Regrouping

[Sreeya]

It had been mere days since Kal had been restored back into standing within the Taung ranks. She had never been more proud, holding her head up high and once again reclaiming the title of a high ranking warrior. Kal's first order of business had been to gather up members of her clan once more. She feared a few had been exiled, if not killed. Several Taung in her clan had been tolerated simply because of her iron clad rules as leader. However, with her in exile, everyone would have been allowed to roam unchecked, casting out those they did not favor. Her first priority was to ensure to safety of her family, whom she had been out of contact with for far too long.

Yag'Dhul was a planet that had been recently captured by Hutts, and it was also the planet where parts of her clan had been seen last. Kal immediately flew over to the barren planet, beginning the search for her clan. She had begun asking around for her brother right away, though no one appeared to know his exact location. Though she would never show it, she had been concerned about his safety since she had been exiled. He could handle himself, however she remembered how he had been treated usually. She only hoped her absence hadn't resulted in his demise. After another round of asking questions, she finally got hints of him being at a Givin engineering facility. This was not surprising, as he had always been one to focus on intellectually challenging activities instead of warfare. She grinned behind her helmet, making her way to the entrance of the building. She was stopped immediately.

"You can't go in there. It's not open to soldiers."

Kal had to suppress the overwhelming urge to backhand the guard. Her mechanized voice projected from within the helmet.

"I'm here to see my brother Dintel Solus."

He seemed unconvinced. The man whipped out his comlink, sending over a transmission about her arrival. Kal felt her blood beginning to boil.

"I don't have time for this."

 

[Santoro]

"No no, this goes here, that goes there, get it?"

Dink grumbled as he walked over the treacherous open hull of the newest prototype vessel in the Givin Shipyard- a multipurpose design to serve as a defensive ship for the Hutt military. He crouched next to the two arguing Givin, peering in the wire-filled access port and flashing his work helmet's light down.

"You're both wrong." The pair stopped their bickering and glared as much as the species could glare. Dink leaned into the hole, hydrospanner in hand. Knowing they couldn't truly see and not truly caring, Dink began rerouting wires.

"THIS goes HERE. If you put it here, you run the risk of blowing out the port wingtip engine- pretty sure 'his Magnificence' wouldn't like his fleet destroying itself." Dink giggled as he pulled himself up, looking down at the two wiry Engineering interns. "You'll get it." He turned to head back to the open cockpit he had been working on. Another Givin approached, waving a commlink.

"Colonel Solus! Colonel Solus! A visitor for you!"

Dink sighed and dropped his hydrospanner. Duty calls. He took the commlink and held it to his ear.

"Colonel, your sister is here to see you. Colonel? Hello?"

Before the sentence had finished, Dink was off the vessel and out the hangar door. A series of quick turns led him to the public entrance- the guard opened the door as they saw the miniature Taung charging towards the glass. It appeared he'd break into a flying hug, but instead skidded to a stop just before his sister, snapping back into reality. She is a warrior. This is business.

Feeling naked in his greasy orange jumpsuit, Dink gave a nod rather than a salute, struggling to catch his breath and still his heart.

"Good to see you alive, Alor."

 

[Sreeya]

"For the last time, he is my brother. This is not me trying to infiltrat-"

"I've contacted those inside, m'am, please wait."

Kal flexed her fingers, those armored by crushgaunts. Just one, simple grasp around his neck and he'd snap and forever be silenced. She held back, however, knowing that now was not the time to lash out. As she opened her mouth to speak, her HUD immediately spotted someone rushing right at her. Out of instinct, she almost drew her gun, but stopped in her tracks immediately. Kal smiled behind her helmet, thankful that it hid her expressions from view. As he skidded to a halt, she was silent for a moment, holding her usual imposing stance. However, she quickly closed the distance, wrapping a heavily armored arm around him and pulling him into an embrace. It was possibly one of the most uncharacteristics things she had ever done, but it was a testament to the fact that she was truly glad to see him.

"Vod...I am glad to see you are safe."

