Log:Mandalore: Tracking

Tracking

OOC Date: January 19, 2025
Location: Mandalore - The Rage Lands
Participants: Amaia Dara, Sumi Kora, Ben Relor, Jallo Dara, Cin'cirad Rook, Zee'Roh Kora, and Hadrix Kora as GM

Information from the gand Mandalorian, and Findsman, Ur'daa had been in night constant contact with the Journeyman Protectors. Signals identified at the ambush of the survey team had led to a series of caverns that had actually been a series of traditional Mandalorian homes, or vheh'yaime, covered over by dust and debris from Palpatine's Purge.

Tucked into a copes of what had once been veshok trees, but for decades have existed like the silhouette of broken, jagged, teeth jutting out of a brow of a hill crowning what had been a shallow bowl. Blackened by soot and hardened to little more than shaped charcoal, a broken crown on Mandalore's head.

Dirt from nearby blast craters, stone and felled tree trunks litter the bowl and have only helped to better hide the trio of structures. No vehicles can be seen, but there are tracks moving out of the northern side of the basin, the number of vehicles indeterminable due to the single file transit paths and likewise signs of footsteps are muddled by number in addition to wind blown detritus.

It's quiet, still, and a palpable gravity hangs here like a hand pressing down on shoulders.

Sumi tosses down a spent smoke and sighs out. Her arms rest upon the receiver of a large flame unit, its pilot light on, and the sling cast about her torso in order for her to leverage the weapon in this way. It is oriented to her front, muzzle to her left side facing the ground. As smoke exits her nose and mouth, Sumi looks to the quiet terrain skeptically.

"How many you think?" The question insinuates that Sumi expects to kill something. She draws her helmet down casually, its black T-visor changing to a mirror like exterior when its HUD came online.

Mai Dara had not grown up on Mandalore, that was true, but she had been raised at the Clan holdings on Concord Dawn, and so was not unfamiliar with the sorts of building structures prevalent here. So...scouting was the first objective, and she kept low as she moved in, looking, not for the visible entrances, but for those points of entry through which, under duress, the people to whom those homes had belonged would have used for more clandestine exits and entrances. Never leave yourself only one point of egress, was her motto. Perhaps it was theirs as well.

This is the first mission Zee'Roh has gone on in her new body. Which, if she were going to classify it anyways, is waifish, at best. Slender in a way that makes her armor look bulky in comparison. No way a person that size should be carrying that much durasteel with the kind of ease with which the small figure is doing so.

She stares straight forward, but her left heel is tapping.

The nature of the visored helmet is that expressions are impossible, so that nervous energy is expressed by way of the motion of her leg. She bleeds it. Until Sumi speaks.

Switch flips.

The cold purple armored helmet turns to the side and her right wrist comes up to ignite the pilot light on the wicked looking wrist mounted flamer unit. "I hope, a lot."

accompanying a group of people who don't really need his help at all. Whether it's because he respects the Mandalorians or simply can't stand sitting still for more than a minute, he's here again, playing the scout. One booted foot up on a rock, lit cigarette dangling from his lip, he adjusts his macrobinoculars and looks out at the footprints.

"Tryin' to figure that out." Ben glances over his shoulder at Sumi before looking back to the tracks. "Would be good to know how old those tracks are, too. Might need to get a little closer." A glance to Zee'Roh as well, who's new to him, and just as intimidating as the rest of the Mandos to his eyes, no doubt.

There a sort of grunt from the Mandalorian with the striped red and white rifle. A drawn in breath, and then a let out sigh at the sheer volume of space this seems to be insinuating, well either that or, <"Could be a trap. Looks trap-y. Trap-like?"> She shrugs to glance at the others before looking back down toward the vheh'yaime/cavern complex that's there. Not to mention the single track of line.

<"Bet they're traveling in single file to hide their numbers."> He adds helpfully, a glance over to Ben, <"Sand people do that too."> A beat, <"And militarily."> Another beat, <"Okay, a lot of people do, point is-"> he looks out at the basin still, <"-it's quiet and trap-y.">

<"Hard to tell. They've had time to clear out, depending on what sort of message had been sent when we hit the surveyors.">

Pragmatic as ever, Hadrix's visor faces towards the basin from where he lay against the slope near the top of the basin... But the red pinlight behind the T has strayed toward's Zee'Roh's armor numerous times. As if confused by something.

