Ask [Chalacta] White Hot Vengeance

[Jado Veren]

... Unidentified ruins, Northeastern Chalacta... | ...0722 hours...
​

It had been a long time. Too long. Genova was almost definitely going to throw a wrench at his head when she saw the state of his armor. Jado wasn't great about maintaining it and she always made sure to let him know about it. He didn't blame her. She did fine work, after all. Jado pulled a wadded rag out of a pocket on his utility belt and wiped off the front of his T-visored helmet with a guilty sigh. He'd landed on Chalacta the night before and spent an uncomfortable night in his ship. He didn't want for space in his ship but he was so anxious to meet up with his Veren brother and sister and taste combat again.

Genova had sent him a message to meet up on Chalacta; something about a lead on some slavers that could be connected to the ones that took her family from her. As always, Jado was ready and willing to kill some slavers and liberate their captives. Having once been a slave himself, he was intimately familiar with the horrors of slavery. It was a Mandalorian that freed Jado and inducted him as a foundling all those years ago. He made it his personal mission to rid the galaxy of as many slavers as possible once he'd completed his training and this would not be the first group of slavers he'd been after. Poor Gen was badly scarred because he wasn't able to get there in time, and he didn't want to let that happen to anyone else. Awful as those past events were, they did lead to her becoming a Mandalorian and his best friend. Jado hadn't worked with Hokaan yet, but any member of Clan Veren was a brother of his.

Jado's armored boots crunched across the dusty surface as he rounded the top of a hill where some long-forgotten ruins stood; pillars of stone jutting towards the sky with the occasional crumbling arch indicating a former entryway. A breeze momentarily picked up and kicked the dust around and obscured the spires - mountains or towers, he wasn't sure - far off in the distance, almost psychosomatically inducing a cough out of Jado's already damaged lungs. As he waited for his Veren brethren to arrive, the armored Pantoran leaned against an ancient pillar and drew one of his DE-10's from its holster, checking its sights before fiddling with the fire selector absentmindedly.

@HoneyMagpie @Darasuum

 

[Genova Veren]

Having spent the early hours scouting the path ahead, Genova rounded back on herself and returned to the ruins shortly after sunrise. Her source on Chalacta had been right to contact her; from the looks of it, slavers had taken up position in some sort of sanctum, repurposing the structure for their own nefarious plans. It didn't surprise her one bit; the people of Chalacta were too peaceful for their own good, much like Genova's old commune. It made them easy targets for scum like slavers. The adepts were bound by their pacifistic beliefs, but not the Mandos of the Veren Clan. Battle and blood, that is what awaited all enemies. Their Mando kinsmen would wreak ruin on these osi'yaims and take what was owed, by right of conquest. It wouldn't be the first time and it most certainly wouldn't be their last.

Ibic Manda...This is the way.

Knowing Jado, he was already there, waiting. Putting that theory to the test, Geona gave a quick whistle, a moniker of arrival only her clansmen would return. Funny as it would be to sneak up on him, her Veren brother could get a little jumpy. Better to announce herself, lest he shoot a shot. Only this time, Genova heard him first, his coughing betraying his location. She found him, as expected, sitting in a rather tactile position; back against the wall with a weapon in hand, like a true Warrior.

Genova moved to greet her battle brother with arms wide open. Not to hug, of course, but rather to inspect. He knew the drill. Assume the position whilst she took stock. Waving off any pleasantries, she instead focused on circling the much taller Mando, her fingers tracing here and there over yet more scuffs and scrapes. Impact dent, top right on the segmented plating. Loose rivets on the left vambrace. Needed to fix that or else the aim of the wrist rockets could become compromised. Mag boots could do with a good clean.

Final verdict? The di'kut still needed lessons on maintenance!

A sucker punch was understandably called for, right in the kidney. She then hit him again upside the head and if the shebs even thought of offering an excuse, she'd flash him her less than subtle pair of shock boxing gloves. This was the second time this month. Honestly, what was the point of crafting such tools if they weren't going to be taken care of? It was one of the basic principles!

Shame, She motioned at him, Shame!

@Darasuum
@Burpee

Spoiler

Link - How do you curse in mando’a?

 

[Hokaan Veren]

There were perks to flying a small and fast vehicle like his Z-wing. But one downside was that it lacked the ability for Hokaan to have a swoop or speeder bike. The asymmetrical bi-wing design had landed roughly a dozen miles away from the rendezvous point, far enough away that he did not think he had been picked up by any scanners. But it would take him some time to hike towards their destination.

Occasionally Hokaan would pull out his personav and verify he was on the right track. Both of his hands cradled his blaster rifle but his awareness remained keen on his surroundings. Intelligence provided by Jado said that there were slavers on Chalacta. The slicer was here more as a comrade to his fellow clan mates than for personal gain. Which was interesting since this would be one of the few times Hokaan has begun working with other Mandalorians. It was good to keep distance between himself and others.

