Log:Mandalore: We Have Their Attention

Mand'Alor aligned warriors fend off a reprisal from the Warlord

OOC Date: September 9, 2022
Location: Mandalore: The Bloodfields
Participants: Sumi Kora, Raissa Taivu, Xaz Kisus, Valeska Kora, Jallo Dara, Terek Rosol, Narsai Ordo and Hadrix Kora as GM Mandalorians, Clan Kora, Mandalorian Revivers

<<"Inbound, inbound in field!">> Rockets arch east from the rising storm of disturbed sand and dust coming from the direction of the bloodfields. <<"We see them, we see them. Scrambling spearhead">> voices over comms, anxiety and stern anger blending together as reports come alerting of incoming fire and shouting out grid coordinates. The assault came like a whirlwind speederbikes cobbled together from repulsor systems and thrusters mounted on make-shift frames leading jury-rigged walkers, wheeled gun platforms and mobile rocket pods.

Tanks, walkers and speeders brought in over past weeks begin forming up for a counter offensive and even a small scattering of fighters to provide air support, headed towards point defense beginning to reach for the sky. Cloakshapes, Dune Lizard and Kimogila craft mixing with fighters from the expedition force. Those not driving or manning guns able to move by hitching rides on tanks, walkers, or flying via their jetpacks.

<<"Forces are mobile, Sumi'Alor, Ordo'Alor. Ready for your commands">> Hadrix's voice rumbles over airwaves, from where he is settled in one of the AT-MP control seats, tapping at sensor feed readouts not lining up with the data they're sending to his visor HUD. <"Ready to become a tanker, Val'ika?"> not looking away from his work.

Sumi Kora is within the control cabin of a T-70 X-Wing colored blue and silver, like her armor. When the command to mobilize is given, her starfighter appears from above, the cruise-locked s-foils opening to attack position just before the afterburners engage, carrying the snubfighter low and over the friendly forces just in time to break supersonic speed.

<<"I have informed our foes we are here to crush them; do not disappoint them. They still showed up for a fight.">> Sumi's raspy voice says with a touch of pride and excitement.

Raissa isn't a tank, but she's also no good with driving, so she's on the ground! What a crazy doctor! The woman is armored up and she's wearing a shiny new rocket pack that has a rocket launcher in it. That'll be fun! She is listening to the Kora's and the Ordo's chatter on things as she sets up where she is needed.

Inside the armoured AT-MP, Valeska has taken the gunner's seat with a resolve to blow some drek up. So the mission statement was. A seat below the pilot's seat, she has a visual window of the bottom half of the vehicle's T-visor window augmented by the readouts to either side of her position. <"Who'd have thought that scavenging on Mandalore was so lucrative? They got a rekkin' battalion.">

Helmet on -- again, she learns those hard-knock lessons once -- and strapped in, Valeska double checks the ammunition and targeting system. Hadrix's question earns a slight chuckle. <"If my mom had been just a little more insistent, I probably would've been born /in/ a tank."> She falls short of noting how proud her hard-ass of a mother would be, but the thought does linger on the mind. <"We'll see if these rockets want to behave and meet some new friends.">

Xaz Kisus is on the ground too. With skills better suited to fighting on the ground he checks his armor before drawing his pistol. Looking to the weapon in his hand and then to the tanks and other vehicles arrayed around him there can be heard a soft chuckle from the Mandalorian. Nodding to the others on the ground he checks his coms and nods as he hears the conversation.

On the ground, Terek is behind the controls of one of the AT-STs. This isn't the oldest model of AT-ST, but it's definitely been around for a while.

<"I have no idea how they are outfitting that much, but it just gives us more targets, don't you think?"> He pushes the scout walker forward, moving to engage with the rest of the forward spear.

As much as the Thunderheart might be at home in such a combat, Narsai was not nestled in her well-known craft, or in a walker. Perched atop one of the responding armored vehicles currently piloted by Hadrix and Valeska, Narsai grinned behind the shroud of that T-Visor, adjusting her weapons and rolling her shoulders. It was no suprise that she was on foot, or that the jetpack on her back was primed and ready for a rather speedy encounter. Triggering her IFF so the heavy guns and air support would know her position she readied her beskar-hilt in her hand and coiled up before looking down at the pair.

"If you blow me up, you owe me a drink," she offers the duo below before keying her comlink.

