Log:Mandalore: The Wasteland Way - Noisy Neighbors

Mandalore: The Wasteland Way - Noisy Neighbors

OOC Date: May 30, 2021 (Optional)
Location: Mandalore
Participants: Sumi Kora, Hahtavi, Avery Ihala Kora, Zelo Parrai, Evie Leven, Valeska Jaivon, Terek Rosol and Hadrix Kora as GM Clan Kora Mandalorian

Convoy work. With Sumi's negotiations having the Saiwali clan on the verge of joining with Wazzum and Baza - it was a matter of bringing promised supplies to show that Concord Dawn was serious about its works on the surface of Mandalore.

Now it was only a matter to make good on that promise - with two large speeder trucks hauling food, water and equipment as the opening show of good faith. It's been loud in the sector, unfortunately. Fighting off the Smoke-Crawler clan, a near altercation with the air-skiff nomads. Ships moving back and forth to and from Vroxx Canyon.

There was growing numbers of craft in the desert. The Shriek-Hawks are circling, looking for morsels. <<"Keep your eyes peeled and be ready to call out enemy craft or units. If they're not our current ally clans they're potential threat.">> Hadrix looms in a sling-seat on the back of one of the heavy trucks, positioned to be able to provide fire support or tactical overwatch as needed.

There was plenty of room for others on the trucks to assure against confusion for transit as needed and kilometers of desert with almost too much open terrain - at both detriment and benefit of parties involved.

Helmet on and held and at the ready resting on her lap, Valeska rides with the convoy. She listening intently to the voices around her. Hadrix's isn't hard to make out and the orders are very clear. Good. She'll need that clarity. Though not knowing who is an ally or not, she is keeping her eyes trained on those around her. She'll shoot what they shoot.

Mandalore itself has already burned into her memory. This maiden voyage promising to be something not easily forgotten. Perhaps later, she will have a moment to reflect if she should've just stayed on Dantooine, but for now there is a job to do and damnit, she will see it done.

Zelo Parrai is set up in the back of one truck with the supplies, using one viewport as a steady for the bipod of that big and terrible SX-451, ready to pivot if some armor comes in and needs something to deter it. But as he aims out the viewport with his E-11 - that fearsome gun of immense import - the gleaming blue Mandalorian's black-pool eyes are down the sights but perhaps his head is elsewhere. The Nautolan has nothing much to chime in, no details, nor anything to report. Idle conversation is at a minimum.

Avery sits quietly on an equipment crate in one of the speeders, resting across his lap is a different gun for a change, the smoke colored Mandalorian deciding to go with the A280 to start. The massive blaster is rested upon casually while his eyes scan the horizon for any signs of approaching irritations, an occasional head tilt to turn his darkened T-Visor to the sky. So far nothing had appeared on his HUD, usually a good sign but in a place like Mandalore one should always expect the unforeseen.

His eyes would slip occasionally to the Mercenary that was offered to come along, his lips pulling into a thin line as he ponders how she's doing. <"How're you feeling?"> Avery asks Val, supposing one way to find out the answer to his question would just be to ask. As he awaits her answer a flashing of orange appears on his HUD, notifying the wearer of the Doomseeker Armor that something was afoot. Zoomed in and focused there appeared some dust that was being kicked up high into a cloud, a large enough disturbance to suggest ground vehicles of some type approaching. Whatever their intent, he switches to comms to let the group know. <<"Just as a heads up, looks like we got movers coming in South East of us. Marking as unknown on HUDs...">> and with the press of a button on his wrist, those assembled would see the cloud marked in yellow on their displays.

Hahtavi has been busy co-ordinating with Sumi over their air support and suitable ordnance to be sure they will have air support and something to handle anything large and armored that might show up. Once he's satisified, then he takes the Tal'onidir up, the kimogila's repaired engines rumbling as she gains altitude. Inside of the cockpit, Hahtavi watches his electronics for targets to light up on his HUD as he closes with the convoy's position. He comes down slowly from about 10,000 feet, easing down about halfway as he comes in over the convoy. Low enough he can view the ground but not so close that he has no room to manuver if missiles come up from below.

