The Mandalorian Protectors

18 years after the Battle of Yavin...
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The Mandalorian Protectors

Post by Cadden »

Locke Rekkon, Mandalore, observed the new data analysis on the Mandalorian defenses. They had already been able to build two Dungeon Ships, a Meteor-class Q-carrier, and seven squadrons of fighters. It wasn't enough to protect all of Mandalorian territory, but it was enough to wage war with. For the moment.

MandalMotors was busy at work, building more weapons of war, as Locke and Gandon continued to train civilians and militia into warriors. They had successfully created the first breed, them having finished enough training to be considered warriors but recently, but there was still much to be done. Even should one finish their initial training, a true Mandalorian trained indefinately. They had another batch of "new recruits" in, now, and they were going through their initial training.

Locke thought it a long and arduous process, truthfully, but it was the only way to restore his people to their former glory. Having been one of the few survivors of the Clone Wars and Mandalorian Civil War, he knew how important it was to get things done, and get them done correctly. However, even now, it was uncertain if they were going to survive. With the reports of the Xen'Chi dangerously close to Mandalorian space, and not enough defenses in place to repel a full invasion, he only hoped that their warrior spirit would be enough.

Unless, of course, something happened, soon, that would turn the tide in their favor. What it could be, he did not know, but Locke was certain that, at the very least, if his people and their ways die, that they die with honor... that the very last Mandalorian alive would fight to the bitter end. There was a saying amongst his people, 'If one Mandalorian lives, then all Mandalorians live.' Even if there was one Mandalorian left, their people could revive, stronger than before if left unchecked. Mandalorians learn from their mistakes, and take great precautions not to repeat them.

His people nearly died off before, he would not let that happen again.

Turning, Locke left the command console and stepped outside. Gandon was busy training the next breed of warriors in the distance, while others from the previous breed were busy at work in their individual tasks. It felt good to see more people wearing their armor, nowadays, as well. Even if they were nowhere near as experienced as the last generation that wore it.

"Mandalore," a voice spoke up, and Locke looked over his shoulder to see one of the newer warriors approach. "All defensive systems report green. We've managed to increase the power output by ten percent without suffering any problems. It isn't much, but it is something."

"Good," Locke responded. "We still have a ways to go, however, before we're ready for the Xen'Chi." He hated to say it, but it was true. And no Mandalore would lie to his people. "Even if they outnumber and outgun us, we will need to be prepared to fight to the bitter end. We must remain superior. Inform the others to continue with their drills and practice."

"Yes, Mandalore." The other walked away. Locke looked up at the sky. It was about midday, now. He wondered when the first battle would commence.

OOC: Short, and kinda crappy, but at least it's something. :P
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Post by Cadden »

OOC: Take note that I am restructuring the Protectors to their original status. No, that doesn't mean Mandalore is relocated near Thyferra and the like. What that means is I'm returning Cadden to Mandalore status. As such, just mentally revise the last post properly.

IC:

Cadden looked at the new warriors, at his command. Fifteen hundred in all. He noted those few whom were able to finish their armor, the greater percentage whom had begun it, and the vast majority of them not even getting to the task yet. A small army, and yet they were not even properly prepared for war.

That will change soon enough, he thought, a grin creeping to his face. The Mandalorians have arisen… our new caste of warriors are embedded with the new code of honor, and the right to survive in this galaxy of chaos. The Xen’Chi would dare not approach their doorstep without a bloody surprise. However, one thing still remains....

"Gandon," Cadden spoke through his comm. unit. "I trust our newfound warriors are ready for their final test?"

"Yes, Mandalore," Gandon responded, proudly. He had good reason to be proud, for his had personally overseen these individuals’ training from day one. "They await the command."

"Good. Do it."

He watched as Gandon reached in a pouch and protruded a small device. Pointing to a holo projector beside him, he pressed a button, and a large image of a planet appeared. Gandon spoke. "This is your final test," he announced to the gathered individuals. "We do not expect all of you to survive this test, as it will separate the strong, from the weak. Those who are not strong enough to be Protectors... will perish on this world."

It was a nearby planet, due to the Xen’Chi’s closeness to their own sector. The planet’s name was Mechis III. Based within newly-acquired Xen’Chi territory, from recent reports.

The objective was simple – survive the Xen’Chi control, as well as the war going on, battle the Xen’Chi on the front lines, and come back alive. Mechis III itself was unimportant to the Mandalorians, but the planet was close-by, and served the Protectors' means as a proving ground in these dark times well.

Only four hundred ninety of the fifteen hundred warriors would be travelling to Mechis III. Ten of them, hand-picked, would be personally trained by Gandon, taught everything the man knew. The remaining thousand would gear up and prepare for further orders from Cadden Blackthorne himself. To join him in battle on a further away planet than Mechis III.

When the briefing was over, Gandon dismissed the new ranks of Protectors. "I don’t know if this is a good idea, Mandalore," Gandon finally spoke over the comm. unit. "Leaving our world this open, that is. Can we not just send them out into the jungles here on Mandalore?"

Cadden shook his head. "No," he responded. "To many, Mandalore is their home. A true Protector will need to learn to adapt to a foreign environment, especially under conditions of war, and survive. I do not expect our assault on Mechis III to be a success, that is not what this exercise is intended for. But I do expect these warriors to return home battle-ready. Besides," he turned to the doorway of the ship's cockpit, as if checking for anyone to enter, interrupting, "any subsequent Xen'Chi threat can be dealt with our growing defense fleet, or at least held off long enough should the need arise to call back the warriors.

"As for the other thousand," Cadden continued, turning back to the screen, "I will need their aid in the destination I am bound for. Once we win the battle there - and we will - I will return with them to Mandalore."

Gandon nodded. "I do not doubt your command, Mandalore," he responded. "I’ve only the safety of our kind in mind."

"Understandable, Gandon," Cadden responded. Gandon had gone a long way from being very suspicious of Cadden, to this. It must have been his subsequent victory at Concord Dawn that, in turn, demanded more respect from Gandon. "However, I do not think that will be an issue. Nearly five hundred warriors may not be enough to successfully win any battle without in-combat experience, but we need to begin somewhere. And the thousand that will be with me... they will be more than enough." He grinned. "A lone Mandalorian, properly trained, is a small army." Besides, he added to himself, they would need that invaluable experience of fighting the Xen’Chi, so that they knew what they would be up against. Locke would have gone with the four hundred ninety to Mechis III, but if the Xen'Chi made their move while their new warriors were gone, then some defense was better than no defense at all. Besides, Locke was still training the fleet, and that was a task Cadden dared no deviate from. The move was bold enough as it was, he didn’t need for it to be suicidal, as well.
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Post by Topgun220 »

Garen Starfall, a few moths ago that name meant little. But now, now everything was different. Now he was a mandalorian, a true mandalorian just like his ancestors were before him. He only could hope that they were proud of the path he chose. Three suns ago he traveled into one of the most dangerous jungles on Mandalore. His shinning arm was freshly polished and cleaned after just recently being promoted from a Ge'verd to a full Verd. He also received the rest of his Beskar'gam which he proceeded to color the way his ancestor's armor was once colored. The armor was coated in a royal blue and then the outline of the armor pieces were trimmed with gold. The helmet was the same blue color with gold around the visor area.


He had chosen to enter the jungle with only a vibrosword and two vibroblades. He had forged weapons made from the natural environment, he made wooden spears by sharpening the wood to a deadly point that could pierce most hide. Right now Garen was sitting in a tree his armor was muddy and stained with the blood of his kills. He was watching a small open area underneath him, a small animal he had killed earlier hung from the vines enticing a larger beast to come in for a seemingly free meal. He had been waiting for two hours now but he knew it may possibly take another four hours to lure a large beast in worthy of facing him in combat.


But it would not take that long, because as Garen was checking his vibroblades and the vibrosword strapped on his back a lumbering beast came through the thick brush in front of the lure. The beast was a large reptilian with rows of sharp teeth and claws the length of vibroblades. Garen smiled broadly at how quick the beast had come, it must have been starving. The beast was sniffing about before it approached the meal but it was indeed very hungry and the animal hanging there blood dripping to the ground was so very enticing. It advanced on the animal without fully checking out the area. 'First mistake'. Garen jumped from his position and as he got in range of the beast he lashed out with one of his vibroblades driving it deep into its back and leaving the blade in its hide. He hit the ground on a nee with a loud thud and rolled away as the reptilian swung its tail at him.

He stood up a few meters away and pulled his vibrosword out of its sheath holding it in front of him in a guard position. The animal was filled with rage and charged directly at Garen. 'Second mistake', Garen rolled away and as the beast went by him he swung down hard cleanly cutting off its tail. It screamed in pain and backhanded Garen. Thankfully it hit him with its backhand and not its claws, it hit with such force it might have actually pierced his armor and killed him. Unfortunately the beast still struck him hard enough to crack a few ribs and sent him flying back a dozen meters into a nearby tree. Blood trickled down his mouth and nose, he pushed the pain to the back of his mind. The beast turned around to face him and saw his sword on the ground in between the two. Thinking it now had the advantage the animal charged once more tasting victory.

'Final mistake', a mandalorian is never defenseless. This was something Garen embodied. He pulled out his second vibroblade and threw it skillfully at the beast. Although it only penetrated a few inches into the animals head not nearly enough to penetrate the skull it enraged the beast. It ran even faster at him. Garen jumped up at the last second grabbing onto a branch and pulling himself up above the beast as it slammed into the tree driving the vibroblade in its head deep into its skull piercing its brain and killing it.

