Log:Mandalore: Line in The Sand

A climatic battle in Mandalore's Ragelands

OOC Date: April 2, 2023
Location: Mandalore
Participants: Amaia Dara, Terek Rosol, Faath Kora, Bizz Bliprtettjupp, Jallo Dara, Verra Kloo, Eirik and Hadrix Kora as GM

Days of back and forth pushes and withdrawals had turned the plains overlooked by Bine'Sikur Mountain into a crater pocked landscape marked with slit trenches cut with det-charges under fire, cover assembled from earth pushed up by repulsor craft or from the wreckage of walkers and speeders extinguished of fire and reinforced with sand or soil shoveled into the gaps.

Slug and blaster fire criss-crossed intermittently, with rocket and artillery punctuating the exchanges by means of explosions hurling dirt and bodies. The ground gained one day had been lost the next. Medical corps on either side kept working around the clock and those few instances where the weapons fire had ceased the momentary call for chow or a few precious moments for troops to rotate out to get a few hours sleep.

<<"Won't be long until the fighting sweeps this way again.">> hunkered in one of the trenches, rifle resting on its stock next to him, Hadrix Kora looks over a datapad mounted to his forearm, information matching his HUD and being transmitted to others nearby, <<"Suggestions?">> visor'd gaze sweeping around, pooling for strategy today it seems.

Then the whistle of artillery nears, causing he and others in the trench to duck and throw arms over their heads in preparation of flying debris.

Here she was again, against her better judgement. Mai Dara, who never met a ship she didn't like. Hunkered down with her usual kit, though she had somehow acquired a new weapon, as yet untried, as she took a knee behind some defensive cover, observing the incoming forces. <<"If you want me honest opinion, Al'verde Kora, we're a bunch of pea shooters against cannons here. We need to bring as much heavy armament as we can muster and glass their forces. We're losing time and bodies to a war of attrition. Plenty of fun, in the short term, until you're the last man standing and all the rest of your compatriots are dead."

<"Mines?"> Offers Terek to Hadrix as he looks across at the display that's being transmitted, <"Outside of that or artillery I don't know if we have enough manpower. But we'll make it work."> The amount of fighting has been rather exhausting, but they've been making it work, no matter what their enemies throw their way.

Terek does pull his W-35 from the holster on his thigh though, giving it a quick check over, <"I could go get the missile launcher."> His plans always seem to involve explosions.

The doctor of Clan Kora has been making sure her family is healed and looking well. She also opened up her clinic to others who need help. However, today she arrives not as a doctor but the Mini-Juggernaut of Clan Kora. Faath is sitting beside Hadrix and she is adjusting something on her massive modified T-21. She really do like that gun.

She turns slowly to stare at Hadrix and then the woman sighs quietly. She brushes her hair back out of her face, quickly getting her hair up in a bun behind her head. The white streak in her hair staying out of the bun. She pulls on her helmet and gives her idea. <<"Let them come.">> A very annoyed and growling voice can be heard from the behind the visor. She grabs her gun and looks through the sight. <<"You start bombing. They start bombing. Same thing.">> She stands up but is no where near as high as the trench. She growls something quietly and cracks her neck, not giving her opinion yet.

Brother Bizz had come to Beskar Mountain to petition the Mandalore Din Djarin for nihil obstat and funding of his expeditionary dig to find the legendary beskar-stringed balalaika of Hod Ha'ran. But of course his audience was pushed back because of military matters taking precedence. So he went to the trenches, helping the wounded, telling them about the wondrous Force, and complaining about the quality or lack of alcohol. "Incoming!" He huddles against a trench wall and covers his bald head.

Jallo had arrived a bit late but better than never. Unslinging a large MK Sniper rifle from behind his back he checks the shot count before he looks around some, <"Depends on what you're bombing them with. It'd take a while to get over here but Clan Dara can field something that could... Level the playing field so to speak. But it would have to be a decisive strike. We'd need them to gather all their forces thinking they've won for it to work or they'll regroup and begin bombing as well.">

<<"Well, most of our armor is tied up tying down a bunch of theirs...">> keeping on comms to avoid people having to listen over explosions, armor ringing with dirt and small stones plinking off of his beskar, Hadrix grumbles some to himself. Standing enough to tilt his head back and peek his visor over the lip of the trench.

