Open Invasion [Abafar] First Blood

[Romeo Solus]

.

ABAFAR, RHYDONIUM MINING INSTALLATION, LOCAL TIME: 0332 AM

"Strike Team, Attack.."

Have you ever heard such unison of blaster bolts that it muffled all the victims' screams?

Romeo Solus was certain that he just did. This was the stark realization that their rebellion and civil war wasn't just some wishful concept on paper, it was a dangerous reality this galaxy would soon have to face. The Tor'la Akaan'ade commandos all heard their officer decree, as they eliminated several peripheral IDF forces before focusing their sniper rifle fire on the primary power generators. Scorches of suppressed muzzle bolts rang forth, creating a silhouette of fire and torn electric cables. Flickering electricity erupted from the centralized location of the facility, immediately shutting down all artificial light and plunged the massive, mining installation into utter darkness.

Abafar was targeted for this Rhydonium mining complex and its close proximity to Mandalorian space. Rhydonium existed as an highly valuable and volatile starship fuel, and this station was the world's largest. As such, taking it over would not only afford them hazard pay but would also lend a crippling blow to the Imperial starship fleets. The Sith had rested comfortably as the role of oppressor and usurper. But now, the Mandalorians would come for their worlds. It was what their Gods demanded of them.

"Move in.."

Romeo commanded, the hyper mobile troops on jetpacks rocketed away, using an array of stealthy tactics to neutralize immediate reinforcements and force their way inside the complex. Romeo had swapped out his whistling birds for a vision mode function on his armor, utilizing the scatterweave coating of the ebony beskar'gam to be nearly invisible in this operation. He advanced through the corridors, utilizing a combination of shapes and shadows of nearby structures to blend into the environment. Only the intermittent, bare minimal muzzle flash of his dual wielded Westar-35s would indicate a brief glimpse into his position. Romeo carried his usual armament with exception of the Westar carbine which was missing, relying on his dual pistols only, each with an additional ammo pack. Both his melee weapons on him, as well as the repulsor blade, and the mauler slugthrower pistol hidden in a back holster.

Tuning his vision modes to thermal, his armored hands wrapped tightly around the magnetic handles of the pistols; Armored figure arrived into a massive outside refinery storage and shipping center. The center was close to 50 meters long and 30 meters wide. It also contained several large refinement pumps and exposed piping to allow easy concealment and disturbance of line of sight. It was here he would rendezvous with Kotii Solus and also where Romeo expected to meet a majority of defending forces; for now, though, he remained calm with a confident chuckle.

The Real Mandalorians had arrived...

@Darasuum

Spoiler: OOC, Please Read before Joining

Standard PvP Rules Apply. 48 hour posting deadlines. Open to two Sith Opposition. Equal levels heavily preferred.

 

[Kotii Solus]

Spoiler: Music

Abafar was a prime target for the Tor'la Akaan'ade and would be an important victory if they could accomplish their goals today. The system was inside Sith space and would be a royal 'screw you' to the Sith Empire in more ways than one. It was just outside Mandalorian space and would allow the True Mandalorians a base that could move on other Sith targets easily while crippling their fleet's fuel needs.

A dozen sets of booted feet moved almost completely silent one after another across hard packed surface of the night covered planet just outside the rhydonium refinery. Each set belonged to an armor clad warrior coated in scatterweave, equipped with vision modes. Normally the light absorbing coating was extremely expensive and hard to come by. The substance was being put to use after Kotii had acquired the stuff with the help of a smuggler, Crix Dolan. The cover of night was their ally and with it, surprise their weapon.

Kotii was wearing his own similarly coated beskar'gam. On his back he wore his jetpack and accompanying missile launcher, though doubting whether or not he would need it today. Slung on his back was his R-799 micro-missile pistol, which he knew would be a gamble to use. But he was nothing if not a bit mad. His trusty blackwell stamped durasteel sidearm, BW-713 was blackened for this mission as well and held in his cybernetic left hand while a black vibroblade was held in his right, already dripping with the blood from an unlucky patrol guard. Tape and paint had been applied to his other weapons and equipment to minimize any chance of giving away his position. He carried two werda'kar which he took from Dryden Vos's mountain estate on Savareen but for now they remained sheathed. This brought his number of blades to a total of four. The two beskar knives were an incomplete set but could still prove useful if the badger came across a Sith and would work just as well against any other enemy.

Each warrior moved like a ghost. Their steps took them from shadow to shadow. Even if power was restored, Kotii had trained his warriors in the art of stealth. Their silouhette, shape, sound, shadow, speed, shine, and shade all were made to match their surroundings.

Once Kotii and his squad were in position, the signal was given to fire by Romeo Solus. The IDF forces may have expected to decimate an enemy they could see coming from a ways off. But not this time. The stealthy approach had the Mandalorian commandos already close and within stabbing distance. Orchestrating an attack on all sides, sniper fire gave the false impression with an initial volley that there were foes only hundreds of meters away. The Mandalorian sharp shooters were equipped with jetpacks so once their targets were down, they could close the distance with ease. What's more, their heavy sniper rifles were equiped with low light and thermal optics to spot any Sith forces that might come across their view. The only indication that there was an attack was the disciplined sniper fire that would take out individual targets one after another. Checking on the perimeter and trying to located the enemy would be met with swift and ruthless precision.

