Campaign The Battle for Tor Valum | The Enclave

[The Quartermaster]

C H A P T E R
F O U R

The Vong-augmented jammer had been destroyed, and just in time.

The Pre-recorded Transmission from the Quartermaster begins.

"Greetings, all. The past months have been tough and have worn on us all. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Intercepted bio-transmissions have revealed that the Praetorite Remnant are gathering the crux of their forces in the former great capital of Kestri and Clan Kyron: Tor Valum, the city in the mountain. The three remaining Forge Keys required to unlock the Mind Forge reside there, as do the leadership and majority of the Yuuzhan Vong's forces. If we move fast, we can deal a critical blow that will end this war once and for all.

"But, this battle will be the toughest of challenges that we will face yet. These are no mutated creations -- these are fully formed Vong, with their organic weaponry and armies of warriors and even Chazrach slaves. And they know we are coming, and they have prepared. So we will be prepared, too."

There are three central locations that our forces will focus on: First, the underground lava tunnels through which Tor Valum derived its heat and power. The central breeding nest resides within the protective heat of the central generator. Destroy the nest, repair the generator, and recover the Forge Key that lays there. Secondly: in the ravine of Tor Valum's mountain is an, although small, powerful world ship that is the last of the Vong's fleet. We must destroy that as well, and deep-level scans have located the Forge Key to be somewhere in the vicinity of the docking command station. And finally: atop the highest tower of Tor Valum resides the Master Shaper and leader of the Remnant himself. We need a team to climb up there and topple him from his throne -- and he should have the last Forge Key as well."

"Fight boldly. Fight bravely. Vode An."

Spoiler: Objectives

• The Lava Tubes of Tor Valum were created to provide both heat and power throughout the city; molten rock flows freely through an intricate network of underground tunnels that intersect in the main, derelict power generator of the city. Clear out the nest of Yuuzhan Vong here, recover a Forge Key are restore power to the city.

• In the middle of the massive ravine that divides the mountain that Tor Valum was built into is the small, last-remaining worldship of the Praetorite Remnant. Driven by desperation, the Master Shaper has committed heresy and attempted to augment it with non-organic technology to make it fly once more. This cannot be allowed. Fight through the thickest of the Vong and destroy the Worldship before it can take to the sky and stars.

• In the central spire of Tor Valum resides the Master Shaper and leader of the Praetorite Remnant: Jyem Kwa'ad. Climb up level after level, slaying Yuuzhan Vong until you reach the top of the spire where you can kill the Master Shaper, dealing the death blow to the Praetorite Remnant.

Spoiler: Tag List

Akshae Numek
Aloy Vizsla
Aria Nox
Aro Vizsla
Aselia Verd
Garza
Caeos Prahl
Cerar Vizsla
Corvus Dravere
Darsch Vizsla
Forjund Australis
Gaia Sunaris Cadera
Jan Kryze
Jerrick Shado
Jett Vox
Jiriad Galaar
Kale Onara
Keldar Saarkis
Kandosii Ka'rta
Kar Bakar
Karsan Munin
Kaz Vizsla
Kelisea Dragr
Kes Stag
Khyr Beviin
Kranak Vizsla
Kytana Horizonis
Lana Cuyan
Leenic Ellsil
Minerva Fhirdiad
Mig Gred
Miria Tanau
Nix Avyena
Nova Dragr
Obran
Oya Bralor
Radon Krayt
Rav Bralor
Reeve Bralor
Rito Hust
Rixa Numeck
Scald
Sera Sen
Seris Vant
Siv Dragr
Stardust Solus Skirae
Tahlah Vizsla
Talon Aegis
Tan'yill Vizsla
Jarva Orkaan
Thaine Mereel
Thom Betna
Thonn Rokkal
Tihaar
Torrack Torrackstur
Tristan Ortega
Tyran Numeck
Uriel Kahn
Ursula Vizla
Vaux Gred
Vren Rook
Wen Tzu
Xero Lang
Zephyr Krayt
Zurin

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[Aloy Vizsla]

I N S E R T I O N

INVADERS ON THEIR LAND - THE MANDALORIAN OST​

Tag: Kranak Vizsla | Darsch Vizsla | Tahlah Vizsla +Anyone who wants in!

Aloy's cybernetic claw tapped impatiently against the durasteel deck as her dropship flew towards the Ravine, Ferrying House Vizsla of Roon and it's allies or Tagalogs towards the Ravine.
They called this merry band of missfits; Strikehammer, And Aloy planned to show the world just how aptly they'd been named.

<"Listen up Strikehammer,"> She began, The starfighter-like teeth marks on her helm almost smiling as she spoke with glee <"We're headed into the ravine to hit that worldship. Intel says it's small, But we're expecting heavy resistance along the way. We're escorting a kriffing bomb to that thing and blowing both it and the vong back out this galaxy where they belong!">

She knocks her knuckles against an R2 unit that beeps and lazily turns to her, Seeming to have a hard time in the process
<"This buck of bolts is filled with enough explosives to take out one of those skyscrapers below. We're escorting it in to do the job and then we are falling back to watch the fireworks and grab a beer. If we don't, Those ugly bastards are just going to reinforce and we Cannot let that happen.">

<"Expect a mixture of close quarters and mid-range engagements. Urban ruins and open streets. They'll attack in waves as we attract attention so be ready for large numbers of hostiles armed with biotech. We move cover to cover and we do it fast. Vode an people!">

Just as soon as it all began, The briefing came to an end at the sound of gunfire below them and the flashing red light that indicated they were prepared to drop.
The ramp drops a second or two later as the dropship touches down, And Aloy leaps out, Greeted by a lightshow of tiny explosive rounds kicking up sow around her. Two of her assailants drop dead as her particle pistol is drawn at the hip, Burning through vong grunts with an explosive ∗ Pop∗ that echoes through this part of the ravine, Giving her enough time to take cover behind a piece of duracrete wall as she draws her second pistol, Now providing covering fire for the team exiting the dropship.

