Duel Galactic Kaggath Round 1: CT-312 vs Kudau

[Razmir Tezhyn]

x

CT-312 vs Kudau​

The arena floor rumbled and shook, the entire surface sliding open like a missile silo to reveal… an enormous Wroshyr tree rising up from the lower levels. It towered so high that its upper branches crested the arena and stood nearly eye level with the skybox. It sat upon a grassy, fern littered field. Amid the ferns, shapes prowled. Dangerous predators. Vornskrs. Force hunting beasts.

The boughs of the Wroshyr tree criss-crossed, forming limbs as wide as Coruscanti skywalks that the combatants could duel upon.

Droids hovered in the air around the tree, some with cameras, but many projecting interlinking rayshields so that the duelists could not interfere with the duels of the others. Of course… ray shields could always fail.

If any of the combatants fell to the ground far below, they risked being set upon by the vornskrs.

The announcers’ disembodied voice cut through as the combatants took their places on the boughs of the tree. “Honoring those who fell in the Battle of Kashyyyk between the One Sith and Republic, so many years ago, I give you the FIRST ROUND of the GALACTIC Kaggath!”

“Ahem, I have been asked to read the following for this introduction: ‘If you’re not first you’re last, Bespin gas!’...isn’t that product placement? Is that legal? Oh well, too late now! Debuting in the galaxy’s greatest tournament, it’s CT-312!

“Fighting for his honour and his family, he’s the Hound of Uvena Prime, a wandering hunter who could barely afford his entry fee, it’s KUUUUUUDAUUUUU!

“CHALLENGERS! BEGIN!”

 

[CT-312]

//: Kudau //:
//: Arena, Ruusan //:
//: Attire //:
//: WEARING: Halcyon Armour | Contact Lenses | Wrist Mounted APG | Ancile Shield //:
//: EQUIPMENT: VW 864 Maser Rifle | LK-Sweeper Shotgun | Sunshot Pistol | Shiva Knife | //:
//: ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT: 3x Ravenous Grenades | 2x Kushute Grenades //:
//: 1x Ion Grenade | 1x Flash Grenade | 1x Incendiary Grenade | 1 x Smoke Grenade //:
​

CT-312’s boots settled solidly on the bark of the middle bough. Knees bent ever so slightly, weight balanced. The light filtered from the Wroshyr’s canopy, casting across the surface of the Halcyon's armor camouflage plating. Beige, olive, and faded brown. Blending perfectly into the blotched shadows of the giant tree’s limbs and leaves. For once the Scout’s armor wasn’t sticking out like a sore thumb. The galaxy’s chaotic sense of humor had handed her a battlefield where she belonged.

‘Finally.’ Underneath the helmet, a wicked smirk appeared. Invisible to any onlooker. The camouflaged colors she always don, finally earning its keep. ‘Oh.’ With the new gear, weapons, and equipment— courtesy of Locke & Key Mechanics. ‘This is going to be fun.’ It was solid craftsmanship. The kind of gear that made even nightmares like this feel… winnable. That and a few other goodies Jacen Breska and herself happened to stumble upon. A blast from the past. Dare say, CT-312 started to feel somewhat excited about this whole tournament.

The Halcyon's repulsor pack hummed barely faintly low, standing by. A subtle reassurance at her back, ready for movement or any unexpected fall. Her attention snapped to the other side of the Wroshyr tree. CT-312 could feel it. Seconds later her visor flickered as the HUD’s radar detected a signature. It was towards the same direction where she was facing.

Her opponent, Kudau. A Shistavanen. Predator instincts and all. ‘An overgrown rug.’ CT-312 thought with dry humor. Keeping her focus razor-sharp. She clicked her tongue, a faint Tsk that only the helmet caught. Her gloved hand grip tightened on her weapon, VW 864 Maser Rifle. Trigger finger ready.

The Scout didn’t raise it… yet.

No. This time CT-312 would try a different approach from what she normally did. She would let the beast come to her. Wanting to know what Kudau would do. Would he present himself or go straight for the attack? ‘Come on.’ CT-312 looked as if she was unprepared, but in truth. She was sharp and ready to move at any second.

‘Let’s see how much of a hunter you really are.’

 

[Kudau]

"A hunt..." Kudau chuckled with genuine excitement, and a little bit of gloating, as he talked himself up, "Well, this will either be the most humbling experience to date... or a nice warm up."