The scum that resided in this fortified position would get justice for the wrongs they had committed. If nothing else, the young phoenix would see to it they would not hurt anyone anymore. Perhaps they would make a difference here today.

As the black and orange armored Mandalorian came around the corner he though he heard the sound of fighting. Had his brother and sister been engaged by the pirates? Tightening his grip around the rifle in anticipation, the Armorer would come into view in time to see what looked like a sibling tussle.

Hokaan relaxed slightly as this seemed to be the case. "Come on vode, save some for the slavers." He announced himself casually from where the armored slicer stood. After a pause the Armorer would continue to walk deeper into the ruins and among his siblings.

While the other two Veren clan members had somewhat similar armor color, Hokaan was the odd one out. A mix of black paint and orange detailing indicating both his lust for life, and his reverence for their clan sigil, the phoenix. Of course if they were assaulting this pirate sanctum at night the dark coloring would be even more beneficial. But it seemed the sun was rising.

@HoneyMagpie @Burpee

 

[Jado Veren]

Jado stood motionless as he heard the whistled pattern he recognized from clansmen, before calmly holstering his blaster and returning the whistle. He grinned widely under his helmet at the sight of his best friend's classic, impeccable armor and already knew what was in store for him. As she closed in with arms open, Jado opened his own arms as if for a hug, with a sarcastic sideways tilt of his head that he knew she would recognize from overexposure. He did, in fact, know the drill, and corrected his posture as she got next to him.

Every prod he felt across his armor added to a growing grimace that was thankfully hidden under his dirty helm. As the expected swing came, Jado knew better than to defend against it and instead braced his muscles for impact. Oof...She'd gotten stronger since last time. As his vision recovered from the blow to his noggin, he reached a glove up to rub his helm, as if it would do anything to soothe the blow.

"Gett'se! Ni kar'taylir, ni kar'taylir..." he affirmed in guilt. "A haa'taylir, gar borarir cuyir kovid. Ni'm su oyayc." Jado added with an obscured smile before gripping around her forearm in a standard Mandalorian shake. It was in that moment that he heard his Veren brother and turned to wave him over with a chuckle at his comment.

The man's armor looked well-made and Jado enjoyed the black and orange color scheme he'd used, whether going by the traditional meanings or personal choice. Jado also recognized a familiar carbine in his clansman's grip, which he also had slung around the left shoulder and hanging behind his right hip. As the distance was closed between them, Jado opened his forearm for a shake with his Veren brother. "Jate at urcir gar, vod."

As the intermittent breezes came and went, the annoying tickle in Jado's chest flared up, causing a brief coughing fit. He pounded his chest and forced his cough to a halt, regaining his composure. "So Gen, what leads do you have on these sleemos? The earlier we strike, the less prepared they'll likely be."

@HoneyMagpie @Darasuum

Spoiler

The only thing I've found is this list. This little translator is pretty helpful too!

 

[Genova Veren]

Genova greeted Hokaan, a fellow armorer, far gentler than she did Jado and for good reason. This particular clansman wasn't well known to her; the last thing she wanted was to scare him off. Truth be told, she was quite relieved to hear he'd be joining them. Whilst most Mandos favoured 'shock and awe' style tactics, their orange-clad brother in arms preferred more discreet methods. Applying them to this endeavour would definitely be an advantage. In fact, if all went according to plan, his skills in stealth would be the very thing to win the day.

Sparing the Pantoran a further beating, Genova instead motioned them closer. Jado was right, striking in broad daylight would certainly catch the scum off guard, especially as they had yet to face any real opposition planetside. They had become complacent, and the Veren clan would be the ones to capitalise on it.

Motioning them closer, she began to project her findings. Whilst scouting the location, she had used her cybernetic eye to record the slavers' comings and goings. For the sake of ease, she transferred this data into a portable holo-projector, thus allowing her brothers to see exactly as she had done hours earlier. The recording, admittedly, wasn't fantastic quality, given her distance at the time but it was good enough to get the basic idea. It didn't take a Rally Master to notice that the slavers' fortifications were still in progress, meaning the structure itself was relatively breachable. They couldn't dig in during a siege even if they wanted to. The slavers, knowing this, compensated instead by increasing their numbers. Numerous bodies were seen walking the perimeter and its base. Genova's best guess? Over a dozen, give or take. The major issue was their weaponry. For pieces of osik, they were moderately well-armed.

Outnumbered, yes. But not outmatched.

Her suggestion? Her and Jado cause a distraction from the front of the base, whilst Hokaan entered from the rear. Brother and sister would take the heat and draw out as many as possible, whilst their orange companion came up from behind to cut off any retreat, similar to that of a pincher movement. With the main force out of commission, the rest of the base would be powerless.

