The Infernal Child's Chocolate Adventure (Koda Fett)

[Adara Raxis]

Vena, on the Southern Border of the Mandalorian Empire
[member="Koda Fett"]

“Do you mean it, Aiya? Do you mean we get two snacks before nap time?” Adara bounced on her shoes, hopping up on a low brick ledge to pretend to tight rope walk.

“If one of them is a vegetable pie, get down, child! You’ll break your tiny neck and then where will your parents be? Fit to be tied.” Aiya yanked the little girl off the ledge and set her down to sit on a bench, fiddling with Adara’s suit jacket on her play suit.

“We’ve got a bit more shopping to do before returning to the Palace, while your Baba and Ba’vodu finish up with the Venans. And you know what I said…” Aiya narrowed her mouse brown eyes, pursing her lips at Yasha’s daughter.

Adara shuffled and kicked her feet back and forth. “If I’m a delightful child, who carries herself like the Princess I should be if my parents weren’t uncivilized Mandalorians, who didn’t believe in Princesses, then I get a chawklit, a snack and a toy…” Pouting her lips, Adara burbled. “We’ve been shopping for hoooours. Can I get an advance on the chawklit, Aiya?”

“Cho-co-late.” Aiya growled, in a clipped Panathan accent.

“Cho-co-late.” Adara spat, batting her eyes up at the aging Panathan nanny. “Pleeaase? I’ve been good.”

Hissing a sigh out of thin lips, Aiya pulled a petite box from her robe to the squeal of the Infernal Child. The paper box opened, revealing a chocolate truffle, painted with edible colours to resemble an Atrisian Peony.

“Thank you, Aiya. Thank you, thank you.” Adara went to grab the treat, when Aiya jerked it away.

“And?”

Adara sucked in a breath, clapped her hands together and held them fingers up “And thank you High God Nereus, who watches over me, and Goddess Nussyn for bringing love and the courage of surviving battles, and Grandfather God-King Kaine Zambaramano for looking after me and saving my life as a baby and on Sabarene and giving me the gift of his favour. Amen.” Peeking up at Aiya, Adara ducked her chin down one more time and rush-spoke, “And may Mommy figure out that Alvarex is a perfect match, so I can have a proper Daddy, and some brothers and sisters of good breeding, that can also call the Emperor Grandfather. Amen, again.”

Satisfied that her ‘subtle’ indoctrination of [member="Yasha Mantis"]’ child was working to the benefit of [member="Alvarex Zambrano"] and the Dark Lord, Aiya handed the chocolate over. Adara grinned and popped the whole thing in her mouth, just in case Aiya decided to add to her prayer-recitation… again.

“Mmmm!!”

She really was an obedient child, Aiya thought, even for a ruffian Mandalorian’s daughter.

 

[Koda Fett]

It was instantaneous. Adara had forfeited her humanity the instant a price had been placed over head, similarly to Fett himself. Perhaps his had been stripped from him a long time ago, but it was pointless to ask such frivolous questions. The Bounty Hunter had spent too much time researching, tracking, waiting. He was in search of the most opportune of moments, and this had certainly seemed to be the scenario that was unlikely to remerge anytime soon. Yet, even with the creed in play, Fett had felt a pang of guilt. That child had only been born, but sometimes that was enough to earn the ire someone vengeful, hateful, spiteful. It might of been the credits; there were too many on offer to turn it down. It was, at the very least, wanted alive. As to what Gorba had one after the point of delivery was of no concern to Koda, or so he might have told himself.

There happened to be a rather certain sense of fragility to the situation. Carnifex had rapidly rushed to the aid of a threatened Adare once in the past, and so it wasn't an entirely wild assumption that the same may happen on Vena. Yet, Fett hadn't any clue of that. All he had ever known of the Sith Empire is what he was told, and that was typically more than one could expect of a lowly bounty hunter. Even then, he hadn't cared for the Mandalorian Empire in the equation. Fett wasn't exactly on speaking terms with to begin with.

He had begun to approach them, but he hadn't seemed outwardly hostile. His Carbine rest loosely within his grip, but that was the nature of a Mandalorian. The Panathan was sure to agree, if her previous statements were any indication. "Mand'alor the Infernal demands the return of her child." His synthesised voice echoed through the internal microphone. Trickery was often a favoured tactic.

