Red Skulls, Golden Masks

[Leandros Solus]

He would pick up where others had failed.

Leandros sat in his speeder, reading through a datapad containing valuable information. Years ago, Wyatt and Burkhart had attempted to locate the most-prized relic of their people but did not pursue the lead they had. Where they had stopped, Leandros picked back up, and, after enlisting the help of his canine compatriot, the veteran warrior knew that his calling was to reclaim that which was lost so long ago. Five hundred years have passed by since last the mask was seen, let alone worn by their ruler, but the time for its recovery was now.

He was decked out in his usual gear – armor, replete with modifications, and his numerous firearms and weapons. The lead they had gotten said that the suspected site of the mask was an Imperial treasure trove, and he did not know what to expect upon arrival. He would rather be safe than sorry, and safe, in this case, meant armed to the teeth and ready for war. The last time he had seen Burkhart, the two were conquering Corellia together, even though the Sith harlot they had faced managed to escape with her life. That was another motivation behind finding the mask – penance for his failure.

Truth be told, he was immensely excited and humbled to embark on this quest. The mask of Mand’alor was a sacred relic for their people, and he knew of no ruler more fitting than Raz to wear it. His love was chosen by the gods, and it would be retrieved by their humble servant to be presented to its rightful owner. He was giddy about the thought of how she would react, especially given their decision to move in together, and desperately wanted Burkhart to hasten so that they could get underway and reclaim the mask. He had to be back in time for dinner, after all.

The speeder idled outside where he was to pick up the morling and Leandros put the datapad down, sighing impatiently and let his arm hang out of the window against the side of the door as he waited. Whenever Burkhart had arrived, he would speed off, eager to get this over with. It had been too long since his last excursion.

@Darasuum

 

[Burkhart Kelborn]

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Some time had passed since Leandros and Burkhart had worked alongside one another. He remembered when they had first met the Solus clan member had made his feelings known about his disdain for non human species. Whether that was still the case or not was yet to be observed by the Morling. Somewhere deep in the Kelborn Alor's mind Leandros was still a bit of an ignorant di'kut. But they were still comrades and he did feel a sense of camaraderie with even the most disputing of siblings. These days Burkhart was feeling more along the lines of a rivalry between brothers though kept an observant eye if anything that the badger said or did was to the contrary.

Today his knowledge and influences had been requested. The same as always. Burkhart had always known that power and influence outweighed people's own inhibitions and principles. That was why he had struck out so strongly years ago and risen through the ranks of the Mandalorians. His ability to lead and conquer in the name of his people would force others to recognize himself and his clan.

With the extension of time, things had not changed. He had previously assisted Wyatt Solus, before he was killed in an attempt to become Mand'alor, in trying to recover the mask of Mand'alor. Not one to seek out unnecessary power or the responasbility that came with it Burkhart had kept the information to himself after the others went silent. From that point on he would admit that his strength was that he dealt in alcohol and he knew things. Otherwise it had been a rather humble life among his people.

The man sat in his own SS-44 Bident and pulled up along side the speeder that Leandros was sitting in. The window was rolled down so that he could hear the Morling. "Ya ready ta go? Led tha way war councila." he said in his accent that gave a hint at his traditional morling upbringing.

@Painus

 

[Leandros Solus]

Leandros drummed his fingers along the controls of his speeder, resting his chin in the other hand while he waited for Burkhart to arrive. In his mind, he ran through every plausible scenario for what he would do when he recovered the mask to give to Raz, but none of them fit. Some were too cheesy, some were too inappropriate – if such a thing was even possible for them – while others simply didn’t feel right. In the end, he knew that he would go with his gut when the time came. As usual.

After waiting for some time, Leandros looked over just as his partner pulled up beside him and rolled the window down. The war councilor raised a thumb in confirmation and shifted the speeder into gear, bolting off in the direction of the location he believed the mask to be at. His heart raced even just thinking about it. It was more than just some mask – it was the very symbol of their people, and it has been far, far too long since they last beheld it upon their leader’s head. He was going to change that. After five centuries, this would be the day their people take back what was stolen.

For now, though, they needed to go see if the rumored site was actually where they needed to go. His information has it in some abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city, but something told him that it was a false lead. They had a few leads and Leandros wanted to scour them all in the hopes of finding his prize. This was the first stop.

