Private Outpost camping

[Isabeau]

Location: Vinsoth | Time: 20: 38​

She was unjustifiably excited for having such a boring task as manning a small little outpost. Deep in the mountainous areas of the forest they were in, the small building was relatively comfortable to be in - despite its rather spartan decoration. Aside from a toilet and garage both located on the west side of the building, it only had one room which was 7 meters wide and 21 meters long. It had been built with the intention of garrisoning a few more people but knowing both Zephyr and Kragr, Isabeau was confident that they could hold their station long enough for reinforcements to arrive in the case of an attack. The Imperial presence was spreading rapidly and Vinsoth was right on their border, subject to more expeditionary forces and, scouting parties and other unpleasant visits. A larger number of Mandalorians had set up camp in the woods with a network of outposts surrounding it and guarding from external threats.

The reason for her excitement was, naturally not that they were basically confined to the enclosed space for a long duration of time, keeping an eye out for Imperials and waiting for the next group to take over once their shift was done. The reason for her excitement was that she now got to try out her new armour - although it didn't have much armour plating to it, the body glove was still highly protective against many a threat and what made it even more well suited for her was its light weight and ability to help her blend in with the environment. Both important elements of Isabeau's approach to battle when in a larger troop. While it sat snuggly on her frame as a body glove should, the reflective nature of it made it feel less exposing. Still, she wore her crimson cloak over it for now.

Cleaning her vibrosword, the girl threw another glance at the broken mirror that hung by the wall on the opposite side of the room from the door. The camouflaging capabilities kept dazzling her, despite having thrown multiple glances at the mirror before. Still, she realised that she could not remain in her current state too long. Consequently, they young Mandalorian shifted her body and stood up, to sheathe the weapons and walk over to a window, throwing an eye out at the darkening forest and scanning the - by now - familiar vegetation. "Still no Imperials in sight" she muttered, turning to look at her two friends. "Guys, how did we even end up here?" she asked, clearly not too pleased with having received guard duty. Of course, the girl understood the importance of their task and that they would be assigned to do it eventually - she was just quite unhappy with having to do it. With that, she hoisted herself up onto a table and leaned back onto the brick wall behind her "Alright, let's do war stories!" she suggested with seemingly renewed enthusiasm before looking to her friends, both of whom probably had more experience and therefore better stories to tell than her.

Zephyr Kumaara Kragr Krayt

 

[Zephyr Krayt]

By accident, Zephyr had found a friend in Isabeau despite the rocky start to their relationship where he inadvertently insulted her within moments of meeting. However, in time he had grown fond of her and was happy to work with her no matter how boring the mission. It appeared as though this mission would be one of those as they had been relegated to guard duty at a seemingly uneventful part of the mountains and at first he didn't mind as he was with good company but the conversation died down eventually and everything was beginning to get old.

Given the nature and location of the situation, Zephyr had opted for extra arsenal in the form of a carbine blaster rifle and some protection from the elements with a cloak instead of a jetpack. He sat on one of the stools with his elbow leaning on a table to prop his head up with his hand. His gaze followed Isabeau as she wandered over to the window to observe what everyone suspected. "Someone has to do it." Zephyr replied in a tone indicating he was bored himself, though he seemed to perk up at Isabeau's suggestion. As Mandalorians they would likely collect a wealth of war stories in their time and while Zephyr didn't have many, he was intrigued about what information the most senior among them could impart.

"Ok, I've got one." Zephyr began. "Six years ago I was on my first mercenary job and my group were surrounded by the enemies and when they outnumbered us ten to one they offered us a surrender and the first person to decline was shot dead where he stood so the last seven of us agreed and they took us as prisoners. I was quite... talkative back then and I thought I was invincible so I was unafraid of talking back to the guards until one tried to cut out my tongue. He got the blade to my lip but I overpowered him and cut out his tongue." He told his companions. "I bet you have loads of stories." Zephyr said, his gaze turning to Kragr.

Isabeau Kragr Krayt

 

[Kragr Krayt]

Kragr has never been a man of great patience for waiting games, they were dull and boring. It did help a little that he were on the job with Isabeau and Zephyr, though even that couldn't help his restlessness completely.

The sound of the boxing bag getting hammered in by Kragr had continued for about an hour of non-stop punching until that got boring too. Walking back to the two other Mandalorians, he dropped his ass on the floor, leaning his back up against the kitchen desk. Having his helmet clipped to his belt, he just sat there, listening to the other two talks. That was until Isabeau suggested to tell war stories, which Zephyr recounted a job he had been one. A wicked grin spread across the red-haired Mandalorian as he turned to look over at Zephyr and then Isabeau.

"You know of the Krayt Dragon species that lives on Tatooine, right?" Asked Kragr, before starting his story. Giving the younger Mandalorians a look, seeing if they knew of them since the species almost if not already had gone extinct. I once took down a beast with nothing but my hands, wits and a knife when I took my trial in becoming a fully adult Mando'ad in the eyes of my clan" recounted kragr, as he started to remember back.