​Even then, in all his confidence, assistance often went a long way in times of such avarice, now didn't they, [member="Ronan Vizsla"]? Fett brought him along, for he knew his grudges with the Mandalorian Empire were far greater than his own. It seemed almost an injustice to not.

[member="Adara Raxis"]

 

[Adara Raxis]

A Mandalorian coming directly up to Yasha's little girl? It did have a tendency to happen, and although Aiya was a cautious sort of woman, she also knew the warring culture's penchant for changes in plans. Still, this one wasn't wearing the Yalilyr's armour, or Clan Raxis'. Who was he to demand from her, a loyal Handmaiden of House Zambrano? Pah! Mandalorians. Aiya had no use for them indoctrinating the little girl in her charge.

“Mand’alor the Infernal can demand the return of her child all she likes, by calling me herself! You have a message, bring it up with her father. I’m not giving the beloved future grandchild of the Dark Lord to any bucket-headed miscreant with an attitude and a weapon on his side.” Aiya snapped, visibly turning her nose up at the thought. The Panathan nanny picked Adara up and held her on her hip, snuggling the girl tight.

“But Aiya, Buir wants me, can we call? Baba said no talking about Glomkhoduil.” Adara hugged her arms around Aiya’s neck, swallowing her chocolate treat. “What’s Buir want me for? She said I could come to the Markets and get presents.”

“Hush now, little one.” Aiya soothed Adara’s hair around her face, holding the child to her hip. “Now you, who are you? I don’t recognize your armour, you’re not one of the Infernal’s guards. What’s happened?”

[member="Koda Fett"]

 

[Ronan Vizsla]

[member="Adara Raxis"] | [member="Koda Fett"] | [member="Irella Vizsla"]

Surprisingly enough Ronan didn't care about the child.

The sins of the mother inherited by the daughter was not something Vizsla particularly believed in. That didn't mean he would leave her out of it. It just meant that there was little burning emotion behind it. Irella and him had taken the long route around. Picking their way through, until they ended up on the other side of the bridge. With that the trap was set.

The walk was silent.

Calm.

It wasn't obvious that they were about to either kill or kidnap a child. Just another day in paradise, no? Until they reached the bridge and encountered the others. The babysitter and child.

Opposed by Fett, who was trying to commit to a ploy.

Vizsla sighed internally and then ruined the ploy with an impassive tone behind the helmet. "Get on with it. Kill the nanny, take the child." The voice would suddenly boom from behind the pair. It was a waste of time to Ronan. All this scheming and plotting. He was mostly here because Koda asked him, but also because a part of him wondered...

Wouldn't it be fair?

Mantis took away his child during the Red Coronation. He had clawed her back from the maws of hell. But the act stood.

Justice had yet to be served.

 

[Irella Toldreyn]

Southern Border of the Mandalorian Empire, Vena, A Bridge, Undetermined Time
The White Van | Interacting with [member="Ronan Vizsla"], [member="Koda Fett"], [member="Adara Raxis"] ~ Leviathan ~ "Wanna dance with me, you best know your place."
——————————————————————

Irella's silence spoke volumes. It was unsurprising when her new Alor called on her-- They seemed to, unfortunately, always wind up in the same room, the same ship, the same situation, by the Force, even on the same planet --but what did often surprise her were the situations he dragged her into. This, for example, highly out of the ordinary.

Fett was familiar from the ball. His sound was that of something... Something complicated, ancient, an emotion she could not name. Ronan, as always, left her stomach in anxious knots with the way his voice reacted in her mind.

The child before them?

Some sort of dread, is what Irella felt. Not the dread of what they were, seemingly, about to do. Dread for what this girl may do. Her voice seemed un-natural, the sounds resonating with the synesthete darkly.

It would have been a sunny day in the void if not for the nature of their latest task. Child-napping seemed to be something below them, at least, in her mind, but due to the new tenants of her society, she couldn't exactly tell Ronan to feth off like she might have before joining his house. Now she could just go along with it, a mailed woman in Beskar, her lightsaber left behind hidden aboard the nomadic Vizsla ship. To bring it here would have been dangerous; advertising herself as a Force user, when even she knew to keep that quiet.