Care had to be taken since this was a rhydonium refinery. Shot placement was important otherwise they risked damaging the refinery's equipment or setting off an explosion if it landed on refined rhydonium. Thankfully the facility was well built and had failsafes that could purge and combat any breakout fires. It was not long until the Tor'la Akaan'ade would be sweeping into the complex. With the generators destroyed there was virtually only starlight and blaster discharge to see by, giving the Mandalorian infiltrators further edge.

@Faded

 

[Romeo Solus]

.

What is it about the darkness that scares you?

Is it because you grew up afraid of the dark? Or is it because you fear what you do not know?

The characteristic hum of a vibroknife was a frightening sound, even more so when it echoed through the veil of pitch black. The weapon plunged deep into the duraplast torso of the IDF trooper, Romeo's left hand sweeping around to grab below the man's chin as he hoisted him backwards and up into the air with the blade as a simple fulcrum. As he felt the man's lifeforce seeping away, Romeo brought himself closer and whispered...

"For centuries, the Sith have poisoned this galaxy. Be proud, knowing the fact that your death adds to the return of the light..." He said, ripping the blade out of its current position as he felt his victim go limp in his grasp. Other IDF troopers suffered similar fate, the casting darkness and their lack of preparedness displayed a major disadvantage. The Mandalorians continued to use their position, stealth, and swiftness to effectively eliminate hostile threats. Systemic sniper fire, and low muzzle blaster bolts were the only affording lights in this arena, save for the natural pale starlight above. Romeo didn't think much of it, as far as he was concerned, the stars represented his Gods, smiling down on him as he enacted Mandalore's will.

Taking a cloth, he wiped the vibroblade clean before re-sheathing it. Dual pistols held again in his grasps, he moved over to where Kotii was standing. "Our freighters are en route." He said. Romeo signaled to their tech team, as the soldiers began cracking into the mechanized circuitry and installing remote explosives to pivotal refining segments.

"Slicing into this network may take time, but we should probably be able to get several hundred tons in a single run.." Romeo stated, turning his attention back towards the gates. It was almost a chilling cold, one that couldn't be seen but deep down, the Mandalorian knew it was there.

He wasn't afraid of it, rather, a wicked smile arose across his lips as he welcomed it.

@Darasuum

 

[Kotii Solus]

Shadows blanketed the refinery and the sounds of concern from the IDF echoed with the haunting heavy blaster bolts making the defenders search in vain for their attackers. Yells for guards to move quickly and get to defensive positions would give away their positions. But the trained armor clad assassins were not trigger happy to fire on each and every enemy that came into view. The ominous presence of a force assaulting them would give any man a moments pause. Kotii and his warriors were there to show them there was something beyond the dark side that existed in shadow and was worth fearing.

The cowl of darkness kept the shadow warriors safe. In darkness they slashed, stabbed, shived and killed the foot soldiers of the Sith. As quickly as they came out of obscurity, they returned, taking the bodies of their prey with them only leaving pools of blood or dropped weapons on the once dry surface of Abafar.

The squad of a dozen Mandalorians broke off into per-arranged groups of four. They knew the layout of the refinery after studying it the day before. Each squad of four had their secondary objectives to complete. They swept into the besieged compound like a breeze while the forces inside were still confused and disoriented. They did not have time to even close and lock all their blast doors before the scatterweave coated reapers came for them. Tonight, the Solus commandos represented what it meant to be a werda verda, legitimate shadow warriors.

Kotii was proud of how swiftly they efficiently dispatched the IDF. In turn, the Mandalorians took up overwatch positions as they advanced while remaining hidden. If any reinforcements or unlucky convoy arrived, they would have an early warning system. The twisting pipes and mechanisms of industrial size were like a maze of metal roots and branches, all with an express purpose that would now serve the Tor'la Akaan'ade.

<"Tonight we have Hod Har'ran to thank. For his trickery and guile is on our side."> The ex Solus'alor gave praise to the forgotten god as he was joined by Romeo. The low light vision of his visor allowed him to see the fellow badger approach and give him a nod, though it was hard to tell if he saw it. Kotii deactivated his humming blade and wiped it clean on the cloth undersuit of a neutralized IDF officer. Kotii took the code cylinders off of the officer's uniform, knowing they would become useful soon.

Kotii's head tilted up towards the sky, looking towards the stars and for any sign of ships. His ears filtered out the sound of the refinery and sounds of combat trying to discern if there was anything out of place. But everything seemed to be going according to plan. The half-Echani still heard Romeo's information despite this and gave another nod at hearing the news. <"Good. We will take more than that if things continue as they are. But stay sharp brother. Whether its tonight, or next week, the Sith will send forces to reclaim or destroy what they have lost."> Even in the event that they took the entire refinery in a decisive victory, there was always another battle. It was important to start preparing as soon as possible. <"Maybe these imperial dogs left some binary loaders that can help speed up the loading process once our ships arrive."> With that thought in mind, he knew the squad in charge of securing the landing zone would send a short range message to his helmet commlink once it was completely secured.