"Must have been months of surviving with what nature provided, that the beast started to track me" continued Kragr, looking at the two other companions of their little group. "One freezing cold night, I had used the last of his meat. I needed food to survive, but the chance of finding any eatable sources near where I was, wasnone. That was when I decided to change the rules and make the predator that hunted me, my prey" told Kragr as he rose from his seat and walked over to Zephyr and Isabeau. Kneeling down on one knee. With a wild look in his eyes, as if he was reliving the exact moment, he continued his story. "With a bestial warcry, I armed myself with homemade weapons of wood and stones. I jumped the huge beast, taking it by surprise!" explained Kragr, grabbing Zephyr by the neck, holding him with an iron grip with his War gauntlets, pulling a knife. "Stab after stab, I continued to strike at the great beast. Even after it threw me off its back, I got back up and went at it again!" Retold the red-haired Mandalorian as he started to continuously simulate stabbing Zephyr in the throat, only stopping a few inches from actually hitting him.

"For for hours, I fought the beast and when the sun finally showed itself, I had slain the beast. After satisfying my primal hunger and thirst, I slept inside it for another three hours" told Kragr, finishing his story, still having a wicked smirk on his lips as he looked to Isabeau, giving her a quick wink. Finally letting go of Zephyr's neck, he rose from his kneeling position and headed for the kitchen to grab something to drink while putting away his knife.

Isabeau Zephyr Kumaara

 

[Isabeau]

"Shoot" she said, looking at Zephyr, interested to hear what he had to say after he offered to tell one of his own stories. Leaning back against the wall, she brushed a few strains of hair away from her face as her eyes set on her friend. She was quick to realise that he must have been rather young during the time of the story which was impressive considering the impossible odds he seemed to face. Never quite knowing where the story would go, her interest in it was maintained, constantly curious about what would happen next. It was a good grade and indicator that his story was indeed an interesting one.

Two amused eyebrows rose as he started speaking of how talkative he used to be. While he could let his mouth run wild at times, Zephyr was a loner and did not always seem talkative anymore. At least not to the stupidly extreme degree that he was in the past. Her eyes darted to his mouth as he started talking about having a tongue cut out - obviously, it was still there and everything else seemed to be in order too. A satisfied smile grew on her face as he finished up "Nice" she said, eyes quickly scanning his form and concluding that it was very believable that he could overpower someone."That guy certainly got what was coming to him" she added, quite happy to hear that there was a sense of justice to the story, even if it was a bit harsh.

Kragr soon continued, capturing her attention as soon as he mentioned Krayt dragons - beast which were borderline legendary and known for taking on many a seasoned hunter and being rather rare too. While the start of his story hinted at what would happen, Isabeau didn't think much of it, not thinking it possible to defeat a Krayt dragon without proper equipment and planning. But then, the further into the story he got, the fewer other options remained until he got to the reveal - he had indeed killed the dragon with sheer grit and a home made weapon.

Naturally, Kragr grabbing Zephyr by the neck had not gone by her without notice. Concerned eyes fixed on Kragr before they started darting down to her friend and then back up to the red-haired Mandalorian. Her interest in telling him to stop was barely outweighed by how limited Zephyr's own actions were as well as the captivating story. Still, she held out a hand, ready to try to grab Kragr's arm if he started getting too close with his feigned stabs. Letting out a relieved breath when he was done, both over the fact that he defeated the beast, but also because it meant that he would finally let Zephyr go.

Hopping off of her table, Isabeau shook her head "I can't believe you" she said, clearly very impressed "Why did you sleep inside it though?" Her question was a curious one, but it was asked somewhat absent minded as she was walking over to Zephyr. Her eyes scanned him, trying to see if he was alright. Unless he did anything too action packed, she would put a hand on his shoulder and try to encourage him to go sit with her on the table by the window.

Regardless of if Zephyr came along with her or not, Isabeau soon sat back down, legs crossed and leaning forward. "I can't really compete with that" she said, smiling whilst thinking back of Kragr's story. "You two have been around a lot since I left Serroco" she said, thinking that it was a pity that one of them knew what she would tell. Thinking of something, her face brightened up "There was this Imperial I fought once" Her eyes started stared blankly into a wall "She was alone near my settlement for some reason - I don't know why. But I was in my early teens at the time, you know, thirteen or fourteen." Isabeau's eyebrows furrowed as she continued "I have always loved to train and I carried my brand new vibrosword" she said, patting the sabre at her side, hinting to them that it was the same weapon. "But she was no pushover. The fact that she only armed herself with what her surroundings provided was what kept me in the game. I was attacking - but I was shorter at the time and she had both speed and power in her moves. She weaved in and out of range, just barely avoiding being hit by my sabre and throwing the odd rock or stick at me when she managed to grab it."

Her face turned sour momentarily "I didn't win" she said with a bitter voice "But the worst part is that it was because one of my own shot at her. He interrupted our duel and the havoc he caused around us allowed her to escape." Looking down at her feet, Isabeau chuckled "Or perhaps it saved my life" she said, smiling whilst shrugging lightly.

