A Sound of Thunder (Mandalorian Raid of Ilum)

[Arrbi Betna]

The insertion had gone flawlessly, the transport without incident. The only warning anyone would have was the sensor contacts as the ships landed and their stealth suites powered down. Few would raid the frozen world of Ilum and fewer still would survive the experience, much less leave intact, but for Betna this sort of thing was getting to the point of regularity.

"<Everyone out, take defensive positions!>" he shouted over their commlinks. There was no real need to raise one's voice over a closed communication line, but not all on this particular raid were battle hardened veterans. Some were fresh-faced warriors, new to combat or still novices to the art of battle. Shouting got their attention. It motivated them. "<Move it>!"

Mandalorian warriors ranging from multiple clans stormed down the ramp even before it had fully dropped, their armored boots crunching in the snow and ice as they took up firing positions around the Orar'uliik. Nearby, other ships did the same, each carried a contingent of warriors for the raid, each a mix of veterans and novices alike. In times of peace, it was customary for new warriors to fight the aruetiise's wars, but with mistrust and paranoia reigning supreme across the various factions, raids had begun to take the place of mercenary work.

Betna took a moment to glance at the map in his HUD, noting the lay of the land. They'd taken scans as they'd entered atmosphere of the terrain, something that he'd taken a moment to upload to his helmet's computers. They'd spotted something irregular in the landscape, something that would almost have to be of artificial construction, and so he'd ordered the raiding ships to land nearby. The momentary glance oriented him to their location and the target's location which brought a slight nod to the veteran Mandalorian.

"<Move to the east, keep your eyes open and trust your gut and equipment. Squad A, you're on point. Squad C, on rear guard. Squad B is to dig in and watch the ships. Squad D on me. Let's go.>"

[member="Sabine Kurtass"] [member="Darian Beviin"] [member="Draco Vereen"] [member="Alec Rekali"] (wasn't sure if you were expressing interest or reminiscing, so I tagged you anyways lol) [member="Melina Tervho"] [member="Marcus Lok"] [member="Brent Warnel"] [member="Saera Willamina Savan"] [member="Sanya Val Swift"] [member="Anija Betna"] [member="Katbirye Rekr"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Draco wasn't on Illum for lightsaber crystals, but he did hitch a ride with Arrbi Betna and his folks, since they were planning something on a planet he was interested in, it only made sense to go ahead and join up. For now, the warrior carried his weapons in their holsters. The Jedi Order may still have a paltry presence out in these parts, but it had been years since the Republic had bothered with Illum. Most of the Jedi in the Republic he remembered preferred to use Rhen Var for its Solari Crystals anyways, and the New Jedi Order was still getting on its feet, not as prolific as the old days.

Even still, there was resistance. Wind chill put Illum at somewhere around negative twenty two degrees, and wind speed of about twenty kilometers per hour coming from the north. Snow and ice whipped across the land, and visibility was low in the dusk sky. Bad weather, but perfect for what he was interested in.

"Alright, I'm gonna set up one click up the slope and two clicks west. Holler if you need me over comms and give me a moment's notice before you bail out." Draco called to the elder warrior leading the separate expedition. He shrugged, pulling the white jakobeast fur coat around him and adjusting his things for trudging through the snow. He didn't really wanna turn on the sonic device or open up the blood and scent packets this close to the ship. What he was after sometimes hunted in packs and had paws as big as a grav-sled, they might tear up the Orar'uliik if they stumbled across it following a trail.

One final check of Myrkr rifle, four extra harpoons, two extra stun cables, and his Orar'sacarhr across his back. For now his beskad was stuffed into his coat as short as it could be so that maybe it wouldn't freeze to its scabard out in the snow and howling wind, and a beskar Chaavla Revolver was on his hip, held firmly in a level three holster. He kept two spare, loaded cylinders in the gunbelts pockets, and four loaded magazines for the myrkr rifle, situated with two tranqarest darts and three AC-RCO rounds each.

The first steps out and the hunter could feel the crunch of snow, sinking half way up his calf as he started his trek up the mountain that overlooked the building the other Mandalorians were planning on searching.

