Log:Mandalore: Field Work
Mand'Alor aligned warriors seek to sap a Warlord's mining tower
OOC Date: Auguat 26, 2022
Location: Mandalore: The Bloodfields
Participants: Sumi Kora, Raissa Taivu, Fae Renta, Valeska Kora, Hahtavi Kora, Terek Rosol, Nix and Hadrix Kora as GM Mandalorians, Clan Kora
Days of in-field work had resulted in multiple instances of confusion. No settlement, but signs of movement were found. Much of it 'swept', attempts to hide signs of passage were good, very good. Enough that when the target location is found it raises questions as to whether the scouted coordinates had been wrong. Curious enough, the original coordinates had a great, lava filled, pit at the center. Assembled, now, as darkness begins to take the Mandalore sky, underlit by points where lava flow below in deep cracks.
<<"Shabla bastard of a hunt this, sensors must be getting scrambled by atmosphere radiation. We need to get close, plant thermal charges on that thing, make it go down. We can't salvage it, yet, but maybe we can use it to ambush forces.">> Hadrix growls over comms, hidden somewhere in the rocky hills nearby.
Hab-Bubble huts are scattered on stable slabs of cooled rock, away from fissures and especially from exposed lava flows that hurl noxious gases into the air around the fifteen meter structure that hunches like skeletal bug over a shallow dip in the stony ground. Low humps of rock strewn hills dip and rise like the image of a frozen lake, blackened at points by past outburst of molten stone. Cover and concealment is scant and spread out, brows of rock overlooking down ward slopes or short, sharp, rises that can provide minimal hiding points. Six articulated stabilizer posts jut out from the sides and canvas awnings extend at random points going up the sides of the central tower.
<<"If any of us are going loud, demo-folk try to use that to get in. We don't know if the laborers are loyal or no. It's going to need to be a hard strike, plant and fade. We don't know what reinforcements will come once they're alerted.">>
Figures in scavenged armor and ad-hoc filter helmets work around the stabilizers, utilizing grav-winches and conventional tools to haul up hunks of ore laden stone from beneath the mining tower and others in proper rig and armed with serviceable weapons move around a shallow perimeter in groups of three. Others can be seen on balconies beneath the fluttering awnings above. A mining town on the border of hell.
Somewhere else in those surrounding, rolling hills is a crimson-painted set of armour. And within that, the squishy body of Valeska Kora. She's been out in the field along with everyone else for several days now. Many days of finding nothing. Or at least not what they've been looking for. And unlike some of the longer-term Mandos, she's not doing so hot.
Oh, she's plenty hot. Sure. She's also dehydrated, sleep-deprived, and maybe edging towards minor hallucinations. What she isn't, however, is hungry. Homemade ration bars to the rescue. Though what she needs right now is a keg of water. <<"Blow up. Right. Can do that, yeah?">> Blinking rapidly to make sure she's clearing any fake visions from the real ones, she starts to move in slowly. Quietly... but not as hidden as she'd like.
Demo folk.
That's Fae!
The Mandalorian with the Good Hair watches Sumi Kora rocket off towards the center of the structure to draw the ire-n-fire of their would-be attackers. Her head tips to the side to activate comms, and she releasees the E-11 from the mag-lock on her right hip with a groan and pop. The stock's folded back from its spot beneath the barrel and tucked beneath her right arm. On her back is likely enough ordinance to level the entire shanty-town if placed strategically. Hopefully it doesn't come to that.
She either didn't get the memo that they were sneaking or she's hoping to get this whole thing over with, because while she moves QUIETLY (like some kinda KITTY CAT), she does so entirely in plain sight while checking the safety and kill switch of that carbine.
<<"Let's try to minimize non-hostile casualties, if we can. I never feel good about giving unskilled labor a dirt nap.">> she purrs into comms.
Like a kitty cat.
