Log:Mandalorians: Counter-Punch

Mandalorians clash in the wastes of Mandalore

OOC Date: March 10, 2023 (Optional)
Location: Mandalore
Participants: Amaia Dara, Terek Rosol, Sumi Kora and Hadrix Kora as GM

A foray into the territory claimed by Alor Rudinark, the Mandalorians allied to Mand'Alor Djarin. Driving into the dangers of the Golden Sea, navigating the risks of the dry quicksand pits and open wastes - a night operation beneath clear sky and Mandalores two moons. The path to Chassa's border's was marked in banners planted into rocky outcrops in the sands, pointed out by wandering trader bands who've earned their safety in the wastes by their usefulness.

<<"Keep your heads, we don't know what they have and they were smart enough to withdraw.">> Hadrix's voice over comms as they near a point on the edge of the Warlord's territory. Lights from an outpost base visible, patrols likely and alert high judging by the periodic sweep of ad-hoc spot lights across the sands.

<<"We're probing. Checking strength. Watch each other's backs, call out what you see, if you need assistance.">>

Hunkering just beyond the reach of the spots, behind a shallow rise of sands, checking his gear and looking over his options.

A trio of Mandalorians walk the perimeter, one turning to walk backwards from time to time, rotating with one of the forward patrol members after their rearguard has ended. No one looking in the same direction as the other and their weapons held ready, on alert.

Mai Dara had hunkered down in the transport, mostly keeping to herself, as she watched the approach to the border, making, likely, some notes to herself as the enemy's territory came into clearer view. She'd outfitted herself better than when she had arrived, but the loadout was still minimal. The better for sneaking and all, "Any know precisely who we received this intel from? And if they have any other information they might be able to share?"

Ah night missions, Terek excels at these. Night hunting was an important skill to learn back when he was growing up on Cathar. Seems like forever ago, though.

He's crouched near Hadrix at the moment, looking out across towards the outpost with his helmet's night vision, <"How much probing should we do? We trying to draw out a QRF or anything like that?"> He asks over comms. He's basically trying to figure out when they should know to pull back.

<"The only thing they do best is die and get in the way,"> Sumi grumbles, having no appreciation for traders. In her defense, she never had to live out in the wastes, relying on the traders and their routes, so her word meant little in the regard of their learned ways.

In regards to the war, or sneaking in, everyone knew that Sumi was incapable of stealth; not through some handicap or means that prevented it, but by personal choice. For this reason, she had elected to do overwatch, so for now.. she set up her marksman post and was preparing to sit cross-legged to cradle her rifle and look through its optics.

<<"Don't know. We'll see how they respond. However quiet or loud we want to make it.">>

Hadrix checks his vambrace blade and the charge on his rifle before peeking his head over the rise.

The patrol drifts on, the spot minders paying mind to keep the light from striking them - glaring night optics or night vision. The camp continues on. The sounds of instruments playing and chatter, the occasional burst of laughter that is soon muted. A camp on alert - but not keyed to the point of tension straining nerves.

Behind the rise, Al'Verde Kora looks to the others, helmet tilting slightly, <<"No time like the present... Loud or quiet as you all think.">> he knows what Sumi's preference would be. But the guerilla in him is fine to wait and see on the others.

Mai, lifting a hand to signal that she was departing the group, kept low to the ground as she moved, only just managing to avoid one of the lights, as it was well-timed with the mobile patrol. She kept he weapon close, but did not immediately draw as the patrol passed. Finding a spot of rock to hide behind, her voice came across the group's comms, "Careful on the approach. The camp's boundaries are lined with wire traps, pulled in about five meters from where the guards are patrolling. I mark a few places where you can walk through undisturbed. She sent the locations she could see.

Spotting several folks hiding in dark corners using the night vision..Double night vision because the helmet enhances his already excellent darkvision to the point where he can pick out and mark guards hiding in dark corners, <"Could possibly sneak through those entrance ways if we take those guards out there and there.">

<<"I will process your tag marks and confirm roving patrol locations for your HUDs. Stand by, I'll do a sweep to see what I can see. It may help your approach.">>

Sumi thumbs the buttstock to the pocket of her shoulder and leans forward until the arm supporting her rifle is leveraged against the inside of her left knee. She sits side-profile to be a smaller target and slowly scans, using the optics of her helm and weapon to find hostile personnel.