She pulled back, lightly touching her helmet to his forehead. It was a sign of affection since they had been children, though usually he had his own helmet on. Kal glanced over at the guard, who was completely in shock at the display. She ignored him, turning back to Dink. Her demeanor had returned to normal.

"I am honored to return as Alor. However, I have missed a lot. When did we take Yag'Dhul? And...do you know what has happened with the rest of our clan? And most of all..how did you manage to not get killed?"

She looked around, noting that Hutts had taken over completely. Kal sighed, shaking her head. She spoke under her breath.

"I hate working with these slugs, but I have to hand it to them..they're pretty effective."

 

[Santoro]

Dink looked around at the high security chamber that blocked access to the Givin Research and Development, a new branch set up by the Imperials. Dink nodded, composing himself from the rare show of affection between the siblings. It had been a rough life on Mandalore, even rougher since Kal took on a high rank... It was a nice feeling.

"Yag'Dhul is a new acquisition, a few months in the works. Givin overthrew those Republic bastards right when we showed up- didn't have to fire a shot." Dink grinned, walking away from the restricted area and towards a public development branch- turbolaser dissipating armor.

"The clan mostly stayed on Mandalore, as far as I understand. The Taung have been spread out across the galaxy to fight for the Hutts- we're a lot less soldier based and more commander based now, though squads do exist. I stayed alive the best way I knew how- signed up and went headfirst into combat. Yag'Dhul was my first command." He looked sidelong at his sister, walking past a testing division. Heat from the energy pulses went through the thick door.

"Efficient, with lots of credits to spend. If the Taung get their hands on that armor, it'll revolutionize our way of fighting." He turned to face Kal.

"I take it you're getting the band back together, so to speak?"

 

[Will]

The huge form of Tor Solus remained motionless within the alcove of a shaded window. The beast of a Taung had activated his primitive cloak, keeping himself near invisible when still and in shadow. He watched as the most famous members of Solus began their talking.

The little one. The one who always seemed aggressive to Tor. He was in command now. A growl escaped from his lips, suppressed by the red plate of his helm. And the matriarch, apparently second to the new Mandalore.

After her exile, Tor had been quick to be exiled as well, Kal no longer around to defend him from the blatant hatred the others showed him, for being barbaric, even by Taung standards. But he had been following clan members ever since. He knew no life outside the clan. It was better, in his mind, to stay near the clan than to enter into the crushing unknown of independence. And he had honed his skills, and learned things about his brethren.

For now, he kept his eyes on them, tracking them in more esoteric frequencies when they passed behind materials. Slowly, he ,pved with them, hopping between windows, attempting to stick to the shadows.

 

[Sreeya]

Kal was impressed. Her brother had grown considerably during the time of her absence. As he explained about the new armor, she had to pause to observe it. It took her a moment to return to the conversation, armor always being something that instantly caught her attention. She nodded in response.

"You know me, our clan is notorious for having members that disagree with one another. I turn my back for one second and someone's dead."

She flexed her fingers and showed him all the advancements to her new armor.

"I was pretty surprised. Mandalore actually found remnants of my old armor and upgraded it. We got into a pretty nasty fight when he first found me."

Kal had to grin underneath her helmet. She still had to fix her missing tooth. The fight had been exhilarating.

"I'm not too thrilled about a human Mandalore, but he seems to know what he's doing."

It took a second for another sentient to register on her HUD. Because her tech was more advanced, it caught the cloaking device. It registered as something awfully familiar, something similar to her own design. Kal's face scrunched up in confusion.

"Hold on, vod, I think my band collecting may have begun already."

She walked past him, straight towards the shadow she spotted slinking back into darkness. Kal called no attention to him, careful not to alarm anyone. She had made it clear that he was spotted, though it was also apparent she was not hostile. Taking an alternative route closed the distance between her and the other Taung. She recognized him by his size alone.

"Tor."

A sigh resounded from within the helmet.

"You were exiled."

It wasn't a question, as much as a declaration. Kal glanced back at Dink, unsure of where he stood on the decision of the exile. This was an awkward situation, even by Taung standards. However, her voice lacked the usual stern quality it bore when she had been Mandalore. Tor wouldn't be able to see the grin behind her helmet.