Unlike a lot of Mandalore's surface, a lava field tends to be dark with black rock - basalt, obsidian and the like. So it happens to be ideal that his armor is mostly black and dark grey. All the same, Hahtavi stays out of sight and listens to the briefing as he uses his helmet's optics to zoom in and look over the site they've come to deal with. <<"Bes'uliik copies.">>
This Kora stays put until they have sorted out who's approaching loud and who's going in as quietly as possible. Haht double checks his satchel charges and waits until Sumi takes off up into the air. Then he starts moving - from whatever cover he may utilize to another. His armor helps keep him cool, his bucket filters out the nasty acrid gases, and this Kora works on keeping his head down.
It sure would be nice if they could sneak in without his blowing it. Spotlights in his helmet's visor wasn't fun, last op.
Somewhere near Valeska is her tiny six. The medic mandolorian moves after her sister but she does watch Sumi launch up. Her foot lifts up and connects to a larger rock. The small woman stares at it. <<"Stupid boulder.">> The female metallic voice reads out beyond the t-visor. She moves after Valeska but keeps to the darkness. She doesn't have much of anything on her today to keep the weight down. She frowns and watches Valeska and at least stays silent.
The blue armored figure dropping in their midst draws shocked gasps and even raised mining tools at the sudden entry. Pounded durasteel helms formed in old world Mandalorian style and modern alike - combined with breathmasks beneath the t-visors turning. A shocked silence rippling and then chased by mutters and murmurs.
"OI! YOU SLUGS!" a voice from the base of the mining tower calls out, one of the better armed and armored of the facility starting a hard, fast, walk towards the disruption, hand in the air - gesturing with shifting groups of fingers before a knife-hand chop towards the jetpacking Sumi. It's enough to keep eyes on the perimeter focused inward. While some heads turn, not sure of what they're hearing around them and their body language screaming their suspicion of more trouble on the rise.
No shots are fired yet, the lone figure being checked out maybe? Fortune favoring the bold maybe. Hadrix himself stands ready, clone-wars mass accelerator rifle primed, waiting to strike. Sumi, meanwhile, seems to have the drop on the whole of them.
Looking over the crowd slowly, Sumi is not immediately a threat either. Her armor bears the sigil of Kora, and the mark of a Krayt Dragon, and she's outfitted with a litany of weapons that would end anything within reach if she so desired. Not being threatened made it difficult for Sumi to discern how to proceed, so she spoke in the tongue of Mandalore. (It'll be basic in case someone doesn't have it)
<"Children of Mandalore, I am called Sumi Kora, Chieftain and Marshal of the Journeyman Protectors. Din Djarin, proclaimed Mand'alor, bids for your fealty. Take a knee and identify yourself a warrior to the cause of peace and prosperity and my warriors will ferry you to him. Raise arms and proclaim violence, and my warriors will destroy you. What shall it be?">
Val stops long enough to check back and make sure Nix is still behind her. Nearly thwarted by a boulder, it would seem. The chuckle that follows has that Dantooine flavour to it. Almost a hayuck to the accent that she has worked hard to get out of her dialect. <<"Tricky them rocks, yeah? Stay close, Doc. We're makin' progress.">>
Much, much further ahead, Sumi is doing a fantastic job of 'distraction.' With words. <<"Don't see that every day,">> Val carries on in private conversation even as externally, she is shifting through the dusk light like a long, drawn shadow. <<"I guess Djarin's orders about not ripping up the non-violents were pretty clear, mmm. Do hope these ones have a brain on 'em.">>
She pauses a moment then flicks to a different frequency. <<"Fae. How you doin'? I'm just the back up Demo here. You good?">>
Sumi's standing out there easy as you please looking all noble and acting polite. Dialog! Valeska hits that nail on the head and even Hahtavi pauses to turn his helmet's visor in his Alor's direction to get that on his helmet's recording optics. They'll want to remember this! He chuckles to himself and mutters softly to himself inside of his helmet, "She's good..."
Then he's back to looking for his next bit of cover. Staying low, Haht makes his way as quietly as he may, using the landscape to what advantage he may to keep closing slowly on the tower. When he suddenly finds a crack he trips over, he's less concerned about the slight scuffle he makes than not legging his leg punch through the edge of the crust and into that furnace of heat that crumbles open. "Osik."
