Tracks in the Desert [Mandalorian Dominion of Elom]

[Orick T'ane]

Location: Elom
Objective: Humanitarian Mission
Allies: [member="Anastasia Rade"] [member="Lilin Imperieuse"] [member="Dariak Talesa"] [member="Briika Detta"] [member="Kad Tor"]
[5/20]

Watching Ana help the little girl made him smile, she had this way with people in general btu children loved her. Cookies always seemed to appear when kids were near by, he never knew where she kept them, or how she baked as many as she did, but let a child show up, and they were walking away with at least one cookie. She was a contradiction of terms, he had fought with her before and had seen the warrior that she was, but he got to see the soft side as well, and he wondered how it was possible for her to balance those opposites without going crazy.

The little girl had a stranglehold on the bear as she was carried away from the rubble, her face buried into the bear like it was lost treasure, he supposed to the child it was. "Well, the droids are up and running, I figure that in a couple of hours this place will be nothing like it was before we got here. Medical droids are out and about, assessing the people. We should be finished up here soon." With a quick smile at his wife, he turned and glanced at the sudden activity around the village. The droids were efficiently erecting the makeshift housing for the villagers, while the people were getting their first real substantial food.

" I'd say it's going good." He nodded and smiled, " I'll tag along, if only to see you working your magic." He followed behind her a step or two, letting her take the lead. When it was diplomatic stuff, she always did the talking, her sincere approach almost always won people over. He was the smooth talker, and usually took over when bartering and or lying was needed.

 

[Andrea Kryze]

Location: Abandoned Mine
Objective: Investigate the Mine
Allies: [member="Arrbi Betna"]

Andrea followed, gun ready to fire, through the darkness of the tunnel. "Yes, Betna."

She had turned the night vision sensors on in her helmet. Through green, pixelated lights she saw the spooky caverns and cold rock. A small stream, black from the wastes of mining, trickling down the downhill trail. Kryze was right behind her leader, attempting to stay cool and ready for anything. She knew her new weapon was pretty heavy, how would she be able to fire a gun with so much kick? Realizing that she had cables in her armor's gauntlets though, she developed a plan for when the time came...

That time wasn't here yet though. As of now, nothing but the sounds of crumbling rocks, running water, and their footsteps echoed against the earthy walls. Kryze gulped and kept following Betna.

Anything could happen at any moment.

 

[Kytarra Hawk]

3/20

Few of the Witch Clans ever left the jungles of Dathomir. Elders advised leaving offworlder trials and worries to those who saw more fit to oversee them. It was a balance, carefully maintained. The Clans of Dathomir were isolationist by nature, but more and more time would see a small shift in that.

At their core, the Witch Clans of Dathomir were much like the Mandalorians they were allied with. They conducted raids, traded, and kept culture of family and traditions to adhere to. Even the Nightsisters held to a measure of similarity, save for the dark spells that they wove. Theirs was a precarious truce that would have the Allyans and their Dark Sister counterparts acknowledging the other with respect but wary eyes.

As it was, a small assembly would gather to discuss the future of Singing Mountain clan and their path along their Mandalorian counterparts; within Dathomir and offworld.

 

[Micah Talith]

4/20

Elom was a curious plant, one of vast underground caves that would span the entirety of the inner core. It was for this very reason that the first Yuuzhan Vong invasion attempt failed on this planet. The near impossibility to navigate through those endless tunnels would be what would turn the tied.

Fueling finished, Micah would decide to go exploring a bit. There was a lot of Mandalorian chatter and activity, and being the curios prone teenager he was, he set off to discover why. Observation and the practice of doing so without being seen or noticed was something he would refine everywhere he went. This also have him the opportunity to practice on his Mando'a, what bit he learned was at Yavin Four at Witch Town with the Rekali Clan.

Every opportunity was a lesson, his mother told him. And if he could also practice his Lorrdian mimicry all the better.

 

[Samara Raine]

Allies: [member="Kytarra Hawk"], Mandos
5/20

This would be Samara's first trip off world. She was both excited and anxious at the same time not knowing what to expect. Being included in this group of Witches of Dathomir was humbling. Samara had worked hard to get to this point, and would continue to learn and grow in her skills as the experiences permitted. A warrior came naturally to her, but spell weaving was still something she had to work on much to her frustration.

