Mission THE HUNT || COV

[Yuri Maji]

BARRA BARRA​

The war against the Sith is beginning to reach a critical point. While costly, the battle of Humbarine had shown the Iron Covenant a wealth of information. The enemy’s strengths, weaknesses, schemes they were willing to employ and acceptable losses they are willing to sustain.

The Mandalorians are going to have to employ every advantage and surprise they can muster if they want to vanquish the old Enemy.

A proposal was made, ludicrous and incredibly unpredictable, by a particularly persuasive mutt. A hunt to arm the Covenant with an arsenal of deadly beasts. A lone cruiser will be deployed, carrying a daring team into the dangerous jungles of Felucia to catch a number of one of the galaxy’s most deadly predators.

The mighty Rancor.

The objective is incredibly simple. Incapacitate as many of the beasts as possible, prepare them for pickup and transport them to secure pens onboard the cruiser. Once there, they will be processed, trained and prepared as soon as the cruiser reaches the Fleet.

With Basilisks and gunships standing by for aerial view and heavy lifting, and a whole arsenal of weapons and traps at its disposal, the hunting team will ferry down to the planet’s surface and move out to track the mighty beasts down and knock them out. Each beast is to be tagged and marked for collection before moving on.

The mission itself will be incredibly risky. Felucian Rancors are extremely aggressive and territorial. They are also deceptively fast and cunning creatures, so caution is advised.

Successful capture of the majestic beasts will be rewarded after completing the mission.​

 

[Yuri Maji]

FELUCIA | JUNGLE
ALLIES: COV | Open
ENEMIES: N/A
ENGAGING: N/A
GEAR: In bio

WHISKEY, COLA & TEQUILA​

Why in Manda’s name was this idea approved? This was never supposed to go through, who the hell thought hunting rancors was a good idea? The Hound was completely flustered when he got the green light to assemble a team.

He had never done something like this, he simply went with what looked right and what other people recommended. Naturally, a whole arsenal was packed onboard the cruiser for the team to use, not to mention the air support he needed to clear for usage on the mission as well.

Anything with enough power to lift the massive beasts were tossed into the hangar bay.

Chances of dying were at least low with the amount of weapons they were bringing along. Rancors were no joke to bring down, not if they were needed alive.

Yuri went ahead of the rest of the crew to prepare a base camp and drop off all the weapons and tools the team would likely need before they arrived. Heavy weapons with stun settings, nets, cables and improvised muzzles for when they needed to tag and bag the enormous beasts. In quick order tents and perimeter fences were set up to at least give the team a safe zone against the horrors of the jungle.

Rancors wouldn’t be the only thing the team needed to be wary of.

With everything sorted, the Hound planted himself on a crate and took a deep breath, waiting for the rest to assemble.

 

[Seva Beroya]

VORNSKR
JUNGLE | FELUCIA
TAG: Yuri Maji | Open
GEAR: In bio

STINKFIST​

When the Mutt suggested it, Seva jumped at the chance.

If there was one thing she and her Clan were good at, it was capturing and training warbeasts. The Beroyas were sure to provide most of the capturing equipment. This wouldn't be the first time she'd be setting foot on Felucia with rancors and neither was she new to traversing jungles.

She had even made sure to bring a contingent of battle Narglatches to help field the larger beasts.

"Light on your feet, Boy." she told Beviin as they touched down and exited the gunships. The cat lowered his head with a rumble before turning to snarl at at his brothers and sisters, who spread out and awaited their handlers. "Jet, take half the team, I'll take the other half. Work with the rest of the Vode as well. The more animals we can get, the better." she then told her second-in-command.
"They're as good as caught already." Jet told her with a grin before starting to divide the group of Beroyas in two.

Seva and Beviin, on the other hand, made their way over to where Yuri was sitting on a crate.