@Faded

 

[Nox Solus]

The Sith would not be the ones who claimed revenge. Their opposition would be much more intimate with how they operated. Battle-hardened crusaders waited for the traitors to make their first move and reveal themselves. Once the sound of blasters and other weaponry could be heard, each badger would activate their jetpack and head towards the battle.

Nox had heard word of an attack, believing it would be one conducted on his territory at first. It had been weeks but he eventually figured out the refinery was the target and began what preparations there. Small contingents of crusaders and ships that could be moved in time had been transported to the planet, ultimately just waiting for the signal to join whatever chaos unfolded. Once it had been given, both Ospreys and Jai'Galaars flew in wings toward the refinery, their mechanical roars echoing from a distance.

Emergency power was restored, and communications were restored enough that Nox could pick out a description from the garbled comms. Armored warriors could be picked out but that was about it and he would use the rest of the information to direct the crusaders to where they needed to go to reinforce the battle.

As the traitors pressed on, Nox flew toward the shipping center and landed at the front with a few other squads of Solus as they followed the sounds of the battle, anchored around a small formation of crates. The Mand'alor would turn on his thermal as red emergency lights began to flick on, his senses alert as he had his hands near his waist.

@Altaris @Darasuum @Faded

 

[Raya Kryze]

More than she would ever admit, Raya had been looking forward to this opportunity. All those years ago, the Kryze had been on Mandalore during that fateful day - and she had watched with disdain as the so-called ‘Tor’la Akaan’ade’ turned their back on their own people - sparking a civil war that threatened to destroy everything they had achieved.

And for all the time that had passed, the disgust that she felt had only festered.

They were nothing but Dar’Manda in her eyes - traitors and cowards who deserved to be put down as such. Her own brother had fought back on Concord Dawn, and Raya relished the opportunity to do the same now - having been among the first to answer Nox’s call to Abafar. The pair had fought together numerous times in the past, and the Kryze was confident as ever they would claim victory yet again.

The moment that the signal was given, Raya began to move in tight formation alongside countless other crusaders - her Osprey-class Interceptor screeching through the air as it closed in on the refinery. Her fingers tightened ferociously around the controls of her ship, the comms buzzing to life the moment that communication towers were brought back online. With the rough location of their target identified, she continued on towards the rendezvous point - bringing her starfighter to land close to Nox.

With a clear sense of purpose to her steps, Raya strolled down the ramp of her starfighter before falling into line alongside the Mand’alore. As per usual, the Kryze was adorned in her signature bronze Beskar’gam - the unique color having long-since become her trademark amongst the crusading Mandalorians. Her fingers twitched in the direction of the twin DL-11 pistols she carried, while an additional beskad and vibro-knife were tucked close into her belt. As they pressed further ahead, Raya clicked on the thermal-vision mode built into her helmet - cautiously scanning her surroundings while keeping herself tucked close to the formation of crates.

@Darasuum @Orbit @Faded

 

[Kotii Solus]

No sooner had Kotii voiced his confidence than his attention returned to the starry night. His body language tensed to show his own concern along with a slight rise in his blaster's muzzle. The sound of screaming attack craft reached his ears and knew the implications of the ships arrival. With only a moment's hesitation, reports of flying infantry from the rear guard also told him the nature of the Mandalorian reinforcements and general directions. They were not friendlies. The emergency lights of the refinery lit up, casting the interior of the place in an ominous red light. But it only served to help Romeo and Kotii see better on the interior.

The ex Solus'alor was already en route to the shipping center where he was expecting the arrival of a few YV-865 light freighters and the Sith allied reinforcements only served to quicken his pace. Instead of the transports, Kotii saw the last of a few armor clad warriors descend just out of sight where the landing area was in the front of the refinery. In the sky he could see the descent of a closing osprey (@Altaris ) and focused his ire on it as it came in for a landing towards the front of the complex, likely joining the vanguard and whomever led them. The black gloved right hand moved over to his left gauntlet, swiftly tapping the controls to have his Heads Up Display begin locking onto the descending ship while he remained out of line of sight from ground based enemies, though he did not stop his approach to eventually arrive on the inside of the perimeter bordering the landing zone.

It would take three full seconds to lock on to the starfighter. Normally he would not bother with such a swift target but this one was slowing down and coming to land relatively close to the refinery. It gave it limited options in terms of maneuverability, or risk abandoning the landing action altogether. The slow approach needed to safely land and a subsequent at attempted evasive maneuvering would be difficult for even an experienced ace with an incoming missile. Warning countermeasures might give the pilot a chance to take evasive action but only time would tell. The target lock would otherwise be achieved likely just before the ship touched down.

Once he achieved lock, the badger in exile bent forward as needed and fired the single shot missile from his jet pack. In a momentary plume of fire and smoke, the warhead launched into the night air and sped towards the highly maneuverable craft, forcing the pilot inside to make a quick choice or risk getting obliterated. Even if it completed its landing maneuver, the upward arch would clear any ground obstructions and then downward plummet of the missiles trajectory could put the ship permanently out of commission since grounded ships usually had to disengage their shields. It was foolish of the pilot to think they could land so close to an enemy position in such a manner. Now they would have to pay for it.