Standing with the rest of the Witches of Dathomir who had come with the Shaman of the Singing Mountain Clan, Samara was already missing the misty falls of their homeworld; the region she called home. This cold, barren desert world was not appealing to the young Allyan, but none the less she had come to help aid their Mandalorian brothers and sisters in their endeavors on Elom.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Location: Elom Surface settlement
Objective: 3 and 2 (sort of) and 4
Allies: [member="Anija Ordo"]
Post: [9/20]


Siobhan frowned as she thought about what Anija had said. She was not that trusting or well-disposed towards Draco at the moment, at the same time she did not know what had driven him to such an act. Moreover, she herself knew to what lengths rage could drive you, especialy if you were a Force-user. So she focused on the more immediate issues. "Ok. Focus on yourself for now. I'll make sure Mirien is appraised of the situation. Same with [member="Coryth Elaris"]." Little did Siobhan know that in another thread, which is technically set before this dominion, the short stack of fire had shown up to heal Anija!

"I'm good with defensive mentalism, but I cannot really teach it practically because I suck at offence, though I can give theoretical advice on how to deal with mental attacks. I had to deal with this crap many times myself, so I think I have an idea about what you went through...and what Ordo did."

 

[Arrbi Betna]

Location: Abandoned Mine
Objective: Investigate the Mine
Allies: [member="Andrea Kryze"]

The inside of the mine was fairly typical of the places. Main shaft, tracks for mining carts, trickle of waste water... the usual accouterments one would find. Intermixed with all this, however, were things that were out of place. Bones littered the ground here and there in places. Occasionally a pile of old Borgle guano sat near a wall. Once in a while a minecart was passed or a rack of mining equipment was found. For the most part, things were quiet.

It was halfway down the shaft, however, where things got interesting. The mine entrance was a tiny square of light behind them and before them was picked out in various hues of green and black. As he shifted silently around an abandoned cart, however, his foot caught something brittle and dry.

Crack

Betna held still and silent as the sound of the bone he'd crushed underfoot echoed slightly in the darkness. For a moment, he felt that perhaps the noise had been written off as typical and normal of the mine and that the bats hadn't been disturbed. As the light from the mine entrance flickered slightly and his helmet's motion tracker pinged quietly in his ears, he knew that wasn't the case.

Quickly taking a knee, Betna readied his shotgun and settled the weapon's butt into his shoulder.

"Well, they know we're here now," he said calmly over the commlink connecting his helmet to Andrea's. "You won't see them until they're almost on top of you. Remember: controlled bursts."

 

[Basaba Willamina]

Location: Elom Settlement [Surface] and Elomin Settlement [A'driannamieq Mountains]
Allies: [member="Strider Garon"]
Post: 5/20

The sounds of more coming out and around brought her attention back to the transport and their area. She was moving with her attention on her some of the others while she moved her arm directing them to secure the area. She tapped her comlink and was speaking into it for the ones who she had left on the ship above. "The area is secured, tell me what the situation looks like up there." She was listening to them talk and list off the facts while she was moving towards one of the building they were defending to a few shakes with them. Her armor switching colors to match them while she looked out keeping her weapons at the ready but moving to the second level to look out while the transport below was patrolling.

 

[Anija Betna]

Location: Elom Surface settlement
Objective: 3 and 2 (sort of) and 4
Allies: [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Post: [10/20]

For a long moment, Anija was silent as she thought back over everything that had happened. So much in so short a time. "He... will have to earn my trust again, that is for certain..." she said softly. "I... don't think it was anything he did intentionally. I know a lot of us have been under a great deal of stress over the past few months." She sighed and shook her head, mostly at herself that at Sio's comments.

"You're right.." she finally said softly, absently rubbing at the still-fading bruises on her neck. "And it's pointless to consider what I could have done. I need to focus on what I can do." She felt silent, and her head dropped slightly when Sio mentioned Ordo. "I never got to apologize to him..." she whispered softly, reaching out to grip Sio's hand. "I can only imagine what he went through, especially in those circumstances." She paused. "I would very much like to learn to properly defend myself."

 

[Kad Tor]

Location: Outskirts of Elom's surface settlement - Rapid Response Mobile Surgical Unit #1
Objective: #1 - Get Satine back to the RMSU
Allies: [member="Rianna Ar'klim"] | [member="Briika Detta"] | [member="Anastasia Rade"] | [member="Orick T'ane"] | [member="Lilin Imperieuse"] | [member="Satine D'ulin"]e | Nolan Detta
Post: 5/20

"Dammit Detta," Kad thought to himself as he heard the sonic boom over head. The wrecking ball was coming in hot, and was about to expire before he could even see his riduur again. The goran didn't blame him, after all if someone had told him Ral was still alive, Kad would likely do the same thing. Still, Nolan didn't need to die from excitement.

Kad put his buy'ce in place and launched his jet pack as he decided to help Nolan out. Kad was going to catch him, and hopefully the two of them didn't fall to the ground like a wrecking ball. There were innocents as well.