Another volley of fire putting his head down again and rubbing the heel of his palm against a touch of carbon scoring from a shot that came a little -too- close while he was up there.

<<"If we can cross En-Em-El and get to the emplacement they have tucked into their trench, get a few shots off before they focus fire... Or if we can get targeting beacons in place we could use the Dara approach... The Resolve is currently holding over the Butte while we're stuck on our shebs up here.">>

A group of repulsor craft shriek past, headed from the Mountain to the front, trying to gain footing, repeater cannons chattering at the Warlord's line, arching south as they go - to keep from a deadly head to head that hasn't worked the half dozen other times it's been tried.

<<"Anyone else have a bright idea, I'm all ears.">>

Mai, who had no other idea to offer, instead took the time to think out all of her options, before she spoke again, <<"I could move to try to get to their emplacement and capture it for our use.">> Of course that would be a lot of fighting to get there, but, well, that was the job, yes? She did look over at her Alor, "You ordered a replacement gunner yes?" Clan Dara might end the night short a body.

<"I'm definitely on the side of the planting beacons plan."> Terek chimes in, <"Outside of that, rigging up their ammunition if we can get into their base."> If they can get that deep in there maybe they can take the whole base, who knows. That's not the plan though.

Faath thinks as she watches them shoot at Hadrix. She no longer laments being so short. She listens to his plan and grunts quietly. <<"Tanks win trenches.">> She points out quietly to the trench who she assumes all knows that. <<"One team to distract and offer covering fire while another team stealths over there and steals a bigger gun?">> She frowns at that idea. There is a moment that the doctor glances to all the faces before a bolts fly over head which are interrupting her thinking.

She readies her gun and her hands tense on it while she really tries to focus on what she needs to do. More bolts overhead and the woman seems to get very irriated. She bends her knees and leaps... a little off the ground, in fact, it's a little bounce. She fires off her gun. <<"Stop it!">> She hollers out rather irritated and she lands. <<"They are wasting bolts. They should wait until they see us.">>

Brother Bizz eventually finds a proper can of sweet Mandalorian black ale. He also tunes his in-ear comm frequency to the trench section. "Uh. What is En Em El? Is that No Man's Land?! I don't think we want to go there." He cracks open the can and slurps it, steadying his nerves.

Jallo shakes his head, <<"Not yet. I'd prefer to not need a replacement just yet.">> As he thinks on options he sighs, <<"The Lunar isn't in system so it would take more time for her to get here but we could have a Bunkerbuster available.... As one knows you're closest to death when you're going in for the killing strike... Perhaps a bit of deception to force them to gather up their forces more?">>

Verra Kloo wades into the back and forth of combat. Blaster bolts fly this way and that, and the armored scout ducks low. She unslings her Firelance, confident she actually has ammunition for it this time! She hunkers down and looks towards the ones that Faath are firing towards. She shoulders the rifle and pulls the trigger. <<Verra of Clan Kloo comin' in hot. Need my somewhere?,>> she calls over the comm.

<<"Tanks don't win trenches.">> Hadrix mutters, head turning fractionally towards Faath when she pops up to start shooting, the frown audible in his tone, looking next to Jallo, <<"And I doubt we could get them to muster up in a nice cluster for an orbital strike.">> peeking up again for just a moment before he is dropping below a fusillade of fire scorching overhead. In truth the battle line was several miles north to south, a dotted line with clusters of troops and potential passages east and west that would become kill-boxes if attempting to traverse them.

Another exchange of mounted repeaters and small arms going back and forth, a whistle of a rocket and an explosion behind the gathered position noting the end of an unguided trajectory that missed the main battle line. <<"Kloo, Deathsnake, settle in. We're probably in the midst of a stalemate...">> the big man looks back to Jallo, <<"But if we can punch a hole in the,">> looking to Bizz, <<"No man's land, we could put a wedge in, either force them back and gain ground... Maybe force them to wheel west so we can open up a northern travel corridor.">> checking the charges of his weapon and then looking to the others.