That may have also been a part of the reason Irella found herself frighteningly alright with this; this all felt fairly evil. Wrong. Her helmeted gaze fell to the caretaker, then the girl, letting out the gentlest exhale as her companion ruined Koda's angle.

 

[Koda Fett]

The Bounty Hunter stood firm, stood strong, unwavering from the words in his deceptive ploy as the nanny had placed a formidable roadblock ahead of him, as it were. It wasn't as if he truly had to worry about that much, though, now did he? Ronan had intervened, and not in the way he was to appreciate. Fett had planned on nothing more than a deceptive plot to ensnare the child and in the event someone had to die, or blood had to be spilt, then Ronan may leap forth and let it pour. Suppose a Vizsla had never been known for the subtly, though. Perhaps Koda was to blame, but if anyone was to be deserving of such a thing, it was surely Ronan Vizsla, despite his affinity for this former-Jedi that accompanied him.

Fett had raised his Carbine, allowing the stock to find the nook in his shoulder whilst the barrel aimed forth towards the nanny, even if a little lazily. "Your choice." He replied, a shrug of his shoulders. It truly was. The nanny hadn't been apart of this job, and whilst Fett may be considered immoral he didn't dip his toes in that of blatant murder.

There was a choice to be made. Hopefully she didn't choose the wrong one, for her sake.

[member="Adara Raxis"] | [member="Ronan Vizsla"] | [member="Irella Vizsla"]

 

[Adara Raxis]

“You wouldn’t dare!” Aiya hugged Adara close, as Ronan and @Iella Vizsla rustled in toward them. The situation worsened as more came in, catching Aiya off the side. It took brazen men to attack the Mand’alor’s daughter in the Empire’s space. This was by far more dangerous still.

Aiya wheeled around, clutching the girl to her hip as hard as she could. “Ronan! My Master will never let you get away with this!”

“Aiya!” The snaphiss of a lightsaber crackled to life, Aiya’s red blade spitting at the air. Adara whimpered and tucked her head into Aiya’s collarbone. The Bounty Hunter’s gun veered to their faces.

“Adara, scream!”

The little girl panicked and her tiny body tightened in Aiya’s arms, as a terrified and vibrating cacophony shuddered out of the girl with an intense shockwave hard enough to knock grown men clear off the ground.

An alarum split across the comm links of the Mandalorian Empire warriors nearby.

[member="Abel Australis"] [member="Kaine Australis"] [member="Koda Fett"] [member="Ronan Vizsla"]

 

[Abel Forsworn]

Location: on a rooftop
Objective: not to shoot self, again

"I really don't understand, why am I on babysitting detail?"

Clearing his voice he spoke in a falsetto.

"Because I'm the Warmaster, because I'm baba, because I'm your alor, because I'm your older brother."

Grimacing he cleared his throat.

"Kain'ika, I swear to the gods, both old and new, that this is the last time you rope me into this detail again. Nothing ever happens. Anyway, I could be busy wooing [member="Lady Kay"]."

He smirked the went back to the soprano voice.

"Listen Abel. I'm old, I'm tired, I look like bantha osik. I need help. If I fall down I'll need to go to the hospital cause I might have broken my hip again. You can't expect me to be a mighty warrior such as you, my more virile, and superior prowess vod."

Chuckling he went back to his normal voice.

"Okay okay. You got me. One more time I'll so babysitting duty. But that's it."

Grunting he sat up from where he had been laying and glanced over the side to see [member="Adara Raxis"] balancing on the ledge before the Sith crone bribed her down. Groaning he laid back once more, the visor filtering the sunlight to a level that wouldn't compound the hangover he was suffering from. He was planning on visiting Lady Kay soon, so he was getting in his allotment of liquor love before drying out for tea time. He wondered idly if he could add a little to the tea she would give him, for flavor of course.