Garen dropped down from the branch and quickly removed the blade and sliced the beast's throat to make sure the kill was final. Then he recovered his other vibroblade and his sword. Then he cut off the beasts claws and pulled out its teeth. Finally he cut off a few slabs of meat to cook later and eat before his journey back to base. Using the skin of a mammal he killed earlier he made a large bag to carry his souvenirs in. He slung it over his shoulder and began his trek back to the base leaving the remains of the beast to be taken by scavengers and other beasts.

When he returned with his dirty and blood stained armor he attracted the gazes of several trainees and shock troopers. Even one or two Verds looked at him though he could not see their expression through their visor, just as they could not see the dried blood trails at the corners of his mouth and under his nose. As well as the broad grin on his face.

Garen returned to his chambers on the base and stowed away his gear for cleaning later. Most likely he would have to repaint it but Mandalore had not given him a mission yet so he had time. He also made a mental note to finish modifying his EE-3 blaster carbine which was greatly altered from its original design. It sort of became a hobby of his, modifying his blasters. He also had two DL-22 blasters he had yet to modify and those would be the next thing on his to do list. For right now though he would simply take a shower then begin cleaning his armor as well as bandaging up his ribs which still throbbed with pain. They would heal on their own and he would not need to use any advanced medical equipment, the most he would be is uncomfortable for some time.
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Post by Cadden »

"Sir," a protocol droid addressed Gandon, walking up to him in its stiff demeanor, "you have an incoming transmission."

Gandon looked at the droid for a moment. "From whom?" he asked.

"From Mandalore Blackthorne," the droid responded.

Moments later, Gandon arrived in the communications room and sat down, establishing the connection. "Mandalore," he addressed. "I can only take your call to be good news?"

"It is," Cadden's voice responded over the comm. unit. "Assemble the shock troopers and supercommandos, and get their ships ready. I am transmitting their destination to you, now. They are to arrive at the planet, and follow the Inferno's signal to their destination."

Gandon nodded. "Will do, Mandalore," he said. Before terminating the connection, however, a signal from the planetary sensors picked up an incoming ship, dropping from hyperspace. It was a Lambda-class shuttle. "Mandalore," he spoke again.

Cadden's voice turned to curiosity. "Yes?"

"We have a visitor."

"Who?"

"Checking now." There was a pause. "It is a Lambda-class Shuttle, registered as the White Fang."

Cadden's nod was nearly audible. "No doubt attempting to find me. Have him contact Admiral Fyrebyrd, and he can join the Conqueror in coming over. I was hoping he would arrive soon, anyway."

"Uhh... yes, Mandalore. Will do."

The communication was terminated, and Gandon left the building. Without hesitation, he made way to the command center and set off the rally call.

Once all the Protectors were assembled, Gandon spoke to them. During that time, he had relayed the location of the City of the Jedi to all the Mandalorian space ships that were to make the jump. And, the attack force had been preparing for its departure.

"Ge'verd... Verd... you have been anxiously awaiting to prove yourselves in battle." There was a slight uproar of approval from the crowd. "I have just been contacted by Mandalore. Those that were instructed of the assignment of joining him in battle, get your gear together. You are moving out now." The uproar was much, much greater, this time. Gandon did not attempt to qwell it. "Fight with honor... and remember the Code." With that, Gandon departed from the assembly. It was time.

OOC: Okay... whoever's going to the City of the Jedi... there's your queue. You can either post your departure to the attack force here, or await my signal on the Shadow of Mystery thread, which should be my next post.
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Post by Mir »

Quon Shernso sat prepared onboard one of the many transports that were preparing to leave for the Protectors’ mission. He held in his right hand a EKX-10 blaster rifle. It had been a hard weapon to find, but Shernso felt that he needed that extra punch against the enemies of the Mandalorians. He had felt such pride the day he was made a Verd His armor was red with silver trim. The helm was fully red.

Shernso had put two vibroclaws on both wrists, with a mechanism that would propel them forward and out on command. This was incase the EKX or his sidearm, a Westar-34 blaster pistol ever was out of his grasp. He kept a variety of grenades on his body as well, from smoke grenades to thermal detonators.

He sat patiently, thinking of his brother, who was also preparing for this combat. Kesjin Shernso was a shocktrooper. He hadn’t made it into the ranks of the Verd, to Quon’s disappointment. However, he knew that his brother would eventually make it. He had the skills and the training. It was just a matter of time.

OOC: I got to read up more before I can make an astounding post like Top’s. Nice post Top.
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Post by Topgun220 »

OOC: Your too kind Mirr.

IC: Garen loaded onto one of the transports bound for his first true battle. 'If I fight with honor and conviction none can stand against me.' He looked around at his fellow mandalorians getting ready to depart. ' And if we all fight with honor and conviction they will respect us once more. Garen was going to take his seat but instead seeing that many of his brethern were nervous about the battle he went around and reassured the Ge'verd that the battle would undoubtedly go in their favor.
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Post by Mir »

Shernso heard a supercommando reassuring some of the shocktroopers. He looked to see who it was. Garen Starfall, a well known supercommando. He smiled and rose.

"Garen Starfall. I did not know I would have the honor of sharing my first mission's transport with one such as yourself."


OOC: Just a little interaction.
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Post by Topgun220 »

IC: Garen smiled at the man's comment. "Quon Shernso, I have heard of you as well. I would be honored to have you watch my back. I'm not mandalore and I won't try to be but if you could watch some of our Ge'verd brethern's backs that would be more important to me than watching my back. They may be mandalorians but they have not recieved our training, we must help them through this cruicible, Tome mhi cuyir Dralshy'a my brother." Garen said grabbing Quon's forearm in an honorable warrior like handshake.

OOC: Alright so now we just have to wait for cadden' que then were off to the shadow of mystery thread. and so you don't have to translate that which will be annoying those mando'a words pretty much mean 'together we are strong'. Throwing in some mando words seem to improve the overall quality of the story to me. It could just be me but that how I look at it.
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Post by Mir »

Quon replied in kind. "And a crucible it shall be. This will be a hard battle, but only in length, not of difficulty. For we are Mandalorians, and nothing can stop us when we set out to accomplish our goals."


OOC: Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm still trying to learn to translate stuff.
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Post by Cadden »

OOC: Just as a head's up, it looks like Cazzik wishes this to be much more dramatic than I thought. *Sigh* Keep your eyes open... I'll let you know when you jump in. Hopefully won't take very long.
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Post by Mir »

OOC: I'm good for whatever.
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Post by Mir »

OOC: Since Cazzik's Raze Char has entered the system, is it go time?
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Post by Cadden »

OOC: It'll happen when it happens, alas. Like I was saying, Cazzik wants it to be pretty dramatic of an entrance. Kind of a "here we are, to save the day" (*refrains from singing it :P*) kind of thing.

I'm hoping that Cazzik will push the introductions of the battle along enough in the next two or three posts so that the staging entrance is made. But, however, to make it official....

IC:

The attack force was assembled. It was small, barely noteworthy, but the true battle would not take place in space, but rather on the ground. The surface of the City of the Jedi. With that in mind, the majority of the attack force consisted of land-based elements, with the sole exception being with the Conqueror and her fighters.

Three Mandalorian Dungeon ships carried the twenty five Terror Walkers and three hundred seventy five Raider Grav Tanks that the Shock Troopers and Warriors would employ to their aid, along with a vast majority of the shock troopers and supercommandos that would join the battle. Eighteen Meteor-class Q-Carriers carried the remaining supercommandos and shock troopers. To provide air and space support, the fleet also consisted of Cadden's Rogue-class Armed Transport, the Rogue Star, which was occupied by his Elite Guard. There were also a dozen Constable-class Enforcement Cruisers, fourteen Pursuer-class Enforcement Ships, eight Stathas-class Freighters, and thirty six Shadow VI Combat Airspeeders. This granted the Mandalorians a certain air superiority edge in combat, and would help them win the battle on the ground.

There was also a report from Admiral Fyrebyrd that Jaylin Kumar, one of Cadden's comrades and a prior opposer toward his Crusade, was to join in the space battle in orbit.

The attack force was, to be certain, a slap-together type of fleet. However, it was carefully structured to serve the exact needs of this upcoming battle.

Admiral Fyrebyrd observed the fleet outside the viewport of the Conqueror's bridge. He turned his head to an officer at the helm, and nodded. "Initiate the jump," he instructed. "Order all ships to follow our lead." He turned to observe as the dreadnaught lurched forward into hyperspace, and uttered one last phrase. "May the Force be with us all." It would be the last set of words the ship would hear prior to their arrival at Taylon, the planet that housed the City of the Jedi, and the place where the fate of the Jedi would be decided.

__________

Guan was fortunate enough to get onboard the Conqueror prior to its departure. He had arrived in system just in time to meet up with the fleet. The White Fang would, by no means, participate in the fleet battle. He needed to get to the surface, to get to his father. He knew Cadden would need his help, not just in this battle, but in his own internal struggle. Guan's father had always been a strong man, but he did not want to risk losing him to the darkness, not when he came so close to doing so back at Udine.

