Learning under Fire

[Alkor Centaris]

The world through a mechanized simulacra was entirely different from force-augmented reality.

Alkor had learned early on that his senses were far more acute than those of many Force Adepts, and he had honed them to a point where he could pinpoint things from afar, feel the slightest of changes in atmosphere, and even understand when danger was about to strike. The HUD of a Mandalorian Buy'ce was almost the same thing, but for people without that inborn talent. While it came almost naturally to someone who spent their lifetime with armor and weaponry, Alkor had never needed to rely on metal to protect his flesh. The talent it took to master lightsaber combat also afforded a duelist a certain je ne sais quois when it came to saving their own ass. It stretched their speed to surreal levels, and allowed them to bend reality to dissuade even blaster bolts from connection.

To be Mando'ade, children of the Mandalorian culture as Zef explained it, a man needed to rely on skills outside of that. He needed to understand the limits of his own body, and how to properly utilize them in tandem with different tools, armor, and weapons to not outclass an enemy in magick, but to out-think them. Alkor begrudgingly accepted the notion that what he knew was not what was commonly accepted, and decided that to become one of the Crusaders in truth, he would need to integrate with their conceptualization of what combat, and in essence what war actually were. That meant to unlearn the way of the Dark Jedi to a degree, and to channel the path of the warrior.

He already possessed a level of skill without the Force to aid him, but Alkor was woefully untalented with ranged weaponry, and well...

"This thing is kriffing hot," he muttered over the comm, his mechanical voice skewed by the vocal unit. "And I can't see a damn thing beyond a click out." He held the carbine at chest level with the muzzle pointed downward, and his T-visor skimmed across the horizon thoughtfully. "How do you people manage with this layout? I can't even sense the wind changing directions."

"You're not supposed to sense anything, Alk'ika," one of the Crusaders laughed, "the HUD can tell you little things like that. You can give commands verbally, and there are a few facial recognition features you can use to give commands with blinks, retinal movement, or twitches."

"Sounds incredibly redundant," the Jen'jidai groaned. He wore a heavier set of 'gam that [member="Zef Halo"] decided would be useful for teaching him the benefits and drawbacks of armor. It was great in that it provided a level of defense that would offset his reduced speed, but it also caused his musculature to ache which was a new sensation for the Corellian exile. "Doesn't it get confused with little things like that?"

"It's only as dumb as the person giving the commands," another of the Mandalorians snorted. "They tell us you Forcie types are so damn special with your magic and the picking things up with your mind chit, but you can't even figure out a basic HUD." The two shared a guffaw before Centaris stopped and turned his helmeted gaze on them.

"I might not be able to use the Force," he reminded them, "but these carbines are supposed to be geared for punching through armor at range. You're not even five feet from me. I can manage to hit you from here."

"Easy, bur'cya," the first Crusader waved his hands in a warding gesture, "easy. We were kidding around. No need to get so pissed off."

Alkor turned around and started trying to make heads or tails of the Heads Up Display. He started to understand that it relayed a fluid readout of what existed in its realm of vision, and this version only took in a finite amount of data at a time. More Advanced HUDs like the top brass employed had a live stream feed from the HoloNet, full 360 degree range of vision options, scanners that could...

He sighed audibly.

"I respect the difficulty," he called over the comm to Zef, "but I want to go back to just cloak and saber now."

 

[Zef Halo]

#TeamBlueLight


**

The good ol' scoundrel was been double-checking his load out and armor for anything missing or defunct. The HUD would always give him a notification if there was something wrong on his beskar'gam but Zef was a man of the old school, of the old guard. He trusted his own senses more than those of some electronic device. Even if that device had saved his life so many times.

The 'new boy' that had joined the Mandalorian in this operation was one of the three that had tried storming the illegal mining facility on Echoy'la not long ago. Alkor Centaris was the man's name. The little he knew about him was that he had recently become a part of House Verd, the House that his friend Isley led. Zef had taken care of initiating Alkor's life as a Mandalorian.

How ironic.

20 years ago, Zef had been the man trying to escape just this - becoming a Mandalorian.

I guess you never say never.