Sighing he closed his eyes. Abel was bored. He'd rather be hunting a bounty, or tracking a criminal, or planning a mission, or stepping on a rusty nail .... anything but this. But Kaine called, and when the great, and elderly [member="Kaine Australis"] calls, you answer ... And repeat yourself because ori'vod was going deaf ... Because he was old.

Chuckling to himself he was beginning to doze as the comms blared. Jerking he rolled, right hand gripping tje rifle and left the trident, as he stood and leapt to the ledge, the trident getting stowed to his back. Shouldering the rifle his eyes went to where he had last seen the little one, his HUD registering three new, and uninvited, guests. Mando'ade, yet the child screamed. And that was all he needed to know.

Jumping from the roof he dropped the ten feet, his knees bending to absorb the impact. It was a decent descent, yet for the seven foot tall mando'ad in beskar'gam it was run of the mill. What wasn't run of the mill was having vode pointing a rifle at the Manda'lor's daughter. His own rifle aimed at [member="Koda Fett"] while the autocannon rotated on his shoulder to point at [member="Irella Vizsla"] and [member="Ronan Vizsla"] , the aiming reticle and view overlaying on his HUD.

"I'm thinking maybe you're lost ner vode. Cause I can't believe you would willingly and knowingly be stupid enough to try anything with this particular kid. So be good little tin men, and go away before I have to start shooting. I'm really hungover and don't want the racket to make my headache worse. And I just cleaned my beskar'gam. I'll be karked if I'm gonna clean more blood splatter out of the crevices."

 

[Ronan Vizsla]

[member="Adara Raxis"] | [member="Koda Fett"] | [member="Irella Vizsla"] | [member="Kaine Australis"] | [member="Abel Australis"]

Maybe if Ronan had been aware that Adara's nanny was a Sith agent or that Adara was being groomed by the Dark Lord he might have-

Well.

Probably not, honestly.

As the child screamed Vizsla went through his knees, yanking Irella with him, as he soaked up the kinetic blast. It still caused him to stumble backwards a few steps. But before Ronan could retort with an attack, the Australis clan showed up. First one, then another. His heavy blaster was already out, aiming at Abel the moment he popped up. Kaine came up a moment later. One bloviating, the other confirming the threat. These were the moments that tired him the most.

Anticipation rising, but instead of getting on with it there was wasting of time.

With posturing.

He squeezed the trigger the moment Kaine stopped talking. Twice in short succession, both aimed at Abel, while trusting that Koda and Irella would pull their weight.

"You talk too much."

Vizsla didn't have much else to say. They had come here to kidnap the child of Mantis. There had been the understanding that it wouldn't be easy. That at least one of the Australis Clansmen would be there as protectors, so Ronan had been ready for it. Ready to spill blood. Eager even. You'd wonder though... with all that known. Ronan had never been suicidal. There had to be something that made them confident here. Willing to take this risk within Empire territory.

Who knew what it was though.

 

[Irella Toldreyn]

Southern Border of the Mandalorian Empire, Vena, A Bridge, Undetermined Time
Off Course | Allied with [member="Ronan Vizsla"], [member="Koda Fett"] | Engaging with [member="Adara Raxis"], [member="Kaine Australis"], [member="Abel Australis"] ~ Leviathan ~ "Look around, think you've lost your way."
——————————————————————

For the fifth time that day, Irella Vizsla cursed Ronan Vizsla in her mind.

A Sith? They seemed to be everywhere, like a fungal infection. It was exceptionally annoying how Mando'ade and Darjetii seemed to march hand in hand when it worked against her favor. First, her eyes fell to the exceptionally tall (By her standards -- Average height for a female, after all, left her at around 5'5", and she certainly didn't want to wear out her neck by looking up at them) warriors who had joined them, one first, then another after. They didn't seem interested in pointing blasters at her, beyond the one obviously coming down off a hangover. Just a little unimpressive. Modulated tones didn't resonate with her mental state that often, but this duo gave her the distinct sense they would meet again, on battlefields much like this one.

Odd.

And then the child screamed.

And then he grabbed her.