<<"Alright, we get the most fun. Keep them off our armor, don't let any slip through and focus your fire on neutralizing anyone you see with a launcher if you're not carrying one of your own...">> The Ordo Alor and Reviver leader instructs before grinning at Sumi's words. <<"You heard the lady. Lets go liven up the evening.">>

<"There's plenty in the rubble and plenty more taken when people land on world but don't get back out."> noted to Valeska, slowing the walker enough for Jallo to grab hold and climb up before throttling back up to full - keying over to comms as he goes, <<"Nar'ika, if you get blown up it's Val's fault.">>

Cover your rump, Hadrix.

With the distance closing comes the crossfire. Gold, viridian, crimson and even electric blue filling the air between. Spiraling rockets fired by ground forces and vehicles alike. Smoke and fire blowing in spiral currents redrawn and rebirthed by each volley of fire. Speederbikes rake fire on infantry positions forming alongside tanks or angle to draw fire. Ramshackle wheeled and repulsor driven battle wagons spew nothing less than potential extirpation and walkers chatter with chin, side, and top mounted guns.

Figures disappear to either side, a BN7's forward hull becoming luminous until a AV-rocket slams into softened metal and detonates to blow the front wide open for small arms to pour in. Screams of rage, pain, and calling clan or house names fill the air and ever the two sides grow nearer.

Sumi's targeting computer was displaying all sorts of targets to choose from, and while some were showing some challenges in acquiring locks, the more sluggish and heavily armored targets proved the low-hanging fruit. Sumi's helmeted head tipped a bit as the targeting device on the side of her helmet lowered, its interface with the fighter's system allowing her to rely on her armor more than the ship itself.

<<"Lighting up the sky,">> Sumi warns, and the predatory X-Wing does not disappoint.

WAP, WAP!

WAP, WAP!

Sumi pulls up on the stick, flying low to scramble sensors, but away from the destruction her cannons brought. In the wake of her snubfighters, a massive wagon flounders and dives into the sand before combusting into a towering explosion. A kinetic concussive wave of unseen energy disrupts the sand and dirt in the vicinity from the explosion, and Sumi's X-Wing finally angles up and over the chaos, preparing for another assault. <<"Splash one.">> Sumi calls out, chuckling.

Raissa decides that maybe using the rocket launcher might be a good way to start, so after it is loaded there is a moment taken to drop to a knee and aim it. But that damn thing just swivels off and explodes where nothing is at! NOTHING! "Oh kriff!" the Doctors grunts!

<<"Oh, sure. Blame the one in charge of the rockets, yeah?">> As the mech storms closer into the fray, Valeska's quick fingers are waking up her targetting system and bringing up the wireframe to light up in front of her. <<"Look, if I shoot ya, it's not personal. Just bad luck, yeah?">>

Closer and closer they get until they are crashing down on the frontlines and the battlefield lights up. <<"Keep a drink tally! Here's hoping for zero!">> Because she doesn't /want/ to initiate friendly fire, but things get murky in this kind of mess.

Shhhhhhrrrrr! A rocket goes flying in a spiral, hitting a rival Walker with a satifying explosion. However, the armourplating soaks in the impact and the enemy keeps stomping forward.

Xaz watches as combat kicks off, moving on the ground to close the gap between himself and the ground troops. Opening fire as he finds a bit of cover he aims and lets fire at the closest of the Bloodfield Raiders. The first bolt just misses but the second hits the infantryman square in the chest and knocks him back.

Jallo hitches a ride until he's close enough dropping off and landing on his feet before he jogs up a bit so he can sight in on some bad guys. Well as best he can as he raises his rifle up he flips the switch to the grenade mode, <"Fire in the hole. Or some such."> And then he squeezes the trigger launching the powered up grenade at them exploding in the middle of a clump, <"Well that'll teach them to group up like that."> Small quip as he watches 7 of the raiders get caught up in the blast.

One last salute to Hadrix and Valeska, then Narsai was a red and black blur announcing herself in a scream of a jetpack and the harmonic igniting of the hilt as she landed down among the Reavers and their heavy guns, the plasma blade slashing out in a violent song of violet death as she cut down two of them in smooth motions.

Potential immolation, dismemberment, detonations all around - the drums of Mandalorian warfare. The shrill of vehicle blasters the strings and woodwind, the rocket and repeater fire the brass. All playing a symphony dedicated to battle. Obsidian chips birthed from sand struck rains down and turrets wheel to follow fighters, hurling blaster flack into the skies.

