Skin of Steel, Blood of Iron

[Hol Horse]

​

The Mandolorian presence on Kashyyyk had alwas struck Armani as somewhat odd. Truth be told, save for the tremendous might and power of its wookie inhabitants, there seemed little to gain from the stronghold save for wood and perhaps natural gasses. Though, perhaps not even the Mand'lor dared to begin production of either here, for fear of irking the wrath of the native populace. Tales of angry warriors ripping soldiers limb from limb weren't uncommon after all, the Dominion didn't want to risk giving them a good reason to. For the most part though, Armani surprisingly liked the planet, for all its peculiarities. It was greener than even the farms of Concord Dawn or Corellia could ever be, it was as large vertically as it was horizontally with trees the sizes of skyscrapers, and the inhabitants treated him amicably enough.

The sniper sat at his table, rifle on lap, as he wiped the weapon down with some cloth. Occasionally he'd look up from his workplace down to the village below that was connected from platform to platform. He had drawn the short stick this time around when it came time for him to receive his new station, and now found himself assigned to patrol duties until further notice. It wasn't as if the man particularly minded though, he had been going stir crazy as it was sitting in an apartment in Sundari. He had never been much of a city person. At least here his clothes would be stained by the scent of pine rather than that of grime or oil. Sure, he got the odd look here and there by passing wookies, but for the most part they were peaceful. Surprisingly, the mandolorian presence on Kashyyyk was going along well.

Though, that may perhaps have been changing soon.

The Dominion was fighting a battle on two fronts, wedged between two sides of the fractured Empire. Resources and manpower were evenly divided between the two sides of battle, meaning that to fight at full capacity, they would need twice what they might normally need for a single sector-wide crusade. It was a Resource war, the one that was rarely talked about but ultimately would determine the outcome of a prolonged conflict. Armani had been flying across the Dominion's territories, inspecting their recently acquired holdings and surveying their suitability for production- hell, he had even traversed the Rishi Maze to see what untapped potential that unknown galaxy might have. Now, resources might have been all well and good, but at the end of the day, it was soldiers who would need to bear the brunt of a elongated burden like this- they could have the greatest economic base in the galaxy and have none of it mean anything if they didn't have a large enough army to make use of it.

That was where part deux of the sniper's Dominion spree took place. These wookies, they were peace loving people- but in battle, they posessed such raw power and tenacity that they struck fear into even the most seasoned of troopers. What if, by some miracle, the Dominion was able to draw them into its ranks? The planet's population, the natural fighting strength of its inhabitants, and the untapped potential that accompanied their fast learning, all amounted into a trove waiting to be utilized. All that he needed to do was to win their hearts and minds. To show them what it meant to be a Mandolorian, to exemplify the core values of their kin, to act as an example of how a foreigner could become integrated into the greatest nation in the galaxy.

For that he needed help, which is precisely why he had radioed back to Mandalore to request assistance. Assistance from someone who knew what it was like to find a second home.

@Apollyon

 

[Apollyon]

[beebox3=400px]

Viz'senra had been stationed at the request of some hillbilly with the oath-kin name of "Fett", whatever that meant. While she had been planet side for a nearly a full day, she hadn't reported in yet. Instead, she reported to the nearest tavern, or closest thing to one on this strange world and she both smelled and looked like she had as well. Thick black blood trickled from her left nostril, a clear sign of having been in a fight recently, a fight she had won. Viz grinned as she thought back to that big stupid Wookiee's face after she hit back and then kept hitting back.

She hadn't intended to get into a bar fight on her first day planet side, but she had heard rumors that the Wookiees of Kashyyyk could rival the strength of a Taz'goreii. This claim of course had to be tested in her eyes and after a few drinks, that is exactly what she did! Luckily enough for her, another cantina patron had been an off-worlder as well who happened to speak the native language of the planet. She managed to convince the scum sucker to translate her slurred Galactic Basic into their language and issued an open arm wrestling challenge to the entire tavern.

While Viz had expected to have her challenge answered, she didn't expect a line of walking carpets to form. Thankfully, her new translator quickly made sure to limit the challenge to five contestants. Shortly after the drunken tree people began roaring at one another and soon enough the line thinned down to five of the toughest and most intimidating looking sons of krayts Viz had ever seen. Naturally, this caused Viz to grin from ear to ear as she slapped the table and pointed to the other seat for the first of the five to sit down in.

The next two hours were possibly some of the most grueling Viz had ever experienced, she could FEEL the equal strength in each of the Wookiees and up until the fifth Wookiee she had earned an equal win and loss streak. Sweat pouring down her face, Viz had raised a hand before the last Wookiee took his seat and leaned back to her translator.

"I need a break before thish one man." She whispered to him.

The young man nodded understandingly before addressing the bar. His announcement of a short break before the last match was met with a roar of outrage from the Wookiees initially. However, when Viz unleashed her own bestial roar, they quickly quieted off and saw things her way.

Viz had slouched in her chair for a moment before slapping her left hand on the table and raised up two fingers into the air. A furred host brought two pints of what Viz assumed was some sort of ale to the table for both her and her opponent. Viz hoisted her mug drunkenly into the air to clack the facing against his but to no avail. Her soon to be opponent simply let out a half growl before emptying his cup in a single drought, Viz sneered in reply before emptying her own mug and casting it to the floor.

"Fine tough guy, let'sh do thish." She slurred as she slammed her elbow on the table.

The match that ensued lasted the better part of thirty minutes, with both sides taking and losing ground but in the end Viz managed to barely grasp victory. The crowd that gathered roared in defeat and began to bark at the defeated Wookiee which in turn caused Viz to laugh aloud. The Taz'goreii woman wobbled to her feet and was about to give a roar of triumph when the fist connected with the side of her nose.

The bar fell silent as the defeated Wookiee gave a series of roars and growls while he pointed an accusing finger at Viz. While Viz couldn't speak his language, there was no language barrier when accusing someone else of being a cheat. Viz's look of shock quickly turned into a twisted expression of pure rage, her eyes flickered to the right corners of her eyes to glare at the accusing Wookiee. She waited for a moment, she allowed the Wookiee to address the bar and then turn his gaze back to her before she struck.