[member="Arrbi Betna"] [member="Vilaz Munin"]

 

[Gray Raxis]

Gray had heard about a run to gather lightsaber crystals from Illum by the United Clans of Mandalore. There had been recent tension between the two groups due to a number of events, but it had started to die down of late. There was also some movement to try to bring a sense of neutrality between them so that there would not be another incident like the terrorist attack on the space station above Mandalore. So in the spirit of mending fences and rebuilding some bridges, Gray had decided to help out as best he could. He didn't need another crystal and didn't care much for the idea of selling any either, but he was interested in checking out the temple the crystal was sure to be located under. He could help with getting in and out of the temple without damaging it or the history inside of it.

Gray came with them on the ship, and as soon as they landed was out in the snow and wind and ice. He was wearing clothing designed to handle the cold weather. He didn't have any armor on under it, but he did have his sword Calm across his back and his lightsaber Whisper hanging on his right hip. He walked out and slightly away from the group. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath of the frigid air. As he did, he began to channel the force through him. He let out the breath and with it allowed the force to expand out as well. He took in another breath and pulled the force in once more. He breathed out and allowed the force to flow out. He repeated the process several times and just allowed the force to begin to show him what to do next.

Gray eventually got a feeling of where he needed to go and opened up his eyes. He walked over to [member="Arrbi Betna"] and said to the man in charge of the raid, " It seems your scans are correct. I can feel a collection of force energy due East. I think it might be a jedi temple. It certainly feels like one. Do you know if we have any other force users coming along that are light side oriented? I might be able to open it up by myself if it is a temple, but it would make things easier if I had assistance." He left it at that. He knew they would make up their own minds on this and likely didn't think too highly on the force. It was just how Mandalorians were after all. The force was not the end all be all when it came to getting things done in the galaxy, and they knew it.

[member="Draco Vereen"]

 

[Titan]

Although tensions between the Empire and the Clans were high, they had cooled down enough to allow them to work together here on Illum. Even though the tempeture was low, and the weather made it impossible to see, it didn't bother Katbiyre as uch as it would bother others. As he put his helmet on, Katbiyre double checked and triple chrecked his gear: His saber, a Tn-3, his custom Eukar'gam, 2 Concord-39 blaster pistols, and a single thermal imploder. He had heard about this raid from a few Members of the Clans and had decided to try and join, after all he wanted crystal's for a new saber and he hoped this was the way to get them. Once he walked out onto the ground, Katbiyre heard [member="Gray Raxis"] say 'Do you know if we have any other force users coming along that are light side alinged?' Katbiyre decided to go with Gray rather than stay here with the people from the clans, "I'm your man then." he said as he raised his hand "Ready when you are." As he chanalled the force he felt a large "bump" in the force to the east, further proving the existence of what may be a temple of somesort. Once he examined Gray more thoroughly, he realized that, though he had his saber, Gray wasn't wearing armor; A strange choice for such a hostile enviroment.

[member="Draco Vereen"] [member="Arribi Betna"]

 

[Melina Tervho]

It was fething frigid.

For the last several months, Mel had been 300 miles north of Keldabe, in the lands of clan Tal'verda, fighting off Death Watch incursions, and doing her part to build the little settlements. When the news of the terrorist attack came to the northern towns, Mel had packed her bags and headed back to Keldabe. It had been quiet enough up there lately that she could devote her time to other ventures.

It was cold in Rikatal, but Ilum chilled her down to her core. The fact that some of the Empire folks were also here made her wary. Things were supposedly being ironed out but all Mel had to go on was whispers and news reports, and neither of those were particularly reliable. She drew her hood up over her helmet, as the orders were given to move.

She was still getting used to a helmet and especially, a HUD, not to mention a heavier load out than an assassin is trained in. However, she was making the slow transition from being an assassin to a warrior. There was a big difference there and the wearing the armor was only a small part. Her Mando'a was also pretty wretched. Back in Rikatal, she trained a young warrior in hand to hand combat in exchange for lessons in a language she had not spoken in decades. She wasn't completely foreign to her mother tongue but after nearly 20 years of not using it, she found it harder to slide back into it and truthfully, she spoke Basic first unless she remembered to speak Mando'a.

Her mother would be so proud.

Sarcasm aside, she had geared up proper for this; thick gloves, thick coat, thick boots and a pair of snowshoes helped her move a little faster than those who did not bring the snow gear. Her blaster rifle was up, but she was not in ready yet. Safety first and all. She was wearing a suit of aliit'gam under the cold weather gear and she felt bulky and restrained by the layers needed in the extreme environment but she moved with squad C, taking position behind the groups and watching the rear of the column as they made for the temple.

