Trial By Fire [See Note]

[Jiang Winters]

[ooc: First and foremost, please go read the OOC thread if you haven't done so already. This thread is open to Mandalorians; everyone else, please ask prior to joining. Thank you!

P.S. - I ran the idea of hiding in the Jundland base by Vencu, who was fine with it.
And in case you're curious, this is the tank used: M82A1E8 Natal]

LOCATION:
jundland wastes,
tatooine​

Spoiler: The Chase (Suggested Reading)

"How's the engines, Corporal?"

"Purring like newborn cubs, Sergeant Major!"

"Okay, okay good," Keller replied, "You keep 'em that way. Make sure to nurse our fuel - Tatooine's a whole lot hotter than the plains back home, and I don't wanna go for a stroll if we run out of petrol. Don't be afraid to shut 'em off and switch to the aux if we get a little low."

Two bursts of static answered him over the tank's intercom, and he grinned. It was good to be out of the office and back on the ground. It'd been less than a month since the Kushari had pulled out of their embassy on Coruscant, and barely a week since he'd tendered his resignation as Lord Commander of the United Kushari Federation. He'd even bowed out of the Dai'sabre Order - he wanted nothing to do with them, their politics, or their manipulative ways.

He already felt happier. The stress he'd come to associate with his job was gone. Now it was just him, his armor, and his brothers-in-arms. And, for the next week, his very own tank. The feline had wrangled permission to train on the new M82 Natal, a vehicle he'd quickly grown to love. He had plenty of experience in the old Knight-class light tanks and the ancient M49 Natal, but the M82 was a much more modern, more powerful beast than either the M49 or the Knight.

"Romeo 1-1 to Actual. How copy, Romeo Actual? Over."

"1-1, this is Actual. We read you five by five."

"Actual, what's the ETA on Valiant? Over."

"They're two clicks into the Jundland Waste. I read you as in a canyon, so you should see them in about twenty seconds."

"Right, thanks Actual. 1-1 out."

Keller removed his digits from his helmet's temple. He, like his crew, wore IAR20K 'Templar' armor - standard issue for every Kushari Marine. The Natal tank was built to accommodate crewmen wearing the suit, something Keller was grateful for. He hated the lightly armored jumpsuits and Skylark armor he'd been forced to wear while operating lighter AFV's. They could barely be relied upon to stop shrapnel, let alone a bullet if the crew was forced to bail out. Templar had no such deficiency.

The Kushari popped the commander's hatch and hauled himself halfway out of the Natal's dusty tan hull. He sat back on the lip of the cupola and leaned back against the tarp-covered autocannon, which was swung to the rear of the cupola so that it'd be out of the way. He fished a pair of binoculars out of his chest rig, and took a moment to scan the horizon. His Natal - nicknamed 'Iron Giant' - was tucked into a fold in the canyon. They could see anything entering, but thanks to the rock and sparse foliage, they were practically invisible.

Four armored hulls appeared on the horizon - Valiant's first squad. There were two others, along with two groups of Omar IFV's loaded with infantry. Tatooine's twin suns were setting, but the terrain was still brightly-lit and rippling with heat.

"Sarge, you need to check the scope here - I got no IFF's on those guys."

The feline slinked back into the turret and closed the hatch. "You're shitting me."

"I wish I was sir - no IFF, no markings, just their IR tape!"

Keller removed his helmet and, like his gunner, placed it on the turret wall. He pulled a headset on and settled into his seat, flicking on his monitor as he did so. Sure as the sun rose, the tanks incoming weren't broadcasting their IFF's. The only markings on their hull was their IR tape - chevrons on the upper slopes of the turret armor and on the hull front and sides. He swore under his breath and switched his sights to thermal.

"I can't believe those shitheads forgot to turn on their..." He froze mid-sentence as the lead Natal in the distant formation loosed off a shell; the muzzle blast was plainly visible even from two kilometers distance. "Gunner, tank, eighteen hundred meters, AP!" The hostile shell dug itself into the canyon wall a few meters above Iron Giant, raining bits of stone and debris down on the turret roof. "Tank, eighteen hundred, AP! Sighted!"

"Fire!"