By the end of her initial scan, Sumi has marked 15 guards. There is a roving patrol closing in with a timer (Sumi's guestimate) counting down from 45 seconds, then several clusters of guards further in; most of which are huddled around heat-lamps. At the furthest point of Sumi's scan, inside the structures, she has managed to mark a few targets there as well. Sumi indicates small SAL reports, feeding data to the team that conveys a target's action (from what she can tell). Smoking, joking, eating, pissing, walking, scanning.. each had an action followed by '...'.

The lack of walls lends to the alertness of the perimeter. The stands where the spots are simple tri-pods held with simple hinges and ropes for support. The interior remains calm, such as it is, between the warriors enjoying themselves while the watch keeps to its work.

<<"Copy.">>

The rumble under the big man's breath crackling over comms and easily lost when another burst of laughter rises from the camp. Following the entry points given by Dara and the alert of the patrol by Sumi. The trio are able to move up closer, possibly even past the spot-stands once things are marked out.

<<"Moving in.">> If anyone can even see the man, in spite of his size, slipping through the shadows.

Closer, Mai is able to pick up that guards stop past the inner groups set up on the dark, trying to catch sneaking sorts making it past the outer guard. A point where it is considered safe enough for those not on duty to relax some. Centering around a speeder truck with a wide bed and several whip antennae swaying from the roof.

Otherwise any other structures appear to be dugouts with a canvas on lean-tos to keep sand from blowing in.

Mai continued to move further into the camp, doing what she could on the ground. But, alas, such were the issues with being on the ground, rather than in a ship, and her approach to the speeder was not without consequences as the group that had gathered around it were soon alerted to her presence, and she rose to her feet. No need to sneak now, as she kept her weapon down, as they were raising theirs. She would just have to trust that the colors of her clan's armor were not known to them. And as they weren't yet demanding answers, she wasn't offering them.

There's a moment of pause when Terek hears the commotion going on over near Mai. He can't leave her hanging like that, so he rises up from where he had been hiding, coming over comms, <"Mai get down!"> He calls out, before he he pulls something out of the bandolier across his chest. He twists the knob with his left hand before throwing the small device in a perfect arc. It clangs against the truck before rolling to a stop just behind the group pointing weapons at Mai.

The explosion throws the group in several directions, throwing up sand and debris, <"We're gonna have company!">

<<"Going to get them to look every where. Make as much chaos as you can..">> Sumi slows her breathing, then stops, her finger slowly squeezing the trigger until the shot surprises her. It's just her luck that the warrior manning the light moved just as the bolt sparked off the spot he was /just/ in. <"God damn it."> She growled, rising up from the cross-legged firing position and chicken-winging her rifle to move to the next location.

<<"Kriff...">>

The explosion has gone off and mixed with the heavy rifle blast from Sumi another bolt crosses from another side of the camp interior. The groups around the heater lamps up on their feet and drawing weapons, looking for targets. At each of the spot posts, one of each pair begin swinging their lights inward, focusing on the truck where the explosions happened.

<<"Sumi, your call - fight or fade? They have numbers.">>

The big man growls and begins moving himself, trying to keep to shadows in the initial chaos. The guards by the comms truck trying to pick themselves up off the ground but no one having a shot on Amaia just yet. Stray shots go wide around, several more trying to fire in the direction Sumi's shot came from before sparks fly and a grunt over comms sounds a bolt finding its way to Hadrix.

Then from the midst of the camp, a sound goes off. A lowing like a great warhorn being blown.