<"Gotcha you wrecking ball,"> Kad said as their armor plated clapped together.

The impact of the force was a bit for Kad to compensate for at first, but eventually he got it, and both were safe on the ground.

 

[Micah Talith]

5/20
(Forgive me a bit tipsy )


Micah would first pay attention to what the Mandalorians nearby were doing. Being able to observe while blending into the surroundings was important. It appeared that there was some sort of humanitarian aid going on. Were they attempting to bring back Elom into the fold. Micah's brow would furrow into contemplation. The wake of the Event - as his parents called it - hit the galaxy hard. Many went missing and there was so much turmoil that isolated several planets.

There was a need for humanitarian aid, and while he hadn't really been exposed to Mandalorian culture outside of Yavin Four, it was interesting to see how things were panning out. He took note of this as he would continue to observe, watching from the depths of his hood with bright orange eyes. Maybe there was something he could do?

 

[Kytarra Hawk]

6/20
[member="Samara Raine"]

There numbers were few for this event, but that did not mean they were any less powerful. The Witches of Dathomir held a mystique and strength not seen elsewhere in the universe and that would bring forth a measure of respect. That is why they were here. Their abilities would be requested, not only for council but for the healing they were able to offer.

As shaman of Singing Mountain Clan and an Elder, that position would demand Kytara's presence. Milky white eyes akin to that of a dead fish would seemingly blindly pan across the circle of witches of different clans that had joined her. Knobby fingers would tighten a round the shaft of her Nighthunter bone staff, heavily decorated with beads and feathers.

"By Allya's grace we have traveled far, " she began in Paecen, her scratchy voice a rustle of leaves in the distance. "The Sky People have asked for our assistance.." She set down the tip of the staff onto the ground, the jingling sound of the hematite beads following suit.

"We shall give it to them."

 

[Anastasia Rade]

Location: Elom
Objective: Humanitarian Mission
Team: [member="Orick T'ane"]
[4/20]

"Glad to hear it," she smiled at her husband. Ana knew that not everything would be the same and that it probably never would be. They could at least help build them back up and give the village the tools it would need to move forward. She had faith that they could after all they had survived here for all these years on much less.

It wasn't often that she got to see her husband in this sort of role. He was normally off smuggling or fighting. She loved this side of him most of all. It showed that he wasn't just some solider or smuggler but that he cared for more than just credits. The supplies that he had 'borrowed' would go far here as well as the droids he was leaving as presents.

She enjoyed missions like this and making people smile much more than a battle field. Ana was a warrior because she had to be in order to protect not only herself but those she loved. It was also therapeutic in a way as it helped her deal with any lingering anger issues.

Taking a firm but light hold of the little girl's hand she began to lead the group to where she knew other civilians were. Ana was hopeful in finding the little girl's family. Before reaching her final destination Ana stopped to take Orick's hand as well to pull him to her side where he ought to be not a few steps behind her. They were a team always.

As they got closer the little girl's eyes widened and she let go of Ana's hand. It was pretty obvious that the little one had saw someone she knew. "Auntie K!" She yelled as as began running towards the woman whom had her back turned to the three. Once she heard the little voice she turned around. Ana could see from where she stood the woman look around for the little voice for a few seconds before finding the little one. A smile on her face and a few tears in her eyes the woman knelt down as the little girl ran into her arms. Picking her up the woman held the little girl close as she smiled at Orick and Ana. "Thank you," she mouthed before giving the little girl a kiss on the cheek.

Ana's arm wrapped around Orick as she watched the happy family reunion. It looked like from here both would be just fine at the end of the day. She couldn't help but wonder as she watched the scene unfold if perhaps one day they would have a family themself.

 

[Andras Garon]

Location: A'driannamieq Mountains
Objective: ??? and find [member="Strider Garon"]
Allies: Mandalorians

​

...the Light Freighter landed on the outskirts of the Elomin settlement in the A'driannamieq Mountains. A cloud of dust obscured the starship briefly as it touched down before slowly beginning to settle again. Once everything had settled and the ship remained powered down for several moments the landing ramp would descend. Moving down the ramp after it had touched down Andras Garon wore civilian attire save for the Terentatek Duster draped over his frame and the heavy blaster pistol holstered over his right hip. There was no need for heavier armor in the here and now...

...performing a quick survey of the area once his feet were on the ground Andras was approached by a pair of sentries that had been patrolling the area and after identifying himself would have plainly asked..."Strider Garon?"...he only spoke his cousins name however the inquiry was clear though either man remained unaware of the Field Marshall's location. Andras looked indifferent however the Dark Horse could be difficult to read behind the features of his grizzled face and chiseled jaw. Nonetheless it appears as though he'd missed his cousin on this world...

