Log:Mandalore: Warrior Queen

Warlord Chassa Rudinark sends a probing attack into the Golden Sea

OOC Date: March 2, 2023 (Optional)
Location: Mandalore - The Golden Sea
Participants: Amaia Dara, Valeska Kora, Sumi Kora, Kaiya Kora, Narsai Ordo, Faath Kora, Terek Rosol, Talli and Hadrix Kora as GM

The Golden Sea - named so for how the winds blow the desert sands like ocean waves and how the silicate grains can be so loose that walking across the wastes can become treacherous, a risk of suddenly sinking into a dry sink-hole; swallowed up by Mandalore. Thrust up from the southern ranges of the sea, the Butte of The Last Home is a solitary feature of an otherwise endless horizon. Established as a city-state on Mandalore founded by a number of clans working with the Journeymen Expedition. The home of something as precious as Beskar Iron on this wasteland world.

A Terraformer.

Chassa Rudinark a warlord Alor of the wastes, one of fallen Tsook's lieutenants, is making her bid for the Butte and the terraformer. A position of strength for an ongoing campaign to claim the position of Mand'Alor for herself. Starting with a probe of defenses marked by the incoming craft of speeders and repulsor buggies assembled for an armored cavalry attack.

<<"Get to your positions, they've been behaving more like actual armies these days.">> Hadrix is settled into a slit trench, some distance from the Butte - intent to keep Chassa's people from nearing the natural rock walls and the lone lift that grants access from the desert floor to the city. <<"Pirunir sur'haaise...">> Make their eyes water.

The fantails of sand behind the incoming craft grow, three chevron formations with three vehicles each and several Mandalorian warriors in each, operating or riding passenger.

The lone representative of Clan Dara, Mai had taken a spot behind a broken outcropping, her rifle held ready, but at ease, as she watched the enemy approach, gauging their rate of intercept, and tracking the way in which they covered ground. Always useful, to understand the possible angles of attack and how to adjust for them. <""Dara stands ready.">>

The work on Mandalore promises to never be done. And so it goes that Valeska is here again. It's well gotten to the point now that being on Mandalore isn't even out of the ordinary. She is often here. What changes from day to day is what she gets up to while there. More often than not these days it is to add her gun to the dozens that continue to fight for stability. Whatever 'stability' looks like to Mandalorians.

More like 'stabbability,' am I right?

"So just blow them all up?" She pats herself a little, counting the grenades she has left then nods to herself. "I can do that. Or are you going to be close enough to dance with 'em?"

<<"To the dust they shall return,">> Sumi calls out, taking a position above one of the trenches to get a good view of the incoming forces. With the wind, coupled with the shift in sands, her cape is left to flap in her wake, revealing a great number of weapons and options available to the warrior for killing. <<"We hold the line.">> Sumi moved along the trench then, overseeing the fighting positions as Mandalorians made final preparations for battle.

Kai and Buddy take their position along the trench. Kai glances down to Hadrix and gives a nod before addressing her droid. <Buddy, I want you to stick with me and cover my six. Act as fire support.> She says, getting a "Roger-roger." from the droid in affirmation. She draws her T-6 blaster and levels it at the oncoming group of speeders, waiting for the order to fire.

<"Stay with the Thunderheart Trayli, both of you....No, I am trusting you with my ship I...Yes. Now. We will be back.">> From Alor to Parent, sometimes Narsai was certain that leading a clan was far easier than arguing with teenage children about doing things that she had admittedly been doing at their age. Still, with the call ended, she comes to the others and the briefing, chuckling a little at Valeska's words before rolling her shoulders.

<"Alright, lets make them really regret venturing out of the dirt.">

The Doctor can't see over the trenches. She brings a little crate and then steps up, levelling her gun and pointing at the army that's on the way. She's a little away from Hadrix to protect him. Faath listens quietly to the others make plans. She'll be ready to pick them off easily. She is after all... annoyed. Tsook warriors gunna get shot. She checks her gun and sight and then settles in. Perfect height were her head is just over the trench and the gun is sitting on the ground. Blue eyes narrow a little as she waits for the chaos to start.

<"Every time we start making any progress, somebody wants to start another rekking civil war."> The cathar had caught word of the potential raid, and as ever, was at Hadrix's service. Which is why he was now standing not too far away from the Al'verde.