"You managed with all the equipment, Maji?" she asked as Beviin sat down a few paces away, his green eyes never leaving the Shistavanen.
​

 

[Zandra Ruus]

Tags: Yuri Maji Seva Beroya

"Frelling damnit! The dye is barely dry in my hair and we already have another op," Zandra shouted, hastily doing her pink hair into a bun. She held the tie in her mouth as she grumbled curses at no one in particular. The young runt gave an angry huff, putting on her armor in segments.

There were more pressing matters than hair dye getting in the lining of her buy'ce. Today was a scheduled hunt, and for Rancors of all things! Zandra had to give it to command, they had no lack of confidence in their soldiers. Taking on a Rancor was one thing, capturing them en masse was another thing entirely...

After a mildly uneventful ride in a dropship, Zandra walked into the camp with a bag slung over her shoulder. This would be an experience to remember, having no experience hunting such large game before. It would take more than a beskad or two to bring down a rancors. To that end, she sat down beside a group of other mandos and set to work!

Zandra had versed herself in the ways of biological weapons, mainly poisons and gases. She had requisitioned something very special for this hunt, samples of Yerdua poison, harvested from glands inside local fauna of Felucia. Even rancors couldn't stomach the stuff, it'd probably come in handy on the hunt. As well, she had metal canisters filled with a light blue liquid. It was a powerful muscle relaxant that would (hopefully) be enough to send even larger rancors to sleep.

"Don't know if anyone's ever tried this, but I guess I'll know if it works soon enough..."

 

[Kjartan Hammer-Hand]

---

---

​

FELUCIA | THE JUNGLE
OBJECTIVE I: WORTHY PREY
TAG: Yuri Maji | Seva Beroya | Zandra Ruus​

​

KJARTAN HAMMER-HAND​

THEME​

​

Kjartan’s bearded smile was on full display as he gazed upon the jungle around him, and broadened as he regarded the deteriorating demeanor of the Hound. The reason this op got approved, was because Kjartan couldn’t help himself. Yuri had gotten the old pirate into a few hairy situations, so when he was presented with the notion of returning the favor - Kjartan did not hesitate.

As the newly appointed Tra’verde, The Hammer-Hand was imbued with tremendous authority throughout the Mythos Fleet. Many important decisions had wasted little time in rising to his notice, such as establishing supply routes and temporary anchorages for refitting and repair. When this proposal had been submitted, his command staff had almost rejected it out of hand, thinking it beneath him to even regard. But little did they know that Kjartan could not resist it for more ways than one.

Yuri was known for his unorthodox ideas, half of which were consigned to the refuse pile before ever rising to fruition. Others were snuffed out by those around him, for whatever valid reason; be it the sparing of life or damage to Covenant property. Those ideas that came forward, were equal parts advantageous as they were risky - notwithstanding the inherent trait among their people to engage in the hunt of a worthy beast, with a rancor being among the foremost of such to offer honorable challenge. While many thought the idea to be outlandish, Kjartan revelled in the dual purpose of calling Yuri’s bluff, and engaging in the hunt to test his own mettle. Naturally he had to endure the objections of those in his staff; ‘Your place is here in the fleet,’ ‘It’s too dangerous!’.

When did they stop being Mandalorian?

Even though he was a chieftain among their people, and even though he was partially doing this to spite Yuri, he wanted to join this expedition for the thrill and honor it involved. Plus, he needed to test his new arm.

Kjartan approached Yuri and slapped his arm with his metallic hand. “I wouldn’t miss this for anything pupp. I’m excited - are you excited?!” He let out a hearty bellow and nodded at those already assembled. He drew a deep breath. “Say what you will about this hellhole, but the air smells fresh enough; Sh*t piles and all.” His runic armor gleamed in the sunlight, his horned helmet held underneath his arms as he stood with his free hand on his hip.