No sound comes out of his helmet. Starting to get a bit warm inside of his armor though with all the heat coming up out of the earth around them. Bit by bit he's closing on that tower with it's six legs waiting for explosive charges...
Nix grumbles quietly and moves after Val. <<"It was massive. Almost died.">> She deadpans as she turns to stare at the tennis ball size rock that almost killed her. She moves after Val and nods her head and takes a deep breath. Her hand moves to her medpac on her hip. The woman turns a little to see Fae and blinks a few times as she is just... doing Fae things. <<"Yeah. No killing. Unless they try to... uh... should we plant the bombs then tell everyone to run or let them burn?">> She asks quietly to her sisters.
The soot and soil covered mass immediately in Sumi's vicinity share looks again, staring hard at Sumi and then to the approaching figures drawing weapons and starting to train them on Sumi. There's a viciousness in the voice of one among them who bears a rocket pack on their back and the sigils of the Warlord Tsook, appearing on one of the tower balconies,
<"I think it'll be I having that nexu eared bucket and your head pulled out for Tsook's wall, Concordian's bitch."> the clear soldiers jeering loudly amidst the clatter and racket of weapons being raised, stocks to shoulders, the zip and whine of power cells charging. Movement stuttering when Fae comes strolling into the ruddy glow of the mining grounds, drawing confused stares and turns to train weapons on her. More figures begin to resolve from the darkness, some from the laborer camp, but more guards from the perimeter as well as from the tower itself joining the lot.
Another roar of jets blended with the flare of liftoff signals the arrival of Hadrix, landing hard and kicking up a mound of dust around him - splitting attentions further. He says nothing, but his DP-23 is primed and the pressurizing chamber is beginning to hum.
First comes talk.
Next comes threats.
Last comes gunfire.
Sumi laughs heartily at the comment from the Commandant. It's genuine amusement. <"Ohhhohohohoo.. I am so /glad/ you chose violence."> A mace emerges from the confines of her cape, extending with a loud snap and suddenly crackling with blue electricity. In the midst of drawing this, gun fire begins, and a bolt sparks off the cuirass of her armor, taking her a step back /just/ as Commander Kora lands, parting the crowd of laborers and straitening to his full height. Sumi steps behind the Commander, <"Have fun,"> then takes to the air.
She lands above, upon the balcony where this Commandant claimed he intended her helmet. She makes a claim of her own as she lands, pointing her weapon toward him. <"I will cut your tongue out and let you watch as I lick my ass with it."> Short, stocky, but far from slow, the century old soldier engages the Mandalorian Commandant in one-on-one. Her initial strike misses, the warrior ducking in similar form, activating a vambrace shield that meets Sumi's second strike, forcing him backward and sliding as they hold their attack a moment.
Well, that went about as a well as Valeska had thought it would. But not as well as she had hoped. Now Sumi, Fae, and Hadrix are all a collective distraction. Poor move on the outlanders' part. Especially when they threaten to take Sumi's cat-eared helmet. <<"Nope. Not a brain in the pack. Okay. S'fine. Stick to the plan. Doc, keep to me, but if things start to look sticky for them, make a call, yeah? We need to keep their eyes away from the tower.">>
As she moves close to the objective, retrieving the ordnance from the large, reinforced pouch resting on her hip, Valeska pauses at the first tower leg and looks for the best spot to set the charge. <<"Tavi, you still dark? We can coordinate the bang. Figure four of the six legs oughta do it, yeah?">>
Fae Renta catches motion out of the corner of her eye and slooooowly turns her head to face the confused-looking Guardalorians that are beginning to train their weapons on her. <"Ahahaha, boys, boys... come on, what are we doing here?"> she asks. Her voice is all sultry, you know? Like something smoky dipped in chocolate melting on her tongue. She's not really -saying- anything substantial, but the way she's saying it? That's gotta count for something, right? <"Listen, why don't we all just put our guns down and you can show a Concordian girl the Way?">
She lifts her left hand up in surrender, and even goes so far as to tuck it beneath her chin as if she intends to release her helmet. But that E-11, still tucked up under her right arm and held close to her body... well. It betrays her. It betrays them. It betrays everybody as she fires on the first and swiftly turns it to the second. VWOMP VWOMP. FLUMP FLUMP. Two bodies hit the floor. Two and a half, really, because Fae is turning to scramble and run in the other direction.