<"Vizsla! Strikehammer! Push 'em back!">


This is what she's been waiting for.

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[Siv Dragr]

R I S E

Tag: Reeve Bralor | Minerva Fhirdiad | OPEN

Siv had fought before. He'd been a bounty hunter chasing down targets across a myriad of worlds for all his life, and before that there ahd been no absence of training and mock combat in his childhood years since he'd been old enough to walk and shoot a blaster. Life was a constant struggle, a perpetual state of warfare for the Mandalorian.

Yet these past months on Kestri? They'd been some of the toughest challenges that Siv had faced.

From falling into a pit of not just regular Yuuzhan Vong, the ancient enemies of the Mandalorians that from the legends Siv had grown up with, but mutants, abominations, too nearly dying to an unidentified aquatic monstrosity in a freezing lake, to falling into yet another pit to meet and communicate with an ancient Exogorth. And now here he was, fighting some several-millennia-old Yuuzhan Vong shaper for the fate of this secret, ice-covered planet.

A routine that was worringly becoming daily.

He'd also been informed that he would be having some relatively. . . new blood to be joining him on this assassination objective, along with any others who'd signed up for this suicide mission. One of them the eager if slightly nervous Mandalorian that had spontaneously joined him and Vren on a Karjr mission, and the other a woman Siv had yet to meet. As he piloted his CVT-48 Outlander-class Starfighter through Tor Valum airspace to a set of derelict landing pads at the midsection of the central spire, he reasoned that he'd see whether they would have the true capabilities of a warrior; not on a hunt, but in the pinnacle of battle.

Trial by fire certainly was an appropriate name.
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[Mig Gred]

Mig slowly moved into the lava tube as he thought about what had happened on this blasted ice ball! His sister, Vaux Gred , had gotten injured early on, and he had the chance to meet a space slug. Now though... now was possibly the end of it. Hunt down this Vong nest and clear it! He could do this. He knew not to underestimate them, and that the old pyro tricks Stardust Solus Skirae had helped train him in would come in handy now. He couldn’t lift or shock them, but they could burn. Now was the time to move in though.

“Vulcan Forge, Mig Gred. Let’s move out and finish this vod!” He would then start to walk in, igniting his saber as he walked down. This wouldn’t be pretty by any means, but he could just relax hopefully when this was done. Be with his wife and kids and just not have to worry about war for a few minutes. Now though, he was focused on the fight ahead, and the Vong they would face.

 

[Vren Rook]

TAG: Thonn Rokkal | Tristan Ortega | Mig Gred | Kale Onara | Open to others

Oh, for kark's sake!

These things were everywhere! They were fugly and they just mutated everything they touched. When does it end? Their horned heads just had no end.

Vren frowned as he received his directive. Not only did he have to face the horned adders, he had to do it in the lava tunnels of Tor Valum. Oh yay! Thank Hoth he had proper blasters for this. And newly patched Beskar. He would probably have an issue with deep waters for the rest of his life. If it wasn't for Kale Onara , he surely would have frozen to death.

Karking Vong.

Yet, the Karjr tuned his comms and drewone of his blasters.
"Right, Vode! I'm sure y'all know what we're facing. So let's just get them kark out of this Galaxy altogether, aye?" he said as they gathered at the zone they have secured. He then grimaced behind his helm, "We're going to have to do it while skirting some lava, though. I hope you guys can surf well enough." he added wit a little joke at the end. "We need to get this place running at full power again. Weapons at the ready, friends"

All his jokes aside, Vren turned and lead his group into the underground, highlighted in reds and oranges as the colour of the lava reflected off the Beskar'gam of all the Mando'ade present.

 

[Tahlah Vizsla]

Tags: Aloy Vizsla Kranak Vizsla Darsch Vizsla

Spoiler: Equipment

As follows:

• DD6 Blaster Pistol (2 of them)​
• Neimodian Rifle​
• Vibroblade​
• Mandalorian Armor (Beskar)​
• Rocket Boots​

Tahlah sat in the dropship close to the door. She wanted to be among the first to get out there. This was not her first drop, though the first drop into a hot combat zone. That part was actually thrilling to the young Nautolan. The adrenaline was pumping. The thrill of proper combat filling her head. On the inside, there was a raging maelstrom of excitement and anxiety. However, on the outside, helped by wearing a face covering helmet, she seemed very collected. The Alor gave all in the dropship the briefing of their mission. She heard the stories of the Vong. Their strange ships made from living matter, their weapons that were more like domesticated animals, as well as their armor and how it was grafted into their bodies. Whatever horrors were told to her from the older members of the small band that raised her, they did not matter now. No use being scared when she was about to leap off to one of these worldships from the stories soon and see the "horrors" of the Vong first hand.

The hissing of hydraulics then pierced the sound of the humming engines of the dropship. The hatch was opening. The Alor jumped out first, and Tahlah jumped out soon after in a near-frenzy. She was eager for battle. She careened through the air down to the surface, and then engaged the rockets on her feet when she began to get close to the ground. When she got closer to the ground, she drew her pistols and began firing at the Vong grunts. She aimed for the heads as she did not know how body shots would go on these things and their living armor. She seemed to land a few in either the throat or center of the face as they fell to the ground after she fired at them. She could see the Alor about maybe 20-or-so yards to her right. She continued blasting at the Vong until she got close enough to get some semblance of a beginning formation into use.

She said nothing as she appraoched the Alor's position. The heat of battle was on, and it was not the time for conversing. That antisocial zen of conflict took over her mind. All it was in her thoughts was to shoot the Vong, and win this first battle. After the landing zone has been marked out, then there may be a chance to talk with her brothers and sisters in arms.

 

[Reeve Bralor]

R I S E

TAG: Siv Dragr | Minerva Fhirdiad

The rumble of the transport shuttle shuddering under his feet brought Reeve back to his senses. He’d been lost in thought as they descended through the atmosphere of Kestri. The Enclave had called, and he’d answered.

