Log:Mando Arc: Part 1

The crew of the Thunderheart answers a distress call. I have a bad feeling about this...

Location: Outer Rimm
Participants: Russ Ordo, Kitfox, Narsai Ordo, Laika, Navi

Russ gathers everyone together in the common room of the Thunderheart, the lights are dimmed and a depiction of a swampy looking planet hangs large in the middle of the room. Russ speaks clearly as he looks at the projection, he is dressed in his full armour with his helmet held under one arm. "Thankyou all for returning to the ship with speed, and to you Laika for coming to aid us. This is a largely uncharted planet in the outer rim, it's designation is not even worth knowing. Until now it has been an absolute nothing planet, no sentient life and no real natural resources to speak of." He pauses for a moment and takes a breath before continuing "Just a few hours ago i picked up a garbled distress call originating from there on a channel known only to a few select Mandalorians. Someone who knows of this channel of Clan Awaud has called for our aid, however the message cut out before i could dicern any details as to the source of the distress."

Navi all but jogs into the commons, dressed in her usual overalls and in the process of slinging her utility belt around her waist. She does stare for a moment at the two new faces in the commons, offering each a quiet little smile and a casual little wave, before turning her attention to Russ. "Clan Awaud? I don't know much about them," she says softly. "If they're in trouble, I can't say no to going to assist."

Kitfox is carrying her H-11. At least, pieces of it. She looks like she's in her 'civilian' clothes. Bare feet, pants, tank top. And some cleaning tools in her hands. She doesn't have an internal repair kit just yet. "Details in the distress call?" she asks, her Imperial accent very pronounced.

"It must be pretty serious for them to be broadcasting like that. Wonder what brought them there to begin with." Narsai is in the room, her form dressed as armored as her sibling and her weapon resting on its sling. The Thunderheart currently in auto-pilot and hyperspace means that she can walk out of the cockpit for the time being.

Laika nods her head, resting in the main hold near the holo-projector. Her arms resting crossed over her chest she listens silently. The mandalorians had offered her help and a roof over her head, this was enough to have her returning the favor. Her blaster pistol resting on her hip hangs still snapped for the time being as she looks between the two new women she hadn't met before.

"The message was short, in all possibilities jammed before it could provide us with more details. We have a rough map as to where the distress call originated from, apart from that...well details are sadly lacking." Russ nods to Laika "I am sure they will be grateful to all assistance, even those who are not Mandalorian. More than enough to spare a few credits to help you on your way." He looks around the room again "I am sorry for the sparse details, but this is something I am honour bound to act on."

"Jammed? Wow... this sounds worse by the second. Sooner we get there, the better, I say," Navi adds, trying not to sound as nervous as she's feeling. "I'll be getting into my armor as soon as we're done here." She looks to Laika and Kitfox thoughtfully, moving closer to them to offer her hand. "I'm Navi. Nice to meet you," she says warmly, with a small smile to match. "Looks like we're going to be working together, too."

Kitfox nods to Russ. "I feel that I am honor bound to assist you in this endeavor, then. For what you've done for me. And this is my family now, yes?" she smiles, warmth in her voice. She looks to Navi, then looks at her own hand, curling and uncurling her fingers. She takes the one offered, then, "Cecily. I'm.. new to the crew.." she considers whether or not her situation was ever explained to Navi. Her handshake is also measured and likely unimpressive.

"Guess we fly by, see what we can see. I'll keep the scopes up and be ready to move fast." A nod from the younger sibling and Narsai turns to Kitfox, patting her on the shoulder. "This'll be your first real 'job'. If you're not feeling up to it, speak up." With that she then nods to Navi and Laika before heading towards the cockpit. "I'll bring the shields up the moment we come into combat. We might want some people on the turrets just in case."

Laika nods at Russ. Good enough for her, good enough for now. Uncrossing her arms she nods to Cecily and then to Navi. "Laika..." she introduces herself. "I'm a...hired hand for the moment I suppose." Narsai's request gets a nod but she looks at the others. "I can count the times I've been on a starship on one hand. Someone else should be on that gun."

Flying low over the planet the sensors pick it up long before the naked eye can. But when they do see it, it becomes clear what they are looking at. A ship with it's hull ripped wide open, spot fires still rage around the site only the fact it is a swamp planet stops it from becoming a full blown bush fire. Bodies lie scattered around the ship all of them wearing Mandalorian armour and many look to still have hands locked onto their weapons. The sensors fail to pick up anything else manmade in the area.