<<"WAAAAGH I NEED BACKUP!">>
There's a glimpse of Valeska bolting the last little distance into position. Haht checks but everyone else so far is pretty occupied with Sumi, Hadrix and Fae Fae. So he takes his cue from his 'sister' and pops up to make a quick dash for the nearest of the tower's leg supports. Soon as he gets there, Hahtavi puts his back up against it for what cover it may provide while he grabs his satchel.
<<"I'm in position. Aye, let's get'm set and give us enough time to get our shebs out from under it.">>
Without bothering to draw a weapon, Haht turns and is ready to start getting his first charges set. <<"At least four, elek.">> There's a lot of shooting going on out there but none at himself - yet. Fae's already yelling for backup? Alas, Haht can't even spare a glance - she's no where near him.
Nix watches at things happen. <<"Hahtavi and Valeska, I have to cover Fae. Watch each others six. I have your escape covered.">> She speaks over the comms and then she pulls out the giant T-21. She makes sure it's loaded and she makes sure it's on burst. There is a moment before she calls out to Fae. <<"Fae. Get over here! I've got your back.">> She gets down to a knee and level rifle up to protect not only Fae if she comes to her but Hahtavi and Valeska when they are ready to leave.
Terek's position to attack was secured before the fight even started, as he sat there, waiting, forearm resting across his other, with his blaster held ready, but finger off the trigger.
Once they have decided that their lives are not worth anything and begin to attack, Terek moves quick and raises his blaster, using the arm to brace his shots as he lands two in quick succession on the closest of the guards, doing it before the man can even finish fully drawing his weapon.
Terek's next shot hits dirt as he moves into cover in order to try to absorb any of the undoubtedly lot of incoming blaster fire.
Ozone reek rising from him and his armor still crackling from the hit, Sadjk is forced back, the shield mounted to one arm going out when Sumi's weapon overloads the power cell. Snarling and swinging the unpowered vambrace to knock aside the mace, opposite arm coming around with a staccato series of SNINK sounds preceding. The fingertips of the commandant's gloves extending into silvery metal claws that begin whining at supersonic frequency. The, literal, claws swung low, aiming for arteries on Alor'Kora.
Hadrix's answer to Sumi's 'order' to have fun is a simple one, the heavily modified scatter blaster's forward array cracking down the middle and extending, mechanically reforming and showing now two scatter barrels. <"Verpine, I love them.">.
Blasterfire erupts all around, with defenders trying to decide where they need to focus, confusion rising from the ranks when figures appear out of nowhere to rush towards the mining tower and incoming shots suddenly rain down from the perimeter. Those in the laborer camp begin to scatter for cover when it comes to shooting.
One of those whom had taken shots at Fae is shredded from the belly up, a firestorm of tibanna plasma raking them and crumpling the figure to the ground, <"Lady Fae, Nix, call if you need additional aid. I'm heading to distract from the demo team."> Hadrix answers her call for backup, pumping the charging action for his scatter blaster.
The defenders of the mining tower drop into positions, some strafing towards cover and others to kneeling positions for stability, hurling golden blaster bolts in all directions, trying to focus pockets of fire on those whom they can see.
Ordinarily, the Commandant's strike would have been fatal, a killing blow to a human. At first, Sumi seems human, brought to a knee as blood surfaces from her leg. The blood pours, it's dark and not oxygenated which was key in identifying when an artery was actually hit. She should have favored the leg, it should have kept her on her knee, but a few moments later, amidst the Commandant's confident laughter, Sumi stood back up to her height and put weight on her leg as if..
..nothing had happened at all.
The confusion registers in his frame, and Sumi seizes the moment, clocking him across the front of his helmet and shattering the visor in a single blow. He's dead. She felt it from the strike and saw it in how he lay, his head turned more than it should be. <"Rekk,"> is all Sumi says in disappointment as she toes the man to his back with the tip of her boot and straddles his chest, a booted foot at each side of his head.