Entering into a meditative trance, Guan prepared his body and his mind for the battle to come, and for the events that would follow. He sensed that he would need to give his all to fight for the Jedi, for this City of the Jedi, even if that meant sacrificing his own life for the cause. Faarel, his grandfather, granted him this foresight into what it meant to be a Jedi. "A Jedi's life is sacrifice, Guan," he recalled Faarel telling him. "In order to be at peace with yourself, with the Force, you need to live that kind of life." He frowned, remembering the other half of the lesson. "But, remember, even the most noble of sacrifices can be unnecessary ones, if not done for the right cause... and if it would not lead to the right path."

True, if need be, he would sacrifice his own life to preserve the Jedi Order. But only if that was what it would require. Guan knew that life was more valuable than death, and thus the wrong kind of sacrifice, or for the wrong intentions, could lead to an even darker future. He had to tread lightly in the coming days. He sensed a trial against the Dark Side approaching.
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Post by Cadden »

OOC: Just so people are aware, I know this is overlapping Cazzik's Shadow of Mystery thread events. However, due to all the delays and my desire to keep things on my end going, we can just assume that all this stuff is in motion (as, technically, the Battle of Taylon shoulda been over by now, anyway).

IC:

The assault force that had headed over to Taylon to aid in defending Kora from the Cylon Imperium had been back on Mandalore for a couple days, now. Nedth and his forces, which went to Mechis III, had returned roughly the same time, with under half their forces missing. Normally, Cadden would have felt that of high praise, but it was well known that the battle would not have gone anywhere near as well had the Imperial forces not intervened and, inadvertently, helped liberate Mechis III.

Nevertheless, the survivors were to be merited for their bravery and skill, as most of them had fought on the ground, and lived. Combined with the defense of Kora, Cadden had lost over two thousand shock troopers, and around fifty super commandos. But it was not going to falter him.

He had put contacting this Kasr character on his to-do list, while Cadden had put personal matters first. He had spent much of the day after the arrival in analyzing the attack on Mechis III, and specifically looking over Xen'Chi tactics. With the remainder of that day, he had contacted MandalMotors and issued a command to finalize the Mandalorian First Assault Fleet with some additional forces. Specifically, two prototypes that were being worked on for the past few months, as well as reproducing the recent acquisision of a Basilisk War Droid from ancient times.

Day two was spent researching on what the Xen'Chi attack pattern was. It was unusual, and would grant their neighborhood fights a better chance, especially utilizing the Assault Fleet, but he wouldn't put it beyond the Xen'Chi to not be through fighting yet. Soon, alliances would need to be forged, and his forces would need to grow stronger. Given the population of the total Mandalorian worlds, Cadden figured that they could get away with less than one percent of that population toward the war effort. He knew this would cause some stress on Gandon and the Mando'ade kandosii adu - the First Noble Sons of Mandalore - the new drill instructors, but it was a chance he would need to take. With the growing threat of the Xen'Chi, and their approaching dangerously close to Mandalorian borders, it was all he could do to prepare to fight for the heart of the Mandalorian war effort.

An attack on Mandalore would be inevitable. The Xen'Chi were likely not holding them in high regard at the moment, which gave Cadden the advantage to prepare to cast the first stone, while keeping local defenses high.

And so, now, Cadden was preparing to contact this Kasr fellow. The proposal of a union between the Mandalorians and the Empire irked Cadden, but if it was what had to be done to ensure that these invaders be pushed back, then so be it. He was uncertain if this man knew who he was or not, and if he did, if he had an alterior motive. So, to play it safe, Cadden had kept his helmet on as he plugged in the contact information provided to him. It was time to see what, exactly, this man wanted with him and his warriors.

OOC: I have no idea where Halomek was intending to have this conversation RPed, so I'm ending it here in case it wasn't to be for this thread.
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Post by Halomek »

OOC: For all interested, this conversation technically takes place before Kasr’s arrival at Borleais.

IC: In his private study aboard the Enforcer, Kasr sat before the viewscreen with an easy calm as the Mandalorian transmission came through. As usual, Kasr was the model of Imperial decorum, impeccably dressed in his usual black uniform; styled after those worn by the Empire’s Grand Admirals but lacking any accoutrements, including rank bars. His ice-blue eyes stared back at the helmeted figure without any sign of Kasr’s inner emotions, for all intents and purposes as effective as the mask the other wore.

“Greetings,” Kasr said in his deep, cultured voice. “I am Reng Kasr. I regret we’re not able to meet in person, Mandalore, but I understand that we’re both very busy men.”
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Post by Cadden »

Cadden nodded. He knew this all too well. This Kasr fellow was certainly a man of high stature, and, like Cadden, did not prefer to decorate himself with fancies of rank and achievement. "You need no apologies," he responded. "In times of war, this is to be expected. I understand that the galaxy is pressed tight with this invasion. After what bore witness at Mechis III, now I understand the full threat." Cadden waved aside the formalities. "You wished me to contact you... forgive my brusque behavior, admiral, I have much to do after this conversation. I'd prefer if we reserve formalities for another time, when they will prove to be more effective. You wished me to contact you, and so I have. What is it you wish to discuss?" Both knew Cadden would have been briefed on what Kasr told Nedth on Mechis III, but all details were to be reserved for the personal conversation.

If Cadden's suspicions were true, he would not much enjoy allying with the Empire. True, all his grudges had died with the past, and especially with learning the final culprit to his mother's death, and father's near-death, was a Dark Jedi whom he had killed on Holoworld III. However, the direction he wished to steer the Mandalorians toward was fighting alongside the Jedi, not stormtroopers.

But, even in times of war, dire necessities such as this were required. If this proposal proved to be a better direction for the Mandalorians than where they were currently going, then Cadden would accept. Grudgingly, true, but he would accept nonetheless, for the greater good. After all, he was not planning on being Mandalore for much longer, now that the Protectors were fully formed and more men and women being trained into warriors and shock troopers. And when it was time for his successor to replace him, Cadden wanted to make sure that the Mandalorians would continue in the same direction.

If this alliance with the Empire conflicted with these ideas, Cadden would rather watch that which he worked so hard on, and became an essential part of, die in a fury of laserfire, than have the Mandalorians return to a life of corruption.
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Post by Mir »

The hammer came down and the clang reverberated through the small house. Aeorn Mors, Verde brought the hammer down yet again. He was hammering on a sheet of an alloy metal. He was crafting his armor, and he knew that he had to concentrate completely. He had shut the doors in the house and had been keeping to himself since he had returned from Mechis III. He had duraplast with him as well, and was taking his time to design and then slowly cut the armor into what he would need. His long black hair was tied in a topknot for the work, he needed to see his field of work at all times.

He hadn’t really planned on much of the weaponry or anything else for the armor yet, but he would be using those blades that he had taken from the dead Xen’chi. He didn’t know what they were called, but he had shown them to Nedth, who had in turn apparently presented them to Cadden. They would be factored into the Mandalore’s strategies surely. He didn’t know when they would be returned to him, or if at all, but he didn’t care too much. His arsenal would be complete with or without them. He had the other materials with him and continued to go about his work.

Mors hoped to have his armor completed soon. He didn’t know when Mandalore would be sending them on another mission against the Xen’chi, so he was on a time schedule that he didn’t know anything about. This only spurred the Mandalorian further and faster. He paused to reheat the metal, before pulling it back out and hammering it further. He intended to have the metal thinned out and placed on the inside of the normal duraplast giving him an even further edge armor wise. It would make the whole ensemble heavier at least for the chest portion, but he intended to make it able to be taken out.

He looked at the already crafted duraplast and continued to hammer until the metal sheet was the same way in every facet. He dumped the craft piece into a trough of water. Steam rose into the air and the room was filled with a hissing. Aeorn walked over to one of the tables in the room and looked over the schematics that he had drawn up. So far so good. He’d completed the shoulder pads already and now the chest plate was done. Now he needed to work on the back plate and then the leggings. He wished he had the time to use Mandalorian Iron, but time constraints were against him.

The helmet would be the hardest part of the armor to create, Aeorn knew that he needed to get his hands on the needed electronics before. MandalMotors was using a lot of the imported communications equipment for the ships of the Mandalorian fleets, so that itself would be an uphill battle. He’d do the best he could. It was as though his armor was a personification of himself and more importantly, his honor. He would put as much effort into it as humanly possible.
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Post by Halomek »

Kasr nodded in agreement with the helmeted figure on the other end. “Very well, I prefer to be straightforward whenever possible and war is hardly a time for formalities. I seek cooperation between the Mandalorians and the Empire. This is a war neither of our powers can win on our own. The Xen’Chi are advancing inward on our galaxy at an alarming speed. At this rate, I estimate another year, two at the most, before they have total control of the galaxy.”

“We’ve already reached an accord with the New Republic, but I’d see an alliance with the Mandalorians far more beneficial. I saw firsthand at Mechis III that the Mandalorian capacity for battle hasn’t diminished any.” Kasr raised a knowing eyebrow. “And those weren’t even your best. Working together we’d be quite a formidable threat to the Xen’Chi, far more than if we fought these invaders separately.”
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Post by Cadden »

Cadden pondered the statement for a short moment. Kasr had a point. However, the question remained on his mind. "And beyond the Xen'Chi invasion... ?"

OOC: Short, but whatever.
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Post by Halomek »

“Divining the future is a fool’s errand,” Kasr answered as he folded his hands in front of him. “I can’t answer your question with any certainty, especially since I can only guess at your motives right now. I will say this: when the Xen’Chi are defeated, they’re going to leave a galaxy severely weakened from the massive conflict and the Empire will be no exception. There are other forces out there that wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of that.”

