Keep a Foot in the Stirrup

[Arrbi Betna]

Betna shut off the speeder bike and hopped off, dusting himself off as he went. He'd made the journey all the way out here to see the new breakthroughs his clansmen had developed at the Betna clan facilities on Myrkr. He'd come alone half because there wasn't a huge need for anyone else to come with him and half because he knew his wife and daughter didn't particularly like the planet. Myrkr and Force users just didn't work out in most cases.

He started off towards a nearby building when a figure opened the door and waved. Betna waved back at his cousin and closed the distance between them in a few moments. He gripped his clansman's hand in greeting and grinned.

"I came as soon as I got your message, Mhrven," Betna said with a chuckle. "Honestly I didn't think you'd have them set up so quickly. How'd you do it?"

Betna's cousin, Mhrven, shrugged for a moment, a broad smile on his face.

"To be fair, a few of us were tinkering with the idea for the past few years for the fun of it," he said as he gestured for them to move towards yet another building at the Myrkr homestead. "When you called and asked to see what we could do for a long term plan, we realized we kind of already had what you needed. All that was needed was to put them through their paces and see how they did. Since it turned out so well, we gave you a call."

"Great minds, Mhrven. Great minds," Betna said with a laugh. He clapped his cousin on the shoulder with a boyish grin. "Well, let's see how you and your lads have done. Let's go see this new breed of Vornskyr."

 

[Arrbi Betna]

Mhrven lead the way into the barn and directed the pair towards one of the many stalls inside the building. The two stood at the stall door and looked in at the creature within for a moment before Mhrven snagged a small tidbit from his tunic pocket.

"Here you go, Ad'ika," he called into the stall, his tone light and happy before tossing the bit of dried meat inside. Before the bit of food could hit the ground, the creature snapped it out of midair and munched, a mild purring noise emanating from it's throat. As it finished the meal, it moved to the door where the two men could see it better, hoping for another treat.

"That's twice the size of a standard Vornskyr," Betna remarked, mildly amazed at the size of the creature. "And those teeth look absolutely nasty."

Mhrven's only response was to nod in agreement for a moment before reaching a hand through the stall bars to scratch the gigantic Vornskyr behind the ears.

"She's a little over fifteen hands tall. About a hundred and fifty or so centimeters. A good size for what you want this type of breed to do, I think," he said happily as he fed the Vornskyr another meaty treat. "We put her through her paces and she can carry a warrior in full armor and weapons with almost no noticeable difference in speed or agility. She's nimble, too, and vicious with those teeth and her claws."

Betna crossed his arms for a moment and thought quietly as he looked at the Vornskyr inside the stall. After a little bit, he reached a hand through and waited a moment, letting her sniff at the limb to get accustomed to the smell. It was a standard method of helping a creature be more at ease with being touched or handled. You let it sniff and identify you and then you were at better odds to touch the creature. Normally, it wasn't hugely important when dealing with some livestock, but when it came to predators it was a good way to try and preserve a limb.

"Think you can show me how she handles?" he asked his cousin as he reached forward into the stall and scratched at the Vornskyr's muzzle.

"Of course," Mhrven said with a huge smile.

 

[Arrbi Betna]

Betna watched from the edge of the ring as the Vornskyr was put through her paces. The rider wore full beskar'gam and carried a sidearm, but carried no other weapons. He suspected it was out of practicality on short notice. The Vornskyr wore typical saddle and riding kit complete with a modified bridle to control the beast. It seemed content to listen to its rider without issue and moved easily and with a purpose.

It was a strange thing, really. Most riding mounts were some form of herbivore or omnivore. Very rarely were carnivores used in the galaxy as a form of mount, but here one was. It was almost surreal, but the proof was before him.

"How fast can they go?" he asked as the rider put the beast through a few more maneuvers, each more complicated than the last. Mhrven whistled and called out to the rider who nodded once and the maneuvering stopped.

The ring was less a ring and more a fenced in area used to ride in. It was far longer than it was wide and from the body language of the rider and the mount, both were hoping Betna would ask to see what they could do. He chuckled to himself and waited to see what the pair were capable of.

In a flash, the Vornskyr bolted forwards in a spray of dirt and sod. The creature moved less like a horse that Betna was familiar with and more akin to something more like an Akk dog on the chase. It was a bit odd to see, but thrilling all the same. He figured the gait may cause problems for the rider, but it seemed the armored man on the Vornskyr's back had no issues so far.

The pair dashed down the ring before turning and galloping back. They flew past Betna's place on the side of the ring and made another lap around before skidding to a stop a few meters from Betna's feet. He laughed and clapped his hands at the pair's successful attempt to show off and looked at his cousin.

