| Location | Taris, Outer Rim Territories
| Objective | II - A New Empire
Over a month ago, the ecumenopolis known as Taris had possessed a population of over a billion inhabitants, with countless more visitors from local trade routes streaming in daily.
Harrow and his ensemble of fractured beings had changed that number drastically; a melody laced with the terrible tremble of disaster had torn sanity from the mind, twisting the very meaning of death until corpses had risen in hordes from their disturbed slumber to drag those few still clinging to mortality down into the dirt.
Nowadays, Itzhal would be pleasantly surprised to hear those original numbers had only been halved. In truth, even with the support of the Mandalorian Empire and what supplies they could provide to the planet, he feared a fate much worse than that. He was not the only one, bitterly aware of the dwindling hope buried amongst the dead.
Over the last few days, he'd spent hours digging through dirt and rubble as excavation efforts into the lower levels continued, a dwindling timer passing by as each moment wasted reaching those below brought those trapped beneath closer to death.
It never felt enough.
As if he were abandoning those below with every pause he took, strained muscles pushed to the edge, barely constrained by mortal limits that his own mind had come to despise in the passing days. It was those same limitations that forced him to the surface, even now, his armour layered in grime and dirt from the work beneath.
With a frustrated exhaled that punched the air from his lungs, Itzhal surfaced into the light, the glare of the real sun covered by the protective screen of his visor, another layer between himself and the hostile world tainted by madness. On the inhale, soothing oxygen slipped into his lungs, delivered from filtration systems designed to work in hellscapes such as the nightmares that still lurked beneath the surface.
He did not remove his helmet instantly, aware of the refuse that clung to his bodyglove with every minute movement of his fingers and the dreadful smell that must have lingered in the air around him at least until he stepped into one of the nearby decontamination units. The nearest of its kind was a small structure, little more than a box with a motion-activated door and a drain placed below the chamber where a dozen nozzles loomed over the unfortunate individual that required their assistance.
It was only as he stepped out of the chamber with a slight hitch to his step that Itzhal received the warning of incoming Alliance ships and the claim of Humantarian Aid. His visor tilted towards the sky, he followed their descent as he strode through the upper city blocks, closer to the garden where Mandalorian forces had first arrived, and had held back the horde.
He was not the only protector here, but with a glance at his visor and the position of allies displayed upon his HuD, Itzhal acknowledged that he was one of the closest.
Throwing himself into the nearest available speeder, the Morellian pushed down on the accelerator, hurling through the streets as moments passed and in what felt like seconds, Itzhal just as quickly came to a stop only a block away from the tense showdown, aware it was probably not a good idea to stumble into the situation at full speed. One only had to make that mistake once.
Careful not to storm into the mess, the ancient Mandalorian stepped into the clearing; thick layers of beskar that wrapped around his torso and limbs in an encompassing embrace, gleamed in the glorious sun, recently discarded of the grime and muck that clung to Taris.
"It appears that we have something of a situation on our hands," Itzhal's voice carried across the open space, faint amusement audible even under the slight metallic tinge of his vocaliser before it grew harsher, focused on the task at hand.
"But this world has suffered enough bloodshed recently; let us not burden those who suffer in the wake of crimson rivers. State your intentions, whether they be noble or opportunistic, they will be judged."