“If the Empire falls to such a force, the New Republic won’t be far behind, and then the galaxy may very well be thrown into chaos - a dark age.” Kasr’s ice blue eyes hardened. “Your people might enjoy the challenge of such a universe, but I intend to prevent it from happening. I won’t see all the progress of the last 25,000 years end while I still draw breath. The assistance of the Mandalorians in this endeavor would be invaluable.”
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Post by Cadden »

Cadden grinned, but kept his amusement from becoming audible. In other words, he thought, you need us. More than we need you. It was the advantageous situation Cadden was hoping for. Whether Kasr had alterior motives or not, at this point it was irrelevant. What did matter was that the man was aware of what would become of the galaxy when the Xen'Chi were dead.

And the Mandalorians' presence to maintain such stability was an invaluable asset to the Empire, indeed. The communication between the two was not meant as a proposal, it was meant to be asking for the Mandalorians' aid. And, in return, the Empire would be in their debt, not the other way around. Which left Cadden to weave the final threads to bring the warrior people to their true destiny, a destiny which would preserve their ways, their life, for centuries, if not millennia, to come.

"Very well," he finally said to Kasr. "We accept this alliance." Not like it mattered either way for Cadden, anyway. He was willing to do what it took to fight the Xen'Chi, even if it meant siding with the Empire to do it. "We are striking systems near our own," he continued. "Latest reports have it the invasion path has severed any sufficient line of travel to the core worlds. Our intent is to sever their invasion path, and weaken their efforts. Until I can successfully put our assault fleet to the test, we cannot make any bold moves yet."
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Post by Halomek »

“I understand,” Kasr replied evenly. “I have other business to attend to as well. We’ll be in touch before long to further discuss the best way for our two powers to work together. Until then, Mandalore.”

With that, Kasr cut the transmission and sent the recorded conversation down to the Enforcer’s intelligence center for analysis. With any luck, they would be able to discern his true identity. The voice filtering out of Mandalore’s helmet seemed vaguely familiar to Kasr, but he couldn’t place it on his own. However, it was enough to assure him that his people would be able to isolate who it belonged to.

In any case, he had secured the alliance. It didn’t much matter to him who Mandalore really was, all that counted was what the Mandalorians could do for the Empire. He was prepared for the possibility of them being a problem down the line, but he would deal with that when or if the time came.

With a click of a button, Kasr contacted the bridge. “Takes us to Courscant. I’ll be on the bridge shortly.”
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Post by Cadden »

Cadden leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. He had a suspicion that they would wish to learn who he was, but in a galaxy this big they could only get so far without actually looking at his face, as well. Not like it mattered much to him. The Empire no longer truly cared for his family, he'd noticed. And, even if they did, they had bigger fish to fry first.

"Locke," Cadden spoke over the comm. unit after a moment more, "I need to run an errand. You are in command during my absense." Normally, Cadden would have placed Garen under command, but during these unstable times, he needed someone with more war experience, should the Xen'Chi attempt an attack during his absense.

"Understood, Mandalore," Locke's voice came over. "Might I inquire as to where you are going?"

"To wrap up some loose ends."

Within an hour, Cadden's ship, the Hellfire lifted off its landing pad, and left the planet behind, and shortly after, the system.

__________

Given that the Xen'Chi were next door, everything was surprisingly peaceful for the Protectors. Perhaps, too peaceful. They were not to go on the offensive until the First Assault Fleet was finished. MandalMotors had put building the final products - Basilisk War Droids - on their priority list, and during Cadden's absense they had pumped out a surprising number, thanks to a collaborative effort with their sister company, MandalTech.

By the time word came of Cadden returning to Mandalore, MandalMotors had produced thirty-five of these single-manned ships, with five more on the way for when their Mandalore arrived in-system. During this time, Locke had selected fourty individuals to begin to train with the Basilisks.

However, that was to be cut short when Cadden returned to Mandalore. When he learned that fourty Basilisk War Droids were complete and ready for drills, he made an unusual request - that one be reserved for him. With the Hellfire and White Fang already in his arsenal, Locke was uncertain as to why Cadden would take an interest in a Basilisk War Droid as well, but nevertheless he retired one of the pilots and shifted the warrior over to the Basilisk Assault Fighter program instead, as it still required an additional participant anyway. And, so, the training program began.

Within two days, the riders were already getting used to the controls, largely due to their basic flight training experience already. It was then that Cadden made yet another surprising move - proposed to Locke, Gandon, and Garen a series of strikes intended on severing the Xen'Chi invasion path, and delaying their forces from advancing long enough to allow the New Republic and Galactic Empire to make their own defensive, and possibly even offensive, moves.

It would start with Woostri, then move to Aquarius, then the gas giant Ploo and its orbiting moons. Next, the Mandalorians would move on Obroa-skai, then to Myrkyr, and finally shift back up to the Hydian Way and fight their way back to Mandalore.

Indeed, it was a bold move. During this series of attacks, it would leave Mandalore open for a Xen'Chi movement. However, Cadden figured that the Xen'Chi would not bother with Mandalore until after they discovered where his attacks were coming from. And, by then, he figured, the entire galaxy would be moving on the offensive against the invaders, and their source.

"Not even the shock troopers are ready for this move," Gandon objected, once Cadden had finished briefing them. "Many super commandos will die."

"The true battle will be decided with space superiority," Cadden retorted. "Mechis III proved that the shock troopers are ready to fight the Xen'Chi. And, with our analysis complete on how the Xen'Chi fight, we have an effective counter strategy in place."

"And if we fail?"

"Then the Xen'Chi will strike Mandalore," Locke replied. "The Defense Force won't be able to repel a large-scale invasion, Mandalore."

"It won't have to. Mandalore is not their target." Cadden looked at the holo map before them, and pointed to a very specific location. Coruscant. "That is."

"And from there," Gandon put in, "they'll begin to attack other major targets. And considering how close we are to their invasion path, we will be amongst the first, to be sure."

"But by then, the campaign will be over, and our collective forces will be ready to defend."

"We don't know that," Locke said.

"Nor can we be certain that they will attack Mandalore, but it can be expected. The question you should be asking, is who do you want to make the first move? Us, or them?" There was a gap of silence. "If we must die, we will die with honor. We are casting the first stone. And we will succeed in our efforts."

No further objections were voiced, and Cadden deactivated the hologram. "Garen," Cadden continued, "you will command our ground forces. I trust that you can lead our people to victory on the surface. I will lead our forces in space from my Basilisk War Droid. The War Droids and Basilisk-class Assault Fighters can cut a path to the targeted planets easy enough, allowing your forces to break through any orbital defenses they may have. The fleet will handle their space forces well enough - that is what it was created for." Granted, they had not known how useful the Assault Fleet would have been until after the Mechis III data was analyzed, but from the beginning Cadden had a strong suspicion that it would do its job well. Mechis III simply reinforced his beliefs. A perk for being a Jedi, he supposed. "Do you have any questions?" he asked his second-in-command.
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Post by Topgun220 »

Garen followed his Mandalore's plan and smirked. Normally no one would have seen his gesture but he had taken his helmet off in the presense of Mandalore and held it on his side. His armor's paint was just freshly repainted, he added a red stripe on the right side of his helmet to symbolize his victory against Kir Varrus, whom he fought on Taylon. His weapons he left in his quarters with the exception of his two blaster pistols which he decided he should always keep with him. He had been busy doing modifications to his armor, he had lots of spare time so he used it wisely. Along with the two vibroblades in leg sheaths on his thighs he now had two retractable blades in the wrist section of his armor. Each one was almost ten inches long and were razor sharp.

He liked the bold plan Mandalore had come up with, it seemed to embody the old ways of honor through war and the new ways of protecting others. "None Mandalore, my men will do their part." Indeed many of the super commandos under his command would die, along with their shock trooper brethern as well. But this was neccesary to achieve victory over such a determined enemy as the Xen'Chi. Still this wasn't as comforting as he thought it might be, men under his command would die. Men he would be responsible for, only time could tell if he could handle it or break under the pressure. He was a Mandalorian, Garen reminded himself, he would handle it...he had to.
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Post by Cadden »

Cadden nodded, and seated his helmet over his head. His long hair hung out the back, and he realized that this would pose a problem for the space warfare that would follow their departure from Mandalore. However, he was not concerned - he could do something about that. Fastening the helmet in place, he looked at Gandon, Locke, and Garen. "Very well," he said. "We're departing as soon as we are ready to go. Make the announcement. I want two thousand shock troopers to remain here on Mandalore, however, in case the Xen'Chi attack."

"Five thousand shock troopers?" Gandon spoke. "You may as well just fire upon yourselves, save them the effort."

Cadden grinned at the irony. However, to Gandon's credit, he wasn't aware of Cadden's ace up his sleeve. "It'll be fine," he responded. "Trust me." The meeting was dismissed, and the warriors departed their ways.

Cadden went through great lengths to get the Mandalorian First Assault Fleet up and running, even so much as having additional crewmembers trained before the fleet was even completed. And all those precautions had paid off, as it allowed for quick deployment.