His homeworld is spread out below him, the convoy just ahead. Hearing Avery's report, the Tal'onidir angles further towards the south east to try and get eyes on to see what's kicking up that dust cloud.

<<" Koras, Hahtavi. I have the convoy on visual and the dust cloud, over. ">> A minute or so passes as Hahtavi brings his craft closer to get a look but careful not to get too close and draw their fire, yet, <<" I see multiple wheeled craft with ICE and ion-pulse locomotion attempting an intercept. They may or may not get ahead of you, over. ">>

Having brought his own ride for once, Terek is riding alongside the convoy proper, his Nightfalcon looking way too shiny to fit on this planet. At least this far out of the city proper. Still, he's tagging along well enough, seeming to have found himself in a nice position to play guard for now. He pulls back along side the trucks for a second and keys his radio, <"Heads up, the north looks clear but I do see some folks out there, foot mobiles. Could possibly be artillery spotters or scouts. Eyes up.">

He could probably shoot out ahead of the group and run those guys off, but he thinks it best to stick with the convoy for now until someone says otherwise. They could just be wanderers or scavengers after all.

<<"If something is moving to intercept, we need guns up. Let them know they're biting something that bites back.">> Sumi's voice is slightly raspy, like she's been using it a lot within the last few recent days. The tone is cold though, implying she's ready to get down and dirty to spill more blood on blood soaked sand. To make true this implication, she rises and unhooks a T27 assault rifle from its combat lock, priming its receiver by yanking back its charging handle to initiate a high-pitched whining noise.

The optic lens caps on the scope are propped to the 'up' position and she tosses the sling over her mid-section, cinching it tight with a firm yank that goes 'ziiiiiiiip'. The weapon's buttstock is fed under her arm, 'chicken-winged' with its muzzle trained down for now. It seemed Sumi was ready to throw down her gauntlet... or at least smack someone across the face with it.

<<"Par'te Mando'ad te'haat'kyr kyr'am. Te'Mando'ad nayc'chaab kyr'am, Par'ibac takisit oya'la.">> Hadrix is talking to himself, but loud enough that his commlink mic is picking it up. The 'soft' setting for the repulsor trucks minimizing their rise and fall in their steady pace across the uneven terrains of the wind blown sands. Passage was made smoother, at the cost of a little more kick-up from the engines sometimes sweeping so low to the ground.

<<"Te'Mando'ad kar'taylir val nu'liser shukalar buruk, a'par buruk'ika val'liser mav'ashie teh chaab">> the big man pivots in his seat and some of those in the trucks likewise. Personal cannon lifting to check down the rangefinder to where Avery points out and Hahtavi confirms then to what Terek sights to the north.

<<"Copy, eyes peeled. Zelo, if we come under fire don't wait for a weapons free order.">> The first of the buggies leaping over a rise, some tri-wheeled ground craft with outside back ends. Massive engines over revved as they cut across the sand, each buggy carrying a passenger with a variety of bladed weapons clearly intended for close combat.

All of their helmets seem slopped with paint that has darkened to ruddy black, chipping away in parts. Various skins and limbs withered and dangling from the spikes and saw blades of their hook covered armor.

<"Oh, never better,"> comes the reply from Valeska's helmet as it swivels towards the man in the Doomseeker armour. <Sand. Sun. I feel like I'm on the beach right now sipping cocktails.> Though filtered and robotic, there's no small amount of mirth. That quickly dissolves with the new update and the targets reading on her sensors.

Squaring her shoulders, Valeska draws her pistol to a more ready position; her thumb flicking and bringing the DL-30 to life with a gentle, manacing hum. She looks up as Hahtavi's shiscreams overhead towards the dust cloud. There it is: that familiar tension like a spring wound tightly right before it breaks and unleashes all its energy.