Zephyr Kumaara Kragr Krayt

 

[Zephyr Krayt]

Zephyr nodded in agreement though he wanted to smile as Isabeau expressed approval of his story but refrained from doing so as he didn't want her to see and wonder why he was smiling. Kragr’s story dwarfed any story Zephyr, and likely Isabeau, could have told. Still, Zephyr expected that to be the case and though he felt somewhat inferior while hearing Kragr’s story he didn’t show it but instead was sincerely impressed by the story. Kragr seemed to be an extremely skilled warrior and Zephyr knew he owed him a great deal of respect for that. He watched Kragr intently as he approached them and was taken by surprise to be grabbed by the neck so he instinctively grabbed Kragr by the wrist, feeling uncomfortable but not threatened so he didn’t resist yet.

Zephyr remained focused on Kragr’s gaze almost frowned when he winked at Isabeau before releasing him. He didn't appreciate being shown up, especially in front of Isabeau, whom he had grown particularly fond of. He had considered punching Kragr after but knowing the capabilities of his war gauntlets made Zephyr reconsider and Isabeau's hand on his shoulder removed any intentions he had had so he settled with a glare instead as he placed a hand on his neck momentarily before accompanying her to the table.

His look of irritation began to fade away quickly into a neutral gaze as Isabeau spoke. "Better to experience stories together than hear about them." He offered his opinion. As Isabeau told her story, he watched her with a soft gaze, listening intently to what she said. For a moment, he was unsure how to respond as he didn't want pity her as it seemed like it would annoy her so he attempted to offer a compliment, hoping not to irritate her. "And look how far you've come." He told her with a smile.

The datapad on the table beside Zephyr vibrated, drawing his attention to it. A message popped up warning of a confidential message but he assumed the message would be for the three of them or at least if it was for just him then he wouldn’t mind them hearing as he couldn’t imagine it being anything detrimental to him so he pressed the screen and a small hologram was projected upwards which showed a man in uniform standing with his hands behind his back.

“Zephyr Kumaara.” The hologram addressed him, prompting him to freeze at hearing his pre-Mandalorian name which he hadn’t heard for twelve years. He turned to face the hologram of a man in uniform and watched in shock as it divulged information he never expected to hear. “Your identity has been compromised, please report to the nearest Imperial-” He quickly pressed the screen to end the message, trying to conceal the panic that was rising within him. He swiftly looked at Isabeau’s expression for a moment and then Kragr’s, trying to gauge their reactions to the message.

“I can explain.” He quickly jumped in and got off the stool in case one of them advanced towards him but he hoped they would allow him the chance to speak before making any rash judgements. He hadn’t wanted Isabeau to find out like this but it seemed circumstances would not allow him the luxury of telling her of his own free will.The added difficulty now was getting her to believe him as the evidence against him seemed clear but his immediate concern was Kragr who he expected not to be as understanding.

Isabeau Kragr Krayt

 

[Kragr Krayt]

Kragr rose from the cupboard with a bag of some dried meat, he started to snark on, cause why not. Listening to Isa's story he just smiled, he could hear the sour and bitterness in her voice, as he left the kitchen "It's not about comparing or who got the best story" explained Kragr, walking over to where the other two Mandalorians sat, and planted his ass beside Isabeau, offering some dried meat. "It's about telling captivating stories Kih Senaar" reassured the red-haired Mandalorian and gave Isabeau a surprisingly soft and understanding look.

"We've all failed once or twice in our life, how else are we suppose to learn?" Asked Kragr with a joyful grin. Taking some more dried meat, tearing it into smaller pieces with his teeth. "Why? It was in the middle of winter, I was cold, exhausted and would have died if I didn't use the dead beast's insides for the cover of the elements" explained Kragr, for the reason he slept inside the beast.

"Not to mention, I was no older than you are now Kih Senaar, when I journeyed into the unforgiven wilderness, where my clan lives," said Kragr, placing the bag with dried meat on the table for the others to take. Looking at Zephyr, Kragr's intense eyes stared at him, "anyways, Zephyr, you fought and you won, even though you were outmanned and outgunned. I can respect~" a sudden vibration from Zephyr's datapad, stopped Kragr from finishing his sentence as the purple-armoured Mandalorian took the message.

It was a confidential Imperial message... what? Kragr looked from the datapad to Zephyr and then back to the datapad, hearing most of the message. Quickly adding two and two together, Kragr came to the only logical explanation, Zephyr was a spy for the Imperials. A burning hatred flared in the red-haired Mandalorian's eyes, he was in an instance up from his chair and pulled one of his two RP-05A Ripper Pistols, aiming directly at the traitor. "Farking traitorous shab" cursed Kragr, wanting nothing but blowing the head off of this Imperial.

What pissed Kragr off the most, as in really made him so heated, was that he actually liked the boy as a fighter. He had been reliable and shown himself as one that could be trusted. All that disintegrated in a furious primal rage as he would have loaded a full mag into the boy if it hadn't been for the fact that he was more useful alive. So instead he fired his blaster at Zephyr's knee, where his armour didn't cover. Yes, it would ruin Zephyr's leg, but he would be alive and that was more than what he deserved in Kragr's eyes for betraying him and Isabeau.