...unable to conclude his business with Strider his duty was clear. Andras would say..."Help me with the supplies I have onboard Vode."...it wasn't much, a few crates of rations and some extremely basic medical supplies however it would assist the natives in their day to day life. Turning the Mandalorian would disappear back up the ramp of his ship so that he could assist in offloading some of the cargo he had onboard...​

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Location: Elom Surface settlement
Objective: 3 and 2 (sort of) and 4
Allies: [member="Anija Ordo"]
Post: [10/20]


"When I was possessed by Shadow...my thinking got warped. I thought I was doing the right thing, killing turncoats in the Jedi Order who were Sith in disguise. It all seemed so real to me. There were times when...I just blanked out and it was the Sith directing me to do things, and then erased my memory. Bit by bit my will was eroded as the Sith preyed on my weaknesses, my pride. By the time I realised what was happening I was a prisoner in my own mind, humiliated while he was the one controlling my body. I could only rage against my chains till he was exorcised. I can't say it was exactly the same for Ordo, but I think it was similar. He was a good man," Siobhan said with a sigh before she brought her mind back to the present.


"Anyhow, mentalism is nasty, but like every aspect of the Force it can be countered. Everyone has different ways of mental defences, Coryth or Mirien can explain it better than I can. I imagine my mind as a bubble of energy. One that you must protect with your life. Even my mind is energy, just like everything. Imagine a barrier of energy shielding it, analogous to a telekinetic shield surrounding your body and repulsing attacks. Guard your inmost thoughts, the things closest to you, like your family, because that's the sort of thing a mentalist will try to dig in and use against you. What's also important is that you tailor your defences to specific attacks.


"Ironically, simple attacks where your opponent wants to inflict waves of pain on you are the easiest to detect and defend against. Someone seeks to influence your mind with no goal of looking for anything beyond fear and painful moments in your lives, or simply battering rams you with mental shockwaves. A hammer to the head is a good metaphor. So, with pain, you just need to force them off, hit them as hard as possible. What I do is set up strong walls, then briefly divert energy from them to force the hostile influence out with a mental shockwave. I'm nowhere near good enough to actually hurt a mentalist, but I can force them out. Someone using mentalism in a surgical manner is more dangerous. A talented mentalist may also use illusions to make you to think of what they want to pull from your mind."


She took a sip from her glass of water. "Then you must guard what is close to your heart. If someone uses illusions against you, focus is important. Concentration. Same applies to a keen idea of what's real and what's not. For instance, if someone projects an image into your head of something awful happening to Mirshko or Arrbi. The most talented illusionists can blur the lines between what's real and what's illusion, to a point where when an illusion attacks you it feels like you're experiencing real pain, but there's always subtle differences. I tend to just blast them with area of effect attacks. If someone, like a Sith tried to do to me on Alderaan, wants to destroy your mind, you must guard it with every ounce of power you have. Or you must find them quickly and force them out of your mind, or conventionally blast them with whatever power you have. After all, mentalism takes focus."

 

[Samara Raine]

Location: Elom surface settlement
Objective: #1 Give aid and provide security to the people of the settlement
Allies: [member="Kytarra Hawk"], WoD, Mandos
Post: 6/20

Samara listened to the elder witch leader speak in their native tongue, then the young Dathomiri canted her golden head in acknowledgement of the Shaman's order. She moved quickly towards the surface settlement on foot with her wolf companion by her side. Topan would not hurt the innocent, though if someone caused trouble, the canine-like predator would take them down on her command.

Entering the settlement, it was obvious the residents were unused to seeing so many unusual beings. Between the armored Mandalorians and the Witches of Dathomir, they were certainly getting an eye full of different cultures all trying to be helpful. They shied away for the most part not being trusting of such strangers yet they were curious.

Samara slowed as did Topan. She spoke to him in Paecan, telling the wolf to be gentle until otherwise told not to. While approaching what seemed to be a family, the Allyan reached into a pouch on her waist and took out some small river rocks found near the Misty Falls region where she lived on Dathomir.

"Hello," Samara said in Basic, bowing her head in a friendly way, then she offered the shiny rocks to the children with an outstretched palm.

"I am Samara. I am here to help you. There is fresh food, medicine and supplies available not far from here. I will see you get there safely," she offered, but they seemed frighten as their eyes went to the wolf, the back to the witch.

"Do not be afraid," she smiled, then patted the white-colored wolf on it's head gently. "This is my companion, Topan. Let us go, yes, so you can get what you require for your family's needs."

