Skirmish The Brawl on Abregado-rae | TSC vs. COV

[SL-0182]

Location: Outer Canals, Abregado-rae Spaceport - Abregado-rae
Thread Objective: Bad Water
Mission Objective: Hunt down the Mandalorians.
Tag: Gel Karn

Submerged within the water’s grimy embrace, SL-0182 knew that without her combat skin’s vacuum sealing and integrated antisepsis field, she would have been compelled to accept the risk of infection and the rancid side effects that came as a natural consequence of diving in such foul canals. Even with the protection, the water was still disgusting. And she did not look forward to the prospect of taking off her combat skin after the mission and smelling the fetid layer of muck that would cling to it. However, so long as her suit functioned in a nominal state and maintained power, the ick factor was something that she could manage.

In any case, SL-0182 knew by ingrained programming that she needed to be willing to do difficult, dirty, and dangerous tasks in order to ensure the sanctity of Saaraishash’s mission. Aversion to such things was a weakness of the Vestige.

Fortunately, it was only a couple minutes before a pair of Mandalorians walking along the canal’s edge appeared in her HUD’s picture-in-picture feed. Both were clad in armor that bore visible signs of recent repair. The probe droid’s visual recorder picked out soldered lines over the left cuisse of one, while the other Mandalorian’s chestplate had a shallow divot which appeared to have been smoothed over and re-hardened.

The two Mandalorians approached, then passed her by, unsuspecting of her presence as their boots echoed dully against the stone.

SL-0182 rose from the muck, her rifle pointed towards the Mandalorians' forms.

Silenced blaster shots issued forth in a quartet of soft pops, each bolt finding its mark at the base of the Mandalorians’ skulls, just below the rims of their helmets. Their heads snapped forward, spines shattering as searing plasma burned smoking craters through their necks. Both of them were sent crashing into the water in a heavy pair of splashes. A faint pink haze unfurled from the cratered wounds, marking where they had fallen. However, it did not take long for the current to pull the blood apart, the water’s surface hissing and bubbling briefly before returning to stillness.

SL-0182 slowly dipped back into the murk and left the bodies submerged where they had fallen. Their armors acted as weights, ensuring that they would not float back to the surface.

Three more minutes passed. A third Mandalorian ( Gel Karn ) appeared on the picture-in-picture feed in her HUD, clad in a thickened tunic and T-visor-style helmet, a hammer visible on his person. Like the two that had come before, he was walking along the edge of the canal, rather than wading through it.

If the Mandalorian was observant, he might pick out faint wisps of pink still lingering in the water, along with an oily sheen on its surface.

All the while, SL-0182 remained submerged, her gaze fixed on his approaching silhouette as she waited for him to draw closer...

Spoiler: Loadout

• Klase Vele Combat Skin Mk. I - Helmet Configuration
  
  • Arms
    
    • FAE/M-02 Energized Forearm Vibroblade Mk. II - L Forearm
  • Energy Shield
    
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
• KSMG-7 Mk. II - Kainate Submachine Gun Model Seven Second Rendition
  
  • Ammunition
    
    • Extended Magazine - Active Wave Cancellation Ammunition (2)
    • Standard Magazine - Active Wave Cancellation Ammunition (4)
    • Standard Magazine - High Explosive Ammunition (2)
  • Attachments
    
    • 1-5x FAE/S-08 Electro-Sight
    • Phase I “Susurration” Anti-Sonic Silencer
• KAR-18 - Kainate Aquatic Rifle Model Eighteen
  
  • Ammunition
    
    • FAE/AM-01-S3 Energy Weapon Cartridge (10)
  • Attachments
    
    • 1-5x FAE/S-08 Electro-Sight
• Siqsa-S1 Semiautonomous Seeker Obscuration Canister (2)
• FAE/MDE-01-S1 Semiautonomous Seeker Thermal Explosive (4)
• Agzonûboj-type Probe Droid

 

[Vren Rook]

VETERAN
CASINO | ABREGADO-RAE
ALLIES: Siv Dragr | COV
ENEMIES: TSC
ENGAGING: Arris Windrun | Quinn Varanin
GEAR: In bio

JOHN THE REVELATOR​

"You sure you wanna do that, partner."

Those were the last words he had spoken to a Sabacc player that was about to stand with an Impostor in his hand.

The next, the damn same Impostor was drifting past his helmet while said gambler was bouncing off the ceiling amongst some chips and Vren was cursing whatever shot caused gravity to go haywire. Yes, he was here for the marks, but he still had a love for the card game.

This was a double issue.

://: What's going on in there? ://: Nag yelled in his ear.
<Someone blew the gravity, Girl, but sit tight. Can't have you breaking down the building before I find the marks.> he told her as his boots magnetised him to the wall.
://: Better check quickly - I'm deploying. ://:
Vren sighed. He knew better than to fight with the droid when she was already moving to protect him.

"Vren, do you copy?"

Bad to worse.
<Yeah? Where are you? I'm at the Sabacc tables.> he relayed to Siv. The older they got, the more broody his brother became.
As was expected no answer came at first.

Then...

A ping.

"Found 'em."

"Manda knows...." he sighed to himself. <Coming.> He then quickly switched back to Nag. <Girl, just wait outside please. It's chaos in here with gravity gone. I really can't deal with you adding to it right now. Just keep me on speed.>
://: Fine. ://: the basilisk grumbled. When she got like that, he knew it was a matter of time before she dropped a charge somewhere. Last time, a hole replaced the Seeing Stone on Tython.

They needed Abregado in one piece right now.

His jetpack engaged and he shot away from the wall toward Siv's ping - in time to see the Rodian drift past his partner that had taken aim somewhere.

He reached the pillar just as Siv fired at some platinum blonde.
"Glad you have patience down to a Tee now, partner." he told him as his scanners engaged.
IFF pinged against the Cyborg next to the "Varanin" on his screen.