Mel wasn't here for the crystals; she had no gift for wizardry. She didn't trade for precious rocks which put her firmly in the "along for the ride" camp. If it was this cold all the time, she could see why the Jedi and Sith would choose to get their crystals elsewhere.

[member="Arrbi Betna"] [member="Draco Vereen"] [member="Gray Raxis"] [member="Katbirye Rekr"]

 

[Darth Banshee]

[member="Arrbi Betna"] [member="Draco Vereen"] [member="Katbirye Rekr"] [member="Melina Tervho"]

Sabine was on Ilum, she was not here for the crystals, as she was not care for them, she had krayt dragon pearls in hers. She was here however to study the ruins, and keep an eye on one particular one, the one she used to switch her body in. As she was not very good at essence transfer, and needed the ruins to help her if she ever choose to do it again. She needed to keep what she had done a secret, so she was going have to make sure the more knowledgeable mandalorians did not stray to much into and ask to many questions.

The planet was one of coldest one she had ever seen, and she did hate the cold so. She did not wear her armour, but a several layers of furs to keep her warm. She also sheltered in a Jedi temple reading the ruins, and trying to find what data she could get, all the time keeping one eye on the sith ruins.

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Arrbi Betna"] | [member="Draco Vereen"] | [member="Katbirye Rekr"] | [member="Melina Tervho"] | [member="Sabine Kurtass"]

The sound of snow crunching beneath hardened boots.
A sigh, followed by the familiar twang of a holster being fastened tight.
Next: the coarse voice grunting out a command to roll out.

Some of his men were known to joke around and laugh loudly during missions, operations or while fighting on the battlefield. It was their way to cope with the usual horrors of war that they encountered on an almost daily occasion - but in the here and now, on a stealth mission… they were below the faint whisper of the wind caressing the snowy mountain peaks.

The United Clans of Mandalore. Ronan hadn’t expected to find himself here with them, not after leaving the Empire behind him, not after hearing from his people that they wanted something different.

But such was the way of the Clan.

Even as the clanfather you listened when your brothers and sisters spoke out, and when they passed UCM territory some of them expressed a desire to see for themselves what the Clans were about.

"Contact." One of them whispered over the comms. This broke Ronan out of his musings and made him look forward: the outline of robes fluttering in the wind was what he saw.

Vizsla instinctively dampened his presence the Force to avoid detection.

"Execute." The command came next.

Almost as instinctively as his dampening of the Force did his brothers and sisters establish a killing ground. Multiple vod finding alcoves to perch on, hidden and cloaked away, but with heavy-duty and silent verpine scatterguns aimed from multiple locations.

Precognition was a fine thing, but once your location was hit from all directions simultaneously... little even a Jedi could do.

Quiet pops in the air was all that preceded the crumbling of the sentry’s form.

"Target down."
"Move up." Ronan relayed back in response, before continuing the path up the mountain.

 

[Nicair Claden]

The Jedi dropped like a stone. Nicair was honored to have been stationed in Squad A, though he was new to a raid he was not a novice to combat, having fought in the underground pits. He felt he'd be able to transfer his skills into war. He was ready to be engaged in true and unadulterated combat, excited for it in fact. He followed the lead of [member="Ronan Vizsla"] further into Ilum, his weather resistant overcoat flowing behind him.

 

[Arrbi Betna]

Betna glanced at the two men that approached, one with a direct question and one with an answer to said question. The thing was, the only needed the temple's presence confirmed. Entry would happen one way or the other. A Force sensitive was nice, but unnecessary. It was a raid, after all. A 'smash and grab' operation, not a clandestine strike.

"You," he pointed at [member="Katbirye Rekr"], the last to speak. He tossed the man a satchel weighing approximately twenty five kilograms as he read the ID that popped up on his HUD. "Rekr, you're in charge of this. We get to the target, work with the demo specialist to set that. Don't lose it, that's our 'key' to get in."

He looked at the other man, the one who's ID came up as [member="Gray Raxis"] on Betna's HUD. The man wore no armor, which wasn't exactly Mandalorian, but Betna knew of others who eschewed the garb of their culture, primarily out of practicality ironically enough. The only thing Betna questioned now was why Raxis did without the climate controlled armor rather than the armor itself.

"Your abilities are noted and appreciated in the event we need them beyond your confirmation of the temple's presence, but thankfully we have something that works just as well to open doors, if only a little messier. Much faster, too. Remember, speed is of the essence here, not finesse. Quick and clean is the key."