She didn't sucker punch the Wookiee, oh no, unlike him her punch came while he was looking. Her armored fist collided with his face and caused a sickening crunch when it made contact. The Wookiee's look of disgust quickly changed to a look of shock and then fear when he saw Viz's fist coming back in for a second hit and then a third. As the Wookiee fell backwards, Viz followed him due to her gripped the fur on his chest and continued to beat the Wookiee senseless until a cantina bouncer drug her off of him and tossed her from the bar.

Viz took a minute to gather herself before she stood to her feet with a drunken sway, she had sure taught him. It was only then that Viz remembered she hadn't reported to that old Fett and began to stumble her way towards the Mandalorian "embassy". She waltzed into the room that her "partner" a backwater hick with a gun sat in and gave him a grin made from liquid confidence.

"Viz'Shenra, 'portin in" She stated drunkenly before spitting a wad of coagulated blood from the back of her mouth onto the floor.​

[/beebox3]

 

[Hol Horse]

Armani heard her before he saw her.

The 'embassy' that he was currently resting in was little more than a nameless treehouse, one that lacked doors or windows and instead was simply open. Wookiees had rather strange conceptions of personal privacy after all. At first, his ear perked up at hearing a pair of heavy footsteps outside of the small shantyhouse. He thought it might be a wookie, it sounded similar in size, its heavy footsteps were staggering somewhat unevenly, and a rather unrefined grunt could be heard here or there in annoyance. The man took off his hat and turned to look at the doorway where he was certain the new arrival would be coming from, placing the circular piece of clothing up against the conveniently descending sun so as to not be blinded.

Sure enough, a large figure waltzed into the room, one that towered over Armani or perhaps any other normal human. The sniper whistled a bit to himself as he saw her large yet toned frame come to a halt in front of him, her form no longer silhouetted by the sun as she stared down at him with what might have been mild contempt. Yep, that was about right, she was a mandolorian. "Well, you don't smell like rancor dung, so I guess that means your not a hairless wookie" the Corellian observed, stating the obvious. The man rose to his feet, placing his hat down on the seat behind him as he looked up at the tall woman who promptly spat a blob of blood down onto the wooden floor. "Welcome to Kashyyyk, sister" he stated before moving past her over to a small table as a whistling sound was heard coming from a piping hot kettle.

Carefully, the blonde poured two cups of tea, one for himself and the other for Viz. Once this was done, the man would hand the Taz'goreii a small plate with a comically small cup of tea on it. "I'm Armani, Armani Fett" the sniper introduced himself, grabbing his own cup and sitting back down in the chair with a satisfied sigh. Kicking his feet up on a wooden stool, the man looked back to his new partner. Truth be told, he wasn't quite certain how to explain the reason he'd requested backup for this outpost. Perhaps the direct approach would be tactful, "So, basically, you and I are going to get these wookies to beat the kriffing hell out of each other" he started, before quickly following up with, "Not kill mind you, but fight. Make there blood beat fast, embed a sense of glory and honor- exemplify what it means to be a Mandolorian. Show them that no matter what race, we are all one clan when we put on these" he said, lifting up his right foot and tapping his helmet next to the stool on the ground.

"Now, having a Corellian lecture about being Mandolorian may be one thing. A non-human though? They may see greater lessons through you" he stated, crossing his arms underneath one another. "So what do you say? We start some fights, we get a little crazy, we kiss, we fight, we try to kill each other. Are you picking up what I'm putting down? Can you smell what I'm cookin'?" Armani asked before finishing the rest of his tea.

 

[Apollyon]

[beebox3=400px]

"Well don't you smell like rancor dung, so I guess that means you're not a hairless Wookiee." The man stated as he placed his hat in a seat behind him and stood to his feet.

Viz half chuckled at the man's sense of humor, too many of the warriors she had met had been straight laced and by the books. Being able to finally meet someone else who was able to at least crack a joke was a welcomed change in Vi'z eyes. Viz wiped her own blood from her face before slurring out a reply.

"I may shmell like poodoo but I hit like a freighter." Viz asked as she slung her hand in the air, flinging specks of her blood from it. "Jusht ashk the other guy!" She slurred before her grin widened on her face.

"Welcome to Kashyyyk ,sister" The Fett stated as he walked past her and to the screeching tea pot which sat on a small heating surface.

"Thanksh." Viz replied before she jammed her pinky into one of her ears, her expression betrayed her obvious irritation at the loud sound. "If all theshe walkin' carpetsh are like thish I'm gonna like it here!" She continued as she took a seat at the small table in front of her and rested the side of her face in one of her palms.

The Fett man then came from behind her handing her a tiny plate of food with a teenie cup of tea. Viz lifted the food up to her nose and sniffed it inquisitively before snorting and jerking her head back at the scent of various spices. She hadn't gotten used to the thought of food with flavoring being openly given to her yet, it was something that rarely happened in the Black Suns.

Her eyes shifted back to the Fett skeptically, she didn't understand why he was being so polite to her, a complete stranger. While Viz understood the loyalty between herself and her clan, they were her family, her oath-kin after all; she didn't grasp why this man felt connected to her too. Despite her lack of understanding, Viz was never one to turn down a free meal, as such she nodded in thanks before place the meal on the table.

"I'm Armani, Armani Fett." The man stated, as he finally introduced himself.

"Good to meetcha." Viz replied after greedily shoving another fist filled with food into her hungry maw.

"So, basically, you and I are going to get these wookies to beat the kriffing hell out of each other." Armani began. "Not kill mind you, but fight. Make there blood beat fast, embed a sense of glory and honor- exemplify what it means to be a Mandolorian. Show them that no matter what race, we are all one clan when we put on these." He continued before lightly drumming his helmet with his fingers.

Viz grinned, before she started to cleaned bits of food off of her tusks with her upper lip and tongue. At the sound of Armani's light pattering of fingers on his helmet, Viz moved to give her own help a few wraps in agreement. However, she found that the helmet wasn't where she expected it to be, instead of knocking the helmet with her knuckles she punched the tea cup. The fragile little thing zipped across the room to Viz's left and shattered against the wooden wall.