Pulling one of his Model 6's, he loosed a normal blast from the hip at the Cyborg to see what the defenses were like.

<Apologies, ladies, but you're interfering with important card games. Time to move.> his vocabulator sounded above the din as his jetpack had him moving to a better area, pistol still at the ready

 

[Kjartan Hammer-Hand]

---

---

​

OBJECTIVE 2: BAD WATER
TAG:
OPPS: Seris Velmora
ALLIES: [OPEN]​

​

KJARTAN HAMMER-HAND​

THEME​

​

Kjartan could almost swear that the stench was making its way through the filters of his helmet. He knew it was just his mind playing tricks on his senses, yet even still - the mind was a powerful thing. Just as how it could play tricks one moment, it could provide genuine feelings of unease the next. A chill ran up Kjartan’s spine mere moments before the loud CLAANG punctuated Seris’ landing upon the beam.

The Hammer-Hand’s companions pivoted on the balls of their feet to face the source of the noise, yet Kjartan simply broke his stride. For some reason, his mind did not immediately go to some innocuous accident among the canal workers, or some kids playing a prank in the streets. Time seemed to slow, and a realization dawned upon him in the stretching milliseconds.

Over the past few minutes, the streets in their immediate area... were very quiet. Was that why this moment carried so much weight?

Her head tilted almost curiously as crimson slowly overtook the blue of her eyes. Her smile sharpened. "We've done this twice already." A soft, delighted laugh slipped free. "Third time’s the charm...Isn’t that what they say?"

The chill once again returned, offset by a searing phantom pain radiating along his metallic arm. The servos within the appendage flexed, and Kjartan’s eyes narrowed as flashbacks instantly rushed to the fore of his psyche.

As he exited the spin, he barely managed to parry her second attack with his beskad, knocking his guard wide. He tried to seize the initiative once again, launching an off-balance strike with his hammer - only for her third attack to gain a decisive advantage upon him. Whether it was through martial skill, the will of the force, dumb luck or a combination of all three - her third strike would reach the gap in his armor along his left fore-arm, and cleave through the underlayer, bone and flesh beneath.

The Mandalorian’s grim resolve was replaced with a white-hot burning pain, causing a guttural scream to exit his bearded lips. He fell to his knees, and it took every ounce of his discipline to avoid dropping the one weapon he still held while his left forearm and hammer fell to the ground - severed from its host.

His eyes closed momentarily, yet Kjartan slowly turned as his companions drew their weapons - a pair of pistols trained upon the cackling harpy above them. Her words cut through the tension with the precision of a knife.

Or a lightsaber.

One hand drifted lazily toward the asymmetrical hilt resting at her hip. "I hope you're harder to break this time." The words carried no hatred. Only eager curiosity, and a bit of exaggeration

Kjartan regarded her with a cold focus from behind his T-visor. He had said nothing to her during their previous fight - the one time they had fought against each other. Perhaps she was confusing him for another Mandalorian at the mention of doing this ‘twice’. He’d like to think he was rather distinct from amongst his brethren, but to the uninitiated all Mandalorians looked alike in some form or fashion.

She took one slow step forward along the beam, balanced over toxic water as though gravity itself had become optional. "Don't disappoint me."

“If we had fought twice before, one of us would be dead. It’s been once, schutta.” The first words he had ever spoken to this woman were cold, his voice possessed of a gravelly tenor that added grit to his words. “...and I seem to recall gutting you like a fish when we did.” He drew his beskad from across his back, allowing the blade to hang within his grasp at his side. He flexed his metallic hand, raising it up for her to see. “You took something from me. I’ll have it back before I throw your body into the acid.”

At that, his metallic hand moved with lightning quickness - pulling his particle blaster pistol and snapping-to with near-inhuman speed. Several yellow bolts scorched through the air between them with deadly accuracy, with the blaster pistols of his companions opening fire as well. A storm of fire erupted toward her, with the Mandalorians shifting in formation to put distance between them as they opened the confrontation.

​

 

[Carduul Akahl]

Tags: Canm-Bulnu Bi

The reaction had caused the sizzle of mist to scatter vision, and gaze narrowed from beneath the helm. It was not a move that could be performed naturally—yet, he had a suspicion that the quarry of the day would be no ordinary foe.

The ‘click-hiss’ sounded again. This time, they were approaching to be on-level. That didn’t stop the Mandalorian from loosing another cluster of shots directly towards his foe as they leapt and bounded. Not all the shots were utterly accurate, for his foe wore the shadows as well as he. Still, uncanny senses and intuition managed to guide his hand to shots that were quite accurate—aimed center-of-mass betwixt leaps and shifts of weight.

Yet when the distance closed, it seemed there was only so far Carduul could reposition. The mist was a mutual thing, and as they drew closer and the mists drawn up as cover, so too would it have to be parted for a clear shot. The first action to do such was a sudden gout of flame from the wrist, from a shadow-strewn pipework but a couple feet above where his foe had been intending to land. The rifle had been shouldered in favor of a poleaxe once more, and the fight was upon them.

 

[Gel Karn]

GEL KARN
ABREGADO-RAE
TAG: SL-0182
GEAR: Gel Karn's Bev Shield, Akalenedat, Mandalorian Lanvarok, Mandalorian Vibroboots, Mandalorian Magna-Gloves, Gel Karn's Bandolier, Mandalorian Jazerant, Mandalorian Recon Helmet, Variable Plasma Shield Gauntlet

How Gel is trying to move:​

Gel continued his journey forward, his eyes watering and throat tightening from the unbearable stench all around him. He needed to get away from these canals, and he needed to do it FAST, before he lost his mind from all the muck and grime around here. Seriously, how could anyone live next to such a putrid site? He had heard tales of garbage planets like Raxus Prime and Mahporeem, but they paled in comparison to what he was experiencing now.

Seriously! Everything around him was an absolute mess. Not only was the water stagnated and polluted, it was apparently also a receptacle for dumping trash, as a small metallic object started floating passed Gel as he continued walking.