"Okay, you've sold me on them so far," he said, still laughing. "But how well do they work as war mounts and how do they handle with barding?"

 

[Arrbi Betna]

"Well," Mhrven said after a moment. "We don't have any armor made for them right now. At least, none specially made for them. We've tried regular horse barding, but those don't quite fit, really. We've been making do with some weighted sacks and some sheet metal mock-ups."

Mhrven waved at the rider and jabbed a thumb at the next field where what looked like a few dummies and other obstacles could be seen.

"As for working as war mounts, they actually do very well. They may not be able to kick with the concussive force of your standard horse, but they don't really need to. The claws and teeth, you see."

The rider moved to the next field and stopped the Vornskyr by a raised platform. Betna watched the man snag a weapon from the ones arrayed on the high table before moving to the end of the field.

"Now, the beasty has a pretty smooth gait," Mhrven said, nodding at the rider who took the cue and got to work. "I've ridden those bev'uliike on occasion and while they're some sturdy animals and devastating on the charge, keeping that lance on target takes a lot of practice and intuition."

The rider moved his mount forward at a walk and then a trot. Up ahead was a dummy set up like a foot soldier complete with mock armor and helmet. Betna saw that the lance never truly wavered even when the Vornskyr made it up to a gallop. When the point of the lance made contact with the dummy, Betna saw that the rider had managed to place the lance-tip just below the throat, but above the breastplate of the dummy's armor, something even the most talented and experience bev'uliike riders had a hard time doing.

"With this Vornskyr breed, the gait is smooth and steady with almost no rolling or bouncing. It takes a little to get used to, but you can see that once you do the lance doesn't move. It becomes an extension of the arm, more so than on most mounts. You can guide the business end into the little weak points of the armor you couldn't reliably do with other, heavier mounts."

 

[Arrbi Betna]

The rider moved back to the weapons and put the lance back where they'd found it. In its place, they pulled a beskad from its sheathe and moved back to the starting point.

"As for more mundane melee weapons, that smooth gait helps keep the blade where you want it," he said, gesturing to the rider once more. "Gives you a lot more precision, which is nice for when you need to strike at a weak point or, more often, deflect or block an incoming strike."

The rider built their mount up into a gallop once more, the smooth gait making the two seem to be gliding over the ground rather than running full tilt. They met the first dummy head on and he saw the glint of a swung beskad for a brief second, and then the two were past and on the second dummy before the first one's head could hit the ground. Rather than move to one side or the other to allow the rider room to swing, the Vornskyr instead leapt upon the dummy, sending it to the ground. Sharp claws pulled at the makeshift armor and ripped the dummy's armorweave hide while the beast's teeth tore and shredded the dummy's throat. Almost as an afterthought, the rider flicked the blade out at the third dummy standing beside the second. The light glinted once - twice - and then Betna could see the falling straw emerging from the deep gashes on either side of the dummy's neck.

"Like I said," he cousin continued as the Vornskyr and rider finished up and moved back to the table. "They may not be able to kick and split a skull like a horse can, but those teeth and claws more than make up for it."

 

[Arrbi Betna]

"Alright, but what about weapon fire?" Betna asked, gesturing at the sidearm the rider wore. At this, Mhrven whistled to the mounted warrior who only nodded once in response.

The blade was put away and the rider took up a slugthrower sub-gun, letting it rest across the saddle as the Vornskyr moved to the start position. At Mhrven's second whistle, the rider and mount took off on a course perpendicular to the few remaining dummies. The rider shouldered the submachine gun and took aim, the muzzle wavering only little as the Vornskyr galloped along. Bursts of fire stitched downrange, the puffs of impacts clearly seen as bullets punched through armorweave and makeshift armor alike as other rounds kicked up sod and dirt behind and around the targets. It wasn't the most accurate of fire, but from the back of a moving creature at a full gallop it was accurate enough.

The magazine spent, the rider pulled their mount around as they reloaded the weapon. Once more at the start point, they waited for another signal from Mhrven before springing into action once more. This time, rather than gallop full tilt for another barrage of fire, the Vornskyr dropped to the ground and lay there on it's stomach while the rider slid off the saddle and dropped behind the body of the mount itself. The sub-gun was leveled across the leather saddle to brace the weapon and more bursts of fire streaked downrange. More accurate this time around, most of the rounds hit true and at least one dummy fell, the supporting stake broken in half from the slugs tearing through.