After the family finally relented and agreed to go with her, more dwellers were collected as Samara walked through the settlement. She then led them to the Mando's set up just outside the settlement; like a pied piper chanting open thoughts of comfort to the distressed people.

 

[Anija Betna]

Location: Elom Surface settlement
Objective: 3 and 2 (sort of) and 4
Allies: [member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Post: [11/20]

The process sounded rather complex... and as Anija listened, her brow furrowed. "What you experienced... it sounds like how I reacted when I found out Ordo was possessed. I thought I could save him... on Aeten II. But all it did was tighten the spirit's grip on him all the more." She sighed, shaking her head slightly to dispel the memories. Right now, she needed to focus. Chewing on her lip, she tried to manifest what Sio was describing.

Arrbi had begun to teach her the Dissembling technique.. .but when the attack had happened, she'd only had maybe two lessons under her belt. And from a trained Mentalist like Draco, she knew she couldn't defend. Not from that, anyways. Not yet. She listened carefully as Sio described the technique, and worked to try and build barriers around her mind like Sio had described. Slowly, she could feel the barriers going up around her mind. She pictured them as duracrete walls, or shimmering energy shields. Much like a HAS Shield.

"Keep in mind... I've never done this before... and well. No might not be the best time to do it... but it's the time I have to do it in." She looked right at Sio. "Now... attack me. Nothing super strong. A test run if you will." She frowned slightly and kept the shields erected, and began working on her Dissembling. Keeping her thoughts moving like a river. A whirlpool.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Location: Elom Surface settlement
Objective: 3 and 2 (sort of) and 4
Allies: [member="Anija Ordo"]
Post: [11/20]

Siobhan thought for a moment. "Keep in mind, I'm not a trained mentalist. Not at all. Once you're skilled at this, you'll repel any mental attack I launch without difficulty," said with a shrug of her toned shoulders. She had gotten the knowledge of [member="Coryth Elaris"] and Mirien stuffed into her head when she took a trip down the memory lane in their minds. However, having their memories did not equate to being able to perfectly replicate their techniques. For one she had never been good at offensive mentalism. In principle she could manipulate memories though.


However, she thought she help could Anija a little bit. A mock attack would give the Mandalorian a chance to try out what she had described earlier. For something more extensive she could ask Coryth or Mirien for instruction. And so Siobhan took a breath and pulled at the tangled web of the Force, filling herself with power. Drawing upon the example of her two beloved friends, she stretched out with her mind, trying to get a feeling of Anija's barriers. It took concentration for Siobhan to do this, especially since she did not want to launch a mental hammerblow. That would have been her natural outlet.


Then she began to poke and push, testing the barriers Anija had erected. Her goal was quite simple, to penetrate the shields and disrupt the river of thoughts so that she could grab ahold of one of them with mental claws. She would increase the pressure as she became more aggressive as she tried to break through the barriers. There was aggression there, but little finesse. While Anija had not dealt with mental attacks before, her Disassembling technique was also something Siobhan was unfamiliar with.

 

[Nolan Detta]

Location: Air to Surface Missile
Allies: [member="Kad Tor"] [member="Briika Detta"] [member="Satine D'ulin"]
2/20

On the way down, he flicked over to his Comms as he received word from Kad coming in to help. Nolan fired his own pack to slow the two Vod down to the ground. His black armor had scorch marks from his adventure through the sky. Looking to Kad he clapped a crushgaunt on his brothers pauldron.

"Thanks Kad, long time. Where is she?"

Nolan didn't remove his helmet until he could lay eyes on his wife again. It had been a long few weeks after Satine had been taken from him...again. The Galaxy had a cruel sense of humor that was tearing Nolan's heart apart. No more would he allow her to be taken, he'd grown far more merciless since the Event and even more so since Satine kidnapping.

Nolan walked with Kad to Briika.

 

[Andrea Kryze]

Location: Abandoned Mine
Objective: Investigate the Mine
Allies: [member="Arrbi Betna"]


Andrea nodded and looked behind her to see two pillars of rock right next to each other. Quickly, Andrea unleashed her grappling cable and wrapped it around them, attaching herself to them. The young woman resumed her posture when...

She sensed that one was coming down.

She pointed the gun up, aimed, and... FIRED! Indeed the gun had a lot of kick, Kryze almost dropped it! However, the cables helped as she unleashed hoth fire onto those crazy... bat... thingies...

After lot's of fire power, one of the horrid bats came crashing down. Kryze stopped her fire, looking at her new weapon again. "Dang, I love this thing!"

She was still grinning from ear to ear as she noticed another one coming over their heads and fired away.