<"A promise is a promise,"> She claims, dropping the mace and drawing out the knife. Down below, the Commandant's helmet lands, making a distinctly loud CLANG against the stone slab that rings out, LOUD. Sumi appears above a moment later holding the long-haired head of the dead Commandant, blood dripping from his mouth where she had removed their tongue.
At the first leg, Valeska looks across the way to see Hahtavi on the other side like a bigger yet near-exact image of herself. Setting explosive charges while their clanmates light up a firefight behind them. <<"A good bonding moment, yeah?">> She offers over to the older Mandalorian, her smile hidden behind the T-visor but easily expressed through the wireless connection of their communicators. <<"The stuff made for Life Day postcards and whatnot.">>
Valeska pounds the first ordnance into place and sets up the remote detonator. <<"First one on the burner. Waiting for the flame. Moving on to set the second.">> Or so she thought. As she bolts from the first leg to the side, a shot blitzes right past her. <"Kriff me.... watch it!"> She'd rather not have an errant shot hit the other ordnance and blow her up prematurely With them not hot on her heels, she cuts her trip short with a burst from her jetpack.
Val makes it to the next leg but not without nearly getting shot out of the sky. She lands hard with a bend of her knees to absorb the touchdown but is now favouring her dominant arm. Seems they have been well spotted<<"Taking fire! We might be in a bit of trouble, Hadrix. Tavi! Talk to me!">>
<"Nix! My little hero!"> Fae exclaims as she staggers forward in a rushed attempt to escape the Mandalorian guards who may or may not still be reeling from the Hapan's deft art of seduction. Her free hand lifts up to push towards the direction that she's running. It's that universal gesture of 'GO THAT WAY!' that doesn't typically need any extra vocalization. But that doesn't stop Fae Renta. <"Lots of contacts behind me! Go that way! Go go go go!"> Fae urges Nix to continue running with her.
She stops briefly to dump two more pulses of E-11 stun fire in the direction she arrived from, prompting an 'ARRRGH' and an 'HNNNNH' from two vocoded helmets as well as two additional flumps of bodies smacking down onto the ground.
<<"Lady Fae and Nix are en route to a third leg!">>
Thought is given for a few seconds as to how /best/ he might position the satchel charge for greatest possible effect on the supporting structure but Hahtavi doesn't know enough engineering and it's just a ready made satchel charge, so with a grimace he just maglocks the puppy against the steel on the protected inside and hopes for the best. <<"My first charge is set. Heading for another!">>
Turning, Hahtavi fires off his jetpack to move his shebs /fast/ to get to another of the tower's legs - a golden blaster bolt catches him full in the chest and spins him hard to the left, out of the air and hitting the sharp black stone. Armor scraped but otherwise unharmed, Haht starts to roll back to his feet just in time to get another bolt into his upper right arm between the plates. Durasteel soaks up the heat and makes him hiss in pain.
<<"I'm hit - but I'm fine. Still heading for the second.">> A quick check of his fellow Kora's status lights in his HUD as he tries to get moving again.
The little Mando stands up and runs after Fae, making sure she's behind her. Well, to be fair, she has shorter legs so she's behind her honestly. She looks at her rifle and lifts it up. She turns on a heel and fires the rifle. She watches the red move and just obliterate one of the guards but it's strange because the angle is changing. Confusion flits across her face before her back hits the ground hard and the gun lands on her chest. She groans and gets back up to run after Fae again trying to act like she totally meant to do that.
Sure enough, Terek's plan to duck back into cover to avoid getting shot by the hail of incoming gunfire works to perfection, as blaster shots bouunce off of where he was at. A moment later he peeks back out from behind his cover, taking a knee before he does in order to fire from a different position, as he double taps the guard he had missed the last time.
As soon as that guy goes down, he immediately changes targets and nails another guard square in the chest, "You could have avoided all of this!" He calls out over the sound of explosions and blaster fire. It's probably not heard by anyone, but it makes him feel better to yell it. They didn't choose this, even if they're showing them why they easily could have.