Gel suddenly stopped in his tracks as he got a closer look at the object. He dropped to his hands and knees, and not wanting to enter the canal or touch the water, used Akalenedat to pull the object closer to him. It was obvious to him what it was once he fished it out of the water: a Mandalorian Helmet, recently repaired and put back into active service. Recently repaired by Gel.

Gel sprang upwards as he pulled down the Macrobinoculars on his Mandalorian Recon Helmet. He was a fool for being so complacent! Of course he was being hunted, as the Sith were surely not to keen on letting him live after what he had done to them on Seswenna and Humbarine. Now they were here, picking off his comrades one by one, and if Gel wasn't careful, he would surely be next on their list.

He still proceeded forward, though at a much slower pace, deliberately taking his time as he checked every conceivable nook and cranny for hiding Sith assassins. As he walked some more, he couldn't help but notice something about the water in the canal. Most of it was a greasy black color, occassionally intermingled with shades of brown and green, but there was one spot up ahead that was a sickly pink color, and thinking back to the helmet he had found, Gel didn't think it was just slime or gunk.

Raising his Mandalorian Lanvarok, Gel fired a quick three round burst of Morturian Energy Disks at the general location of the pink stain, though Gel didn't think he'd actually manage to hit anything that might be hiding underneath the water. Assuming, of course, there was actually anything there at all. Maybe he was just being paranoid? Then again, in his line of business, being paranoid often meant the difference between living and dying...

​

 

[Romul Saxon]

W A R M A S T E R
Abregado-Rae​

Tag: OPEN

Romul drummed his fingers against the heavy wooden desk. The Palaso Dogal, as the Gados called it, was an impressive if old building. The amiable, if quite dull, species did not make much for any armed opponents. In a day, the Mythos Fleet could have subjugated the world to use at its forward operating base as they pressed on the Tapani sector, but Romul knew from decades of experience that in campaigns like these, every munition and power cell had to be judiciously spent. Especially when they crusaded against the Sith, who knew no such restraint. The Mandalorians had to save everything they had for the Sith, which meant that situations like these fell to Romul's least favorite pastime: negotiations.

"You know of the Tapani massacres," Romul growled impatiently. "They are a threat to peace, your peace. The Sith genocided my people. Our fight is to ensure they do not threaten the galaxy ever again."

"And you Mandalorians will bring these Sith to our world, me think." The long-necked Gado administrator, Lok Ni, shook its mane. "Abregado-Rae is a peaceful world. We have no resources, no special technology, no treasures." Lok wore fine garb, a tunic of spun silk with ample flowing sleeves. Sunlight cast slanted rays through the wooden slats of the office's Gothic windows. "Take your fleet elsewhere, we do not need your help. We are not in trouble! Abregado-Rae will never have another warlord rule it; the days of the Tundei are ancient history." Ni said simply, with almost a bubbly cheerfulness, crossing steepled fingers.

Romul's brow darkened. The warmaster did not need to hear a lecture on obscure native history. He did not wear his helmet, so the light highlighted the scars across his face, illuminating the white beard that grew shaggier every passing day. The Mandalorian Alor's wildness contrasted sharply against the soft, refined Gadoan administrator. "The Sith will come, Administrator. Their need for control is insatiable." He leaned forward. "We do not wish to rule Abregado-Rae. Let us use your ports to station our fleet for the time being, and then we will be gone. Your planet remains yours; we wish only to be guests, and if the Sith do come, Mandalorian steel will defend you." Romul hated negotiations.

 

[Canm-Bulnu Bi]

Canm tilted his shield of water to block the incoming fire, but keeping the barrier steady while jumping over the slippery ledges was pushing him to his limits. Two red beams broke through the fluid shield. They hit him low on the stomach, the intense heat burning the outer layer and scorching the armor beneath.

The blow disrupted his movement, sending a sharp pain through his torso. The armor protected him, stopping the plasma from cutting into his skin, but he was far from pleased. Before he could find his balance, a loud roar echoed in the confining space as suddenly a burst of orange flames shot out from the dark pipework just above where he planned to land, tearing through the mist.

Acting on instinct alone, Canm used the remnants of the wall water, maneuvering it into the path of the approaching flames. The considerable heat met the still water, resulting in a loud hiss of boiling vapor and toxic gas. Suddenly, a burst of orange flames shot out from the dark pipework just above where he planned to land, tearing through the mist.

Acting on instinct, Canm used the remnants of the water wall, drawing the liquid mass into the path of the approaching flames. The fierce heat met the still water, resulting in a loud hiss of boiling vapor. The mental pressure of holding the heavy liquid against gravity was quickly exhausting his energy.

Taking advantage of the friction, Canm stopped trying to keep the water up. Instead, he pushed outward with the Force, causing the wall to burst into a powerful wave that extinguished the nearby flames and allowed him a brief moment to catch his breath and regain his balance.

The mist cleared after the splash. Through the fog, Carduul Akahl appeared, rifle already raised in place of a poleaxe. Canm's hand was just a hair's breadth from his unlit lightsaber hilt. He maintained steady breathing despite the burns on his shoulder and abdomen. He was aware that his connection to the Force provided him with quicker reflexes when the distance finally closed.

 

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Siv Dragr //: Vren Rook //:
//: Arris Windrun //:
Equipment in use: //: Asarsi, Staff of the Scion //: Anland, Helm of Dreams //:

The moment Arris winked at her, Quinn's nose wrinkled in disgust and frustration. This wasn't supposed to be like this. After everything that had happened, all she wanted was a fun night out. Almost on cue, Quinn could hear Mercy's thunderous laughter as her bloodlust would already be bubbling.

She would exclaim how this was fun.

A second voice echoed in her mind… but it was more like the blank visor of a camouflage helmet slowly turning towards her direction. Quinn didn't know what look exactly the Clone would be giving her — but she knew what the intention was.