The speeders would race through the air until they were nearby the location of the first site. He opened a comms channel with his compatriot and looked ahead at the building, noting that there were figures moving along the rooftop when it should have been abandoned. ”We’ll set down here and approach on foot,” he said, ”Something tells me we’re going to deal with company inside.” His speeder decreased in altitude and he parked it in a secluded alleyway a few blocks down the street, leaving enough room for Burkhart to do the same. When they were both ready, he stepped out and readied his weapons, looking over at Burkhart.

”Let’s do this.”

@Darasuum

 

[Burkhart Kelborn]

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Waiting patiently the Morling watched Leandros pull ahead. Shortly after he followed suit and sat comfortably in his seat while trailing the War Councilor. Every now and afain the Mandalorian would check his mirrors to see if anybody was following them. But his caution went without a reward since they did not seem to attract attention.

Burkhart's thinking process was that if anybody else wanted to find the Mask of Mandalore they could have. It could be done a number of ways. One, obviously, would be to do the same thing he had done and simply research it. The other and somewhat more concerning possibility was that there was someone watching them and waiting for the two mandalorians to recover it before stealing it. Plenty of people had used that method of acquisition before. As a smuggler he had seen it from time to time and never enjoyed being on the victim of it.

Drumming hands on the steering controls he heard Leandros come in over the communication link and made a simple confirmation. His eyes looked past towards where his human cohort had witnessed the company and he made a small deep chested murmur that bordered on a growl.

Setting down the vehicle Burkhart made sure to give the two of them room. The SS-44 had placed for weaponry as it was preferred by bounty hunters and law enforcement. The doors having holsters and racks allowed the Morling to simply step out, twist his wrist and pull out the wadjet flamer. He was going to favor using it more than the light repeater he normally carried around most likely. In a deep voice he spoke in singular agreement. "Oya"

@Painus

 

[Leandros Solus]

Leandros let his blasters sit in their holsters for the time being as he made his way down the street towards the warehouse that held their goal. Each step closer towards it increased his determination as he thought about how his people would react to the retrieval of their famed mask – the very symbol of their culture. The only things that stood between them right now were a bunch of thugs and the mystery surrounding the mask’s true location. Sooner or later, however, they would find it. That was something he swore to do.

Whatever figures he observed on the rooftop of the warehouse were no longer present, leaving behind only one of their kin to guard the entrance. Leandros strode forward without breaking pace, nor thinking of the consequences of such, quickly unholstering and bringing up one of his quickdraws in one fluid motion to fire at the man standing watch. Unfortunately, the man had made visual contact with Leandros before he drew his weapon and unslung his own blaster rifle, taking a two-shot burst milliseconds before the War Councilor fired his own volley.

Not wanting to be shot, Leandros quickly shifted out of the way and ducked behind a low durasteel barrier on the side of the street. His own shots went wild and slammed into the door beside the guard, who promptly banged on it and yelled that they were under attack from the War Council. Leandros swore, knowing full well that their element of surprise had been ruined by his foolhardiness. He was not thinking when he went for the attack, believing too much in his own skill at arms and not thinking that, typically, the people he attacks can also fire back at him. He figured that however many enemies were inside were now either preparing to come out and repel the attack or were hunkering down, ready to catch the two Mandalorians in an ambush

The guard dove behind a low barrier of his own in front of the warehouse to take cover. Leandros pressed his back against his cover and shook his head, drawing his other pistol from its holster. Guess they were doing this one the hard way.

@Darasuum

 

[Burkhart Kelborn]

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Following after Leandors Burkhart walked calmly in the direction of their target location. But the War Councilor strode with purpose and somewhat quickened step that began to increase the distance between them. The Morling's features looked at the badger and wondered why he was moving so hurriedly. Then he went and shot at the one visible guard. From underneath his helmet he gave Leandros a look of concern as well as judgement that silently passed.

While not approving of the overt tactics of the human mandalorian, his canine cohort did not let the announcement go to waste. Firing off his jetpack he moved straight towards the edge of the rooftop. Any delay in taking out the enemy with possible high ground could result in them getting pinned down.