The gunner replied, "On the way!" There was a split-second of stillness in the tank, broken by the thundering roar of the Natal's 15-centimeter cannon. The vehicle rocked as the massive weapon recoiled, a plume of smoke and fire roiling out the muzzle behind the sabot round it had just discharged. Keller's eyes were glued to his screen - the shell struck the lead tank square on the turret front and ricocheted off, taking the cupola autocannon with it. The gunner confirmed what Keller saw - "Target hit! It bounced, sir!"

"Corporal, get us the **** out of here. Gunner, aim three hundred meters in front of the lead tank!"

Iron Giant burst into motion. The 95-tonne beast leaped out of its hiding place and turned sharp right. It made a beeline down the canyon; at Keller's command, the gunner put a smoke shell right in front of the attacking Natals. It burst into a dense cloud of hot smoke, giving the tank a few precious seconds of visual cover. Shells burst against the canyon walls as they bolted, but they were able to retreat without suffering a hit.

His gunner, a younger white-furred woman, turned and leaned close to the gun's breech. "Sergeant, what the hell? Those were our guys back there!"

"I know, I know! I don't know, alright? I don't ****ing know." Keller ran his fingers back through his short-cropped mane. His hearts were still thumping away - that little scuffle had given him, and his crew, a bit of a scare. "Gunner, keep watch on our rear. Driver, call out any area we can hide in! I'm gonna raise Actual and see what in god's name just happened."

The feline toggled his headset to tie into his suit comms. "Romeo Actual, this is 1-1. We just took fire from Valiant's lead element - say again, Valiant lead just shot at us! How copy, Actual?"

Static answered.

"Actual, do you read? Romeo 1-1 to Actual, how copy?"

He tried again and again for several minutes before giving up. He switched back to the vehicle's intercom. "I can't raise Actual. I know it's not the canyon walls, we've got a subspace radio. Until we can raise command, we're gonna treat every element of Valiant we see as hostile."

Corporal Nadzir, the gunner, grumbled under her breath. "Never thought I'd have to shoot one of our own."

Keller didn't answer her. He cracked open the hatch and peeked out of the turret just long enough to lob a sensor ball behind the tank. It settled into the sun-baked dust and hardpan of the canyon floor and silently waited for anything to pass it by. The feline kept his eyes glued to his monitor - five minutes passed, then fifteen, then half an hour. Nothing had passed the sensor ball but a few lizards.

"We're not being followed," Keller announced, "But that doesn't mean we aren't being hunted. The rest of Valiant could be coming in from the other end of the canyo -"

He was cut off by his driver. "Tanks front! Tanks ****ing front!"

He snapped his scope front and swore. "Gunner! Target front - two hundred meters! AP!" The turret whined as it spun about, while the driver kept his foot in the gas. The tank was bolting for a divot in the canyon wall - some kind of cave. "Target two hundred - locked!" the gunner announced. Keller gave the order, and the tank gave fire - the opposing Natals did so in kind.

Shells churned the earth around Iron Giant. One round struck the bow and ricocheted off - another hit the hull side and bounced into the dirt. His 15-centimeter gun struck a hostile Natal square on the bow. To their good fortune, the shell ricocheted up and embedded into the turret ring. It didn't penetrate, but the enemy Natal froze in its tracks, then suddenly reversed. "Target hit!" Nadzir announced.

"Sarge!" The driver's voice came over the intercom again, "There's a door in the canyon wall big enough for us!"

"Get us through it - gunner, target front, High-Ex! Blast it!" There was no time for formalities - as soon as the loader had gotten a shell home and was out of the gun's way, Corporal Nadzir squeezed the trigger and spat a high explosive shell towards the obstacle. It struck the center squarely. As the smoke cleared - and a second volley of hostile shells rained around the fleeing Natal - Keller could see that the door was warped but not down. There was no time for a second shell though, and no chance of escaping the charging armor racing their way. They needed inside.

He gripped his commander's override and traversed the turret around, locking it so that the gun was over the hull rear. The feline opened his hatch and scrambled up; he reached for the locking pin on the autocannon's mount and yanked it. He shoved the gun down so that it was flat against the turret roof - the last thing he wanted was for his only external cannon to get ripped off. The feline dove back into the turret and slammed the hatch behind him just as the tank raced up to the damaged door.