As his paws settled on the branches of the trees, he looked down at the forest floor below him. As much as he wanted to have a fight on the solid ground, the vornskrs had made him and his opponent remain in the trees for the time being. As the announcer signaled to begin, he immediately started thinking of strategies to go against his opponent. "CT-312". A clone trooper. Kudau had to suppress the temptation to sniff them out and fight them head on. A clone trooper seemed hardly worth the time or effort for a proper hunt...

But this was not Uvena, and likely, she was not just any clone trooper. His father had told him to never waste an opportunity to be at your fullest. Kudau knew exactly how he would approach this hunt: like any other. He disappeared from the bough he had started on, force-jumping deeper into the forest. He searched for any lead, sniffing the air and listening for heartbeats, until...

(There you are...)

A soft hum, unlike anything natural, came from directly in front of him, causing his ear to twitch. He could faintly smell the fuel from her repulsor pack. Kudau again had to stop himself from cutting the hunt short. He was close enough to dive, claws first, straight at her, but he refused. If she had a repulsor pack, who knows what other goodies she brought to the fight. In terms of gear, she could, and likely was, armed to the teeth.

He calmed himself down. Between her tech and his experience, this fight was getting fairer and fairer. He had to do something to catch her off guard, and that meant using more energy and more of the terrain. With a stronger, faster force jump, he leapt to a bough further away, unknowingly getting off of her HUD...

 

[CT-312]

//: Kudau //:
//: Arena, Ruusan //:
//: Attire //:
//: WEARING: Halcyon Armour | Contact Lenses | Wrist Mounted APG | Ancile Shield //:
//: EQUIPMENT: VW 864 Maser Rifle | LK-Sweeper Shotgun | Sunshot Pistol | Shiva Knife | //:
//: ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT: 3x Ravenous Grenades | 2x Kushute Grenades //:
//: 1x Ion Grenade | 1x Flash Grenade | 1x Incendiary Grenade | 1 x Smoke Grenade //:
​

The roar of the crowd and chatter of the announcers filled the stadium. Noises meant for the audience. Not her. Not CT-312. Training and discipline kept her focus sharp on the task at hand. The Scout waited…

Nothing happened.

CT-312 raised a brow as her HUD flickered. The signature of Kudau vanished. Curious. Why back off? ‘Ah.’ A thought clicked into place. ‘A mutt. Right.’ His senses. A dog’s nose. ‘So that’s his range.’

A shame really. CT-312 wasn’t about to waste the opportunity though. In a smooth, practiced motion, her hands swapped out the sights and attached silencers to her Maser Rifle. She chuckled to herself, ‘I should say hello.’ But there was no rush. The Camo Scout knew that in this arena, even this towering Wroshyr tree could only stretch so far before one reached the end. Weapon primed, CT-312 began to move. Casual, but deliberate towards where the last signature had flickered out.

Her eyes behind the visor noticed subtle details. Leaves out of place. Broken twigs. A few stray hairs clinging to the bark. CT-312 was tracking, signs of Kudau. Her HUD pinged. It was smaller signatures… below.

Peering down, CT-312 spotted two Vornskrs circling in the grassy fern field just beneath the Wroshyr tree. Unable to spot their prey. ‘Speaking of dog…’ Without hesitation, she holstered her weapon and nonchalantly stepped off the branch. Falling.

Deployable gauntlet blades snapped free— deadly and silent as CT-312 descended. Repulsor pack gave out a slight whisper as it softened her landing. The right blade severed the head of the first Vornskr the instant she touched down. Before the second could react, the repulsor surged. Driving CT-312 forwards. Left blade sank deep in the body, the right finishing the job cleanly.

Both beasts fell, motionless.

Crouching beside one of the carcasses, CT-312 wiped her blades clean on the matted fur. A hiss was heard as the blades retracted back. Without a word, she scooped soft grass and soil into her hands. Smearing it across her armor’s plates and joints. ‘Let’s see what happens when the dog has a hard time using its nose.’ The rich scent of the forest clung to her gear.

Repulsor pack ignited again. CT-312 rose through the branches, returning to the middle bough. Weapon out, moving with the same quiet and casual precision. A few moments later, a familiar blip returned to the HUD. The Camo Scout slowed. Rifle raised. Stance low and tight. Each step melted into the shadows of the leaves and branches. She was within average distance of the signature.

CT-312 blinked hard— cyber-eye lenses zoomed in. ‘There you are.’ Spotting Kuadu amongst the branches and leaves around him. Another hard blink— zoom off. ‘Let’s see how you react.' The Scout knelt. Rifle raised, eyes down the sights. Steading her breath. CT-312 squeezed the trigger.

‘Hi.’