And there it is. The targets come into view and Valeska is now officially on the job. Getting the buzzers in her line of sight, she zeroes in on one of the operators and grins. <"You're going to have a bad day, friend."> Two blaster bolts scream out rapid-fire from the smallest gun in the convoy. It hits its mark, but the mark is still alive and Valeska immediately adjusts her aim, ready to fire again.

Zelo makes out the targets, marked on his IFF interface, and pulls up the barrel of the SX-451, glad to have assembled it ahead of time. Switching to thermal scope again to cut through the dust and sand being kicked up, when his sights settle on a driver in the middle of the pack. <<"Convoy, this is Zelo. Opening fire.">> Maybe he shouldn't have announced that before beginning his engagement. Maybe that delay was the difference between a palpable hit and one less vehicle on the board, and the explosion of feathers as a gleaming purple bird crosses the sniper's barrel just at the moment of the trigger's pull. The spray of feathers muffles the cursing coming through the sniper's vocoder - thankfully not still on comms. Instinctively, a few of the feathers are grabbed at and cleared to ensure nothing gets in the way of the barrel while the anti-armor rifle recharges.

<"After we get off this planet, I think that's something we should actively engage in."> Nothing sounds better than a cocktail on a beach right now. However, instead of relaxation and good surf, they get roving bands of marauders. With the all clear to open fire, and Val's and Zelo's blast thrown in the mix, Avery prepares to exchange blaster fire. He sweeps the four foot long blaster into his hands, steadies the stock in the crook of his shoulder, and the barrel on the side of the speeder. <<"Got it, giving them something to think about.">> He replies as he sights down the weapon.

Seconds later the blaster bucks in his hands, loosing a searing red bolt at one of the encroaching vehicles. The fire removes the driver from the controls finding the speeder suddenly with a lack of it. It jukes hard and drives its nose into the ground, throwing up more sand and dirt as its passenger miraculously leaps from the crashing vehicle to another. Avery tsk's and draws down on the next target that approaches. <"Welcome to Mandalore, Valeksa.">

In the air above the convoy, Hahtavi hears Hadrix's words in Mando'a. The pilot nods and quietly, not over his coms, he offers up a rare thing to any who might hear as they prepare for battle here on Manda'yaim. "Lo ogir vaabir Ni haa'taylir ner buir; lo ogir vaabir Ni haa'taylir ner buir, ner vode bal ner ori'vod; lo ogir vaabir Ni haa'taylir te briik be ner adate, norac at te cin vhetin. lo, val vaabir Jor'chaajir ni, val bid ni hiibir ner taap joruur, o'r te bral, nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la, vaii te kotir oyacyir atiniir..."

Something he's recited to himself in private before when things might get dicy, if he had time, but never aloud where the others might hear him - yet. As he comes around and starts closing to seek out a target to get this party started, Hahtavi begins marking targets for all of the others for their HUD's so they can track the enemy even if the dust gets too thick to see. <<" Marking targets. Looks like they brought light, fast speeders. I'm not seeing anything heavy, yet, over. ">> Maybe it'll help his team mates nail the small, fast craft more easily.

The Kimogila roars in low and starts firing the canons, tearing up the ground and running through the enemy formation. Some very near misses but no hits. Hahtavi's ship is shooting past too fast for him to see if he hit them but none of the markers on his HUD have been obliterated, growl. Let's see if he can keep his ass from being shot down in the desert this op!

Once the attack starts, Terek frowns inside of his helmet. This part is always crazy. He revs his engine on his speeder and shoots forward, beginning to weave in and out of the other vehicles. He spots the shot take out one of the drivers, but the guy is still upright.

Whipping his vehicle around, he pulls alongside the vehicle and opens up with his pistol, blasting three shots into the cockpit, smoking the driver, but leaving himself open for the passenger to jump out onto his speede, <"Hey! No free rides!"> He tries to shoot the unwanted rider, but it's hard in this close of quarters all at once.

Sumi leaps out the back of one of their vehicles and initiates her jetpack right before she would have hit the ground. It wasn't the best ignition of her back, and part of her seemed concerned it wouldn't light at all, so the fear-spamming the ignite button sent her back-pedaling in the air to land poorly atop their vehicle. It sounds like a brick hit the top and tumbled; for any that watched, she wiped out.