When the magic using man became aggravated from the rest of the Mandalorians' sharp jokes and he had requested that he goes back to his cloak and saber, Zef chuckled slightly as he shook his head.

"<< Ain't no chance of that happenin', kid.>>" He spoke through the comm, his Corellian accent quite obvious, as his T-visor turned to face the 'fresh blood'. "<< But... y'all stupid or what ? Who the hell gave him a helmet to wear now ? >>"

"<< Why should he not wear it, how is he gonna learn then ? >>" Kveyon, one of the Crusaders, spoke through the comm. The other's body language spoke that they supported that stance.

"<< When did y'all start wearing those buckets ? >>"

"<< What the hell of a question is that ? Eight, obviously >>"

"<< Does he look karking eight to you ? >>"

Silence engulfed the area, either they did not understand Zef's reasoning or they were not in the mood to argue.

"<< Take your helmet off. For now. Don't want to get yourself killed by falling dizzy from all the poodoo that will appear. >>" The warmarshal explained his reason for arguing and the rest of the Mandalorians seemed a bit more acceptable of his orders now. Mandalorian HUDs were not taught in a day. Wearing a full set of non-powered beskar'gam and a Ysalamir to hinder your magic was certainly easier.

The scoundrel hoped that Alkor would realize how easy was losing your life when one did not have the 'gift' of space magic. With a gesture to move out, Zef spoke over the comm.

"<< Get your arses moving, boys. Fan out. >>



[member="Alkor Centaris"]

 

[Keira Priest]

There was the man she had grown tremendously close to over the course of no more than a few weeks, and then there was the one she supposed she should have had more of a bond with, though he was her brother regardless. A handful of other Mandalorians were present as well, and they were all there for one reason: to bring Alkor into the fold, and properly. Of course, the only way to do that was to put him in a suit of beskar'gam complete with an ysalamir, hand him a rifle, and tell him to get after it. It was a strategy Keira approved of wholeheartedly, if only for her belief that the best way to learn most anything was in the field. And given who this younger brother of hers was, that rang more than true.

Her arrival synced with Zef giving the order to move out, and so she fell in step beside him, fully armored and armed with the same carbine the others carried slung across her back. For a long few moments she was silent, merely observing the others and watching how the newest of the vod moved in his armor before her helmeted gaze glanced to the man beside her. "So you're the welcoming party, huh? Can't say I'm surprised." He had a better knack for this sort of thing than she did, and knew the best way to go about things as well. "You know, he's going to have to adjust to the buy'ce soon enough. Better he does it now when he'll actually have to use it."

A miniature hologram of her AI companion, Thalia, had remained in the corner of her HUD ever since her arrival on-planet. Better that she didn't know what exactly the plan was, lest another lecture begin. For now Keira was on the receiving end of a look that communicated something along the lines of, 'Really? This is the family you've chosen?' If she thought this way about Mandalorians, it was a good thing she hadn't been around for the lives of the Ticon family when they were in full swing. "Even when you get a day off, you're out in the field. Does it ever end?" She didn't deign to respond, merely shooting the AI a crooked smile that only earned a sigh and a shake of the head.

Some part of her shared a sort of empathy with Alkor for what a culture shock this likely was. Though her introduction to the Mandalorians hadn't been quite so impromptu, it had still taken a long adjusting period before she was even remotely comfortable claiming that label as her own. Unlike him she had been given a proper time to adapt instead of being thrown into an unknown scenario with nothing more than the armor he wore and a rifle he appeared to be fairly unfamiliar with. At the very least he would get a chance to experience just what being a warrior meant, and how it felt to truly exert one's full potential without the aid of the ethereal.

"How do you like it, vod'ika?"

[member="Zef Halo"], [member="Alkor Centaris"]

 

[Alkor Centaris]

"I'm going to puke."

The Display lit up like a casino when a winner struck it big as the others spoke, indicating location and relative distance between speaker and listener. The thought that these were just basic functionality elicited a newfound respect in him toward those who opted to use such technologies in lieu of the magicks he'd learned over the course of his younger life. It was what he wanted, and yet, somehow Alkor had expected it to be far less difficult than the lifetime of hell he had spent mastering the lightsaber and killing arts. Oh, how wrong he was.

