Private Waylaid

[Isabeau]

It had not been easy, but she was there. The planet they were going to was where she had first met her current travelling companions - it was a group of friends set on rescuing their brethren from the clasps of the Imperials. At least, that is what she thought when she asked to join them for the mission. Their reluctance to let her in on the task was probably a good sign as it signified a great deal of trust between them - but it also meant that Isabeau would have to earn hers. Sitting in silence by the cockpit entrance at the very edge of a couch, the girl checked her equipment, again. Everything was in order and judging by the bumps and shaking in general, it seemed like they had entered the atmosphere. Leaning sideways to peek into the cockpit, a familiar landscape below - but it was nothing like last time. Instead of lush forests and busy cities, she now saw burning trees and war-torn urban areas.

Quickly, Isabeau tied her hair up in a big knot and took on her helmet - not wanting the others to see the distraught expression on her face. She was eager to fight, to earn the honour that could be found in combat and to hone her skills - but the realities of war did undeniably dampen her spirits. Still, if nothing else, she had her fellow Mandalorians to think of. Regardless of how depressing it was to return to Wayland, she would fight for them.

A railway track ran through the forest below, causing a clear divide between the trees. They were near a regional logistical and commercial hub, housing a spaceport and rails with which goods could be transported to nearby and semi-distant towns and cities. Walking on to the cockpit, she let out another "Thanks again, for letting me come along" she said before letting her eyes wander over to the spaceport on the distance. Only a few military vessels could be seen leaving it - the commercial activity had been dormant since the occupation and a number of larger cargo ships could be seen in the distance "That's their exit?" she asked, looking to the mastermind of their plan.

Having stayed low, close to the treeline, it still seemed like the ship had managed to avoid being detected by Imperial scanners. Setting down in a forest clearing not too far away from the railway, Isabeau could see an increasing amount of heavily armoured fighters appear from the treelines, all wearing helmets with T-visors. It was a worn out crew - that was obvious for anyone to see - but they were Mandalorian and carried great potential within them. All that was needed was a morale boost, direction and perhaps some supplies. "They don't look very chatty" she mused before turning to leave the cockpit and get on with the mission.

Radon Krayt

 

[Radon Krayt]

The Reprimand shook lightly as the yacht entered the atmosphere. "Let's hope these clearance codes work, or this'll be one heck of a short operation." His co-pilot voiced her concerns, which in turn got a good chuckle out of Gryff in the back. "Don't worry about something so trivial Zara. If the clearance codes won't get us in, our blasters will." The man was always eager to fight. Despite having been humiliated in a brawl against an Alor on this planet, Gryff still seemed adamant to save its people from the Empire's grip. "Yeah, well not all of us are stupid enough to fight the Empire without proper planning." Zara countered calmly as she opened the Imperial channel.

"Transport 063, carrying ammunition. Requesting to land." She began in a remarkably accurate Imperial accent. "Transmitting clearance codes now..." She inserted a small chip in the yacht's disc drive. For a moment, it seemed like no answer would follow. "Stay calm.." He whispered to his co-pilot. He knew her quite well, and one of her defining traits was definitely her nervosity.

"You have been cleared for landing, transport 063." Zara leaned back in her chair with a breath of relief. "So we won't be shot out of the air? Good to know. The third of his companions commented from the back. His name was Kawan, and he was in charge of the explosives. "Not likely, but that doesn't make this any less easier." The hard part had yet to come, and they all knew it.

His attention was drawn by the young woman. "No problem. We were in need of extra hands anyway." They numbered six in total, but he still feared that it wouldn't be enough to create an opening. Yes, they were Mandalorians. But they could end up facing a small Imperial armada here. "It is." he would respond. "All we need to do is create an opening for them to escape, and they'll be fine." Or so he hoped.

As Zara steered The Reprimand to its designated landing pad, Rhion rose from his chair. "Indeed they don't. There's a lot at a stake here after all." It became increasingly clear that not all of them were fighters. Among the T-visored figures were children and women as well.

