Log:Mandalore: Tunnel Work
Tunnel Work
OOC Date: January 24, 2025
Location: Mandalore - The Rage Lands
Participants: Amaia Dara, Sumi Kora, Ben Relor, Jallo Dara, Cin'cirad Rook, Zee'Roh Kora, Narsai Ordo and Hadrix Kora as GM
Down they went into the depths, in the gloom the tunnel showed signs of automated drilling, a good ten meters worth before the first casualty was spotted, laying abandoned to one side of the tunnel once it began moving more horizontally.
The remains of a heavily modified cargo loading droid - it's systems meant to normally heft extreme loads changed to press drilling equipment. The parts that could be saved having been stripped and those too damaged left behind.
Mining operations that pressed deeper and deeper towards the root of the mountain along the continental fault line.
There were no sounds of drilling though, none now. Either they had fled or the Iron Poachers had moved on. But in the gloom, lit faintly by guttering glow-bulbs pitoned into the walls every few feet, the shadows seemed to reach out and phantom sounds were ever present.
Sumi walked near the front or at the front, activating lights that were shaped to the feline ears on her helmet. LED and bright, they cast twin 'beams' out ahead of her, accentuating the presence of dust and dirt as specks cycloned within the glare. She held a spear, using it to walk though not out of necessity. <"I could use a smoke."> She complains, heavy bootfalls heralding her approach with loud jingle-jangle noises from spent round casings and spurs on her boots.
Ben Relor doesn't like tight spaces. Tunnels are no bueno. He's already sweating, and it's just gonna get worse the deeper they go. Although he'll do his damndest to try and keep that from the Mandos, it's probably pretty evident. He'll just have to hope that no one is paying attention to him. Which they probably aren't
Rolling up alongside Ben, Five chirps curiously. The little droid is shining a light ahead so that Ben doesn't have to use the one on his wrist. "I'm fine, Five," Ben mutters, wiping the sweat off his brow. "Just keep moving." His bloodshot blue eyes snap to one of those guttering bulbs, and a tremor moves through his wiry shoulders.
"You said it," he notes to Sumi. "It always helps." He doesn't light up, though, tempting as it may be.
Jallo's working to quietly walk towards the middle of the formation keeping to where he thinks the shadows should be as he lets his senses sweep around them some keeping an ear out for unexpected twists and turns. He's currently still got the baton that turns into his bow in his hand not having extended the weapon back out since the combat droids were dispatched.
Zee is near to Sumi, in her 'too big' armor, but she lacks the lights of the other Mando's helmet. She could put on a big show of using them, but why? She sees perfectly fine in this gloom. With sharp eyes that scan the shadowy corners and a hand ready to ignite the pilot light on her gauntlet flamer.
The Mandalorian with no name (cue Spaghetti Western music) follows along with as well. He had spent much of his time as he could burying the bodies above, the ones that were nigh desecrated as people looted the remains. He's walking along beside Ben, casting a look at him with a little grunt of noise. Whether that was an agreement or disagreement... who knows. But he does mutter soon after, <"Sure the smoke won't just filter out through one of the - what are you up to, three holes?">
The Mandalorian chuckles and keeps his eyes looking about, though hardly trying to move quietly since Sumi wasn't. If she wasn't, he didn't see a reason to. <"So anyone want take a wager on how deep this hole goes? And just think, you got all that rock just layin' above ya waiting to crash down."> He glances at Ben again, <"Like blaster holes but worse.">
Narsai strode too with the pack, another figure in the dark with her blaster pistol at her hip. Behind the T-visor, her vison scanned the darkness for signs not only of the poachers, but of any traps they might have left behind in their haste.
<"I expect it's networked out, but I doubt they'll venture far enough without light or power to where they hide.">
At least for Ben, it's hot on Mandalore. So he might have something of a cover for the sweat bogging up his shorts. It only seems to intensify as the path descends with the lack of little airflow other than a perpetual thin breeze.
The flickering lights keep the movement in shadows to a constant that plays with vision, but for those with sight there's the additional layer of the shifting gloom making the way ahead questionable.
A man that big shoudn't be that quiet. Slipping along the shadows without even the scrape of iron shod boots to announce him. Armed for Rancor with a variety on hangars set in his combat webbing for ease of access.
Another day on Mandalore.
For those like the miraluka, the sound of movement and the ecolocative pulse he gives off showing Jallo a bend coming up, shallow but enough to detect it as the beginning of something like a loop that sighted species catch soon after.
