Kill One Man, You're a Murderer. Kill Millions, You're a Conqueror.

[Mars]

Kill them all, and you're a God.

The life of the Clan Ordo's finest killer and the Empire's best kept secret was so endlessly complicated. Born to a Jedi turned Sith father and a Mandalorian mother who left the clans after marriage, raised to be the best warrior, trained in Imperial halls to be the greatest deceiver and forged in battle to be the greatest leader, Apollo Ordo was many things. Most described his personality as cool and laid back unless something was done to provoke his fiery, oftentimes violent, temper. The fall of Corden Vencu from his position of Mandalore was an excellent example of such provocation.

Apollo had shed blood, sweat and tears to get the man where he was. Slain countless loyalist Mandalorians and pulled all sorts of Ubiqtorate strings to get them the funding en route to a successful rebellion in the Mandalorian Civil War. And now he was leader no more. The battle of Teth was also an utter failure. A complete rout of the Mandos sent there. Within moments of the news hitting the bridge of Ordo's Taung-class ship Apollo was bound for the hangar where his Tra'kad gunship sat alongside three other Ironfists, none members of his personal squad who would be in charge of the clan while he left.

Pzob. The last battlefield he fought on and it wasn't even a real fight. An immaterial brawl that took place in what was little more than a shared dream. A massacre of greenskinned pigs alongside a beautiful woman was a wonderful dream indeed but it did little to sate the Echani's thirst for a proper fight. As he breathed in the fresh air of the nonindustrial world his mind wandered to more wistful thoughts about the planet. Here true battles were fought. Where personal skill was what decided victor and fallen, not shinier guns or brighter armor, all fought with crude metal armor and axes. It was part of why he was akin to a god when he took to the field against the primitives with his Beskar armor, despite hundred-to-one odds.

Before long Apollo had made his way onto the third story of the large stone building that the twenty Ordo clansmen held while he was away. He sat onto the bed and leaned back against the dark stone wall, letting his body relax as he escaped from the galactic politics for a bit, from everything really. His white hair and pale blue eyes were revealed as he removed his helmet and placed it next to him. It was quiet.

For now, at least.

 

[Sreeya]

Kale wasn’t usually one for seeking out people. Since her initiation into Mandalorian culture, she had been more of an observer than a participant, though she never turned down the chance to engage in combat. She had been extensively trained by Corden and brought into the culture in the harshest means imaginable. Since then, her life had been turned upside down, her time with the Galactic Alliance a mere ghost of a past.

She was no longer clanless, a member of the Bralor clan now. Though she felt as if she were a part of the family, she still clung onto the last name of her dead fiancée, the man that still haunted her thoughts despite the many years that had passed. Leaving GA meant leaving him, and yet he remained as a shadow, the chain around her neck feeling more like a weight than a gentle remnant of his memory. She often chastised herself for ever thinking such thoughts, but reality often reared its ugly head. Sooner or later she would have to let go, and that was a thought that terrified her.

Apollo had been one of Kale’s first true friends. While Bralor was her clan, many of her friends were in clan Ordo. She was often welcomed as one of their very own, and was sometimes even thought to be an Ordo herself. Her fighting prowess certainly made her a true fit to the clan, though her nature allowed her to best complement Bralor. Apollo had been the pivotal key in linking her to the Ordo clan. He had gone missing since the chaotic changes in the Mandalorians, beginning with Corden’s disappearance and replacement.

Kale hadn’t done anything the first few days, but whispers and chatters about Apollo leaving Roon erupted all around till she couldn’t take it anymore. Unlike many others, she had a vague idea of where he would be. Without telling anyone, she had packed a few things and set off in a personal transport, armed with her custom armor and weapons. Bralor had served her well in providing her with her very own set of equipment, taking away the need to constantly borrow hand me downs.

After extensive arguing with some of the clansmen (which almost had her do her signature muay thai moves), an Ironfist finally stepped in to confirm that she was authorized to be there. She waved away his apologies and walked directly towards where he indicated Apollo was. She hadn’t contacted him about his arrival and didn’t find it an important enough detail.

The door to the room he was in slammed open to reveal a beskar boot that slowly came to rest on the ground. She tilted her helmeted head, taking in sight of him. She had no intention of knocking, stepping right into the room and pausing to stand in front of him.

“You look like you’re about to audition for an emo boy band.”