Neverminding any embarrassment that came from a poor landing, Sumi recoverd by rising to a kneeling position to fire. She lined up her shot, tipped the rifle up; added a bit of 'Tatooine Windage' to account for leading the moving target, and fired.

THUUUUUNK! (Grenade sound firing)

BOOOOOOOM!

The grenade splashed, impacting some poor soul full-frontal and turning his guts to spaghetti noodles and ground beef. The explosion was largely concealed since the blast was more a shaped charge than a high explosive. As such, a cloud of pulverized blood mists, peppering their speeder post explosion. Sumi pumped the breach on her weapon to clear it, ejecting a steaming, orange-hot cylinder that clanked loudly at her feet and rolled off. She fed a new tibanna shell in to arm the charge.

Right now, the (other) woman in blue armor might not be at her best -- she's still feeling the effects of helping Gor Bullet and his crew the last time out -- but the saying holds. , On every battlefield that her family appears, she'll be there. So she's bracing herself as best she can against the wall of a speeder truck, aiming her rifle out through one of the windows towards one of their foes. <<"Alright, Evie, steeeeeady, steeeeeady...">>

• BANG!*

The sound that comes from the Dresselian is loud and impresssive, but the actual bullet? Not so much, screaming harmlessly into the air to stop only when gravity takes hold.

Some of the oncoming craft are sent into blazes with drivers eliminated and no one to keep them under control at high speed. Cartwheeling engineering monstrosities that twist into balls of exploding ion engines or combustible fuels, those close quarters warriors mounted behind leaping to keep from being lost behind in the desert sands.

Moving on their intercept; the high speed, open top, buggies rush up to begin offloading howling savages who raise their cutting implements while they charge towards Sumi, Hadrix and Avery - trying to disable or dislodge then so that they can get into the cabs of the drivers. One pair moving on Sumi with a pair of hooked blades each, shrieking at her as they dip and lunge, now close enough to see layers of dried blood coating their helmets. Gruesome displays of past battle.

<<"Val, Zelo - take care of speeder drivers if you can. Keep them from boxing us - Avery, Evie and Sumi can handle the boarders.">> Hadrix's rumble coming over comms, with the sounds of blades hitting his beskar or grunts of his evade strikes. Meanwhile he puts example to method - plasma wrapped durasteel bolts slamming into one of the raider drivers and blowing his guts out over the desert before the buggy flips and spins into the distance, followed by another plowing nose first with a drive only half there in a literal sense.

Another is on Avery, jabbing a spear at the slicer, legs wide for balance while gouging strikes are aimed with the intent of gutting the man, to drag him out and cast him over if the marauder can find purchase for their weapon.

And at long last the freeloading raider on the back of Terek's speeder snarls and attempts to put their blade in his neck - even at the risk of being dumped to their death should they be successful. Bloodlust does crazy things to maniacal hoards, after all.

Sun and sand turns so quickly into explosions and chaos. Such is a day on Mandalore, it would seem. Quips are gone. Chatter, gone. There is no hum of the engines. No screaming of savages. The training has kicked in and instincts animate her now. Time to show what a little gun can do.

Leaning onto the edge of the vehicle, Valeska's helmet tilts slightly to the side. Unmoving and focused. Hadrix's voice clips into her ear and she anwers with a flat, serious tone. <Got it.> The first to enter her sights is flailing with his wheel; the machine lurching and weaving to maintain control against grenades and pelting fire. With a burning of atmosphere, she gives him one less thing to worry about.

A shift of her weight and a glide of the barrel finds the next driver: futilely trying to duck for half-cover behind his dash. Another angry red bolt removes the upper half of his skull. The third driver, however, seems to have two chits to rub together. He notices the fatal pattern and swerves hard to the left: Valeska's last shot burning a hole into the seat right behindh is head.

Next time.

