// Core Region // Jinata System // Pillio. //
// Coral Cliffside; Above the Tidepools and Scritter Caverns. //
// Objective: Track the Target and Engage; Survive. //
// Equipment: See Signature Hyperlink. //
The crimson light of the tracking fob pulsed steadily as plated-boots kissed the coral crust of the planet’s surface. Through means unknown to the Hunter, the implanted chain-code was linked to an incredibly dangerous individual, the man he was assigned to hunt. While the details about his target were scarce, the Mandalorian had overheard the stories traded between frightened spacers in dimly-lit cantina’s. They whispered of a being who was powerful enough to resist the frozen embrace of death and returned once more to the mortal realms in their quest for ultimate power.
Such stories were likely rife with exaggerations, where some details were embellished from one iteration to the next. However, with everything that the Hunter saw in his lifetime, their hushed tales were likely true - from a certain point of view. It was difficult for a rational mind to comprehend the abilities of the Sith and their sorcerous kin. They bent the very fabrics of reality to suit their capricious whims, leaving those without powers of their own stunned and mystified at the horrors they wrought. Thus, while others would scoff at such tales of the dead returning to life, the Mandalorian knew better than to dismiss such accounts outright.
The Dark Side was a gateway to sorcerous magics that many deemed unnatural, after all.
As the Hunter’s steps drew him closer towards a pock-marked outcropping, the pulsating light on his tracking fob began to flicker ever-faster. He was getting close. But, as the Mandalorian neared the edge of the coral-encrusted ridge - there was something that stilled his advance. His helmet’s acoustic sensors picked up something faint echoing from somewhere nearby. It wasn’t the soft, swirling rush of the nearby tidepools, nor the faint skittering of the local fauna - retreating into the shadows to avoid detection. No, this was something different entirely and utterly foreign to a peaceful world such as this.
It was the splashing of water, likely disturbed by a creature coming ashore. Knowing not what lay beyond the lip of the coral-crusted ledge, the Hunter drew a sidearm from the magnetic surface affixed to his thigh. His thumb drifted towards the primer before flicking the activator with a disciplined gesture. The weapon cycled to life, filling his surroundings with a soft and subtle chime. While some would caution restraint with such uncertainties placed before oneself, the Mandalorian knew better than to greet the unknown without a weapon in hand. For, who truly knew what laid beyond the lip of the outcropping? Was it a breed of local fauna that went undiscovered by planetary surveys or something else entirely?
The answers to such questions would escape the Hunter’s knowledge unless the man advanced and found out for himself. Thus, with all the caution that his armoured form could muster, the Mandalorian put one foot before another and carefully navigated towards the edge of the porous outcropping. It was there that the man’s visor came into view of four figures conversing amongst themselves below. One was throwing stones into a nearby tidepool, whilst another - a woman - was pulling on a shirt. While some would find a measure of comfort in running into other civilized parties on a formerly uninhabited world, the Hunter felt only concern. Who were these people? He asked himself as his false fire-light shrouded eyes took in their measure.
It was then that their true identities were revealed. A flash of metal brought the Hunter’s eyes towards the woman’s belt, and what the man saw there caused his eyes to narrow. His fingers reflexively tightened around the grip of his pistol at the sight of a Lightsabre. Every figure within this small cohort seemingly had such an elegant weapon in their possession. The view left the Mandalorian with the impression that he stalked up on a group of enemy sorcerers - likely exploring this world for some mystical reason. None of them looked like they returned from the realm of the dead, nor did any of them dress in overly darkened hues. So, from the man’s first impressions - he came across a group of Jedi.
While that Order of Sorcerers wasn’t friends with the Warriors of Mandalore, there was a chance they could put such ancient rivalries aside. All in the hopes of combating the greater evil that lurked somewhere nearby.
He swallowed hard. The thought that next crossed his mind wasn’t exactly the most ideal, but if the stories were true about this being he hunted… the Mandalorian would need all the help he could get. With the tracking fob in one hand and an armed pistol in another - the Hunter stepped out from the shadows of the outcropping above. The man’s crimson-coated armour seemingly glimmered in the radiance from the nearby star as he revealed himself to the gathering of Jedi below. With a tilt of his helmet and a thought-pulse to activate his armour’s annunciator - Rynn Vizsla introduced himself.
::I am Rynn, of Clan Vizsla,:: the man began. ::I’m under contract to House Salaktori of Resht VII to track down a bounty who appeared somewhere nearby. I assume you know of whom I speak from how agitated and tense you all seem to be. While you sorcerers and my people have never been friends, perhaps we can put aside our ancient history and tackle this individual together.::
As the Mandalorian spoke, his thoughts raced to guard themselves against any unwanted intrusion. This was either the stupidest thing he’s done as a Rally Master, or perhaps - it might prove to be the brightest.
Only the Force itself knew the truth.
Dhalinar Greystar
has brought a group of Padawans to the beautiful aquatic world of Pillio. Long ago, an explosion destroyed a secret bunker here. The bunker held a sprawling collection of insignificant Jedi artifacts, nothing dangerous or powerful: plenty of curios. The Jedi hope to comb through the coral, the tidepools, and the insect-built amber formations for relics of the forgotten past. 
Rynn Vizsla
has tracked the Sith Lord
Kascalion Giedfield
to Pillio...
Aayla Shan
, Gregor Strum,
Tiadu
,
Laraine
