I thought you'd be taller

[Nekromonga]

The Banshee

Paladin Consortium

Kreiga. Her name was Kreiga.

This was the name of the Mandalorian woman Cas had found, dying in some forgotten back alley of Coruscant, beaten to death by some Trandoshians with clubs. The Mando had killed a dozen of them with her bare hands, when her blasters ran dry and her knife knocked out of her grip. Her body was lost to the mutants and the ferals, but her armor, her weapons, her identity- survived.

Today her armor and weapons were worn by Casandrae Vau, a nobody from the bowels of the apparently most populated core world. By virtue of her armor alone, the Consortium saw fit to lavish her with work, to earn obscene amounts of credits she'd never even thought she'd see in a lifetime. And of course it would- the woman she was impersonating had made a name for herself, killing Jedi, Sith, Rancors, Assassin droids, blowing up a sarlac- and many more- Kreiga was some killing machine who's reputed to have killed at least one of every species ever known. Cas meanwhile had more fingers on her hand than number of alien species known, given how human-centric her part of the undercity was.

Arriving on their Capital Ship on a private lander, Cas was in complete awe of space, and all the... open space in space. All her life before this was cramped corridors and crowds- she felt uneasy with so much room for equipment to move around. She was led to a hangar-side office to await her official welcome into the Consortium. There she saw more food- real food- than she'd ever did in her life, and found herself wolfing down the exotic fruits and dried meats, the names she didn't know of. She stared out the large window as they were leaving Coruscant. The world that was so big to her now seemed so small.

 

[The Banshee]

OOC: when you tag me next time, put @ in front of my name. Just linking it won't send me a notification

The Smuggler's Envy

The Smuggler's Envy was a Consortium Corvette hovering over the Sith capital of Coruscant. It wasn't there to attack anyone, it wasn't there for war. It was there to pick up some big shot bounty hubter with a desire to become a Paladin. So then brought the question: why the karking hell was Axel there?

The dar'manda Paladin sat cross-armed on the ship's command bridge, pondering that very same question himself. Why was he here? He could be off killing insurgents, but instead he had to be Janus's welcoming mat. Of all the Paladins the CEO had to choose from, the Banshee was one of the least suited to play meet and greet.

"Sir, transport shuttle approaching."

Axel snorted derisively, it was obvious he couldn't care less what the shuttle was doing. As a matter of fact if Janus hadn't given him this task himself, he'd be halfway to Ord Mantell by now. However, he had a job to do first.

"Let them dock, prepare an escort."

[member="Nekromonga"]

 

[Nekromonga]

[member="The Banshee"]

Cas finished stuffing her face when the pilot informed her of their proper arrival. She wore the helmet and secured it to the suit.

Show time.

The shuttle's bay doors lowered, and Cas took a deep breathe. She began walking down the steps, taking in the view of the main hangar. She controlled herself and kept her focus, meeting the gaze of the much larger Mandalorian meeting her.

She thought of something tough to say, something the Mandos would, but nothing quite came out that felt appropriate. She found herself especially disadvantaged when she was looking up at the Mandalorian, probably a real one, a foot taller than her and probably twice as wide. Axel was probably more informed about the archaic Crusader pattern armor, really old school Mandalorian Iron Skin, she wore than Cas herself.

"Uh... nice ship." Cas mentally facepalmed behind her helmet. Nice Ship? may as well say nice guns too. She sighed quietly and awaited judgement, gripping her triple-barreled blaster carbine.

 

[The Banshee]

OOC: Nailed it on the tag

The exiled Mandalorian raised a sarcastic eyebrow at her comment. Her voice shook as she spoke to the experienced warrior. The famed bounty hunter was nervous in the presence of a fellow Mandalorian and Paladin. Yep, Janus sure knew how to pick em.