The Clone was proven correct. Again.

"I hate this."

Quinn groaned as her instincts suddenly kicked in. Her gut told her danger was nearby, and she instantly looked up, only to see a blaster pointed in her direction. Another appalling gesture from a Mandalorian; to think his toy gun would do anything to her. Carefully, defenses began to weave themselves in the Force, but nothing struck — something instead interfered.

Her eyes flickered towards a gentleman and a table that had blocked the shots. For just the briefest of moments, she wondered if she could allow a man to court her. Yet, after hearing him speak, she shook her head.

No.

Chaos continued to bleed around them, and Quinn realized the fight was inevitable. If she was going to walk out of here, she would have to fight for it. At that realization, the crown upon her head unfurled into an armored helm, while the spear in her palm lengthened. Humbarine had changed her. She could feel the Core straining against its cage, aching to be released. It hungered.

Remaining in control of her body's movements was child's play. The Force, paired with years of Echani training, saw to that. She drifted through the weightless battlefield with practiced grace.

Arris, on the other hand, concerned her.

The woman was more machine than flesh, and Quinn doubted half of those cybernetics had ever been tested in zero gravity.

Then again, that assumed Arris had paid for quality implants.

Judging by the rest of her, Quinn suspected they had come from the same bin as Mercy's discarded sleeve.

She kept that thought to herself, though.

Closing the distance, Quinn slipped in behind the android and caught one of the belt loops on her slacks, drawing herself flush against her to anchor them both against the drifting momentum. It was only meant to last a moment, long enough to steady them, but before she could speak, the Mandalorians once again proved determined to interrupt.

A protective bubble sealed around them.

Quinn couldn't help but smirk, remembering the brief moment their minds had been joined. Leaning in, she tugged her terrible date just a little closer, until scarcely any space remained between them. Her lips hovered near Arris' ear before they parted, the same black miasma spilling slowly from her throat.

"Don't make me regret this," she murmured, heated breath caressing the shell of the woman's ear.

The smoke curled between them before winding around Arris, the Phobis Core reaching into the deepest recesses of the woman's mind. It coaxed. It tempted. It whispered in the Echani's soft, honeyed voice.

As the miasma slipped through Arris' nose and mouth, finding every path inward, she would feel it again—that same intoxicating rush of strength Quinn had granted before.

This time...

It belonged only to her.

"Kill them."

 

[Veyla Tass]

Tag: Yael Kandar

Somewhere ahead, in the labyrinth of water and beam and corroded stone, something shifted.

And that something was fething cold. Sewers were always the worst.

Veyla Tass thumbed the side of her pistol's barrel. It looked, to her, like little more than a length of piping someone had machined into a vaguely gun-like shape. Her contact, a rat-faced human man she'd known since she was a child and he had a hairline, assured her that this was something special: a shattergun. Despite its effectively point-blank range, its terrible recoil, and the fact that the bullets were very, very tiny, apparently some mystery mechanism propelled them at high enough speeds to penetrate beskar'gam.

Vey was skeptical, but this dinky little thing was, whether she liked it or not, all she had going for her. So, a little faith.

Behind the churning of the waters, she heard movement. The thunk-thunk-thunk of heavy boots on stone. She held her breath, for a moment, and pressed up against the cool stone wall to her back. There were few options for cover in a sewer, so in lieu of anything sensible she had stationed herself in a maintenance channel. The space was barely tall enough to contain her, even while she crouched, and waste-water soaked into her pants.

But she had routes. If things got too hot, she could scurry off and pop up again anywhere. And if any particularly stupid Mandalorians crouched down to check for signs of life...

Well, hopefully this thing actually could shoot through beskar.

 

[Arris Windrun]

Partner: Quinn Varanin
Engaging: Vren Rook | Siv Dragr
Down & Out​

She was prepared as soon as one Mandalorian fired shots their way, quickly grasping that they were intended for Quinn, but as soon as the thought clicked, a table flew in the way. Her eyes snapped to Calyx Sundrift just as he slipped out of her periphery.

'Focus on your own fight, eyepatch.' She thought. Arris didn't appreciate the interference.

But that complaint would have to be levied later. For now, her attention was focused on the shooter, hooked against one of the pillars for support. Smart.

Arris reached for one of her revolvers--

Something snagged her belt! Arris glanced over her shoulder, just as Quinn pressed against her. Her attention jerked back to the Mandalorian, and then to another, who lined up a shot of his own.

She held her arms tight to her torso, and kept her legs closed to cover as much of the Echani as possible, expecting the bolts to strike her armored body. Instead, they dissipated against a Force barrier, much to her surprise.

Quinn pulled her a little closer. She nearly squeaked - her lips parted, ready to protest.

A whisper beat her to the draw.

"Regret what?" Arris asked.

Smoke entered her lungs as soon as the last syllable left her.

The first time, on Coruscant, Quinn tugged at the deep shame and horror of her life, turning misery and hatred into twisted, intoxicating strength. On Humbarine, she weathered the overwhelming taste and wielded it like a blade. But today...

Her left hand opened and closed, tightening every cybernetic tendon as Quinn's gift flooded throughout her body. The cyborg may've been more machine than flesh, but she was a mechu-deru master, and the Force saw no difference, filling every inch of steel and wire as if it were organic.

"Kill them."
​

Her eyes stopped moving and locked onto a point between the two foes. "Okay," she breathed.

Arris reached back with one hand, pressing against Quinn's stomach with a gentle push. Enough to drift her carefully behind her, assuming the Echani deigned to give the Triumvir her space.

<Apologies, ladies, but you're interfering with important card games. Time to move.>

"C'mon then," she called out to the men and spread her arms in a lazy gesture, somewhere between a shrug and an offered embrace. "Can you two even beat me?" Really, that was the only bet on the table.

The Mandalorian wanted to test her - second chances and all that.