He says nothing to it, keeping otherwise to business.

Down below in the basin, things remain silent save for the sound of wind passing through debris and over the wastes. The feeling of gravity persists, like one might perceive when under observation.

Sumi turns slightly when Zee hopes, aloud, that there are a lot. Sumi's head nods as if saying 'Rekk Yeeeaah', despite no sound emitting from her helmet. Ben Relor's comment earns her gaze next and she turns toward the direction he was looking. Well, hell, Sumi wasn't even looking in the right direction.

<"Let's find out.."> Sumi responds and steps passed Ben Relor to follow the tracks. Her helmet HUD scans, but it isn't the component that gives her the insight she has. Years of tracking affords her some modicum of instinct, and she shares as the closes the distance.

<"..maybe two dozen or more.. organic. Droid, even."> She shakes her head annoyed. Still walking. <"Old and new by the looks of it, and vehicles. -- Vehicles were moved recently..."> Pausing, Sumi gestured toward the center most buildings. Those with HUDs see the waypoint. <"Point of interest ahead.. let's do a thing.">

Sumi silently agreed with the comment made by the other Mando regarding how Trappy it felt. Sumi had every intention of springing the trap...

Well, if Sumi was going to spring the trap, Mai, well, wasn't. Whether it would give them a way in or give them a way to prevent a secret escape, Mai continued to move, low and quiet, moving with ease despite her height. It wasn't easy to do, but she hadn't been raised a ship rat for nothing, and she used those years of squirreling around in uncomfortable places to her advantage. She did report as she moved, though, <<"Single main entrance, but I see enough debris that ulterior exits are either destroyed, or...they're simply being well camouflaged. Proceeding in.">>

<"I like traps. People always think they have the upper hand so they act in a manner of self indulgent superiority that drops their guard. Plus the look on their face when I cut it off amuses me."> Zee'Roh says as she peers down over the edge of the chasm. <"Alor, please seend Zero in the air so I can use them as an aerial surveylance?"> A half turn to peer over her armored shoulder at Sumi.

She flips open a small display on the inside of her right wrist, producing a keypad interface computer terminal. She doesn't need the seeker droid, obviously. Sumi and, perhaps, Hadrix realize that. Dying has a way of changing a persons perspective on people knowing about their true nature, however. While her fingers are tapping at the holographic keys on her wrist, she's peering down the depths of the gulley. Cybernetic eyes zooming in, shift. Unfocus, zoom. It's behind her helmet, but trust that seeing it would be a little awkward.

<"Patches of along basin appear different from the surrounding turrain. Possibly maintenance access points or exhaust ports for a deeper tunnel system."> A glance back at Sumi.

<"I need a cyber terminal and I'll get us a schematic and area map.">

Ben puts down the macrobinocs, frowning as he watches Sumi set off. He quickly sets down his pack, pulling out a compact, weatherproof case and removing several cylindrical devices. Two of them are placed in his pockets for later. One of them is getting set up on the ridge, tucked into a concealed position. He presses a button, and the beacon's legs extend with a quiet *click*, anchoring it securely to the ground.

Relor then removes his datapad from his pack to adjust the sensitivity of the beacon, which emits a faint hum as it powers up, a soft green light glowing on its antenna. After glancing down at his datapad, Ben nods. "This's a good start, but more would be better. Hold this, Five." Ben hands the droid another of the sensor beacons, and the R5 clutches onto it with a manipulator arm as they scurry after Sumi.

"I know you don't need our help," he tells her with a smirk, "but we might come in handy, anyway. You'd be surprised."