He met with Ryy'Suuk on the way out, who gave him a curious roar. Cadden shook his head. "We're heading out," he said to the Wookiee, who protested. "Not this time, pal. You'd be a greater help to me, and to them, if you stayed behind with Jaylin and Ghrark." Ryy'Suuk protested again, growing frustrated and angry. Cadden held up his hand to calm Ryy'Suuk down with a gesture of silence. Not a commanding gesture, but rather a requesting one. "I can assure you," he said, "I will be fine. I know it's hard for you to accept, what with your life debt and all, but you need to trust me on this." Begrudgingly, Ryy'Suuk grunted in acceptance. Cadden knew the Wookiee did not like the situation, but he would have to learn to trust Cadden and his abilities. He was growing stronger in the Force, and his awareness in battle was only heightening after each fight. It was hard for him to comprehend why, exactly, but Cadden trusted that things would reveal themselves in due time.

Ryy'Suuk grunted again as Cadden patted him on the shoulder and began to walk away. He stopped and turned to face the Wookiee. "You too," he said, and continued on his way.

It did not take as long as Cadden suspected for their forces to be ready, as the call to assemble the shock troopers, super commandos, pilots, armored personnel, and planetside starship crews had brought about a newfound sense of morale and anticipation amongst the Mandalorians. It was battle that drove them, raised their spirits. And knowing they were going against a foe stronger than any they had faced before somehow fueled their desire to fight. It was the driving force of the desire of victory that would win this campaign in favor of the Protectors, in favor of the Empire.

Unlike Mechis III, however, should they win each battle, there would be no defensive garrison in place to protect from further attacks by the Xen'Chi. It was not the purpose of this campaign to hold the worlds they would reclaim. What Cadden truly wanted to do was enrage the Xen'Chi, to splinter their driving force into two, even if ever so slightly, and in the meantime weaken their invasion path. In addition, he hoped that news would spread quickly of the campaign, so that the slice of worlds they were to fight through would remain liberated, and a barrier created with a combined effort from the rest of the galaxy.

Fortunately, Cadden even had a further motive. Should none of these objectives be reached, then at the very least he will have put the personnel of the First Assault Fleet to the ultimate test, and then they would know for certain they would be ready to fight the Xen'Chi head on.

Once in orbit, the fleet assembled into formation. The Dungeon Ships and Meteor-class Q-Carriers would be first in line, followed by the rest of the space-faring warships. One Dungeon Ship, the Adenn, was in the front of the line. Not because it was the flagship or command ship, but because it held the greatest asset the fleet could possess - the dreaded Basilisk War Droids. Specially-trained super commandos piloted these monstrous war machines, and fighting alongside them would be their starfighter counterparts, the Basilisk-class Assault Fighters, also piloted by specially-trained super commandos. Alongside one other vital component, the thirty Crusader-class Corvettes, these units would be what would determine the fate of this campaign. Their strategy was essential to victory. And, with Cadden's abilities to strengthen and weaken morale, all he had to do was exercise the ability while keeping aware of his surroundings. That was going to be a challenge, and a great deal of work, all by itself.

OOC: We'll begin the campaign officially once I get some stuff straightened out. Hopefully, it'll be before Saturday hits. Either way, once I'm ready to start it, ICly, I'll get a post up asap for the related thread(s).
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Post by Cadden »

OOC: Continue the Mandalorian stuff here, Top. I'll kick us off.

IC:

Two days had passed, and the reconstruction efforts were well under way. Nedth Dinsan, a qualifying commander of the field of battle, and now on his way to being further qualified as a supercommando, continued to work on his new addition to his armor. The loss of his right forearm was unfortunate, but like any true warrior, he was not about to let it turn into a handicap. He had promptly formulated the idea of placing a fusion cutter in the lost limb's place, thus making for a deadly weapon in close-range combat. Combined with his autoblaster and acquired Srraka blade, Nedth was now going to have to focus more on close-quarters combat.

It suited him just fine. More honor came from killing your foe while capable of seeing their eyes. Or visor, in some cases.

Nedth was informed that, due to the loss of Locke and Gandon, he would be replacing the latter's role as the primary instructor for new recruits into the army. With their forces dwindled down, the Protectors were in dire need of fresh blood to fill the ranks. They had about three hundred supercommandos and roughly fifteen hundred shock troopers left in the entire army. This bode ill for the future of the Protectors, and it was Nedth's responsibility to recruit more to the cause.

Fortunately for him, the majority of the Mando'ade kandosii adu survived the battle, and so he would not be alone. Those that were capable of immediate travel had already departed to the nearby systems for recruitment. Garen Starfall was confident that the Mandalorians would have no problems refilling the ranks of those lost in battle that day.

Neither was Nedth. Evidently, the Xen'Chi had sent minor forces to other worlds in the sector. Most of the worlds were capable of fending for themselves, especially Concord Dawn, which would have killed the Xen'Chi even if the aliens had conquered the world.

A quick calculation made by Starfall and Mandalore had shown an exceptional recruitment rate of around three billion. Nedth had personal doubts they would reach that many, but it would be nice.

The Zabrak Mandalorian put the final touches to the device and attached it to his bandaged forearm. He strung a cable around to his jetpack's power supply and brought up a command on his helmet's HUD. Aiming the device at a nearby slab of fererrocrete, he instructed the device to fire. A deadly blast of energy spat forth, and slammed into the target with maximum impact. Nedth grinned with satisfaction and deactivated the blast. The scorch mark surrounding the hole made only proved how effective of a weapon the attachment would prove to be.

__________

Kyr Aden looked over the reports of the battle from the other day. He had been aiding Starfall in reorganizing the supercommandos for a counterattack on the nearby world of Bandomeer, at Mandalore's behest. He was to be in charge of the forward reconnaissance force, with his Shadow Warriors accompanying him. While it was a risky mission, half of the battle depended on establishing an alliance with whatever resistance members were present on the world. If any.

The supercommando looked at his comrade. "The battle took quite a toll on our forces, Starfall," he commented. "Will fifteen hundred shock troopers be enough to quell any further attacks in our absence? We both know how long it takes to train a civilian into a warrior."

OOC: A good opening for you, Top, and a means for you to start getting things done. Cadden's going to be holed up on Onderon until that battle is done, then I'm progressing forward to Taylon to get the Guardians of the Force assembled. So, you've got a lot of time to do what you wanted to do.

Also, the number "fifteen hundred" is Mandalore alone, not all of their forces combined. If you feel this is too low, by all means, change it. I'm just trying to put a number on it, and a show of just how bad the battle was, as most of it was focused around Garen and Cadden, anyway, and thus the rest narrated and background happenstance.

In comparison, I estimated about 3,000 Mandalorian shock troopers and around 500, I think, supercommandos were returning to Mandalore when the battle began. Mandalore had around 9,000 shock troopers stationed there, alone. I'm thinking about 3,000-5,000 on the other worlds, depending on their population, but that point is nil. So if 11,000 to 1,500 in one battle seems too steep, then again, feel free to change it. I'll await your post before I go Wikifying the Mandalorian Protectors article to reflect on these changes.

P.S. For those that think that three billion is an uber-high number, this is going off of U.S. army to U.S. population calculations. This is just over 1/10 of a percent of the total Mandalorian population. So, three billion is, actually a pretty low number around here.
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Post by Topgun220 »

OOC: Thats fine I agree with the 3 billion number, considering that Mandalorians are practically bred to fight the number is indeed small. fifteen hundred is fine, eventually we'll get back in business. My first post will come soon, when I have time to actually write it out :( .
Niko says:
were so lame
Kit_Fitsu says:
but awesome at the same time
Niko says:
its so contradictory
Magic Man says:
agreed on both acounts
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Post by Topgun220 »

“Something tells me Kyr, that the Xen’Chi have bigger fish to fry right now than to worry about sending yet another battle fleet to Mandalore. They most likely think they have quieted us down for now anyway. I’m thinking we should use several of our super commandoes to aid Nedth and the Mando’ade Kandosii in training more troopers. We need more warriors if we want to continue the fight against the Xen’Chi but I’d rather not spend quality achieving more quantity. It looks like we are just going to have to work with what we have and utilize every weapon in our arsenal possible, the odds may be stacked against us but, we’re Mandalorian, nothing that we do is easy or simple...”

Garen looked at Kyr. “Listen, I have some personal matters to attend to before Cadden arrives. I won’t be gone more than a day, I trust you and Nedth can take care of everything until then. Still if something urgent arises I will keep my comlink on.”
Niko says:
were so lame
Kit_Fitsu says:
but awesome at the same time
Niko says:
its so contradictory
Magic Man says:
agreed on both acounts
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Post by Cadden »

"Maybe so, Starfall," Kyr responded, "but keep in mind that Mandalore expected the Xen'Chi to counterattack here after Myrkr." It was not intended as a jab against Blackthorne's leadership abilities, by any means. But it was a point well made. "I wouldn't put it beyond the Xen'Chi to attempt another. I know I would."