A muffled single maser bolt snapped through the air. Controlled and purposely striking the thick trunk near Kudau’s head. Bark and splinters exploded from the impact.

CT-312 watched. Ready.

 

[Mauve]

"Wow look at this, that droid is swooping in pretty low there," muttered the announcer.

The droid did indeed swoop low, something detaching from its underside to fall right in front of CT-312.

"Some sort of... bracelet," the announcer mused, "Huh. You'd have thought he could have just entered the fight wi- I MEAN UH. WOW. LOOK AT THAT! SOMEONE'S BENEFACTOR SHOWING SUPPORT!"

Kudau | CT-312

 

[Kudau]

The shot rang in his ears as it hit the tree next to him as Kudau dodged the shrapnel from the blast. It was then he realized he was completely outmatched in the regards of technology. 312 had benefactors from seemingly across the galaxy, and was armed to the teeth with weapons Kudau could only imagine. The strong stench of blood hung in the air as Kudau snuck in the shadows for his next play.

Then, he realized something: the blood couldn't have been hers, or the fight would be over already. It had to have been the Vornskrs... which means that the previously tumultuous ground was clear for battle. Then, he smelled the sources of the blood stench. He could no longer smell her repulsor, nor the sweat that a move like that would've produced. She must have tried to get him off her trail by rubbing it on her. A novice mistake: now instead of trying to smell her sweat, I just had to find the moving scent of blood... gauging from the distance her blaster fired, and the fact that he hadn't heard her repulsors again, meant that she likely didn't move.

As the drone floated in, Kudau used the distraction to quickly get to the other side of the tree from her. Just as the crate made a loud clank as the drone dropped it, he dropped from the tree, using the noise to muffle his fall. He looked at the back of her helmet, and took a deep breath.

(That tech is nothing to be sneezed at, but if I get in close, I should be able to disable her technology bit by bit. Then... she'll be finished...)

 

[CT-312]

//: Kudau //:
//: Arena, Ruusan //:
//: Attire //:
//: WEARING: Halcyon Armour | Contact Lenses | Wrist Mounted APG | Ancile Shield| Aredian Armlet //:
//: EQUIPMENT: VW 864 Maser Rifle | LK-Sweeper Shotgun | Sunshot Pistol | Shiva Knife | //:
//: ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT: 3x Ravenous Grenades | 2x Kushute Grenades //:
//: 1x Ion Grenade | 1x Flash Grenade | 1x Incendiary Grenade | 1 x Smoke Grenade //:
​

She watched Kudau’s reaction. 'Hmm... off guard.' as he dodged the splinters of bark that exploded from the impact of her shot. He was on the move again. Eyes following. Slipping through the branches like a shadow. Another signal flicked onto her HUD— closing fast. Catching her attention. Instincts took over before a thought could form. CT-312 snapped her rifle toward the incoming contact. Finger right on the trigger.

A droid.

CT-312 swore under her breath. “Are you karking kidding me?” she growled. Annoyed. She swung her scope back toward where Kudau had been. Gone. His signature on her HUD— gone. Again. Slowly becoming more irritated as it boiled in her gut.

Click.

Something detached from the droid and dropped toward her. Reflexively, CT-312 caught it. Inspecting. “Seriously?” Her teeth clenched in frustration. ‘A bracelet.’ They’re advertising jewelry now? What is this? Her position was blown. All for this damned bracelet. A hovering camera lingered. CT-312 waved her hand at it, trying to shoo it away. It didn’t budge.

Her irritation started to simmer into something sharper. Slowly, she turned her helmet—sponsor stickers showing—towards the direction Kudau had last been. CT-312 brought her hand up and gave it the middle finger salute.

Immediately the feed cuts to another competitor.

Slapping the bracelet onto her wrist. The moment it clicked into place, CT-312 froze for a second. It got quiet. Inside. Too quiet. The background hum of chaos from the audience still there, but the strange tension static she felt at times— muted. It was… calming. Weird.

The Camo Scout brushed the feeling aside with a low grumble, focusing back to the task. She moved swiftly from her compromised position, making her way toward where she’d fired. Her fingers traced the small cratered scorched impact on the Wroshyr’s bark. Her eyes spotted more broken twigs, leaves disturbed. “...” The trail led back the way she’d came. A quiet sigh escaped her lips.

‘Not very hunter-like.’ The cat and mouse game was wearing thin. CT-312 holstered her Maser Rifle, swapping it for the LK-Sweeper shotgun. Patience? The Scout could have it. But could didn’t mean would.

This tournament. Annoying.
That damned droid blowing her position. Annoying.
Running in circles. Annoying.