 

[Calyx Sundrift]

Yuri Maji​

He thought it was some disgruntled customer of the casino at first. That notion was dismissed as the man sent a gaudy Rodian sailing toward the Hound with a wave of his hand. Yuri’s vambrace raised and fired, the splitting whine of his repulsor accompanied a blast that sent the Rodian straight back at the one-eyed man…

Along with a few of the credits.

The Mandalorian reacted fast, some gadget flaring to life with a trick that felt uncannily like an uncontrolled Force push. Calyx studied it in the heartbeat he had, floating upside down relative to the Mandalorian.

Then the patron came barreling his way, along with a handful of credits propelled at speeds he liked considerably less. Fortunately, they arced wide, clattering harmlessly against the wall behind him.

And the patron? Calyx welcomed him, bending the Rodian's arc with subtle tugs of the Force, keeping the man as a shield between himself and the Mandalorian at all times.

”You come up with that one yourself?” He yelled back, jetpack pushing him away while both pistols took aim once again. ”Come back to me when you can afford another eye, schutta!” He called out, opening fire with a volley of golden blaster bolts. War and Peace barked with each burst fired, intending to launch a barrage at the man as he drifted along before he could reach safety.

"I did! Why thank you for noticing." Calyx declared with a laugh. The Mandalorian, rude as he was, took a shot at his eyes in return. "Sticks and stones, canine." His hands shifted, and the Force answered.

The golden bolts buried themselves in the Rodian, whose path abruptly changed. The patron's yammering fell silent.

Calyx felt nothing.

Just the rush of the dark side. Molten fury and frozen hate danced through his being, every command to the Force like moving body and mind through foul, greasy smoke that never washed off, no matter how many times he showered.

It made him a monster. He knew that much. It was the truth the Jedi had once warned him of. The truth the Sith embraced instead.

"Why not take your winnings-" He swiped again, leaning heavily on his strength in the dark side. "- and leave?" The credits the Hound had fired at him rushed past, propelled faster still by his telekinesis, until the projectiles came screaming for the Mandalorian behind the pillar, tearing through fabric and cards alike, nearly punching through the tables themselves.

It wouldn't get past beskar. But weaponry? Gadgets? Those, he imagined, were considerably less robust. That was, of course, if the Mandalorian dared come out from his hiding place.

Calyx shoved the Rodian's body aside, using the momentum to propel himself backward.

Then he drew it. The red-bladed lightsaber he'd once stolen from Drystan Creed. A poort attempt at hiding how draining intense use of the Dark-side was.

"I would hate to make you."

 

[SL-0182]

Location: Outer Canals, Abregado-rae Spaceport - Abregado-rae
Thread Objective: Bad Water
Mission Objective: Hunt down the Mandalorians.
Tag: Gel Karn

SL-0182 did not sit idle while the Mandalorian investigated the helmet that had floated to the surface of the water. The Asset moved while he was on his hands and knees, slowly swimming beneath the murky surface to get into a flanking position behind him. He was well within range now for her to attack, but her positioning remained an issue. Even with her suit’s adaptive camouflage, she did not want to spring up within his peripheral vision and risk compromising the element of surprise.

Unfortunately, given the walkway’s positioning alongside the canal and the fact that getting directly behind him would have forced her to extract from the water, her ability to fully clear the Mandalorian’s sightline was slightly constrained. Still, by the time the Mandalorian started forward once more, SL-0182 was as close to directly behind him as she could get while still remaining in the water. Thus, the Asset slowly swam after him, before coming to a stop just when he turned his attention back to the canal.

He had spotted the blood!

The Mandalorian opened fire on the water with his wrist-mounted weapon, causing the water to boil and steam in the areas where the projectiles had struck. Fortunately, SL-0182 was well clear of the blood, but the residual heat flux from the thermal energy carried through the water, and she felt the sudden warmth bleed through her combat skin.

Was that a Sith lanvarok?

A Mandalorian, armed with a Sith weapon. Questions flickered through her mind alongside anger, the latter which she reflexively and immediately suppressed, her narrowed gaze remaining as a latent betrayal of its presence. How had he acquired it? Was he a former Dral’hanade? The questions came and went, and she filed them away as quickly as they arose.

SL-0182 did not consider the information for longer than necessary. She needed a distraction.

She transmitted a mental command to her probe droid, directing it to create one.

The probe droid responded with a sharp avian shriek and fluttered away into the dark, its mechanical wings beating heavily in the air. The Mandalorian would certainly hear it, and she hoped it would draw his attention ahead and away from the water, so that his back was facing her.

In the meantime, SL-0182 emerged from the water, her form breaking its surface with barely a whisper. Her aquatic rifle was already leveled, its sight trained on the back of the Mandalorian’s neck from eighteen meters away.

SL-0182 squeezed the trigger. Two silenced cyan-hued bolts lanced out from the rifle’s barrel at supersonic velocity, both aimed to strike the Mandalorian in his cervical spine!

Spoiler: Loadout

• Klase Vele Combat Skin Mk. I - Helmet Configuration
  
  • Arms
    
    • FAE/M-02 Energized Forearm Vibroblade Mk. II - L Forearm
  • Energy Shield
    
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
• KSMG-7 Mk. II - Kainate Submachine Gun Model Seven Second Rendition
  
  • Ammunition
    
    • Extended Magazine - Active Wave Cancellation Ammunition (2)
    • Standard Magazine - Active Wave Cancellation Ammunition (4)
    • Standard Magazine - High Explosive Ammunition (2)
  • Attachments
    
    • 1-5x FAE/S-08 Electro-Sight
    • Phase I “Susurration” Anti-Sonic Silencer
• KAR-18 - Kainate Aquatic Rifle Model Eighteen
  
  • Ammunition
    
    • FAE/AM-01-S3 Energy Weapon Cartridge (10)
  • Attachments
    
    • 1-5x FAE/S-08 Electro-Sight
• Siqsa-S1 Semiautonomous Seeker Obscuration Canister (2)
• FAE/MDE-01-S1 Semiautonomous Seeker Thermal Explosive (4)
• Agzonûboj-type Probe Droid