The warrior would gesture to two armored Paladin vanguard knights next to him. "These knights will escort you to your chambers. We'll have a chat after we leave OS space. Until then, sit tight. I'm Axel Vizsla, acting commander of this ship." His tone didn't give off hostility towards the woman, just indifference. He wanted to make it painfully clear to her that he didn't care who she was or what her accomplishments were. She was just another merc in his eyes, much like himself.

[member="Nekromonga"]

 

[Nekromonga]

[member="The Banshee"]


OS? Coruscant was in OS? Cas had a ton of catching up to do. She didn't know and didn't care who was on top of Coruscant- only that she and many countless others languished at the bottom... but no more. Starting today she was going to be a traveler. Cas audibly cleared her throat, made it seem like she had voice trouble. She spoke a bit more confidently. "Axel Vizla. Got it." She concluded he was the stuck up one.

Wordlessly she followed her escorts to her quarters, eyeing each of them. Real Mandos were bigger, it seemed, and probably no slouch with their weapons. The Knights however, had a bit more humor.

"Pretty old armor for a Mando. Your grandma wear that to her wedding?" He quipped, getting a laugh from his fellow knight as they made their way to Cas's room.

Oooh burn. Cas needed a comeback. "She did. She also made sure your Twi'lek grandma was naked on her honeymoon." The two burst out laughing, and Cas immediately found some rapport with them. She got their names, and Cas now had two friends to exchange inappropriate jokes with.

Once she found her room- her own room- Cas couldn't help but be in awe. It was a palace compared to her apartment, where she had to share her bed with her smaller siblings. She removed her helmet and quickly accessed the archives, trying to get some news on current events, and probably on Mandalorian culture as well.

 

[The Banshee]

The Paladin knight returned to the command bridge, where he would resume his position in the captain's chair. He was planning on having an interesting little chat with the female bounty hunter soon enough, but he was more concentrated on the task of getting them out of OS space for the time being. "Prepare the ship for a jump to hyperspace. Set navicomputer coordinates for Ord Mantell." The ship's crew would immediately begin bustling about, flipping switches, pressing buttons, and crunching numbers. A minute later the lieutenant would give Axel the thumbs-up, and the captain would reply with a curt nod. The lieutenant announced in the ship's intercom that they were preparing to jump, and would initiate the sequence moments later.

The stars in front of the main windows would begin to turn into white streaks as they made their jump. There was a momentary jolt as a result of the sudden acceleration, but everything was smooth from there on out. As soon as their jump was fully underway, the Banshee would get up out of his seat. It was time to properly meet this new recruit.

[member="Nekromonga"]

 

[Nekromonga]

With access to a computer, Cas inserted the dead Mandalorian's data-slate to get a better idea of why she was down in Coruscant.

"844 ABY. Kreiga Anim, last of her house, Mandalorian Chronicler. I have come to Coruscant in search of five wayward Mandalorians at the behest of their families to learn of their fates. Interstellar communications have become infrequent, and there has been an interest in the home world to bring back those of Mandalore. I have been charged..." Cas fast-forwarded through the personal log.

So... she wasn't some random bounty hunter, but someone who was there to find other Mandalorians for posterity. Just great... it was bad enough she had to put on some dead girl's armor, it turns out it was some kind of cultural expert, a keeper of Mandalorian culture. This partially explained the archaic design of her suit. She sighed as she looked at the T-visor helmet. She searched the holonet for references to Mandalorian culture, coming up first with the galactic map that recognized the parts of space that the faction presided over. That was when the speakers throughout the ship announced the Jump.

"All hands, prepare for hyperspace jump. 5...4...3...2...1..."

When it was all over, Cas blinked, feeling like her guts were still on the bed while she had moved a foot to the left. So this was... space travel. She once again composed herself, barely, going for the helm under the arm look and heads out the door and into the ship's corridors.