Kyr shrugged. "I guess it's something we'll find out if it happens. They hit us hard, and Bandomeer won't necessarily tell them to back off, or that their mission was a success. About the only thing we could do to keep the Xen'Chi off our backs long enough is to disable all communications, but that would also include their orbital defenses." The Shadow Warriors were already due to leave Mandalore in three days, so adding that to their mission profile would not cost much additional time.
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Post by Topgun220 »

"You'd have to take out the stations on your way to the planet or divide your forces. It's very risky for an already difficult mission. However, we don't want to let the Xen'Chi know we are still going to attack them...At least for right now we need to keep our attacks covert and anonymous so the Xen'Chi don't suspect Mandalore." Garen scratched his hair and walked around the command room casually, in thought. "We obviously don't have a choice, make taking out their long range communications a primary task. Once our fleet arrives I doubt any Xen'Chi vessels would flee but it would be nice to have an interdictor just in case. Unfortunately we don't have an interdictor." Garen nodded. "We'll just work with what we have, it's what we do."
Niko says:
were so lame
Kit_Fitsu says:
but awesome at the same time
Niko says:
its so contradictory
Magic Man says:
agreed on both acounts
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Post by PrincessTabetha/BlackHunt »

At dark edge of the system alone ship sits idle in the void. In side a warrior clad in black mandolorian armor with silver and crimson accents stood alone on the bridge of the jet black Firefly Medium Frighter known as the Krimson Night. It had been a long journey and the Core was never a perferable place to be for a mandorlian warrior but duty called. And the tast completed in what felt like record time. . . .

"Thrasher send an incoded message to Mandolor the Krimson Knight has returened and is requestion to join up to deliver the goods." The distored voice oredered the small black R4 unit to her left.

The driod merely whsilted and began its task.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OUTGOING ENCODED TRANSMISSION . . . . .
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TO: Mandolore

From: SpecOps Jansen

Mission accomplished. Request premission to sync up and deliever package. Will wait for you command.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
END TRANSMISSION. . . . . . . . . .
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tabetha/Hunt
I got out of the bed today.
Swear to god couldn't see my face. I got out of the bed today starin at a a ghost.
Who forgot to float away didn't have all that much to say couldn't even tell his own name or where my body goes.
-Winter Sleep Weighty Ghost
It's an animal thing
Riddick
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Post by Cadden »

OOC: Tabs, you should know it is going to be some time before she gets a response. Cadden's currently holed up on Onderon, defending the praxeum against the Cult of Shadow....

IC:

Kyr nodded. "That we shall," he responded. Fortunately for the Protectors, MandalMotors had recently finished construction on an Aggressor-class Destroyer, and had recently announced plans to build a Kaldabe-class Battleship as soon as their regional economy allowed.

The supercommando nodded to Starfall. "I had better let you go," he said. "Safe journey, Starfall. We will be fine in your absense."
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Post by Topgun220 »

"I am certain you will be, if I'm not back in time before you depart...may the force be with you." With that Garen turned and left the command center heading to his speeder waiting outside.


OOC: I'll be back...
Niko says:
were so lame
Kit_Fitsu says:
but awesome at the same time
Niko says:
its so contradictory
Magic Man says:
agreed on both acounts
Kyr’am Gota
Posts: 2618
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2005 6:33 pm
Location: Northeast PA

Post by Topgun220 »

OOC: This is only the first part, im not sure how many more posts I'll need to complete this sub plot.


Garen guided his speeder bike with the skill of a seasoned rider across the landscape of Mandalore. His years on Concord Dawn traveling across the deserts in search of hunting worthy animals and creatures forced him to often use a speeder bike. By this time he was extremely efficient in using them to get around.

A small cape newly attached to his right shoulder blew in the wind and his dented and worn blue and gold armor still reflected the setting sun’s light as he raced across an open field towards a lone hovel on a hill overlooking the field.

Garen slowed the speeder to a stop outside the hovel and dismounted, he was here to fulfill a promise to a dead man. As he walked towards the entrance to the small house he couldn’t help but notice the apparent abundance of recent activity outside the house. Garen removed his helmet and held it firmly against his left hip as he knocked on the door.

He looked off into the distance at Kedalbe, smoke still curling upwards into the sky from the damage received in the recent battle. His thoughts drifted off to the recent battle, the lives he watched extinguished by the Xen’Chi and the pain from the wounds he received. His calves still burned with pain from time to time being that they were not fully healed.

Garen’s thoughts were ripped back into the present when the door opened in front of him. He turned and saw only the inside of the house, then he looked down. A little girl, no older than twelve stood there, her bright green eyes looking up at him with a few strands of her long brown hair in her face. She wasn’t smiling at him but there was no anger or hatred in her eyes either, it was a simple neutral look of confusion and curiosity.

Garen squatted down so he was eye level with her. “Hello there, are you Carissa?” She nodded and Garen offered her a smile. “I’m here to take you to meet someone.” She raised an eyebrow at him.

“Where is my father?” She spoke in Mando’a to him. At first he was mildly surprised, and impressed but then the effect of her words set in and his smile faded.

“He is gone, he went with honor and courage.” Garen replied solemnly. At first she just stared at him, Garen was unsure if she was angry, sad, confused, or a combination of the three.

“That’s not possible, my father is the greatest warrior ever.” Garen set his helmet aside and glanced down at the ground taking a breath before looking back up to her. Garen had little experience with children, but Mandalorian children were different from other children. They were stubborn, very mature, and overly aggressive but most of all they were very attached to their parental figures. Family was a very big word in Mando’a, when you considered someone part of your family it was assumed you would die for their well being.

“Even the greatest of warriors fall eventually, surely he taught you that.”

Her gaze fell slowly to the ground. “Yes…” She simply replied. Garen waited a few moments for her to recover before speaking again.

“Mind if I come in?” Garen said standing once more, his calves were screaming in a burning pain of newly healed skin and muscle. Carissa nodded and turned back into her house. She went and sat at the table in the kitchen, Garen picked up his helmet and set it on the table before walking around inside surveying the house.

At first he had come here to simply recover the child and give her to foster parents who could look after her. He was quite busy with Cadden away from Mandalore leaving Garen in charge of his people, Garen was almost certain he would have no time to spend with Carissa if he adopted her.

Now though, he was having second thoughts. She needed a role model, someone to look up to and instruct her in the ways of their heritage. Her father had already begun teaching her, it was evident in the fact that she knew Mando’a and was able to control her emotions quite well in front of Garen when he announced her father’s death. It was either training or denial that kept her from tears, Garen wasn’t sure he wanted to find out which.

The house was small but cozy and gave a warm feeling to it. Garen leaned against the kitchen wall and observed Carissa as she looked at Garen’s helmet on the table. “Go pack your things Carissa and meet me here, I’ll take you over to my living quarters until everything is arranged.

“Can’t I stay here? This is my home.” Garen shook his head, one little girl living in a house all by herself was unacceptable. Even by the self-sufficient standards of the Mandalorian culture, and unacceptable to Garen himself.

“I’m sorry but no, now please go pack your things.” She looked as if she was going to continue to fight him but she submitted and left the table for her room. Garen walked over to the table and picked his helmet off the table and placed it over his head.

A minute passed before Carissa walked back into the kitchen with a duffel bag hanging from her shoulder. “I’m ready.” She simply said and Garen lead her outside. They walked over to the speeder and Garen got on. Carissa got on behind him and Garen looked over his shoulder to speak to her.

“Hold on to me.” He said to her, and through the mesh between the armor plates around his lower back and abdomen he felt her small arms wrap around his waist in compliance. A second later the bike took off towards the damaged city of Kedalbe.
Niko says:
were so lame
Kit_Fitsu says:
but awesome at the same time
Niko says:
its so contradictory
Magic Man says:
agreed on both acounts
Kyr’am Gota
Posts: 2618
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2005 6:33 pm
Location: Northeast PA

Post by Topgun220 »

OOC: Next post will be battle time :)


Garen looked over his DL-22 blasters once more, he hit a small button in front of the trigger guard on each and two vibroblades slid out from under the barrel acting as small bayonets. Garen smiled and pressed the button again, returning the blades under the barrel. He returned the two pistols to his hip holsters and removed his EE-3 carbine.

Garen inspected the scope at first, making sure it was undamaged and clean. He then sighted through it and made some slight adjustments. He then took apart the weapon and began cleaning the interior with the skill of a lifetime of experience around firearms. He switched out several worn components and swapped them with newer, improved models to increase its power output and ammo capacity.

He then placed the EE-3 into his specially designed leg holster around his right thigh. Garen then pulled out his blades, nearly a dozen vibroblades and two long slightly curved vibro swords. He inspected the chips and scratches on their surface and made sure they were merely superficial. Garen had been practicing and training with these weapons over the last few days vigorously. He wanted to make sure no forcer ever had another advantage on him again like the Xen’Chi chosen did.

Finally Garen placed the two swords in sheaths criss-crossing his back and the knives were distributed across sheaths around his body. He pulled his two gauntlets off and looked over the new blades he had installed over the broken and damaged ones. Then he looked over a new addition to his right gauntlet. A small grenade launcher, using a magazine of five specially designed grenades to fire from a mini launcher he could now unleash quite the mayhem. He carried a magazine of frag, concussion, plasma, and adhesive grenades.

Garen then made sure his cape was on and secured to his shoulder before placing his new helmet over his head and walking out of the master bedroom. He walked through the kitchen of the apartment where Carissa sat eating breakfast silently, he ruffled her hair as he passed by and out the door.

He took his speeder bike over to the command center on Mandalore. The battle of Bandomeer was to be initiated today and Cadden had not yet arrived. Garen entered the command center with everyone finalizing the battle plans and going over what their unit’s duties were.

Garen reached one of his higher commanders and turned to him. “Prepare the fleet, we are leaving as planned.” The commander nodded and went about relaying the orders. Garen left the command center and took a shuttle up to the Aggressor-Class Destroyer in orbit over the planet.