Navi shivers, watching from the ventral gun turret. "This is scary to look at... it looks like they were hit and crashed," she says softly into the turret's intercom, trying to keep a shiver out of her voice. "That, or something BIG caught the ship on the ground."

Narsai guides the thunderheart in a sweep around the perimeter, the scopes not picking anything extra. "Something big," she agrees, setting the shields to full as they hover over the crash sight. "Alright. Get down there and see what you can find. I'll bring the thunderheart down to a landing when I know I'm not going to eat a missile out of the scrub."

"They appear to have fought something?" Cecily says quietly as she looks at the display showing what happened. "I can provide covering fire but I am ill-equipped to take hits. My body is durable and I can perform repairs on myself... but how well versed in cybernetics repairs is anyone here should I be taken out of commission?" she considers, looking between the rest of the group.

Laika steps up towards the ramp. Up here in the sky her talents aren't exactly useful up on a ship, but she moves to take a little crouch. "You'll need to get low then." she calls back. "I don't have a jetpack here." She glances back at Cecily with a stare. Cybernetics? They really must be getting better at hiding it...

As soon as the ramp starts to lower Russ jets out of it his dual blaster pistols held securely in his hands, the jetpack lowers him steadily to the ground cutting out a foot above the ground. Landing in a crouch Russ looks around carefully his eyes only picking up what they had already seen, scattered bodies and signs of a fight. He moves over towards several of the bodies checking them for signs of life.

"I thought I saw something back in the trees... might have been the edge of the fire, but I don't think I saw any flames," Navi calls over the intercom. She watches Russ take the jump out of the ship, hand to her mouth to muffle her gasp, then sighs softly as he hits the ground safely. "I've got to get one of those things," she murmurs, the intercom catching it.

Narsai keeps the ship level, sweeping low and letting the others have a moment to bail out while she keeps the ships shield up...f course, that helps more for energy blasts then anything else. Frowning a little she starts to bring the ship up higher immediately. "Confirmed, I see something moving out in the trees. Watch out."

"Advise," Cecily cautions abruptly, her accent making it sound more clipped than intentional. "Firelight confirmed. There's something metallic down there. Droid? Armor? I'm..." she blinks. Her inhuman and inorganic senses seem to help her with this. "...something metal is jangling. Be careful. Keep your eyes on those trees..." she would stay on the ramp with her rifle, not equipped for a group operation just yet.

Laika jumps, but the tumble onto the dirt and mud doesn't do wonders for her to percieve the threats around. Coming up to a crouch she draws her blaster pistol with one hand, but the claws on her off-hand extend as she sniffs the air, listening to the others with a nod. Something is out there, even if she can't see it.

The signs are there and it is a good thing that the crew are largely an observent bunch, because just a few moments after the Thunderheart makes it's pass and several of her crewmembers hit the ground the air is rent with the sounds of impending violence. The cockpit of the Thunderheart is suddenly flooded with alerts and klaxons as it detects multiple rocket launches and weapon discharges. The crew on the ground or observing from the ramp are met with an entirely different site, six armoured foes breaking through the trees and dropping from the sky on plumes of fire holding an assortment of weapons. They are all wearing identical, eeirily familiar armour. Armour similiar to all the corpses in the clearing or that worn by Narsai and Russ.

Navi is suddenly glad she took the turret that can cover the ground easiest, because the treeline has suddenly become a target-rich environment. "Russ, say the word or I'm burning this bunch!" she calls into the comlink, no longer able to keep the shiver from her voice. Right now, however, she has no shot, since Narsai is doing her darnedest to save the 'Heart's flawlessly-finished skin!

Nope. None of that. Narsai brings the Thunderheart banking away from the rockets with suprising speed. For it's size, the custom YT is as nimble as most of the fighters out there. "Son of a mynock!" she hisses and flicks a switch, the heavy laser cannons coming to lift with an audible hum. "Who the hell thinks they can shoot at my ship?!"

Any hope for offering cover fire is dashed as the alpha strike from tne armored troopers nearly pulls the floor out from under her. Kitfox grips the nearest things she can reach, 'oh sith' handles being well used as she lets her rifle fall out onto its sling. "Is this a traitorous faction of your people?" she calls out to Russ, unable to do much more than cling for life right now. She was not looking to make an accidental dynamic entry.

