Log:Demon Outpost

House Kast targets the largest beast from Onderon.

OOC Date: April 3, 2023
Location: Demon Outpost, Dxun
Participants: Amaia Dara, Hadrix Kora, Talli. Eirik, Terek Rosol, Sumi Kora

House Kast launches a full on offensive attack upon the Demon Outpost. Demon outpost was once a pilgrimage site during the age of the Old Republic. Said to be a temple of some sort, a place of dark magic and death, it seemed to be tied to the history of Dxun's long, bloody past. Beast Riders took up residence inside the palisade and manned the ramparts with the hopes that Mandalorians would think twice about fighting them conventionally.

For tall walls, and heavy stone structures, the abode looked formidable, but as one Mando lost in history said, "Nothing's impregnable; give me ten good men and I'll prove it."

Demon Outpost is also home to the largest beast in the Beast Rider army. Known affectionately as Buttercup, the massive Rancor could barely be contained within the arena. Special accommodations were made to keep the fifteen story beast in place and waiting for the right moment to strike. Ill prepared for the assault House Kast has launched, Squires that man the ramparts of the Beast Lord's outpost rush to try and put up a defense, but House Kast gives them a taste of Mandalorian shock combat.

Just now landing atop the ramparts of the eastern side of the ancient dark palace, Sumi Kora and a strike team of Mando'ade have been given a special mission. Alor'Kast informed them that, <"The Arena contains a pacification chamber. It may not be the honorable way to put down the beast, but it's the most efficient and it will save lives. Find the control room for this pacification chamber and activate it. Destroy buttercup, and this site is ours.">

Sumi lands atop the rampart with a heavy beskar sound. Taking two steps forward, she checks her E-11 before commenting. <"Anyone got eyes on this pacification thing? I don't place trust in techno-gadgets, but if it gets the job done.. let's get after it..">

<<"Not as amusing as the old fashioned way.">>

Striding out onto the rampart with Sumi, patting himself down and finally drawing a segmented belt from his suit. Swinging it round so that it snaps like a whip and then forms into its blade function with the thumbing of a button.

<<"I don't suppose we'd have time for me to go and try to handle it the old fashioned way... I could use one of those claws for... something. Narsai's birthday is coming up soon.">> helm turning towards Sumi and the base at large before his b;lade is rested on his shoulder.

Mai Dara was many things. A Gunner, a pilot, a decent enough mechanic when there was no one better, or when she just wanted to give her Alor some extra work to do when she judged he was feeling bored. A beast tamer....she was not. But, she could land on the ramparts, sure, and keep a weather eye on the lay of the land as they came down. Alor Kora's voice broke the silence, relative silence of the descent, and Mai's voice came across the channel the group was sharing, <<"I can see heavy cabling leading into the arena where the beast is kept. That's as good a place to start as any, if we want to look for this chamber. I think I can see a path along the landing zone and towards the arena.">> It was not undefended. <<"I'd be heading into the center of that den of snakes.">>

This was the kind of mission that would help out enough people to make a real difference. Terek just hoped they could pull it off in time. He cut his jets just before he landed on the bulwark, pulling his W-35 out of the holster on his side.

<"I saw the arena, due west, couldn't get an exact reading on distance though. Pretty far."> He offers up over comms, "Outside of that, I expect there's a lot of rather armed and angry individuals between us and that switch.">

Talli Is an armorer, but she's also a Mandalorian, and when one of our people calls, she will answer. So here she is with her mate and leader of the clan. She cracks her neck a little and scans about as if looking for Power generators " Something like that will have High power needs.. if its gonna kill a rancor "

Eirik is a Mandalorian first and foremost and answering a call to aide is just his way. The tall leader of Kurshi Deathsnake arrives blaster in hands. <<Eirik Alor of clan Kurshi Deathsnake here to help, where am I needed?>> Rolling and popping his neck.

<"Excellent. We'll make our approach directly. Follow Ms. Dara in and clear a path. It is imperative we secure this chamber. Show no mercy."> Sumi indicates, then gestures with her arm as she yields the lead to Amaia Dara. The trek to this landing zone and the path that leads inside the arena was being hastily manned by Squires for the Beast Rider forces. Many were trying to reach the rookery for their beasts, but a rocket fired by Alor'Kast and his Helljumpers saw the towered rookery destroyed, and their beasts with it. Robbed of their strength, squires had to rely on their martial training to defend the outpost.

Two gun emplacements were being set up near the entrance of the arena, and defendable positions ahead of those emplacements were manned by some fifteen squires who were slapping power packs into their rifles and preparing for war. The landing zone itself supplied ample cover (+20 to defense if you hunker down), but charging this defended position meant charging into the enemy fire to attain access to the arena.

Clear a path.