The driver rammed right in. The vehicle shuddered and its engines howled as the doors momentarily resisted the armored titan, then metal screeched as it gave way. Iron Giant clambered over the fallen door and wheeled into the hidden structure. Of course, the stone 'ceiling' just outside the door wasn't so fond of the impacts it had taken, and collapsed partially. While it wasn't severe, the collapse was substantial enough to block the entrance to vehicle traffic. Keller sighed in relief as it disappeared from sight.

It took a good minute of slow, steady driving through the blacked-out tunnels before they came to a cargo area large enough to turn the Natal around. Once they'd done so, they laid the gun right on the entrance and loaded an armor-piercing shell. Keller got the cupola gun set back up and ripped its dust-covered tarp off. The driver shut down the tank's twin turbine engines and fired up the auxiliary power unit to conserve their fuel.

He sat about in the turret for nearly an hour. He and his crew were quiet, though Nadzir and the loader eventually started arguing over something - Keller tuned it out for the most part. He was too busy lost in thought. It was late in the day - nearly 2200. He was hungry and stiff from spending too much time in the tank. His mind was racing as he tried to figure out why friendly tanks had engaged his crew. The officer needed answers, but he had no way of getting them. He bit his lip to suppress a growl of anger and opened his hatch.

"Hey guys, hand me a LAWS, I'm gonna have a look around."

The loader tossed up one of the tank's railgun carbines. Keller donned his helmet and clambered out of the tank. He clicked on his carbine's taclight as he dropped to the ground, and made his way towards the far wall of the storeroom. It was well-built and rugged, but simple in design. There were no unnecessary frills insofar as he could tell. If the feline had to guess, he'd say that they wandered into a military installation. It was deserted though - no major stockpiles of equipment, no vehicles, nothing. Even the air smelled old and dusty, as if it hadn't been cycled in a while.

Random piles of scrap littered the ground in some places - small things. Odds and ends like hammers and gear packaging. It was the sort of debris that was often left behind when a force pulled out of a base. Refuse of no particular value to anyone, and not worth the time or cargo space to box up and ship home. He crouched by one such pile and poked through it briefly. The feline was almost immediately rewarded with a field manual. It was mostly destroyed and illegible, but even a complete idiot wouldn't be able to miss the Mandalmotors logo on the front or the Mando'a text inside.

"Tatooine... We're near Clan space. That's it, that's our ticket out."

Keller dropped the manual and slung his rifle. The Sergeant hooked his datapad into his hardsuit and pulled up his comms system. It was still patched in through the Natal's subspace radio; that made it easy to key his suit to the comms frequency he'd been given over a year ago by Corden Vencu. He hadn't met the man since their first meeting on Obroa-Skai, but if fate was on his side some Mandalorian somewhere would still be listening to his frequency - hell, maybe he'd get lucky and Kajiko would pick up. The last he'd heard, the Kushari Marine had been captured by the Mandalorians.

As soon as his suit radio was keyed in, the feline sent a message.

"This is Sergeant Major Keller of the Kushari Federation to any Mandalorian forces on or near Tatooine. Repeat, this is Sergeant Major Keller to any nearby Mandalorian forces. We've been attacked by multiple armored vehicles in the Jundland Wastes."

He paused a few moments, then repeated himself once more. "Say again, we are pinned down in the Jundland Wastes by multiple armored vehicles. Are there any Mandalorian forces in the area?"

 

[T.J]

Tatooine. It was a desolate place, devoid of many of the things one would consider required for a world to be habitable. And yet, the harsh desert planet was indeed the host for many a species. Even still, nothing seemed to come easy to anything that called the planet home. In fact, many lived out their existence simply farming for moisture, something the rest of the galaxy probably took for granted. The planet was also the host for many a fearsome creature, laying in wait deep in the desert for someone brave enough to seek them out.