"Right..." He wasn't exactly their leader, but he was the mind behind this operation. It was up to him to make sure everything went according to plan. Rhion would wait for the others to gather around the holotable before he began. "You all know the drill. Make your final equipment checks, set your comms to the right frequency and above all, stick to the plan. Our success depends on it." with that said, the white Mandalorian would activate the holotable. The hologram showed a clear picture of the spaceport, rendered by The Reprimand just a couple of minutes ago. "Kawan, Zara, you two are in charge of the communication station. Make sure that they can't get word out to other nearby forces. Gryff, Nakti, clear out the spaceport and prevent the shuttles from leaving. They are crucial to this mission. Isabeau," He hoped he got her name right. "You're with me. We're taking those two walkers down." he would point at the spaceport's entrance. The walkers stood between the refugees and the transports, making them an obstacle that had to be dealt with. "So, are there any questions before we move out?"
​

Isabeau

 

[Isabeau]

Rhion probably had no idea how many times she had already checked her equipment during their trip here - if he did, recommending checking it once more probably wouldn't even be on the radar. Still, Isabeau followed the others' lead and went through the process once more, ensuring that the firearms were good, armour equipped properly and vamvrace controls fully functioning. Finally, she turned on her commlink and tuned it to the right frequency. By the time she was done, he had already begun going over the teams and their objectives. Upon receiving her own task, Isabeau sent him a deep nod followed by a brief, almost curt "Got it"

The idea of taking on a walker without any armoured vehicles of their own was daunting - but in the end, she was confident both in her own skills but perhaps even more so, in those of her ally's. It was possible that her faith in him was misplaced; she had, after all, never seen him engaged in combat on this scale before. Regardless, the crew soon moved out from the ship. Clearly, the warriors here were on their last legs after a prolonged struggle on the planet, holding out and more than likely in the state of constant retreat. Some of the 'warriors' seemed worryingly young, even by Mandalorian standards, others had grey hair sticking out from underneath their helmet, revealing that they were well past their prime. Walking next to Rhion, Isabeau spoke with a low voice "These won't hold out much longer" Reaching down, Isabeau dug up an energy bar from a pocket on her belt and tossed it over to one of the warrior kids and let out a strong "Oya" and received an almost over enthusiastic "Oya!" in return. While it was heart wrenching to hear how young the responding voice was, the little warrior did show spirit, something which seemed to be in short supply among the others.

With the locals lacking any spare transports, there was little else to do than to walk. It was probably for the best regardless, seeing as they still had not been pinned as additional fighters by the Imperials. Lightly armoured and used to traversing rough terrain, Isabeau found the trek relatively unchallenging and made a point of pulling ahead from time to time, only to slow down again to let the others catch up upon thinking that the path was clear. Eventually, she glided in next to Rhion, someone far more experienced than she was - sure, she did not know how many days he had spent in the fields, but he had a lived through way more years than she had and that counted for a lot. "So, what's your idea of fighting a walker?" she asked and shrugged "All I can think of is blowing them up with superior fire power" she continued, raising her arm to illustrate a missile being fired of from the vambrace and continued "Or destroying key parts from up close" she finished, resting her hand on the hilt of her vibrosword. Shrugging again, she looked to Rhion, curious to see what ideas he had - for this would most certainly be a challenge.

Radon Krayt

 

[Radon Krayt]

With every beat of his heart, adrenaline jolted through his body. He had said it as if it was nothing, taking down an Imperial walker. But if someone could give them a fighting chance against those machines, it was going to be him. He had briefly touched upon the subject of Imperial ground assaults during his stormtrooper training, which had taught him valuable lessons about the Imperial war machines.​

The six armored warriors were greeted by the worn and tired Mandalorians. They clearly weren't in any condition to fight the Imperials, but he knew that wouldn't stop them. A slight nod was all he gave as response to Isabeau's comment. Rhion avoided looking at them, his gaze focused on the path ahead of them instead. He didn't want to acknowledge how tired and beaten his people were. After all, the greatest insult to a Mandalorian was pity. He did not want to turn a blind eye to his people's suffering, and that was why he was here. But that was all he would do for them. Clear a path, and allow them to seize an opportunity of their own to rise as warriors once more.​

His ideals and reasoning were shared by none but Nakti, the female Mandalorian in light green armor who silently walked behind him. Even Gryff, no, especially Gryff, was visibly worried with the state of these 'warriors'. Occasionally the soft voice of Zara could be heard as she tried to encourage their people and convince them that their struggle was finally coming to an end.​

Rhion would stick close to the group as they traveled, making sure that they moved as one unit, for the last thing they could use were stragglers. He occasionally spoke with Gryff as they walked, discussing possible alternatives should parts of their plan fail. It was perhaps the only reason why they got along; they both shared a cold and ruthless approach to missions and bounty hunting. ​

After a while, the youngest member of their makeshift assault team approached him. The young Mandalorian woman, Isabeau. The truth was, he didn't know her that well. They had met once before, and she struck him as fierce and eager to prove herself. Two qualities he believed every young Mandalorian needed.