<<"We can still try to grab that arty emplacement, but I'd rather not throw Amaia's life needlessly if it goes to shavit.">>

Well, they were certainly not going to get anywhere just laying in wait in a trench. Mai turned, looking across at the Miraluka, her Alor, whom she had know since she was a child. Since she had been young enough to steal his tools and have him chase her through the clan ship with humor and not anger. Mai reached out, laying a hand on Jallo's forearm, before she pushed off, moving low and fast as she could, shooting and scooting as she moved towards the emplacement. She was a heavy gunner, damnit, she was going to try to heavy gun. She managed to shoot down one of the enemy who was foolish enough to stick a head above the trenches, but the other two shots only went wide.

This should at least get them to put their heads down. Terek takes a grenade off of his bandolier and throws it with his left hand, a wide arc that falls short and throws a bunch of dirt and debris into the trench but doesn't do any actual damage.

Faath Kora turns to stare at Hadrix. She doesn't argue but she does watch the others start shooting so she grabs a little crate and gets on it to rest the gun against the ground as she aims for a second and then shoots. She grumbles quietly and gets back into the trench. She shakes her head and then preps for the next shot. Her leg twitches a little before she gets up again to peek at the field of battle. <<Explicit words>> She grunts as she gets back down and turns to stare at Hadrix. She shakes her head and then glances back up over the trench.

Jallo just nods when Amaia gives him that tap knowing what she's about to do. Coming up a bit Jallo's sniper rifle lines up and a bolt of flaming death slams into one of the enemy trench fighters the shot blasting them down before they could fire at Amaia, <<"Make sure you rain fire and death on them when you've gotten that turret.">>

Verra Kloo watches Amaia begin to charge, and the woman takes a deep breath. She readies her Firelance and stares down the sight, drawing a bead on the soldiers in the distance. She squeezes the trigger and fires a spray of hot, colored plasma. Soldiers topple into the dirt, badly injured, and she cannot help but grin to herself under her helmet. <<It's like they wanna die.>>

Eirik watching Amaia take off he lines up a shot and pulls the trigger one gets hir and stumbled. <<I'm on her six!>> He radios back doing a quick equipment check before getting ready to charge forward

<<"Tanks roll over trenches and get det-charges slapped on their weaker bottom armor, don't give me that look.">> the growl in the back of the big man's throat before he calls out <<"Up and over. COVERING!">>

Hadrix is up with Amaia when Dara leads the charge, bouncing backwards from the trench wall to the opposite, feet planting and hurling himself into the thick of it at a run - selector switch on the side of the smaller of his rifles clicked over to the bottom and the hissing whine of tibanna pressurizing is added to the mix.

The surge from the section of the line putting down heads for a spare breath, drawing attention from friend and foe that turns the area into a lightshow of deadly plasma that churns up dirt and sends bodies tumbling to the ground on either side. Rifles and carbines come up and over to meet the attacking forces, the Warlord's forces calling out battle orders.

A crimson explosion rips into part of the line, hurling bodies out of the earthworks, opening a path for Amaia and drawing fire on Al'Verde Kora in the form of a set of low caliber slug rounds flattening on the cuirass of his armor, shooting up sparks around him as the big man's legs pump to keep him up with Mai.

<<"Terek... y'asked... How I'm fast... on short... distances.">> measured breaths making his banter stilted.

Mai did not look back. Amaia Dara never looked back. She simply trusted that she had support at her back. And to the sides, and a little ahead as the way was opened for her and she ran as quickly as it was possible for her to do on the rough and chewed up terrain. She continued firing, the big gun barking its displeasure as she took down a pair more of the entrenched enemy mandalorians. She was almost there (wasn't she?), she could make it a little further.