Betna looked at the map on his HUD, noting where Squad A had already advanced. He say the flashing icon showing that they'd made contacts, but as the squad kept advancing and no one had reported resistance, Betna assumed it was handled.

"Rekr, Raxis, I want both of you with Squad A. Support their movement and follow Vizla's orders when he gives them. And don't lose that satchel charge," he said with a laugh before tapping the top of his helmet and gesturing to Rekr. "If you do, we're gonna have to use you as a battering ram to get it."

With that, he joined up with Squad D taking up the center of the column. Up ahead, the temple would slowly begin to emerge from the wind and snow and, within it, the goal of this raid became ever nearer.

[member="Nicair Claden"] [member="Ronan Vizsla"] [member="Sabine Kurtass"] [member="Melina Tervho"] [member="Katbirye Rekr"] [member="Gray Raxis"] [member="Draco Vereen"]

 

[Mara D'Lessio Merrill]

[member="Arrbi Betna"] [member="Gray Raxis"] [member="Ronan Vizsla"] [member="Nicair Claden"] [member="Sabine Kurtass"] [member="Melina Tervho"] [member="Katbirye Rekr"] [member="Draco Vereen"]

The Ilum Jedi Temple wasn't built for long-term habitation. It fronted a massive, ancient network of caves where millennia of Jedi had hunted crystals for their lightsabres. There was a small residential area inside -- just some bunkrooms, a heater, enough portable food stores to outlast a long hunt. This was one of the many bolt-holes that Mara's father had established during his six or seven years as Master of First Knowledge. Now some Jedi lived here, took shelter here from the wreckage that had once been the Galactic Core and the Jedi Order. Mara's empathic senses, courtesy of her Zeltron mother, registered quiet despair from more than one of them. They'd welcomed her, but largely left her to her own devices as she chipped and etched blue crystals in the heated common area. Their minds flickered with curiosity, but not enough to ask the question.

Over on the coatrack, where her beskarweave-and-fur trenchcoat hung, her comm buzzed. She rose and went over to the coat, then touched the collar. "Yeah?"

"Mara, it's Eiarra." Her image consultant, personal assistant, translator, majordomo, and occasional trainer in the ways of the Chalactan Adepts and the Theran Listeners. "We just noted multiple sensor contacts on the ground, out of nowhere. Kolatta thinks it was stealth ships decloaking."

Mara hissed between her teeth. "Where?"

"Close by. Due west. There's no question they're here for the temple - or for you."

The Bullet Time was parked just outside the temple, hidden by a thin layer of snow and nothing else. Its crew -- Eiarra, the Zahat'n'iri archer Kolatta, the Asahian swordsman Mukami, the half-Valkyri warrior Styr -- had been with her a long fething time. Underground commandos specializing in pretechnological worlds and low-tech ops, they'd been assigned to guard her; later, they'd become heremployees. Apart from Kaili Talith and the young man currently crouched over Mara's crystal chips, they were nearly her only friends in the world.

"The Bullet Time doesn't nearly have room for the Jedi here." She shared a glance with a long-faced old Anx Jedi Master, who leaned against a nearby doorframe as if malnourished. With a grimace, Mara leaned closer to the racked coat's lapel comm for clarity of pickup. "They have a few younglings and junior Padawans. Kolatta, Eiarra, you two stay on the ship. Mukami and Styr, bring your spears and get in here. We're going to cram as many kids into that ship as we can, then hide in the tunnels."

"That won't be an option, Mara," said Eiarra over the comm. "I'm sorry. They're right on top of us; there's no time and the children would be too exposed. We've got the sensor net and the snow cover; they may not even notice the ship, but if they do, we're fethed. We're coming in."

“All right. Leave the ship under the snow and the net, and get in here. We’ll see what we can do.”

The old Anx Jedi turned away and left. Mara hissed and locked eyes with the young man who'd been helping her with the crystals. No Jedi, this one, not in medieval clothing, not with a spear and a shield to his name right beside hers. Sir Germaine Tionc, Kilian Ranger.

<<Do you feel it?>> he said in the archaic, long-isolated Basic dialect of Kilia IV.

<<What?>> She was stronger than him in the Force, but between her various distractions and the empathic backwash of the despondent Jedi, she wasn’t picking up anything special.