Looking to the others assembled and then towards the growing defenses that were preparing to block the passage of the forces allied with Kast, members of Kora and other clans among them. Shoulders rolling, his pace becomes a slow jog, breathing quickening and one fist crashing against the side of his helmet. Hadrix lifts off on twin columns of flame, blade held out and his trajectory leveling out to a hard run.

Boots pounding and the chain-whip still in rigid blade form arcing round to cut the belly of the first to get in Al'Verde Kora's way, shoved roughly aside with an elbow before the next finds themselves with a foot of electrified metal in their gut. Shoved back and kicked in the hip to dislodge the body while slamming his fist against his chest, challenging others.

Mai Dara's body was ready. So she told herself, as she nodded to Alor Kora, before she took off at speed, moving as she might have done on a ship during a boarding action. Never in quite a straight line, but always moving forward and giving herself room to shoot as she moved. While she did not use her jetpack the entire way, she made use of it in spurts to make her both a more difficult target to track, as she moved on the vertical plane as well as the horizontal, and to eat up the distance to the arena. She was not as free to maneuver as she would have liked, as she kept to the cover provided by the landing zone, but it was better than either not moving at all, or being shot out of the sky by those gun emplacements.

As they round the corner into the path that they were following, the defenses came into full view. Terek ducked back behind cover for a second, then came over comms, <"Going for one of the gun emplacements. Cover me if you can!">

He lights up his jetpack and sails past several of the fighters, landing right next to one of the emplacements. He grabs hold of the guy with one hand, throwing a punch and firing his blaster in close quarters as a shot splashes inside of the control area, and another strikes the guy from point blank. Terek throws him down onto the ground outside of the gun, effectively disabling it, and looking into the empty control chair, an idea popping into his head. A probably terrible idea.

Those are usually his best ones.

Talli Snaps out she just got a new purchase with all the calls recently she thought just having a pistol wasn't enough so she got something.. more suitable for backing up her mate.. She snaps our the arms and slowly lays down behind some cover... Quickly bringing her weapon to bear.. Taking Aima and Launching a Heavy Shot even her shoulder jerks with the force as she lanches her shot across the field.

Eirik grips his carbine and looks to Talli. <<Stay safe my mate.>> He says and the irony of the statement he tries to activate his jetpack and take off to a gun emplacement, sputtering and backfiring as he takes a running start and goes to take to the air stumbling and coming close to falling. <<Frack....what was that?>> He growls to himself.

The attack by the arena happened suddenly, with Mandalorians engaging from distance and up close. The varied assault sowed all sorts of confusion, making the squires stay hunkered down from the incoming distance fire whilst also having to contend with close-quarters Mandalorians who were cutting through their ranks.

One gun emplacement is disabled, which inspires the other to try and get the weapon primed to fire to make up for the lost ground.

Unfortunately, the remaining gunner in the emplacement had the look of terror on his face. Up ahead, he saw Mandalorians closing the distance, killing his friends. Then, off to one side, he heard another screaming for their life as Terek pulled them away from their gun and upon the ground where they cowered. He pounds the controls to get the turret online, "Come on! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Sumi takes off after Terek and Commander Hadrix, landing in the midst of the defense. She out right kills one squire at point blank, transforming their body into a molten ball of flames. Their buddy got up to run, but Sumi just shot them in the back, killing them instantly. <<"Suppose you'll have to settle with killing these lot old fashioned,">> She rasps to Hadrix on the secured line, humor in her voice.

Momentum building the Boar-Wolf of Ealor continues like a landslide rolling towards the next would be warriors to get in his way. Leaning into his path, one arm pumping in time with his legs and the other dropping back to put the sword into a ready position a blaster bolt ricocheting off of his shoulder pauldron. Visor settling on one gun emplacement, seeing Terek handling it, attention going to the next.

<<"Suppose I will.">>

The voice a guttural version of his normal broken stone growl, more crimson plasma exploding against a cuisse on his leg as he jumps up, as though to run along a near wall before his rockets fire and he surges towards the emplacement. Drawing fire that chases Hadrix in glowing crimson arc with more sparks exploding off of his armor and a bestial sound rising from him when the weight of the shots begins to tell on him.

One of the gunners at the emplacement has time to look up and gasp, the top of their head spinning away in a wheeling halo of blood and hair. Dropping to the ground next to the figure Terek had dragged out. Turning, shoulders rising and falling with each exaggerated heave of his chest, Al'Verde Kora puts the blade through the Onderonian's heart and into the stone below. The vibrating, electrified, blade squealing and protesting when he tries to draw it out, making the impaled body jerk and again when both hands come to the grip and the big man struggles again to unstick the weapon.