The Mandalorian sees Sumi starting down the hill, and well - she threw a spear last time. With her walking, this seems more normal! And Mandalorians travel in packs! So he's starting to trudge after her as he pulls the rifle up and tucks it into his shoulder. <"Hey, you know. If I was going to set up a really basic ambush. I probably would hide behind or under things. Like, I dunno, bushes. Trees. /Rugs/.">

He nods toward the patches, saying a bit quieter for Sumi to hear and maybe those behind - but not so much that everyone in the entire basin can hear. Semi-quiet? Louder than a stage whisper and less raspy. <"Six patches. I called it. Am-rug. Since it's not bushes.">

Jallo's helmet sweeps around as he follows along with the others crouched semi low as he pulls a cylinder about two feet in length from where it's locked into position across his back with his jetpack. Toggling the switch on it the cylinder expands into an energy bow, <"I agree that we should get closer and find what we can find."> He starts to sneak down following Amaia keeping low and quiet as he continues to sweep the area with his senses trying to search for anything out of the ordinary on this side of the outcropping.

<"Cyber terminals and system schematics this far out in the wastes?"> Hadrix lifts himself up enough to cross the ridge of the basin and begins to descend. Moving from cover point to cover, in a rough traversal to keep himself out of sight.

Not his best showing.

Down in the basin, as people begin filing in, the air seems to stop as if the area was holding its breath. There's a rustling, a shifting somewhere in the rubble when the Mandalorians, and Guy In A Hat, come traipsing in.

Motion enough to allow for alert to not be caught completely unawares.

From beneath hunks of stone and fallen, charred, sand choked wood figures erupt. Spiked hulls set with gruesome looking claws and heavy blasters attached begin to lurch forward. The 'rugs' pointed out by the slugthrower wielding Mandalorian and Zee'Roh seeming to have been intended as a ruse. A ruse that may have been clever against less wary investigators

<"Hopefully."> Zee answers Hadrix's question, but this is honestly her first time on Mandalore. First time in a long time for a lot of things. She feels out of step. Which becomes obvious when she glances back as if she's about to say something, but Sumi's already gone. Behind her T-Visor, brown eyes shift around slowly, then zoom in on the group descending down into the basin.

Her T-Visor focuses down into said basin.

<<"I think I am a liability.">> On closed Kora channels. <<"I thought I was ready for this, but I'm not.">> For a person who is always sure of themselves, the slightest bit of self doubt is a gaping hole in the armor. Literally and physically.

With a clench of her fist, the pilot-light on her flamer extinguishes.

<"I'll provide recon from the ridge."> That self doubt is gone when not speaking directly with her clan. With her eyes shifting side to side while she's fighting the urge to start tapping her heel on the dusky edge ridgeline.

The fact that falls in her lap aside, Zee's eyes snap towards the approaching droids. <"Enemy contact from the brush."> She indicates, highlighting them with a blink to transmit across to any linked HUDs.

Sumi's head turns when Ben arrives beside her and she nods when he speaks his bit about being useful. The only comment she adds insinuates acceptance of his choice, though she instinctively steps in front of him since he is not blessed with beskar. <"Head on a swivel, then.">

The Mandalorian that joins them seems fixed to the bushes, and Sumi assumes since they're watching those, she will continue to track the prints in the dirt for now. She doesn't derail the line of thinking, /some/ fighters were that obvious with their hidey-holes, and then some weren't. What they discovered?

These weren't.

At the first sign of danger, Sumi chuckles and declares, <"..finally."> before releasing a torrent of plasma coated jelly that ignites when it's sprayed from the tank itself. It is not normal fire that consumes the droid she's hit with it; this flame burns HOT! It is aflame, and she steps by it moving casual to the next. <"Keep moving until you find cover.."> Whether she held out trust that Ben was experienced enough to do this on his own, or she assumed he might be crazy enough to remain out in the open with her. For her conscience, she said those words in the event the worst happened, and she could say, 'Told'ja so.' The other Mando? They wore the armor.

Thankful for Zee'Roh's marks, Sumi pivots to take aim at another, her chuckle becoming something of a laugh now.

Well, now they were in the midst of it, and not behind or to the side of it. Not an ideal situation, but you worked with what you had, when the enemy exploded all around you. But that was a Dara for you. Making due with what you had, and trying to shift the situation to your advantage. Mai switched to her clan only comms, amusement in her voice. "I'd say watch out, but..." And then she reached down, retrieving one of the more specialized grenades in her arsenal, the ball of glowing plasma a beautiful thing. To her at least, to the two droids who were unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end, as Mai rose to full height to throw the globe in their direction, less so, as the ball of plasma smashed into one, spreading to the other as the energy hit both of them, shorting out their systems, burning into their hulls, as the two fell forward into the sand.