<<An arrival. The Dark Side...and the Light. Together.>>

<<How strong?>>

The Kilian Ranger stood and rolled massive shoulders. <<Strong enough that we should hurry with the evacuation into the tunnels, I think.>>

<<I’ll spur the Jedi along. You go let Eiarra and the rest inside before the new arrivals show.>>

<<Wise division of labour, considering I don’t speak the Jedi language.>>

Sir Germaine slipped into his coat and hefted his spear. Like hers, it comprised a Force-imbued spearhead on an alchemized haft of Ankarres wood. Her crew used the same ones, a gift from her aunt Rave. All of them were attuned to Mara, which had certain implications for how the crew fought and what options they could bring to bear in any given circumstance. Tunnel fighting, for example, would suit the trademark shield-and-spear Kilian combo, but those weapons would only work to best advantage if Mara stayed nearby.

Mara grabbed her own gear and put on her heavy, warm coat. She didn’t bother picking up the crystals on the common room table, or her apparatus. Time was of the essence. Fortunately, for all that the Jedi here were downright despondent, they’d already started evacuating deeper into the caves and tunnels, with packs of supplies. She helped as best she could, using instinctive navigation to keep up with their much better knowledge of the complex underground routes. Their haste increased as the Force resonated with the deaths of Jedi -- those who’d been outside, meditating or on sentry duty. Mara wasn’t sure how the local Jedi managed things. All she knew was that crying Padawans were twice has hard to herd.

Shortly thereafter, Sir Germaine commed her; the Bullet Time’s crew was inside, and the ship was still concealed under snow and a sensor net. But concealment hadn’t been the priority when parking the ship. It would be found, and sooner rather than later, when the intruders located the temple. Styr had fried the navicomputer, so if the ship was captured, Kilia Four, Rebellion Actual, and all kinds of other bolt-holes would stay safe. All the intruders would find would be a heavily modified Rendili microcorvette, crammed with Mandal Hypernautics maneuvering gear and the nastiest escape-and-evasion rig around.

Deep in the tunnels, as Jedi shuffled along and Mara’s crew evaluated various choke points, Mara felt Eiarra’s Force sense shift. The Theran Listener drew a shaky breath.

“I hear them at the door, Mara,” she said, eyes and Chalactan enlightenment studs gleaming in a glowrod’s light.

“Who are they? Who killed the sentries? Who’s raiding the Jedi, has Darksiders, has Lightsiders-”

Eiarra let that breath out and took another, trembling, and Mara realized she'd never seen or felt Eiarra so afraid. “The Mandalorians are here.”

 

[Nicair Claden]

Nicair advanced with the others of Squad A. It had been a clandestine operation so far, the sentries had been eliminated without much of a problem. He had no doubt, however, that the locals probably knew they were here by now, he always assumed the worst when it came to Jedi and the force. He didn't much understand the power, but he had read up enough that he knew in a close quarters fight force users can be deadly opponents.

Nicair wasn't afraid by any means, he wasn't afraid of a fight, or of death for that matter, he simply would rather stay alive. It was an awkward position to live life in but he relished in during the advancement. All the warriors with various backgrounds moving together, molded with each other like a single force, it was a beautiful thing, granted they were far from perfect in their movements as many, like himself, had limited raiding and large group combat experience.

Still, he thought, the rush is getting to me, I feel alive, my body's ready, my mind sharp, and my reflexes are as on edge as possible. All he had to do was wait.

[member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"][member="Arrbi Betna"][member="Ronan Vizsla"][member="Sabine Kurtass"][member="Draco Vereen"][member="Gray Raxis"][member="Katbirye Rekr"][member="Melina Tervho"]

 

[Gray Raxis]

Gray listened to the words of [member="Arrbi Betna"] as he was ordered to join group A. He had been put on point it seems even though he lacked armor. That wasn't going to be much of a problem for him though because of the effects of his imbued sword Calm. It could deflect any blaster fire away from him and if someone wanted to engage him in melee he had both his saber and sword to use. His only issue would be slug rounds, but he looked the least threatening of the group which meant he would be less likely to be targeted. He hadn't done it because he was afraid of getting hit, it was just the likely effects of him choosing the warmth and comfort of clothing over wearing armor. He could be of use though up here thanks to his ability to keep track of the target via the force.