The question she posed followed by her own answer made the Mandalorian clad in white chuckle. "We lack the firepower to make even the slightest of dents in those walkers, but you're not that far off" was the reply he gave her, as he looked over his shoulder once again to check if nobody fell behind. "Fighting a walker is suicide, unless you're well prepared and know what to do from the start" He continued. "The entrance hatch on top of a walker is locked from the inside. Typically you wouldn't be able to use that to your advantage. But there's a way to unlock those hatches from the top. You know, to rescue the pilots, should they be unable to get to safety on their own." Having received stormtrooper training truly was a blessing. "There's a wheel on the hatch. Half-turn to your right, quarter-turn back and it's open. It all depends on your speed and experience with your jetpack, but it's doable." To some, it was an underhanded tactic. To him, it seemed like the best way to get out unscathed.

Isabeau

 

[Isabeau]

Throwing a nervous glance at him upon hearing the chuckle, Isabeau remained silent. She respected the older warrior to a degree. While they had not spent extensive time together or having had many chances to prove themselves to each other, he did seem to have more experience. And judging by his clever plan and the willingness of his friends to trust him, the girl knew that he was probably formidable. As so many times before, her T-visor shielded her from showing moments of weakness and vulnerability. It was a gift that kept giving as she inevitably smiled upon hearing that she was not as wrong as one might expected. While the only hint of her smile was the slight downward tilt of the head, Isabeau was quite happy about it.

Listening to him explain how he thought best to take down a walker of the type they were facing, the younger Mandalorian came to wonder why he had not spoken of it sooner and perhaps more interestingly, why he knew so much about them. Being particularly comfortable with her jetpack, Isabeau
smirked and spoke with a certain degree of confidence, bordering on overconfidence "That sounds doable enough" as she mimed out turning a wheel in accordance with his instructions. In a moment of humility, she added "At least if those arms don't pluck us off of there first" with a rather thoughtful tone. Looking to him, she pointed to the vibrosword sitting attached to her belt "I reckon these won't do much against 'em?" she asked, still thinking of the arms.

Not quite having arrived yet, the slight opportunity for a warstory presented itself. At least from Isabeau's perspective. With that she let out a long and careful "Soooo" before quickly blurting out her question "Have you cracked open many walkers in your days?" Clearly, she had not got the hint that he had been Imperial, neither from the chit-chat in the group nor from his white armour.

After a while, the long grey stretches of durasteel walls could be seen in the distance - most there since before the Sith had even arrived. Natural for a hub on a predominantly Mandalorian world. While they were not all too heavily fortified, they still created natural chokepoints through which the group would have to pass through in order to get in. At least those without jetpack and among the ones they were there to save, there were a substantial amount without the capacity of flight. Lowering herself to a crouch, Isabeau proceeded in the cover of darkness and heavy shrubbery among the dense treeline, hoping to avoid detection for as long as possible. When nearing the edge of the forest and getting closer to the bombed out field that stretched up to the walls, she stopped, waiting for the group to gather. The two walkers stood by the entrance where trains passed through with a road running alongside the rail. While the road was still damaged, the railway had been repaired.

With a low voice, she spoke to Rhion, pointing to the side of the open area by what seemed like a garage "There seem to be two guys working on a speeder over there. Must be bad guys, right? Civilians would never be so close to an Imperial outpost" she said, throwing out her best guess at what could potentially be a threat.

Radon Krayt

 

[Radon Krayt]

"Stay low and get behind them with your jet-pack. I bet they won't be able to activate those arms in time." He assured her, hoping that it would be enough to ease her mind. He preferred to dot all his i's and cross his t's, but this was one of the few cases where there were just too many details to the plan. He would never be able to do that on a rescue operation of this scale.

While he would've preferred some peace and quiet to think things through, the young and fierce Mandalorian would not give him that chance. Rhion remained silent for a moment, as he tried to come up with a suitable answer. "I suppose you could say I did..." He would mutter, recalling the amount of times he had tried to save walker pilots on the scorched fields of battle. It had nearly always been a waste of time, and yet the sliver of hope that he would one day find a surviving pilot inside a wreckage had remained until the end of his career.