Suddenly, a smirk appeared beneath the helmet. A little encouragement was needed. “Let’s speed things up shall we?” CT-312 took out an incendiary grenade. Make the ring smaller. Primed and tossed it off the branch away from Kudau’s direction. ‘See how you do under pressure.’ As it landed on the grassy fern field below, volatile gel spread in bursts. Igniting the field below.

BOOM. Flames roared to life as it began to consume the field. Crackling and climbing as smoke began to rise. The ray shields sealed it in. CT-312 glanced up briefly. Satisfied. Unconcerned with the smoke with her helmet’s rebreather. As the smoke will thicken over time, filling the arena. A low chuckle rumbled from her throat. ‘Let’s see what breaks first. Your lungs or your nerve.’ Fire would drive the Vornskrs, funneling towards Kudau’s direction.

CT-312 advanced steadily, waiting for the little dog to say hello. ‘Let’s make some noise.’ She raised the shotgun, not even bothering with a clear aim. With each step, she fired a round. Echoing in the distance as it can be heard getting closer. Purposefully missing. The blasts tore through leaves and bark. Kicking up debris and shaking the branches. CT-312’s HUD picked up Kudau’s signature once more as she neared.

Soon the trail stopped at the edge of the bough. There was nothing out of place. “Unless…” CT-312 eyes scanned upward. No trail. ‘Below then.’ Seeing how Kudau still hadn’t bothered to greet her. She took this time to swap out the drum of the shotgun.

 

[Kudau]

As the incindiary bomb exploded, something came alight in the darkness of the forest.

. . .

Suddenly, Kudau's spinning lightsaber came flying full speed at CT-312, with only seconds of it's pulses being heard as a warning.

 

[CT-312]

//: Kudau //:
//: Arena, Ruusan //:
//: Attire //:
//: WEARING: Halcyon Armour | Contact Lenses | Wrist Mounted APG | Ancile Shield| Aredian Armlet //:
//: EQUIPMENT: VW 864 Maser Rifle | LK-Sweeper Shotgun | Sunshot Pistol | Shiva Knife | //:
//: ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT: 3x Ravenous Grenades | 2x Kushute Grenades //:
//: 1x Ion Grenade | 1x Flash Grenade | 1x Incendiary Grenade | 1 x Smoke Grenade //:
​

In the middle of reloading her shotgun, CT-312 swapping out the drum barrel. Her Halcyon armour pinged an alert. The radar picked up an incoming object. Fast. A red flicker in her peripherals. Moving faster than anticipated. Then she saw it.

A red glowing spinning disc.

It was already almost on CT-312. Instincts took over. Training and muscle memory since she was created kicked in. The repulsor pack flared to life, jolting her sideways. The spinning blade screamed past. Too close.

Cleaving through the LK-Sweeper Shotgun effortlessly. As if it was paper. Molten sparks erupted as the weapon was sliced clean in half. CT-312 felt it next. A sharp jolt at her side. Like a punch. Not pain. Just impact.

A harsh metallic shriek rang out as the spinning saber grazed her right lumbar side. Then as quickly as it came at her, it was gone. Spinning off behind her. CT-312’s eyes widened. Her right hand snapped to the impact side. As she looked down, she peeled her hand away. Faint scorch marks. No breach. No blood. Just blackened paint. The Halcyon’s amour held.

CT-312’s gaze shifted to the broken remains of the shotgun in her other hand. Her eyes trailed to where the other remaining half was on the wooden floor. Sliced in two. ‘That should’ve been me.’ She should’ve been dead. If not for Locke & Key Mechanics and their cutting-edge equipment. That would have been her. CT-312 would be lying in pieces next to that weapon.

See a glowstick, make ‘em hurt

Her jaw locked. Jacen Breska words echoed in her head from before the tournament began. Anger didn’t quite cover how the Scout was feeling. This was seething. Tightly restrained rage. CT-312’s face stayed blank. Stoic. Controlled. She’d reprimand herself later. For the miscalculation. The hesitation. Error in judgment.

All because Kudau hadn’t done anything. Until now.

She wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. Remember what she created for. Missions. Battlefields. Duty. Her focus didn’t waver. With a deliberate motion, CT-312 brushed the scorch marks off her armor with her right hand. ‘At least he finally said hello.’ Dropping the ruined shotgun on the ground from her left hand. She reached back, unholstering her Maser Rifle.

CT-312 brought it up. Stance steady, eyes locked in. Primed.
No more warnings. This time CT-312 was going for the kill.