Isabeau Zephyr Kumaara

 

[Isabeau]

Raising her eyebrows, Isabeau let out a soft "Yeah" upon hearing their reactions. It was almost as if they treated her like a child - giving her words of encouragement when none were needed. She had not been defeated and might even have won if the fight was not interrupted but listening to her friends, it sounded as if they saw it as such. Crossing her arms, Isabeau went silent and lazily let her head fall to the side, causing her gaze to set away from the other two. With that she tuned the conversation out and waited for the current wave of frustration to fade.

Only participating with the occasional nod, Isabeau's attention was once again drawn by the commlink and the indication of a classified transmission. Hopping down from the table which she sat on, the girl took a few steps towards Zephyr to see it from up close. "Kumaara" she said, looking at him curiously before reshifting her attention to the message again. What came next was quite the surprise - the voice spoke as if he was actively working for the Imperials, particularly because he was ordered to report to somewhere. What made matters even worse for him was that he shut the message down instead of letting it play out fully, indicating that he had something to hide instead a prank being pulled.

"Okay, explain then" she said, immediately after he offered them to do so. But before he got that chance, Kragr would act, pulling out his blaster and saying what the message suggested: That Zephyr was a traitor.

Seeing him point the blaster at Kumaara made Isabeau nervous. She did not want Zephyr to die and after all their missions together, the two had built up a certain degree of trust. If anything, he at least deserved a chance to explain himself. "Kragr" she said with a low voice, hoping to prevent him from firing off a killing shot. As soon as she saw the red-haired Mandalorian lower the weapon, she realised that he might very well choose to fire the weapon. With that in mind, she rushed forth, even igniting her jetpack for a second to increase her speed - with one swift motion, she took hold of the large blaster with both hands, directing it away from her friend in the last second before it went off. Pulling it closer to her chest, the girl commenced a spinning motion, trying to yank it away from him. But that was not all she did - utilising the momentum from the spin, she also extended her leg in a kick directed at Zephyr, hoping to knock the air out of him and send him to the floor or at least prevent him from doing anything aggressive himself.

If both actions were successful, she would take a step back with Kragr's blaster in hand and look to Zephyr and produce a harsh "Explain"

Zephyr Kumaara Kragr Krayt

 

[Zephyr Krayt]

His gaze shifted to Isabeau with an apologetic look when she repeated his name. He had wanted to tell her in a way that wasn't as hurtful as this though he hoped in time she would understand and come to forgive him for not telling her sooner, that was if Kragr didn't kill him first. The outburst from the other Mandalorian was understandable but he didn't know Kragr as well nor how reasonable he would be.

Any attempts to remain stoic had dissolved as Kragr aimed his weapon at him, expecting the older Mandalorian to shoot to kill as the evidence against Zephyr seemed insurmountable, so Zephyr looked afraid and held his palms up while trying to reason with Kragr. "Please, I know what it sounds like-" He started, his gaze flicking between the two Mandalorians but he was interrupted by Isabeau trying to tackle the weapon from Kragr and then a kick to the abdomen which knocked him to the floor. He considered un-arming himself to show he meant no harm and to try and gain at least at least a morsel of trust back but ultimately opted against being unarmed in a room where one person wanted him dead.

Zephyr pushed himself into a sitting position, his gaze focused on Isabeau as he hoped to convince her as she was likely the most hurt and could help reason with Kragr if she believed Zephyr. He spoke carefully but not quickly as he didn't feel immediately threatened and wanted them to be clear on what he was saying. "I was a foundling. I lived at an Imperial base on Rhen Var and some members of clan Australis attacked when I was twelve." He started, his gaze shifting to Kragr's every so often though still focusing on Isabeau.

"My mother told me that the only way to survive was to go with the clan because they wouldn't kill a kid and she told me to learn all I could about them and later we could make them pay." He averted their gazes for a moment, ashamed at the thought of betraying the only loving family he had ever had. "But I couldn't do it. I learned the truth about the Imperials and I didn't want to support that so I never went through with it." He gave a pleading look to Isabeau. "I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you." He told her.

Isabeau Kragr Krayt

 

[Kragr Krayt]

Hearing Isabeau speaking in a low to him, was not enough for him to just stop with what he was doing. And luckily the girl was quick on her feet as she tried to pull his blaster out of his hand, causing them to fight for the blaster for a bit. However, she did get the aim of the blaster from destroying Zephyr's knee permanently and instead blow a hole at the size of a closed fist in the floor, splintering the floor around it.

Kragr yanked his blaster free from Isabeau's attempt to take it, however, he didn't fire it on Zephyr again. A sense of respect for Isabeau refrained him from crippling him. However, he did aim his blaster pistol at Zephyr, expect a damn good answer or he would be in a world of pain. Looking at Isabeau, to see her reaction to the story. Looking back at Zephyr, Kragr still had fire flare in them, "now why the fark should we believe what you're telling us, Imperial?" Asked kragr not buying him on just his word along. Zephyr was on a very thin line and if Kragr didn't believe any of the things he said, he would shoot the traitor without a second thought.

Politicians talked, Imperials talked, Jedi talked. It was all meaningless if you couldn't back up the talk with action. "Who was that man?" Demanded Kragr to know.