Gray joined up with group A and they approached the temple. He frowned as he got closer and discovered the place was inhabited by other force users. He could feel the force about them, and it made him wonder why they were here. Were these force users after lightsaber crystals as well? What was the United Clans going to do about them? Was this just a coincidence or something more? He didn't know the answers but it brought a frown to his face. This looked bad right now and with how trigger happy some Mandalorians, most of them honestly, could be it would spark in violence before something more peaceful could happen.

Gray got on his com and said to Arribi over it, " The temple is inhabited. Looks like force users. Mind if I go in and get things worked out before we just go in guns ablazing? No need for violence over a few crystals that most people here don't need or want. Sound good to you?" He hoped Arribi would listen to sense and not just go straight to the default violent barbarians most saw Mandalorians as now days. This was a good chance for them to be the kind of Mandalorians who thought before they fought like they were in the past. Mandalorians were more than just warmongering gunlovers. They were honorable, smart, and practical.....or at least they should be.

[member="Nicair Claden"] [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] [member="Ronan Vizsla"] [member="Melina Tervho"] [member="Katbirye Rekr"] [member="Sabine Kurtass"]

 

[Vilaz Munin]

Like Draco, Vilaz had no desire of raiding this planet that was known for its crystals that were used to construct the lightsaber of a Jedi, Dark Jedi, Sith, whatever Force User they were. And like his comrade he was here to hunt some game...dangerous game. The type that makes you run for your life and that makes you be cautious of every move and action you take. That's the type of game these two brave, hardened warriors and hunters were against.

"I didn't know you were a hunter, Draco," the Redneck said to his friend with a tone of musing and admiration. Vilaz himself had been a hunter ever since his youth as he lived in the forests of Concord Dawn to get away from the hectic atmosphere of his own home. He was an inept during the first few weeks of hunting, but over time he became a proficient hunter, tracker, and survivalist. It was also because of this practice made him pick up a crossbow, and made it his primary and signature weapon when in the heat of battle. If there were some things that made this man notable it were the facts that he was a Field Marshal, Alor of House Munin, an expert Bounty Hunter, a promising mercenary, and he would always have a crossbow as his primary weapon.

The Warrior crunched the snow with his boots as he followed Draco to the mountain that overlooked the Jedi Temple that his fellow Mandalorians were planning on raiding for its lightsaber crystals. Orar'bev was on his back and a quill full of arrows were strapped on his left leg. He also had a a beskar plated Chaavla revolver holstered on his hip and the slugs he would be using were AC-RSO rounds. A beskad made of Mandalorian Steel was sheathed and clipped on his utility belt.

They were going to have to bring all the pain to the beasts that they were hunting because these weren't cute, harmless animals that fled from a stalking predator.

[member="Draco Vereen"]

 

[Nicair Claden]

He moved up to the temple with the rest of the group, cautious and precise. He turned his head when he heard one of the squad not wearing armor talk on a comm unit. What's that he heard? He wanted to see if they could talk their way out of fighting? Nicair wasn't sure what he thought of such a thing, he was ready for battle and though he didn't have any value in the crystals themselves, he was hoping he'd be able to trade a few for something of worth or at least find it on his own.

He determined that if someone attacked him he would do the only reasonable thing and strike back, that was a common thing, yes? An eye for an eye, blow for blow. The troops seemed like they were getting restless, T-visors moved around constantly, scanning the horizon, scanning the area, seeking out targets. They were put on point, the psychological implications being that they were some of the most ready for combat group of Mandalorians around, himself included. They wanted a fight, and he'd join them if he needed to.

[member="Gray Raxis"][member="Arrbi Betna"][member="Ronan Vizsla"][member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

"Of course I'm a hunter. We used to hunt people. This is just slightly different hunting." Draco kept moving through the snow, the wind howling across the mountain carrying ice and snow with it.

Draco only knew that there were Gorgodon's that lived here, but that was about it. There were only a few ways to hunt the creatures, tracking them through deep snow rifts and hoping they found signs of the creatures. Locating its nest and waiting for them or killing them in their sleep. Or, like they were going to do, bait and wait.

Gorgodons had excellent sense of smell, so all they had to do was set up downwind from the creatures and the smell of blood and nerf fur would reach them as would the sounds of a wounded animal on the sonic device. The hunters would just have to camp out about a hundred meters away, then wait for one to show itself. At that point, they would start taking shots at the creature.