"Head's /always/ on a swivel," Ben tells Sumi. He can't help but scowl a bit when she steps in front of him, even though it's decidedly in his best interest. It's possible that he stayed behind and kept setting down sensor beacons, but here he is. Five chirps softly at him, and Relor's about to respond, when...

Here comes the cavalry. "This ain't my first sky rodeo," he snaps, but it's a fair assumption that he'd act crazy. At least this time (in part due to Five's frantic bleeping), he does get behind a rock -- popping back up with ion grenade. "Eat ion, frybrains!" The loud-mouthed demo-tech always has to yell something when he's trying to rain down fire and destruction -- emphasis on try, because he completely misses the droids, somehow -- letting out a loud yell of frustration.

There's a sort of 'hrm' noise as the rugs seemed to just be rugs, not Am-rugs. They were not, however, am-bushes either. The lurch of them out of the rubble has him pondering for a second, then Sumi lights one up... literally. The flames erupting and the Mandalorian lets out a chuckle and a bit of a shake of his head, <"Well, that's one way to start a party. I like how you light the candles there.">

With the projectile rifle still tucked into his shoulder, he leans his head down to look down the sights to line up one of the other droids, moving a bit more to the side to keep the lines clear. And with a squeeze, he sends the round down range. The kick of the rifle hammering into the shoulder armor as the slug hits the droids squarly with a 'Pun-TING' as it richoetes into the machinery beneath the spiked armor. Enough to wound it, though not drop it yet.

Jallo sighs a bit as the fighting starts. Popping up from where he was semi hidden he draws back the string on his bow the energy arrow charged before the first one flings past the droid he was aiming at... That is if missing the droid by a mile can be considered aiming. A deep breath to center himself again before he fires another arrow this one slamming into the droid and eliminating it and it's factory line from existence.

A droid on fire and more 'soaked' in Gungan boomer goo. Stomping towards the Mandalorians, and Ben. Weapons raised and ignoring the state of their own bodies if not rendered to malfunctioning. Aiming repeaters mounted to their arms towards potential victims.

<"Zee. I've watched you..."> Hadrix's comment is cut off as he grunts, rising from his cover with... well it's a repeater. But someone might question the fact that it is a sparkling, light catching, shade of pink. The business end spewing a torrent of energy bolts down range. <"... cut a Gorax with a filleting knife."> Nothing else from him, just that state of fact. The rake of fire spinning his target but failing to down it.

Anything further is cut off when its return shot takes the big man in the leg, Beskar reflecting the shot with a shrieking whine - though the impact kicks his limb backwards hard enough to pole-ax him into the ground face first.

The droids stomp forward, torsos swiveling on waists with their weapon limbs extended, unleashing fire with an alacrity that would be expected of far larger numbers.

The very definition of Saturation Fire.

Shots criss-cross as droids respond with maximum prejudice. Sumi squares up on one and releases another wave of flames, but the rekking gust of wind (and the fact she was firing from the hip) saw to the burst missing entirely. What it did hit was one of those bushes the Mando was on about earlier. If they WERE alive, they weren't happy!

Grumbling, Sumi adjusted the weapon to pull against her shoulder.

Almost thirty years, Mai Dara had been under Jallo Dara's tutelage. Since she was barely more than a girl, and he just grown. A long time to learn how to work with him, to fight with him, to feel what he felt. When she sensed, as much as saw Jallo take a hit, even a slight one, it got her back up. Nobody took a shot at her Alor and got away with it. Nobody. A second plasma ball fell into Mai's hand, and she tossed it with unfailing accuracy, the plasma exploding and splashing across two more of the droids. They deserved what they got for messing with her family.

When the droids unleash their fire, the only combatant here /not/ encased in metal manages to get hit. Ben Relor cries out as a bolt gets him right in the torso (again!), knocked to the ground by the impact for a moment, a hand pressed against his chest. Alarmed, Five rolls over and starts doing a quick scan of him, chirping as he does so. "I'll live?! I know that!" Ben yells at his droid.