Isabeau Zephyr Kumaara

 

[Isabeau]

Of course it was a bad idea to try to pull the blaster from Kragr's hands and kick Zephyr at the same time. If she truly wanted to get the weapon, more of her body weight would have to be applied. It was something to remember for next time. Having failed to yank the blaster from his hand, Isabeau didn't take a step back but instead stayed right by his side, both hands still holding the weapon but no longer with any applied force. The young Mandalorian looked at Kragr until she felt sure that he wouldn't pull the trigger, at least for the moment. With that, she slowly let go of it but stayed close in case they went at it again.

Nervously, she turned to look at Zephyr - hoping that he would offer a good explanation and that Kragr wouldn't shoot. Considering that he had a blaster in his face, her purple armoured friend produced a rather coherent story but there were still missing information which disturbed her deeply. She wanted to believe him but the fact that he received the message in the first place was deeply troubling to her. Walking forth a bit before he finished his story, she asked "So, you joined whilst still loyal to the Imperials?"

Once she had arrived, she knelt down to him as he sat on the floor gesturing with her hand for him to hand something over "The message, I want to see all of it" she said. The girl then turned around as Kragr spoke up, asking why they should believe the 'Imperial' - something which she wondered too. He had, after all, kept his true identity hidden from her despite all they had been through together.

Zephyr Kumaara Kragr Krayt

 

[Zephyr Krayt]

Zephyr stared at Isabeau for a moment while he paused before answering, knowing that his answer would likely condemn him further. "Yes." He paused again, allowing her time to process the information before continuing. "But the Mandalorians taught me about what the Imperials had done, the darker side my parents never told me and introduced me to a former Imperial foundling who helped to set me on the right path." He explained to Isabeau, focusing all attention on her. If at least she believed him then she could hopefully help convince Kragr and he cared more about what Isabeau thought of him than Kragr.

"Yes, I agreed to being a spy when I was twelve but people change. It was in ignorance that I agreed to help the Imperials but the Mandalorians taught me to be better than that." He told her. "They still think I'm a spy but I'm not. Mandalorians are my people now." He finally shifted his gaze to Kragr but then back to Isabeau as she addressed him. He knew he didn't have a choice as refusing her request would only implicate him further and he hoped he could explain it as he was not working for the Imperials currently and there was no evidence of him doing so, only information they believed which had been relayed onto them from his mother.

Zephyr stood after Isabeau, ready to retrieve the datapad and faced Kragr as he made asked why he should be trusted, a reasonable question Zephyr had expected but the bitter tone of Imperial sent a wave of anger and frustration through Zephyr who, within a moment, launched into Kragr shoulder-first in attempt to knock him over and pin him. "I am not an Imperial!" He shouted in anger.

Isabeau Kragr Krayt

 

[Kragr Krayt]

Listening to Zephyr talk, Kragr kept his blaster levelled with Zephyr's head as Isabeau moved in front of Kragr, no matter, if Zephyr truly was an Imperial in disguise and just played the sad-card to get the better of them, it wouldn't stop Kragr from hunting him down and kill him.

Hearing Zephyr explain how he changed and finally accepted the Mandalorian culture, did help his case, but it was still just words. If he truly wanted to prove that he was a Mandalorian, he would kill the man who sent him the message on the datapad. However, Zephyr suddenly launched from his position, charging straight at the older Mandalorian. If it hadn't been for Kragr being on alert with Zephyr already, the purple-armoured Mandalorian would most likely have taken him by surprise. However, that wasn't the case as Zephyr seemed to put all his strength and speed into his attempt at knocking Kragr down. Instead of meeting Zephyr head-on, taking the shoulder slam, Kragr simply stepped to the side while drawing his Sonic War Hammer and just hammered it directly into the purple-armoured Mandalorian's back.

A high-pitched wail filled the room and surroundings as it would connect with Zephyr, sending him flying into the wall with enough force to crack the wall. Luckily Kragr only had it set to stun mode, but that high-pitched wail would send a ripple effect of disorientation into Zephyr. He was lucky, had the hammer been set to its lethal state, he would hit with enough bone-shattering might that it could shatter titanium.

Holstering his blaster, Kragr with his hammer in one hand, he activated the lethal state, walking with fast and determine steps towards Zephyr and raised the hammer into the air. He was not messing around now and Zephyr attacking him was enough proof for him to end Zephyr and not much would be able to stop Kragr from going through with it.

Isabeau Zephyr Kumaara

 

[Isabeau]

She was kneeling right there, in front of Zephyr and more importantly, between the two of them. Had she known about what was going to happen, she would have avoided the position like the plague - for being caught between two people so much stronger than herself could quite easily end up with her being injured. Alas, she was still there when Zephyr heard Kragr call him an Imperial. Shoved to the side, she quickly got back up on her feet as she saw her friend charge the other. Immediately, she rushed after him still, perhaps naively, hoping that more violence could be avoided. She wanted to get to the bottom of his story, but then, they were after all - hopefully - Mandalorian.

The girl soon saw Kragr pull out his war hammer as he stepped to the side to avoid being tackled by Zephyr. Flashbacks to their fight on Taris caused her to clearly remember the destructive power of his weapon. She saw images of it splattering people apart as he waded into crowds of thugs. Unaware of it just being set to stun, she let out a low but urgent "No!" whilst stretching out a hand to point at the weapon.

