A Wintery Ceremony

[Ral]

Ciryc'yaim
0800 Hours Local Time
​

Ral Aran awoke in his warm bed, thick wools and furs covered him, a hill of pillows surrounding his head. Today was a rather odd day, for once in his life since coming to Ciryc'yaim, Ral was in bed alone, having gone to bed alone the night before after arriving. For the most part, Ral wasn't a superstitious man, but there were a few traditions he honored. One of those was to sleep alone before a big day like the one he was facing, along with avoiding a few select people until the selected time. It's what his parents would have wanted, and it's what tradition demanded. On the eve of an auspicious day like the one he was about to face, Ral wasn't going to defy tradition to a people who relied on it so much. It would only invite calamity after all.

As he opened his eyes, Ral looked around the room noticing the mounted head of a jotunmer he hadn't spotted the night before. Studying it for a few seconds he realized that it was one of the beasts that he had faced and killed with Inga on their last hunting expedition in the wintery landscapes of Ciryc'yaim. Outside, the planet's sun shone in through the open window letting in a cool, but refreshing draft. Standing, Ral put on some basic clothes; some thick lined leather pants, a woolen shirt and leather vest. It was all very fitting with the planet's rustic theme, and all very warm. The clothes were designed to be wearable in the cold and harsh climate of Ciryc'yaim, and Ral was more than thankful for having received the fine gift from Inga.

The world had almost become a second home to him after Roon, and Ral kept telling himself he was going to make a small cabin one of these days when he finally had a month to spend out gathering the supplies for it. He wondered when that day would finally come and he resolved probably not any time soon, though he hoped that after the events of today he'd be lucky enough to get some time off.

Standing a few moments in the sunlight, warming himself up and looking out the window over the harsh and brutal landscape of Ciryc'yaim, Ral couldn't help but feel confident in his choice, and that what he was doing was the right thing. Right for his people, for their future, for Inga, and for himself. He wanted this. Deep down, Ral felt that his parents would be proud. It would finally heal the wounds of over a decade ago. Separatist and Loyalist would come together, mending the schism in a union that would hopefully change the shape of the Mandalorian clans for years to come. Today was the first day of a new era.

@Crim

 

[Crim]

Heavy rain poured from the springtime sky, a tempest shaking the city of Kurzbesk. Mud gathered in the streets as water pooled in puddles. The ground wasn't thawed enough for the puddles to soak into the soil yet. They were sure to remain there for a while. The rainy season on Ciryc'yaim involved quite a lot of flooding. The sounds of rain hitting her helmet combined with the chanting of Mandalorians. Kinsmen and vassals. They chanted in Mando'a, Huttese, Basic. Yet, they were chanting the same thing. "Haat, Ijaa, Haa'it."
"Kospa, Uyay, Kyota."
"Truth, Honor, Vision."
The other Mandalorian's fist hit her like a brick wall. Directly in the clavicle. Had she not moved back, the bone would have broken. Fight lost. Honor lost. Title lost. Almost all of Kurzbesk would have seen her cast aside like rubbish. The Battle Circle in Kurzbesk Circle had gathered that evening to decide the fate of Clan Kelborn. First, Jarmouth Kelborn, the man who led Kelborn to safety after the Second Mandalorian Civil War, passed away. Then, his daughter left the sanctuary her father had spent so long to create and maintain. She put the clan in danger. There were some in Kurzbesk who thought Inga wasn't ready for leadership, if she was to be ready at all. Sigren Kelborn was one of them. He'd garnered enough support to challenge Inga. But Sigren was as Mandalorian as Mandalorians got. If he had differences with the Clan leader, he'd settle them in the Battle Circle and be done with it.

His other fist came in from below, hitting Inga in the gut. The breath was knocked out of her for a second as she dropped to her knees. "Give it up, Kelborna'lor. You can still leave with your father's honor intact," he said. Inga slowly rose to her feet. "I'm not done yet, Sigren," she said. She moved in to attack, swinging for his center mass and being blocked by a heavy gauntlet. Reciprocating with a block to his attack. Another exchange of blows. And another. And another. Lightning flashed in the sky. Mandalorians chanted for whomever they wanted as their clan leader. Inga then did what Mandalorians do best. She headbutted the living shit out of him.