Just because he'll live doesn't mean it doesn't hurt, though, and that's another shirt scorched. As if he didn't have enough burned clothes already! Wincing, he removes a big honkin' ion pistol from a strap on his leg and raises it, trying to hit one of these damn droids already..."Shavit! Karking shavit! AAAARRRGGHHH!" Ben's just too reckless sometimes, and when he's in something of a frenzy, he can't shoot straight. Literally. He doesn't. He hits nothing, and keeps on yelling.

Hadrix has his eyes on Zee'Roh until he takes his eyes off Zee'Roh. Which is almost always a huge mistake. She has a very low tolerance for self preservation and a very high perchance for violence. Which becomes abysmally clear when she takes a gander at the relative distance betwixt her current position, the edge of the basin, and the distance she'll have to clear to reach those droids attacking the Alor of clan Kora.

The mathematics of it are simple.

She can solve those equations with almost no difficulty with her positronic brain, but getting this new, fragile, flesh bag to do what her old body would have done on muscle memory? That's a whole different story. She sorts the distance and takes a scooting step back, then runs at full sprint towards the edge where she... sort of... launches herself over the edge.

It's nothing graceful.

The leg muscles aren't what she's use to.

She hits the ground in a long slide along the downward slope of the basin. Durasteel boots clipping rocks in a spray of dust particulate and debris as she slides a few dozen feet with a hand back, clawing into rocks trying to correct her muscular misjudgement.

Another jump sends her aerial.

Which is no more graceful.

When she lands, it's within striking distance of one of the injured droids.

Technically she rolls over shoulder and blasts it in the chest with a wall of flame erupting from the top of her wrist. Sweeping side to side to illuminate every glossy aspect of that mechanical monstrocity. Then the blade extends. Jutting out from atop the nozzle of her flamer to stab directly into super heated metal chest plating. Leaving a long, orange, molten, gash out the left side beneath the armpit. She ducks and pivots and extends her hand up to spray more fire from her wrist. A steady stream that melts the circutry of the optics. This sends the droid stumbling around in wild circles as the face droops, sags, then slogs down against the chest.

With Zee'Roh's shoulders heaving over the wreckage when it lands. Long gashes in her armor. Smoke coiling up her back from her right wrist mounted flamer unit. <"Inferior technological being."> She seeths through her vocaber. And slowly turns her head to look over her shoulder. An equally slow turn, with a pronounced limp on her right leg, towards another of the attacking droid. <"Face your betters!">

It's incredible to watch it. The shots flying back and forth between the two sides, he almost wants to just pause and watch... As Ben gets shot again. He sighs, looking down at the man who seems to want to join the Mandalorians by simply being shot so many times that half of him is left on Mandalore. <"There are better ways. Like - This is not the way. Oop!"> He moves to the side as some of the debris goes flying his way. The droid Zee'Roh roasts had exploded in places from overheating, sending bits and pieces about.

Raising his rifle, he tucks it back in to aim at the damaged droid. <"Yeah, right about-"> And he squeezes the trigger, the pulse of the recoil into his shoulder and the droid drops. Setting the butt of the rifle into the sand, he offers a hand down to Ben.

Jallo takes a step back when his chest is impacted by the droid firing at him the Beskar deflecting the shot off anything vital. Shaking his head a moment he settles into a sort of relaxed stance taking some slight cover as he listens about for anything that may be out of the ordinary for the area besides dead droids.

Pulling himself with an instinctive blow to force dirt from his mouth, that never got past his helmet, Hadrix makes his way down to the bottom of the basin with the others, head turning to survey the droids that have been laid low. Saying nothing for now.

When investigations finally get to the buildings half-buried in the dirt it's clear that these were of the traditional design. Dug into the ground for temperature control as much as stability, so that the space would be much greater than the short roofs would suggest.

Each one has been cleared of what, or whom, had been within when the Purge came. Melted durasteel armor, charred and rotten bone, and more tossed into refuse piles in one of the outer yaime, no respect for individuals whose remains had been stripped of anything viewed as valuable before they were discarded.

The other outer home had been converted to a sort of bunk house, all but a few holomags and worthless, or possibly offensive, junk left behind.

It was the central yaime that was of the most interest. Clear sight of where technical equipment had been set up, now missing. Metal plates having been set out to reinforce the floor.