Garen was not the fighter pilot Cadden was, he chose to ride a Basilisk War Droid into battle when the time came but until then he was content to stay on the bridge of the Aggressor Destroyer and help coordinate the battle. Although he was eager to test out the battle powers of the ship he didn’t want to give it away to the Xen’Chi of what the ship was capable of. Thus he left the option of using the main weapons if his original plan failed.
Niko says:
were so lame
Kit_Fitsu says:
but awesome at the same time
Niko says:
its so contradictory
Magic Man says:
agreed on both acounts
Kyr’am Gota
Posts: 2618
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2005 6:33 pm
Location: Northeast PA

Post by Topgun220 »

OOC:This is the space battle, next is the ground battle. I wasn't sure if you wanted to do something with your characters on the ground Cadden so feel free to do whatever you have to.

IC:
The fleet dropped out of hyperspace before Bandomeer, A Xen'Chi carrier flanked by two of their cruisers and a few frigates hung silently in the space before the fleet. For several seconds there was a peaceful moment, neither side moved aggressively or fired on one another. Then, suddenly, almost as if they had remembered they were at war with each other, the fleets moved on into attack range.

The Mandalorians formed a wall with their Crusader corvettes and dreadnaughts in front of their dungeon ships and the large Aggressor destroyer. The Mandalorians stayed in formation with practiced finesse as they moved toward the enemy fleet. The Xen'Chi returned in kind by charging directly at the center of the Mandalorian formation, in order to disperse the wall of corvettes and dreadnaughts.

Starfighter squadrons amassed behind the wall and formed two distinct groups. Xen'Chi fighters flew out to the Mandalorian formation followed closely by the frigates, they focused their attack on only the middle area of the wall. To counter this, the wall compressed allowing more ships to take fire and fire back at the attackers.

As if in afterthought one group of starfighters rushed out and began strafing runs against the enemy frigates while the second moved past the carnage and headed straight towards the two cruisers and carrier. Following behind them were fearsome basilisk war droids at the head of which sat Garen.

It took a lot of control to refrain from plunging himself into the fighter brawl close by and continue to the heavier Xen'Chi warships but he knew what the objective was. A few Xen'Chi fighter squadrons being held in reserve flew out to meet the fighter group acting as a diversionary shield for the basilisk assault.

The basilisk war droids ripped through the ensuing melee and headed straight for the carrier. The carrier’s defense guns swiveled to meet the threat, spewing plasma at the mechanical monsters besieging them. Garen swerved around enemy fire and fired his cannons at gun emplacements as he raced to the back of the ship.

Reaching out with one of the clawed arms Garen was able to dig into the ship's hull at the very edge of the vessel and pull his droid towards the engines. Several others did likewise and landed beside him, the heat was immense and his armor was starting to glow as he activated his plasma torch and began cutting at the base of the engine.

His skin under his armor began to blister and burn as he completed his circular cut. He tore away the slab of metal and detached a shockwave charge, he threw it inside the engine and pushed off the ship towards the nearby planet. A dozen other war droids had performed the same maneuver on different engines, once they had detached and were at a safe distance Garen activated the detonator core on all of the charges at once.

The back of the carrier was ripped apart and the entire ship died, its power knocked out from the blasts. The engines were either destroyed or damaged beyond use. The carrier fell behind as the two cruisers moved forward, seemingly uncaring for the loss of their ship.

The mandalorian fleet was engaged heavily with the Xen'Chi forces, the initial attack force sent by the Xen'Chi was relatively annihilated. The heavier Mandalorian ships were teaming up and picking off the last of the frigates as the two cruisers approached.

Until then the Aggressor and been sitting quietly back behind the fight and off the Xen'Chi's mind, now it moved up to engage the enemy cruisers. The Mandalorian fleet reformed around the destroyer, minus four dungeon ships that sped down towards the planet.

The two Xen'Chi ships split, one moving to the left of the formation, the other above the formation. The Aggressor tracked the first one attempting to attack from above, the large ship's shields flickered as power was drained and rerouted, the engines on the ship stopped and only maneuver thrusters fired to continue to keep its massive guns trained on target.

The destroyer fired one of its massive guns, a huge spiraling ball of plasma moved into the path of the Xen'Chi ship. The cruiser moved hard to port, in order to avoid the attack, however the plasma ball still struck the starboard half of the ship.

The shields buckled and the vessel received what was left of the blast, it scorched a hole through several decks before the captain of the ship vented atmosphere in the burning decks to quell the fires. The Aggressor then turned its attention to the second of the cruisers as part of the mandalorian fleet moved to finish off the crippled cruiser.

The second cruiser moved erratically as it approached, focusing its fire on the destroyer. The Mandalorian fleet moved in between the cruiser and its target, giving the Aggressor time to power the second gun and return fire. The Mandalorian ships didn't bother to waste power firing their weapons, they simply threw every ounce of power behind their shields.

The fleet parted and sped out of the blast's path as the Aggressor fired again. The cruiser stopped dead, its captain seeing no chance in moving out of the way rerouted the ships power to shields in hopes of absorbing most of the attack. They did, the shields failed but the blast merely blackened the hull it impacted upon.

The mandalorian fleet closed and immediately fired upon the unshielded target, making short work of its engines preventing any kind of suicidal ram. Disabled and surrounded rather than allow itself to be boarded the ship self destructed, leaving the Mandalorian Fleet the only space presence.

By this time the landing force was already on the ground and assembling...
Niko says:
were so lame
Kit_Fitsu says:
but awesome at the same time
Niko says:
its so contradictory
Magic Man says:
agreed on both acounts
Kyr’am Gota
Posts: 2618
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2005 6:33 pm
Location: Northeast PA

Post by Topgun220 »

Dozens of fireballs rained from the sky over Bandomeer's capital. The Xen'Chi had seen such a fearsome head on assault only a few times before, they knew what had happened each time. Garen's Basilisk war droid dropped through the burning atmosphere at terminal velocity at the head of the basilisk formation.

The main ground force was advancing on the outskirts of the city, using feint and flank attacks the idea was to keep the enemy on their heels unsure of where to commit their resources and then launch a blinding assault on their weakest front to break through to the city.

While this was happening the basilisk war droids were to descend upon the city and destroy Xen'Chi hard points inside and immediately around the city. Also inside the city, rebel sleeper cells led by the resistance movement and the Shadow Warriors led by Kyr Aden already imbedded with the resistance were to unleash a torrent of hit and run attacks from behind the lines. These strikes at the Xen'Chi supply lines and rear guard combined with the basilisk assault were to cause catastrophic confusion and miscommunication. If it was successful, the Xen'Chi wouldn't know where the enemy was or where the lines of battle lay, then the Mandalorian war machine would tear them apart unit by unit.


Garen pulled up on the control yoke and raised his crosshairs in his HUD connected to the basilisk. He fired into a skyscraper’s support beams, forcing it to crash down onto a large group of Xen'Chi and their strange vehicles. He continued to fly the war droid over the city with ease; the thick armor absorbed a few random shots that managed to find their target despite Garen's evasive maneuvers.

Garen sighted a pair of Xen'Chi on top of an apartment building just ahead; they were wielding some form of missile launcher. All kinds of warnings exploded inside Garen's head. He adjusted his aim and fired a long salvo of cannon fire atop the roof. Despite the lasers flying at them two homing missiles flew out at Garen.

Garen's instincts ripped control of the vehicle from his conscious mind. He spun into a tight barrel roll and avoided the first missile, the second managed to explode a little too close to the underbelly of the droid. Smoke billowed out from the wound on the underside and Garen watched with disgust as power to the droid's engines failed.

He stood up onto the metal beast and rode it down into the city, leaving a trail of smoke visible for kilometers. At the last second Garen fired his jetpack to lessen the impact speed. As his feet hit the ground his went into a tight roll, he felt his body weight crash upon his lower legs and was pleased that neither broke under the strain.

As he finished his roll and came up he pulled out his carbine from its leg holster and held it steady against his shoulder. He scanned the street before and behind him to find no enemies. He could see the glowing red crater in the side of the building farther down the road where his droid crashed.

Garen quickly pulled up a 3D map in his HUD using his wrist pad and various winks and teeth clattering. He spotted the green dot that indicated his position, he saw the red dots of known Xen'Chi positions all around him throughout the city and behind them in the outskirts was the blue dots of his fellow Mandalorians.

Just because no known Xen'Chi positions were approaching him didn't mean he was in the clear, other unknown positions could still be on their way. His crash landing couldn't have gone unnoticed. With that in mind Garen proceeded down the street towards the spaceport destined to be used to ferry more troops into the city. If he could secure the spaceport now, it was possible to attack the rearguard with overwhelming odds and pin the outer defense forces. Surely it was a difficult task, almost suicidal, even for a Mandalorian. However, he didn't see anyone around to help him, and he had no intention of staying put...


OOC: More to come
Niko says:
were so lame
Kit_Fitsu says:
but awesome at the same time
Niko says:
its so contradictory
Magic Man says:
agreed on both acounts
Mand'alor
Posts: 13808
Joined: Sat Feb 15, 2003 11:41 pm
Location: Galaxy Bouncing

Post by Cadden »

OOC: I'll try to get a post up this week. Finals being over, I'm still a bit swamped, and I've got a lot of catching up 'round here to do as well.