<<"Switching weapons, you'll have to keep them off the supply truck until then. Over.">> Zelo lets the SX drop on its bipod swivel, growling to himself at how quickly the vehicles had come up. Something he should have accounted for. He blames the bird. It's always a bird's fault. Tenderly, he cradles the E-11 as he triggers the safety off and hears the warming whine of deadly plasmic charge. Always a little slow on the first charge. Hopefully that isn't going to cost the Mandalorian convoy any lives.

One good shot away and suddenly they're beset by screaming wastelanders, swinging and chopping for blood. A vicious swing with a spear whistles harmlessly by when one of the Redcaps launches themselves onto the speeder to engage. Unfortunately for Avery but fortunately for the foe, the A280 is a liiiiiittle to big to bring to bear at such close quarters. Thus, thinking quickly, Avery ignites his jetpack and gives it just enough power to throw him toward the person, his shoulder dropped trying to barrel them from the speeder. Instead of relieving the crew of an unwanted passenger, he finds himself up close to a blood-thirsty female who might find this sort of closeness as an invitation to other things. <"Um.... sorry, you're not my type."> He replies, regardless of the initial desire, the savagery in the woman's face twists greater at the Mandalorian's rebuke leaving Avery fumbling with his weapon to try and switch to a smaller gun.

It's getting a lot harder for Hahtavi to pick out targets now the speeders have closed in tight with the convoy. He brings the kimogila around for another run and is very, very careful to choose his next target - one of the speeders closing in on one of the supply trucks. His twin canons fire before it can close with the truck, blowing the speeder's back end and ruining it's driver's day for sure.

The Tal'onidir roars low overhead and pulls up to get more altitude for a look see. Within moments Hahtavi's voice comes over their coms, << "Team, Hahtavi. Be advised I see a stripped down repulsor /tank/ coming your way from the east. Looks like it has added thrusters and a lot of people packed on it. I'm going for it, over." >>

Val's voice, he also heard over the coms - briefly, so he knows she's doing all right so far. The Koras will be keeping an eye on her like they watched his six when he was new on their ops. Hahtavi can't tell details about who's doing what from his high up vantage point but it doesn't look bad. He heads for that tank, throttling up for his run.

With the guy on his speeder trying to stab him, Terek quickly dodges a few strikes, and blocks one of the stabs at him, "Damnit!" He yells at the guy, letting go of the hand and then slamming on the brakes on his speeder. With the sudden cesation of momentum, the unprepared passenger goes flying, cartwheeling through the air end over end.

Terek has to immediately floor it again in order to not get run into by the guys behind him. It's a tricky maneuver, but he pulls it off.

When they had a boarding party climbing up to disrupt their convoy, Sumi had to commit to close quarters and that meant orienting her larger rifle to her back. She does just that, twisting back around and rising to full height. At first, it looked like she intended to fight unarmed, but then the SNAP HISS announced the activation of a violet blade from an electrum hilt, the white gold catching the sun just right when she brought the weapon up, orienting it to a high-guard and preparing to cut down when the poor soul foolishly runs toward her. <<"Good luck, Hahtavi.">>

Working on the ground has never been Evie's area of expertise; not unless it's working on a craft, or even hammering out a business deal. But, you never get better at something without trying, but when it comes to combat, rarely do things line up as nicely as a shooting gallery would. Thus, why she's defending the truck against boarders... with her rifle.

<<"You've got it, vod. I'll do my best!">> Evie declares, shoving the barrel of her weapon out a window and into one of the would-be boarders guts. Another BANG! This one far too close to miss, but not managing to hit any vital organs. Someone needs to study her anatomy a bit!

The few remaining buggies continue their maneuvering, angling for positions to get a pair of each of their number on the front and sides of the convoy, trying to slow them - stop them if they can, only to be maneuvered around or muscled past by the Journeyman drivers along for the ride. Sand explodes next to one, a blast crater akin to an HE grenade going off as Hadrix is pushed backward in his sling seat - so hard that he is nearly spilled over the side of the truck by the sheer kick of it. Laughing the entire time as he begins blinking on the combat display, <<"If the buggies are boxing us that tank is going to try and disable. Keep them from surrounding us, or we're going to have a helluva time with that tank craft.">> legs kicking to hook his heel into a ridge at the tip of the truck - to drag his seat back over.