All this she communicated to them via a drawing in the dirt, a visual representation complete with little stick drawings.

With that, Genova gave a cock of the head, inviting the others to share if they had something else in mind. By no means was she the appointed strategist; the Lorrdian just liked giving her two credits worth of thought.

Spoiler

8/20 - fortification
18/20 - slavers
14/20 - armed

@Darasuum @Burpee

 

[Hokaan Veren]

"ogir as olar as, ner'vode." He answered as he took his brother's arm and grasped it firmly.

A moment would pass and Hokaan would hear the coughing of Jado rise up through his helmet. It warranted a cock to the side and a bit of concerned tone from the Armorer. <"Are you okay there?"> It seemed fair to ask. If they were going to be fighting and relying on one another it was important they were all on the same page regarding limitations or injuries. Now was the best time to share details.

While the plan was shown by Genova, he crossed his arms and waited quietly until everything was shown and told. A few thoughts went through the slicer's head. He knew he needed a terminal or perhaps some other defensive interface inside the fortifications. <"If I can get to a central terminal I can control the doors in the whole fort. It will be easy to take after that even with just the three of us. Then they will be the ones trapped"> The blast doors could be closed to control which routes the slavers approached the Mandalorians. Plus they would learn the location of the slave pens and likely have surveillance on other parts of the base.

@HoneyMagpie @Burpee

 

[Jado Veren]

Jado smiled at the firm handshake, still suppressing a light cough. He wasn't too surprised Hokaan inquired about his cough. Most warriors showed some concern before they got to see Jado in action. It was a fair question, being bonded in battle. "Elek, Ni'll cuyir jate." he responded. "Birov simire o'r te coaxium pal'vut ganar payt val shupur." he added, giving his Mando comrade a clue of his past. Jado didn't try to hide the fact that he'd been a slave, despite some born-and-bred soldier types looking down on him for it. The fact is, he'd seen a lot of the galaxy already; been able to pick things up here and there, including a tongue for several languages and an ear for even more.

With arms crossed, he watched the footage Genova picked up earlier with her robo-eye and formed an understanding of the plan she'd drawn up. It was a solid plan. He and Gen fought well in tandem and could get the majority of the slaver's forces looking their way for Hokaan to attack their unguarded rear. When Hokaan spoke up, an error of timing dawned on Jado. With his battlebrother's skillset (and armor color), a nighttime ambush could be beneficial. He spoke up to say as much. "That's a solid plan, Gen. And you bring up valid points, Hokaan. Our number disadvantage would disappear if we are able to bottleneck their forces. With that in mind, we may want to consider holding off until nightfall to make our attack. On the other hand, it will give them time to further fortify themselves. What do we say, vode? A stealthy approach at night to secure their systems against them, or a daytime ambush before they have a chance to plant more fortifications?"

Considering the options himself, the time the slavers might have to fortify would also be time the Mandalorians had to further scout their position and make their own preparations. It was a toss-up. It would be a hard-fought battle either way, especially considering how well armed the slavers were. They had to take every advantage they could gain.

@HoneyMagpie @Darasuum

 

[Genova Veren]

Her battle brother had raised a fair point. Attacking in the day would be unexpected but it would mean sacrificing an even great asset. Optimal stealth. Thinking on it further, @Hokaan Veren 's suggestion was rather ingenious. The irony certainly wasn't lost either; trapping the slavers within their own fortifications, leaving them to be picked off one by one. Seemed rather fitting, actually. Inflicting terror upon those who terrorised others. Poetic justice at its finest.

Under her helmet, Genova was practically grinning. She looked at her clansmen, visor glinting as if made merry “Te ca cuyir munit, vode, bal yaihi'l be edee”

It was settled. They would strike after sunset. With the shadows aiding them, the slavers wouldn't know what hit them.

It would be a few hours yet, so Genova decided to make use of the time and further prepared herself. She checked her equipment, weapons and all before further reviewing the surrounding landscape. There were a naturally forming concave not far from the slavers' sanctum; the high ground would give them an advantage if things got hairy. Still, the Lorrdian preferred baiting her quarry; lulling them into an enclosed killing zone could work just as well.

If the armourer was feeling particularly nasty, they could even steal one of the slavers and use him as a lure for the rest of the vermin. Genova grew still, her silence growing denser the more she drowned in that a particular memory.

It was that fateful night...the night of the attack. The slavers then had taught Genova a valuable lesson, one she wasn't above using herself. When trying to draw out others, the best trick was to capture one (just one) and wound them. Make them suffer. Make them bleed. Then kill any who come to help. It worked well enough on her family, why not return to the favour now...

Stop...You are not them. You are better...You are Mando now.

@Burpee @Darasuum