But it had made him wonder over the ride to the ancient planet, how bad things were getting if they were sending in virtually untested Mandalorians like himself as backup. This was an all hands on deck situation apparently, and despite the relative polish of his Beskar’gam and the lack of ion scoring on the business end of his blasters, Reeve Bralor was all too happy to step up when needed. These people were his family now. A family he’d been denied for the majority of his life.

Clan Bralor had not only saved his life, but stood shoulder to shoulder with him as he retook said life from those that thought they owned it. He owed them everything, and was willing to give everything he had to prove to them that he was worth the effort.

<”Fifteen seconds to drop,”> came the pilot's voice over his helmet comm. Reeve answered with a double click in response.

“Wake up Ziggy. Run system diagnostics again. Give me everything on the HUD.”

Reeve’s heads up display flickered to life as his onboard virtual intelligence exited standby mode and went to work. Ziggy had been Reeve’s first real creation, and his only friend for years. The program was basically an onboard droid brain that had one purpose, and one purpose only. Running the technical systems that Reeve constantly added to his armor. The responses were programmed to Reeve’s personal specifications and the droid brain would run logic and slicing algorithms the young Mandalorian had devised himself. The computer was meant to think like he would, to cut down on reaction time when on the job. It was a complex web of computer programming and digital construction that was wrapped up in a tiny little pixelated character matching Reeve’s general likeness, that moved around animatedly on his internal HUD.

Until just then, Ziggy had been in sleep mode, the tiny little Mando was seen dozing on the extreme bottom left of Reeve’s peripheral. But now it sprang to action and started bringing vitals and ammunition counts up for visual inspection.

The mission he’d been given had been one of choice. There were actually three missions to accept. But when he’d seen the name of the mission lead on the spire assault, he’d immediately volunteered. At least he’d be working with Siv again. He respected the older Mando for a number of reasons, but at the very least, Siv was a known entity for a dangerous mission.

He wondered to himself how Siv Dragr would react to seeing him now. Their first mission together had been simple enough. Just an assault to bring down someone getting too big for their britches. He’d gone on their first joint mission together with a pair of blaster pistols and his tech gauntlet for slicing.

But now?

“Running equipment check.” He said to no one in general.

He reached up and secured his bucket, checking seals and fit, then moved from his shoulders, down.

-Armor plates secure.
-Cross draw shoulder holster and twin blasters loaded and secure.
-Chest mounted ammunition pouches secure.
-Interpersonal dissuasion devices on the underside of the gauntlets secure.
-Tech gauntlet display clear and in travel configuration with the lid down. Systems running at optimum efficiency.
-Twin vibroknives holstered on quick access sheathes mounted horizontally on the back of the utility belt, secure.
-Thigh holsters and twin heavy blaster pistols loaded and secure.
-Boot knife secure.
-Tech assault pack and ordinance strapped over his shoulders and midsection secure.

And finally, Reeve adjusted his midnight black kama for a better fit before checking off his kit as green.

This mission was going to be all out war, and Reeve Bralor had come loaded for Rancor.

If it had a locked door, he could either slice it, or blow it open. If it had warriors, he could cut them down with enough constant blaster fire to level a small building.

Reeve didn’t look like some underfed computer geek playing Mando this time. No this time, he came with his Commando pants on.

The diagnostic readout for armor systems read all green and the digital Mando character in front of Reeve’s eyes nodded once, offered a thumbs up and put it’s own bucket on. Ziggy was ready too.

The rumbling under his feet ended with a subtle clunk as the transport touched down.

<”All clear vod. Give em hell, and I’ll see you at the pickup.”>

Reeve didn’t answer verbally. The troop bay door slid open and he quickly stepped out onto the frozen turf below, jogging a short distance away from the dropship and taking a knee. He turned his head slightly over his shoulder and gave a two fingered salute to the pilot, who nodded and took off again.

“Ziggy. Comms open to Siv Dragr.”

The digi-mando reached to his own tech gauntlet and a quick beep told him that the channel was open.

<”Dragr. This is Bralor, I’m boots on the ground. Repeat, boots on the ground. Landing zone is clear. Awaiting instructions.”>

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[Thonn Rokkal]

Tags: Vren Rook Tristan Ortega Mig Gred Kale Onara

---

So, he had to help fetch a key and repair a generator. Well, Thonn was no repairman; not by a long shot. And given the lengthy delay he had in packing for this trip, he wasn’t particularly good at finding stuff either. Clearing out a nest of them though; now that was speaking to both his skills and equipment. He had his blaster cannon, and plenty of power packs to feed the beast. Thonn was well kitted for a fight. Sure, the directive said it’d be dangerous; but wasn’t most anything they did? Sounded like it would be a good test of a warrior’s mettle to him, and he was determined to meet it.

Thonn made his immediate way over, approaching those gathered for the same directive he was given. He walked up as Vren spoke, giving direction and speaking of the hazard with a quip. Yeah, keeping outta the lava sounded just fine to him; it was one of those bothersome dangers he couldn’t solve by simply blasting away at it. Thonn responded with a nod, too steeled with the anticipation of battle to give any sort of chuckle. He just wanted the same thing Vren did; to get going and clear these things out.

And also repair that generator and find that key. Yeah, that was important too.

 

[Kranak Vizsla]

Location: Kestri, In a Gunship, Headed to the Ravine in Tor Valum’s Mountain
Local Time: 09:30
Date: -DATA CORRUPTED-
Primary Objective: Retrieve Forge Key in the Vicinity of the Worldship’s Docking Command Station
Secondary Objective: Destroy the Vong Worldship by Escorting Payload into the Vong Worldship,
Equipment: Loadout 2 (Swapped Westar-M5 w/ DR-04DB Class-D Disruptor Rifle)
Tags: Aloy Vizsla | Tahlah Vizsla | Darsch Vizsla

The impatient clicking of Aloy’s cybernetic leg was accompanied with metallic, brittle clicks and clacks as the giant Ori’ramikad Bar’uur performed a weapons check on his new rifle while seated, waiting for deployment. The big guy had done some shopping when he heard what they could potentially face in the upcoming operation. He also had bought a beautiful Disruptor Rifle and plenty of ammunition, among other things for his various weapon platforms. The giant pulled out a Gas cartridge-power cell combined magazine from one of his magazine pouches and and loaded the Disruptor Rifle. With a gentle slap on the magazine catch, accompanied with a brittle thud, the big guy properly locked the magazine in place. He completed the weapons check after putting the rifle on safety until they hit the ground and entered combat. He was ready, locked and loaded.