Viewing the ruins of the bombarded city made him clench his fists. His people definitely had suffered here, by the hands of those who he might've considered friends in the past. It was gut-wrenching for the Mandalorian in white, who's ideologies and life had been shaped by these two warring cultures. And now he found himself forced to make a choice. Forced to finally take a side in this conflict, and try to disintegrate the other.

With his arms crossed, he waited for Isabeau's report. While he would've certainly liked to scout the area himself, his striking white armor made it rather difficult to act as the vanguard or scout.

After Isabeau returned and conveyed what she saw, Rhion turned to Nakti. "Deal with them and regroup with Gryff at the spaceport. We'll advance as planned." The order he gave was acknowledged by Nakti with a simple nod. She wasted no time, and was gone before any of them could blink. Out of sight, and indiscernible from the small bushes and debris that covered the landscape between them and the speeders. Nakti was one of, if not the best assassin he knew of. A rather undervalued occupation within the Mandalorian society, or so he thought.

Rhion then turned to Gryff, Kawan and Zara. "Lead them ahead the best you can, but keep them out of sight. Our paths split here. Isabeau and I will distract the walkers and meet you once the transports are secure. If any of us die, may it be a warrior's death." With that, he motioned for Isabeau to follow him, ready to use whatever cover he could to get them as close as possible to the walkers.
​

Isabeau

 

[Isabeau]

Her eyes darted to Nakti, the one in the light green armour, as Rhion gave her instructions of what to do. It was a rather impressive team seeing as how the woman was expected take out the two men on demand and how Rhion both had the experience and know-how on how to deal with the walkers. But then, both were important assets to have, the latter one in particular - at least for many missions involving assets of the Sith Empire. One wrong move by the assassin would result in the base going into a hightened state of alert before they could get the jump on the walkers which would be quite unfortunate considering their reliance on surprise. This was, however, not a concern she would raise to the others - the team trusted Nakti and that was enough for Isabeau.

Soon after, Isabeau followed Rhion as they crept closer to the walker positions. While hiding in the grass might have been a tempting prospect, it was also a rather foolish one considering the height from which the walker crew could watch over the fields. Instead, the two moved from cover to cover, slowly making their way closer to their targets. Finding cover was not very hard as the Mandalorian defenders, now long gone, had put out obstacles to hinder tanks from advancing whilst many personal and military vehicles littered the streets and the fields. While there were numerous craters created by artillery fire, most were far too shallow to hide in but the few that were deep enough were also used.

Now only communicating via whispers over the com channel, the duo stopped around 18 meters away from the walkers. The progress they had made was astounding already since getting as close as they had was far from an easy task. Grabbing for more at this point would be rather reckless, especially considering the good position they already had. Ready to fight, Isabeau remained silent, letting Rhion coordinate with the other teams - it was important that Kawan and Zara could hit the communications station before or simultaneously with Rhion and Isabeau's attack on the walkers and not causing a ruckus before Nakti was ready would probably also be for the best.

As is the nature with all plans - they will rarely go precisely as planned. The two walkers were now splitting up, moving a bit further apart. The walker to the left would soon be able to see behind the burned out landspeeder they were using as cover. "Move, we're about to get spotted" she whispered, thinking that they could hide behind the short end of the speeder. Soon, however, she noticed how that would fall within the scope of what the walker to the right could see and let out a brief "Shit" whilst moving along the side of the side of the speeder to delay what now seemed inevitable.

Time around her seemed to slow down as she readied herself for the battle to come. Isabeau isolated herself in her own head-space for a few short moments, nervous about how they would fare against Imperial Walkers. Unless Rhion gave her clear instructions to not do anything, she would take two quick steps before igniting her jetpack, soaring into the air with tremendous speed. Mechanical sounds indicated that the machines' weapons systems were being activated. "I'll try to keep them busy, see if you can get into one" she said, voice revealing glimpses of her nervous yet somewhat excited state of mind. Right after, the young Mandalorian fired off a vambrace rocket at the one closer to their cover on the left. While the impact and the explosive wouldn't do much to its armour, it did stagger backwards, requiring a few seconds to recover and for the pilots to readjust the targeting systems and start the arm up. Continuing her path, Isabeau then drew her blaster pistol and fired multiple rounds at the other. Naturally, she understood that going toe-to-toe with a walker wouldn't end in her favour and kept speeding forth, forcing it to turn around in order to get a good shot at her.

Radon Krayt