Terek's desert patterned Dreadfinder armor was designed to blend into the deserts of the war torn planet, but what was not was the massive tube of the shoulder fired launcher he had brought. He had, at some point, apparently grown tired of not having the firepower to stop vehicles. Where he picked that up from, who could even know? He hefted it up onto his shoulder, and used the trench as a point to stabilize his shots, and double check that back blast was clear.

<"On your order.">

<<"Pheegus, make sure the kids don't try to take the Woor out here.">> hand lifted to his head in an old reflex, almost twenty years later and he still does it, Hadrix grumbles before peering over the edge of the trench, drawing his personal cannon out and sighing down the line of it.

<<"Hold...">>

The nine enemy vehicles grow closer, already firing rocket pods from forward mounted racks on their salvage material speeders - all angling for the Butte, with some time yet to travel before impact or miss.

<<"Commander.">> An elderly voice on comms now, exasperated and amused at the same time.

The oncoming speeders with their charges grow closer to the line, speed throwing sand into the air behind them in an impromptu sandstorm that chases in their wake. A flensing storm for any caught in it unprotected. Battlecries rise from their ranks and those in the crew buckets behind the main control seats begin leaning on stabilizers, weapons drawn.

<<"What?">>

<<"Kar is trying to get Tep to slice the X-17 codes.">>

<<"Kriffing hell.">> head shaking again, sending distance reads to the others before growling out, <<"Weapons free.">>

Mai, keeping herself low, watched the approach, the HUD of her helm helping to kill some of the noise the incoming sandstorm brought with it, as she aimed, not for the riders and raiders, but for the vehicle they were coming in on, one of its weapons in particular. Take that out and it helped to narrow the advantage.

Valeska slips on her helmet now that things are starting to get tasty, sealing the air inside and turning on her communications so that her laugh can be heard to all her teammates. <<"I told you, Hadrix. We're just going to have start bringing the kids with us on these things. Or giving them sommething that will occupy them more than just watchin' the ships. Especially mine. They're too much like me to expect to sit and behave themselves.">> Because never in her life has Val behaved herself.

Like right now. With the enemy now in sight, Valeska props up a leg against the wall of the trench and snatches a frag from her belt. <<"Noted. Dancing will have to wait for another day. That's fine. We'll get the floor ready for 'em, yeah?">>

What does that mean? It means she's immediately airborne and flying straight into the fray, activating a frag on the approach and making a first-class delivery into one of the speeders. ka-BOOSH! goes a frag and several passengers are having a bad time. The driver, to her credit, manages to keep the whole thing from crashing even with shrapnel stuck in her armor. A round of applause.

The plan for battle rarely survived first contact with the enemy, or so their enemy was discovering. Introducing a bit of chaos to the defense, Sumi leaves the defensive line to advance upon one of the speeders. She has just enough time in flight to draw out and extend the dead baton with serrated edges before landing upon the surface of one of the speeders.

It was hard to tell by all the shifts of T-visors whether the Mando'ade had a surprised face or confused, but they all reacted when Sumi caved in the chest of their driver with a single blow.

They go airborne, and Sumi followed, avoiding the aftermath of a hellacious crash that claimed the life of one Mando who hadn't realized what was happening until it was too late.

Sumi, chuckling, says, <<"One speeder down.">>

Kai slept through the Tactics leason where it tought you to always pay attention to the Commander... Too amused by all the big guns being weilded by all her fellow Mandos, Kai misses the call to open fire. In a rush she and Buddy both take aim at the same target and open fire. Unfortunately, both shots miss by a mile!

To the sky!

Narsai surges forwards, jetpaxk propelling her towards one of the speeders when she lands elegantly and raises her blade...only for the driver to wildly swing the controls in an attempt to buck her off. It doesn't work, but it does spare him from thr swings of singing plasma.

The doctor watches the team work at taking down the attackers. Her eyes though turn to Narsai who is swinging with her lightstick. She never really understood how those work but she does notice that the speeder is starting to move a little faster and her Danger meter goes off. <<"Hope she can fly better than I can.">> She aims down the sight and breathes out slowly, pulling the trigger and she watches the red bolt fly through the air and instantly unalive the driver. A little grunt from the short Doctor as Faath aims down sight again and preps for another shot.