The stripped down assault craft begins pouring black smoke out of its aft end, thrusters firing to kick it forward at surprising speed - small single cannon turrets begin spewing golden bolts of plasma, filling the air and trying to drag the Kimogila fighter down. Some of those shots with surprising accuracy.

On the truck itself, the fighter chest to chest with Avery almost purrs before she attempts to jump up, to get her legs wrapped around his arms and her head comes down, trying to bash a spiked helmet into his - the mando-chick magnet gaining another admirer whose spear sparks against the roof instead of wrapping around is midsection.

Easy Tiger.

Sumi's glowing energy blade gains snarls from the other pair who move with kukri style hacking blades, attempting to disarm her in the most literal of senses - giving time for the other three climbing the truck to mount or leap aboard - one of their number missing and tumbling in the sand in their wake.

Now it's too close for comfort. Seeing the attackers swarming nearby, Valeska pulls her attention away from duck-duck-bang and turns her attention to the poor bastards attacking her comrades. Her blaster sings again, hitting one of Avery's attackers, but he doesn't go down so clearly he wanted an encore. FFFRRRPP! There's the curtain call.

Ah, but there's one buzzing around Sumi who missed the chorus. Out of pity, Valeska offers him a short rendition of Take It To Your Face (reprisal).

As the whine powers up to the no-longer-audible register, Zelo's attention is drawn to the vehicles and their maneuvers ahead. <<"Copy,">> is the reply from Zelo, and likely all that's needed. The E-11's sights find the lead driver, as does the plasma bolt that follows, taking the man from the shoulders to the middle of the ribcage with a flare of plasma fire that launches him sideways from the controls. A brief whine as Zelo runs to a port on the other side of the supply truck, and another driver is launched as a speeder steers off course. <<"That's two. Four remaining. Can you keep that box open, Hahtavi?">>

While Avery is literally wrestling with one Redcap, another jumps on board and tries to remove his helmet, head still inside. He shoves the over affectionate scavenger in the way, blocking the other's attack and sending the spear into the ceiling. Meanwhile the two engaged continue to struggle, Avery's A280 caught between the pair. Not accustomed to melee combat, the Mandalorian slicer tries to maneuver the barrel into her midsection, the strain from his battle coming unaided with the voxcoder.

The stormcloud of a Mandalorian gets pressed to the ground, the other scavenger falling heavily on top, and the one who joined the fray raises their spear to strike... before two bolts from the speeder slam into their side and send them crumping over the rail to bounce on the rushing ground below. <"Thanks! Nice shots!"> Avery calls out to Val, twisting the A280 beneath his opponent to pull the trigger. She too flies back and over the side, the vehicle now free of baddies in close proximity.

As he rises up he notes the three heading for the front cab, shifting to get clearance, the rocketpack ignites again and Avery shoots forward engaging the lot before they're able to stop the caravan.

The Tal'onidir swoops away from the convoy to intercept the oncoming tank. Almost at once as the range drops the tank starts firing at Hahtavi's ship. Flak begins to explode ahead of him and some of it hits his shields, rattling the kimogila and lowering his shield's efficiency. << "No you don't. We aren't going into the ground again. Eat this Hutt-kriffers! ">> The Tal'onidir's canons open up, firing upon the tank and hitting it soundly. He sees just that much before he shoots past it and has no idea how much damage he's done - not until he can bring the kimogila back around again.

Maybe Kora's newest pilot is earning his keep today. <<" Working on it, Zelo. ">> As Hahtavi brings the Tal'onidir around he smiles and adds, <<" Splash one tank, over. ">>

Sumi is in a delicate dance up top. Stepping back, then ducking as one swings. Another attacks in tandem but is knocked sideways by a well-aimed bolt from Valeska. The bolt carried the warrior's blade off kilter, planting into the cargo container. Lodged there, he tried desperately to unhinge their blade, but Sumi drags her blade from her low-right side, close-lining the man with the old Jedi weapon. While her momentum did little in carrying the man's body away from her (like a solid sword strike might have), it did ensure that when her blade bit through his neck and removed his head, that she spun in place to square back off with the second.