So... yeah. Some day. Y'can RP Kyr and the Resistance in the meanwhile, if it is deemed necessary. For the Resistance, and especially Kytra Dorien, I originally had something specific in mind, but a change in pace (and story outline) has nullified any otherwise-important facts, so you can do with any of them what you wish. But Kyr still lives. :P

So, yeah, again, I'll try to get a post in this week sometime, but I can't guarantee anything. My mind's been elsewhere lately, completely preoccupying me from any spark of creativity.
Kyr’am Gota
Posts: 2618
Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2005 6:33 pm
Location: Northeast PA

Post by Topgun220 »

OOC: No worries, im going to make another post detailing Garen's one man assault but other than that not much more is coming from me until next week, maybe even later. So we're kinda in the same boat...with several small leaks in it.
Niko says:
were so lame
Kit_Fitsu says:
but awesome at the same time
Niko says:
its so contradictory
Magic Man says:
agreed on both acounts
Mand'alor
Posts: 13808
Joined: Sat Feb 15, 2003 11:41 pm
Location: Galaxy Bouncing

Post by Cadden »

OOC: Watched 300 (again) last night. Great movie. Got my creative juices flowing!

IC:

Two days earlier

Two ships dropped out of lightspeed, far beyond Xen'Chi sensor range. The leader of the small formation, the Final Ceremony, housed Kyr Aden and his second in command. The other, a Stathas-class Freighter, carried the remaining twelve members of the Shadow Warriors as the ships continued to approach the planet. Both of the craft were equipped with stealth drives, and both had their mission profiles.

They made it planet-side without a hitch, and landed far outside the outskirts of Bandomeer's capital, Bandor. Without a single word, the Mandalorians left their craft and organized themselves into a scouting formation. Because they were uncertain if any Xen'Chi would be monitoring radio frequencies, regardless of range, they were instructed to maintain radio slience. The twelve supercommandos moved out, maneuvering through the forest toward the city in the distance. They met with little resistance, and the Xen'Chi scouting parties they faced off with met a quick end.

Once the advance force reached the outskirts, Kyr scanned the Xen'Chi occupying forces for a break in their defensive parimeter. It didn't take long to find one, and he instructed his men to move forward in two's, in order to avoid unnecessary attention. He awaited for the other ten to move out before he lead his companion forward, ducking into the city. It was at this point that they split into three four-man groups, and made their separate ways through the city, to their destination.

Weeding through the city, remaining in the shadows and unseen, the Mandalorians progressed inward and eventually regrouped at an inconspicuous warehouse in the more shady part of the city. After checking their surroundings, the group infiltrated the warehouse and staged their operations from there. They needed to obtain as much information as allowed on the city before they progressed, and time was critical.

Two individuals set up a device to hack into the city's central computer infrastructure, while several Mandalorians maintained a parameter scan, obtaining their sentry positions and using their sniper rifles to scout for any Xen'Chi patrols that got too suspicious. Kyr brought his second in command aside and began to discuss their plan of attack.

"Three hours prior to the fleet's arrival," he instructed the younger Shadow Warrior, "you will lead the team to infiltrate the communications center. I want it quick, quiet, and clean. The moment the fleet drops in, you are to scramble any channels the Xen'Chi are using, and protect the center with your life. If the compound is destroyed, or the scrambling device stops operating, then the battle may as well be a loss."

The other Mandalorian nodded. "It shall be done," he responded. "When time comes, we will be ready for the word."

"Good," Kyr responded. "While I'm gone, you'll be in charge of this position. Once we locate any Resistance, and pray that we find one, I will take two others with me to forge an alliance. You will be on your own at this point."

"I understand."

Kyr grasped his comrade's shoulder. "Remember, Kadil," he said, "heroics don't save lives, they only create hindrances. Mandalorians fight as one, and we die as one. Once your objective is complete, you hold your ground at all costs. The communications center is essential to our victory here, and to the safety of our people."

Jeston Kadil, while a highly qualified individual, was only recently indited into the Mandalorian Protectors, and moreso as a warrior. He had shown exceptional skill and talent in Operation: Dissection and was granted second in command of the Shadow Warriors by Kyr himself. However, his experience as a Mandalorian warrior was minimal, and thus was seen more as a pupil to Kyr than a fellow warrior. This worked both ways, as Jeston found Kyr to be more of a mentor, than a friend, but this relationship paved the way for greater respect toward the older Mandalorian than any friendship would have ever produced.

"We will hold the communications center, or die trying," he assurred Kyr. "If we die, we will die with honor."

Kyr nodded. "For the sake of all of our people, let us hope it does not come to that."

The next day...

Kyr led two Mandalorians away from the warehouse. Having successfully pinned down the location of a small band of Resistance members, they were on their way to rendezvous with them and form a cooperative alliance against the Xen'Chi. The only problem was, the Resistance didn't know this. It was a gamble, but it was far better than risking a communication and failing the mission right then and there.

The three warriors maneuvered through the city, avoiding Xen'Chi patrols and sentries alike, as any fighting would result in death at this point. And while Mandalorians glorified death on the battlefield, Mandalorians saw reckless behavior to be even less honorable than killing another in cold blood.

It was a behavior Kyr was fiercely dedicated to keeping in check during this, and any subsequent, missions.

They managed to make their way to an old, abandoned building, whereupon they silently breached the entry way and cautiously approached the rear room. A stairwell was found, and Kyr gave one of his Mandalorians the silent order to descend the stairwell, taking up after the individual, and the third covering their rear. They arrived at the bottom of the stairs, in the basement, and readied their weapons in the event of their approach meeting with a Xen'Chi trap.

Fortunately, they were not so unlucky, as they opened the door to meet with five human guards. The eight individuals turned their weapons on their opposites, and held their ground, sizing each other up.

"You are clearly not of the Xen'Chi ranks," a woman finally spoke to Kyr and his two companions. "I've heard of the Mandalorians, though I thought that they were all dead. What are you doing here?" The conversation was, clearly, not easing the exchange betwen the two groups, as neither was willing to let down their guard so soon.

"In thirty hours, your world will be the staging point of a series of battles that will bring the Xen'Chi to their knees," Kyr explained. "Though you may not like it, we are here to recruit you to our cause."

"Oh?" she asked. "And what is that? Galactic domination? No thanks."

Kyr frowned. He had heard that the galaxy still had such a bitter view on Mandalorians, but could the Mandalorian Wars, which happened four thousand years ago, still carry such a significant impact against the galaxy today? "The Mandalorians have returned," he continued, "and we're not here to destroy, but to protect. We require your assistance in wiping the Xen'Chi from the face of this planet."

"A Mandalorian asking for help?" she pressed. Her contempt was starting to get on Kyr's nerves. "I thought your people were beyond help."

"Whether you help us or not, we are coming. You will just make our job a little easier, is all. In the end, we will not fire a single shot on you unless you provoke us into combat. And I can assure you... if we were here to kill, you would already be dead."

There was an eerie silence as she considered her options. Kyr was still uncertain what her position in the resistance was, but it was clear that she was in charge of the defense of whatever importance this location served. "Very well," she finally said. "I'm not saying I trust you, but if what you say is true, then we will be in your debt. On our own, we cannot hope to liberate Bandomeer from these bastards. But we've been doing what we can. Any help you provide us will not go overlooked."

Kyr nodded, and motioned for his two comrades to lower their weapons, but they remained vigilant and ready to attack regardless. The woman turned and punched in a sequence of digits, before the secure door opened. The revealed room was not large, but surely was significant enough. Kyr assumed it was a forward outpost, and not necessarily their headquarters.

She relinquished command of the door to another guard, and escorted the three Mandalorians into the outpost. They were brought before who Kyr assumed was the field commander of the Resistance. The woman sized him up before speaking.

"Interesting that Mandalorians would come to Bandomeer, and on such friendly terms," he spoke.

"Our terms are anything but friendly," Kyr responded. "The Xen'Chi are a blight that needs to be purged from the galaxy. We Mandalorians have stepped up to the challenge."

"No doubt," she responded. "I presume you have sought out our aid in a coming battle?" Kyr nodded. "Very well. We don't have much to offer, but what we have is yours to command. Anything is better than living under the shadow of the Xen'Chi. I am Kytra Dorien... member of the Resistance and one of the few qualified to be a field leader."

"My name is Kyr Aden," he responded. "There are nine more Mandalorians on the surface as we speak. Come tomorrow, they will strike at the communications center, and pave the way for our fleet to attack. Anyone you have who is able to fight, have them prepared. We will need to cause enough chaos in the city to keep the communications center as a minimal target for the Xen'Chi."

"Why the communications centter?" Kytra asked. "It hardly provides a point of importance."

"It will be essential to victory," Kyr objected. "The Xen'Chi presence in this sector of space is reported to be fairly heavy. This planet serves as an effective staging point against this side of the Mid Rim. If we can sever this connection, then the galaxy can have enough time to stage a massive counter-attack."

Kytra nodded. "What you say is believable," she responded. "We will do what we can."

OOC: The rest is pretty much just "catch up and go". Not much to glamor over. My next post will be during the actual battle itself, during current events. Top, you can feel free to meet up with any Mandalorians and/or Resistance members if you'd like. As you can see, they're gonna be going around, causing chaos and performing guerilla tactics as a preoccupation for the arrival of the cavalry.
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