 

[Yuri Maji]

ABREGADO-RAE | TRIPLE NOVA CASINO
ALLIES: COV | Vara Maji | Vren Rook | Siv Dragr
ENEMIES: TSC | Arris Windrun | Quinn Varanin | Calyx Sundrift | Varin Mortifer
ENGAGING: Calyx Sundrift
GEAR: In bio

THEME​

The poor Rodian was yanked in front of his shots, his life extinguished in an instant. Yuri felt bad for the man, nobody deserved to go out like that. But there was work to do. The Hound barely noticed the projectiles in time to duck behind his pillar. One credit skidded off the cheek of his helmet and another bounced off his cuirass with considerable force, the rest embedded themselves deep enough into the pillar to crack and splinter Yuri’s side of it.

The trademark snap-hiss he had come to expect echoed from the stranger. Their fight was on. His jetpack sparked to propel him closer to the Sith while he brought his pistols up. Golden bolts streaked toward the Sith in another volley as Yuri closed the distance between them. Just enough to bring another weapon into a more effective range.

He banked left and fired his vambrace, a spray of liquid carbonite projected from his vambrace into the trajectory of the Sith’s path while Yuri kept moving, intent on maintaining his mobility advantage over the Sith. If he could incapacitate the man, he could bring him down.

He didn’t stay still for a moment. Banking high, Yuri emptied the last couple of shots from his pistols and veered off to toss the spent power cells aside. A snarl ripped from his maw, the thrill of the fight and desire for blood steadily burrowing into his mind.

A feeling he hadn’t felt in years.

 

[Seris Velmora]

Tag: Kjartan Hammer-Hand

Laughter bubbled out of Seris before he had even finished speaking. It echoed through the canals, bright and genuine. "Schutta?" she repeated, amused. "That's disappointing. I thought you'd remember something more clever."

She tapped a finger lightly against the hammer hanging at her back. Had one of the encounters been a different buckethead? Seris supposed it was possible, but this was definitely the one she took the hammer from.

His claim that he had gutted her like a fish earned another laugh. "You did." There wasn't even a hint of embarrassment in the admission. "It hurt." Her shoulders lifted in an indifferent shrug. "It was fun."

The idea that pain somehow diminished the experience was utterly foreign to her. If anything, it had made the memory sharper. More vivid. Worth remembering.

Then his metallic hand flexed. "You'll take it back?" She tilted her head. "You can certainly—" The pistol cleared its holster.

Seris moved before the first bolt fully crossed the space between them. The maintenance beam vanished beneath her feet as she threw herself into motion, twisting sideways into a spinning aerial cartwheel. Yellow plasma hissed through the space her torso had occupied a heartbeat earlier, splashing against rusted girders and sending molten droplets cascading into the polluted canal below.

More bolts followed. Good. She planted one hand on a narrow support post, using it to vault over the next volley. Her body folded impossibly tight before extending again, boots finding purchase on the side of a corroded column for only an instant before she launched away once more.

The confined canal became a jungle gym. Beams. Pipes. Support braces. Every surface was another angle, another springboard, another impossible line through the storm of blaster fire. A thrill spread through her chest. Not because she was winning. Because she wasn't. Not yet.

Humbarine had been glorious chaos—a doomed battlefield where everything blurred into instinct and violence. This was different. Disciplined. Coordinated. Every burst of blaster fire herded her toward another lane of attack. Every Mandalorian shifted with purpose instead of panic. They were trying to shape the fight before she ever reached them.

"...Interesting." The word escaped as another bolt screamed past her cheek. This wasn't prey flailing in terror. This was prey that bit back. She landed atop another beam several meters closer than before, knees bending deeply to absorb the impact. Her eyes, now fully crimson, darted across the three armored figures, measuring the widening gaps between them, the overlapping fields of fire, the positions of their weapons, the footing beneath them, the distance to every support and walkway.

A puzzle. One she intended to solve at full speed. Her hands swept to her hips. Snap.-hiss Snap.-hiss Twin crimson blades exploded to life with hungry snarls, their light reflecting across stagnant water and battered durasteel alike.

Seris rolled one shoulder, her smile growing impossibly wider. "Better." She lowered into a predatory crouch, lightsabers held low and behind her as if preparing to sprint. Not straight at them. That would be exactly what they expected.

The canals offered too many paths, too many levels, too many blind angles for that. She only needed to find the first crack in their formation. Then she would make it wider.

​

 

[Zandra Ruus]

Location: Upper Canals, Abregado-Rae
Objective: Secure Exfil route for Mandalorians in theatre
Tag: Zavik Maltheris
Tag: Reggie Rau
Gear in Bio

Suddenly, the riverboat's engines went from an idle pace, to cutting apart the dingy waters before it. Mandalorians were in trouble, and Iron Covenant members always came to their kin's aid. Zandra was nearly thrown to the deck of the vessel as the captain threw the lever into high gear. One of her hands shot out to grab onto the side rail.

"Keep you feet planted youngblood! We're coming in hot," The port gunner shouted, his practiced hands loading the repeating blaster gun. He was an old marine, as was the captain. Zandra felt like she needed to lean on the these older Mandalorians in hectic situations.

"Zandra! I need you on comms! See if you can get in contact with the scouts. Let them know help is coming from the water!"

The Captain's words crackled in her helmet, just loud enough to be heard over the riverboat's engines. Zandra gave him a thumbs up before placing her fingers to the commlink in her helmet. She had to filter through the noise and static before she heard voice.

"Zulu 6-5 is pinned down at the North riverbend! We need immediate extraction, we have a Sith gunboat and multiple enemy units incoming! I have two wounded and no end of hostile shooters!"