As the speeders approach, Terek sights in through the scope on the missile launcher. He thankfully picks the only one that nobody decides to jump to, <"Some things never change.">

Terek's launcher tones, and he fires, a plume of exhaust escaping out of the back of the launcher as the missile surges forward, sailing into the front right quarter of the speeder and exploding inside of the repulsor drive, throwing shrapnel downwards thanks to the force of the repulsor's energy field, but destroying their main means of propulsion.

Once the missile has been fired, Terek drops back into the trench and starts to reload, <"You think they'll pull back after that, or are they too desperate?">

Warriors with long years of working together to their advantage, the initial barrage from the defense line is devastating at worst description. Not even time to open up when ones cannon is knocked out and then the assault drop happens - figures smashing into drivers, rockets and jetii'kad coming out. A maelstrom of sands kicked up by speeders going out of control and tumbling to their destruction - with some being pulled under or thrown into the ground with such force they don't rise again.

<<"Kar, I swear...">>

Still growling and grumbling, the bronzium barrel of the wookiee cannon barking green fire wrapping durasteel and threatening to dislocate Hadrix's shoulder when he squeezes on the heel of the first shot. The track of his shots finding two of the 'ejected' warriors in-air. Armor caved in by impacts and bodies being hurled head over tail to the sands. <<"Don't know if they're desperate, or driven.... Blurry line.">> pressing the loader switch on his rifle, another pair of durasteel bolts slipping into place.

The next pair of chevrons press forward, the two leads of the craft opening fire on those Mandalorians airborne and the crash survivors following suit.

What had Mai been doing, in the last decade and then some? It was not, apparently, taking the time to outfit herself with better equipment than she had used when she was still new to this sector of the galaxy. But, perhaps that was for the best, as her aim was still good with her vambrace, and this time, instead of damaging the weapons of one of the speeders, she aimed for, and hit, one of the drivers, sending the speeder tumbling and its compliment of enemies into the air. Easy pickings, yes?

Remaining airborne, Valeska watches the carnage that follows as all the others lend their various skills and talents to destruction. At these speeds and with a bit of leaning here and there, it's rather difficult to hit her. That's a plus. She does so hate getting shot out of the sky. Alas, this also means that her second lob of a frag grenade isn't as tasty as the first one was. It goes wide, making a lovely pock mark in the sand that will quickly be covered back over after only about ten or fifteen minutes of a Mandaloe storm. <<"I think they're angry.">>

Sumi was not in the air long, much to the chagrin of the warriors trying to bring her down. When she landed again, it was upon another speeder. The driver turned to look at the source of the jingle-jangle noise behind him, and all he was rewarded with was an instant smack from the powerful baton in Sumi's hand. Sumi knocked him into his control, and thinking he was bouncing back, she swung instinctively and missed outright. That was because he fell out of the god damn speeder and the thing was going to wreck!

She upended her weapon from the sparking console it had been lodged into, turned her gaze back up, and took to the sky once more looking for another speeder to bring down. Sumi's amused raspy tone is heard over the comms, <<"Another speeder down.">>

Kaiya goes to activate her jetpack, only to have it sputter out... <Dang Ferik!> she curses as she quickly raises her wrist laser to take a shot at the oncoming Raider. With some luck it hits and the Raider goes down. In her haste to ingage in combat. Kai forgets to issue an order to her droid, who just stands there looking at her.

Faath watches from her crate in the trench and stares at one of the drivers. She bows her head, stares down her sight and waits for the perfect shot. A steady breath out and bluep. She watches as the bolt misses the driver my millimetres. Blue eyes narrow slowly and she takes another deep breath. She tries to calm herself down before her next shot. The mini-Mando keeps staring down the sight watching the team, family and family +, do really well. She grins a little, proud.

Terek drops the launcher tube once he fires, "Zee, get this back to the ship." He says to his R2, who's arms have managed to barely hold the tube. The droid beeps a word in response, Terek scoffs, "I'll be fine. It won't be like that time."

Terek fires up his jetpack and launches through the air, landing on one of the speeders, only to immediately catch a bolt in the leg from one of the raiders, "Ah, drek!" It WAS exactly like that time.

He fires a couple of sloppy shots as he gets back to his feet, drawing his Glie out of his other holster as he gets back up off the deck.