 

[Mars]

A grin came to life on Apollo's face at Kale's smartass remark. She was a close personal friend of his and one of the few outside the A'den Be Ordo that knew of his safe little fortress. For a while she had debated between Ordo and Bralor before ultimately choosing the clan of Shere, Echolyir and Carien. Apollo held no hard feelings for such a choice since Bralor was a clan of honor and skill. The young Ordo leader actually had quite a bit of respect for Echolyir.

"Don't think I'd get in? You've heard me sing. That high-pitched squeal is unmatched and you know it."

Standing, he left his helm on the bed as he extended his arms for a hug.

"It's been a while. How's life in Bralor?"

In the distance war trumpents sounded. This was highly common here, countless battles were fought every day within miles of the area, and those that were a threat were met with a hail of blaster fire and missiles. The Mandalorian clansmen who guarded the base were all experts in the use of vibro-weaponry and capable of tearing through forces many times their size.

 

[Sreeya]

“I’ve heard you sing..I’ve since considered cybernetics to be able to turn off auditory input.”

Kale smiled underneath her helmet, stepping forward to hug him. She gently tapped her helmet against his forehead before withdrawing, a habit they had developed in battle. She had to remember he didn’t have a helmet on, which meant the usual fierce, congratulatory headbutt couldn’t ensue. Kale stepped back and wandered around the room, exploring her surroundings.

“Bralor has been like family, though I do miss time with Ordo. Those guys are worried about you, you know.”

She found a chair and sat down across from him, silent for a few moments.

“Apollo, are you running? You know this is a tough time for the Mandalorians, especially with Corden out of the picture. You need to be on Roon right now. You know that. What the hell are you doing?”

Though she favored him, there was a stern quality to her voice as she spoke. Her displeasure at his actions were clear, though not strong enough to suggest that it put a wedge between them.

 

[Mars]

"Oh come on. It's not that poor."

A fake frown adorned his face that cracked as Kale embraced him. The slight tap on his head was welcome, an old gesture of theirs, not quite like the tackle-hug but still made him smile. As she wandered about the room she would notice his father's songsteel blade hanging on a mantle above his bed.

"I'm glad Bralor has treated you well. There's something I'd like you to have as a reminder of the time we spent training."

With a quick move he stepped away and pulled the force-forged blade, still in a scabbard, off the mantle.

"It's yours. I've not used it since I was a newly accepted vod as you are now."

After a few she sat on the other side of the room. He leaned on a weapons locker a bit taller than he was.

"Worried? That's interesting but fitting I suppose. Ordo's got a large portion of the military and assets along with championing our alliance with the Empire. Old connections and all that."

His face changed from warmer to slightly frowning, legitimately this time.

"You weren't here for the War. When it started Corden and I made a pact that we we would tear the cancer tainting the Mandalorians out regardless of consequence. In the beginning it was glorious. We fought side by side and won crushing victories again and again. In trenches, snow, desert. We had a brotherhood forged in battle and it all evaporated because of a political move to accept the remaining loyalists in. Long after Dani the Coward had abandoned them Corden took them in because he thought we needed the numbers. They tried to kill us. And even after Corden broke Lucius over his knee he let them in."

A snarl replaced the frown.

"Months down the road the rot returned in the form of Duraan. You saw the example I had to make of him. Now Corden goes down and all I worked for, all I fought and bled for is gone. Lost in the skies above Teth and a new Mandalore has stepped forward. Competent I'm sure. But no Corden."

His voice betrayed his anger though his body language hid it well.

"This is why I've come."

 

[Sreeya]

Kale felt a twinge of guilt at her small outburst as he responded in a matter she could never have fathomed. Her jaw dropped beneath her helmet, and she rose to accept the blade. It was one he had often spoken about and she knew exactly how much it meant to him. She paused before reaching out to grasp the hilt, still in shock.

“Are you..are you sure? This is huge. I know how important this is to you…”

He hadn’t given her room for discussion on the topic, having moved on to answering her question. Inwardly, she remained in disbelief, quietly bringing the blade to her side. She already began to imagine using it in combat. Apollo knew blades were her specialty outside of hand to hand. Kale couldn’t take her eyes off the sword, glancing up only when she realized Apollo was explaining his side of the story.

As he spoke, Kale had to sigh, recalling the details of their history. All of these were things she had heard before, yet none of them helped with the present situation at hand. Kale realized only one of them wearing a helmet put a thin veil between them. She reached for her helmet, pulling it off. Locks of blond hair fell to her shoulders, her eyes betraying exhaustion from constant training and lack of sleep. Kale interrupted in the middle of his speech.