"AW KRIFF!" She shouted before she leapt to her feet which caused her to stumble and collapse onto the floor. "I LEFT MY FRAKIN' HELMET IN THAT KRIFFIN' BAR!" She continued as she angrily slammed a fist onto the floor and then stood, wobbily to her feet.

"Now, having a Corellian lecture about being Mandolorian may be one thing. A non-human though? They may see greater lessons through you." Armani continued. "So what do you say? We start some fights, we get a little crazy, we kiss, we fight, we try to kill each other. Are you picking up what I'm putting down? Can you smell what I'm cookin'?" He asked as he finished the rest of his tea.

"Yesh, I getchu." Viz replied almost automatically as her head scanned the room for the rest of her gear. "Youshe want me to shtart another barfight." She continued, as she gave up on her immobile search and turned her gaze to Armani. "Can we do it tomorrow?" She asked, as the room slowly started to spin around her. "And you're coverin' my tab." She concluded with a drunken grin on her face before she collapsed onto the floor.​

[/beebox3]

 

[Hol Horse]

THE NEXT DAY​

A bucket of freezing cold water would likely wake the woman up, or so Armani thought as he did exactly that, dousing the fully armored commando in a sudden chill.

"Rise and shine spice tits!" Armani yelled, giving his sister a friendly mandolorian greeting. As Viz awoke, she would likely become aware of a few 'changes'. For one, she was laying on the ground in full armor and a new change of clothes. There was also the fact that roughly a hundred or so wookies were roaring at the top of their lungs from all around her in an arena like structure with elevated stands above the battlefield. Dirt and wood lined the arena where she and Armani now stood, the man had his helmet tucked under his arm with the other clinging onto the handle of the bucket he had just used to wake up the larger female. The man had a half-asleep calmness to him that some might have found unsettling, as if all this were foreplay to the real fun.

The sniper would not speak any more to the sister in arms though, instead yelling to the congregation of wookies who were now chanting in their guttural tones amongst themselves in preparation for what would come next. "Thralls and Jarls, I bring you a gift from the Mandalore himself! A token of goodwill between our leader and all of Kashyyyk!" the blonde started, getting a roar from the crowd as a smile beamed from his face. So far, things were going according to plan. They had brought some of the elders and chieftans from the villages in this region of the planet, not to mention the king himself in attendance, they had the audience- now they needed to put on the show.

"In Mandalore, we prize strength and honor. A warrior should confront his enemy and challenge them in the open for the world to bear witness, this is the Mandolorian way!" Armani yelled, getting another series of roars from the crowd. They were taking the bait so far, a good sign. Now came the hard part. "From the planet of Rattatak. Once a slave, then a warrior, now a sister of Mandolore, I present to you- The Indominatable Senra!" the hillbilly from hell yelled, rather pleased with his ability to rile up the crowd. "Her opponent! From the forests of Kashyyyk, standing at nine feet tall, weight a whopping 500 pounds, the undefeated, unimpeded, The Miiiiiiiiggggghhhhhttttyyyy Kor'gan!" Armani yelled to the audience, causing the wookies to roar their hearts out as one of their own entered the dirt arena.

The wookie in question, Kor'gan, was a freak of nature. Standing easily taller than any normal wookie, the creatures rippled with a combination of muscle and gray fur. Blind in one eye with a series of claw scars dragged across his chest, the champion of Kashyyyk was a true spectacle to behold. As it roared, its feral looking teeth bared upon looking at the now conscious Viz. This was a blood match, the warrior would show no mercy, even as it towered over the Taz'goreii by feet. Even more daunting was the fact that there were no weapons to be found. The only tools the two now had at their disposal were their fists and their cunning. It was suicide for most commandos, but, after seeing the kind of woman he was dealing with, the man thought it just might work for his partner to go toe to toe with the brute despite bare-knuckle boxing the beast.

Just to be safe though, Armani motioned to one of the wookie clerks to add some of his credits to the betting pool against Viz- no harm in making a little extra cash if she came away unconscious again after all. The gates behind Kor'gan closed promptly, leaving him, Viz, and Armani now alone in the bottom of the Wookie arena. The Mandolorian jetpacked up into the air, hoisting his sniper rifle above him, "On your marks, get set, FIGHT!" he shouted before firing his rifle upwards vertically to signal the start of the match.

He had done all he could, the rest was on her. Hopefully she would understand soon why he had done this. That, or she'd die.

 

[Apollyon]

Theme​

[beebox3=400px]

Viz didn't wake up gently on the floor like she would have liked, oh no, instead she got the cold splash of frigid water as her wake up call. The sounds of a roaring crowd made her acutely aware of her POUNDING headache from the lack of spice and hangover combined. She groaned in her dazed state as she slowly stood to her feet and examined her surroundings, she was DEFINITELY not in the "embassy" anymore, instead it was some kind of arena.

"Rise and shine spice tits!" Armani called out to her as his greeting.

Viz's eyes narrowed at the man, he had done the one thing you shouldn't do when interacting with a Taz'goreii, piss them off. Viz felt her blood run hot at his presence, she imagined what snapping his neck would sound like, what he looked like as a charred stain on duracrete, the thought made her smirk in that moment. However, she knew that wouldn't be an option, he was a mandalorian...so she'd settled for re-arranging his face instead.

"I am turnin' you into space dust when I get out of here Fett!" Viz called out to him, her voice clearly showing her sober rage.

Armani didn't reply, Viz wasn't even sure if he heard her promise but it didn't matter to her. Viz recognized what was going on, she had been in fighting pits before and today she was back in one. Viz developed a pretty simple plan in that moment, clobber whatever came through those wooden gates and then get her hands on that sneaky little Fett.

Viz ignored Armani's speech for the most part, instead she focused on getting herself hyped up for whatever brawl was ahead of her. She jumped up and down, beat on the side of her helmet, and tried her best to ignore her pounding head. However it was the last bit of Armani's speech that caught her attention.

"Her opponent! From the forests of Kashyyyk, standing at nine feet tall, weight a whopping 500 pounds, the undefeated, unimpeded, The Miiiiiiiiggggghhhhhttttyyyy Kor'gan!"