"Agh," he said as he stumbled back. "You're stronger than you look, Kelborna'lor," he said.
"You'll find I'm full of surprises," she said, rushing to attack him. He swung with his leg, delivering a powerful kick to her ribs. It was either the motorized joints in his suit or the actual kick itself, but Inga was knocked back for a good meter, landing on her backside. She looked up just in time to see Sigren approach, punching her in the face. Had she not been wearing a helmet, it'd have knocked her out completely. He punched her again and again and again. The glass was starting to crack. She pushed him away and removed her helmet. A warrior had to see in order to fight. Blood trickled down from her temple as the rain mixed with her red hair.

Sigrid swept with his leg, intending to knock Inga down. She narrowly jumped over it and kicked him with both legs, knocking both her and Sigred down. She stood up and saw him coming at her again. He swung at her face as she sidestepped the blow, dodging it, and caught his right arm with her right hand. With her left hand, she delivered a blow under the arms as she extended his right arm, locking it at the shoulder. She felt ribs crack under her fist. Still locking his arm, she kicked the back of his leg to put him on his knees. As he went down, his right wrist snapped. With her left hand, she had him in a chokehold. "You fought well," she said. The fight was over.

She stood and helped Sigrid to his feet. As she wiped blood off her forehead, she looked up at the crowd as they chanted.
"Inga!"
"Inga!"
"Inga!"
"Inga. Inga, wake up."
A bridesmaid was shaking Inga, who sleepily groaned in her bed and turned over. An empty bottle of Mandalorian whiskey fell out of the bed and rolled onto the floor. "Five more minutes," she said to the bridemaid.

@Ral Aran

 

[Ral]

Sighing to himself, Ral drew away from the the sunlight. Making sure he was prepped, the Mandalorian went over his appearance one last time before deciding it was acceptable for him. Opening the door, he was surprised to see a pair of men standing there. They were Renelo men, commandos, bodyguards. It was demeaning work he was sure for a Mandalorian to mind the door, but for now there was just cause. It ensured he stayed in his room, and that nobody else tried to get in to kill him, or do anything else of a more devious nature. He'd have found the walls outside guarded as well in a similar manner between Renelo and Kelborn men.

Nodding to the two armored men, they followed Ral down to the dining area. It was busy, but had an odd sense of calm about it as everyone went about their jobs preparing for a wedding. Eating a light meal consisting of bacon, taters, and some sort of special Ciryc'yaim pastry, washing it down with a glass of freshly made milk, Ral finished up before proceeding to one of the side rooms where he would wait with his escort until things were set up. Their hosts wanted them out of the way for this, and this way it prevented them from interfering or from Ral from seeing someone he wasn't supposed to.

Falling back into a comfortable chair, Ral fished out an old pipe from one of his pockets, observing the engravings and damage from many years of use, and he smiled. "Well old man, where ever in Manda your spirit is, know that you were right." He snickered to himself as he pulled some tobacco out and lit it, puffing on it as he watched the flames and for more of his company to filter in.

 

[Crim]

The stormtrooper's torso split from clavicle to navel under her mighty war-axe.

