[L18 - Belsavis - FZ] Pharmacy Run (I)

On the harsh surface of Belsavis...

Carm had never felt a bitter cold like this before. High above the insulated cenotes that dotted the planet, warmed by volcanic activity and protected by walls of rock and ice, Belsavis was an icy, snowy wasteland. Most of the population of the planet wisely stayed in those insulated, hospitable areas. It wouldn't have been his first choice to come here, and even less to the freezing surface, but an opportunity to partner with the ruthless Bacta Cartel was hard to ignore.

The Empire had established prisons on Belsavis following the fall of the Republic, and the intel the Flame of Zhar had received from the Bacta Cartel claimed that these facilities had long since been abandoned, filled to the brim with medical supplies and drugs that the inmates had been forced to produce.

The Remnant troopers posted at the blast doors of their targeted facility indicated that the Empire was very much still active here...

"This was supposed to be a blue milk run," grumbled one of Carm's mercenaries. "What are the Remnant doing here?"

Carm flashed a smile, hiding his annoyance at being stuck on this mission with an unfamiliar crew. His brother had promised that Bern was one of his best mercenaries, but Carm found himself wishing he had Gire here instead. However an urgent message from Ka'Pa the Hutt had forced him to rush to Hutt Space, and all Carm could do was hope his brother was safe.

"It's a wrinkle in the plan," Carm admitted. "The Remnant wouldn't be here if that facility wasn't filled to the brim with valuables though, right? That means we're on the right track!"

Bern grumbled, clutching his rifle as he trudged through the thick snow. "Fine. Let's just get this over with, then..."

Carm watched him advance closely, clutching his own blaster even tighter. The presence of these snowtroopers unnerved him. The Bacta Cartel had been closely allied with the Empire they ruled the galaxy. The fact that they didn't know the Remnant was still in control here, or even worse, that they knew and hadn't mentioned it to Carm- that deserved an explanation.

He snapped out of his thoughts as Bern shouldered his blaster rifle, aiming down toward the entrance of the facility. With a sharp crack, the first of the snowtrooper pair slumped back against the rusting durasteel wall.

Carm rushed into the open, bringing his own blaster pistol to bear. He could feel the warm steam from the hot spring before him, relaxing him as he steadied his aim. The second trooper dropped before they could realize what was happening.

Carm turned and motioned for Bern and the other Flame troopers to move forward. "Let me slice this blast door open," one of the troopers called out. These new recruits of the Flame of Zhar were certainly eager.

"So what's the deal with these 'Flame troopers'?" Bern asked, giving a head nod toward the pair working at the door.

Carm shrugged. "The Flame of Zhar has seen a jump in recruitment with our recent expansion and success. With the growing list of enemies we have, it's good to have a standing force. Lady Pria wanted me to bring some of the new folks with us on this mission to get some experience."

It was impossible to guess what was going on under that helmet, but Carm imagined Bern was just as unhappy as he was about the new and unfamiliar faces. He gave Bern's shoulder pad a firm smack. "Hey, we can't all be as brutal and efficient as Gire's infamous mercenaries!"

They both turned at the sound of a sharp spark. "I think I got it!" the trooper yelled back to them. A rumbling mechanical churning led to a hiss as the blast doors began to open.

"Let's get this bacta and get out of here. Spotchka's on me when we all get back to town safely."

Even as Carm said the words, he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was off about this whole mission.

As the doors slowly slid apart, the wail of an Imperial alarm began to grow, red light pouring from the opening.

Oh no...

Snowtroopers rushed toward the entrance, and a blast bolt knocked one of the Flame troopers to the ground. Flashes of red light streamed back and forth as Carm and the rest of his crew dove for cover.

They were pinned down, and only a miracle could get them out this jam...

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Keep an eye out for the next build to see if Carm can get out of this situation unscathed!

This was a fun build to work on snow techniques I started using for the Gyndine episode (a lot, lot more snow!). I actually had started building this before the Path of Water episode began, and unfortunately this build was far too big to be eligible. Hoping to get something built for that as well! 

Speaking of a large build, this is also far larger than my photo set-up/background would allow for, so I went with the old bedsheet method- hoping it still looks good 🙂 As always, I'd welcome any and all comments/suggestions/critiques!