<"Center control board, Val, blue switch. Hit it - I must've left the kriffing thing on single fire for loading."> Hadrix grumbles, watching the munition being reflected by ablating plates on the hull of the walker. The chin mounted rotary blaster swiveling and hurling plasma in the wake of a passing speederbike, churning up the ground and then throwing the craft into a stagger step when a junk-walker's cannons strike armor plating, shaking the entire weapon platform.

Return fire from ground forces is renewed, where they are picking themselves up or where they attempt to regroup in the wake of laser swords being swung.

<<"Hit! I'm HIT!">> a cloakshapes starboard engine goes and in moments it strikes the ground tipped on its side - the pilot clearing and riding on the jets of his ejection seat only able to watch their fighter cartwheeling into an explosion joining others.

When Sumi's craft was at the appropriate angle to begin another assault run, she lined up her sight and pressed the trigger in, discharging a series of blaster cannon fire in her descent.

WAP, WAP, WAP, WAP!

Of the four shots that impacted the ground, cratering the sand with explosions of towering dirt, one managed to find purchase upon the exterior armor of a wagon carrying personnel. The Mandalorians aboard cheered as it saw no effect on target and the snubfighter pilot was resigned to fly by without a trophy call of another splash. What remained unseen were those aboard who clenched, expecting certain death from the agile fighter, yet relief reigned as she shot skyward again, anti-air batteries firing on the T-70 as it flew.

Raissa slips the pistol out of its holster and starts taking shots at the groups that have decided to be on the ground as well. She's given up the rocket launcher for the moment and she pewpewpews one of the men, injuring them, but not killing them!

<"Blue switch... blue switch... Ah, got it."> She's been training for this all her life, really. Square peg into the square hole. Differentiating green from blue. However, she could have benefitted from a bit more training with the walkers. Several months, perhaps. But that's been her career as a Mando: learn as ya go. And what better way to learn than to just leap into the gunner seat and fire at moving targets.

The switch is flipped and multishot is switched on. <"Ah, ace. Let's try this again."> The stubby wings of the AT-MP open up and release a glorious salvo of missles that streak across just high enough to clear the heads of the infantry. WhamWhamWham! The hits are tanked into the thickest broadside of the gunwagon, shaking the ground and toppling the nearest off their feet.

But still not the kaboom she was hoping for. Only Hadrix is privvy to the string of curses coming from below. A bastardized mixture of Bothan, Mon Cal, and Mando'a.

As the battle intensifies, Xaz is running and gunning with his pistol. Bolts whiz past and some zip right off his armor as he returns fire. It's the usual chaos of battle with explosions going off and the sounds of battle mixed in with the sounds of his breathing in his helm mixing in with it all.

Moving to try to circle around for a better attack he takes a blaster bolt right under the plate of his armor. It's a graze but it hurts, making him growl as he lifts his blaster pistol to fire off two quick return shots, missing with both shots.

Jallo adjusts his location so that he can lob a grenade into the back of one of the battlewagons although it hits low it does manage to injure some of the reavers, <"Well that could have gone better."> Moving again he tries to get into a position to fire on some more Reavers or Raiders as best possible.

Stab, twist, Narsai's weapon sinks into her next foe before she takes it in two hands and lifts it, the humming weapon splitting the Reaver in half from the torso upwards while the petite warrior spins on her heal and brings the weapon down on her next foe, although the horrific end of his companion already had him backing up. Impressive reflexes, but Narsai springs forward like a cat pouncing on prey, a swift slice ending the Reaver neatly.

Pushing the walker forward, Terek's sights pass over the enemy's walker. Terek's own walker shudders as he stops moving, swinging the chin cannon back over towards the enemy walker and firing, the twin blasts sailing between the other walker's legs and kicking up sand with their explosive impacts, "Whoops. Hope nobody saw that.." He mutters, off comms to himself in the cockpit.

<"I understood one word of that. Bothans called me it, once."> ducking instinctively when more of the walkers turn their attention on the threat of the Missile Pod spraying ordinance into their thinning assault. Even with damages weighing, on both sides, favor has held out for Mand'Alor Djarin's forces. A walker bearing Death Mountain's sigil slumping forward at a run, chin hitting and sliding forward to an explosion that blows its outer hull asunder.