"WHAT IN THE KRIFF?!" She exclaimed at her opponent's description, her gaze turning back to Armani.

Every inch of her body language read "what in the frack are you thinking" as she turned towards him. Then the sound of wooden gates shifting drew her attention back to them, the sound of heavy footsteps followed by the bellowing of the crowd as her opponent came into view. Viz stared slack jawed from behind her helmet, she had been hoping that Armani was embelishing to hype the gladiatorial match up, but he hadn't been.

What stood before her could only be described as a monster, the truly massive Wookiee was likely a genetic anamoly of his people. But that wasn't what caught Viz offguard, it was the fact he looked...oddly familiar. She searched her mind as the Wookiee raised his hands and roared for the crowd, she vaguely remembered pummeling a furbag that looked like him the day before. The memory illicted a cruel smile to appear on her face as she called out to her opponent.

"So was that your brother or son that I beat within an inch of his life yesterday?" She shouted out, taunting her opponent.

The Wookiee's head immediately snapped down towards her and the crowd's cheers disappiated instantly. Viz had just directly increased the stakes of this fight, it wasn't about glory for this Wookiee anymore, it was about getting even. It roared in response to her taunt, it's eyes narrowed, she could tell it was pissed off.

"Yeah that's right, I beat him so hard his momma couldn't recognize him." She continued. "And I'm going to do worse to you, pretty boy." She stated coldly before motioning for the Wookiee to do something about it with her hand.

The response was instant, the Wookiee let loose a defiant roar and charged Viz. In all honesty, Viz wasn't expecting the Wookiee to be as fast as he was, he covered the ground between them in a handful of strides and brought a fist down on her before she had the opportunity to raise her defenses. The fist collided with the left side of her helmet and knocked Viz clean off of her feet, it likely would have killed her if she hadn't had the helmet on.

Before her body even hit the ground, the Wookiee followed through by grabbing ahold of her breastplate and tossing her with both hands into a stone pillar. Viz's whole body stung for a moment but she wouldn't have time to suffer, the Wookiee was charging her position, his fist clenched and drawn back. However, this time Viz was partially ready and when the struck he wouldn't find the metal of Viz's helmet, instead there was only the sickening crunch of his hand breaking on stone.

Viz had dropped down into a kneeling position at the last moment, when the Wookiee closed his eyes to punch, something she saw him do earlier, a stupid mistake. Viz then struck out, her fist connecting with his manhood this caused the Wookiee to instantly double over in sheer agony. Viz then threw the back of her head upwards and into the Wookiee's face as he reached for his johnson.

The impact caused a sickening crack but Viz wasn't done yet, she had a lot of frustration to work out on this hairball. She grabbed a handful of fur on the back of his head and balled her fist up and struck. She felt the impact, she felt a sickening crunch as the Wookiee's cheekbone shattered from the force of her hit. She then felt the Wookiee's arms wrapping around of her, and she recognized the fact that she could be in some trouble.

The Wookiee groaned in agony as he stood up and began to squeeze Viz in his vicegrip. However, in his dazed state he hadn't pinned Viz's arms in the grasp and so the Taz'goreii warrior continued her assault on his face. Striking him again and again, each time feeling another bone shatter as her fist connected with his face. Eventually the Wookiee teetered backwards with her in his arms and once they were on the ground Viz continued you beating him.

"What's wrong pretty boy?" She huffed as she continued hitting him. "Not used to someone who can fight back?"

Within a minute the sounds of bones breaking as she hit the Wookiee were replaced with the sounds of her fist hitting loose flesh. Viz was pretty sure the Wookiee was dead, or at least in such a deep coma he wouldn't be waking up ever again but she didn't care. Instead, she stood up, ripped her helmet off, and tossed it onto the body of the Wookiee. She roared defiantly at the crowd, daring another one of them to test her might.

None of them made a noise which illicted a satisfied grunt from Viz as she turned back to the Wookiee's form. She glanced at Armani once from over her shoulder as she approached his body and smirked at him. Then in a single terrible stomp to the Wookiee's throat she sealed the beings fate, he would never be getting back up again. ​

[/beebox3]

 

[Hol Horse]

Armani watched the fight as he hovered high above the ground, his jetpack whirring, his sniper rifle clutched in his hands. The wookies had roared at seeing the two goliaths go at each other, it was a money match if there ever was one on Kashyyyk. Indeed, in terms of strength and physical might the wookiee seemed to have the advantage, knocking Viz around like a punching bag almost with the ease that it throttled her. Still, the blonde didn't wince as he saw the powerful haymaker collide with the face of the Taz'goreii, instead his gaze was locked solely onto the fight happening. He didn't know much about Viz, but it only took a few minutes of seeing her in action that he learned how deadly she was in combat.

The commando could see the tide of battle suddenly shift with Viz's opportunistic attack. The blow had rocked the wookiee and caused it to stumble backwards, it was with that move that the match had been decided. Armani had seen enough brutes in his lifetime to predict when they were about to fall, and Kor'gan was likely about to do just that. Sure enough, the enraged mandolorian crashed her fists into the wookiee's body, ruthlessly pummeling him into a mess of gray hair and blood. It was savagery, some of the wookiee's in the crowd cheered louder sure, every group had its war hawks- but there were a growing number of older chieftans who began to grow quiet as they saw how utterly viciously the mandolorian was dealing with her enemy. Armani himself frowned deeply upon seeing the foot blow that the woman dealt to the already incapacitated fighter.

With that final attack, the arena went silent. Again, there were a fair few still cheering, but the level had audibly dropped from beforehand. The sniper didn't move nor speak for a moment as he saw Viz stand up, knuckles dripping with wookiee blood, and a confident smirk on her face. For another moment, the Corellian did not speak, only doing so when the wookiees in attendance had begun to hurriedly talk amongst themselves. "We have our winner! The Indominatable Senra! For the glory of Mandalore!" he cheered. At first there were was some mild silence, then the wookiee chieftans in attendance awkardly or half-heartedly clapped their paws together in acknowledgement of the victory. The king nodded at the spectacle, departing with his clansmen and disappearing from view as the brawl ended.