Not too long after he was finished with his weapons check, Aloy started to brief them on their mission while the gunship headed towards their objective that laid in the ravine. Kranak turned and locked his gaze with Aloy’s faceplate, listening to the mission briefing.

<"Listen up Strikehammer,"> She began, The starfighter-like teeth marks on her helm almost smiling as she spoke with glee <"We're headed into the ravine to hit that worldship. Intel says it's small, But we're expecting heavy resistance along the way. We're escorting a kriffing bomb to that thing and blowing both it and the vong back out this galaxy where they belong!">

She knocks her knuckles against an R2 unit that beeps and lazily turns to her, Seeming to have a hard time in the process
<"This buck of bolts is filled with enough explosives to take out one of those skyscrapers below. We're escorting it in to do the job and then we are falling back to watch the fireworks and grab a beer. If we don't, Those ugly bastards are just going to reinforce and we Cannot let that happen.">

<"Expect a mixture of close quarters and mid-range engagements. Urban ruins and open streets. They'll attack in waves as we attract attention so be ready for large numbers of hostiles armed with biotech. We move cover to cover and we do it fast. Vode an people!">

So, large concentrations of fully evolved Vong forces, an entire Worldship and a handful of vode in a close to medium range area of engagement. Anxiety settled within him, letting out a muffled sigh as his gaze fell on the armored floor. They may not have been outgunned by the Vong chakaare, but they would certainly be outnumbered by the looks of it. And they knew they were coming for them. They ought to be prepared for the Mandalorians. He was afraid for the well being of his vode, just like any combat medic would be. He didn’t want them to get hurt, but that was inevitable in battle. He was also troubled by that R2 unit turned into a walking bomb, carrying enough ordnance that could wipe out several city blocks upon detonation. What if it prematurely detonated when something struck it with enough force? They’d die before putting up a fight against the chakaare! With a subtle shake of his head, he dismissed the damnable thought.

Raising his gaze from the floor and looking at his vode that sat around him within the armored cabin of the gunship, he saw they were not as worried as him. Maybe he didn’t need to worry too much. Or maybe they were just better at hiding their worries or their excitement than the big guy. With a slight shrug of his shoulders, he turned his gaze to the armored ramp before him, waiting for deployment. He was behind Tahlah, the Nautolan vod. Shortly after Aloy finished her briefing, the armored cabin was filled with blinking red lights, indicating they were about to land on their designated insertion point. With the flick of the safety switch on his Disruptor Rifle, he turned off the safety and powered the rifle. The moment he felt the ship’s landing gears touching the coarse arid terrain, he swiftly stood up from his seat -albeit slightly leaning forward, as the armored ceiling of the gunship was a bit too low for a man of his stature- and assumed a fighting stance with his Disruptor Rifle at a low-ready stance. The ramp dropped not a moment later after he stood up, its hydraulics letting out a sharp whistle as it lowered.

<"Vizsla! Strikehammer! Push 'em back!">

Aloy and Tahlah were the first ones to step out of the gunship as the two started blasting the closest Vong targets around them, while sprinting for cover. Kranak immediately seeked shelter as soon as getting out of the gunship, not returning fire at the moment. The Vong nearby were shooting at them with their Chitin Carbines while those that utilized melee weapons started to sprint towards the small group of Mandalorians.

Prioritizing the Vong that charged at their position, after taking cover behind a large clump of rocks -about five meters behind of Aloy and Tahlah- the giant Ori’ramikad gently squeezed the trigger of his Disruptor Rifle after aiming for the closest Vong warrior. The Disruptor Rifle let out a distinct howl with each pull of the trigger, disintegrating most Vong in mere seconds. Their screams just before they were completely disintegrated reverberated from their surroundings and into the ravine. A dark grin spread across Kranak’s face, shrouded underneath his buy’ce. He was starting to love this rifle.

But such firepower carried its own set of consequences. The Vong took quick notice of such a deadly weapon in the arsenal of the small Mandalorian group, and were starting to focus their efforts on the giant Mandalorian. They unleashed a volley of Nang hul from their Chitin carbines at Kranak. Noticing the incoming fire, the Ori’ramikad ducked behind the rocks, taking shelter from the pouring Nang hul. The small disc shaped creatures squashed as they strucked the rocks. Unable to return fire at the moment while he was pinned, he chuckled heartily over the commlink. [“Hahaha, I guess that got their attention, huh? Mind getting them off my back for me?”] The anxiety he had before he left the gunship was replaced with the rush of combat. As soon as the Vong's attention was off him, the giant Ori'ramikad would peek over the rocks and return fire with his Disruptor Rifle to those Vong that carried ranged weapons.

 

[Darsch Vizsla]

Dark, the cabin was as the dropship descended into the atmosphere. It brought back some memories to Darsch, dropping into a warzone like this. Mandalore, the battle that changed everything. The Mando smirked under her helmet as the ship shook as it closed in on its landing zone. Her helmet's visor glowed red in the dark now. She tilts her head up to look at Aloy for a moment. Usually this moment would've been followed by a keldabe kiss but that time was long behind her. Aloy would've probably felt Darsch's stares as the ship arrived at the landing zone. Light pours into the cabin like a glass of water spilling. With that, the shots began flying.