And in the midst of all those plates a set of hinges, of all things.

Hearing the droids around her being obliterated, Sumi is left without a target to scorch. Her stance relaxes and she turns to see Zee'Roh there fresh from having dispatched a droid, too. For Sumi, it hadn't even occurred to her that Zee initially stayed back. Sumi assumed she had been there all along. Bumping her shoulder slightly as she passed, her voice cut over the helmet, <"Feels good, don't it?"> To be fighting again.

Sumi adopted a patrol around the place. She wasn't one for investigating and left that up to the smarter warriors present. She preferred the grunt work. She resumed her casual hold of the flame unit and followed along the different tracks. When she neared Ben, he might have heard her say, <".. some of these tracks are old. -- Makes me think they were made during the purge all those years ago. -- Seems like yesterday..">

Sumi marched on, passing the Mando who had come with them initially. She's quiet, glancing his way and upnodding as she passed.

<<"Bunch of pirates.">> That's what they were, in the end. A good thing for her that was what Mai had been raised to hunt. Animals, but of a different sort. There was a reason Mai had been sent from Concord Dawn to Nar Shaddaa. Mai took her time, exploring as necessary, but it was the metal plating in the floor that gained her attention. <"I have a feeling that they went to ground."> The Rattataki took a knee, as she located one with what appeared to be a locking bolt. No plasma grenades this time, only a shuffling of her equipment to retrieve a plasma cutting torch. Just the sort of useful tool a space monkey carried around. Burns fast and hot, cools down quickly. Easy in, easy out, you know? "Looks like there's an egress from the building here. I have a feeling whomever is left exited this way.">

Ben winces from his injury as he moves along. It's in a really distracting place. He glances at Sumi when she speaks, possibly to him. "You were there, during the Purge?" Grimacing a little from the pain, he scans the area for anything else of interest, since Amaia has the bolt cutting covered -- but there's nothing to see. Not now, when he's distracted, thus. Five rolls up and bleeps at him, shaking his flat-top dome. Nothing from the droid, either.

He turns around to look at Mai when she speaks, letting out a sigh. "Better not be close down there," he mutters to Five. "You know how I feel about tight spaces."

Zee'Roh's shoulder is jostled by Sumi's bump and her helmet turns in the Alor's direction. An incline of acknowledgement, <"Like riding a bike. I think that is the term people say."> Her voice is distant. Different. Helmet looking back down at the husk of a droid she'd slagged... or at least helped slagged. Her fist clenches and disengages the flame jutting out from the pilot spout.

The mandalorian, chuckling as he looks toward Ben as he winces and is treated. But he's off to the side buildings. Pulling out a camping shovel, always a good idea to have one on hand, he starts to dig holes. He's obviously not going to make that much progress, but he's doing his best to dig out holes to place the last remains of the people here. In the midst of it he starts singing the Dha Werda Verda under his breath. Doing his best to honor those that fell here... and were looted.

Jallo starts to walk around the area just a bit and sighs some as he lets his senses, <"As far as the rest of the folks they'd scrammed quick after they realized they were made. There's spots that seems held GNKs and the tread marks are heading out and no vehicles. This was likely one of their operational bases but not anymore.">

A bacta infusion hypo-gun is, very, unceremoniously pressed against Ben's neck as he passes, sending a surge of medical fluids into a major vein so that it can be brought to the heart and 'distributed' arterially. Hadrix continues to walk past, commenting "Sumi'alor has been around."

A hand had been rested on Zee's shoulder as well while the big man makes his way within. A nod for the Journeyman attending to the fallen. Moving past Jallo with a nod towards Gripper for the info the Miraluka provides as he stops before the plate once Amaia has cut the bolt.

Heavy, and reinforced, the big man crouches and hooks his fingers in where the other Dara's cutting torch had widened a gap, standing up and lifting in the same motion - swinging the makeshift door open hard enough to dislodge its hinge pins, even popping a bolt on the jam.

Behind it, a shaft cut into the very ground by what may have been mining droids for the clean sides. About two and a half meters across and deep enough for lamps to not cut to the bottom.

"Or it could be what we were looking for, 'lek?"

Only one way to find out.