Lowering back to the ground, Armani holstered his rifle and walked past Viz to kneel down and inspect the decesaed wookiee before the medics could come and shroud him. His gaze continued to stare downwards as he spoke, "I never said it was a duel to the Death" he simply stated, his voice notably more stern and tense as he stood up and let the medics give the deceased warrior his rites. The sniper felt somewhat cold, like he had those years ago on Hoth. That sensation stuck with him as he looked back to the Taz'goreii. "I suppose that's what I get for trying to make these people proud to be Mandolorian, a glorious death" he said sarcastically, almost sad, as he sighed, feeling somewhat older than usual.

Just like that, his dream had come crashing down. It was a sobering feeling. As he watched the corpse get taken away, the man chuckled to himself, "Hah, you sure showed him. Gave him a Mandolorian bedtime story without a doubt. I hope you're proud" he stated before making a mental note to ask central command to not send him a blind butcher as a partner instead of a warrior. She may have been his kin, his sister, but she had much to learn still, in his eyes at least. Hopefully, one day, she would find that green meadow like he had, for her own good and for her clanspeople, he prayed she did.

 

[Apollyon]

[beebox3=400px]

There was no cheer, as Viz's foot fell upon the Wookiee's throat there was only painful silence. The sound of his trachea as it was crushed beneath her boot was all that echoed throughout the arena and the crowd. Viz was not concerned though, Armani had thrown her to the wolves in her eyes and these Wookiees clearly had come for blood sport, and she had given them a brutal spectacle and blood.

"We have our winner! The Indominatable Senra! For the glory of Mandalore!" Armani called out before he began his descent to the ground.

Some of the Wookiee chieftians slowly clapped their hands, others continued to let mournful tones out as they discussed what they had witnessed. Viz could practically feel the auras disgust and fear in the air but she felt no remorse for her actions. Armani had thrown her unconscious form into the pit with this monster of a Wookiee, he hadn't discussed his plan with her, he hadn't told her to hold back. Instead, he merely initiated a rule-less fight in her eyes, a brawl to the death and she had given him just that.

Her gaze turned follow the Fett as he approached the corpse once he had landed, it was a hard and unbroken stare. Viz's face was etched in anger, as he passed her by and knelt in front of the dead warrior.

"I never said it was a duel to the Death" He replied mournfully, an attempt to chastise his partner.

"No." Came Viz's harsh bark, her lips curling up into a vicious snarl. "You didn't say anything Fett." She bellowed, unleashing her first torrent of disgust towards the man's feeble attempt to blame this on her. "You threw me in an arena while I was sleepin'!" She continued as she grasped the man by his shoulder and jerked him away from the dead corpse to face her like a man. "You didn't tell me what your plan was, you just sent me into battle against that thing!" Her voice elevated itself into an even more aggressive tone as she pointed towards the broken body. "So don't you dare try to blame this screw up on me!" She hissed as she grasped the man and lifted him up by his shoulders to look her directly in the eyes. "Because that dead warrior is on you!" She growled coldly before she tossed her partner away from her and towards the Wookiee's body.

With that Viz would walk past Armani Fett without giving the man a second glance. She turned her eyes down once more at the fallen Wookiee as she passed by it's body. She stared at his face battered beyond recognition. his throat crushed flat, and another wave of rage washed over her. She reached down and roughly snatched her helmet up from the dust then placed it back on her head and ignited her jetpack.

"May Taz'goroth take you, Kor'gan." Viz thought as she flew off back towards the direction of both Armani and her own treehouse abode.​

[/beebox3]

 

[Hol Horse]

Armani felt his blood begin to boil as he heard the mad dog spit venom at him, something he was more than pleased to exchange. "I didn't think anything needed be said, I thought you were a true warrior when I met you. Glorious in victory but merciful to the defeated" the blonde yelled back over his shoulder. Were he a younger and more impulsive man, he would have placed a blaster bolt in the woman's head- she was a wild animal, infected with that same bloodthirst that plagued the Mandolorians these days. "What, was I supposed to slap you around to wake you up after you passed out from drinking? I knew you could fight, I didn't doubt that" he argued, standing up to face the taller commando as his helmet's visor burled into her eyes.

The man's teeth clenched as he felt Viz grab him by the shoulders and turn her to face him, his hands curling into fists as he contemplated how much trouble he'd get into if he doused her in firespray. Armani Fett did not back down from challenges, the one in front of him now was no exception. The forehead of his helmet tilted against the woman's own as his green eyes drilled into her face. Her every word only infuriated him further, though, unlike the woman, he did not raise his voice, he had learned long ago that no one won in a shouting match. Instead, his voice grew tense and stern, a sharp contrast from his otherwise relaxed personality, "Perhaps, but I suppose it was my mistake in the first place for pitting a true warrior against a spineless butcher no better than the sith" the man stated. He had enough blood on his hands, after so long, he would accept that there were some stains he could never wash off. Like a cat, the man landed nimbly on his feet as the woman attempted to throw him down to the ground.

As he returned to his full height, the man would stand tall, staring through his kahki visor at the woman who's respect he no longer considered worth having. As he watched the Taz'goreii give one last look at the wookiee before jetpacking away, the man's frown eventually eased into a sigh. He had hoped, so dearly hoped, that the woman might be different. "Kriffing Mandolorians" he swore aloud to himself, aware of his hypocritical statement. The Corellian looked over to the corpse as it was taken away, the feeling of the irrecognizable body hung heavy on him. It was like Hoth all over again, he was back in the no mans land on the frontier killing anything that moved. With no discretion for age, race, or creed. Young or old, he killed 'em, damn good at his job. Then one day it all changed, and things just weren't the same since.

Armani prayed then that Viz might wake up one day and see the world like he had. Perhaps not necessarily the same, but a similar shade. Reagrdless, the man jetted away from the arena to gather food for that night.