The doctor follows the rest and starts to charge. Faath levels her gun up and shoots at someone who was very lucky to not be hit. She keeps rushing after Mai and pushes faster but she is still losing ground. Little legs, heavy armor, heavy gun after all. She keeps moving and keeps her eyes on the field as she avoids any major holes to fall into.

Terek's charge is a terrible idea, in retrospect, as he gets shot almost immediately after getting out of the trench as he gets blasted in the arm, his own shots going wide at the defenders as he gets hit, staying upright but grunting in pain as continues to try to push forward.

Jallo raises up to sight in and fire on anybody aiming at the folks charging for the artillery... The shot barely missing however he does adjust to look towards Terek who's getting pounded from the enemies.

Eirik charges forward taking two shots both going way wide. He's not as young as he used to be but he still moves pretty quick, and one of them gets off a luck shot hitting him in his right arm. <<Kriff that hurt, that guys gonna pay!>>

Mounted repeaters from either side of the field are pivoted for the figures crossing the No Man's Land - voices on from both forces calling out for destruction or encouragement. Amaia's charge aided further by another solidly placed blast from the plasma grenade setting from Al'Verde Kora opening a ramp of sorts for her to make for the emplacement.

The way looking clear, a moment opened when the sky suddenly shakes and ground is churned apart like a drilling tool was plowing through it. The air split by shockwave cannons mounted on the 'face' of the titanic battle droid slamming down to the ground on two feet. The swing of its head sending an arc of destruction towards Hadrix and forcing him to dive to one side before it rears back and shoulder mounts extended, blaster cannons and rocket pods deploying.

Warlord Rudinark's Basilisk.

<<"Amaia... we might need to advance back to our side...">> heavy breathing distorting the big man's words as he scrambles for his footing.

Unfortunately, for one, the Basilisk droid that just launched itself into the battle was probably between Mai and her team, and second, she was already too far to get back without making herself an even better target. And the shot that threw the ship's gunner off her feet did not help either. Thankfully, the force of it threw her away from the enemy and not towards it, and the rattataki curled into a ball, protecting her weapon, as she took the worse of the impact from the blast on the flat of her back and side. She was nearly to the emplacement now, but she took the time to stab some painkillers on her screaming leg before she looked for a way to cross the final distance to the emplacement.

Faath turns her eyes to see the massive droid and then glances to were Amaia disappeared to. <<"Covering fire.">> She drops to a knee and turns her massive rifle to the droid and sends off a red bolt into the droid. She will protect Mai's escape and stay until her family is safe again.

Jallo's attention rapidly shifts towards the Basilik as it comes into play the MK Sniper rifle shifting over but not lining up even the slightest before he pulls the trigger shooting where he expected it to go but getting nowhere near where it actually went. <<"This'uns big. We got the firepower nearby for it?">>

Terek's blaster shots finally find home, as he skids into cover, finding something to at least avoid incoming fire for a moment. The arrival of the Basilisk makes him frown under his helmet. He's tempted to change fire to the droid, but he instead continues to fire on the trenches, trying to keep their heads down.

He wishes he'd brought the missile launcher.

Pulling himself up enough to roll into the dip with Amaia near the cannon emplacement, visibly shaking from his close encounter. A mix of adrenaline and shock mingling as he checked the charge on his weapon, <<"So. This seems fun.">> a burst of a laugh on the edge of his words before he chins a broad-comm channel, <<"I mean... we can keep shooting it. But be ready to back off if we can't get backup... If you don't know your history on these...">>

The war droids were a sort of evolution, when a species that ancient Mandalorians, from before even the Cold War or the Hyperspace Wars, had been enslaved and 'domesticated' into war mounts eventually died out under their controllers yolk. To be replaced by these metal monstrosities that served for centuries until the majority of them had been lost at Malachor.

To find one was lucky, if it was working; even more so. Now there was a chance to turn part of the field and alter the course of the fight in the plains below Beskar Mountain; at least if they don't get ripped to pieces by this thing. Ancient as it is, but seeming no less deadly for all of this time and the limited resources on Mandalore to keep it running.

Well, if they were lucky, Mand'alor's forces could put the thing down and remove a significant threat in the Warlord's arsenal.