Talli Funny, she's late of course, she's late, but then again, she was clear across the galaxy that she arrived at all shows how fast her ship in.. And given she flys in a box, that's impressive!

The Pink mando rockets into the area as her visor locks onto several targets.. it's easy to see who is the enemy. Anybody not in mando gear shoot!

She raises her Rifle as she rockets in. Her first shoot is missing as she jolts from the landing, but her second finds its mark! <"Reporting in">

The pinpoint work on the speeder drivers is making this cavalry assault fold quickly. Bodies flying with the blaster bolts all around, only a third of the original number nearing the point of passing the defense line. Explosions burst against the sides of the butte cliff walls, threatening the lifts. Above buildings are struck and masonry flies.

Those that had been forced to eject via rocket packs moving into a flying firing line, staggering their positions and lifting back to open fire on those that have emerged to make the fight more personal.

A green thunderbolt slams into the chest of one of the speeder pilots, blowing a hole through them and the back of their seat - sending the craft careening into the ground and its mounted troops into the air.

<<"One.">> Hadrix's voice as blasterbolts begin raining down, glassing sand and bouncing off of hardened plates, pressed against the far side of the trench by the recoil and remaining there, braced and ignoring the first speeder crashing to take aim on a second - being bodily shoved into the sand when the bolt craters through durasteel and Mandalorian alike, destroying drive coils and sending the craft front-flipping through the air.

Fewer vehicles, but more troops in the air. Exposed, even if they have numbers.

As the numbers dwindled, one might have been tempted to relax, and allow a moment of breath. The rattataki, however, clearly had no learned this lesson, of pacing, and she simply shifted hwe weight, allowing her a better view of the remaining enemy warriors. They were mandalorians, the same as anyone on the team being commanded by the Kora Al'verde, but they were not their friends, and Mai aimed for the last of the speeders, the force of the laser tumbling the driver back and off of the speeder, sending it crashing into the sand still pluming and threatening a storm below them.

Having gotten waylaid by who-knows-what in this fog of war, Valeska is flying triumphantly back into battle. And, you see, she has these grenades she was planning on dropping like she was makin' it rain. But no. She can't do that because all the shiny targets have went and exploded. Dramatically she sighs, hovering on the Mandalore breeze with one leg slightly bent up like some kind of defunct fairy godmother. <"Looks like the dance will start early, yeah?">

The grenade she /was/ about to start cooking instead gets returned to her belt and instead a translucent blue shield snaps to life as she rockets towards the nearest airborne raider. Like a human-sized battering ram. The trouble is, you see, that working in three dimensions involves a lot of calculations and such. Trajectories and wind velocities and the like. If Colo were here, he could have steered her in the right direction like a guidance system. Hell, her thirteen-year-old daughter could do it better than Val can.

Alas, she misses her mark and has to hairpin turn at the last second as if she meant to do it all along.

Relegated to the air now thanks to the successful defense against the light vehicles, the fight was becoming an angered bee-hive of utter chaos. This was what war was supposed to feel like, and Sumi screamed out in either joy or love of the fight, as she engaged in aerial combat with a group of shifting combatants in the air.

Her first hit knocks one right down from the air to land below in the sand with a muffled huff lost to the sounds of the battle. She chases another that shifts their flight, then adjusts and hits when they try to fly away, battering them to the ground below. <"YEAH!"> She screams out, laughing.

<Buddy, Cover us from down here.> She orders her droid. With a roar of her jetpack, Kaiya Kora, leaps into the air after the airborn attackers. Leveling her wrist mounted laser, she takes aim and sends one of the Raiders falling back to the surface of Mandalore. Buddy on the other hand, was not so fortunate with his shot, and once again the outdated battle droid misses his shot. Kaiya was going to have to update his targeting protocals after this battle... That or just get a newer Battle Droid...

The doctor's eyes narrow and she aims another shot up. A little sigh as she surveys the still standing people. She sees one raider who looks a little funky and also not injured. Aiming, both eyes open, breathe out, blep. The gun goes off and she watches him drop. Faath pulls her gun back and stares at it a moment. She steps off the crate and sits down on it, trusting her family to murderize the rest of those against us. <<"Please do not leave any alive. I do not wish to be compelled to waste healing on them.">> She states over the comms. <<"If you are injured, please come to the trench and I will use the best tape I have.">>

Once Terek's back on his feet and has both of his blasters drawn, things start to swing back his way, as he does his best to ignore the pain in his leg, blasters lancing out, red and gold bolts flying upwards at the flying heathens, one of the gold ones managing to strike them dead center and send them sailing down out of the sky.