[member="The Banshee"]

 

[The Banshee]

The Mandalorian of Clan Vizsla strolled down the Corvette's white corridors, giving a small nod every once and a while to a passing knight. Not so long ago, he had felt that the Mandalorians were his family. His main family. His only family. Now, he embraced the Paladins as his new kin. They were his brothers, his sisters. Soon, this bounty hunter would feel the same way.

He would see the enigmatic new figure waiting outside her room for him, helmet tucked under her arm in the typical Mandalorian fashion. The armor she wore was far outdated, looking like it belonged in a museum more than it did on her small body. He would give the notion a mental shrug. If she wanted to put her life on the line by wearing some lame armor, then so be it.

He would walk up to her, hand reaching for his vibodagger in a nonthreatening manner. He would twirl it between his fingers, a pastime he usually employed when he was bored. He would nod towards her before speaking in his rough Mandalorian accent. "My name's Axel, callsign Banshee. You're the bounty hunter Kreiga, right? What're you up to on Coruscant?"

[member="Nekromonga"]

 

[Nekromonga]

Cas decided then and there she'd have to learn a bit more before fully embracing the Kreiga identity.

She'd go with technically-not-lying, and actually went with the events that unfolded. "A few odd jobs. Getting better acquainted with close quarters combat in the undercity. Introducing some Trandoshians to my little friend." She pointed to the blaster carbine. It had traded range and accuracy for sheer firepower and volume of shot, useful in cramped spaces. She made it sound like she was there for employment and live-fire exercises. Yeah, that sounded tough. And Mandalorian.

"And how about this outfit? Whose wars are we fighting, Axel?" . She shifted the conversation to some essential questions to help her instead. "... How about we talk it over some real food? if I have to see one more loaf of instant bread I'm going to puke in my helmet." She may as well. Nothing good lasts forever, and Cas believed in making the most of a good thing.

[member="The Banshee"]

 

[The Banshee]

Axel eyed the blaster rifle, nodding with respect. Such a weapon would indeed be ideal in the undercity of Coruscant. It was cramped quarters down there, and most armed encounters would be close to mid range. The weapon was a wise choice for such an environment, the bounty hunter seemed to know her guns. However, many of the Consortium's jobs involved fights that took place in not-so-tight spaces, even full-on field battles on occasion. She would probably have to visit the armory and pick up some more range-suited assault rifles for such circumstances.

He would listen to her questions, taking a moment to admire his own skills and tricks with the dagger before choosing to answer her. "We fight for the highest bidder. And you're welcome to go to the mess hall if you want. In thirty minutes meet me in the storage supply room. If you need directions then ask around." The storage supply room had been just cleared out on his orders, all the supplies moved into the already-cramped corridors. They'd be using the room for something else today.

[member="Nekromonga"]

 

[Nekromonga]

So far so good. Looks like her time as a ganger proved far more useful than that she thought. The promise of more weapons assured Cas, though the thought of visiting new locations terrified her as it did excite her.

Cas kept up a stoic face and nodded to Axel. "See you there half an hour." She headed to the mess hall to get better acquainted with 'real' food from all over the galaxy.

Once Cas had her fill, she proceeded to the supply room with directions given by support staff. Identifying it none too difficult, seeing that the uniformly grey plasteel crates and barrels of supplies had been moved into the corridors. She squeezed past a particularly big crate and into the emptied out chamber, wondering what was next. Was it some kind of demonstration of her skills? Were they going to test her? Guess she'd find out.

[member="The Banshee"]

 

[The Banshee]

[member="Nekromonga"]

Inside the emptied room lay a full weapon rack attached to the wall, as well as a few human-shaped targets and a wrestling mat in the middle. It would become obvious that this was indeed a demonstration of the girl's abilities.

Axel leaned up against the wall, blaster rifle at his side. He was now wearing a white tank top and faded cargo pants, much more comfortable attire than he was wearing before. His brown combat boots were worn from heavy usage and extensive training, and his dull durasteel dogtags clanked around his neck as he moved the slightest bit. One could tell by looking at him that he was an experienced warrior.