Aiming to prevent her red-haired friend from blowing the other one up, Isabeau took one more powerful step in her spring before activating her jetpack, propelling her up towards the hammer at a tremendous speed. Before Kragr had truly managed to bring the hammer in a downwards swing, she intercepted him with both hands grabbing the upper handle of the weapon whilst letting her body cling to his arm - expertly deactivating her jetpack just as she 'landed' on him. In this position, her knees pressed against both sides of his arm which helped her keep steady whilst she pushed at his shoulder and the side of his torso with both of her legs. This force would naturally push her upwards which she would use to full effect as she then tried to pull the war hammer away from him.

Of course, Isabeau knew that Zephyr was still there, but at least he was not making a lethal attack and if he did, she was going to turn on him in a heartbeat. He was already on thin ice for what had just been revealed and attacking Kragr did him no favours either. So whilst she was clinging to Kragr's arm, she still did her best to keep an eye on Zephyr.

Zephyr Kumaara Kragr Krayt

 

[Zephyr Krayt]

After committing the last ten years of his life to the Mandalorians and fully embracing the culture which used to be foreign to him, Zephyr was frustrated with being called an Imperial. It was understandable that Kragr would not trust him but it annoyed him that he was verbally attacked despite trying to explain himself which led to the rage-fuelled attack.

As he approached Kragr, he saw him wield a weapon which made him leap out of the way instinctively, though it seemed Isabeau had the situation under control. He was hopeful that she saw some truth in his words or at least wanted to believe him as she refused to let Kragr kill him so he knew he had to try his best not to disappoint her any more than he already had. He thought that maybe after she knew all he could tell her and if he walked out of here alive then he would go back to the life he had before meeting her where he worked alone - that seemed like the safest option.

Zephyr made no attempt to attack again, instead maintaining distance between the pair, wary that Kragr had little objection to killing him. "I don't know who that man is!" He exclaimed. "I've never seen him before. I told you: I haven't worked with Imperials for twelve years." He told them with a look of exasperation. He had no idea how he could convince them that he was telling the truth but hoped that Isabeau would try and empathise with him. "Isabeau, please. I've fought with you. I would die for you." He told her with a pleading look.

He then reached for the datapad and pressed the screen, as she had requested, to play the full message for them. "Zephyr Kumaara. Your identity has been compromised, please report to the nearest Imperial base. Insurgents have stolen top secret information and you will likely be hunted by their allies if you do not seek safety soon." The hologram disappeared so he looked at Isabeau to watch her reaction.

Kragr Krayt Zephyr Kumaara

 

[Kragr Krayt]

If Kragr hadn't been so locked in on crushing Zephyr, he would have been deeply impressed with how Isabeau managed to stop him from hammering Zephyr's head in. Nevertheless, the sudden fight came to a hold and Kragr had Kih Senaar around his arm, going for his war hammer. Staring death at the purple-armoured Mandalorian, or Imperial? All he's done has been telling his story, yet they had not seen him prove himself.

Which, with a stroke of luck, the communication devices on the each of three Mandalorians went off at the same time, "what the shab are you guys doing, our intel report that tangos are danger close, I repeat danger close!" cursed the Mandalorian in the other end, warning them, before shutting off. Kragr snapped his attention from his comm to Zephyr and would have pulled his other blaster and shot the traitor, but they had a more pressing matter to attend to now. And frankly, Kragr needed to blow off some steam and rage from all that information.

Grabbing his mace with his free hand, by pulling it out of Isabeau's hands and snapped it to his belt, expecting Isabeau to get off, he turned to face Zephyr. Without a weapon in hand, he walked over to the purple-armoured Mandalorian, grabbing him by his throat, and slammed Zephyr into the wall. It wasn't hard slam or rough, he was not even chocking the man with his gauntlet, but he did hold tightly around Zephyr's throat.

Kragr stared at Zephyr as if he stared into Zephyr's soul to see if the man spoke the truth. "Did you hear that? Imperials. You say you're one of us, I say you're full of shab" said Kragr with a dangerously low voice. "I like you boy, but lie to me and I will flay you alive. You have one chance to prove yourself and we will see if you're speaking the truth" threaten the red-haired Mandalorian, before letting go of Zephyr. Turning to face Isabeau, "see you on the battlefield," he said showing a hint of endearment towards her, among his anger, before placing his helmet over his head and left the building.

The Imperials had not yet arrived at the outpost, but getting into the outpost's tower, he could see them slowly make their way through the forest.

Isabeau Zephyr Kumaara

 

[Isabeau]

It had been a struggle, keeping them from killing each other and giving Zephyr a few more moments to explain himself and play the message. Isabeau thanked the stars that their comms went off and frankly rather happy about facing Imperial uniforms instead of playing inquisition against Zephyr - even though that was much more important overall. Still, the situation calmed down and Kragr seemed to be disarming, even when she was still clinging to his arm. Happy with the brief respite, she moved her left leg over to the right side of his arm and hopped back down onto the floor. Standing up straight, she smiled at her tall ally "Thanks" she said with an enthusiastic tone before strategically swirling around to semi-casually place herself between her two friends.