​

 

[Yuri Maji]

FELUCIA | JUNGLE
ALLIES: COV | Seva Beroya | Kjartan Hammer-Hand | Zandra Ruus
ENEMIES: N/A
ENGAGING: N/A
GEAR: In bio

WHISKEY, COLA & TEQUILA​

The first of the party began to arrive in camp. Yuri let out a quiet sigh of relief when he saw clan Beroya disembark from the dropship. Of all the people he had at his disposal, they knew their beasts the best. The hunt was shaping up to at least go smoothly.

In theory, at least.

A toothy grin adorned the Hound’s maw and arms spread out at the greeting. ”It’s me we’re talkin’ about! Hell, got half the Ironworks catalogue over here.” He tapped one of the crates beside him with a confident nod. ”Also brought some other toys we might need, we’ll see how it goes.” He continued, golden eyes following Zandra as she fiddled with a bunch of curious canisters. The smell alone was enough to make the mutt shudder.

”I hope ya karkin’ know what that stuff does, Zee… it smells horrid.” He remarked, waving the air in front of his snout away. He didn’t want to know what the hell the blue stuff did. There was likely a reason it was so well sealed.

The last to join the first of the merry band immediately made Yuri realize why they were on Felucia. ”Oh no…” He grumbled, a hand massaging his eyes as he mentally prepared himself. He moved with the slap against his shoulder but did little else for a second. Golden eyes finally peered up at Kjartan. ”You karkin’ greenlit this, didn’t ya?” He grumbled.

It had to be. Nobody else at the tea party was stupid enough to approve this operation.

”Well, I’m happy you’re lovin’ the place. Meanwhile I’m sittin’ here, smelling the damned colours.” He remarked with a shake of his head, peering at Zandra for silent help to escape this hell he found himself in.

 

[Kjartan Hammer-Hand]

---

---

​

FELUCIA | THE JUNGLE
OBJECTIVE I: WORTHY PREY
TAG: Yuri Maji | Seva Beroya | Zandra Ruus​

​

KJARTAN HAMMER-HAND​

THEME​

​

The last to join the first of the merry band immediately made Yuri realize why they were on Felucia. ”Oh no…” He grumbled, a hand massaging his eyes as he mentally prepared himself. He moved with the slap against his shoulder but did little else for a second. Golden eyes finally peered up at Kjartan. ”You karkin’ greenlit this, didn’t ya?” He grumbled.

It had to be. Nobody else at the tea party was stupid enough to approve this operation.

”Well, I’m happy you’re lovin’ the place. Meanwhile I’m sittin’ here, smelling the damned colours.” He remarked with a shake of his head, peering at Zandra for silent help to escape this hell he found himself in.

Kjartan offered Yuri a broad, poo-doo eating smile. “You’re damn right I did.” He shouldered an EF-200 slugthrower rifle with his right hand and nodded to the surrounding woods. “It’s been too long since I had a good hunt, and maybe we’ll make a man out of you yet. Speakin’ of...”

He looked around. “Where’s the harpy?” Despite their rocky beginning, Kjartan had formed a soft-spot within his heart for Vara Maji , looking at her much as his own daughter. A daughter who he’d tell wildly inappropriate jokes to, naturally. “I would have thought she’d be all over this.”

​

 

[Seva Beroya]

VORNSKR
JUNGLE | FELUCIA
TAG: Yuri Maji | Zandra Ruus | Kjartan Hammer-Hand
GEAR: In bio

STINKFIST​

”It’s me we’re talkin’ about! Hell, got half the Ironworks catalogue over here.”

"That's what I'm worried about." she mumbled before stepping back to observe the interactions and see who else arrived.

To say she was glad her own people would be involved to have this at least go relatively smoothly, would be an understatement. So far it was a gaggle of jokers. She wondered how far the jokes would go when a group of hungry, angry rancors stormed them.

Beviin's nose wrinkled in anger as he sensed her annoyance. At this point in his life, he was well-acquainted with rounding up dangerous beasts. Their time in the Crusade was well-spent.