"You know I can fight without the Force, right?" he asked skeptically. The others might have noticed Alkor spoke a lot more now than before, where the Force was constant around him and his senses stretched out and pricked at the emotions of others present. He had been taught to be suspicious of everyone, and to expect negativity and predict outcomes in a situation- without the otherworldly ability to pick out those things, he fell back on a more virile (albeit still acerbic) attitude and the uncertainty a man might afford those he had never met. "I don't need a helmet and guns to do that."

"Correction, Alk'ika," one of the verd held up a finger and called back to him, "you don't need a helmet, but you most definitely want one. Headshots are very unforgiving. And you don't need a gun, but they certainly make life easier." A howl of laughter bit through the platoon and Alkor rolled his eyes beneath his mask. The Mando'ade certainly made for a more emotive bunch than the Dark Jedi he was used to, and he was starting to pick up some of their more biting mannerisms.

At the same time, he as also on the cusp over understanding what "family" meant. When Keira asked how he liked it- even though she used that despicable honorific that somehow seemed annoying to him- he knew it was because she was starting to see him less as an annoyance and more as a warrior. On some level, that should have made him happy. Alkor didn't know what he felt, though.

He gladly peeled off the helmet and droplets of sweat flecked off his hair. Alkor gave a heavy sigh as he tucked the thing under his arm and shouldered his carbine. "If you wanted to go hunting, we could have started small, and I could have gotten used to the weapons and armor. Here we are looking for Sithspawn on a hostile world, and I can't even move in these boots."

The Corellian exile shot a seething glare in Zef's direction. "You're lucky I enjoy things like this," he smirked.

What really stood out to Alkor was that, in spite of their ages and the different walks of life they had come from, each one of these three Mandalorians were Corellian born. Zef's accent was still prevalent, and Keira constantly nagged him with her love of the bloody language. In spite of that, Alkor did not want to kill either of them. That was tantamount to their being his friends, in his mind.

Hopefully they never decided to ask about home.

That topic was not his favorite.

"According to the map, the Terentatek nest should be up ahead," Alkor indicated by pointing. "Hopefully they're in a good mood today."

[member="Zef Halo"] | [member="Keira Ticon"]​

 

[Zef Halo]

The appearance of Keira somewhere behind him was quickly noted on his 360 degrees vision. Her first comment made Zef roll his eyes under his helmet. The scoundrel wondered if she knew how ironic her rhetoric question was or was it just a humorous jab. In both cases it was quite fitting and the warmarshal knew it.

"<< He puts the bucket on, I guarantee you he ain't gonna know his name after five minutes of eventual battle. >>" The ex-smuggler shook his head at James Ticon's daughter.

As the group proceeded onward, Zef could hear the humorous jabs that a few of the Verds were throwing at Alkor who in turn was trying to assure everyone that he did not need the Force. The scoundrel remained silent to that. Let them Verds handle it how they knew. Personally, the Mandalorian warmarshal always saw the Force as a drug and as a drug when the addict was cut off from its supplies then they were close to nothing.

Put on top of that a 25 kg beskar and gear.

Let alone the damn bucket.

"<< I see some of y'all don't agree on what I think about the buy'ce but the game we are hunting today is gonna have boy Alkor here as its own game. >>" The scoundrel knew a little bit about these terentatek but just enough thanks to his beast hunting son. "<< Force hunters. A nest of them. As a father supports his son, so we shall support him in this hunt but he, himself, will fight alone one of those beasts as this is nothing else than...

verd'goten.>>

Uttering those words through his mouth, Zef realized how much he had changed. So little, yet so much. A smirk painted itself on his face as he took a glimpse at Keira then faced forward once again towards the direction of the moving troupe of Mandalorians.


[member="Alkor Centaris"] [member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

This was nothing other than the moment of truth in every sense of the word, given the trial her younger brother would be undergoing. All of it held more meaning than he was likely aware of, but the understanding would come in time. Of course, it would have helped if Zef had taught him more about their culture as a whole before dressing him in beskar'gam and taking him hunting, but it was too late for that. "This isn't just a regular hunting trip. Your being accepted fully as a Mandalorian is dependent on the success of your verd'goten. So, you know, no pressure." Though Keira had never undergone one properly herself, she had proven her loyalty to the Mando'ade more times than she could count, and that had been enough.