It was only a few moments later that she saw Kragr coming in her direction. Fearing that he would do something rash, she turned to face him and put one soft hand on his shoulder and the other on his elbow, following him on his way to Zephyr. Tugging at Kragr's arm, she spoke quietly for only Kragr to hear "Please don't, we should get to the bottom of this first" Her words revealed that she assumed that Kragr was going to kill Zephyr off quickly before dealing with the Imperial troop they were told of. He continued walking regardless and soon threw Zephyr up against the wall in a choke hold. Keeping her hands in place, Isabeau applied more pressure whilst speaking loudly "Don't kill him!"

To her relief, it seemed like Kragr didn't have any intentions to do so. Shaking her head, she smiled at him as he turned to speak to her. "See you on the battlefield" she replied, grateful that he had shown mercy to the foundling. Once Kragr had left the room, she turned to Zephyr "You'll have to start defending yourself if you want to survive those attacks. There is only so much I can do." her tone hardened as she raised a finger to warn him "But if I see you so much as hint at killing him and I'll finish what he started myself" Her eyes were hard and serious as she reached for the datapad and saying "I wanna see it again" Granted that Zephyr handed it over, she would walk over to the window she had peered out of before "You should've told me" she said. Her voice was determined but through the cracks, it could be heard that she was hurt. Turning to look at him, she said "You should go find Kragr, try to make peace or at least try to make sure that nobody gets a shot in the back"

The girl waited for him to leave before turning on the datapad and playing the message again. It had been cut short earlier and when played to its full length, the coordinates of a nearby and much larger Mandalorian outpost were revealed to hold the physical drive containing the information. A soft smile grew on her face as this along with the lack of other messages from the Imperials hinted at Zephyr being innocent - even if it was not waterproof evidence in either direction. But if they had known where he was, it seemed logical to her for them to also task him to go and retrieve or destroy it.

Once it was reviewed, she put the datapad in a pocket and peered out the window whilst calling them on the comms "What's new?" she asked, hoping that they were both still drawing breath and had something to say about the Imperial presence.

Zephyr Kumaara Kragr Krayt

 

[Zephyr Krayt]

He froze as they were informed of enemies nearby, waiting for someone else to make the first move which soon came in the form of Kragr approaching him, an action Zephyr did nothing to evade as he did not believe he was at risk of being killed by Kragr but rather that the older Mandalorian wanted to make a display of power so when Kragr grabbed him he didn't seem surprised or resist but allowed the man to make his point. He said nothing in response to Kragr and remained steadfast under his gaze.

Once released, he grabbed his rifle and helmet then caught Isabeau's eye as he was about to leave so he stopped. "Right, except he cares about you. If you weren't here then he would stop at nothing to kill me." He told her, explaining how his efforts would be futile had Isabeau not been there. While he didn't doubt that he could fend Kragr off, it seemed to be Isabeau's influence that ensured his safety. Her next words stung, though he didn't show any outward sign of being hurt and he knew her response was reasonable, it still pained him to watch their relationship deteriorate into her threatening to kill him. "I'm not going to kill him." He tried to reassure her though he was unsure how effective his words would be.

Zephyr handed Isabeau the datapad and watched after her with a hint of sadness as she walked to the window. "I know." He replied softly, realising it was the most appropriate response rather than trying to defend himself, not that he could anyway, but he hoped that in time she would be able to empathise with him and understand what led him to the decision he made, even if it was the wrong one. "I'm sorry." He added before replacing his helmet and nodding in response to her suggestion before leaving to find Kragr.

It never took long to spot the giant Mandalorian, whether it be by his distinctive size and armour or the sheer noise he made. Even through the forest, it only took Zephyr a few moments to spot his ally but as he approached him he was knocked into a tree by the familiar ping of a blaster bolt on his shoulder. He leapt into action, taking cover behind a tree and returning fire with his rifle until the Imperial until he took a shot to the chest. He continued towards Kragr, staying alert for any nearby Imperials and when he was close the gleam of armour caught his eye.

He turned and shot at the Imperial, catching the man's hand which caused him to drop his weapon but before Zephyr could get in the finishing blow, the man unexpectedly launched at him and tackled him to the floor, producing a vibroknife in the other hand, prompting Zephyr to draw his own. The pair struggled for a moment until Zephyr managed to knock the blade out of the man's hand, allowing him to quickly shoot him with the blaster in his other hand. He got back to his feet as Isabeau's message came through. "Imperials." He said breathlessly.

Kragr Krayt Isabeau

 

[Kragr Krayt]

Kragr had heard to pings and fight Zephyr had as Kragr looked on down at the purple-armoured man, he didn't came to help Zephyr nor did he say a word. Zephyr had to prove himself and by killing the two Imperials, it was at least one step in the right direction. With a heavy thud as Kragr jumped from the tower and landed behind Zephyr, "squad size most likely, could be more" added Kragr over the comm to Isabeau, and looked to Zephyr, "time to prove your worth, boy" comment Kragr and walked passed him and drew both RP-05A Ripper Pistol and just went into the open. The loud blast from his jetpack, he burst into the air aiming his fall directly in the middle of the Imperial squad.