He would gesture towards a pile of sandbags some 50 feet from the nearest target, which had an ironsighted blaster rifle laying right next to it. His next words carried an imperative tone to them, indicating she didn't e much of a choice in the matter. "Shoot."

 

[Nekromonga]

Cas gulped. A Marksman test? The target was a lot farther than what she was used to. A full length blaster rifle was rare in the undercity and usually only in the hands of security forces.

She went to the sandbags and picked up the weapon, and learned something Kreiga knew that she didn't. The other reason Kreiga stuck to carbines was that the standard blaster rifle's long stock was so large- or rather, Cas was so small she couldn't shoulder it properly, and the long barrel leaned downward.

"Uhh..." Cas looked around for a moment, a bit lost.

"Let me help you with that!" Of course one of the Paladin armorers had to be present and totally helpful with the test. He replaced the stock with an adjustable one, but otherwise it was the same. Gee thanks, Cas thought as the armorer walked back to the weapon pile. Now the weapon was usable, but the long barrel still proved a bit unwieldy.

She opted for a standing position first. Cas's street instincts began kicking in as she channeled Imperial Stormtrooper marksmanship and churned out four quick, successive snap shots that missed the target. Cas took a deep breathe. This wasn't the Undercity anymore. The target was stationary, and the environment was well lit.

Only when she took the time- a lot of time- to aim, considering the barrel, did she manage to connect a shot. Even then, this one just grazed the shoulder. "A little rusty." She piped.

[member="The Banshee"]

 

[The Banshee]

Axel frowned as the armorer moved to help her with the stock. Did such an experienced mercenary not know how to adjust the butt of a rifle? This was embarrassing just to watch.​

​

She would then proceed to fire off a few shots, completely missing each time. 50 feet with iron sights wasn't all too bad, especially with a rifle. She would definitely need more training from the Paladins. Only after a long and concentrated shot did she manage to graze the target. Again, the question was brought up in his mind. Shouldn't a bounty hunter know how to shoot? Maybe the hunter's reputation was built on lies, or perhaps they had picked up the wrong person.​

​

He would lazily gesture towards the target again. Perhaps another go at it would shake some of the rust off. In case it wasn't clear what he expected of her, he would utter a single word. "Again."​

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[member="Nekromonga"]​

 

[Nekromonga]

Cas steadied herself. Remember what Nan taught you, how the security corps trained. "Those boys in their pretty uniforms got this nice range, shooting big stationary targets with longarms. There ever a time you fighting a target that ain't movin..."

She lined up the rear and front sights, focusing on the target. She loosed regular blaster shots, and connected with the target's center of mass- the training bolts mildly scorching the white practice dummies. Her rate of fire steadily increased until she only missed two shots over the next ten or so.

[member="The Banshee"]

 

[The Banshee]

Axel's face showed no emotion as the woman opened fire on the target. It seemed his instincts were correct, another go at it would improve her skills indeed. The shots still weren't great, but they were good enough for the Paladin. She would no doubt hone her skills over time with the rigorous amount of combat she'd likely be seeing.​

​

He would lean off the wall, strolling over onto the wrestling mat. He gestured for her her to drop the gun and join him. She had proven her worth in ranged combat, but what about hand to hand? He would shaken his arms to loosen them as if before a fight, cracking his knuckles and neck as well while he was at it. As she made her way over to him, he would again issue a single command with a grin on his face.​

​

"Hit me."​

​

[member="Nekromonga"]​

 

[Nekromonga]

Cas sighed, looking at Axel. Of course, hand-to-hand. She was not thrilled to fight someone with a massive height and weight advantage, as those things counted so much in melee. She tosses the rifle to the Paladin armorer, who dutifully puts it on the rack. Cas then removed her cloak and folded it.