It was late when the man landed on the balcony of the 'embassy' where he and Viz were meant to be staying. He carried a satchel of produce and meat over his shoulder as he walked through the open doorway and into the open-kitchen. He could see the Taz'goreii was already there. Sighing, the man sighed and stopped. He had been thinking about their fight earlier, and knew that he wouldn't be able to tolerate the woman if he at least tried to recover. "Look, I was thinking about earlier. I'm sorry for what I said, as well as for not telling you the plan. I don't want to spend this cycle with you as a partner and continuously hate you..." he started, standing in the kitchen in front of the grill as he looked at her. The Commando used his free hand to take off his helmet and put it on the counter, "I just... I was just trying too hard for something I don't think is ever going to happen" he stated before following up with, "Can we start over? Senra Vizla?" he asked, putting the bag down on the counter and pulling things out to make dinner. Kashyyyk steak was some of the best in the galaxy after all, and he was hungrier than a rancor then.

 

[Apollyon]

[beebox3=400px]

Viz tried to pay no attention to Armani as he shouted his retort back at her. She went as far as to shut off her communications line with him in her helmet to shut out his curses before she took off from the arena. As she rocketed towards their temporary home Viz only had two things on her mind, alcohol and spice.

A well of emotions surged within Viz, she felt betrayed, an emotion she had never felt before and it bothered her. The events in the arena had made her enraged, sure, but it also had made her feel like she had lost all control in her life. As if Armani had made a decision with her life without her consent. She hadn't felt this way since joining the Mandalorians, in fact, the last time she had felt this vulnerable and raw was during her time as killer for the Black Suns.

Viz'Senra hadn't been able to make a decision over her own life during those long thirty one years. She slept when she was told to, she ate when she was allowed to, she fought when she was commanded to, and she killed whoever the finger was pointed at. The Mandalorian people represented the freedom to redefine who she was, to make choices on her own, and truly belong to something that mattered. But in that moment, she didn't feel like she had chosen to fight Kor'gan, she felt like she had been forced to.

This feeling of helplessness was compounded by Armani's voice echoing in her mind. He had called her a butcher, a monster. Part of Viz felt like that description rang true, killing was easy for her, she never gave it a second thought and she honestly relished in fighting and killing. The Mandalorian people had given her a choice to become whatever she wanted to be, Viz slowly began to wonder if she could ever truly change what the Suns had forced her into becoming.

Viz landed in the "Mandalorian Embassy" and instantly ripped her helmet from her head and threw it at one of the walls with a scream of desperation, frustration, and rage. The Taz'goreii stomped into her quarters and began to dig through her bags, tossing the contents in search of three things. The first was a bottle of cheap whiskey to soak her over stimulated mind in. The second was the small bag of spice to alleviate the chronic headache that was slowly intensifying. The third, her old slave collar to stare at while she thought back to everything she had done and wondered if she had truly changed at all or if she had simply changed the gang she killed for.

When Armani arrived back to their abode he would find Viz sitting at their table staring at the slave collar she had once worn. On the table's surface would be the light dusting of spice that had once been in an organized line for her to snort. In her tightly gripped hand she held a half empty bottle of whiskey.

When he apologized to her, Viz didn't respond initially. Instead, she simply continued to stare at the collar and take another swig from her bottle. While she wasn't as drunk as she was the day before, and was coherent enough but she was definitely under the influence of the substances. Her eyes slowly shifted from the collar to Armani as his words registered in his mind. But instead of them being filled with spite as they had been in the arena, there was something akin to sorrow behind them.

"No, you are right." She replied, her voice sullen and defeated. "I am a butcher." She continued. "I didn't feel bad about killing Kor'gan, I still don't." She explained. "I enjoyed killing him, I liked feeling his bones break with every hit." She stated in a sullen tone as she gazed at Armani. "But I am sorry I snapped at you like I did." She stated with a sigh.

With that confession and apology Viz lowered her head down to rest her chin on the table. Her eyes pulled from Armani and back to the slave collar in front of her. Her mind brought her back to her time in the Suns and everything she had been forced into doing.

"Do you know what it feels like to never be able to make a choice for yourself?" She asked without turning her gaze towards Armani. "Because I do..." She stated, her voice trailing off as tears welled up in her eyes.​

[/beebox3]

 

[Hol Horse]

Armani blinked at hearing the Taz'goreii actually accept his apology so easily. Truth be told, he had been expecting another verbal sparring session between the two, the woman's current demeanour was certainly a significant change since that morning in the arena. The sniper looked to where the giant woman sat on the beat up couch. It was readily apparent she had been drinking heavily, even from here he could smell the scent of alcohol stains on the fabric of her clothes as well as from the bottles littered around on the ground. The man frowned at seeing Viz take another swig of the bottle, he wondered how long she had been sitting there drinking. He didn't want to make a guess. Instead, the Corellian simply kept quiet for once and put the tow choice cuts of steak he had bought at the market onto the grill.

Viz's words were perhaps even more surprising than the simple forgiveness she had afforded him. Now, Armani was no therapist. His idea of blowing off stress or meditating was sitting on the balcony of his apartment in Sundari and shooting at beards with his military-grade anti-personnel sniper rifle. Who the hell talked to people anymore? This was Mandalore after all, they took out their frustration by beating each other into submission. Well, Armani was certainly at a loss for words to say the least, this sort of thing was out of his field of knowledge. The man rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to think of something to say, something that might have sounded inspiring or comforting, "Uhhh... I guess?" he managed to eek out.

Great job. Really inspiring.

The man fumbled to think of something else to say. He didn't know anything about Viz save that she was a Taz'goreii, and those types are from Rattatak. As his eyes settled on the slave collar though, things began to start making more sense in his head. He could paint a better picture for the woman's backstory now. Armani couldn't begin to think what slavery was like. The idea of it disgusted him, they were worse than the sith in his opinion. He couldn't fathom the kind of things that Viz was forced to go through. Still, with a heavy sigh, and a cursory look at the steaks on the grill, he walked over to the couch and plopped himself down next to the giantess. "Give me that bottle. Nothing more truly pathetic in my eyes than seeing a grown woman drinking by herself" he stated with a mild tone of exhaustion as he took a swig from the same bottle that Viz had.