Zandra relayed the words to The Captain, who gave a stern nod. It was a wordless gesture that told Zandra her next orders. She was to give word to the commander of Zulu 6-5, the squad of scouts that were entrusted in securing the northern ingress point. It sounded like they'd become overwhelmed. Hopefully they weren't going to be too late to save the Zulu Squad.

"This is Zillo 2! We copy all Zulu 6-5, we'll be headed up to the south of the landing. Watch for crossfire, your going to make it out of this one brothers," Zandra said, calling over the comms of the riverboat. In the distance she could see a haze of orange and black on the horizon.

Zulu 6-5 were being pinned down by a large force of Sith Covenant troopers and a supporting watercraft. They lacked the heavy weapons needed to take it out, and as such had fled into the small amounts of cover on the spit of land in the canal. Their positions were being raked by the heavy blasters of the enemy units. 5 mandalorians were holding out against a whole unit of Sith.

A pit formed in Zandra's stomach as she closed in, unsure of what she might find there. Whatever lied in wait, they would face it head on. No more running, no more hiding.

 

[Zavik Maltheris]

Zandra Ruus

Zavik had been informed that a large number of mandalorian's would be Abregado-rae today in the waterways. They could prove to make wonderful cyborgs.

Up above the water on the overgrown beams zavik was following the boat, legs split into four.

Jumping down onto the bow saber ignited stabbing down in the flamethrower destroying it.

"Why hello there, you might be?"

 

[Vara Maji]

THE FOUNDLING
Abregado-rae | Planetside, Triple Nova Casino
Equipment: In Bio
Allies: COV | Yuri Maji | Vren Rook | Siv Dragr
Enemies: TSC | Arris Windrun | Quinn Varanin | Calyx Sundrift
Engaging: Varin Mortifer

Paradise Warfare​

Danger.

The runes flashed in her vision. The Sith hurled the slot machine at her. But she was already moving. The Foundling banked sharply away. The machine soared past her with a rumble, leaving behind a trail of smoke and debris as it slammed against the ceiling with a thundering crash.

Her glare found him in the next breath. The muzzles tracked with her eyes. Each squeeze of the trigger sent another particle bolt shrieking through the air. But the man was quick to seek cover in a shelter of his own making; two more slot machines pulled free from the floor, he raised them before him, pointing accusingly toward Vara’s angle of attack.

Chakaar.

A snarl left her. The Wardog leaned back. The thrusters of her jetpack obeyed with a sharp whine. Distance. She retained it, while circling right to get a better angle on him. His silhouette, outlined in red within her HUD, never left her focus. She saw him as he shifted. Coiling, like a loaded spring.

The Foundling prepared.

She drew her right arm in tight. In the same breath, she flicked the fire selector switch of her blaster with a brush of her thumb. In the blink of an eye, he rose. Leaping up to meet her in a maelstrom of flames. A grin split her lips wide. She angled her vambrace into his path. A concussive wave erupted outward. The screaming repulsor wave hammered into his path to hurl him back.

<”Yo nice hustle tons o’ fun!”> Her cackle cut through the din, warbled and stretched through the helmet annunciator. A cacophony of blaster fire chased after him. At the same time, Vara never once took pause. She kept her distance to avoid overextending, while staying on the move. She led him in the same beat; the acid green of sonic rounds visibly tore through the air, flaring into wide cones. Blood-red particle bolts snapped ahead of his path, each fired with practiced lead.

Run him down. Not a second to breathe. Force a mistake. Just one.

It was all she needed.


​

 

[Siv Dragr]

G U N S L I N G E R
Abregado-Rae
​

Allies: Vren Rook
Enemies: Quinn Varanin | Arris Windrun

Siv's blaster bolts struck a conveniently-placed table. He could not tell if the Echani or a bystander had thrown it -- all Siv knew was that he never missed on purpose. He dispassionately processed the encounter, patiently waiting for the table to move. In that moment, a familiar voice floated up next to him.

"Glad you have patience down to a Tee now, partner."

"Took you long enough," Siv grunted, his helmet still trained down the sights of his blaster. The Echani was already back in his line of sight. Worth another shot, he was thinking, when suddenly his HUD began to flash. "Osik," he muttered as his HUD began a readout of the Echani, drawing on Nynir'kade databases and the biometrics that his sensors were reading.

// QUINN VANARIN
// ECHANI
// KNOWN AFFILIATIONS:

• SITH
• MANDALORIAN EMPIRE

The text rolled out in slow motion. Siv stared, momentarily distracted, at the last three words. Sith. Mandalorian Empire. Something caught deep in his gut; the text that continued to scroll past, he didn't even process. "You seeing this?" He asked darkly in disbelief, commenting aside to Vren. He didn't know what to make of the readout. It could be an error.

Siv locked back in. Didn't matter right now. The situation was developing. His blaster arm straightened. The Echani had somehow covered her face with a sickly black helm, and an unnatural dark miasma was issuing from her into the cyborg. The rapport between the two reminded him of Srina Talon and her dark pet on Humbarine. His grip grew tighter.

"C'mon then," she called out to the men and spread her arms in a lazy gesture, somewhere between a shrug and an offered embrace. "Can you two even beat me?" Really, that was the only bet on the table.

Siv ignored the taunt. "You got the loud-mouth," he grunted aside to Vren, more of a statement than a question. "Thousand credits to the first kill?" The dark joke was the latest in a series between the two. Though Siv would never admit it out loud -- haran, he probably didn't even realize it himself -- he was glad his old partner was back in the thick of it, where he belonged.

Unhurriedly, the veteran hunter took a moment to take stock of the situation. Neither of the Sith, the goading one nor this Echani Varanin, seemed to be interested in making the first move. The casino was complete chaos in zero gravity. Chaos lent advantage to the Mandalorians. "Lights out," Siv grunted once more to Vren, then aimed his blaster upwards and fired. Not at the Sith; at the light fixtures along the ceiling, systematically taking out each one by one with rapid, cool precision. He trusted Vren would take the cue.