"Easy, Boy, it's not that bad. They'll have to get serious soon enough. This won't be easy."
​

 

[Zandra Ruus]

Tags: Kjartan Hammer-Hand , Seva Beroya , Yuri Maji

In Zandra's mind, it was good that everyone was already having a good time, even if it was a slight distraction from their objective. Being too stuffy and serious just made it harder to improvise when chit hit the fan. She was particularly interested in the person whose idea this was. He was a giant of a man, rustic in some regards, but there was something intriguing to that.

The pint-sized punk smirked under her helmet, looking over to Kjartan. "Glad we have our own warbeast. Where exactly do they build men that frelling tall anyway?"

Zandra's question was pretty sincere, she'd never met a human that size. Sure there were aliens that towered over her, but for all the world this guy seemed like a standard human! Regardless, she cast her eyes on the others in the camp. Seva seemed to be hesitant to gather with the rest of them. Probably for good reason.

To say confidence wasn't at it's peak was an understatement. Mandalorians were all kin in a spiritual sense, and this was one dysfunctional family they had! Everyone was their own flavor of crazy!

Zandra soon took her helmet off, lighting up a small hand rolled cigarra before the op. It was a newer habit, a sort of last hoorah before heading into the suck. If she was going to die, she was going to do so relaxed and happy. It would be rude not check in with the others before they ran through the jungle together.

"If anyone wants one this is last call. I ain't giving out any more smoke after we leave camp." it was strange being so casual before almost certain danger. Strange what a life of war could do...

 

[Vrirrig Awaud]

HA’RANGIR’S CHOSEN
Worthy Prey

Yuri Maji ‘s comm crackled once before Vrirrig's voice cut through it, low and unhurried.

<Hound. Ha'rangir's Chosen, inbound. Corvette's running dark.>

Above the canopy, sensors would have caught nothing. The Prudii’kad, quiet as its name promised, slid through Felucia's thick upper atmosphere without so much as a heat bloom to mark its passing, dropping altitude over the jungle's densest green before setting down in a clearing miles from camp; close enough to move fast, far enough that no one heard her come down.

Vrirrig was first off the ramp. He did not rush it. He never rushed the first steps onto new ground; the jungle deserved a moment before he asked anything of it. The air here was thick, wet, alive in a way that reminded him, faintly, of home, and beneath that familiarity, something older stirred in his chest. Good hunting ground. The kind the old verses spoke of. The kind the Scorekeeper took notice of.

Behind him, the rest of the Chosen filed out in practiced silence, checking gear, scaling the treeline to set up traps.

He keyed the comm again.

<We're set.>

A pause, then, quieter, directed to the Hound and the Chosens: <Give ‘em a show, boys.>​

Jaix Kelborn | Kestrel Lok | Khurash the Giant | Kjartan Hammer-Hand | Nisk Keldau | Seva Beroya | Yuri Maji | Zandra Ruus​

 

[Nisk Keldau]

FELUCIA | JUNGLE
TAGS: Zandra Ruus | Vrirrig Awaud | Jaix Kelborn | Kestrel Lok | Kjartan Hammer-Hand
ENGAGING:
GEAR: In bio

RISE UP DEAD MAN​

The ship flew low, touching down only long enough for the group to disembark. Nisk stuck close to his Brothers and Sisters, an empty visor only lingering upon the dense jungle that laid before them for a few moments. Beneath his helmet, his tongue flicked to taste the air.

Dense, heavy, warm. He knelt down to drag his clawed hand through the dirt before letting it spill close to his visor. ”Good Hunting to be had here.” He hissed, rising to look at Vrirrig. ”We musst Hunt here after thisss iss done…” He remarked, tapping at his vambrace controls.