Caught off guard by the quick dismissal of their partner, they jumped backward avoiding the violet swing of Sumi's weapon. Sumi jumped forward too, screaming and impaling the warrior through their heart and chest before twisting to one side and casting them off the edge. Their fall left a small wake of flaking embers where the presence of the lightsaber blade transformed flesh to ash.

<<"Some beautiful shooting all around... making me jeal-- Whoa! Nice one, Hahtavi!">> Naturally, the pilot's work is that which most impresses the Empress of the Void. Even more than the awesomeness of the lightsaber. Hey, she's ex-First Order. She's been there before! Someone isn't getting relegated to extra flight instruction this week, from the sounds of her voice. However, that doesn't mean her work is done. Far from it. There's still foes trying to board their vessel, and it looks like one of the womprats that escaped from Hahtavi's grand display hasn't learned their lesson yet.

<<"Looks like there's a straggler, though... let's see if I can take care of that one.">> Evie comments, mostly to herself before lining up her next shot...

..unfortunately she coughs just as she's squeezing the trigger, causing the slug to go wide, rather then grounding her target. This one will likely be a problem in the future. The only question is when.

Terek's skills on a speeder bike are better than he would have let on, as he pulls his speeder around, weaving up next to a couple of vehicles. He once again leans over and fires a pair of shots into one of the drivers, causing him to wipe out. He quickly steers out of the way of the crash, and fires a potshot at one of the other drivers, but he just manages to scathe the frame of the vehicle, "Damn!" He quickly pulls back to give himself some room

The boarding tank was designed to get troops move in fast - not deal with superiority fighters... let alone heavily armed Mandal-Motors designed fighters. Parts of the once tank are still arching through the air in a storm of bodies in various states of destruction when they skid and skip over the sands being cooked black by plasma and fire washing over them. Among those bodies, three had a chance - the personal bodyguard of the leader of this raid and the commanding warrior who try to escape on jetpacks. A real treasure on modern day Mandalore. Five figures leap and their packs ignite.

Only two escape the maelstrom of shredding metal and flame. Landing on the sands, looking up at the passing fighter and back at the conflagration that is become the tomb of so many of their compatriots.

One flees, heading back south and east. The other charges the truck convoy, ready to leap skyward again, diving to the side and finding his engines jamming - scuttling across the sand and forced to take a shot at the purple saber in the distance - a gold bolt from a heavy rifle skimming through the air past her form while two of the buggies are down by Hadrix's cannon, leaving one and three raiders turning to charge Avery in the hopes of skewering him where he stands.

The remaining buggy? The Journeymen drivers have had enough and they maneuver, so that suddenly Avery and Sumi only need to look to their sides to spot one another before the heavy speeders close together, crushing the last aggressor between them in a glorious fireball. <<"Good work, everyone. We should have the last of them dead or running right quick now.">> Hadrix's voice again on comms as he tag-highlights those last four on his HUD for the others to get reads on.

Valeska sighs in relief as Avery is sucscessfully down one over-zealous admirer. <"Anytime. Think you can stay out of trouble for a few seconds?"> The spent powercell is yanked from within and tossed over the side of the vehicle as it speeds along the sands. Continuing that singular, fluid motion, the next powercell is slammed in its place and the blaster hums back to life. Little gun, little rounds.