A snarl like a wild animal and Laika leaps between the two men with swords, slashing and kicking out with her limbs but not finding any purchase or impact point on the Rogue Mandalorian bladesmen. Still she twirls and slashes between them, trying to keep the men between her and the blasterfire.

Russ's mouth drops open in suprise as the armoured Mandalorians burst out from their hidden postions in the swamps marshs, at least his look of utter shock is hidden by his full faced helmet. "Deathwatch." He snaps out of his shock just as the first Axeman comes down at him, his blasters blaze with hot fury two of the bolts finding purchase on the charging Mandalorians armour....and it barely slows him down most of the weapons bolt repelled by the all encompassing armour.

The mandalorian axemen roar battlecries as they charge at Laika and Russ, their axes coming down in a vicious arc designed to cut a man in half. And they are both met with empty air. Laika's martial arts skill allowing her to read the mans moves well before his axe meets her head, Russ due to the manueverability of his jetpack. Blaster fire rains down on the Thunderhearts away team, accurate but missing it's mark as their own axemen get in the way of clear shots.

A series of blue heavy bolts erupt from the fixed guns at the front of the Thunderheart, blasting the area near the ranged attackers that targeted her ship. Shrapnel blasters the area and the men run for cover, but cannons made for targeting other fighters don't quite manage to help her hit her mark. "Blast those bastards!" she calls back.

Navi does her best to aim the turret guns at the four Deathwatch goons with blasters, but the electronic gunsights were made for much bigger targets than armored humanoids. Still, she more or less gets what she wants; the long streams of foot-thick crimson blasts tear into the earth behind the thugs, creating man-sized explosions and showering the shooters' position with shrapnel of all sorts. The goons forget their targets for the moment and scatter, trying to avoid the rain of debris.

Kitfox has to regain her footing, boots digging into the ramp. She waits patiently, knowing she'll be able to take a shot when the ship swings around. The woman is still quite rusty, however. She shoulders her weapon and between the main gun's explosions and the ship's movement, she only manages to rather impressively hit one of the trees. The creatures that may or may not have been living in it, however, are not impressed.

Slash! Laika's claws strip paint and gouge metal across the helmet of one man, but that's all. The deathwatch beneath is completely unharmed. Giving another snarl, the Cathar brings her blaster pistol up in these tight quarters even while the ship rains death from above. Time for a new tactic.

Russ backpeddles wildly as the deathwatch's vibro-ax swings precariously close to his throat, he ducks low as the vibro-ax goes whistling over his head. Coming up to his feet he tucks both of his blasters under the chin of the Deathwatch pulling both of the triggers rapidly. Smoke plumes from the inside of the helmet as the mans skull is liquified. Kicking back the corpse he opens fire on the Deathwatch soldiers scattering from the Thunderhearts suppressing fire.

Stubborn as beskar is solid, Narsai keeps her fingers jammed on the triggers as the gunfire from the ships cannons rain down from the vehicle maneuvering mostly on its vectored thrusters. Seeing the explosion hurl two of the men with the blasters off their feet she gives a grin not hidden with her helmet for once.

"Beautiful, Narsai!" Navi watches two goons go flying from Narsai's strafing, then lines up her own volley from the belly turret. The blasts repeat their earlier performance, churning up great showers of debris and scattering the shooters further, but doing no real harm to any of them. "Gotta put in more sim time for sure..." she grumbles, preparing for Narsai's next run.

Cecily's shot gets closer to its mark, even with dust and movement. Her next bolt drills a hole in rock being used as cover, forcing more than one armored trooper to stay down for a moment. She has a Hoth-cold expression of stoic concentration on her face, fighting the ship's rumbling and the elusiveness of their enemies as she feels the combat subroutines ticking off simple procedures and auto-correcting suites of installed software. She's waking up.

The Deathwatch actually seem to be demoralised as the Thunderhearts turrets rake over their line ruining their fields of fire and sending two of them flying from their feet. They watch as the Mandalorian they are targetting kills one of their own with grace and the Cathar flows around the axemens blows. The ranged men look at each other and start as orderly a retreat as they can manage back into the brush. The man engaging Laika however is lost to the bloodlust and doesn't even try to join the withdrawal of his allies.