Cas circled around to Axel's left- she assumed by default it was his less preferred side, and would make using the right arm too far out of reach. No such thing as a weak side when you're fighting. She looked at Axel, ready to deal with Cas from the front. She echoed a saying Nan ingrained in the gangers, and a question to distract Axel. It was worth a try.

"My... instructor... used to teach us... a fair fight is a fight you already lost. Say, where are we going to-" She tosses the cloak over Axel's head and grips his left arm by the wrist, reducing its effectiveness to defend. She delivers a side kick to crumple him at the knee, then leaps up to give Axel a swift punch to the jaw, half power, which would already be enough to ratlle someone. Normally. She leaned her measly 52 kilograms of bodyweight into her attacks, connecting her sharp elbow to a sweet spot above Axel's elbow and pushing to keep him off balance. Only ignorant barbarians traded blows- Cas "interpreted" Axel's command as to 'attack constantly, never giving him a chance to fight back, until he said stop'. and so she kept going for the head with uppercuts, throat blows, hammers to the side of the head and a kick to the knee to keep his footwork wrong. This style of fighting was suited to the smaller woman, as she had neither the strength or mass of her larger peers.

[member="The Banshee"]

 

[The Banshee]

The mercenary took a relaxed combat stance towards the bounty hunter, his arms hanging loosely at his sides. He would wait for her to make the first move, which would turn out not to be too long at all.​

​

Her words distracted him a slight bit, and the coat toss caught him off guard. As it went around his head, he felt her grab his left wrist with her small hand. However, his quick reactions would come into play as he used his hand to grab her wrist as well, making the link a two-way street.​

​

As the cloak was still over his head, he didn't see the kick coming and it managed to connect. However, he purposefully dropped further to the ground than was expected, the punch from the bounty hunter grazing over the top and knocking the coat off.​

​

He could now see, a dangerous thing for the young woman before him. As he dropped, he had yanked her arm down with him. His upper body strength much greater than hers, he managed to pull her towards him before she could recover from the failed punch. He grabbed her pants around the waist with his free hand, and in a display of strength, would scoop slam her onto the mat behind him.​

​

As she lay on the mat for a brief second, the man would capitalize on the opportunity. He push his thigh under her head, so he was now on one knee. In the same brief second, he wrapped his arm around both her neck and his thigh. She was now in a complex chokehold that he had learned from the Iridonians. Fun stuff.​

​

[member="Nekromonga"]​

 

[Nekromonga]

Ground fighting. Cas felt as she was easily manhandled around. She opted to keep him away from her using her legs, using her core to put both feet on Axel's chest, one boot going up to his chin in a kick.

But Cas had already lost at this point. She had no allies to help her out, but it was just for training. She decided to tap out, lighting tapping Axel on the side of his belly. At the point Cas must've accidentally triggered something in the old armor's gauntlets, letting Axle get a glimpse of a very traditional Mandalorian wrist-blade less than an inch from his skin, the matted black blade dull in the supply room's light and having some very fine engravings. Of course, Cas, or Kreiga for that matter, compensated properly for their size and reach disadvantage with technique and dirty fighting. Very dirty fighting.

Once Cas and Axel were on their feet again, she snarked at her new employer. "So, do I pass? or do I also need to put on a foot of height and a hundred pounds?"

[member="The Banshee"]

 

[The Banshee]

[member="Nekromonga"]

Axel would immediately release her as she tapped out on the side of his abdomen. Just as he let her go, he recoiled in surprise as a wrist blade emerged from her gauntlet. He would leap backwards out of reach of the weapon on instinct, reaching for his own vibridagger as well. After a second he would calm down, sheathing the weapon.

"You surprised me with that blade there, this was supposed to be hand to hand. Dirty fighting is fine on the battlefield, but unauthorized weapons aren't appreciated during training. Someone with a little less restraint might have drawn and fired on you for that. And I wasn't expecting you to win, just to show proficiency with unarmed combat. As far as I'm concerned, you passed. Now go grab a wooden practice sword from the rack." It was time for the melee test.