There is a new scraping sound and the descenders are able to notice that there is duracrete here, that whatever this tunnel is, it had broken into a structure buried by the Purge. Furthermore there were other, faint, sounds ahead like great joints trying to move.
Sumi can hear Ben and his droid, and Five's light mixes with her own as they continue to progress. Sumi doesn't have to look to confirm Zee is nearby. Zee is always nearby. It is as much a fact as it is hot on Mandalore. Ben's comment about smoking makes her chuckle, a sound that's conveyed over her helmet.
Joining in on the fun that Nameless Mando was having, Sumi added, <"When I was in the Kessel mines, the tunnels were dark and cold. It were the heat that the creatures thrived and sought, and hunted. Every trip, we would return with fewer. You could hear their screams within the deep. Not unlike here, though the tales of monsters that slumber beneath dirt and rock say they are large. Can swallow a man whole. If it is monsters we find here in the deep, I hope it is a giant one.">
Sumi can't hear anything ahead, otherwise she might have jogged forward to investigate. Her approach is far from quiet though, and it's accompanied by a loud THONK each time she sets the end of her spear into the dirt (the blunt side).
Ben's misstep results in a sudden, clinging, silence that chases after his comment of having meant that. Followed by a creaking of stone that only preambles the break when a section of the floor shakes and dust begins falling from the ceiling.
Something comes to alert and while it is still concealed from sight, the sudden noise beyond even Sumi's clonking jiggy-jog is enough to unleash a roar that sounds more like breaking machinery struggling to function before the turn just in front of Relor is lit up and the wall opposite of the beams direction cast such a glow that the darkness becomes bright as sunrise.
As Ben makes some nice loud noise and then the resultant noises responding from around the corner Jallo just takes a step off to the side to clear the center lane of fire as his energy bow engages getting ready, <"Think it's friendly?"> As he preps his bow it's obvious what the chances Jallo believes it's left there as a we're sorry for stealing your Beskar gift.
The wrist computer on Zee's inner forearm pops open, but she lacks the same sophisticated stealth equipment of her old armor. The little screen is closed with the palm of her hand and she goes about it the traditional way, by sticking to shadows and creeping with a relative easy motion towards the edge of the corridor. Where she leans, just enough to peer around into the antechamber.
That tracks.
Down on a knee, she rests her back against the wall and keys up inter unit comms, <<"Battered Bes'uliik. Looks like it still has weapons systems.">> Another glance around, dark eyes searching for a security console she might be able to plug into. This is, however, Mandalore. <<"Mandalore needs to upgrade it's computer profile, I dislike this lowtech nonsense and understand why this planet was destroyed.">>
<"OH! I heard a good one the other day."> Says the Mando with no name. He's got his rifle craddled in his arms once again as he continues walking along. <"A Human, A Twi'lek, and a Gamorrean are stranded on an island, 50 kilometers from land. The Human swims for it, gets 15 kilometers and wears out and drowns. The Twi'lek-"> He keeps looking about, his helmet turning a bit down and again if he can't quite get a clean look, <"-gets 20 kilometers, just can't make it anymore and drowns. The Gamorrean swims 25 kilometers, get tired and swims back to the island.">
And then... All hell breaks loose. <"Oh c'mon, the joke wasn't that bad!"> Thankfully the helm deadens enough of the sound that he's not lost his hearing, but he's also not sure if he should be sprinting into the danger yet. He moves up against the wall, pressing against it in case other's need to get by. He glances down at Ben, then holds his and out as a means to help him back to his feet. <"Stop trying to slowly transport yourself here. A drop of blood doesn't count."> He pulls up his rifle as he murmurs, <"Bes'uliik."> Then a sort of knowing grunt and a nod, <"What the hell is a Bes'uliik?">
It wasn't the first time Narsai had seen a Basilisk war droid. Hell, she was responsible for most of the restored ones that protected Ordo or remained in the vault. As they moved forwards, she tilts her head at those words coming through before exhaling a breath at Zee's words. Maybe the wrong crowd to be agreeing with the destruction of their homeworld...
Still she turns her attention forward at the words, cursing a little under her breath as a scrape of her boot leaves an echoing sound down the tunnel.
<<"Old...but still more than dangerous enough.">>
Mai Dara was running droge, really, as she was quite a ways behind the main group. Slow and careful wins the race, yes? Thankfully, she was a natural hunter, and she moved with care, making as little noise as possible. Even when the screaming began, and the light flashes, forcing her visor to dim to protect her eyes, she did not rush forward. Weapons were checked, hands ready to draw, but her focus appeared to be, now that she heard the identification, anything which might be used to control or deactivate the old war machine.