Laika's pistol flashes up, slamming into the other mandalorian's chest but only leaving a black slotch on the metal. Time for a new tactic. "Russ! Get ready to shoot!" she yells to the other mandalorian as she drops her pistol and lunges at one of the Mando's, aiming to tear the helmet from his head.

Russ jets foward with a roar as he watches these 'men' try to escape, these people who call themselves the true sons of Mandalore. His blasters burn red hot as he tears after them on his jetback, one of the fleeing Deathwatch screams in pain as he falls to the ground his leg nearly severed at the knee. His head snaps to the side as he hears Laika's cry, his jetpack flaring as he goes tearing through the air back towards her. He yells into his comm as he goes shooting through the air "Do not let them escape sister, we need their ship intact!"

Navi fires another long burst from the belly turret, churning up more debris and making the going very treacherous for the retreating Deathwatch. Perhaps some of her fire lines the enemy up for Narsai's telling strafing run moments later...

Another blast a few bolts raining down as the main guns and the turrets unleash hell on the gunmen. Clearly the fact that they hadn't managed to take down the Thunderheart with their suprise attack is coming back to bite them. Snarling a little she watches the huge blast rip apart some of the attackers who go flying backwards or are burned up by the heavy bolts.

Cecily seems to have found her groove, aiming in anticipation of the ship's movements, eyes on the retreating figures. Another shot, this one hitting its mark. Whether or not it's enough to penetrate the running humanoid's armor is a moot point as the withering fire from the ship's much larger guns ensure that it doesn't matter. But she hit something. And something in her blooms. Could it be pride? Or just a programmed reaction. Either way, she lowers the blaster and keeps her eyes out for any further targets.

By no means a quick procedure, Deathwatch starts to detach the shining plates of his Imperial Stormtrooper Armor setting them aside and proceeding to the next until the suit is finally fully removed.

Clearly he wasn't expecting it, because Laika's pouncing tear of that armor happens without much resistance. Almost immediately after pulling the helmet free Narsai throws it as far as she can and shoves her feet against the man she'd attacked, pushing herself free and as far away as she can with those powerful feline muscles.

Russ lands behind the man Just as Laika sweeps the helmet off his head with style, the Deathwatch soldier so lost in bloodlust he doesn't even process the sounds of the jetpack cutting out behind him. Russ shakes his head as he levels both of his blasters at the back of the mans head waiting for just a second for Laika to be clear from his line of fire before he pulls the triggers "Scum." Russ growls lowly as the body falls limply at his and the Cathars feet, the last of the ambushing Deathwatch members finally dead the back oh his skull Navi watches the blasted (literally) terrain where the Deathwatch goons fell, waiting for any sign of hostile movement. Seeing none, she holds her fire. Only once the ship is on the ground does she unstrap and leave the turret, slipping her helmet on and joining the others already on the ground. "Nice work, Laika, Russ... oh, hey Russ? Did you say /Deathwatch/ before?" she asks, looking down at the two somewhat intact armored dead on the ground. "I know very little about those guys, so forgive me if I ask a lot of questions."

And like that...the battle is over. Narsai sets the ship to bank inwards and then land in the clearing, leaving the ship's systems ready to go she sets it to land without powering down before finally moving from the pilot seat. She too is headed for the ground. Stepping out of the ship she strokes a hand on the shining surface before joining the others. "Salvage what we can. Lets see if we can get some info as to why they attacked the other clan."

Cecily remains on the ramp for the moment, sweeping the treeline with her blaster. Only when the last member of the crew steps off does she follow. Her eyes go from the dead they're responsible for inflicting to the fallen that are still laying where they were on arrival. "Perhaps there is a communication log in the downed vessel?" she suggests quietly.

Russ nods to his Sister, Navi and Kitfox as they make their way down the ramp to meet him. He holsters his pistols feeling suddenly weary now that his combat high is over. "Aye lets salvage what we can, armor takes priority then the weapons. Leave the deathwatch to the carrion eaters. Save the Clans armour, i will present it back to their warriors when i next get the chance." He looks towards the downed Mandalorian clan ship with a sigh "Then we will check the communication log on the downed ship and try to figure out what drew them here. This looks like the deathwatch lured them in somehow...." He peers into the swamp carefully "The deathwatch needed to get to this planet somehow, once we have cleaned this scene we will look for their ship. I want their Nav data. I think it is time for a leadership change in the deathwatch."