A shimmer overtook his form before he disappeared, his translucent form shifting as he made his way to a nearby fungal tree. It stood high and provided an excellent vantage point to scan their surroundings. Rancors wouldn’t be hard to find, all he needed was a scent. The hidden lizard raised his vambrace and fired his grappling line to grab a protrusion to hoist himself up. With the slingshot action, Nisk grabbed hold and dug his armoured nails into the tree to clamber up the side.

He stopped to regard the view for a brief second, tasting the air before continuing to reach the top.

 

[Vulcan Krayt]

Location: Felucia Jungle
Objective: 1
Equipment: Sword, M.I. Beskar'gam | Mk.1 M.I. 'Sunstroke' jetpack | M.I. Model 6 hybrid pistol | M.I. Model 12 shatter rifle x2 | Thermal Detonators x20 | Magnetic Detonators x 4 | Perun's Call | X-Wing | R2 Astromech
Tags: Open

There is a lot to be said about being gone for years; you miss a lot.

Vulcan did indeed unfortunately miss quite a lot of things since he left on a long adventure: the destruction of Kestri, the loss of his bakery, and his many side quests delayed his journey for a few more years.

Fortunately, he had discovered that they rebuilt it after the Vong. He had been too far out to reach the battle in time; he had to get parts on Tatooine because his controls decided to break just out of lightspeed near the Planet.

A short trip turned into a longer-than-necessary one as he had to hunt what he needed down, as they were hard-ish to come by way out there. A lot of asking, bartering and sleuthing later, and he got what he needed.

He has never hunted a Ranchor; at least he didn't think he did. So this will be new. However, he had to get to the spot where everyone else is. Despite never needing to use it as much, Vulcan still kept his X-Wing and Astromech; he could not bear to part with them.

He reread the location once again just to be sure he's on the right track. His gear is present and accounted for. He debated whether to put Whistling Birds in his Beskar leg to add to his arsenal. Vulcan had an inkling he was going to need them.

What fun.

There is plenty of greenery but no clear entry point to land, so he held a holding pattern as he looked for an opening that he could land and head into the meeting point through this jungle.

<"Someone could get lost in there, and no one could hear 'em scream."> He mused owlishly, <"not that anyone would hear them.">

There was finally somewhere to land so that he could begin the mission good and proper. After one last Equipment check, he was on the Jungle floor and heading out. He told R2 to stay with the ship, and he'll call in when he reached the others and make sure it gets to any Mando Ships that may be here.

So he trekked forward, keeping an eye and ear out for trouble because if he learnt anything, trouble lurks everywhere. He did at times jetpack up from the canopy to see if he could see any Mando Ships.

He continued this way for a while. If he hadn't been elsewhere, he wouldn't need to trek/fly to wherever the action is. Speaking of excitement, he had to fight his way out of a snarl of vines he stumbled into. Because they were thick, he had to saw through them and wipe his visor clean as the flowers he disturbed in his fight with the vines dumped a cloud of bright radioactive yellow pollen right on top of him.

<"Bleh!"> He grumbled in annoyance once he was free and above the treeline, allowing the acceleration to dislodge leftover pollen.

After an hour of flying, he could see ships up ahead on his left. Finally, he was on the right path. He radioed R2 to get ready to head in the direction he had transmitted because leaving his starfighter and Droid unattended may cause them to become lost in the thick jungle or R2 might get bored.

<"Can Droids get bored, and do they dream of Electric Sheep?"> Vulcan mused idly, his mind wandering slightly on a tangent as he kept his trajectory towards the ships.

Finally, he reached his destination and landed with a soft thud, hard to keep quiet when you've got a metal leg. He quickly gave R2 the word to bring the X-Wing.

<"Oh, good, I'm on time then."> Vulcan spoke, making his presence known.

 

[Ferrin Dorn]

LOCATION: FELUCIA | BASE CAMP
ALLIES: Yuri Maji Seva Beroya Zandra Ruus Kjartan Hammer-Hand Vrirrig Awaud Nisk Keldau Vulcan Krayt
GEAR: In bio
SHIP: Tra'galaar-class Frontier Scout: The Iron Thorn

The rhythmic humming of the Felucian jungle was loud, but it wasn't loud enough to drown out the heavy hydraulic wheeze of The Iron Thorn settling into the mud.