It was time to turn the casino into a nightclub.

 

[Gel Karn]

GEL KARN
ABREGADO-RAE
TAG: SL-0182
GEAR: Gel Karn's Bev Shield, Akalenedat, Mandalorian Lanvarok, Mandalorian Vibroboots, Mandalorian Magna-Gloves, Gel Karn's Bandolier, Mandalorian Jazerant, Mandalorian Recon Helmet, Variable Plasma Shield Gauntlet

How Gel is trying to move:​

The moment Ronhar heard the shriek of SL-0182 's probe droid, he instantly reacted to his presence.

He spun around in the direction of the noise, and he crouched down, firing another three round of burst of Morturian Energy Disks at the source of the disturbance. It had been an entirely involuntary reaction, Gel moving purely on instinct, though his efforts were surely wasted as the energy disks fell way short of their intended target. Still, his actions had inadvertently saved his life, for when he crouched down, the bolts that SL-0182 fired at him missed their mark. One of them streaked by harmlessly passed his head, while the other grazed the back of his Recon Helmet, though even that had enough force to put a sizable dent in the helmet as Gel fell to the ground, having been knocked over from the force of the impact.

Gel immediately turned onto his back and fired the remaining clip of Morturian Energy Disks at SL-0182 , who had now revealed her presence to him. Not wasting any time, he then crawled his way backwards toward the nearest set of stairs, desperate to get away from the canals that were giving SL-0182 an major advantage over Gel. He didn't even bother to look if his projectiles had hit their mark, and the moment he felt his back butt up against the bottom stairs behind him, he scrambled to his feet and ran up them, ducking into a narrow alleyway where he could take a moment to catch his breath.

His head was ringing and his skull was throbbing. Gel tore the helmet off himself as he touched the back of his head, where the bolt had impacted him. It was tender to the touch, and surely bruised, but still very much a flesh wound. Gel had gotten quite lucky, and sore as his head was, he was going to be ok. He wasn't bleeding nor did he have any broken bones, though he was understandably quite shaken up.

Fumbling and cursing to himself, Gel clumsily reloaded his Mandalorian Lanvarok as he pondered his next move. Based on the way SL-0182 had attacked him, Gel didn't think the Sith assassin would attack him head on. Rather, they'd probably ambush him from the canals again or perhaps the shadows surrounding the area. He would need to be extra careful moving forward, as he sincerely doubted that was the last he would see of his attacker.

Gathering his courage, Gel, exited his hiding place and resumed his search for an extraction point, now with even more urgency than he had had before...
​

 

[SL-0182]

Location: Outer Canals, Abregado-rae Spaceport - Abregado-rae
Thread Objective: Bad Water
Mission Objective: Hunt down the Mandalorians.
Tag: Gel Karn

The Mandalorian ducked at the last split-second. As a result, SL-0182’s first shot passed harmlessly over his head, while her second pinged off of his helmet, sending the warrior crashing to the ground. A brief flicker of frustration passed through her thoughts. She had botched her opening strike. Nevertheless, suppressing her disappointment, SL-0182 immediately slipped back into the water after shooting, taking extra care to avoid making a splash in the process.

The Mandalorian’s ensuing return fire sliced above the water’s surface, searing the air that SL-0182 had occupied only moments prior. And yet, since the Asset had only needed to submerge while the Mandalorian was recovering from the shock of being struck in the back of the head and then turning around to acquire her, it was likely that he had failed to catch anything more than a fleeting glimpse of her form.

SL-0182 dove deeper, relying on the murky water and her suit’s adaptive camouflage to conceal her approach as she swam toward the Mandalorian’s position. After seeing that the immediate area was clear via her HUD’s picture-in-picture feed from her probe droid’s visual recorder, the Asset climbed out of the water, which dripped off of her combat skin in rivulets as she stepped onto the permacrete shoreline.

Deliberately shaking the water and filth off of her person, SL-0182 collapsed her aquatic rifle to its much smaller and lighter inactive configuration then stowed it on her back. She immediately exchanged the weapon for her SMG, drawing it out from her waterproof bag before unfolding it to its full, active size with programmed economy of motion.

With her equipment ready and accounted for, the Asset did not delay the pursuit any longer than necessary.

SL-0182 quickly made her way up the stairs that her quarry had taken, her gaze sweeping for emplaced traps or mines as she moved. Her probe droid flitted ahead, its crimson optic narrowing as it caught a glimpse of the Mandalorian leaving the alleyway past the top of the stairs. A sharp chirp of warning sounded through her comms. SL-0182 followed her droid, her SMG sighted and footsteps silent as she cleared the alleyway just a few seconds behind the Mandalorian.

Spoiler: Loadout

• Klase Vele Combat Skin Mk. I - Helmet Configuration
  
  • Arms
    
    • FAE/M-02 Energized Forearm Vibroblade Mk. II - L Forearm
  • Energy Shield
    
    • Phase III “Force Avenger” Energy Shield
• KSMG-7 Mk. II - Kainate Submachine Gun Model Seven Second Rendition
  
  • Ammunition
    
    • Extended Magazine - Active Wave Cancellation Ammunition (2)
    • Standard Magazine - Active Wave Cancellation Ammunition (4)
    • Standard Magazine - High Explosive Ammunition (2)
  • Attachments
    
    • 1-5x FAE/S-08 Electro-Sight
    • Phase I “Susurration” Anti-Sonic Silencer
• KAR-18 - Kainate Aquatic Rifle Model Eighteen
  
  • Ammunition
    
    • FAE/AM-01-S3 Energy Weapon Cartridge (10)
  • Attachments
    
    • 1-5x FAE/S-08 Electro-Sight
• Siqsa-S1 Semiautonomous Seeker Obscuration Canister (2)
• FAE/MDE-01-S1 Semiautonomous Seeker Thermal Explosive (4)
• Agzonûboj-type Probe Droid