By this point two had already fallen to the opening volley. Darsch smirks as she watched Aloy run out. Still had that fire inside of her as Alor of the Great Clan Vizsla. She admired it. She stood up drawing both of her SA-44 Blaster Revolvers, spinning them with a smile. The mandalorian pulls back on their hammers as she suddenly shot out of the cabin using her boosters. All that was seen was a streak of white and red. Shots began flying from the White Mamba as she flew. Darsch shuts the boosters off landing behind a group of vong infantry, raising her revolvers and going to town.​

<"These creatures don't know what they've gotten themselves into..">

Darsch taunted the foes before her continue to slam round after round into their bodies. Each time came with a spin of her revolver showing her immense skill with Revolvers off. Having thinned out some of their numbers, Darsch retreated to the duracrete wall that her allies sat behind. This was the perfect moment for reloading as she emptied the cylinder of used rounds, sliding new ones in their places.

<"Lovely people.. Think I may visit with Raiven!">

She said with sarcasm continuing to reload being fast though blaster pistols were faster reload. But she preferred her revolvers since they could throw slugs and bolts. Plus she built them herself.

Aloy Vizsla Tahlah Vizsla

 

[Kale Onara]

Kale Onara gathered at the entrance of the lava tube along with several of his fellow Mandos. He didn't recognize most of his fellow warriors but he gave a small salute to both Mig and Vren as he made his way to them. "Let's do this vod." he said to mainly Mig and Vren before they descended into the lava tube. He had no real battle experience against the Vong but he had read up on everything he could that was available and he adjusted his arsenal accordingly. Their armor was highly resistant but not completely invulnerable. There were weak points in their armor so he added a small laser sight to his blasters so he could better pinpoint and exploit those weak points. He also doubled up on frag grenades and brought three thermal detonators though those would be last resorts given they were in lava tubes and they didn't respond to well to high explosives. He also had two vibroknives and a vibrosword strapped to his back.

All in all, he was wearing more gear and weaponry than normal but the weight wasn't too bad to handle but he had a bit of nervous anticipation that always showed up when he was about to battle a new enemy. There was a tinge of fear but the adrenalin edge he had was almost addictive and having fellow Mandos like Mig and Vren next to him, he truly believed that they would be victorious. And if not, well they'd go out fighting and take as many of these Vong with them as they could.

Yes, today was a good day...

 

[Minerva Fhirdiad]

Tag: Siv Dragr Reeve Bralor Open

A Tsrotzhu gunship broke through the atmosphere on Kesari. From the cockpit Minerva couldn’t help but briefly admire the world. Father would’ve loved this. As swiftly as that thought came it passed with more pressing matters to tend for.

The former founding to be quite honest found the whole situation quite incredible. A lost Mandalorian world and an ancient threat brought back to life. Underneath the helmet Minerva grinned savagely. “It’s not even life day yet.” She commented to herself, diving the ship to the set of coordinates provided by the Enclave.

To think her first assignment with them would be of this scale. Not that I’m complaining. In fact I welcome this challenge to prove my worth. As the ruined city of Tor Valum came into view she quickly noted the great spire as described by the briefing.

Soon enough her sensors picked Mandalorian signals, including from an Outlander-class Starfighter. Her brethren were already there. She followed the starcraft into the spire’s midsection, before landing at one of the delrict landing platforms. Subsequently Minerva made sure to send a coded message to let the pilot know she was here.

Once her gunship finished its descent, the armored warrior got out of the pilot’s chair and made her way to the landing ramp, already opening automatically. Gripping the BTI-CC13 blaster rifle Minerva called in from the comms to her new comrades, Siv Drager and Reeve Bralor just as the latter finished his message.

“This is Minerva Fhirdiad, I am here as well. Let’s get this show rolling.”

 

[Mig Gred]

Tag: Kale Onara Thonn Rokkal Vren Rook

Mig looked at the others there, giving a nod to Vren as he began to enter the tunnel.

"Right, and keep your comms on. We need to know what's going on." He would then walk in, he could feel the heat from the lava, that was inside already. The Mandalorian wasn't sure what to expect from these Vong, but he hoped they would be too bad. He looked around, keeping his visor set to the best mode to see in all this heat. He looked around, taking a breath as he looked around. He wouldn't be able to feel something coming this time. Finally, he heard something as a living blade swung at him.

"Osik!" Mig would block the attack before seeing a Vong on the other end of the blade. "I found a Vong!" Mig would jump around the tunnel, igniting some flames in his left palm before releasing it on the menacing being. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

 

[Siv Dragr]

R I S E

Tag: Reeve Bralor | Minerva Fhirdiad

Siv's ship rocketed into Tor Valum airspace at breakneck speeds, preferring not to get entangled in whatever anti-air emplacements the Vong would have set up for slower-moving ships. Before his fighter could slam into what would be a temporarily glorious but ultimately ineffective fireball, he quickly engaged the ship's counterthrusters, the sudden change in velocity so powerful that had the ship's inertial dampers correct for it, Siv would've been turned into jellied meat rather than experience an uncomfortable jolt.

Exhaust, condensate into partly-frozen particles by Kestri's extremely-cold atmosphere, streamed out of vents of the Outlander as it touched down on the Spire's mid-tower landing pads. There had been two Yuuzhan Vong warriors, dressed in their shell-like armor, guarding the pad, but turbulence created by Siv's landing ship had quite literally blown them off, sending them to spiraling deaths. Gruesome, to be sure, but Siv had seen far, far worse fates.

His built-in communications device crackled, and the voice of Reeve Bralor began to speak. "Oya, Bralor," Siv grunted back in response. It wasn't a moment later before the exhaust of a second ship on an adjacent landing pad alerted him to the arrival of their third fireteam member: Minver Fhirdiad. Siv turned, a small part of him uncharacteristically curious to see what sort of first impression this currently-unknown warrior would give, and from what he could ascertain, it wasn't a bad one. She carried herself with a quiet self-reassurance, one that came with experience, not pompous ego. Siv would have to see whether that appearance would carry itself into combat, though.