It's impossible to ignore that purple light spining around. That fwooom fwooom sound, the smell of burning fabric and rendered flesh. It's terrifyingly beautiful and the first bit of colour she has seen since landing on this dustball. Valeska feels validated in her initial feelings regarding Sumi: approach with caution. <"I didn't need a reminder not to piss you off, Alor, but the message is still received.">

Hahtavi's own victory is not lost on her and in the quick motion she makes to get ready for the next volley, she flicks on her comms with an audible grin. <<"You're insane! Awesome shot, Tavi!">>

The sniper in the gleaming blue Skyripper beskar sees the swarming speeders fall, or fall away, for varying reasons. One shot comes from further back, bound towards the truck with the Koras and Val, and Zelo won't have it. The line of sight isn't great, so the Nautolan leans out of the port, hanging out the side of the truck to line up a shot on the Ge'tal'Kal enforcer. The truck's lifts are a little irregular and the first shot only takes the Enforcer in the shoulder, dropping its gun. The figure stands in a posture that would suggest some howl of pain, but the howl's cut off by a second plasma bolt as it finds its mark in the Enforcer's throat. <<"That trailing one's gone and I'm not seeing much left for the speeders. Things alright over there?">> It's hard to get a good line of sight from the supply truck to the transport, so Zelo hopes he's done the job that was needed. Otherwise... Well, the rocketpack has to work one of these times, right?

Streaking through the air, Avery comes in contact with the three that are attempting to get into the cockpit, his jet pack turning off to deposit him in their midst. <"No! Apparently not!"> comes his reply to Val. What seemed like a good idea at the time quickly turns sour as all three spin and engage. One spear swings in, a second stabs, and the third goes for his legs... and yet Avery still stands, not a scratch on his armor or a cut in his side. Really, he has no idea how he's managed to stay whole and unchopped or skewered but he's not one to look a gift nerf in the mouth.

Instead, really wishing he had his E-11 armed instead of the larger and slower blaster, he lifts the hulking weapon and places it in the gut of one of the three. <"Sorry..."> He claims before the trigger is squeezed and the scavenger is missing a middle section. Avery turns to the other two with death in his visor as the unfortunate first target crumples to the ground.

The Tal'onidir's engines rumble overhead as the kimogila sweeps above the convoy. <<" I wasn't about to let him crash your party, over. ">> Hahtavi answers Evie and Val's coms. They are probably too busy to pay his ship any attention but he wiggles his short stubby wings and then goes on ahead of the convoy to make sure the way is otherwise clear of further obsticals. While he doesn't have any further targets he dares to take shots at, Hahtavi can stay viliglent and keep an eye out for anyone else who wants to make trouble this run.

Terek had been doing really well with his driving so far, but nothing good lasts forever. He pulls up behind one of the buggies, aiming to try to get up to it and then pull what would count as a wheelie if this had wheels.

He wasn't counting on the rock coming up between the buggie's tires and clipping the end of his speeder. He tries to recover but fails, and in turn has to light up his jetpack and save himself. Bike's probably a total loss though!

<<"You flatter me..">> Sumi responds to Valeska before taking to a run along the top of truck she's on. After leaping off its end, her rocketpack came to life! She landed near Avery and his dance partners. Arriving with a heavy swing, her weapon missed and bit into the ride, showering sparks over them. When one of the warriors retaliated by swinging at her, she cut horizontally splitting the warrior in half. The violet blade cut through their center so quickly that when it emerged from its other side it left a haze of flaking embers. That warrior fell off the speeder... twice.

Sumi moved in tandem with Avery, although the subsequent attack she used missed with a definitive 'WMMMMPH' noise, followed by a chuckle.

The last whipcrack from Evie's long rifle puts a stop to it. Only one survivor of the Ge'tal'Kal clan disappearing into the sun-glare and dust. Only one is needed to deliver a message, after all.

Wreckage and bodies are left in the wake of the two trucks, the roar of speeder truck engines carrying the Mandalorians and their cache of goods across the desert plain. Gleaming white-gold with the blackened pockmark littered battleground left behind them. Clearing ridges and passing into a rocky area that forces slaloming weaving through pathways that force movement into predictable directions.

All leading to the sight of air-skiffs with masts and a trio of sail barges surrounded by the smaller. A promise made - supplies being delivered to seal negotiations between Concord Dawn and another of Mandalore's myriad factions.

Three clans allied with the Moon, against how many? And will Ge'tal'Kal return for revenge?