Mortar exploded around them as they stormed the Imperial base. Dirt and ashes rained down on Sabertooth Squad, an AT-ST raining hell on the Mandalorians below. A squadron of Stormtroopers fought desperately to protect their base. Sabertooth Squad dove behind a hill for cover from the AT-ST. "Ekho, I need you on the high ground. Sibirs, Kal, I need you both on me," she said, switching her ammo out for another pack. Nearby, the Stormtrooper she'd just hit squirmed one last time, his neurons firing their final death throes. "Tamsen, you do what you do best. Take out that AT-ST. Demolitions. You got that?" The Cathar nodded. "Rodger"

"The rest of you, L-Formation. I don't want a repeat of what happened on Nal Huttaa."
"Aye aye," they responded as they sprang into action. Inga turned and popped up, blasting a Stormtrooper in the chest with her rifle. The wound glowed for a minute before cooling down. The other Mandalorians opened fire, wreaking havoc on the Stormtroopers below. The shots from the AT-ST narrowly missed them, hitting a tree instead. Splinters and bark flew as the tree fell. The AT-ST needed to back up not to get hit. As it stepped back, the ground erupted under it. A mine from Tamsen took off one of its legs. The AT-ST screeched as it fell to the ground. A few Mandalorians opened it and shot the pilot inside.

The Mandalorians came to the base's door. Inga tossed in a smoke grenade, filling the base with smoke as her men went in there, only to find it empty. "Where are they?" asked Kor. Tamsen checked one of the readouts. "Looks like they escaped. We'll never catch them now."
Ekho walked in. "See, told you she wasn't ready for this."
"You insubordinate-" Inga began to respond.
"Yeah. What kind of leader doesn't even wear pants into battle?" Tamsen said.
Inga looked down to see that she wasn't wearing any pants.


"Kriff!" Inga said as she bolted up from her bed. She picked a lock of hair out of her mouth and looked around. Today was important today for some reason, but she couldn't remember why. She was having very weird dreams, that was for certain. Sure, Clan Kelborn was somewhat opposed to Inga when she started, but that was early on. At this point, they were completely loyal. Inga couldn't fathom why she was dreaming about the early days.

And then she remembered and looked at the clock.

"KRIFF!"

 

[Bardan Kex]

The day had hardly yet begun and already the First Commando knew it would be a very, very long one. His first clue had been the hangover that greeted him as he rose with the sun of Ciryc'yaim, his second had been finding Ka'ra, a young Commando who had been on his personal team since before the Confederacy, in his bed beside him and the third had been the hangover. He had sighed slightly at the sight of the much younger woman, before carefully attempting to get out of the firs and into his clothing, he hadn't been quiet enough and she stirred. She rolled over in the fur covered bed, her eyes meeting his as she smiled, doing her best to hide a matching hangover.

"Is it time to get up already?" she had asked, sitting up the furs held tightly to her chest.

"It is for me." he said, looking away from her form. "You...you get some more sleep."

Quickly he had finished getting dressed and armored then headed out the door into the hall, there were tasks that needed to be done. While sitting at the breakfast table with a mix of Renelo and Kelborne men he felt guilty, he always felt guilty when something like this happened ever since his wife had passed away. He silently chastised himself for the thought, she'd been dead along time now and would have wanted him to move on. Though he also chastised himself for sleeping with someone under his command. After his light breakfast Bardan had seen to positioning more guards, men and women hand picked by both Ral and Inga for the honor of guarding the special day. Seeing to things to the better part of the early morning, Bardan had hoped that by the time he had finished the hang over would have run its course, leaving him free for the rowdiness that was sure to come later in the day, he had over course been mistaken. The former Imperial would return to the dining hall, deciding that the cure for what ailed him would be that which caused it.

Now armed with a fresh mug of ale, Bardan would spot the man of the day himself finishing up his breakfast and pulling out a worn pipe. As he closed the distance he could barely make out his friend's silent words to the pipe, a remark he was sure was addressed to the other man's father. As he sat down Ka'ra would walk by, offering her greeting to her 'Alor and a greeting to Bardan that would know doubt be easily seen through and read by Ral before walking off with a group of Commandos.

"I've seen to my part." Kex would say as he shifted himself in his armor to make himself more comfortable. "You ready for yours?"