With a switch of a toggle, he quickly set his blaster spinning on another power cycle before responding to Minverva's greeting as well. "Good idea." His helmeted gaze was cast briefly upwards along the smooth wall of the spire -- the massive structure was tall enough that he could not see the top, even from the midsection. His glance was only brief though, and his eyes returned to look straight forward at the environmentally-sealed blast doors that lead into the structure's interior. He jogged over to them, although it was only a few paces away. There he encountered the first hurdle: the appearances of an old, rusted security system overrun by organic Vong growths. His eyes rested on the growths for a moment, and then he glanced down to his utility belt, where a blast charge hung there temptingly.

BOOM.

A moment later and the issue no longer existed; apparently, several millennia of environmental wear-and-tear could wear down even the most weatherized of blast doors. The metal doors fell down forwards into the dimly-lit interior, steel plating and traditional Mandalorian architecture mixing unnaturally with large Vong bio-growths that covered every foot of the place. Siv had to admit: he had no taste for architecture, but even this was a sight for sore eyes.

One thing that he could notice was that even though the landing pads had been adjacent, once he'd walked inside he was cut off from his fireteam members. Siv raised his arm, the physical motion triggering the audio-capture in his closed-comm systems, and began to speak. "There should be some sort of turbolift system here that could get us to the top. Bralor, you're handy with slicing -- see if you can't get some power going, and maybe take care of any security systems that'd give us trouble. Minerva, I'm going to need help finding a spot we can all rendezvous at, as well as the lifts themselves --" a massive roar echoed through the Spire. "-- and clearing out our neighbors."
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[Leea Pandac]

Objective: Strikehammer
Enemies: A whole lot of Vong
Allies: Aloy Vizsla Tahlah Vizsla Darsch Vizsla Kranak Vizsla Talohn Atar Madlad and 'Firecracker' the R2-unit


Straight from the fires of one battle, into the blaze of another. Leea waited in the not-so-quiet of the dropship. The clinking of various metals and parts reminded her of the past. She allowed her mind to slip away from the moment, she tried to envision what the worldship might be like. An entire vessel that was actually a living creature, capable of moving through hyperspace and safely transporting armies. What sort of organism could do that? More importantly, she whispered a question to the droid beside her, a companion of her employer Talohn, "Are conventional weapons effective on an organic target? Even if Firecracker disables it, couldn't the thing heal itself or something?"

As if the question sparked a further inquiry, she continued, "Madlad, does this feel odd for you? You know, protecting another droid just to blow it up later?" The mirialan was still adjusting to the idea of robotic sentience and how that interacted on an interpersonal level.

There was only a brief period of time before the lights turned and Leea felt her heart quicken. She had been in such insertions before, with varying levels of success. It was the first time she was with a group of Mandos though, and she hoped that would make a difference. The doors opened and the soldier instinctively hunched over as the first rounds began to land in their vicinity. The Mandos moved with speed and acuity into various positions, firing and attacking.

"Well, guess I'm the little popper huh. Come on Firecracker, don't want to get left behind now do we?" She gave the loaded R2 unit a gentle nudge and jumped from the ship. Half-bent over she raced to the nearest piece of rubble large enough to give ample cover. Falling behind it she waited for a moment, gauging where the others were and the largest concentration of fire originated from. Leea cradled the borrowed E-17 blaster rifle, as she cautiously raised her head over the protective crumbling duracrete. A small pellet-like missile struck the cover sending gravelly bits of the duracrete into her face and she dropped quickly back. Unperturbed, Leea called out, "There's a lot of them." In a swift motion, she raised the blaster rifle, rotated and brought the gun to bear on a Vong silhouetted in a windowsill. Pulling the trigger, Leea fell back as the recoil nearly sent her sprawling. "Bloody-" As it was, she spun slightly and collapsed no grace whatsoever, into an awkward laying position behind her little block of protection.

 

[Reeve Bralor]

R I S E​

TAG: Siv Dragr | Minerva Fhirdiad



It didn’t take long for Siv and the third member of their fireteam to show. Siv and the other mando settled on landing pads a few levels higher than his own. But as he looked up and watched the gunship settle down on the pad above and to the left of him, Reeve’s jaw gaped slightly in awe. It was heavily armed and armored as well as aesthetically pleasing.

“Ziggy... What is that?” He whispered into his helmet.

His HUD flashed a dull light over several sections of the ship as his VI scanned the silhouette. Then the mechanical drone of the computer voice resonated in his ears.

--Records show this as a Tsrotzhu gunship--

Reeve nodded to no one as their third member came down the ramp across from where he’d been dropped.

“Put it on the shopping list Zig. I want one.”

--Acknowledged. Tsrotzhu gunship added to shopping list--

He heard a muted boom and looked up to the right to see the top of Siv’s helmet disappearing into the superstructure of the spire. Well, that was one way to get in. But Reeve didn’t want to quite announce his own presence just yet. Siv’s orders came over the comm and as they did, Reeve removed a device from one of his belt pouches roughly the size of his palm. He tossed the round bit of tech to the ground and took a knee next to it as the schematics of the Spire came up in three dimensions before him.

<”Power and security, got it boss, wait one.”> He responded on open comms.

The schematic for the Spire was ancient. It had taken quite some digging to find it in Enclave archives. But Reeve liked to be prepared. There was no telling how much the interior of the structure had changed over the years, or even how many of those changes were now Vong-formed with their crazy biotech. But at the very least, he would have an idea of what was supposed to be underneath the skin of the building.

He traced his finger along a line through the holo display and nodded to himself, <”Okay. Looks like I’m in front of an old maintenance garage for airspeeders. Got a power substation ten levels below my current position. I’ll see what I can do. Breaching in fifteen seconds.”>

The holo powered down when he was satisfied with his quick study and he made his way to the door leading into the garage. As expected, it was sealed shut and had no obvious power running to it. But that didn’t make sense to him. Even after all of this time, certain redundant systems should be in play for maintenance crew safety. Kestri was kriffing cold. Design specs for a building this size should have some kind of emergency power backups for access points like the garage.