A pair of bikes, weaving through tanks and walkers strike down one infantry mandalorian after another, leaving a charnel house in their wake until a BN7, quite literally, jumps a small rise in the landscape. Smashing one beneath its repulsors, causing a channeled explosion that hurls shrapnel in all directions.

Several firing lines begin opening in volleys, green and gold splashing on armor and in the spaces between where ground soldiers forced down or cast to the sands with their armor rent. The answering volley joined with rotary fire from the AT-MP - several figures simply no longer there - vaporized by fire.

The probe attack begins to turn, seeking to keep heavy side armor towards the defensive action. Speederbikes and Walkers attempting to screen for the heavier weapon platforms trying to make good the beginning of their withdrawal.

Amidst the anti-air volleys, Sumi attempts to avoid certain obliteration, and she manages it but not unscathed. Her R2 unit screeches as shields shimmer, threatening to come down if continued punishment is permitted to continue. Sumi makes no comment to the droid that beeps and boops warnings, her focus is upon the next assault.

WAP, WAP, WAP, WAP!

Again, the same wagon's armor holds out against the armor, and Sumi isn't able to get a good vector on it. She pulls away, angling back into the sky above, and silently shaking her head with a bit of disappointment. She notices that her shields have not recovered, so the droid must have its work cut out for it. <<"Armor plating on these wagons are standing up to cannon fire. I'm going to try for more focused fire for effect.">>

Raissa is doing her thing! Since shooting with a pistol was going better than the rockets. She takes aim at another of the infantry and blasts them, but it is not as effective as she would like. She'll get by though. That man would probably wish he was dead in the morning...if he wasn't dead by the morning.

<"Just one of 'em? They must've liked you,"> Val offers as an aside, her attention still on the task at hand. Irritation is the word of the day, and Valeska is feeling it in spades. Like a bunch of buzzing little insects all around refusing to get blown up by her octo-rockets.

The wings close, reload, then open again in a flash. How much munition does this thing even carry? It would explain the slower gait it has compared to it's scouting cousins. Another salvo shrieks outwards towards a group of speeder bikes. Indirect hits to the ground around them is still enough to send a few swerving off course and u-turning in the other direction.

<<"Cover fire.">> As if she meant to do it.

Xaz Kisus is doing his best to give the infantry hell from on the ground. More blaster fire rains down on him, his armor taking the worst of it but some of it gets through. Running for cover he starts to fire off shots to try to cover himself even while explosions rock the nearby area.

Jallo's still moving and dancing around the fight as he lobs grenades into the back of a truck again... But before he manages to sight in on the battlewagon he takes a shot from one of the raiders, <"That stings."> Then he lobs his grenade towards said battle wagon however it looks like it's going to be one heck of a miss, <"Cover me need to reload.">

Narsai's helmeted head snaps around as the shot arcs over her head and away from its targets, a frown on her lips and a narrowing of those bright green eyes behind the mask of her visor before the grenade seems to shift path as if Jallo had manage to aim perfectly into a wind current. Shifting to ignite her rocket pack she was zipping towards the cannons and tanks. Time to try and lend a hand to the heavier support!

The shot rocks Terek's walker, and it stumbles, but the cathar manages to hold the controls together and keep from falling over as the heat rises in the cockpit. He swings the weapon around at the walker that just hit him and fires, the shot good enough, but the other pilot managing to dodge, "Damnit, hold still you bastard!" He roars out, as he tries to get a solid lock.

This is probably why the imperials mostly shot at unarmed civilians with these things.

Warning klaxons begin going off, <"Val."> chin-gun fire from one of the AT-STs screening the wagons falling back, the bigger trucks angling and even dropping swing-down plates to toughen their rear armor. All guns aboard the heavy weapons platforms being focused on keeping the few fighters in the air pressed back, trying to ward off strafing runs as they put themselves to speed.

Infantry begin using the armor to screen, letting those aboard the vehicles take aim at the flying Mandalorian with lightsaber in hand, shouts of shock or anger mingling within the ranks and only a tertiary attention given to infantry firing on them.

<"Val."> the Walker lurches to one side and a loud alarm goes off in time with a sudden spike of heat and a section of the mech's 'face' being torn open by cannon fire. <"We have to go."> the emergency bolts on the roof hatch blowing, sending the armored disk flying a moment prior to Hadrix putting an arm around Valeska's middle and the two of them launch through the hatch, carried by the big man's jetpack. Their walker goes up in their wake, pelting them with melting durasteel, twisted fragments and the heat of the reactor being cored by fire and erupting.