After firing the missile, Kotii would dash towards one side of a group of pipes, pressing against them and remaining out of the main thoroughfare. He would not stay in the same position for long. His low light vision and self awareness of the scatterweave allowed him to pick which shadows to return to. The scatterweave, as the name implied, scattered his thermal image should his enemies try to find him with such technology. Kotii's attack was sure to draw attention, but if the Sith allied Mandalorians were going to close on his last known location, the ex Solus'alor would use it to his advantage and draw them in.

@Faded @Orbit @Altaris

 

[Romeo Solus]

.

Romeo had been itching to shed some Sith Blood, but instead of the wizards, it appeared that their opposition came in the form of their own. Former brethren who had now been turned to enemies.

Funny he thought. "I didn't recognize them without Darth Raze's leash around their collars.." His thoughts escaped in silence.

Romeo holstered his pistols momentarily as he pushed upwards through the silhouette of darkness towards Kotii's position, but off to his left. The scatterweave armor continued to provide excellent concealment as the experienced Mandalorian utilized a combination of shape and shadow to suppress his location. The armor would also scatter his heat signatures, meaning that even with thermal visors, it would be hard to pinpoint his whereabouts immediately.

Pressing to the side of several crates near the storage warehouse section, he swapped his jetpack into combat mode and removed the Vibro repulsor blade from his side, activating its repulsion assistance button. As his comrade targeted the incoming Osprey starfighter, Romeo targeted the Manda'lor hoping for a precise and effective primary strike. He quickly hurled the blade forwards, its velocity increased by the repulsor mechanism as it slashed through the air to cover the near 20 meter gap between the two combatants. It was poised to hit Nox Solus at his unarmored upper thigh and groin region as the warrior was dropping to land. @Orbit

The blade's vibro hum was likely hard to detect given the noise of the opposition's jetpacks and its lack of heat signature meant that it would have been difficult to isolate visually via thermal vision. The Mandalorian also believed his attack did not compromise his position as the vibro repulsor blade produced no visible muzzle flare unlike blaster fire when utilized. Considering that perhaps Nox' attention was diverted with the jetpack missle, Romeo hoped that he may land a quick hit.

Afterwards, he immediately re-drew the dual wielded pistols but didn't quite fire just yet, eyes focusing on his target with a steely gaze.

@Altaris @Darasuum

 

[Nox Solus]

As Nox descended toward the ground, his focus glued ahead of him, that's when a lone missile would fire up into the air. The target was obvious, the Osprey about to land, but with the amount of combat experience he and his fellow clansmen had, his attention didn't split for a moment. After numerous battles together, he had a massive amount of trust placed in those who followed them and knew they could handle themselves.

More importantly, even with the scatterweave helping to hide the enemy's pinpoint location, the firing of the rocket gave him a general location of where they were situated. As his eyes scanned that area, even with thermal-vison on, Nox could spot an object that was blurred sailing straight toward him as it launched. With the vast distance thrown for a knife even assisted, Nox reacted instinctively and instead of landing, flew back up in a diagonal line. The knife, instead of striking his thigh, would graze along his armored shin from the adjustment, a small shower of sparks erupting from it but not hindering his speed in the slightest. The angle of flight also created more distance between him and the enemy naturally as he elevated.

At that moment, he understood what their plan was. There had been no barrage of blasters, only a random knife thrown and a missile. It meant they wanted them to close the distance but Nox had another idea. One word was issued out of his mouth to the comms for the rest of the Solus and other clansmen, "Dragon." In one smooth motion, after he uttered the word, Nox would lift his wrist rocket and at the same time bring his other hand down to press the button and launch it. The thermals would be deactivated after for the upcoming fireworks.

Nox didn't know exactly where his target was but he didn't need to. They had decided to take cover amongst the fuel pipes and that would be their mistake. Upon hearing the word, the rest of the Solus would disengage and take to the air, it easily done as they weren't fired upon at all and created more distance. There were already 25-20 meters between them at that point and growing fast, giving them a headstart as the missile would zip at high speed and uninhibited through the sky, whistling before striking one of the many pipelines nearby to the traitors and detonating.

If the explosive struck, it would cause a chain reaction right on them from the culmination of pipelines as the Rhydonium was set off without much hesitation, exploding into a massive ball of fire and engulfing those who couldn't make it out, exploding further up into the sky and out wide. Given the speed of the rocket and that the enemy had taken cover directly next to the pipelines, Nox doubted that even if they took off immediately once he went higher into the air, a notion that directly opposed their strategy, they would be able to fully escape the massive fuel explosion. He wouldn't be surprised if it wiped out a majority of the opposition present but he knew better than to be that hopeful. All of the Solus would be able to feel the force of the blast slightly but would safely be out of reach from the flames and danger. Unknown to him still, the lives that would be caught in the inferno either way would be Mandalorians, and that toll would reveal itself eventually. As an extra precaution, his rifle was brought fourth as well, resting in his one hand as he watched the wreckage.