It was a toss-up as to which one stoked Irella's, well, ire, more; being manhandled by her Alor or witnessing the corrupting Dark Side at work. Maybe both. Definitely both. She was somewhat grateful nonetheless for his quick reaction in preserving most of her stamina and, in the end, dignity. Seeing as a force like that likely would have sent her sprawling, knocked right out of her beskar boots, but now she could fight. The blaster came quick from her holster, raised in an instant to the one who had been just talking -- Kaine Australis. Recognizable from the ball, but just barely. There was some synchronicity to their motions, but it was mostly coincidence, her innate and prodigal strength in the Light Side really did, even subconsciously, help in feeling what Ronan was about to do, gauging his actions through her sixth sense, and ensuring her own actions could catch up so they might fight better together. Believe it or not.

"Get that gun off me." A muttered, harsh snap in the drunkard's direction, but likely only heard over the din of battle by those nearby and not the intended target. The displeasure she felt at being in this new, a quickly devolving situation made it far easier to squeeze the trigger of the repeating heavy carbine now in her mailed hands, sending shots spiraling off to the enemy Warmaster. The Sith was going to have to sit and wait her turn.

 

[Koda Fett]

​

​

Sometimes there were simply complications that arrived whilst one was in the process of completing job. Though, that was it; completing a job, it was going to end, and end in his favour. It always did. Ronan may muse of confidence that enabled them to believe such a job to be successfully accomplishable, but to Fett? It was arrogance. He had known all too well of the fear his name could inspire, of the rumours that circulated his status, and the look of horror that was bestowed upon an individuals face when they were capable of identifying exactly who it was that came for them. Yet, Fett was merely a man that knew his way around a battlefield and the weapons that so often accompanied such a locale.

There was that frantic sound to the Sith Nanny's voice, and the instant it extended to the air around them had the Bounty Hunter fired. Adara had been wanted alive, and so it had been for that reason they weren't conventional bolts that escaped his already raised weapon; instead being blue rings, the kind that could be determined as stun bolts. Yet, truly, he hadn't been able to get off as many as he would of liked. A shrieking sound made itself known, roaring through the air around them all. Fett hadn't entirely fallen, but he struggled to remain on his own two feet whilst he staggered backwards in line with the Vizsla's.

He had recovered, of course, and levelled himself once more. That Carbine of his, so often used, had been thrust back in the direction of the saber-wielding nanny. It certainly came as a surprise to hear of the attachment Carnifex had to this demonic-child, and if he indulged himself within his own curiosity the question as to why was absolutely going to be raised. Yet, in the meantime, the Mandalorian merely squeezed down upon the trigger several more times- unleashing a hail fire of stun bolts in a wild and rather unpredictable pattern (all of which at the Sith and the Child) in an attempt to connect.

Make no mistake. They were not your Vode.

[member="Adara Raxis"] | [member="Ronan Vizsla"] | [member="Irella Vizsla"] | [member="Kaine Australis"] | [member="Abel Australis"]

 

[Adara Raxis]

“Uncle Abel! Daddy!” Adara shrieked, her childish voice slinking through the air. A terrified little girl huddled in her nanny’s arms, the red of her lightsaber reminding the child of the death of her grandmother. Aiya's lightsaber flashed in the defensive Makashi style, attempting to block [member="Koda Fett"]’s blaster bolts, and redirect them into [member="Irella Vizsla"].

Colour, stun or not, it was a threat. Someone, whether through the agony of past sins or the desire for a quick payoff was attempting to harm the child, this child.

Yasha’s child… and it would never do. This was the girl to be baptized in the Dark Lake, who was treated in practice as a member of the Zambrano children were treated.

Those were Aiya’s orders, to treat Adara as her Master’s own and no mere bounty would remove her. How could Aiya trust the rogue Mandalorians to keep the little one alive?

[member="Abel Australis"] and [member="Kaine Australis"] arrived in their way, Aiya’s teeth grit. Adara struggled to get to her adopted father, Kaine. Yet, the act of struggling unbalanced Aiya, and one of Koda's stun bolts hit Adara directly in her chest.

The child went limp.

“No, Adara! Stay with me child.” One arm round the girl, the other a flash of her lightsaber, Aiya let the locks on her powers release. She was a wet-nurse of House Zambrano, gifted as slaves were gifted. Mand’alor the Infernal may have granted Aiya and Tamar their freedom, but Aiya would not take it, like the insufferably now-Mandalorian Tamar.

