assume everyone is human, anyway, ya?"

Nim heard Nightshade's request and saw the confusion on Trax's visage. She bent real close to his ear. "It's an honorific, I think. Soldier, warrior, something respectful."

[Nightshade]

"As you wish.  I would ask that you set aside your obvious hatred for the enemy as shown by executing the fallen, for the current mission.  It is clearly upsetting to some members of our group.  I believe you understand the value of cohesiveness in a fighting unit, and the distraction that this tension causes will only be to our detriment. 

We are up against odds that are already stacked out of our favor, we don't need to make it any worse.  If we live, then there will be time to sort out moral differences."

[Trax]

Now this was interesting, the rebel thought as he stood casually and relaxed beside Nightshade.

"This is a war, we're soldiers in it and they're the enemy." Trax began, his voice calm and devoid of any emotion, despite the anger that had consumed him moments ago.

"My personal feelings aside, I'm still not going to risk having any survivors flank us when we're already engaged with another squad and who knows what else.  You said it, the odds are already stacked out of our favor, to let the enemy shift those odds even further in their favor is idiotic.  And we don't have the time, and can't waste the medpacs sedating all of them." Trax paused briefly.

"Let me ask you something, we make it to the throne room and run into the Emperor.  In the fight that ensues, he's knocked unconscious.  Knowing all the evil he's done, all the millions of deaths he's responsible for, all the evil he will continue to do and all the millions of deaths he will continue to be responsible for, are you going to just walk away and accept that all those millions of innocent lives will be lost because some people don't have the stones to do what has to be done or are you going to finish the job?"

[Niil Spaar]

Niil shrugged, and replied in a calm voice,  "That's a hypothetical situation, and one that will be dealt with if and when it happens.  I've seen the Imperials commit some nasty horrors, too . . . hell, we all have . . . but we can't let ourselves drop to their level." 

Pointing in the general direction of the cell blocks and throne room, he added, "Trax, those senators are the greatest hope of actually getting a full-fledged rebellion going against the Empire.  If we can get them out of here.  If we do, they're going to need to rely on people like us to make others see that the Empire can be defeated - providing that we can bring them all together in a common cause.  Like it or not, we're also going to be acting as role models for the Rebellion, and that means showing people that we're nothing like the Empire they fear."

[Nightshade]

"Do not misunderstand me," Nightshade replied, with no emotion in his voice either, "I understand your points and agree with them.  My point was to emphasize the need for harmony in our group to avoid a lack of focus in the now.  Let's win our fight and then worry about the future and who needs killing.  Getting into a moral discussion now risks fracturing our unity and takes time we don't have."

[GM Craig]

Ch'lana places a hand on Niil's shoulder, and shakes his head.

[Keshani]

Keshani stood looking back and forth between the three men. She hated the Imps. That she knew. Shooting them at point blank range while they were already stunned....that she wasn't sure about. But she DID hate them.

Flashes back to the past few months flew through her head as she stared back and forth between Niil and Trax and the Ninja (she couldn't remember his name).

She was starting to feel impatient. Danny needed to be rescued. And these Senators they were all talking about.

But standing here wasn't getting any of that done.

"Um. Guys? Can we be finished with the philosophical discussion here and go rescue some people? I really would like to not be here forever..."

Part of her was just being a teenage brat. But there was something serious in her voice, as well. She really wanted off this Station....

[Collan]

Collan looked to Nim and Keshani.

"Trax...think about this. If we stop to shoot every stormie dead that's down, we're wasting time. We need to keep moving and do only what is absolutely necessary to rescue the Senators. We have non-soldiers here and movement is life for all of us."

[GM Craig]

Ch'lana tosses a sharp glance at Collan.

[PM sent to Nim.]

[Trax]

"Keshani is right, we're done, it's time to move."  Trax was obviously annoyed at this point and he looked at Nightshade.

"I appreciate your tact but I'm not taking any chances." he said before turning to Niil, Collan and Ch'lana.

"Those who want to avoid losing focus or having their delicate morals hurt, make sure your target is dead before it hits the ground."

The rebel turned to Nim, he was worried that her hands starting to shake, they had to finish this before it got worse.

"Ready to move?" he asked the woman.

[OOC: Did Buzz's scan find any life nearby?]

[Niil Spaar]

Niil's eyes hardened as he shot Trax a glare, but he didn't deign to respond to Trax's insult.  Blow it all off like an alcoholic that won't admit that he has a problem if you will, Trax, but personal pain or not, I'm not going to let you jeopardize this mission because you want to drink Imperial blood.

He turned his attention to Keshani and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring grin.  "True enough.  Let's get motoring."