For a minute or so, there was a silence that rang through the air. It took him some time inbetween drinks to think of how to comfort the intoxicated woman now on the verge of tears who could still rip him a knew one while doing so. "Look, I can't begin to put myself in your shoes. I bet you've done things that would make me sick- even though you were forced to do of course. I don't know you, nor do I know the life you had to live" he stated laying out that big fat disclaimer before he continued on with what he was hoping were some words of comfort that would make the woman feel better. "Still, that was the past, sure it still hurts but it's over- thats why it's called the past. It was hard for me to leave Corellia and emigrate to Concord Dawn, but I let it go over time" he stated before taking another swig of the communal booze. "The way I see it, life is pretty shit. You can't go maybe three days tops without meeting someone who wants you dead. So how do you survive? Truthfully, you stick to your family. You, me, the Fetts, the Vizlas, the Ordos- we're all family at the end of the day. Sure we might get at each other's throats sometimes but isn't that what family does? When the cards are on the table, there's nobody else in this entire stinkin' galaxy I'd rather have than you or another of our kin with me back to back. That's why Mandalore is greater than any Republic or Empire, they'll let the low-standing folks like you and me into a family for a second chance" he stated, closing his eyes as he tried to visualize his words and put them together so that they made sense.

Armani place a hand up onto the shoulder of the taller woman, a comforting and friendly gesture more than anything, meant to reassure than to challenge. "Second chances are what separates us from the Sith, Viz Senra. You're stronger than you believe- hell, even if you don't believe it, I believe it, so believe in the me that believes in you. Our lives before the dominion don't matter. You're family, and that means no matter how bad you might get, I still am gonna try my damndest to keep you this side of the ground. You are what you think you are, so tell yourself that you can do anything, and lo' and behold you'll do exactly that" he said before standing up from the couch and walking back to the kitchen. He called over his shoulder as he flipped the steaks over, "Now sit your ass down at this dinner table right now or you're not getting any of this steak" he ordered, giving it an artisians inspection as he weighed wether or not to serve it or let it cook longer.

 

[Apollyon]

[beebox3=400px]

Viz watched Armani's expression change as he glanced at the slave collar that lay on the table before her. She could tell he was flustered, confused, and thrown out of his element completely. It took a few seconds but eventually the man gave his steaks on last defeated look before he dropped the idea of cooking for the moment at least.

Instead, Armani plopped himself next to Viz and wrenched the bottle loose from her lax grip and took a hefty swig before speaking. Viz listened, she pulled her dilated eyes from the collar and turned her head to the left to give the man all of her attention. Viz gave a humored half chuckle at the mention of how some of the things she had done would likely make him sick.

"You have no idea..." She thought to herself.

Despite this one instance of expression, Viz didn't make a noise during his speech. Armani reminded her what she was to him, she was his sister and he was her brother. Those words hung onto Viz, she hadn't thought of the Mandalorians as a family, she never had a family before. Something about those words made Viz feel safe, it let her guard down slightly more, she had family.

"Thank you" Viz managed to whisper between deep sniffles.

It was when he demanded that Viz move her ass from the couch to their supper table that she gave him a wry laugh. Viz stood up, wiped at the tears that had formed in the corners of her eyes before they cascaded down her face, and made her way to the table. She pulled loose her chair, took a seat, and watched as Armani continued to prepare their food.

"So this is a family? She thought to herself as she gazed at the man.

It was then a thought crossed her mind, he likely had pieced a rough idea of her background but she knew very little about his. Viz wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about what he had done or who he had been before he donned this armor but she had to ask. Viz cleared her throat slightly to gain Armani's attention once more before speaking.

"So, um, what about you?" She asked awkwardly. "I mean who were you before you..." She paused for a moment trying to think of how to phrase her question. "Joined the family." She stated doing quotation marks in the air with her fingers for extra emphasis.​

[/beebox3]

 

[Hol Horse]

Armani whistled as he salvaged the somewhat burned steak he had prepared for himself and Viz. The man would look over to Viz every few seconds, checking to see how she was doing. It seemed she was doing better, she had stopped crying which was a start. After a few minutes, the man turned off the grill and nimbly slipped the prime steaks onto two plates, sprlinking a torrent of seasoning and sauces onto it. With the main course done, the man grabbed a couple ears of corn, doused them in a mixture of melted butter and salt, before finally finishing it off with a heaping serving of rice on the side topped with broccoli. Armani grinned a tad as he carried the two plates over to the table, "Mhm, hot damn, kashyyyk may be nothin' but trees but so far as nothin' but trees go they've got some good food" the man said as he placed the larger serving of steak in front of Viz.

The man sat down on the opposite end of the narrow table and eagerly began carving into the steak with his knife. As he began eating his food however, the man heard the Taz'goreii finally speak. Her question was a likely one, given he had shined the spotlight on her, it was only fair that she turned the tables on him. Armani gave a small shrug, all things considered his story was pretty simple. "I was born Armani Dove of Corellia, my family and I were farmers there for longer than we could remember. Unfortunately, a couple of years of the crops failing saw us go bankrupt" he said, having made his peace with his past before Mandalore. Armani chewed his food a bit as he recalled the events like they were yesterday, "We sold the farm and left the planet in search of a new home. Thankfully, sort of, after the Fetts were wiped out, they were looking to bring in as many immigrants as they could to repopulate. They offered a deal too good to pass up, all we had to do was move to Concord Dawn and change our last name to Fett" he said.

The food was good, he had forgotten how tasty steak like this was when it was seasoned just right. He had used his mother's recipe, just a dash of spicy chile to give it that extra zest to wake you up from the inside out. "I was the second son, so my elder brother inherited the farm. Since I was shit in school, couldn't hold a job- but could kill a man from a mile away, I joined the militia and began my training as a Commando, specifically a Spec Ops fighter, a sniper" he finished before adding on at the end, "The rest his history" before grabbing his glass of water and washing down the food he had stuffed into his mouth overzealously. It wasn't exactly the most noble way, but it was one that allowed a hefty amount of social mobility after all. He might not have been a thinker or a hard worker, but at least he had some sort of marketable skill that the good ol' Dominion would love.