Stumbling backward, Aiya attempted to ply the Force into her legs, and speed away.

[member="Ronan Vizsla"]

 

[Abel Forsworn]

The situation had escalated even more by the arrival of [member="Kaine Australis"] as Abel finished talking. The addition of words from Kain'ika clarified the seriousness of the scenario that was playing out. The grimness of the figures surrounding the young and the nanny made it seem as though there was only one way this would play out. And as though his thoughts were prophetic the man with the woman opened fire.

Two rounds slammed into his breastplate, staggering the giant, as he reciprocated in kind. The rifle kicked against his shoulder as he released a stream of shots directly at [member="Koda Fett"] who had begun firing upon the nanny and [member="Adara Raxis"]. The SR-100 Autocannon began to rain upon the form of [member="Ronan Vizsla"] . The shots he took to the chest had rocked him initially, potentially throwing his shots off target, but in the case of Ronan, if the shots did go a bit of target [member="Irella Vizsla"] was the backdrop.

Even as the nanny prepared to run, lightsaber out and weaving through the air, Abel gathered his legs and leapt forward to try to place himself between Koda and the kid even as the cannon on his shoulder swiveled to continue to stitch fire on the couple. They had made their decision. These weren't his vode, and were enemy.

The corner of his HUD flashed as Abel activated the trident, powering it up where it lay upon his back. Grinning slightly he decided he wanted to close in with the enemy. He'd never skewered a dar'mando in beskar'gam before.

 

[Ronan Vizsla]

[member="Adara Raxis"] | [member="Koda Fett"] | [member="Irella Vizsla"] | [member="Kaine Australis"] | [member="Abel Australis"]

It was these moments that Ronan felt truly at peace.

The heart pumping steadily, everything around him shrinking down to needle points of activity. Everything was slow from his perspective. Marginal. Easy to discard and because of that discipline was even more important. If you felt you were completely in control, you began to underestimate your opponents. The battlefield here had shattered into fractional parts. One lane was Koda and the child. The other was Irella and the side-glanced blasts her direction.

He ignored that.

All of it.

It wasn't relevant. They'd either pull their weight or they would die, it would be the same to him. One of the auto-cannon rounds tore against the side of his right pauldron. Enough force to send someone sane and normal to the ground. But Ronan roared -- heat in his voice -- as he stood his ground. The light-shield materialized a moment later, spinning in and dashing the further bolts to the side.

Someone normal would have broken bones, but Ronan was Firrereo.

It was a good thing the shield hummed in existence. It stopped half of Australis' shots at the same time, the force vibrating through his upper arm and sending webs of harmful shatters through his armor. It groaned.

But it held.

"Take the cub," Ronan snarled to Irella, clearly referring to Abel, as his focus fixated on Kaine. His heavy blaster already leveled..... but instead of a squeeze of a trigger, his free hand twitched a fraction. It immediately activated the hard-sound wrist launcher. Invisible, but strong enough to shatter stone, it would speed forward towards the Mandalorian. Outside the battlefield Vizsla pushed for clarity hard. No slimy words, no chit, just honesty.

On the battlefield?

He'd make every move that brought him victory and clawed the life out of his foes.

 

[Irella Toldreyn]

Southern Border of the Mandalorian Empire, Vena, A Bridge, Undetermined Time
Country Roads | [member="Ronan Vizsla"], [member="Koda Fett"] | Engaging with [member="Adara Raxis"], [member="Kaine Australis"], [member="Abel Australis"] ~ Leviathan ~ "I play no games, I've got many names."
——————————————————————

Things turned on their head from there.

Thankfully for her, Fett's stun bolts didn't deflect off in her direction, as that sort of energy was absorbed by lightsabers and not reflected-- That had been a hard lesson to learn in the Praxeum, one that resulted in many a ridicule from her instructors that just fed into how terrible she was with the civilized weapon --so she was spared any real damage from that. That, however, didn't stop any stray explosions from the lesser Australis from putting her off-balance, forced away from the engagement with the enemy Warmaster even as Ronan barked an order at her. Bristling already, and fighting the urge to snap back to her Alor, all she offered in retaliation was a sharp nod, and a new stream of repeater fire directed towards Abel as her focus shifted. The battlefield was getting messy, though; it was her hope they wouldn't need to be stuck in need of reinforcements.