"He doesn't have to have the HUD active, but I'd like him to wear the buy'ce so he doesn't get knocked around too badly. Take it from someone who's experienced a fair share of head trauma: it's no fun." That she cared about him enough to so much as suggest such a thing was a new development, but after all, he was family. "And as for you lot," She spoke now to those that had been making jabs at Alkor since she arrived and likely before, "I'd be careful what you say about the Force. You might not like it, but I can guarantee it's saved the lives of your fellow vod on more than one occasion. That's why the Hunters exist."

When it came about that they would be hunting terentatek Thalia gave her a look that could only be described as one a disappointed parent would give an unruly child, and that alone was a testament to what their relationship had become. "I'll upload any information I can get from the HoloNet to your HUD so you know more about what you've gotten yourself into. And you know, next time you do anything like this take care not to bring me along. I don't need to know about every reckless thing you get yourself into." But she knew the AI wanted to have some idea of what she was up to, if just to save her the unnecessary worry.

"You'll get used to the weight of the armor soon. Either that or you'll forget about it as soon as the fight begins. You'll be surprised at the amount of things you pick up when you have no other choice but to learn or die." A harsh motivator, but one just as true as any other. She had never been much of a believer in sugarcoating things, and her induction into the Mandalorians a good few years ago hadn't helped that attribute along in the least. "And vod'ika, you still need to work on picking up some Mando'a. It comes with the territory here." Like most things, she supposed he would learn in the spur of the moment.

[member="Zef Halo"], [member="Alkor Centaris"]

 

[Alkor Centaris]

"I'll be honest," Alkor replied curtly, "if verd'goten doesn't mean "trial by fire," I'm going be more than a little disappointed."

He knew nothing of their culture, but Alkor decided immediately that if an eight year old was capable of this sort of trial then it probably increased in difficulty based on age. That made sense. To send a Force Adept up against a Force Hunting Sithspawn without the Force was a bit unsettling when one considered Alkor had received no prior training with the new equipment, but this was their way. It was better not to question it.

Maybe they didn't believe he was capable without the Force, and maybe that would be true against a Terentatek, but Alkor knew what he could do. He had foregone his lightsaber for this excursion at their behest, but they had kitted him out with the necessary equipment based on their assessment of the threat level. Two thermal detonators, a cryo-ban grenade, a blaster carbine and a vibroblade that they reckoned would be lightweight enough to translate his lightsaber knowledge in melee combat lined his hips and back. Coupled with the 25kg of armor (that had his knees ready to buckle, lets face it) and a helmet that made his face redder than a cherry, Alkor decided it would be prudent to mention. "We need to talk about light armor," he commented.

He raised the carbine and glanced down the sight. While it was still new to him, Alkor understood the gist- line the crosshairs on the target and fire. That was basic enough. The weapons were primitive and less in-your-face than a lightsaber, but the concept was still the same. Kill them with highly volatile energy. "If you decide I need to wear this... beskar'gam stuff, I need something that's more my speed."

Literally.

Alkor liked to be able to move without much holding him down. He had learned to flow between enemies and cut them to pieces. The whole "sit there and take abuse" portion of this training was a nightmare. It railed against everything he knew. The one positive thing that came of it was that he enjoyed the thought of increased durability. "I need to learn the HUD anyway, so I'll go ahead and use it. I just needed a break," he told Keira and Zef as he slipped the buy'ce back over his head.

"Don't take it easy on me because I'm the new kid."

He was used to feeling the whole world and everyone in it as he walked through a city. He could hear whispers across rooms, and he could see into the hearts of his victims the instant before he took their lives. He could perceive storms before they formed, and he heard the screams of mass death from worlds away. Compared to that, the sensory overload was a kindness.

"The lights are a bit excessive though, aren't they?"

[member="Zef Halo"] | [member="Keira Ticon"]​

 

[Zef Halo]

Zef sighed as Keira pushed forth the idea of Alkor wearing the helmet even without the HUD on. He thought that might be even more suicidal but hell, if the man wanted to be a Mando he had to get used to the fact that suicidal was just an everyday word in the Mandalorian dictionary.