<"Kriffing thing...">

As the world exploded around her, and Mai briefly celebrated that there were no emplacements currently firing on her, she kept up her pace, running and shooting, flying and touching back down. She fired to the left of her, she fired to the right of her, she was sure there should be cannons going off. But she was also sure that they would come. She just needed to get to the arena in time to find a way inside. And not be eaten. That last point was key.

Talli Smriks she frowns maybe its the sputtering of her mates pack she looks over " need a repair? " she ask sbefore she looks back and pulls but she was hastey and the enemy is now moving for carfully causing her shot to impact with the wall

Terek spends probably far too long looking at the weapon emplacement, before under his helmet, a grin crosses his face.

He holsters his W-35 and then drops down into the gun emplacement, rapidly putting the last couple of touches onto the prep before he turns the cannon and fires from behind the battling Squires, the bolt from the cannon throwing the Squire's body across the battlefield and into one of the solid emplacements, where he does not get back up.

A shot from the Squires manages to hit Terek in his leg, making him roar out in pain for a moment, before he turns the cannon back towards where that shot came from. The weapon lances out again and the Squire who managed to wing Terek regrets his decision for the fraction of a second before the heavy gun removes most of his upper body.

Eirik growls and takes off finally his jetpack igniting. He takes off heading for the enemies quickly raising his carbine taking the first shot missing barely. The second shot fired goes way off the mark. <<Frack...I can't hit the broadside of a freighter today!>>

The fight outside the arena entrance is a heated one. With Commander Hadrix and Terek Rosol conquering the main bite of defense the squires had for safeguarding the entrance, there wasn't much resistance left save for the fleeing squires who rose up from cover in a last ditch to fight.

Turret fire erupts upon the enemy position, dismantling the unprepared squires where they stood. Others rise up only to be picked off. As was the case of a pair of Beast Riding twins who thought to flee Sumi only to be gunned down in unison.

Sumi rasps, draping her arm over the buttstock of her carbine casually, <"Make for the entrance of the arena. These lot don't even deserve the death we're giving them. Our true task is still ahead of us.">

Inside the arena, the team finds the massive beast still restrained within her cage. Awake, aware, and surrounded by Squires who were trying to find a way to free her, it seemed a surprise when the doors opened and Mandalorians stepped inside.

10 Squires draw weapons before the lead tells them to free the beast. Five charge at the Mandalorians, and the other five set to releasing the chains of this 15 story tall Rancor that lazily grumbles with irritation, her eyes opening.

High above, in an office suspended from the rafters and metal gangplanks leading to it was the pacification office.

Sumi grumbles. <"If they free that beast, a lot of Mando'ade will die. Kill them or we will have a bigger task on our hands.">

The charge called for, with the foe trying to unchain the rancor, Hadrix continues to run - moving from the loping jog used to get this far and back to the long legged sprint that carries the big man forward like an iron plated battering ram. HUD bracketing those behind the defending force, the launch tubes on his right knee extend and begin firing each time his leg comes forward.

One spiraling rocket dart, a second and then the very last spiraling out without Al'Verde Kora breaking stride, blade collapsed temporarily to whip form so that it can be held coiled.

<<"Two down, engaging.">> his voice still rougher, a tone that is not quite his normal battlefield cadence. Letting himself 'go' tonight it seems, embracing something that more often lays dormant and has for much of a decade.

As they made it into the arena, the problems, as Mai saw it, were twofold. First, that big beast, and the forces trying to free her, and getting high enough to make it to the office without being shot down out of the sky. Or what amounted to the sky in this covered hell pit. Well, she would simply have to take her chances. Mai kicked off from the ground, jetpack flaring with a quick flash and sputter, before she was off. She had just enough time to take one shot at the rapidly shrinking enemy forces before she had to turn to direct her movement towards what she hoped was the pacification room.

Talli Growls whens he spots them moving to free the rancor that's not something she wants to see get free and cause some damage .. So she quickly changes target.. She Fires a shot she hits but it lacks power and she tsks as she growls <they are going to free the rancor >

Eirik growls as he's flying through the air. <<OK Talli, do what you can I'm a bit busy pinning down this guy's coming at us>> He responds taking his first shot it slams into one of the attackers his eyes cut to the rancor for but a second before snapping back and firing again second shot going wide.

The run into the arena proper was not going great. Terek saw the scene that was playing out in front of them. Charging forces, and troops trying to free the rancor. That cannot be allowed, or the death toll could be catatrophic.

Terek drops to a knee, holstering his pistol and bringing the missile launcher across his back up onto his shoulder. There's no heat signatures to lock onto, so he has to eyeball it. He's aiming for a pretty big target though.

He squeezes, and the missile launches out from the tube, roaring across the battlefield and into the side of the rancor, right in between the pair of soldiers trying to free the creature. That may, at the very least, put a damper on that plan.