Cutting another piece of his steak, the man looked back across the table where his partner sat. "How about you? Slave to Commando? That's quite the jump. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want, but I'm curious" he said his brown eyes coming to a rest on the dull red skinned woman who dwarfed him in terms of sheer size and strength. Her race was pretty foreign to him, truthfully, hell he probably couldn't even speak the name right even if he was sober. At least she had huge... personality. Still, the last thing he wished was to force her to recall terrible memories, even though they were now long behind them both.

 

[Apollyon]

[beebox3=400px]

Viz took the steak that Armani had prepared and served her with bare hands before biting into it. She chewed hungrily as she listened to the man with genuine interest despite her drunken stupor. Unlike Armani Viz didn't have a "normal" past, she never experienced a family nor did she truly understand anything but forced conflict. As such, his light mentioning of being a farmer enthralled her completely, she had never thought anyone could tend to life instead of just robbing it and in a way it didn't make sense to her.

However, as Armani's story progressed into his service and time spent as a Sniper, Viz couldn't help but feel the man had some measure of distaste in what he had done. Perhaps it was the hefty gulp of water, combined with him cramming as much food as he could into his mouth right after he talked about it. Viz was no social expert but she had seen men and women do similar things when they had seen or done something they weren't exactly proud of.

However, it was the question Armani posed towards Viz that caught her off guard, he wanted to know her past. He asked how she went from a simple slave to a battle hardened commando, Viz knew that she was no "simple slave". No, instead she had been a forced killer, an emblem of fear with a death collar strapped to her neck. She had beaten, shot, stabbed, and tortured so many different beings in the galaxy that their faces and screams eventually stopped mattering to her, she had become desensitized to death and suffering.

"I wasn't a simple slave." Viz stated, correcting Armani's question. "The Suns found out I was good at fightin' when I was young and gave me a choice." She began. "Either work in a brothel and make them coin for the rest of my day..." She continued, placing her steak back down on her plate. "...or learn how to turn my talent for beatin' someone's face to a pulp into learnin' how to put some poor schutta down." Viz stated, beginning to explain. "The choice seemed like a simple one to me, that was until they slapped that det-collar on my neck to keep me in line." She explained, her head nodding towards the slave collar before her. "Then I ended up bein' the scum who held the trigger's darling anyways, just so he didn't accidentally flip the switch one day." Viz continued, her eyes narrowing at the memory of that filthy Rodian.

Viz paused for a minute to pick up her steak and take another healthy bite from it.

"You ever heard a Rodian squeal?" She asked with a full mouth. "Issa pretty great sound, like pigs before the slaughter. REE REE!" Viz stated with a snorting laugh.

"Anyways, I met some Mandos in a tavern and got to be buddies with em." She continued, changing the topic back to her past. "After a while they offered me a home, I took em up on it. I went back home, poisoned the food with somethin' to paralyze that Rodian scum and my squad." She explained. "I gave my old team quick deaths but not that Rodian. Nah, I made him suffer, skinned him alive." Viz stated coldly. "Those guys never talked to me after that, made me go to a crazy house for a year or so, skinned some guy who wanted to kill the Head Doc there too." She continued. "And now I'm here, bashin' faces and crushin' skulls for the glory of the Dominion." She stated in a sarcastic tone with a slight laugh.

"That's my story, I guess." Viz stated with a shrug after a second.​

[/beebox3]

 

[Hol Horse]

"Damn, I really need to get drunk more often" Armani said with a satisfied grin as he savored the taste of the strong alcohol burning the back of his throat. Looking back to his partner, the man felt his cheeks start to turn somewhat red from the abnormally strong liqour addling his mind. He had forgotten how potent kashyyk rum truly was, a couple swigs of the stuff is enough to turn most tipsy. The blonde still had his wits about him, and was focused enough to listen carefully to Viz's story.

The man gave an apologetic look as he heard the story of the red skinned space orc who now seemed a bit more level headed now that the both were talking. The Ultimatum she had been offered at so young an age was one that Armani could scarcely fathom, either sell her body to make ends meet, or commit herself to a life of violence just to get by. As the tale unfolded, the pieces in his partner's puzzle began to make more and more sense. Suddenly, Armani felt rather sad for the poor woman. He may not have spoken anything of the like for fear she would snap him in half in a drunken stupor, but he still couldn't help but wonder about the terrible things she had been subjected to. Then again, that was just the way world worked, anyone that wasn't you was out to either exploit you or kill you, it was pretty black and white most of the time, with a tad of gray thrown in if you squinted your eyes a tad.

"Sounds like scum" Armani said with a shrug when hearing about how Viz had been screwed over by her Rodian master into wearing her slave collar as well as pleasing his whims and desires. Mulling over the details, Armani kept drinking his rum, waves of warmth and giddiness covering him from head to toe despite his mind being preoccupied with Viz's tale. The man let a goofy grin come up onto his face as he heard the Taz'goreii imitate what the Rodian master was like, this grin erupted into full laughter as he slapped his open palm on his knee in approval. For once, the two it seemed had managed to laugh together. Even in his drunekn state, that felt like an achievement in itself.

The next few details stifled that laughter though, as Viz went on to explain how she had made the jump from rebellious slave to Dominion war-sister. Skinning a Rodian alive was a sight that Armani truthfully didn't want in his head, nor did he hope to see be replicated for him. The man's grin dimmed a bit as he heard what she did to her old squad mates as well. Throwing Viz in the 'loony bin' as she called it did seem to line up a bit with the consequence for such bruatlity, but, considering her story, seemed somewhat unfair in Armani's view. The man still sat back in his chair however as he heard his partner wrap up the rest of her story succinctly, leaving a somewhat awkward silence hanging over the air as both mandolorians finished their dinner.

After the silence hung over them both for a while, Armani, still tipsy a bit, yet comfortable in such a state, looked over to his new partner. "It's getting late, we should get some sleep. We're going to be stuck here on this planet before we get transfered to who-knows-where" he stated, sitting up in his chair a bit and rubbing the bags under his eyes. Still, he didn't leave his seat quite yet, wondering if the woman had any final words to share before they both retired to their respective rooms.