@Altaris @Darasuum @Faded

 

[Raya Kryze]

Even as her Starfighter began to dip low to the ground, Raya kept her umber gaze locked onto the refinery they approached - cautiously scanning for any signs of movement or opposition to their arrival. She didn’t, of course, have to wait very long, as her attention was rapidly drawn towards the rocket that streaked through the air - easily visible through her thermal vision, and was otherwise made obvious by the alarms that began to blare on the inside of the starfighter.

While the Kryze had hoped for a smooth landing, she had more than enough experience as a fighter pilot to entirely rule out the possibility of being fired upon. There was a distinct sense of calm that tempered her reactions, even as adrenaline pumped through her veins and flowed into her every extremity.

Just as the rocket began to whistle towards her landing Osprey-class, Raya reached down to the controls - abruptly steering the starfighter to face southward, before her hand came to rest over the ejection button in one clean motion. Without a moment of hesitation, the Kryze engaged the ejection seat - causing the glass hatch of the star fighter to pop free as the chair where she sat was launched a few meters into the air - passing by just as the jetpack rocket arced towards the Osprey class and collided moments later. As a result, while Kotii was successful in reducing the ship to a heap of smoldering metal, Raya was safely above the explosion by several meters. The last minute steering of the ship ensured that the crashing remains would be sent southward - away from her allies and any unintentional explosions.

Instead of making herself an easy target to be sniped, before the parachute engaged, Raya reached down - unclipping the safety belt and promptly pushing herself out of the ejection seat into freefall. Her drop would only last a few seconds before the Kryze’s jetpack activated, catching her while she was still hovering high above the ground. A hand instinctively shot to her waist, drawing one of the pistols that was magnetically clipped to her belt.

Her eyes narrowed significantly behind her T-visor, eyes cast across the pipeline network below - scanning for any movement or shift from below. That was, of course, until she heard the simple codeword command from Nox. It was a simple phase spoken through the comms, and one whose meaning was instantly understood. Truthfully, Raya was a bit too pleased with the signal. The Kryze had no desire to go slinking through the darkness, waiting for their enemy to rear their head from around the corner in ambush. What was lost could ultimately be rebuilt, and their enemy were fools to believe the Crusaders could be baited blindly into the shadows.

Just as the signal was given, Raya lifted her wrist - crossing her other hand across her body to press the button to launch the rocket from her gauntlet. She deliberately fired in the direction the jet-pack rocket had come from and even from her distance, the 100 meter range of her wrist-rocket would easily put the fuel pipelines in reach - aiming for a cluster of pipes some distance from where Nox had fired his own rocket.

The rocket was timed in almost perfect sync with Nox, and the rebelling Mandalorian would be hard pressed - especially from behind their cover - to prevent each one from hitting their mark. Even attempting to do so - firing upon a narrow projectile - runned the risk of missing and hitting one of the many pipelines in the process.

Just as the rocket left her wrist, Raya allowed the jetpack to carry her diagonally higher into the air - positioning herself safety above the explosion that was almost guaranteed to follow. While she deliberately deactivated the Thermal vision of her helmet, the Kryze didn’t lower her guard - prepared to defend herself from any incoming blaster fire, in the event that one of them got a shot off before being blown to high hell.

@Orbit @Faded @Darasuum

 

[Kotii Solus]

Kotii watched the faint trail from the missile cross through the night sky from the perspective of his green tinted night vision. The line drawn by the warhead arched and connected with its target but not before witnessing the cockpit breach and eject the warrior inside. A heartbeat later the rising form a lone Mandalorian, that of Nox Solus, rose back into view above the barrier that had kept Kotii from being directly visible from the army outside. It would be moments before the Mand'alor was joined by his followers. However, the moment the leader of the Sith aligned forces came into view, Kotii began training his weapon on Nox.

The quick maneuvering of the osprey pilot caused the exploding wreckage to drift clear of the sky borne warriors, backlighting them and their numbers clearly for Kotii to see but ultimately saving them from the collateral damage of the ship's destruction. Smart and well executed.

The ex Solus'alor did not stand idle and had a follow up attack in mind. As the badger took aim, he leapt into the air, ignited his jetpack's thrusters in the process, taking to the sky and heading upwards in a diagonal take off towards a south western trajectory. This carried him beyond the boundaries of the refineries a dozen meters at first, keeping him still within roughly 20-25 meters of Nox for the moment, but that would soon increase more when he saw what was to come.

It was then that he could see the straightened and braced posture of the opposing Mandalorians and knew what was coming. <"Evade!"> He tried in vain to warn his comrades. The badger made a slight course correction to veer away from the two rockets in a perpendicular move and what would surely follow. This would carry him further west and upward, keeping the distance between himself and Nox's forces though he was no longer inside the perimeter of the refinery.

The missiles fired by the Sith aligned Mandalorians were not aimed at where Kotii had been standing when the jetpack missile had originated, but instead evidently were aimed at the fuel pipes of the refinery, intending to ignite a portion of the structure's contents.