A torrent of micro-munitions scream down the tunnel when Narsai's movements draw further attention - she and Zee'Roh having the front row seats to the sight of panels on the sides of the ancient, corroded, droid opening before it fires.
Zee even manages to spy a security plug nearby. Unfortunate that there's been little to no power down here for decades.
The war droid looses a sound that shakes bone and sets nerves tingling while moving to hold its position, too large to move into the half collapsed tunnel that had been mined through, and so doing what it can to keep 'intruders' out.
Among those only able to see the blasts and munitions a single, growling, voice distorted by vocalizer issues a <"Kriff.">
When Ben fell, Sumi was quick to point out, <"There's a rock there.."> Her bright lights illuminating it just before everything went supernova, and even Sumi was blinded by the blast. <"Gods damn.. what did we tick off?"> Sumi stumbled at first, shaking her head clear and trying to blink away the glare when she saw its shape after the blast. Zee confirmed it, but truth be told, Sumi couldn't hear her over the ringing in her ears.
Logic left Sumi's mind, and it's what saw her slip by Zee'Roh and Alor'Ordo, charging right for the Basalisk War Droid. Sumi didn't even realize it, but she was screaming (brought on by her /hate/ of running, but also this was stupid of her to do. -- However, how many Mando'ade can say they've rode upon a Basalisk War Droid?
Sumi pancaked against the side of the thing's armor and hoisted herself up to find a spot upon its back. Having experience riding her blood-thirsty Boar Wolf (an actual Boar Wolf), she had a good bit of experience when it came to holding on for dear life. She hooked her arm, and left her other free to wave for balance and momentum.
<"NNAAaaaAAArrrRRRsssSSSSAAAAiiiiIIII... wwWWWWhhhHHHAaattT.. dddOOOoooOO I prrrrrRRRRReeesssSSSSSssss!?"> Sumi screams out as the bucking begins.
"What the--" Ben puts his arm up over his eyes as that light suddenly beams out, obliterating the darkness. It's probably best that he didn't hear No Name Mando's joke...even if it wasn't *that* bad. He takes the offered hand, but grunts at No Name on his way up. "I had it handled." Has to say it. But then he looks from No Name to Zee and back again. "Oh, kark. Are you serious? I read about them -- they were semi-sentient combat droids that /your/ ancestors pillaged after their conquest of their planet. Pretty messed up if you think about it, droid subjugation is no joke. There's no excuse for it, I don't care how strong your people were. Not to mention..." Yeah, Ben's a history nerd with a political streak and he'd probably go on about this for awhile if there wasn't the potential threat of death also going on.
His instincts kick into high-gear after that. Cursing a blue streak, he darts back to see if he can squintily spot any weaknesses in the thing, but: "I don't think it's karking around! As old as this thing is, it somehow manages to have no karking weak points!" His raspy voice cries out above the din, blue eyes wide as he watches Sumi streak forward like a shot. "Guess it's good that taming 'em's in your blood!" Ben shakes his head as Sumi starts bucking about, muttering to Five, "And I thought /I/ was crazy..."
Jallo just cants his head slightly as Sumi races in to jump onto the droid's back and watches for a moment slightly shocked and completely amused before he moves off into the antechamber and sets up slightly away from the others to avoid any area denial weaponry. Bringing his bow up he pulls back on the string charging an energy arrow before releasing it not even watching as he draws back for a second shot that feeling of knowing the arrow was flying true before he releases the second arrow with an audible sigh as it leaves his fingers wrong.
Aint no way Zee'Roh is going to be upstaged by no ancient battle droid that hasn't been relevant since before all of them were born. Nor is she hiding from it.. a lesser droid? Far as she's concerned, anything without a positronic brain is beneath her, including humans, but especially droids.
They're slaves.
And when the act out they should paddled.
Or in this case, set the hell on fire.
The small mandalorian slips around the corner with a jerk of her wrist that ignites the pilot on the end of her vambraced flamer. Moving in a wide circle around the trapped Bes'uliik spraying long plumes of super hot fuel out of the top of her gauntlet towards super thick armor. Which heats up, but doesn't really burn.
Probably makes Sumi look like she's riding a fiery metal monster though.
Silver lining.
<"Yeah?"> The Mando with no name says, looking to Ben, <"Huh. You know, I didn't know that was a thing. See, fun thing about being Mandalorian. We're all a bit different. Met a Nautolan Mando not long ago. I haven't seen a Kel Dor, but I'll bet there is one too - or was."> He tilts the rifle to the side, checking that the magazine is secure as he starts to move down the hallway toward the bend at a trot.