Reeve quickly crossed to the door control sensor and had to stab it with his vibroknife a couple of times to free the panel from ice, then switched the blade off and got the edge behind the access plate to pop it off.

“If I was an outdated backup power supply for an access door I would be rigggghhttt…” He muttered to himself as his index finger traced wires to their homes. Then he spotted the tiny little battery with a corroded wire attached to it. “There.”

He bypassed the main power line and connected it to the backup, then listened as the door stuttered a few times. “Come on baby, I don’t need much.”

The old and nearly spent power cell drained the last ergs of its energy and the door slid open about two feet, revealing a dark interior beyond. Reeve placed two fingers against where his mouth would be on his helmet and ‘kissed’ them, then placed them on the dead battery.

“Thanks little buddy. Rest in peace.”

He squeezed through the hole he’d made and drew both blasters from his thighs. Without prompting, Ziggy switched his helmet over to night vision display and the world lit up neon green.

Falling back on the training that his mentor had bestowed upon him, Reeve Bralor systematically and efficiently cleared the garage for hostiles. He found it odd that there weren’t any Vong here, but he also wasn’t going to tempt fate by saying it aloud. Chances were, Siv had announced himself and any warriors in the area were rushing to the breach.

Just as his map had shown, there was a turbolift tube on the east corner of the garage. He made his way over and tore the mechanical system apart as if he’d designed it himself. Cutting the hydraulic line to the access doors released the pressure on them and allowed him to pry them apart, opening the shaft below and above to open air. Reaching inside and to the left, His hand closed around the maintenance ladder that spanned the length of the lift tube corridor. And without preamble, he swung over to the ladder and slid down ten levels, counting lift doors to keep track of where he was as he descended, and tightening his grip on the ladder to slow himself before stopping at the right level.

Using the same hydraulic trick, he was able to open the door to the power substation.

Luck didn’t hold out this time however, as he pulled himself up onto the floor level from the shaft, he heard the odd barking language of the Yuuzhan Vong echoing across the dimly lit room.

--Enemy forces detected--

Reeve rolled his eyes and took cover behind a console leading into the room. “Yeah, I detected that too,” he whispered irritably. “Let’s go say hi. Flashbang.”

He placed a hand under his tech backpack and Ziggy opened the dispenser port, dropping the appropriate ordinance into his waiting palm.

A quick glance over the room showed two enemies closing on his position. Thud bugs began impacting all around his console as soon as he did of course. It wasn’t the most subtle move. But a quick prime of the grenade in hand and a reasonable toss into the walkway beyond had the intended effect. A very loud pop and an extremely bright flash of light filled the room, blinding and deafening his enemy.

Reeve sprang from cover, ripping his blasters from their holsters once more and put an ungodly amount of blaster bolts into the facial regions of the enemy. He didn’t bother aiming for center mass. Reeve had done his homework on who he’d be fighting. The armor the Vong sported was nearly as tough as Beskar steel. So he aimed for the vulnerable fleshy bits.

The encounter was over before it began in earnest. But he put two extra bolts in each corpse as he walked by, just to be sure.

<”This is Bralor. Sub station clear. Working on power. Give me a few minutes.”>

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[Vren Rook]

TAG: Thonn Rokkal | Mig Gred | Kale Onara | Tristan Ortega

Well chit.

It did not take long for trouble to find them. After everyone had met up and followed him inside, they had only traveled a little ways in the bloody heat before Mig shouted a warning.

Because of this, Vren had just enough time to lift a beskar-ed vambrace as a Vong blade came down on him as well. He did not hesitate in firing off a shot in the skull like face right in front of him while warding off the initial blow. Gore splattered over the Karjr's visor.
"Oh kark me." he said, wiping most of it away with a gloved hand. "Ew." he added, shaking the worst from his hand and onto the heated ground.

Vren then swung around, drawing his other blaster as he did so. Both Rippers let loose at the Vong that got a bit of Mig's fire in its face. As the explosive rounds made contact, the Vong dropped faster than rain on Naboo.
"Regroup, lads!" he called, backing against a wall so as to cover his back, aiming his blaster down the tunnel as he did so.

Nothing.

These fugly things were far more intelligent than the ones they have been facing to date. More sentient. Usually the stupid things would just keep on coming and you could blow them up at once one way or another. These ones have fallen back.

Odd.

He looked at his comrades.
"Uh...we may need to be ready for an ambush or other, yeah? At least these things aren't blaster resistant in their faces. They spatter quite easily." he said. The smile could be heard in his voice at the end. It was quite satisfactory to shoot something in the face, after all. He then turned and inched down the tunnel further, his HUD working overtime through the heat of the backlogged molten rock.

 

[Aloy Vizsla]

P U S H
U P

Tag: Tahlah Vizsla | Kranak Vizsla | Darsch Vizsla | Leea Pandac | Talohn Atar

∗Pop∗ ∗pop∗ ∗pop∗ ∗pop∗ ∗pop∗ ∗pop∗ Round after round zipped by as Aloy attempted to cover her forces, The slight pyromaniac in her taking great joy in the warm flash of orange from her muzzle with each squeeze of the trigger.

Soon that flash was joined by howling beams of destruction when Kranak took up his position, Disintegrating vong in an agonizing shower of sparks that had been more than earned by such foul creatures.
Even now these things were dying in handfuls as Tahla struck from on high and more warriors came running full sprint, Such as Darsch Vizsla, Who had been by her side for longer than anyone else, Even if they had their disagreements or had parted ways far longer than the Alor would have ever liked.

The only thing missing was Tan'yill but... Aloy belonged here. Leading from the front and cackling at sweet headshots like the grunts.