<<"Best make it quick, things are getting hectic out here...">> Blasterbolts slamming into his chest, forcing Al'Verde Kora to step back from the kinetics, then nearly knocking his scatterblaster out of his grip when a golden bolt ricochets off of his forearm. The hailstorm chipping away at The Boar-Wolf of Ealor's patience. Then injury reports begin coming in.
Their numbers thinning but determination remaining stony, some of those guards on the ground lift off with the scream of their jets carry them above Sumi's position to begin firing down at her while she takes her grotesque trophy from the commandant who had been battered down under the electrical mace's fury.
<<"Best move quick too, Gripper is giving sensor reports. We've incoming.">>
Concentrated fire sweeps like tracing beams from one Kora to the next as they stand their ground or make for their intended targets. Stone not lit by heat or the underglow of the magma in the fissures illuminated in false sunlight for the volume of it going out - the labor teams fully running to get clear of a firefight when they only have tools.
<"Rekk this... Rekk you lot."> a wet snarl from Hadrix when more blaster bolts find his and other's armor. Left hand dipping and twisting into an underhand lob that rises into a sloppy side-arm throw. <<"Danger close. Visor shades now.">>
Night becomes day. Heat is thrown in all directions on the back of nuclear winds when the sphere explodes vaporizing nearly half of the standing force of enemies in a twenty meter sphere like the pulse of a sun giving out its final roar that melts stone and erases tissue and metal in a single flash. <"Kriffing things...">
Sumi throws the head into the chaos below and watches as two warriors take to the air to attack her. With her hands free, she lunges to one side, tumbling as golden bolts spark along the balcony flooring. When she rises back up, she has a grenade in hand, the fuse lit when the spoon went flying. <"One.. two... three.. NNNGH!"> She takes two steps, one hand out in front of her used to aim the 'lob', while the other did the lobbing. The grenade sailed across the distance and exploded between the two flying Mandos, prompting one to lose their ability to fly and plummet, and the other went into janky flight patterns before finding his fellow down below. Sumi giggles as the debris settles, dusting her hands off to look down below.
<<"Yeah... me, too. Keep talkin' to me, Tavi.">> The receiver mic cuts out so that no one else can hear Valeska hissing and grunting in pain. The days out in the Mandalore wastelands have taken their toll and she's leaning up against the second leg for a bit of necessary support.
Her back is to the chaos, but she knows the warning signs. Just to be sure, the shades of her visor go down and for a moment, Valeska even closes her eyes. It's still hardly enough. THe hit of the thermal is strong enough to push into her back and light up the veins of her eyes in a momenary flash against darkness. Releasing her held breath, she returns to her task.
Made all the more difficult because she's only got full use of one arm. Her dumb left arm. She uses the right arm to hold the ordnance steady while the left fumbles with attaching and setting. <<"That'll have to do!">> Just like horseshoes and hand grenades.
She tries to jetpack to the fifth leg, but the pack sputters and she's doing a bit of a bunny hop across the sands to get there. Graceful.
Valeska's talking to him more than usual. They haven't spoken to one another much in ... well, quite some time really. Drifted apart. She gets a grunt over his coms, but otherwise like her Hahtavi just keeps his coms pickup off so nobody can hear his slightly strained breathing. Up against his next leg of the tower, Haht uses it to try and shelter himself at Hadrix's warning of the incoming thermal det.
The blast is bright and searing hot, a flash like a miniature nova. The tower takes the brunt of it but isn't dismayed by it.
His own right arm isn't much use - thankfully he's left handed. Hahtavi grits his teeth and gets the next charge planted carefully, positioning it better than his first one. Then he's moving again.
His coms are toggled, <<"Fourth charge is set. Doesn't sound like we have time to do anymore more. I hope four is enough!">> There's a lot of shooting and explosions out there to keep things interesting!