"Are you the one who shot me?" He asks to the heathen he shot down, shifting out of the way of a shot as he draws a bead with his blasters again, planning on ending that heathen. Desperation or drive? Doesn't matter when you're on the wrong end of the blaster.

Talli Landed after using her jetpack to get some higher ground.. launching a rather good shot once.. she smirked and Fires again, finding it's mark. Unfortunately for her, that meant she knew where she wanted and returned fire

A bolt struck her shoulder, making her spin and miss the second shot as she grunted.. hissing she raised her Rifle again even as she twitched and checked how she felt from the impact ..Also trying to figure out how long it will take to fix that bit of her armor.

Still braced against the wall of the trench, one bolt fired and creating a deeper indent with Hadrix and another raider falls to the sands, cuirass shattered by the impact. Numbers diminishing, the raider party continues to fire - attempting ranked shots while pulling back and continuing to get formations established.

One of their number lifts a hand, firing at the defenders with the other, swirling their fist around before knife-handing to the west. Nods and gestures meet this as they begin to pull back, firing as they go.

Another bolt from Hadrix goes wide, shrieking into the sky and a golden blaster bolt rips across one of his thigh plates before ending in the sand, a burn on the gambeson and the beskar glowing briefly.

Mandalorian warriors touch down, in ranks, then lift off again, beginning a hop-frog action to put distance between them and the defensive trench. Comm signals go out and distantly a sound like a warhorn goes off, lowing like some great beast of legend howling at the sky.

There was never any rest for the wicked, that was certainly true, nor did being in cover give you much of a chance to avoid being targeted. They were mandalorians, whatever side they were on, enemy or ally, and they did not often miss. The second shot to Mai's crouched frame was as devastating as the first, but never a word of pain escaped the Dara female's lips, even as she fells back, her shot going wild. For now, she would focus on staying conscious.

Who the /hell/ just shot at her twice? Yes, this is a warzone but if you're going to shoot at her, you damn well better hit! Valeska is quick to zero in on the grunt and kicks her rockets into screaming high gear to close in the distance. This time, she doesn't need /math./ She just needs pure indignation! Using the momentum she built up, Valeska does a full 360 and cracks her shield generator right into the center mass of one heathan with pitifully poor aim.

Sumi adjusted her course once more, connecting with a Raider in passing by smacking them across the back of their head. The hit was loud, punctuating the noise of a death, as the body plummeted to the sand below without a single sound or sign of remaining life. Sumi didn't have anything to say about the matter, just a grunt as she swung and missed another target, sweat beading down her face.

Two blaster bolts ring out in Kai's direction, one closer then Kaiya would have liked. <Oh Ferik, I know you did not just shoot at me!> Kaiya says as she returns a bolt of her own, killing the Heathen. Buddy is still having the worst luck when it comes to shooting...

yep Nope not sticking around to get shot at that's stupid , especially when you have a jet pack so what does she do of course she Lauches herself upwards moving towards another vantage point Blasting off a shot again trying to avoid getting shot at while going to land at another vantage to continue to rain death.

Still jumping back, trying to get clear of the pursuing forces the warlord's forces keep at their fighting withdraw until losses are far below unacceptable. So few remaining on this probe and the defenders continuing to fire on them forcing a single option. Arms tucking in with weapons close the remaining eight warriors boost in unison. Jetpacks firing at maximum thrust to carry them away at speed.

The braying sound comes again, rocket contrails from the withdrawing attackers angling towards a massive sail barge that crests a dune to provide a place for them to land. Another is felled by a plasma sheathed durasteel bolt - smashing through guts and out the back of their rocket pack a second going wild and Hadrix is forced to slump a bit in the Him shaped dent in the back of the trench.

"You're getting too old for this."

<"Shut up, Gripper.">

The remaining troops disappear with distance and the barge continues its movement - large auto-cannons swiveling to dissuade pursuit as the repulsor craft turns to disappear back into the desert from where the attackers came.