Kranak: <“Hahaha, I guess that got their attention, huh? Mind getting them off my back for me?>

Aloy immediately spins from one side of her cover to the other, Taking wild shots at the enemy. Her "Firefly" pistols spewed out particle bolts at speeds that seemed impossible for a simple blaster pistol, Almost akin to the rotary guns that Kranak might have employed if not for the vong armor. The secret of course was the hairpin trigger, Adding to the already formidable fire rate of these pistols. That's the real reason she was called the fastest gun in the outer rim. Not for her draw speed, But the ridiculous amount of bolts she could spam immediately afterward.

<"I gotcha vod! You're kicking shebs, Don't let up!"> She cheered.

Darsch followed suit, Blasting scum left and right with a flashy twirl of her gun after each, Often times setting herself up for another shot immediately after. Aloy thought of her as a showoff of course but good company all the same.
She was glad when the ivory mandalorian slammed into the wall next to her.

Darsch: <"Lovely people.. Think I may visit with Raiven!">

Aloy chuckles between blasts, Giving her old partner a quick nod <"We'll find you a nice hotel! Assuming these creeps ain't splattered it with biotech yet"> She scoffs at the Vongese and their ridiculous bio-fethery.

During the brief exchange, Aloy's scan-pulse detects a mass of signatures in the ruined skyscraper ahead, All on the lower to mid floors where Chazrach. They weren't attacking yet, But that position would give them overwatch as the mandalorians advanced, And she wasn't about to let that slide.

<"Strikerhammer; We got reptoids in the building ahead! Take their overwatch and take the high ground!"> She says over the squad radio, Even marking the enemy held floors on their HUDs with approximate enemy numbers. The melee-enthusiast chazrach and the few ranged vongese warriors wouldn't be pulling off their ambush today.

Aloy nudges Darsch in the shoulder for old times sake before sprinting to the next piece of cover, Hoping to start the advance herself.
Just as she reaches cover however, She witnesses the Mirialan fire and immediately spiral into the snow from recoil, Prompting her to shake her head slightly until her scanner gave her target feedback; The graceless Mirialan had just killed one of the vongese warriors in overwatch.

Her jets suddenly burst into flame, Launching the Vizsla matriarch into the air a little ways and then landing her in the snow, Sliding her into cover beside the collapsed Mirialan.

<"Nice shot Darlin'."> She says while offering her a hand up

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[Thonn Rokkal]

Tags: Vren Rook Tristan Ortega Mig Gred Kale Onara

---

The response was automatic; Thonn brought his blaster cannon forward and braced the hefty weapon against his hip, ready to blast away at the other Vong rushing towards them. Yet before he could even spin the weapon up and fire at the oncoming group, another Vong grasped one of the six barrels and pulled the firearm from his point of aim. For a moment, he was brought face to snarling face with the Vong who grappled for control of his cannon.

It was a battle the Vong could not win. With the press of a switch and a tightened hold of the cannon, Thonn spun the barrels up anyhow; catching the fingers of the Vong and twisting it’s arm with a forceful yank, pulling it’s wretched form in front of the primed and spinning barrels. Mercy was quickly dispensed in the form of a rapid flurry of shots fired within a second. Blaster fire dented and drummed off the Vong’s armour until the repeated shots finally punched a hole through it, causing it’s lifeless and smouldering body to fall to his feet.

Good. That Vong had laid it’s grubby fingers on his prized possession. Thonn didn’t just want it dead; he wanted it crikking dead. Satisfied that it was and content in the manner in which it died, he looked on as the other Vong withdrew. With his cannon tracking their motions, blaster fire followed them until they left his sight. Though shots ricocheted off the retreating Vong’s armor, not a single shot managed to score another kill in time.

“Fifty shots to the chest seems to do the trick as well.” he quipped, moving the smouldering body of the slain Vong with a forceful kick of his boot. Hearing Vren’s warning, he could only nod in agreement at the point he raised. They already laid one ambush, there’ll no doubt be more. Reloading his cannon, he kept attentive watch of his surroundings as he descended further into the tunnels.

 

[Kale Onara]

Kale heard Mig call out a single word a split second before the fight broke out. A quick glance told him that Mig was lighting up a Vong with fire and Vren engaged as well. A third Vong locked onto Kale and charged. Kale knew the Vong was too close for blasters so he drew his vibroknives instead as he charged the Vong. The Vong had some sort of serpent on its arm which hardened into a sort of combat staff. As they closed distance, the Vong swung his staff at Kale's head. Kale parried the strike with his knives held vertical and parallel before he spun around struck at the Vong's back. The Vong's armor easily deflected Kale's blades and the two ended up facing each other. The Vong had its staff in a ready postion and Kale had his arms up with his blades running down the length of his forearms.

The two charged again and this time they fought in earnest.

Strike, parry, sweep, dodge...

Though the exchange probably only lasted for about 30 seconds , it seemed to go on forever for the two combatants as they attempted to find a way past their opponent's guard.

Then the Vong made a small mistake but it was enough for Kale to capitalize on. The Vong missed a side swipe at Kale's head and over rotated just enough for Kale to drive one of his blades between the plates of the Vong's armor at the shoulder. The Vong reeled at the hit, dropping its staff. It tried to swipe at Kale with its claws but Kale parried with one and stabbed at the Vong's unprotected face with the other. His blade was perfectly aimed and it slid easily into one of the Vong's eyes. The Vong shuddered as if it was confused as to what was happening which gave Kale the perfect chance to push the buried blade's hilt up forcing the Vong to tilt its head back and Kale's other blade went through the Vong's lower jaw and upward into it's brain, killing it.

Kale twisted the blade for good measure and then withdrew both blades as the Vong's corpse fell. He checked himself over and was surprised to find that there was surprisingly little blood spatter from the fight. He noticed that the pitched battle seemed to have ended with him and his fellow vod as the victors. He took a cloth out and cleaned his blades of the Vong's blood as he listened to his vod speaking. "Tough aru'ese. That's for sure." He finished cleaning his blades and put the cloth away, "Alright. Let's get going." He began moving forward with his fellow Mandos watching carefully for any indication of the enemy ahead, weapons at the ready.