Nix watches the explosion go off and her eyes scan the skies. She keeps scanning to see everyone being shot and she turns and she puts her helmet on the loudest setting, speaker phone or something, <<"STOP SHOOTING MY PATIENTS!">> She snarls angrily as she lifts up her massive gun and aims to the fool who shot her Fae. She's not moving as she's covering the rear and just firing shots towards the hostiles. The tiny Mando takes a knee to balance and then she growls a little when she catches the guard who shot Fae. <<"ANYONE ELSE WANT TO SHOOT MY PATIENTS!?">> She screams as she obliterates the one guard.
Two bolts manage to catch Terek in his legs, one in each leg, sending him sprawling to the sand. He grunts in pain, <"Drek!"> He fires three rapid, unaimed shots at the direction of the guy who hit him, as he rolls behind cover, <"Damn, I am hurt. Might needs ome cover.">
<<"Copy. Get clear. Exfiltrate. Call out if you need assistance.">> Hadrix's double barreled boomstick speaks again, belching a flak cloud like hail of glowing red plasma shards into the chest of one of the guards, blowing glowing rib-shards and cooking meat out their back. Striding towards Nix and Fae's position now, even with fire being focused. Limning him in glowing gold like a figure painted into the center of a sunburst.
Plasma fire arches upwards to Sumi's position even with the fall of those who had lifted on jetpacks to contest her. Parts of the causeway going molten and the cloth awning above lighting on fire when another bolt sings past her shoulder.
Down below the massive cannon utilized by Nix is enough to draw attention, whether she likes it or not - both few remaining ground forces not aiming elsewhere attempting to bring down the diminutive assault gunner in their midst. All in the mix of sensor pings striking HUDs and a growling rumble coming from the west.
Vehicle spots showing, powerful illuminators stabbing light into the darkness.
Sumi leaps off the edge of the balcony and is supported by the propulsion of her jetpack, allowing her to pivot in place and fly backwards. Reaching up to tap the side of her helmet, the target acquisition arm lowers over her eye from outside the visor, the soft digital noise of the locking protocol indicating she had a good angle to fire. That's when the mitrinomin rocket ignites and flares into the sky high above only to arch down and connect with one of the remaining legs, dealing significant damage. Sumi did not maintain her position to watch, after the rocket released, she had turned to fly away. She felt the concussion of the blast afterwards though.
Valeska doesn't manage to get to the next leg of the tower before the exfil is called. <<"Kriff.">> Then comes in the rocket from on high and Valeska finds herself just a /little/ too close to the tower now. <<"Kriff!">> Leaping backwards, the entire structure shudders and now seems like a good time to make that hasty retreat.
Aaaaand of course her jetpack stalls. Still running the best she can, Valeska is pounding on the switch with her STUPID left hand trying to get the pack to kick over. All the while her right arm is tucked up tight against her body. And she's still dehydrated. Still exhausted. Still possibly halluciniting. Mildly. <<"Might... be in some trouble...">>
Don't pass out. That'd be a really dumb way to die. At least get to the perimeter and have some dignity! FINALLY the jetpack flares to light and Valeska takes to the sky for one final time tonight. As graveful as a drunk bumblebee but successfully getting out of boom range.
Well, it's time to go.
Fae limps her way over towards where Nix is beginning to move for cover. She gives a little pull of that shoulder and slings that shorter woman's arm up and over her neck. <"We're leaving,"> she says, having planted her charge. Six for six. She starts to move and attempts to run towards where the others are heading, but stumbles abruptly as she goes. Her attempt at supporting her tiny, angry little sister in arms has backfired. Unceremoniously, the Hapan tumbles forward onto her hands and knees and drags poor Nix with her!
When she attempts to rise, her legs get tangled with Nix's and... oop, down they go again!
<"No, yo-... no you I go? No. You g-- me?">
Queen Mother preserve us.
The little gunner takes a deep breath feels the shots hit her hard in the torso multiple times. She glances over to Terek. She is trying to assess and triage while she's missing parts of her. She feels the grab from Fae and she turns around. She isn't fighting that hard but she stumbles a little and then is dragged a little so she tries her best to get up but then she just rolls on top of Fae and then growls. <<"You are my patient! I protect you!">> She says lovingly angrily.