Simple, efficient, clinical. Spending this much time among Mando'ade had made her appreciate how efficient their people were -- Her people were. Jedi, and even Sith, really did spend too much time worried about the specifics. The Force snapped inside her like an angry cobra spitting venom, that bloodlust and anger from the Chasm all too eager to reappear, though she seemed interested in keeping things ranged and not squaring up like the alcoholic was. Her melee combat skills left much to be desired even without the dangerous glowstick in clumsy hands, but with a blaster, the Force could keep her aim truer than even the most experienced sharpshooters. She wasn't here to play fair, she was here to fight dirty.

"Fett, go get them." Irella growled a rather obvious suggestion, more born from her own frustration of watching the Sith go relatively unchallenged thus far. Her focus was set on suppressing Abel in getting any closer with that nasty trident, but she still watched out the corner of her eye and in her all-important sixth sense as the important duo begin their escape, no doubt assisted by the Force themselves. Malignant. Like a tumor.

Cut it out at the source.

 

[Koda Fett]

​

​

They ran.

It had always been a sight to see, for it stoked the flames of an ego so large that it was bound to tear through the ceiling above, and beyond that continue to rise, and rise, and rise. Humility, as it seemed, was a lesson that this Bounty Hunter had failed to learn- or, perhaps he simply forgot of it's existence, moving beyond a time when such a thing had been required. Either way, it had appeared that Adara had become far easier to grab a hold of. Had he felt a pang of morality in his actions, deeming them wrong for but a moment? Perhaps not. It had only ever been business, truly. Ill will towards the servants of the Mandalorian Empire had been cast aside. For now.

Abel had made his approach, closing the distance, but one that was about to become far larger than previously anticipated. A hand had removed itself from the Carbine-- kept raised --and instead launched fire. It was an intensive arc, but Mandalorian Armour could often withstand such heat. Abel's, however, was rather susceptible to the elements. It was, in part, to prove as a harmful distraction- obscuring his vision for the briefest of moments whilst more flames shot aggressively from the rear of his jetpack. He had been thrust into the air, above those before him in an attempt to pursue the Sith and that Infernal Child.

[member="Ronan Vizsla"] | [member="Irella Vizsla"] | [member="Adara Raxis"] | [member="Kaine Australis"] | [member="Abel Australis"]

 

[Adara Raxis]

“Adara! Child, come now!” Aiya breathed, rushing to dive between buildings and settle the unconscious girl in her arms on a crate. It wasn’t the velvet which belonged to the child, or so Aiya thought, but it would do.

“Adara, wake up! Wake up, child!” Aiya smacked the girl’s face with a light hand, eyes up for the marauder, who thought himself capable of taking a child from her family. [member="Koda Fett"] was little more than hired scum collected off the bottom of an ale cask, in Aiya’s eyes. She might have been a slave of the Zambrano Family her entire life, but to serve the Royal House meant being part of its’ foundational greatness. Just as she suckled the young Alvarex and his sisters, as she held the newly born Ancius in her arms, so would Aiya cradle this precious soul…

… and one day return to her rightful place off these backwater worlds, where Mand’alor the Infernal gave freely of the conquered wealth to all who needed it, instead of constructing for herself a proper empire. Aiya called in one of the droid-snipers, mumbling through the MBE-II for a shot to [member="Koda Fett"]’s jetpack.

Buoyed by [member="Abel Australis"] and [member="Kaine Australis"]’ forcing themselves between the fighters, Aiya breathed deep, cut her palm and squeezed over Adara’s tiny face.

The blood hit her skin, and absorbed into it. “That’s it, little one… that’s it. Drink up, wake up now… I need you.”

The child shivered awake with a gasp, a colour of health to her pale face. She took hold of Aiya's cut hand, gripping it as hard as a tiny five year old could.

“Aiya! Mr. Wimple! I need you, Mr. Wimple!”