"...I suppose that makes two of us."

 

[Will]

Tor watched them talk with each other. Too late, he realised Kal had been upgraded. She had spotted him. He'd probably be killed, or sent away.

She bade him to come out, and he complied. His stealth generator deactivated, his form flickering back into existence. The titanic being slammed into the ground before Kal, dwarfing her. His helmed face flicked over to Dink, for a second.

He saluted Kal, paying her the due respect.

''I was out incredibly quickly after your exile.'' Tor rumbled, his voice like the thunder in the darkest storms.

''They've never been keen on me. Apparently, this...''

His taloned hands indicated the skull trophies adorning his red plate, silently grinning at Kal.

''Is 'unbecoming' for honourable warriors.''

A sound like the growl of a lion emanated from Tor's mask. A sigh.

''And, apparently, you want us back together? I simply guess you are here to reinforce my exile.''

 

[Santoro]

The Givin seemed to panic- a hidden Taung in their midst. They dropped their tools and crowded against the walls, shouting a various stream of obscenities in their native tongue. While Dink hadn't been here long, he had been quick to understand the language and did his best to replicate the noises.

[Calm! Calm! He threat!] More panic. "Blast!" Shouted Dink, doing his best to keep the swath of Givin from leaving the room.

[NO threat, NO threat! Friend!] After multiple repetitions, the Givin began to calm from the appearance of a masked warrior. Dink glared at the hulking Taung who could easily snap his unarmored body and stormed over, a measly two meter ball of fury.

"You've got a lot of explaining to do, mister!" Dink poked the hulking Mandalorian in the breastplate, his free arm flailing about.

"This is a work zone! If I hadn't been in the room you'd have Hutt Security right up your shebs, and I'll be damned if I fished you out of a jail cell!" It was rare Dink reverted to his Mando'a, a language he had always been rusty in. In a huff, Dintel turned and barked a sharp order at a timid-looking Givin, sending the alien back to work. He then turned back around, an entire different pose.

"Tor!" He slapped his clanmate on the shoulder, looking over the second armored man in the room. He felt naked again. "Where have you been?"

 

[Sreeya]

Kal had forgotten how massive Tor was. However, despite her shorter height, she maintained an imposing posture. She had rose through the ranks for a reason, never letting any physical disadvantages get in the way. Before Kal could speak, she was distracted by Dink blabbering off in what she presumed to be the Givin language. She was progressively more impressed by her brother, though he looked rather strange to someone unfamiliar with the language. Kal remained silent, watching the interaction between Dink and Tor. She was glad to see Dink wasn't one of the Taungs that had an issue with him. Kal glanced over at her overly hyper brother.

"Dinny, why the hell aren't you wearing your armor? You look ridiculous."

Her tone held an almost mom-like quality to it. Now that Tor had joined them, his lack of armor was even more obvious. She had stressed that armor had to be worn at all times, and it was not advisable to have helmets off when surrounded by those other than clan. Kal would have to get used to not being Mandalore, but she would always be Dink's older sister. She turned to Tor, recalling his initial words.

"I do want to get Clan Solus back together. I don't know if you've gathered, but Taungs and Hutt soldiers are integrating. We are spread out into squads working as separate units. I have already made arrangements for you to return to my clan."

Kal handed him a datapad with the information she was provided.

"You are part of my unit, the Star Raider Armada. Do you wish to come back?After all, you are aliit." Family.

As she spoke, her voice remained somewhat stern. The more gentle, uncharacteristic side of her was reserved only for her brother.

 

[Will]

Tor's head swung between the two, looking down at them both, craning down further to see Dintell. The giant and the shrimp of the clan could never see eye to eye, for obvious reasons.

''I have been about. Tracking the members of the clan that exiled me, discarded me once my one supporter was exiled.''

He turned back to Kal.

''If the clan would accept me, I would return. It is the only life I know. The only way to truly hunt. As you said, we are Aliit.'' Tor's voice came out like grinding stones, almost unrecognisable as separate words. He clenched his fist as he said the final word, a pair of long blades popping out. He relaxed the hand, the blades hissing back into his vambrace.