The quick release for chains on one of Buttercup's arms is released, the heavy restraints falling with a loud thud on the sandy ground, shaking it. Buttercup, feeling the release of pressure, begins to rise only to find herself partially restrained still. One might imagine what a raging Rancor sounds like, but one so close as this one was deafening. It roars so loud, inductors on helmets leave ears ringing. The freed arm lashes out, clawing along the ground and trying to free itself.

Of the five that rush the Mandalorians at the entrance, two make it to them. Eirik injured one on their charge, and Sumi killed two others, holding her ground and shooting from her off-hand position.

The other squire still alive who was tasked with freeing the Rancor took a sniper shot to the knee after witnessing her friend getting shot by Amaia, who flew way up high to find the pacification office. She (the squire) fell to a knee, tumbling into the sand to cradle her wound and cry out in agony. Her mission to free Buttercup failed, for the moment!

Amaia, who lands above, finds a simple control office that had computer terminals for every function. Pacification was one of those functions, and it required a pass code (or some decent slicing) to bypass and begin to initiate.

Down below, the entire arena shakes when the release of a rocket punctuates a solid hit against the exposed side of the Rancor. The roar it had used earlier changes to a whimper as the explosion mangles its side, and the blast stirs up dust from a small cyclone of shrapnel. The remaining two squires tasked with freeing the beast are caught in that blast, and when the dust settles, they'd find what was left of their bodies spread across the sand and rock of the arena.

Buttercup is getting more difficult to contain now that she's been injured, and the chains which had so successfully kept her restrained were now struggling under tremendous pressure to prevent her freedom.

Defenders past him, the ones working at the chains blown apart and giving giving him plenty of space in order to get to full speed without the need to swing a leg up to fire. Hobnailed boots rattling against the arena floor, Hadrix leaps at the last moment, running the monster's leg and drags the edge of his chain-whip blade against the thick hide.

<"Kriff."> nary more than a mark on the flesh, likened to one left when someone scratches their arm before he rears back and jams the blade tip between the folds of skin at the hip joint. Earning a roar and a spray of greenish blood for his troubles in addition to the instinct that he'd best move.

Unless someone can get the 'murder button' pressed before he gets crushed.

Mai should probably have looked down to see what the rancor was doing. But Mai did not need to look down. She could *hear* what the blasted thing was doing. And even at this height, the smell of blood and offal was wafting on the wind. Enclosed covered spaces would do that. Wind tunnel effect, and all. So, she simply got to work. Touching down, the jetpack snapped out, as she headed for what appeared to be the main control board. Whatever creative curse wanted to spill out of her lips she bit back, as she saw the screen light up, requesting a passcode, and she pushed herself to the limits of her knowledge as she worked. <<"I'm working on getting into the system. I would advise trying to get some distance from that thing down there, I have no idea what this pacification field actually looks like.">> It might fry everything on the ground. <<"Alright, I'm in, counting down from five. A very fast five.">>

With The fools trying to free the rancor gone she quickly turns to check on her mate.. spotting him in combat she quickly takes aima nd plugs one of the people trying to hurt him providing backup

Eirik laughs as he keeps in the air shots missing him and as he goes to take a shot he sees that Talli took one out that was gunning for him. <<Thanks for the assist!>> Snapping his weapon around and aiming at one of the combatants trying to take out Sumi he fires off two shots rapidly the first hitting him decently the second wide to the right!

After his shot with the launcher, Terek drops it back onto his back and pulls his W-35, adding to the fire raining down on the powerful Rancor to try to keep it distracted until they can pull the trigger on the control unit

Sumi observes one of the charging squires getting gunned down by Eirik and Talli before she's forced into close combat with two opponents. Eirik wings one, allowing an opportunity to put them down with a decisive shot from Sumi. The other is caught off guard when Sumi strikes them with the butt of her rifle using a weighted stroke, the full weight of armor and weapon enough to break their skull and kill them instantly.

With opposition eradicated, they only had the Rancor to contend with, and thanks to the efforts of Amaia of Clan Dara, the pacification protocol was successfully initiated. Turrets rising up from the sand emerge from hardpoints and rotate toward the beast. There's twenty in total, and their LIDAR tracking system seemed to hone in on an IFF embedded in the beast's skin. In unison, they open fire, mercilessly slaughtering the beast where it fought against its restraints.

WAP! WAP! WAP! WAP! WAP! WAP! WAP!

One the guns began to overheat, the vitals for the beast which were conveyed in the office Amaia occupied, went blank. It was dead.

Buttercup slumped back down and released her last breath, a soft whimper, and its pupils grew large.

<<"Alor'Kast, this is Alor'Kora.">>

<<"Send it.">>

<<"The beast is slain.">>