A vast shadow passed over even the airborne Koda Fett, brought forth by the telepathic whimsy of its’ master. Mr. Wimple… was coming.

 

[Abel Forsworn]

As the rifle trained on [member="Koda Fett"] released it's firepower he watched as Koda raised an empty palm. Surrender was not the reason however. The HUD flashed a warning just as the flames enveloped his body. Multiple warnings flashed across his display as he felt the heat behind to broil him within his armor. Hissing as he staggered, his view of anything but the fire obscured for the moment, targets lost.

Then just as quickly as the attack occured it subsides, his kit steaming and several places of his body within the beskar'gam blistered from the intense heat. Eyes found Koda blasting through the air and he shouldered the rifle to fire as he as hit from behind by several shots. Grunting from the impact and the jarring he nearly went off his feet, yet turned to see his brother, [member="Kaine Australis"] , advancing on [member="Ronan Vizsla"] even while [member="Irella Vizsla"] fired on him.

Grimacing he turned all his attention onto her for the moment, spinning the cannon on his shoulder perch to aim at her while he shouldered his rifle once more. The trigger was pulled and nothing happened. A glance down and another flash of his HUD revealed the power cells were about to rupture. Grunting he tossed the rifle at the woman while still streaming fire at her from the shoulder cannon.

His free hand plucked the trident from his back and up above his shoulder as his HUD locked onto the woman, a powerful surge, then the trident flew through the air center mass toward Irella.

 

[Ronan Vizsla]

[member="Adara Raxis"] | [member="Koda Fett"] | [member="Irella Vizsla"] | [member="Kaine Australis"] | [member="Abel Australis"]

Maybe if Ronan hadn't followed up the hard-sound blast by leaping towards Australis he would have been able to side-step the repulse wave.

Instead it took him straight in the chest.

No way to mitigate it, he was slammed back into the air, crashing through a cart before hitting the wall behind it. The wind was rushed from his lungs, lightning streams in front of his eyes. A human might have had their back broken from the force of the crash. Ronan? He still felt something snap, maybe a bone, maybe a muscle, maybe it was just the snap of his heart beat. As it pushed him on with a surge of adrenaline.

There was no time to figure out which way it was.

Not with Australis rapidly closing the distance between them.

The beskad sword swept in and with a grunt Vizsla dashed the side of his forearm against the edge. Beskar burrowed into beskar, as the sharpened edge cut into the material. Someone else might have made a witty remark.

Instead Ronan used the sudden proximity between them-

Beskar crushgaunt moved to slam into the weak point of Kaine's armor, right around the knee socket.

 

[Ronan Vizsla]

This was the difference between [member="Kaine Australis"] and Ronan Vizsla.

The former fought for something other than himself. To safeguard the life of someone he cared about. He would do anything to save her or at the very least offer her precious moments. Seconds where she could escape from the grasp of these would-be killers.

Ronan?

He fought to kill.

Fought only to end the life before him, while pushing his own death further into the future. There was no other consideration. He did not care about [member="Koda Fett"], did not care about how [member="Irella Vizsla"] was faring in that moment. His entire focus revolved around the ending of one life and the preservation of his own. In that moment it offered him an advantage. But maybe... just maybe that contrast made Australis the better man.

At least in the here and now.

As Vizsla felt the crunch of the knee under his gauntlet it pushed him on forward. To seize the kill. Kaine had other plans- the acid dashed against the visor and helmet of his opponent. It started eating away at the weak points immediately.

Somewhere in the corner of his HUD Ronan saw the integrity of his helmet failing.

Fifty percent. Thirty.

Twenty.

Vizsla growled in fury and then.... did what only Ronan Vizsla would do in a moment like this. His crush gaunt lashed out, to snatch the offending wrist, to squeeze and to yank Kaine closer to him. At the same time his own helmet moved forward. Hard. Literally headbutting Australis, spreading the acid on him as well, the force of the headbutt enough to shatter his own visor and helmet, maybe hard enough to shatter Kaine's as well.

The acid started to burn into his skin already.

He did not care.

Ronan Vizsla cared for only one life in his life.

She was not here today.

[member="Adara Raxis"] | [member="Abel Australis"]