"Fine." The scoundrel muttered through the com as he locked and loaded his personal BFG, produced by [member="Rusty"]'s Custom Firearms and Cutlery.

With Zef's agreement to what Keira had put forward, the rest of the Mandalorians nodded in approval and some even fist bumped to which Zef simply placed a palm upon his helmet.

Fine, we've got more important things to think of.

He proceeded forward with a fair share of caution. The terentatek nest would be nearer and nearer, he preferred to be fully focused on that threat rather than debating whether or not the new Mandalorian-to-be should wear a helmet or not.

"You'll get used to it, kid." The scoundrel stated over the comm to Alkor who was trying to not be overwhelmed from the helmet he had put on his head just a few minutes ago. "About light armor...There's a certain Verd who can help you with that. Rohlan's his name. If you do survive here, we'll find him out and get you sorted."

Good ol' [member="Rohlan Verd"] would be quite satisfied to help yet another Verd arm himself up with the notorious Mandalorian Armor.

Abruptly, Zef's sound sensor registered a higher tone a hundred yards down. Per habit, he turned his helmeted face for a moment at Keira to see if she had registered it and then once again turned towards the source of the noise.

"Noise and movement registered. 90 yards forward." A Mandalorian reported through the channel and suddenly the whole pack of Mandalorians slowed their pace and engulfed into the readings of their HUD for the possibility of an earlier than believed threat.

[member="Keira Ticon"] [member="Alkor Centaris"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Hearing the Mando'a pass his lips earned a smile beneath her helmet, though she shook her head at his guess at the translation. "Not quite. Verd means warrior and goten means birth. Put two and two together and let me know what you come up with." Regardless of the literal meaning he was close enough with his interpretation, given that a number of the trials included proving oneself in this or that combat scenario. "The lights aren't excessive when they're helping to save your life. Don't worry about focusing on everything at once. Take it one thing at a time." An ironic statement, given that Keira was almost always one to rush into things without a thought.

With a raised brow beneath her helmet she looked to her younger brother, "Don't worry, we're not going easy on you. But it's not us you have to worry about." Terentatek were an adversary even she was wary of, as any warrior worth their salt would be. The creatures were known widely as Jedi Hunters for a reason, and she wasn't keen on finding out whether that moniker was well-deserved or not. She would just do what she did best, which in this case was making sure their designated target wouldn't be walking away. Of course, it was her sibling that would experience the majority of the fight. The rest of them were there to play support when and where needed.

When Zef looked to her she only nodded, that same indicator having manifested on her own HUD nearly synchronous with his own. The two hadn't fought together in scenarios like this overmuch, but they were well-versed enough in how the other operated. Her affirmation let him know that yes, she had heard it too, and that he wasn't getting old to the point of imagining things. Well, not yet, anyway. A slight tremor rumbled in the Force, one she had long since become well-versed in detecting. It meant there was a fight fast approaching, and one that would be merciless in its brutality. In other words, just the sort Mandalorians often sought out.

"If you die I'm going to tell Blonde it was because of your own stupidity." Just the thing she needed to hear before all of this began. "Thanks, Thalia. Really, it means a lot. Have you ever considered a career in motivational speaking?" "I wasn't programmed to be your cheerleader. Sometimes I'm convinced you're trying to get yourself killed." "I grew out of that awhile ago." "So now it's just tempting fate, huh?" "Something like that. I also like to see how upset I can get you compared to the last time." As they went back-and-forth she methodically looked over her arsenal, taking her carbine in hand and running her finger along the trigger guard, waiting for things to unfold.

[member="Zef Halo"], [member="Alkor Centaris"]

 

[Alkor Centaris]

Alkor took point without question. The others fell into step and backed him up as they approached the indicated vicinity and anxiety grew in the ranks. "I heard these things are notorious for killing Jetiise," one of the other Mandos chimed in. Alkor glanced across the HUD and started to differentiate some of the symbols present. One glyph glowed a strange red color, with several yellow indicators beeping loudly as they pointed in its direction. Must be the target, his eyes moved over the scenery behind the HUD and he tried to pick out anything that seemed to move. If the Display was any indicator, the Terentatek was directly ahead, albeit behind several meters of brush and cover. He could see signs in the HUD of movement, though it was subtle. I can't get a feel for its intentions, and there's nothing to tell me if I'm in imminent danger. That's the difference between this and the Force. I get only an instant to react, instead of that feeling of unease.