The initial explosion of the wrist rockets tore and wrenched open machinery and pipes meant for the refining process. The subsequent chain reaction flowed through the metallic confines and burst outwards, sending shrapnel and flames into the members of the Tor'la Akaan'ade who had tried their best to avoid the initial direct attack. But they suffered the following chain of explosions and sending several of them tumbling to the ground where most of them would stay motionless either concussed, or killed outright.

Kotii's black armored form flew to try and outpace the explosions in the heat of the moment but the fireballs bursting from the confines of the machinery threw a single chunk of shrapnel that scrapped along both of his armored calves with enough force to cause him to veer off course in a sudden jerking maneuver. He rolled in the air briefly before managing to stabilize mid flight. Kotii continued his best to fly evasively as he speed around the side of the rhydonium refinery in a clockwise spiral. If not for his thermal undersuit, he would have been flash cooked by the heatwave from the explosion. The plates on the back of his legs was significant but the armor had protected him from most of the damage. Bruising would form later but the back of the greaves were now scrapped clean of the scatterweave coating where the shrapnel had dug into the plate before glancing off. The armor had done its job in saving the warrior from a more grievous wound that would have occurred otherwise.

After that explosion, emergency shut offs would be triggered. Refined fuel would become isolated and contained. The failsafes for combatting the fires were initiated. The rhydonium that remained in the refinery would be locked down and halted, meaning the Tor'la Akaan'ade would not be sneaking off with a horde of the stuff any time soon.

@Faded @Orbit @Altaris

 

[Romeo Solus]

.

Romeo watched as his vibro blade attack was effectively defended however the young warrior did not give any reprieve to the Manda'lor, choosing instead to continue the aggression. Unfortunately, through the corner of his eye, he caught notice of Raya escaping from the burning plane, only to catch a glancing glimpse at her reaching for her wrist mounted unit. Attempting to gain a better leverage point, Romeo activated his jetpack into flight mode and rocketed upwards and to his Southeast, towards the direction on the roof of the storage warehouse. Kotii's "Evade" ushering through his com-link at a last moment, until then he was unaware of the intention of his traitorous brethren. A second later, both wrist rockets screamed in their paths, striking true onto their intended targets and instigated a chain, spherical reaction of flame and fire.

The two wrist rockets slammed into the refueling machinery, spiraling an explosion that extended outwards from point of collision. Through his comms he heard chatters of yells and screams, then silence. Knowing that several of his comrades perished in the inferno, Romeo would have to mourn them at a later date. His jetpack attempted to outpace the flames and impact of the explosion, and certainly the fortified walls of the warehouse aided to mitigate some of that damage. As he was traveling Southeast and with the dampening of fire and heat through the physical structure, he didn't have to quite deal with the temperature aftermath as his comrade. However, shrapnel and steel shards flew outwards from the epicenter, shredding against the armored plating of his right thigh, rendering it useless.

Romeo howled in pain as the force impact of the explosion threw his flight into a chaotic trajectory, skidding and tumbling off the roof of the storage warehouse until he finally re-aligned himself properly to skirt clockwise in the air around Landing Zone B.

He may have avoided an explosive death, but their fight had just begun..

@Altaris @Darasuum

@Orbit

 

[Nox Solus]

The missiles ripped through the air without any concern for the damage they would cause. Once the first one struck, it was practically a domino effect as upon the first pipeline rupturing, the others nearby shortly followed. Despite the magnificent sight of the flames screeching and crawling on top of each other, Nox's gaze was focused on those who made it out. They had no idea who they were fighting given their knack to fight in the shadows but the answer revealed itself blatantly.

As screams filled the air, other Mandalorians managed to escape the blast as they took to the air, the background being the fire and highlighting them easily. Immediately, Nox's gaze would snap to the ground so he could spot those below, his stomach becoming heavy and dropping to the point it almost made him nauseous. Traitors, fellow clan members howled in pain, running around aimlessly as their bodies caught on fire and unable to be put out because of the fuel. More just walked around or laid where they were, their limbs blown off and barely lucid of their surroundings anymore.

The combination of fire and burnt bodies brought images flooding to his head from the past, images of burnt children and civilians that he had caused a long time ago. Nox had thought they had been the enemy until he got closer and was able to see who they were. This was the first time that he had killed another fellow Mandalorian and that feeling permeated throughout his whole body, his body almost beginning to feel weighed down by that burden. Bile rose to his throat involuntarily and he had to swallow it down before shaking his head.

But tugging on the thread that his enemy was fellow Mandalorians, that could mean only one thing. Kotii had to be leading them with such a force. That little notion gave him enough clarity to tear his gaze away from burnt bodies to scan the sky. It only took him seconds to recognize the once loyal Solus as he flew across the flames, his beskar'gam etched into his mind.

Normally, Nox kept his strategic mind sound but upon the spotting of Kotii, nausea that had infiltrated his system blossomed into an uncontrollable rage as he saw red. There was always a slumbering volcano within him, one that needed only the slightest kindling to fully erupt. With the burning Mandalorians below in the hellscape, any notion of tactics or strategy slipped from his mind as his sole focus became Kotii. Not even alerting the others, the Mand'alor would immediately jet toward the refinery at full speed.