Well, they had been told to recon, but it would seem that bull had run right through that china shop, as Terel called out, and Mai took his advice, ducking down to use the truck as cover when the frag grenade went off. As close as she was to the point of impact, it was only the truck itself that spared her from the fragmentation charge. And then Sumi was giving orders, and Mai rose up, activating the launcher on her jetpack, using the HUD display to target the center of camp, where the rocket might do the most damage. The rocket fired, and as soon as it was clear of the jetpack, Mai turned, moving to get to the perimeter of the camp, knowing she would have to dodge enemy combatants along the way.

After the grenade is throw, Terek is quick to draw his Glie off of the holster on his chest, pulling the weapon and firing a messy shot in the direction of the camp Mandos. The group is scattering now, and Terek's shot kicks up sand where it impacts, as he starts to move, trying to get to cover as blaster shots rain down towards him, "<Drek drek drek drek!"> He scrambles, drawing his other blaster with his off hand as he moves.

The camp was waking up, Sumi could see and hear the chaos as shots began to fire off in every direction; then there was a huge explosion from a rocket. It briefly lights up the entire camp and Sumi takes a moment to stop, yank the sling tight onto her arm with a loud 'ziiiip', and fire from the off-hand position.

It's no headshot, but whoever she hit lost an arm, for sure. She's moving again. <<"Good work. It's a stinger nest now. This will keep them up for hours. Advance toward your exits. -- The worst thing we can take from them is their sleep.">> Sumi takes a shot to the chest, spilling her over and reminding her.. it was time to go. Winded, she rises back up, chickenwings her weapon, and starts jogging...

The smoke and blowing sand is weaving chaos as is, allowing only a pair of shots to chase after Amaia's rocket assault - many more being left on the ground in the wake of it. Some not stirring and others only able to groan in pain. The camp is erupting in chaos and the speeder truck rocks with internal movement.

<<"Copy.">> another blaster bolt quite literally bouncing off of Hadrix's shoulder pauldron, left arm tracing potential enemies when his right snaps out suddenly. The chunky bodied pistol grabbed on instinct letting loose with a crimson bolt that is followed by a shrieking of molecular destruction in its wake. Hitting one of the Mandalorians of the camp with a sound like tearing and a cough before their suddenly emptied armor falls to the ground.

Another warhorn blast goes off and something can be seen in the west, a bright flare of powerful jets lifting into the air - rangefinders putting it at least a kilometer out.

The defenders begin to box up, some trying to focus on the attackers and others attempting to keep watch for more that haven't made themselves known yet. All of them, conspicuously, quiet but heads bob and comm trackers 'sense' signals going out - mixed with chopping hand gestures from others.

<<"By your order, ba'slan shev'la.">> Strategic disappearance.

Well, that certainly ended poorly for the ship's gunner. And was probably the real reason Mai Dara spent most of her time on her clan's ships. She took off running, trying to get clear, and made a calculated decision as her jetpack cycled after the rocket fire and she took to the air. Knowing it was easy enough to track rocket fire in the dark, but needing at least some distance before she hit the ground again, cutting the pack and continuing on, she hoped, into the night.

Sumi is breathing hard, and turns backward, transitioning to a slow, heavy walk in reverse. She fires the rifle off once, then activates her jetpack to take over. <"I gotta stop this running drek.. it's going... to kill me.."> She can feel the sweat beading over her face within her helmet and fights the urge to take it off. <<"Are all helmets away?">>

The camp lights up as the infiltrators lift out. The truck, lights set around the camp in place for just such a moment. The downed being checked and others going on alert to watch for more attacks, or for opportunities to fire at the retreating figures. No shots go out and calls go up around the camp as the watch is immediately increased so that triage can be done on the wounded.

So that bodies can be policed.

In the midst of it all the bright lights grow closer from the west. The rumble of them the din one might expect of a fighter. A call goes up like the warhorn that was sounding and then the crash of thunder when the source of the jets comes into view and lands heavily in the midst of the camp. Its feet slamming down and sending up spumes of sand. Its 'wings' vestigial and rudimentary for guidance.

Its face a cluster of shockwave cannon emitters as he rears back and lashes its mechanical tail. The call of the automata a thing of legends past as a functional Basilisk wardroid stomps and turns a slow circle, searching for enemies now gone.