Gorgodons were nasty, with a good enough sense of smell and hearing to combat creatures effectively and manipulate objects, and hands as big as a grav-sled, which they used to crush or hug their prey to death, either suffocating them or crushing their prey's bones until organs pulped. On average they were very large, about six to ten meters tall. And sometimes they hunted in small family groups, which could mean several of them at once.

Snow crunched under foot, each time sinking half up his calf. The trek didn't take to long for the pair, as it was only a little over two kilometers, which for a pair of athletic men didn't take too long. "Keep to helmet comms. No speaker." Draco said, between heavy breaths as he pulled himself up to where he wanted to set the bait.

[member="Vilaz Munin"]

 

[Marcus Lok]

Since they had first rushed into the snow covered expanse, Marcus hated the bite of the cold wind. He knew very little about the world of Illum besides the fact that the scenery would not be changing much during their short excursion into the wastes, but hopefully it would prove profitable. His main reason for being on this trek was profit after all. With slicing jobs being few and far between, the suggestion to raid a temple offered a chance at some considerable wealth. There weren't just shaved monks in these types of places after all, and with that in mind he had slung a rather bulky backpack over his padded shoulders which also held his datapad, though he hardly expected that he would need it.

He had left his armor behind, in favor of a thick white parka which concealed the extra padding that he wore beneath. Aside from practicality, he supposed that wearing dark armor on a world that was almost exclusively covered in a thick white blanket of snow that was more or less unending would not have been one of his finer moments. The coat kept him warm enough, but he still felt the chilling wind seep in through the exposed area around his face. He began to wonder why so many of his vode opted to take nearly every color of armor save for white... Come to think of it... He hadn't ever seen a Mandalorian wearing white. Most likely for the simple reason that unless you found yourself buried in one of the frostbitten wastelands of the galaxy, you would find yourself sticking out like a sore thumb.

When the ship had landed, he had not been lucky enough to find himself fitting in with any particular group, and thus, had done his best to stick close to [member="Arrbi Betna"] and the rest of "D" Squad. He knew very few of the many that had decided to make the journey, aside from a few familiar faces such as Marshall Munin and Commander Vereen who had promptly trudged off into the snow after they had all disembarked. Asking around, he heard the tail end of an explanation for their trek as being some sort of hunting expedition.

Hunting... What sort of game would find enough to eat out here...

He was all too happy when the order to move had been given, and they began the rather short hike to the temple. From the reports that had come in from the lead units, it appeared as though the resistance was next to none, and the possibility of a sleeping enemy was all too attractive. Perhaps this would be easier than he had thought it would be? Would the Jedi really be so easy to eliminate? Past experience pointed toward a tough engagement, but these sentries were probably too busy relishing in the shelter of the temple than caring about the going on's outside of its walls. Whatever the case may be, he was content to stick with the Marshall until they arrived.


[member="Arrbi Betna"] / [member="Draco Vereen"] / [member="Draco Vereen"] / [member="Nicair Claden"] / [member="Vilaz Munin"] / [member="Ronan Vizsla"] /

 

[Hype Darkwater]

A black Kum'rrk fighter/transport rattles into the atmosphere at high speed. Hype Darkwater checks his scanners as he flies over a seeming battle zone. He eases on the throttle and brings his vessel about and heads for a small range of hills a short way from the combat. Steam hisses out of vents as the fighter rests in the snow. Hype powers it down, but makes sure its on standby. He makes sure he has all of his equipment, before grabbing his X-52 rifle, and heads out.
No sooner had the ramp touched the snow, and icy blast met Hype. Thanks to his armor, he didn't feel it. As he trudged out into the snow, the ramp closed with a clang behind him.
Hype pushed quickly for the edge of the hills. The snow was blinding, and difficult too see through. Hype activated his HUD, and switched to infrared sensors. Then he lay flat on the ground and scanned the perimeter with his rifle scope.

 

[Melina Tervho]

Squad C, bringing up the rear.

The march of the squads before them left trenches through the powder, freshly broken snow where there had been only smooth crests of white and blue. The light of the sun was harsh on the breast of the drifts, gleaming with the crystalline sparkle of ice and blinding to boot. Even behind the HUD, Mel needed to darken her visor in order to get a better contrast on her surroundings. Daylight hunts in winter could be treacherous, the whiteouts could obscure your vision just long enough for your death to overtake you.