<<"Getting clear - and helping Terek. He looks to be having trouble.">> Fae's trying to help Nix and Hahtavi isn't yet aware that Valeska also is having trouble.
His own jetpack fires off and Hahtavi rises up into the air, away from the tower even as Sumi is launching a missile at it. /That/ is what he really, really wants to do but first his duty is to his fellow vod. So it is that Haht's boots hit the crunchy cooled lava rock and his gauntlets reach out to get hold of Terek. There's a grunt of pain that's forced out through his own vocoder, his right arm hurting as he hauls on Terek, <"Hold on, get you out of here.">
Soon as there's a firm grip on his vod, Haht is kicking off his jetpack again. The Siege armor's jets can lift a 1,000 lbs so even the two of them combined is easily lifted. Just in time for the heavy counter attack starts to roll in...
Terek's ready to go out with a bang as he holds off the enemy and covers the retreat, but he knows it won't come to that, because you leave no one behind. He tries to get himself clear but his jetpack won't fire, and he curses his luck as he rolls onto his knees, the pain shooting through him as he gets up and aims his blaster, only to find Hahtavi standing over him, "We've got to stop meeting like this." He jokes, before pushing through the pain to get to his feet and help them get the hell out of there.
Once they're safely on the ground he can worry about trying to stop the bleeding or maybe passing out. One of those things.
A metal monstrosity, part walker, part tracked craft crests a stony hill, sextuple legs helping maneuver it around the stones its heavy treads can't outright crush. Heavy repeaters on pintle mounts swivel in an attempt to rake fire on the one Mandalorian left in range when it clears the obstacle. Spinning barrels chewing up ground and bodies, forcing the remaining defenders to get clear or die to their allies guns.
In the middle of that chaos that Hadrix lands with a shaking THUD at the back of stumbling Nix and Fae, seeing the terrain and injuries taking their toll. His shotgun slung, gauntleted fingers wrap around belts at the small of their backs, <"Ladies...">
It's the main gun of the walker-tank that swivels around that appears to have better luck - but instead of a barrel it is the muzzle of an ancient droid. Shockwave rods extending and rumbling hypersonic to send bone shaking, skin tearing, pulses towards Sumi while she made good her getaway. Explosions backlighting her.
The first of the demolition charges goes off and it splits off a section of a tower support. Which draws a baritone warbling of panicked binary when the structure stands up. Mining lasers withdrawing and its entire form lifting in what feels like slow motion. Giant optics at the top of the structure engage, blazing red, rotating like an IG unit's sensors. It takes a step, away from the attackers, then stumbles and jamming a stump of one leg into the ground when the next charge goes off - blowing off a leg at the knee and summoning another lowing of pain from the droid.
Hadrix lifts off, jets coughing and screaming from the added weight before they are clear, more turret fire from the tank bracketing them. <"I need to teach you two to fly...">
The timing for the third charge is there, but the explosive makes a 'CHUFF' sound, then tumbles off of its mounting to the dig pit where it sparks and heaves up smoke. The titan of a droid continues its lumbering escape, when the fourth charge set erupts, twisting metal and forcing it to rotate its functional limbs suddenly. A tripod stance. Stable enough to continue and it passes over the Walker-Tank when the final charge, set by Fae goes off.
The sudden loss of balance, the damaged limbs. The ground shakes and molten lava is shaken up onto the hills and shallow valleys with the collapse of the mining droid. Metal deforming, bending, curling with its slow descent. A grinding crack like the earth breaking open to swallow it mingling with plaintive cries of the automata being hurled down by gravity to the unforgiving embrace of Mandalore's surface. Its power cores are breeched, go critical.
The sun is born a second time this evening when it bursts.
But the sapper team is clear, pushed maybe by the concussion. And the mission is a success.
In Sumi's get away, one of the explosions claim her, but it is not evident. She's taken from the sky to land in some distant part, colliding with the sand and rolling down a heal. By all accounts, she seems dead..
..until she coughs, and shakes the sand loose from her armor in setting up.