As he crested the roof's edge he saw two figures. Behind them a swinging door to the levels down below. They must have been heading down when the alarm was sounded and were rushing to get a bead on whatever or whomever was attacking them. What the bandits would find was a large mandalorian carrying a flame projector. Sweeping the jets of fire engulfed both targets, causing them to scream. One however in his panic fired his blaster, several times. One of the rounds struck his left bicep causing the Morling to bark out in pain for a moment. Glancing down it looked to be his armor had taken the brunt of the attack but it was never fun to take a blaster bolt even when protected by body armor.

Spoiler: Dice

number of enemies moving onto the roof due to alarm (two)
Attack to take them out with wadjet (barely a success)
@Painus

 

[Leandros Solus]

Bolts whizzed past him, striking the durasteel barrier or sailing overhead harmlessly, phasing away after some distance. Leandros groaned to himself, wondering how he managed to get himself into this situation. He knew better than to just charge headlong into battle like this, but something just took over. He looked skyward, muttering a quick prayer to the gods. Just as he had finished, he inhaled sharply and prepared to rise up from cover and lay down some hate on the man shooting at him. As he twisted to face the enemy and poke up from cover, the volume of fire coming his way increased dramatically. While Burkhart flew above to handle the men on the roof, two more enemies left the safety of the building to reinforce their comrade, adding their fire to his own.

Ducking back down, more bolts slammed into his cover. Leandros swore, praying that his comrade was having better luck up top. Judging by the screams, he was certain that that was the case. Setting one of his blasters on the ground and unclipping a frag grenade, Leandros primed it and counted to himself. In one fluid motion, he turned, rose, and went to throw the grenade during a lull in the fire. Failing to account for the greater number of enemies and the idea that one of them might not be reloading, a bolt smashed against his shoulder mid-toss, causing him to recoil sharply. The grenade did not reach its target and instead rolled harmlessly midway between the pinned Mandalorian and his Red Skulls aggressors. It detonated, sending fragments of shrapnel raining around the area but failing to harm anyone.

The pieces of metal plinked against his cover, but Leandros was busy rolling his shoulder, pissed about having been shot. Fortunately, he was armored there and had been shot scores of times before, so it was not an unusual feeling. Nevertheless, being shot was irritating, to say the least, and this served only to make him more upset about his stupid decisions. What would Raz mock him for about this? Certainly not for walking directly into battle, but perhaps for getting pinned by some no-name bandits. He sighed and thought about their child, knowing that he would need to be more careful if he wanted to witness its birth. His vigor renewed by that thought, Leandros picked up his blaster, gripping it tightly. He just needed to wait for the right moment.

@Darasuum

 

[Burkhart Kelborn]

______________

Rolling his arm like he had just lifted something a little wrong, the Morling stepped down onto the roof cutting his jetpack. The sound of Leandros's struggle down below continued behind him. Not slowing his pace Burkhart casually walked towards the roof access door with his wadjet still up and ready. I just got this armor repainted too. He complained to himself.

After he got to the door he heard the heavy and rushed steps of three more guards coming up. Burkhart just let a single gout of flame spew down into the confined stairwell once the first one was visible. With the two behind him preventing his escape the jet of flame roared past the nearest target and consumed the other two. Screams of agony echoed up and down the inside of the building. Meanwhile Burkhart kept walking down the steps like he had been sent on an errand to fetch some extra lightbulbs from another floor.

"How ya doin Lenny!" He asked. Stepping with his large stride over the step with the burnt corpse of the first stairwell victim, then the next, then the last. There was more shouting from within. It seemed he was going to get plenty of use out of the wadjet today. this has got to be one of the best purchases ever. If he was not wearing a helmet he may have even kissed the flame projector in his hands.

Spoiler: Dice

Attack to take them out with wadjet (success)
@Painus

 

[Leandros Solus]

Leandros was having a bad time. He elected not to respond to Burkhart’s question, the screams of the Red Skull men above and inside enough to let him know that his comrade was faring far better than he was. His grip on his blasters tightened, then loosened as he relaxed his body. He knew better than to let his anger get ahold of him in battle and mess with his performance. With a stream of swears, he popped back up out of cover and fired a quick volley, one trigger squeeze from both blasters, towards his enemies.

All but one of the Red Skull gangers remained in cover, safe from the four bolts streaking their way. The unfortunate one rose at the wrong time to fire at him, and two of the bolts caught him square in the chest. He flew back, slowly dying from internal hemorrhaging, and Leandros took this as the opportunity to move to a more advantageous position. Sending another volley of bolts downrange at the protected gangers, Leandros rushed low out of cover and towards their position. With their heads down from his suppressive fire, he had the perfect chance to flank them unexpectedly. It was a bold maneuver, but he had faith in his ability and the watchful gaze of the gods to keep him protected from harm.