Ferrin Dorn didn't use a flashy dropship or enter with an uncloaked starfighter. The matte pine-green and weathered granite-gray hull of his heavy frontier scout vessel had slipped beneath the planet's thick upper canopy miles away, running completely dark. Guided by passive sensor baffles and thermal dampeners, the blocky craft had essentially ceased to exist to orbital radars the moment its oversized landing struts locked onto the slick, moss-covered bedrock.

He didn't rush his exit. A true hunter respected new ground before stepping onto it. Inside the sterile processing hold, Ferrin checked the seals on his heavy stasis crates—the ones usually reserved for hauling thousands of pounds of fresh meat back to the Mythos Fleet's kitchens. Today, those crates were empty, waiting for the heavy muscle relaxants and neural inhibitors to do their work on the local wildlife.

When the cargo ramp finally hissed open, Ferrin stepped out into the humid, spore-choked air. His dull, bark-brown Beskar'gam was already smeared with the residue of a dozen previous death worlds, completely masking his silhouette against the giant fungal stalks. He adjusted the tattered reaver-beast cape over his left shoulder and slung his heavy, bolt-action slugthrower rifle across his back plate.

Ferrin reached the perimeter of the base camp just as the first wave of banter was settling down between the Mutt and the newly appointed Tra'verde. He kept his distance from the center of the camp, leaning his armored shoulder against a thick fungal root, his deep amber visor scanning the treeline.

"The jungle's shifting," Ferrin's voice cut through the localized com-link channel, low, unhurried, and filtered through his helmet's environmental gaskets. "Your Narglatches have the right idea", he said to Seva, "its smart to move downwind. The local critters are bound to be tracking the noise from the dropships. But, the humidity is spiking, and the scent of that Yerdua poison will almost certainly mask the approach of anything coming from the east."

He tapped his left gauntlet, silently deploying three thumb-sized swarm-eyes micro drones into the canopy overhead. They didn't buzz; they drifted like native spores, piecing together a live 3D terrain grid of the surrounding square kilometer directly onto his HUD. Just because the current focus was on the Rancors didn't mean Ferrin couldn't spot some other beasties for trapping while they were at it.

"I've only ever tracked down a one other Rancor before this—an old, scarred bull out in the Outer Rim canyons," Ferrin added, his visor shifting toward Yuri and Kjartan. "Bringing them down en masse is a whole different beast. No bother. My stasis holds are prepped and running cold aboard the Thorn. If the Shistavanen's heavy cables hold, I've got enough room to haul three of the mid-sized bulls back to the fleet's processing pens before the meat spoils or the sedative wears off."

He unlatched an acoustic picket spike from his utility belt and drove the heavy metal piton deep into the root beside his boot. The subtle vibration feedback began humming against his HUD, tracking the deep, heavy thuds of multi-ton steps moving out in the green.

"Good hunting," Ferrin mumbled, his hand resting casually near the grip of his low-slung twin blaster pistols. "Now lets try not to get eaten. I'm looking forward to pouring us all a tankard of my special Stout when we return!."

 

[Yuri Maji]

FELUCIA | JUNGLE
ALLIES: COV | Seva Beroya | Kjartan Hammer-Hand | Zandra Ruus | Ferrin Dorn | Vulcan Krayt | Vrirrig Awaud | Ty'Raj Vex
ENEMIES: N/A
ENGAGING: N/A
GEAR: In bio

WHISKEY, COLA & TEQUILA​

Sparing a glance at Kjartan, Yuri let out a snort at the man’s question. ”She should be comin’ with the rest of the party. I went ahead to get everythin’ sorted for us.” He explained simply. More arrived while others geared up for the hunt.

One group immediately earned a groan from the Hound.