I think I like this better, though. His HUD brought up a read of the others and their vitals when he prompted it with a flicker of his eyelids, and he let out a gasp of surprise. Thankfully, it was not loud enough for the comm to register. This system is sensitive to the tiniest of things, he noted. There's as much to learn as there are about Force Senses. Hell, there may be more. Every step they took toward the lair gave him more of a fierce respect for warriors who fought without the Force. It was not some kind of godlike ability that made you invincible, but it permitted feats of impossible nature and that alone differentiated Adepts from other beings.

Mandalorians were special in their own right, however.

With this, I don't have to concentrate on their heartbeats to sense whether or not they're alive. His eyes moved over Zef's readouts, then Keira's. It was almost like he had a connection to their heartbeat at all times, and he didn't even have to actively work to find a pulse. Their armors were inexorably linked, like a family.

Like a family.

For the first time, that thought gave Alkor pause. He stopped in front of the others as he looked around, scanning the area for any sign of something amiss. Terentateks were vicious hunters, and it would not be unlike them to spring a trap. The Mandalorians are a family, he pondered the deeper meaning behind what their armor meant to them. How it was interwoven from one suit to the next, and how it protected them, but also how it brought them together. This Verd'goten was a trial to gauge his aptitude as a warrior, but it also opened the door to their culture. Alkor had grown isolated from society, and all of them knew it. He was bred for battle, but the way Mandalorians fought was wholly different from how he was taught.

A Jen'jidai is an army of his own, but I don't need to be an army anymore.

Alkor held up a hand to stop the others as the flashing yellow turned into quickly flashing red. His audio blared with a bone chilling howl, and Alkor checked his weapon one last time. "Looks like we found it," he muttered under his breath.

Fear had its uses. Fear leads to hate, then anger and hatred. Those things could be harnessed for immense, quick surges of power. For a man bereft of the Force however, they could only get in the way. Alkor had no need of fear, anger, or hatred. They stood to cloud his judgment as a man who was a killer long before he found the Force. He licked his lips beneath the helmet and trained the weapon in the direction the signal came from. "Bring up the supplementary aiming protocol," he spoke in a hushed voice.

Instantly the HUD complied, and the weapon linked up to his helmet as it helped him to line up a more precise shot. Beneath their feet, the ground quivered and writhed, and within moments the beast ripped out of the treeline and lunged for the group. Alkor did not give ground before he fired off two shots, which he knew made their mark.

The beast simply did not care.

"Kriff," he spat loudly as he threw himself off to the left and the impact of a massive Sithspawn clawing at his armor sent him face first toward the dirt. Instinct and training had taught Alkor to tuck his head so that he would not break his neck, and he rolled over his shoulder and clambered quickly to his feet. "Is everyone alright?" he asked quickly.

[member="Keira Ticon"] | [member="Zef Halo"]​

 

[Zef Halo]

At least their bonding was going good. It brought some inner happiness to Zef to see Keira and Alkor forge a family bond despite their lack of blood connection. This is what he genuinely respected of Mandalorian culture. Yet, unfortunately he had no time to make a sarcastic comment in his style as the Terentatek went immediately into a rampage upon none other but the one that was to learn under fire - Alkor Centaris.

Zef was honestly surprised at the man's evasive maneuvers and his concern for the rest considering his situation. The scoundrel, though, did not have the luxury to respond or compliment that as two more of these beasts appeared in the vicinity and went straight for the Mandalorians, one specifically targetting Keira and not surprisingly so.

"Suppressing fire!!"

The Mandalorians did not hesitate as a rain of slugs and blaster bolts fell upon the two new creatures.

Alkor was on his own. His verd'goten just became a few levels more difficult.

Kark

One of the beasts sent him flying with a slash, he felt the pain of the slash's strength hit his beskar. This would be a test not only for Alkor but for all of them, as well.


[member="Keira Ticon"] [member="Alkor Centaris"]