Blaster fire could now be heard loud and clear, multiple flew past the outpost, hitting trees and a few the building they had been into. In the middle of the Imperial squad, Kragr blasted two soldiers in the gut at close range, blowing the guts out the back. Two more soldiers got shot in the back, blowing their spines to pieces, before the Imperials got behind cover and returned fire.

Every shot just ricocheted off of Kragr's heavy Beskar'gam as the rifles the Imperials had wasn't exactly built for fighting armour that could rival heavy tank armour. Launching himself into the air again, Kragr flew high above the treetops and out of sight, out to return with death from above, sending one of his three jetpack rockets at the Imperials. One soldier blew up being a ground zero for the blast, while two others only suffered mildly wounds from the shrapnel of the rocket.

Landing again behind a tree, feeling it get lit up by blaster bolt, Kragr had managed to set a squad of ten soldiers, down to five and wound two. However, that became apparent, that it was only a scouting squad as the mechanical sound of what appeared to be two AT-ST along with two more squads moving it, weapons ready as they started to fire at Kragr.

Isabeau Zephyr Kumaara

 

[Isabeau]

After having heard their reports on the situation, Isabeau pocketed Zephyr's datapad and turned to leave the room. Upon exiting, she also removed her cloak, letting it fall down onto the ground - hopefully to be retrieved later. Zephyr's condition did worry her a bit, seeing as how he had sounded rather out of breath when he spoke. Yes, he was a big guy and might not have the stamina to run fast over long distances like people with more similar builds to her own - but running out of breath that fast would be a little extreme, even for him.

Her mind was soon drawn to other matters as blaster bolts could be seen raining down upon the building as soon as she left it. Quickly, the girl fell down low, and moved quickly and quietly through the underbrush. Whoever had just fired at their outpost soon got something else on their mind - more specifically, they soon got Kragr on their mind. It was one of the great things about working with him; the enemy always focused way more on him than on her. While the awesome sound of destruction, explosives and blaster bolts clinking off of armour, Isabeau quietly made her way through the forest, allowing her allies to deal with the patrol.

Eventually, she started climbing, using her jetpack in short bursts to get higher up among the treetops. A rather fortunate decision as it allowed her to discover what was approaching early - more patrols and a walker. Strategically jumping between tree to tree, Isabeau found herself right above the walker, stalking it from above. It was only a matter of time before they engaged in combat with her allies upon which she raised her arm to speak over their comms channel "Cover me"

With that, she hopped down onto the AT-ST, barely making a sound as she was rather well trained to maintain silence and reduce noise. Having learned of how to deal with walkers in the past, she stayed low whilst starting to screw on the wheel at the hatch. At the moment, she was highly reliant on her allies keeping the other Imperials busy, seeing as how exposed she was on top of the walker. Still, her elevated position on its head and ability to make herself small worked to her advantage.

Knowing that the space inside was limited, Isabeau drew her blaster pistol as she jumped in and shot the commander in the process. Both pilots were being taken by complete surprise which allowed her to shoot another one before the last pilot rushed her, forcing both her and more importantly her blaster arm against the wall. What he failed to take into account was her hidden vambrace blade which suddenly shot into him, granting him a quick death. With that, she reached up to close the hatch before trying to familiarise herself with the controls and managing to fire off a few shots at the Imperials below.

Zephyr Kumaara Kragr Krayt

 

[Zephyr Krayt]

Zephyr got back to his feet and at the sound of someone landing behind him, he whipped around to face them, levelling the rifle with the person for a moment until he realised it was Kragr. "Oh, it's you." He said as he lowered the weapon. He was on edge after all that had just transpired as he doubted that Kragr would offer him any protection but soon Isabeau joined them which provided some comfort.

One of the squads broke away from the group to take different angles so Zephyr took cover behind a tree and when he peered out from behind it he was face to face with an Imperial who grabbed the rifle in a struggle to disarm the Mandalorian. "Zephyr, stop!" The man shouted, causing Zephyr to freeze upon hearing his name and recognising the voice. "What are you doing?! Get out of here!" He responded by suddenly taking control of the rifle again which the Imperial didn't resist to. "Come with us. We can keep you safe until this information is under control." The man replied.

Conscious of what it would look like if he was spotted having a conversation with an Imperial, he kicked the man in the abdomen, sending him to the floor. "Back off. If you knew what was good for you then you'd leave the Imperials too." He said. "Traitor." The man hissed to which Zephyr coolly replied with "You're right, but at least I'm not an Imperial" before turning to leave, offering the man an opportunity to escape but at the familiar click of a blaster he turned and shot the man quickly before he had a chance to return fire.

Zephyr hesitated for a moment before moving on, back into the heat of the battle. He slung the rifle over his back and drew both blasters, shooting at any glint of armour he saw. Upon seeing a high concentration of Imperials together, he launched a proton grenade in their direction, causing them to scatter to avoid it which made it easier to pick them off. He fired another flurry of bolts towards a pair of Imperials, receiving one in the chest in return which knocked him off his feet though he managed to get behind a tree for cover.

Isabeau Kragr Krayt