The sound of constant explosions covered Nox's approach as he speared right toward Kotii at full speed. As he was still recovering from the initial blastwave, it would be too late for him to react given the Mand'alor's velocity. Instead of slowing down to get in an advantageous position, Nox would just slam right into Kotii with a loud grunt. The sound was as if two trucks collided and echoed even through the explosions. Through his speed and sudden weight, both of them would be thrown off course and barrel straight toward the hellscape below.

Both pierced through a firey colum, the flames separating upon impact as both were licked and steam rose from their armor plates. Their descent having no control, they struck one of the ruptured refinery pumps past it that separated them both upon impact. Nox struck the ground harshly after, tumbling through the dirt, spotting the sky, then the ground, and repeating the process. Halfway through, he managed to roll on his feet and slam his metal hand into the ground, his fingers clawing through the earth to slow him down. Using his free hand, his beskad was drawn free and stabbed into the ground to help bring him to a halt as dirt was kicked up.

Pain reverberated throughout his body but rage and adrenaline easily pushed it away. Yanking the blade from the ground, Nox stood to his full towering height slowly, flames reflecting in his visor that indicated just exactly how he felt. One word was simply roared by him, "KOTII!"

@Darasuum

 

[Raya Kryze]

Even without her the thermal HUD of her helmet engaged, Raya couldn’t help but bring a forearm upwards to shield her face - protecting her eyes from the almost blinding, multi-colored explosion that tore through the targeted wing of the refinery. Even from a distance, the Kryze could feel the heat of the explosion - and the air was promptly filled with the screams of those caught up in the explosion.

Umber eyes tilted downward, and Raya couldn’t mask the horror that briefly etched into her expression - staring down at the Mandalorian’s that writhed in agony, smoldering within their own iron skin. It was a sight that sickened the Kryze to her stomach - having sentenced her own brothers and sisters - her own people - to a death more agonizing than most.

It brought distinct waves of nauseous that washed over her, only to be replaced by something else entirely - a distinct pulse of rage that flowed into every extremity with molten intensity. The realization that their enemy were Mandalorian - traitors to their own blood - going against every fundamental belief that had been drilled into the Kryze. Pity was washed away, and the only thing left in its place was a cold, hollow indifference to the fate of so many - and an impatience to simply see the rest of their task through.

From her aerial perch, Raya scanned the battlefield - her eyes flicking around before finally fixating onto Romeo, one of the few who seemed to have survived the blast. There wasn’t any consideratio for who he was, to which clan he belonged, or any other detail about him. He was her enemy, and that was all that mattered.

Without another word, Raya reached across with her left arm - pressing down a button on her vambrace to activate the gauntlet buckler positioned there. Only then did she draw the beskad from her waist and into her left hand - the pure, Mandalorian iron glinting against the flittering inferno below. Her body leaned forward, jetpack thrusters carrying the Kryze towards the ground to land just before the Solus. Her gauntlet buckler was forward the entire time, just in the event he attempted to fire at her from the ground.

Only once she was on the ground, Raya began to circle - her fingers flexing around the hilt of her beskad, eyes narrowed into harsh daggers upon the man before her. “Traitor.” She said flatly, venom dripping the words.

 

[Kotii Solus]

Spoiler: Music

Normally the Exile had been one to keep to himself even when he tried to lead as the former Alor of House Solus. The inner workings of his mind and his thoughts were not so often voiced and there were double meanings to his words. All the while the anxieties and uncertainty of his own decisions gnawed at his spirit. The Mandalorian helmet often disguised this and his measured words and stoic responses made others believe he was colder than most hot blooded badgers. But nothing could be further from the truth.

Even as Kotii flew through the air his thoughts were on what came next. What steps he needed to take to save the commandos that had survived the explosion, for Romeo and the Mandalorians of the Tor'la Akaan'ade and those yet to join their cause. This was not for his sake, but for those that had joined him this night on Abafar, a planet light years from their home. The warriors that had volunteered, their words to him before the mission and optimism, their resolve for the sacrifices they were willing to make, they flashed behind his eyes and rang in his ears. Voices he had not heard in years came bubbling to the surface. His gaze did not need to look at those killed and maimed to know how grievous the toll was. His heart would weigh more heavily than it already did and there was little he could do in the moment but lament and rage at the cost of this conflict.

A hundred voices, a thousand faces, a sea of beskar answered Kotii in the briefest of moments he probed his own resolve in the flash of danger that chased him. He was not doing this just for himself and his own son. They were loyal to their principles, to the ideals of a true Mandalorian and as such, remained loyal to Kotii for he too would uphold the ideals of his people to the fullest even if his family forsook him and labeled him an apostate. They stood behind him, guiding him towards justice and motivating him to do better than their ancestors had and would make them proud or die trying.

"...I am ready...""..Let's make our ancestors proud...""..Death to all sorcerers and any pretender who cohorts with them...""...I have no desire to fight my own people…but I will if I have to....""....I would rather fight alongside my Alor than die alongside my enemies...."“....It was an honor fighting beside you, Kotii...”
​

Those words and more swelled in the badger's consciousness rising to a crescendo up until he was thrown sideways as he was blindsided by the heavy form of another he called brother. The two warriors spun, tumbling through the air like a rogue rocket made up of a mass of limbs and Mandalorian steel. Their intertwined bodies flew through clouds of an inferno before an impact was too much for the pair to remain tangled.