“Look, Apollo, those are all things I kn-“

BOOM!

It was a resounding thud that almost shook the entire building. She could hear footsteps all around as the clansmen jumped into action. Voices and shouts echoed all around them, the sound of gunshots erupting on the lower levels. Kale simply growled out loud, lifting her helmet up.

“I can’t take this thing off for TWO GOD DAMNED SECONDS.”

She plopped the helmet back on, sprinting towards the doorway and speaking urgently.

“Come on, I’ll listen to your bullshit excuses later. I’m betting we have some pigs to roast.”

 

[Mars]

"I couldn't be more sure."

Apollo let the conversation continue, moving more towards the window just as the explosion rocked the stone structure. To call the bang loud would be the understatement of the century.

"Even the Gods don't want to see your face. Looks like it's just me. Between my singing and your looks we'll be set."

The Echani scooped up his SOCR-2 off the wall mount and rolled to the window as he had done so many times. His helmet was now pinned in place by magnetic seals and his HUD coming to life rapidly. Life signs for himself, check. Link with rifle, check. Visual clarity, che-

He stared with disbelief.

The gate that held off the pigs in the past had been blown to dust, killing half the garrison in the process. Hundreds of the greenskins stretched around the mini-fortress. Those that remained were quickly being massacred against all previous logic, their beskar-alloy armor turn asunder by what appeared to be cybernetically augmented Gammomoreans. He watched briefly as his men were torn limb from limb before firing into the crowd and slaying what he could. A few missiles from his shoulders and grenades from his belt helped to thin the crowd but before long he scooped up his ryyk blade to join right behind Kale in the fray.

 

[Sreeya]

“Shit shit shit.”

Kale was already using the blade, knowing that her expertise with the sword would come in handy in close quarters. She slammed an elbow into a Gammorean, using the leverage to spring forth and shove the point of the blade up into the underside of a Gammorean’s chin. She burst into her usual dance of blades, keeping a gun handy in her other hand to complement her lethal slicing and dicing with a spray of bullets. Her comm. was already linked to Apollo.

“Activate the turrets! It’ll hold them off for a bit!”

As they burst into the hallways, another rumble shook the building. Kale cursed profusely, finding a window that was meant for a sniper vantage point. She sliced up the Gammoreans in the way, realizing they were piling in entirely too fast for them to make it out alive even with their weapons.

“They’re hitting the building from the front! It won’t stand much longer! We have to get down from the back here. Their coordination is usually poor so the frontlines won’t know we’ve escaped. If they keep flooding in, the building will crumble down on them.”

Without waiting to see his response, Kale squeezed herself through the window, free falling for a bit before landing into a crouch on a ledge. She took the opportunity to mow down a few Gammoreans below, stopping only when bullets began to put dents in her armor. Kale grabbed the edge, expertly flipping down and landing on the ground to begin an assault there. She reached back and tossed a grenade, putting a large group of them out of commission. Their numbers were staggering, her HUD registering exactly how badly outnumbered they were. This had been a true surprise attack. It wasn’t often Mandalorians were caught off guard.

 

[Mars]

Apollo followed Kale into the hallway shitshow as the sounds of violence came from below, explosions rocking the building as Ironfist jetpacks detonated to take quite a few of the pig bastards with them. *His ryyk blade got embedded in the skull of one of the cybernetically augmented beasts and there it would have to say. A neural command unsheathed the blades that normally lay dormant on his arms.*

"Out the window it is."

Apollo set his beloved SOCR-2 to self-destruct and flung it into the crowd where it would detonate with a defeating boom, unleashing an explosion thirty meters in diameter, consuming all in blue plasma and Beskar-alloy shrapnel. Another missile loosed from his shoulder mount as the pair dropped to the floor to avoid further slug fire. The realization hit him like a brick.*

They were the last two alive.*

Apollo saw red at that moment, his fury over his fallen comrades turning him into something far greater than Kale had likely ever been exposed two. Crushgaunt-covered fists smashed gammorean faces in as the blades of his arms gutted them and cut hamstrings, his kicks and even a jetpack assisted flying knee serving to end life after life. Countless fell around him and the two would be bathed in the blood of the fallen and the squeals of the dying. The rail gun on his arm turned one unlucky opponents chest cavity to a fine red mist, with the rounds penetrating a few lines back. Just as it looked like numbers may overwhelm him, he leapt into the air spinning, igniting his flamethrowers and clearing a few meters around him.*

But the horde stretched endlessly, and so the Gammomoreans kept matching.*