<Hound. Ha'rangir's Chosen, inbound. Corvette's running dark.>

His commlink chimed loud and clear for the rest of the group to hear. ”Of course they’re here.” He grumbled, massaging his eyes with annoyance. ”I hope they know this is a live capture. Haran’gir can hang on for a day.” He glanced at Seva and Kjartan, preparing himself mentally for what was going to be a very long day.

He pushed off the crates and prepared for the hunt. His helmet was slid on and his gear checked once more. More hunters touched down and linked up, but one stood out to the Hound. He gave Seva a tap on the shoulder and gestured to the Ubese approaching the group. ”He looks familiar.” He remarked. The confusion and concern were shoved away as the Ubese and another few hunters approached.

”Glad to see more faces. Name’s Yuri. You lot ready?” He greeted them with a salesman’s grin behind his visor.

The Chosen already had a head start on the rest of the group, though the Hound was constantly telling himself that it wasn’t a competition… beating the zealots, however, would feel good.

He listened to Ferrin’s story and even raised a brow at a spike driven into the dirt. This hunt was getting easier by the minute.

”If you guys need anything, stock up. I brought us half the Ironworks catalogue, you can keep what you want.” He told the newcomers, gesturing to the stack of crates behind him.

 

[Siv Dragr]

G U N S L I N G E R
Felucia
​

Tag: Vulcan Krayt | Ferrin Dorn | Seva Beroya | Zandra Ruus | Yuri Maji

Siv was beginning to feel the weight of multiple missions wear on him. It was as if they were happening in rapid succession since Humbarine at a pace that he could hardly keep up mentally. All he knew was to check his blasters, make sure they were cleaned and ready, and not die. It was the best he could do at this point.

The Iron Covenant needed Rancors. Haran knew why. Siv was here to help procure them. How the feth do you procure Rancors?

<"Oh, good, I'm on time then."> Vulcan spoke, making his presence known.

Siv looked up at the noise, momentarily distracting him from the jungle and his internal tangle of thoughts. "Depends on who you ask," he grunted. It was evident by the tone of his voice that he already wanted to be off this rock. He checked his blaster, strapped to his side securely in its holster. All looking good.

He looked back towards the rest of the group. "Debriefing said they want a herd's worth. Staying together will do us no good. I'll take Krayt, see if we can't stir up anything. Get the crates ready," he added to the Shistavanen. He looked back at Krayt. "You ready, vod?"

 

[Ty'Raj Vex]

Yuri Maji
Vex hadn't grown up among a boisterous clan, but he had participated in enough small operations during his youth to understand how these gatherings generally went. He was old for a Mandalorian, and his presence here felt much like stepping back into the past as he studied the young bloods, all of them eager for the hunt underway.

He had been a stag for many years, seemingly content to watch from the sidelines or linger along the fringes of events. The only thing that had truly shaken him from his familiar routine was meeting Saram Kote … that fiery redhead had certainly kindled something within him he had thought long since gone cold.

His armour was archaic and strange in design, though meticulously maintained. Layers of interlocking plates covered nearly his entire form, arranged to offer exceptional mobility and flexibility despite their breadth. Beneath them, glimpses of tightly woven chainmail could still be seen between the joints.

A weathered and rather large pack rested against his back, partially concealed beneath the heavy pelt of a jakobeast. The fur hung from the shoulders of his fire-resistant cloak, which shielded his back and legs from the scorching exhaust of his jetpack.

Vex approached within Yuri's view and offered a measured inclination of his darkened helmet.

"Su'cuy, Maji. Vex." His gaze shifted toward the equipment assembled around the camp. "I've a question, if I may ask it. It isn't meant as a challenge…"

He offered the assurance lightly before drawing Yuri a short distance aside. Leaning closer, Vex lowered his voice.