<"What I'm getting at is. Might be my people, but we're everyone's people. Ya know?"> As he rounds the corner there's a heartbeat where he takes it in as the rifle comes up. He stares. Just... Stares.
<"What the Kriff am I even- ARE YOU RIDING IT?!"> He shouts out. The whole thing just completely takes him off guard, the rifle waffling between being tucked in tight and the barrel dipping at the sheer.... insanity.
<"Out of your farkin' mind. . . How?"> He shakes his head again, just... Then the kick up of debris, dust, from the bucking droid, some of the rocks kicking up, making him flinch and squeeze off a shot a bit early. The rifle round hitting and PiInggg off of the armor around its legs.
Sumi might be riding the creature like she were trying to break it in while the others blast and flamethrower it, but Narsai's move might seem equally unhinged. Hands raised like she were trying to reassure some wild animal or a child, the Ordo Alor steps forward, speaking softly in Mando'a. Maybe it would slow it's bucking enough for whatever Sumi had to do next.
<<"There's a panel under where the saddle mount should be, but it's usually reinforced unless it's worn away. Disconnect it, you deactivate the droid brain and put it to 'sleep'...but they don't like that.">>
Mai, not in the line of fire, yet, did move to try to get an angle on the ancient droid, a hand retrieving one of her plasma grenades. As the team begins to move in, to try their attacks, she takes her own aim. Not, as it turns out that that was terrible useful, as the plasma grenade simply refuses to break against the droid's carapace, and plasms its energy in a wide arc behind the thing as the shell finally does break.
Where it helps no one.
The room 'protected' by the ancient war droid looks to have once been, long long ago, an Arming Room for a clan either wiped out or forced to move elsewhere. Before the Purge, during it? Perhaps after in the sweeps that Palpatine's Empire made to try and eradicate the culture.
Old armor racks hang, or lay, about stripped of most of the useful goods at initial glance. Weapon shelves toppled over. But more important more holes like that which had been followed leading elsewhere.
More of this buried structure? More tunnels by the poachers? If the latter, did they manage to catch this beast unaware and reprogram it?
The War Droid's head is thrown like an equines when thoughts invade its own, the shockwave cannon generators that make up its 'face' flaring when Narsai speaks to it. Head shaking again before its forelimbs splay out and the droid's back arches. Its hind legs kick and it attempts to buck Alor'Kora clear off.
Not seeing the man in midnight purple armor surging around the corner, running at full speed and slamming a fist into the palm of his other hand before he leans into the swing, beskar plated gauntlet smashing into one of the shockwave generators, a spiderweb pattern of cracks forming and rocking its head to the side before his left comes back to be replaced by a haymaker right that sends splinters of old metal flying where it doesn't dent.
Some, looking at you Narsai, after all have often referred to Hadrix as an armor plated shaved wookiee...
The sheer velocity and strength of this droid beast is enough to rattle Sumi. She can feel her arm burning, and she was certain if she could see her knuckles, they would be white, drained of all blood. Shots from several directions impact the droid, even flames that have stuck to the old armor and have it waving the flames about with each kick, yet miraculously, Sumi hasn't been hit yet.
She got direction from Narsai, and brought her hand down after situating a bit more to stay 'saddled'. Her other hand finds the panel Narsai mentioned, and Sumi fights with the latch between bucks. <"ReeEEEeekkKKiiiIInnGG TTHHHIIIiinnnGGG. OOOOOpPppPPeeeEnNN for ReeeEEEkkkkKKK sssSSaaaaAAAkkKKeeEE!">
When it opens, the panel goes flying off to land in the dirt somewhere. <"GoooOOOttTT iiiTTT....wwwWWWhHHAAT nnnNNoooOOOOWWWW!">
"Well whoever it was, you people are crazy!" Ben shouts at Hadrix. Case en point: Sumi. Second case en point: Hadrix himself, who just pummeled his armored fists into the thing like it was made of meat and not of metal. When Narsai makes her suggestion, Ben starts to look excited. Maybe overly excited. "Of course! That makes so much sense!" He watches as Sumi manages to get the compartment open, but is still getting flung all over the place.
"Five, cover me!" It's so pointless a thing to say that it must be purely automatic. Five is bleeping at him like crazy as Ben runs as fast as his wiry legs can take him, right up to this ancient, wild creature that does not want to be tamed. "OhhhhHHHh ShAAAAviiit!" Ben takes a flying leap and half-lands on the thing, then claws for the wires inside the panel. "C'mon, c'mon, you stupid bucket of bolts, just calm the kriff down already!" He pulls out a whole handful of wires, so maybe that'll get them somewhere! Maybe not.