 

[Ral]

The lounge of Fort Kelborn was warm and cozy even during the coldest depths of winter. There was a fire in the hearth, and animal pelts on the floor. On the walls were mounted the heads of great and wild beasts that had been slain. The overall mood of the lounge was particularly cozy with all the rich and stained wood used. Watching as his first commando approached, Ral smirked as he bit on the end of the old pipe. Noticing a certain comment from one of the younger females as she passed, the Mandalorian leader shot an odd look at her as she walked away before turning to face his old friend and trusted companion and giving him a knowing glance. Humming to himself, he puffed on his pipe for a bit as Kex joined him.

Taking the pipe out of his mouth when Bardan asked if he was ready to do his part, Ral gave a big of a chuckle. With a bit of a nod he responded, "Aye, I suppose I am ready to do my part. Guess I've been ready for a while now, was just waiting for... something. I dunno. Guess it's all good now since we're doing this finally. I'm just glad I didn't end up waiting any longer, ya know? I'm ready, and the clans need this. It will be the start of a new era for our people."

Looking away he asked, "You think we're doing the right thing here? Keeping it small and private? I don't want people to challenge the validity of it after all."

Bringing the pipe back up to his mouth he chuckled as he puffed on it. The party Ral had brought with him had been small, just the select guards and the few special people that needed to be there to witness it. A few more of his guests filtered in, and the Mandalorian sat there, waiting for the hour to approach.

 

[Crim]

The warm water cascaded over Inga's shoulders. The shower, water turned all the way up, felt great. Inga was one of those people. The kind of people who liked the water in her shower to be nearly scalding. She'd loved it since she was a kid, but the damage done to her nerves by the vacuum of space only made her like it more. Living in constant pain, the shower was a nice distraction. She placed herself in the center of the shower, just standing there. It wasn't until mid-moan that she realized she was moaning, "Yeeeaaaaahhhh..." Nobody could possibly have heard her, but she felt stupid and rushed through the rest of the shower.

Stepping out of the shower, she looked at herself in the mirror, if not to appreciate her muscles, then to reflect on something that hadn't quite hit her yet. She was getting married. This was the last time she'd look at 'non-married Inga.' It'd hit her sooner or later. She turned and opened the closet door. On the door, where a bathrobe usually hung, her set of armor was hanging. She and Ral were getting married in their armor. Of course, this was Mandalorian tradition. Major marriages especially were done in armor to illustrate the coming-together of different clans. That said, it could be asserted to the age-old wisdom in the saying that is "Marriage is a battlefield."

The door groaned when she took the armor off of it. Turns out, putting heavy armor on doors is a bad idea. She'd have to talk that over with the protocol droid.

 

[Ral]

With a curt nod and blunt reply, his friend said, "Of course it's a good idea. Don't know why you even waited this long to begin with."

Chuckling, Ral simply nodded, taking another puff on his pipe and settling in. Time passed for the Mandalorians as the hour drew near. Most of the party was there by now with the exception of a few stragglers who had yet to get passed the guards and defenses of the Fort. As things moved along, Ral started to get progressively more nervous for what was about to happen. It always struck him as odd that the most hardened of warriors could be found shaking in their boots before a big day like the one he was facing.

Finally, the hour drew close, and Ral knew it was time to suit up. He had one of the Kelborn servants bring his beskar to him. It took him a few moments, staring at the worn and battered armor plates to realize how much he probably needed a new set. The beskar helmet was probably the worst as it was the oldest piece there. Microcuts and nicks covered the metal bucket, and despite the relatively new paintjob, its venerable age was still obvious. Slowly, he suited up, putting the flightsuit on over his regular clothes, then the blast vest, and starting from the feet up attached his armor plates to his body finishing the process with placing the helmet on last. After all of that he would equip his jetpack and weapons. In this case it would be minimal. A vibrosword and his blaster pistol.

Once he had his armor on the Kelborn servants entered and ushered him into the place where they would be having the ceremony. Being led down the isle towards the end, Ral's heart began beating loudly with trepidation. Inhaling, he did his best to calm his nerves as he waited at a small portal where he and Inga would take their vows in private before emerging again as two members of the same clan. People began to take their positions as they waited for Inga to arrive.