She didn't know who else she was assigned with, but they fanned out behind D, moving a little slower and sweeping the sides. She listened to the chatter on the coms, keeping her eyes on the hills all around them. There were people in the temple, there were lookouts ahead of them. It certainly didn't seem like a fortified location, however she didn't know what they would find in the temple proper.

Fighting force users wasn't exactly easy, and even if there was a contingent of them on the Mandalorian side, the best she could do was only support them from range. That was fine by Mel. She had no interest in getting into a fistfight with something that could dodge her swings the moment she thought to throw them.

She was moving to the left side of the column, her steps crunching through the compacted snows when she caught the glint of a scope on the hill. She froze in place, her helmet coms clicking on.

"I've got a possible contact, 10 o clock, ridge crest. I got scope glare, seeking confirmation of contact."

It took a moment for scouts to line up the newcomer but an icon painted his position.

::Target is unknown but we tracked his arrival. We've got eyes on him, possible Kyr'tsad.::

There was a low guttural growl that purred from her throat as she remembered the last raid she pulled with Calico when they assaulted a farm. They slaughtered everyone, even the children. The Jedi temple could wait.

"Permission to investigate."

::Granted. Proceed with caution..::

She cut the mic off and broke away from her squad as they passed a clump of trees. The bushy evergreens had low, heavy branches that kept some of the snows around them less deep, so the footing would be easier if she could pass between and around them up the hill. She shed her snow gear, it was brightly colored and this would require a far more subtle approach.

Her aliit'gam was white, no clan colors on it, no markings, nothing shiny, nothing to attract the eye. She could move faster in just it, as it was a light armor version of the suit. Bare minimum plates, all agility focused.

She couldn't assume her approach wouldn't be watched, but she masked her movements just the same, moving in between the evergreens to keep cover between her and the person on the ridge. The spot he had picked wasn't bad for watching the column of Mandalorians moving through the snows towards the temple, but it wasn't a good sniper position as there was a outcropping up the ridge from him that had a slightly higher elevation but was further out from the cliff edge where he lay.

Mel eased up to the biggest tree in the ground and shouldered her rifle, safety off and finger on trigger. Peering at him from around a large trunk of an evergreen, she turned on her external speakers and spoke cautiously.

"Afternoon friend. Something we can help you with?"

[member="Hype Darkwater"]

 

[Hype Darkwater]

Hype saw movement, just red and purple blotches on his scanners, but he figured he hadn't gone unnoticed. He slid under the powdery snow as he noticed only one came to investigate. He targeted. The target drew close.
"Afternoon friend. Something we can help you with?"
Hype rose from the snow, his scope never losing sight.
"You might", his reply was muffled by the filters in his helmet. "I'm just a bounty hunter looking to make a living in this harsh universe."
He lowered his rifle, only slightly. "Your Mandalorian? Ke barjurir gar'ade, jagyc'ade kot'la a dlyc'ade kotla'shya."

 

[Arage Bao]

The Vanguard of their raiding group had already taken up station around the temple ground itself.

Their presence was already known, but they kept out of sight if not completely out of mind. Their approach had been stealthy and executed flawlessly which made Vizsla proud, but when you were up against the Jeedai you could never be certain of anything.

:: Betna is sending you two more. ::
:: Who? ::
:: Empire, Raxis and another. ::
:: I see. ::

“Claiden, here.” A moment after that exchange Ronan handed the unblooded one of his beskads. Good beskar, bloodied, but there was no rust to be seen and only a few heavy scratches in the metal.

“Good approach.” Word of praise, before the clanfather looked over his shoulder towards the other Mandalorians moving up and joining his ranks, the words of Raxis weren’t lost to him.

He exchanged a look with Betna, then some of his own men. They had already killed three or four sentries, this would not inspire any sense of trust in the Jedi, but then the warrior shrugged.

"If you are fine with it, Betna," Once again Vizsla looked at the temple. It would be a tough one, the temple itself wasn’t the problem, it would be the tunnels underneath where the crystals ran far and wide.

It would be a massacre on both sides.

"Then I don't see a problem with giving the guy a shot."

If anything it would give them some more time to establish their ground. Get all their forces ready and scout out the immediate surroundings to minimize the chances of being attacked in the rear.

[member="Arrbi Betna"] / [member="Draco Vereen"] / [member="Mara D'Lessio Merrill"] / [member="Nicair Claden"] / [member="Vilaz Munin"] / [member="Marcus Lok"] / [member="Melina Tervho"] / [member="Hype Darkwater"]​