"Forgive my curiosity, but… once these beasts are aboard that cruiser, what safeguards do you have in place to keep the Sith from possibly… oh, I don't know… remaking them into something meant to hunt us?"

 

[Ferrin Dorn]

LOCATION: FELUCIA | THE JUNGLE TRAILS
ALLIES: COV Siv Dragr Yuri Maji Seva Beroya Zandra Ruus Kjartan Hammer-Hand Vrirrig Awaud Nisk Keldau Vulcan Krayt Ty'Raj Vex
TARGET: Rancor & More
GEAR: In bio // Tracker's Rifle: The Thorn's Bite // The Briar Twins // Bramble-Flies // Razor-Vine Snares
​

Ferrin gave a single, short nod through the comm-link as Siv Dragr took control of the staging area, calling out the younger Krayt to split from the camp and start flushing the valley.

"The cold-storage lockers on the Thorn take about ten minutes to cycle down to freezing, Alor'ad," Ferrin's voice rasped softly through his helmet's vocoder, completely unhurried. "The moment we drop some and get them off the "x", I have her loading lift prepped to pull them straight into my hold. In the meantime, I'm gonna take point and push out ahead a bit to try and scout a safe route through this brush. I'll stay on comms." Pushing off from the massive fungal root he had been leaning on, Ferrin stepped past the perimeter fence and dissolved into the humid, spore-choked brush as the rest of the party was gearing up.

If the Covenant was going to track multi-ton predators through an unmapped wilderness without falling victim to hostile flora and fauna, deep mud bogs or unstable foliage, they a pathfinder like Ferrin should tread the ground first.

He unlatched The Thorn's Bite from his magnetic backplate, checking the bolt mechanism with a swift, practiced "clack" before keeping it low across his chest. Moving with a light-footed, rhythmic stride that made no sound against the wet topsoil, he tapped his left gauntlet to redirect his three thumb-sized, insect droids to follow his path. Receiving their new orders, the Bramble Flies drifted silently along the upper canopy, keeping up the pace and keeping their scanners active overhead.

"Maji, tell the Chosen teams to angle their march slightly to the northeast," Ferrin mumbled onto the local channel, his eyes scanning a thick cluster of glowing ferns. "Based on the drone data and the local topography, there's a heavy canyon bottleneck about three kilometers out. My seismic spikes are picking up a lot of deep acoustic resonance matching that direction. If I had to guess, the local bulls are probably grouping up in those narrows to get defensive against the noise."

As he slid deeper into the dense green to scout the forward path, his visor caught a subtle, localized anomaly at the base of a split fungal tree. The bark was lightly clawed, and a tiny, fresh track was stamped into the mud beside a patch of sweet, crushed wild mushrooms.

Ferrin's tracker instincts clicked. Tee-Muss.

The skittish quadrupeds must have been actively foraging nearby. In the back of Ferrin's mind he realized that a hunting party of this size was going to return to base camp ravenous, and while Rancor meat was far too tough and stringy for a proper celebration, Tee-Muss flesh was exceptionally lean and delicious, especially when properly marinated and roasted over an open fire. Without breaking his forward scouting stride, Ferrin dropped to one knee behind a massive root. Working with methodical, silent efficiency, he unlipped two of his handmade razor-vine snare traps from one of his utility drop pouches. He anchored the high-tensile alusteel control cables to the root structure, camouflaged the wire loops with native moss, and scattered the remaining sweet mushroom bits directly behind the hidden tripwires.

Syncing the traps' tension sensors to a small, isolated node on his gauntlet, Ferrin rose back into a low crouch and pushed further into the unmapped brush. He would let the snares work passively while he focused entirely on screening for the larger beasts. A nice surprise for later, he told himself.

"Alright Vode, I'm going silent, but I'll keep my line open," Ferrin added, his visor locking onto a deep, mud-slicked ravine ahead. "Don't bunch up out there. If a bull catches your scent downwind, it'll clear a path through these mushrooms faster than a gunship strafing run."