Leandros leapt into the air, triggering his jetpack’s combat jump, and sailed ten meters up and onto the rooftop where Burkhart was pushing through. He landed gracefully, looking around at the smoldering remains of the Red Skulls who were unfortunate enough to be caught up here. Noting that he ought to buy a flamethrower, Leandros caught up to his canine companion, blasters at the ready. ”Front door was locked,” he said sarcastically, hoping that the enemies below didn’t have the reasoning ability to connect that he went up instead of back into cover. Now that they had a way in, it was simply a matter of clearing the place out and getting the information - or artifact - that they were here for.

@Darasuum

 

[Burkhart Kelborn]

______________

There was silence from Leandros. Burkhart knew he was not dead or close enough to death to worry though. The sound of weapons continuing to be fired outside helped with that. Anything less from a Solus clan member and they would not be living up to their reputation. The Morling chuckled to himself at the weight that concept of reputation gave. That was what he wanted for his own business endeavors.

Getting towards the last of the stairs it was easy for the Alor to take more than one step at a time. Soon at the top of the last flight of stairs he was met by the sudden dashing bodies. They had been hurrying to charge up the stairs but were met by another gout of flame.

The two thrashing fiery figures were not the only ones in front of Burkhart. There were another two behind them with blaster rifles easily raising to center on Burkhart. That last spray had been the last one, his current tank was tapped. Turning his left arm in front of him more the gauntlet bulwark shield came between him and two medium sized bolts. Blasting his jetpack a short burst he went back up and out of sight.

Spoiler: Dice

Going to clear the bottom of the stairwell (Barely a success)
@Painus

 

[Leandros Solus]

Leandros kept his blasters raised as Burkhart pointedly ignored his comment, shrugging lightly at the fact. They were here to do battle and find the mask, after all; witty quips didn’t really necessitate a response. The pyromaniac Morling took point and charged forward with his flamethrower, using the device to clear their path and ensure minimal resistance. A dynamic duo of enemies charged up to prevent their entrance, but, as they quickly found out, such an endeavor meant charging headfirst into a flamethrower. The two gangers screamed as they tumbled down the stairs, bodies ablaze as they cooked inside their armor. The screams echoed for a while, providing some ambient noise to the sudden Mandalorian raid on the warehouse.

Burkhart’s flamethrower had been tapped by that point, but Leandros still had ammo to spare. When the dog-man’s shield came up to block the two incoming bolts, Leandros ducked low and fired a volley from beneath it, surprising the two gangsters just as Burkhart leaped skyward. Both pairs of bolts found their marks and the enemies dropped back, knocked down by the shots and tripping over the corpses lining the stairwell at this point.

He shouted ”For Kad!” as he entered the warehouse proper, expecting greater resistance. Rather than facing a small hive of Red Skulls, however, Leandros was met by… nothing at all. All of the defenders of the warehouse save for the two outsides, seemed to be dead, killed in the initial assault. Keeping his blasters ready, the War Councilor began moving towards the office part of the building, certain that any information on the mask would be within. He paid careful attention to the main entrance to the warehouse, knowing full well that the two remaining Red Skulls still stood vigil outside, unaware that they had breached the warehouse.

@Darasuum

 

[Burkhart Kelborn]

______________

The sound of a springkler going off, the crackle of burning materials, and the voice of Leandros was all that Burkhart heard. He made sure his weapons were reloaded knowing that most if not all the gangsters were dead. He sighed, then coughed as some of the burnt gangsters entered his nostrils. It was not a pleasant smell.

Burkhart went towards the office where the last remaining guards were located. Stowing his wadjet he took out his renegade heavy blaster. Walking up to the last remaining position with his weapon leveled at where he expected the final guards to be. "Watch out they're right behind me!" He said coming through into the opening. His voice was high pitched and mimicking some helpless guard's cry for assistance. It must have made them hesitate just enough because the Morling pulled the trigger once on each of them the moment he was in view. His stride did not slow. "CLEAR!" He said to Leandros. The place was their's.

♣ END THREAD ♣​

@Painus