Jallo just looks at Sumi riding the thing then Ben run over to it and starting to yank wires out of it and Jallo just shakes his head, <"When you can't beat 'em..."> And then he glances over towards Mai and cackles a bit before he takes off towards the droid and he leaps up onto it before he starts to work on the shut down code, <"I thought you were just crazy at first but this makes so much more sense than shooting it a bunch and blowing up such an antique.">
Oh that looks like a lot more fun.
Everyone is piling on that Ancient machine trying to wrestle it to the ground. The old 'ant tactic' and it looks like it's working! How quaint. Part of her considers setting everything on fire and seeing which ones of them are strong enough to survive, but that might hurt Sumi and that's never going to be okay.
So instead she flexes her hand and disengages pilot flame, with a serated blade replacing it. SHNK. Just as the small Mandalorian leaps from where she was circling and stabs at one of the massive legs. The blade bounces off, but she grabs hold in the junction between two moving parts of the leg and stabs the blade in to give herself enough leverage. Burying them to her fist.
This frees her left hand to reach into that open panel.
Now, if this was a command console or a subsystem of some bunkers security platform, she'd know just what to do. Which wires to yank to make all the power go out. This is a redundant piece of ancient equipment that should be buried under a pile of broken AT-AT parts. So she grabs fists fulls of wires and starts yanking them free.
A bright flash of electricity and a wild bucking from the wounded beast aside, it'll take more than the death thraws of a damn sentient, mad, titan to dissuade her from the desired intent to show this sum'a'bish who's the superior technological marvel in this here cavern of gloom and darkness.
There's another snapping pop when her hand yanks free, holding wires and circuits like someone pulling seeds out of a Naboo pumpkin. With the giant robot stumbling around and making a god awful sound. This is a good time to not be on the falling side! So she lets go, drops to her feet with a grunt and rolls her shoulders.
SHNK.
Blades retract.
BOOM. Bes'uliik falls. Dust everywhere.
She glances back, turn of her oversized helmet over an oversized pauldron. <"HAK-TUH..."> Still the best droid in /this/ cave.
Success, a little crude perhaps, but with Sumi following directions and the others ripping and tearing at the circuits, Narsai exhales a breath. She'd felt it, that mind touching her own, as real as any sentient. She'd been building, working with machines since her age was still in double digits, but well...now she could sense such things.
She steps forwards, stretching out as if battling with that brain brought with it a physical weight.
<<"Sumi,">> She speaks as she moves closer, stepping up beside Zee and patting the other woman on the shoulder in thanks before she spoke up. <<"That brain...don't go reconnecting it. It's half-mad, abused, feral. It deserves to rest.">>
Well, he was going to try for another shot with the rifle, as he tucks it back in. But man! There were a lot of people jumping on it now. <"Uh. . ."> He stares as Zee'Roh jumps up on it and starts yanking out cables like a mynock at a feast. <"Well. I guess that's one way to tun it off."> He lowers the rifle back down as he begins to walk toward it. Nudging one of the legs with a boot, he glances over at Ben, <"Hey! Check you out! You managed to get in a fight and not bleed!"> The smile is obvious in his voice.
With Sumi now able to get off, he lets the rifle go, letting the harness hold it for a second as he begins a slow clap. Because, hot damn, Sumi deserbes a slop clap for riding that thing like a champion. <"If I saw you at a Rodeo, just saying, I'm betting on you.">
If Mai had not been wearing a helm, perhaps one might have seen the look she gave her Alor. 'He's always -playing'.' But, also not dead, any of the team, though the droid was. Mai, having failed to assist, put her skills to better use. Eyes adjusted for the dimness of the light, she skirted the rear of the room, moving in slow steady steps as she passed each of the bored holes leading from this main chamber. And then she paused, <<"They are on the move, or were, a few days back. The tracks are here.">> She indicates with a sweep of her hand, <<"Moved out on tracked vehicles, on foot, and took their droids, too. Deeper into the mountains heading south east.">>
When the droid is down and silence reigns, so much so that Amaia can be heard without difficulty, the flickering lights continue to cast wild shadows in this cavernous room. The disheveled nature, and much of the newer damage, looking to have sound reasoning.
Mai's assessment of where the scavengers went and confirmation they were here a clear indication of where much of the, if any, usable material might have gone.
Corpse pecking birds trying to evade the Mando'ade on their own home.
But there are still choice bits. And a way to go when the search resumes. But for now, for most Mandalorans, 'rescuing' this lost war machine would normally be the priority before continuing pursuit.