The Warlord's forces, to whatever purpose there was in this begin to retreat in full, headed back to the smoke hazed territories of the Bloodfields. Leaving behind another speederbike and a walker that steps drunkenly under tank turret fire until gravity pulls it to the ground where flame spurts from on of its 'eyes' and smoke shortly after. Djin's forces start to slow, taking in their losses, going to the wounded. Vehicles damaged but able beginning to back away, attempting to show their least damaged armor while they move for safety. If there could be such a thing.

<<"Bringing it home,">> Sumi comments, emerging through a tower of smoke in a sudden deadly approach. Her cannons blast into the side of a wagon, even as its anti-air batteries fire to no effect. Sumi finds the sweet spot, and all the gloating the personnel had been doing in her failed volleys suddenly learned the harsh truth of war: Every problem could be solved with the proper application of force.

BOOM

Sumi's X-Wing is seen returning toward friendly lines, battery fire following her across the sky. Her laughter over a hot mic was dwarfed only by the sound of the massive explosion she caused, which suddenly bloomed in her wake.

A greenhorn in the mechs she may be, the sound of alarms is universal. Be it ship, shuttle, security, or synth, the blares and bleeps of systems about to sing the song everyone knows the words to. Then comes her name spoken evenly but with enough of a twinge to grab her focus fully. <"Yeah?"> Does she have to ask. Really? She looks to the consoles in around her starting to spark and crackle. Then realizing they are still surrounded by unlaunched rockets to either side of them.

'Val.'

Oh, drek. This isn't good. Heart rate spikes and annoyance takes a backseat to a sudden urge to survive. That tricksy little niggling always nipping at her heels.

'We have to go.'

She's already got herself unbuckled as the face of their vehicle is shredded open. Digging her heel into the edge of her seat, she pushes herself up to where she knows Hadrix's arm is waiting. Clasping his hand, she pushes up, grabs on, and seconds later they are flying out of what is effectively a very expensive minitank exploding in their wake; pelting them with superheated metal and shrapnel plinking off their armour.

Finally, an explosion. Just not the one she was wanting. <"Rekk me. You okay, ori'vod?">

Xaz Kisus stays on the move, running through the rain of blaster fire that surrounds him. His Mandalorian Doomseeker Armor does its job well protecting him from most of the shots that graze his body. Firing back at the infantry troops he catches one right in the neck, downing the soldier as his next shot goes wide.

Jallo looks at the retreating enemy forces and an audible sigh can be heard as he ejects the powerpack on his T27 before he takes a knee leaning forward just a bit locking onto one of the vehicles retreating and launching the rocket off the JT-12 jetpack watching it whistle off towards them before he stands back up reaching onto his belt for a spare power pack for his rifle.

Landing inside the wagon, Narsai's weapon surges and sings for a few strikes before the weapon's blade retracts and she jumps from the felled combat vehicle with a little gleeful laugh. <<"Now that...made for a decent little evening.">>

Well it seems the defensive line of Mandalorians has broken the attackers, as they turn and run. Terek's armor might be a bit cooked, but his weapon still works, and it flashes one more time to hit one of the wagons and sends it flying in several pieces.

<"You'll hear no argument from me. Helps make sure we don't get complacent out here.">> Comes the reply from Terek to Narsai over comms, as the cathar brings his walker back towards the outpost.

<<"Copy.">> Hadrix's voice responding to Sumi's comment of 'Bringing it home', <<"Val and I are extra-vehicular. No injury">> visor looking own to the other he is flying with, head ticking one way or another. <"They blew up my missile walker..."> the growling tone offended, rather than upset. Like they'd chip the bone china used at some fancy dinner party he'd hosted.

Demoralized, their last heavy platform stalled with the eradication of the cab and crew, those still aboard leap onto passing walkers or onto speederbikes slowing down enough for them to mount up for their escape. The idea of slowing their withdraw to try and take pot shots quickly evaporating and leaving Mand'Alor's forces triumphant in repelling the raid.

<<"Alor'Ordo, Alor'Kora. Southern front is held, they're falling back.">> One of the other field commands, enjoying similar success - if more pyrrhic for some of the damage they'd suffered. But the line is held and some of what Tsook can bring to bear.