In the sudden violent slam, the two were wrested from one another and sent in separate trajectories. The forced roll on the hard packed ground would see Kotii's sidearm sent lose from his grip and tumble a short distance away from its owner before settling among the dust of the night. Of the two Mandalorians, it was Kotii that had been driven into the ruptured refinery pumps. The man instantly knew he had broken a few ribs and likely had internal bleeding. There was a significiant likelyhood he had sustained a concussion as well.

Rolling to recover before falling to the ground, the badger reached out with his left advanced cybernetic that was now free and clawed at the dried dirt. His digits dug grooves, wearing down the fabric of his gloves in the ground while his right hand held the reverse grip vibro blade that pierced into the earth. Regaining some stability, both of his legs were outstretched behind him and slightly bent as the balls of his feet skidded backwards. All the while his struggling jet pack thrusters sputtering and flaring in an effort to slow his momentum while kicking up a curling cloud of dust behind him. Kotii bore an animalistic posture hunched on all fours and a helmet raised to keep his enemy in view that had recently taken him by surprise. The black clad warrior stared back with a covered snarl at the one who had brought him this far away from the rest of his comrades.

Hearing his name called and focusing on who stood before him, the Solus rose from the four point landing in tandem with his opponent, aggressively pulling his blade lose from below and shaking the dirt from it. His form stood tall as it took a breath through the helmet almost immediatly causing a cough of blood to come rising up and into the mask he wore underneath. In doing this Kotii could smell his own sweat that beaded at the nape of his neck along with the stench of burning fuel and the smoke that rose from it. The taste of blood on his lips was more than what came from biting his cheek. There was definitely something wrong inside him from striking the refinery machinery. Each heartbeat was felt individually and reverberated against the pressure of his chestplate as he looked across the flat land before the two men. He could feel his pulse of adrenaline through the veins that ran down his arms and too his fingertips which gripped his vibro blade. A swirl of emotions surged through the veins of the echani-offshoot as he faced down perhaps his greatest rival. Despite this, he could not help but see the symmetry between them which gave him only a mild pause.

Kotii remembered the warrior's voice even though he only spoke a single word, calling his name in anger. The Mandalorian replied first by reaching up to the side of his helmet, disabling the low light vision since the two were surrounded by firelight. His voice replied in a low growl venomously compared to the yell that would still be clearly heard over the din of battle. "Wolf" The Mandalorian dared to call Nox by his old alias, refusing to call him by his new title. The man had not shared his true name when they first met, keeping to secrecy to which Kotii had respected. But now he was a dog of the Sith and the anger he had kept him from being more amicable than he wanted. For the ex Solus'alor it seemed ironically appropriate. His brother was not a badger, he was perhaps nothing more than the dark side's bitch. And like a brother, Kotii sought to teach his kin a lesson. He waited to see what kind of move the new Mand'alor would make against someone he considered a dar'manda.

@Orbit

 

[Romeo Solus]

.

Romeo landed just a moment later, armored boots touching the ground as he slowly collapsed to his knee. A long, deep breath escaped from his lips as several Justice Army loyal soldiers came to arms behind him, staring into the very eyes of fellow Solus soldiers, obeying under command of the Mand'alor. Blasters and rifles raised at each other but no triggers were pulled just yet, eyes stared at each other and hesitation came over their fingers.

Was it natural to stare into the souls of your enemy? Your brothers that you were raised with, fought with, and bled with? To cut them down with a torrent of Sith Loyalty as the only contrasting medium.

Romeo lifted his hand, signaling for his remaining men to stand down for the moment. Motionless face snapped upwards, the reflection of Raya's approaching form reflecting off the glass of his T-Visor. The Mandalorian's armored form slowly rose to is full, towering height as he re-holstered his pistols and swapped his jetpack back into combat mode. Head turned into a curious angle as the word "Traitor" escaped from her mouth, the obvious venom laced into every letter as she spoke.

"Traitor? You abandoned the pantheon and turned your back on our Gods the very second you sided with Darth Raze... Our ancestors bled and forged their legacy in the fires of rebellion. And you? You relegated to becoming nothing more than a glorified, Sith Attack Dog.." He said, loudly and clearly without regret. A vicious snarl came from Romeo as he began to advanced slowly upon her. Armored right hand snapped down and withdrew his beskad in an epic bad ass and gangster manner.

"No, Raya. You cannot judge me... I AM JUSTICE ITSELF". Romeo roared, leaping into the air as the jetpack turbines rocketed to life, sending him to close the gap between them almost immediately. In the distance he could hear Nox's own roar, its echo swarming through the entire mining facility. A moment of pride washed through the warrior...

"This is the way..." He said to himself, right foot touching the ground as he entered melee range and brought his beskad in a downward arc from his own right to left, aimed to cleave through Raya's left shoulder.

@Altaris

@Darasuum @Orbit