"Okay, you got me," Betna said with a laugh. "Seems they handle gunfire just fine with some training. I like that it seems like a stable firing platform with some skill and adjustment to the gait, too."

 

[Arrbi Betna]

His cousin grinned once and jabbed a thumb at the ring.

"Wait till you see this before you're impressed," the man said before whistling to the rider once more.

The man nodded and hopped back upon the saddle as the Vornskr stood and moved back to the starting point. Only two dummies stood untouched at the end of the arena, the mocked up armor glinting a little in the sunlight. The rider set down the sub-gun and picked up the beskad once more.

At an unseen signal, rider and mount burst forth in a blur of motion. Betna watched as the rider kept the blade held even and ready to strike, the weapon singing slightly in the wind. As the dummies neared, he almost did a double take at what happened next.

The rider kept the blade even, but let go of the reins entirely. Instead, using his off hand to pull the sidearm on his hip from the holster. With both hands holding a weapon, normal mounts would have become aimless or deviated from the charge, but the Vornskr kept galloping forward without urging. As the dummies grew nearer, the rider moved finally, his motions fluid. His off hand rose and leveled before the blaser pistol barked once, the bolt clearly hitting the first dummy's head and setting the impact site aflame. Almost as if it was but a continuation of the first move, the saber flicked out at the second dummy as the pair passed. No reins control, but the rider had still managed to down two targets with ease using only his legs, or trust, to guide the mount.

As the rider moved to exit the arena, Betna chuckled to himself and clapped slowly.

"Alright, you got me. I'm very impressed."

 

[Arrbi Betna]

"So," Betna said as he and his cousin headed towards the main buildings of the facility. "The creature is perfect for what we need and actually exceeds... every possible expectation. Anything special we need to do to take care of them?"

Mhrven nodded once and thought for a moment before speaking.

"Just a bit. They keep a little like a mix between horses and possibly wolves, I'd guess. They need room to move and exercise, but somewhere to stable them in bad or cold weather. Obviously they're carnivores, but some of my clansmen were fiddling a bit with making a sort of dry food for them. Something that'll store well and keep them fed and healthy without having to find red meat each day."

The reached one of the buildings and Mhrven poked his head into one of the doors and shouted a few chores for the workers inside to complete before continuing.

"They need basic medical care, maybe a little grooming on occasion. Unless they sit for a while, no need to trim their claws, just check the pads for any injuries. Just watch their food intake and keep an eye on their stools and you should be okay. I can have some of my warriors write it all out into a manual for you to copy and reproduce, just in case."

 

[Arrbi Betna]

"Makes sense," was Betna's only reply for the moment. "Anything else we should know about them?"

Mhrven scratched at his head a moment as he thought, leading the way towards one of the largest buildings on the homestead. It was easily the size of a starship hangar, but the lack of bay doors spoke of a different use.

"Just one or two. We used the domesticated Vornskr as the species base, so they don't have that poison tail the undomesticated species have, so that's a bit of a boon and a downfall at the same time. Otherwise, they're just like your typical domesticated vornskr, just really big."

Betna nodded once, then stopped, his brow furrowing.

"Just like a typical domesticated Vornskr? So, that means..."

"Yep, they hunt using the Force. Now, they're not going to go crazy and attack a Force User, they're more docile than that, but... it's a bit odd, really. In a fight, I figure they'll home in on a Force sensitive they figure is an enemy and therefore fair game - they are pretty smart critters, after all. As for handlers, well... They tend to either really like or really dislike Force sensitives on a person by person basis."

"Which means?"

"Well, the way I figure it is that if the Force sensitive treats them well and cares for and about them, they reciprocate in kind. If not, then they don't and will tend to lash out. It's kind of like how you'd treat a horse well or poorly, just... magnified a bit."

"I guess it makes some sense," Betna said with a shrug. "So, about how many of these mounts do you have ready to go?"

 

[Arrbi Betna]

Mhrven said nothing at first and instead gestured to the large building ahead. Betna frowned slightly, unsure of what his cousin was trying to show him. The reached the doors of the building and Mhrven stopped for a moment before turning to look at Betna with a wide grin from ear to ear.

"Well, cousin, you tell me."

With that, the door was opened and Betna was ushered inside. What he saw slowly gave him a grin just as wide as Mhrven's.

What was thought to be a hangar was instead a massive facility dedicated to the breeding and housing of scores and scores of the new vornskrs. Rows upon rows of the beasts sat in stables, some being fed while others were cared for. All in all, it seemed that Betna's question had indeed been answered. He turned to his cousin and laughed aloud.

"Well," Mhrven said gesturing to the scene before them. "Let's get started, eh?"