That was one of the many reasons a Mandalorian by the name of Delmon Skyblade had come to visit the arid world. He had been born and raised on the lush jungle moon of Dxun, a far cry from the sand and heat he now found himself in. The young Mandalorian had never experienced that kind of environment before, something he saw fit to correct. After all, there was no telling where Mandalore's call would take him. He would need to experience all climates and environments eventually to be fully ready for any situation. It was something he strove for, something he took upon himself to complete. Hunting one of Tatooine's creatures seemed like a natural choice to test his desert survival skills. He had even had his armor temporarily repainted to match the natural colors of the planet, as well as a half cape of the same colors to further aid in concealing himself.

Delmon had already been in the vast desert for close to three days, and it was wearing on him more than he would have admitted. He was no stranger to heat, Dxun's abundant flora and rain made for a hot and humid environment. The heat he found on Tatooine however, was the exact opposite. Tatooine's heat was oppressive and devoid of any moisture. It beat down upon the Mandalorians back like the blows of a savage fighter and the lack of any shade only exaggerated the problem. Finding any suitable type of water was also a concern. Already Delmon had to resort to taking the moisture off the back of sleeping dewbacks in the early morning to replenish his supply. A task that seemed easier said than done.

His trip was set to last five days, then he would return to Mandalorian space and reflect on the survival tactics he learned while in the wild. As the twin suns set on his third day, he knew he was running low on time to find his quarry. Being that he was used to the more larger and aggressive game one would find on Dxun, Delmon had naturally chosen the Krayt Dragon as his prey, being that it was one of the apex predators of the planet. Two full days searching the deep desert had yielded the young man nothing more than remnants of the beasts own quarry and the occasional pile of droppings. The soft sands and driving winds made tracks disappear within minutes, erasing any trace of the beast Delmon sought.

Taking shelter among one of the many rocky outcroppings that dotted the landscape, Delmon watched somewhat embittered at the twin suns as they began to dip below the horizon. Day three was at an end, and he was no closer to his prey than when he first touched down. Taking his helmet from his head and setting it on the seat of the speeder bike he had been traveling with, Delmon let the harsh wind bite his chapped face as he watched the sun set. Closing his eyes briefly, the young man began formulating his next move. His water supply was again running low, something he would have to again remedy courtesy of the dewbacks before they woke at sunrise. He would also need to set up the various early warning systems and traps he made the habit of deploying around his camp. It was something he picked up in his youth, and thus far had found to be universally useful on and off the battlefield.

Just as he stood to begin the work of setting up his camp, Delmon heard the sound of an incoming transmission from his helmet. Thinking it odd that someone would be trying to reach him, " considering he had asked to not be disturbed during his trip" Delmon quickly picked up the helmet and placed it back on his head.

"This is Sergeant Major Keller of the Kushari Federation to any Mandalorian forces on or near Tatooine. Repeat, this is Sergeant Major Keller to any nearby Mandalorian forces. We've been attacked by multiple armored vehicles in the Jundland Wastes."

"Say again, we are pinned down in the Jundland Wastes by multiple armored vehicles. Are there any Mandalorian forces in the area?"

A look of confusion flashed across the Mandalorian's face. he had not heard of a " Kushari Federation", but since an apparent ally to the Mandalorians was calling for aid, he could not ignore it. Even still he would remain cautious, many of Mandalore's enemies did not share the same code of honor Delmon himself followed. An ambush was an entirely possible outcome. Also was the fact that Delmon himself had not equipped himself to combat against anything armored, let alone vehicles. Bringing up the local area map on the HUD in his helmet, Delmon set a course for the distressed soldiers location as he began to speak. Lucky for Sergeant Keller he wasn't very far away.

" This is is Delmon of clan Skyblade. You are using a restricted frequency. I suggest you be quick about what you want as I am cancelling this transmission in thirty seconds. "

 

[Jiang Winters]

Keller thanked every god he knew. The Mandalorians hadn't wholly abandoned the world. Not yet, it seemed. The feline cut his mic and let out a sigh of relief. Even though 'Delmon' didn't sound particularly enchanted, the simple fact that he'd bothered to respond was reason for hope. He slung his carbine and reactivated his comms.

"I have at least three squads of battle tanks roving up and down the Jundland Wastes hunting me. My driver was able to get our vehicle into a base of some kind. Looks Mandalorian to my eyes. It's abandoned."

The feline made his way back towards his tank. The radial APU was churring away quietly; Keller was glad it was running, and not the roaring turbine engines. He clambered up the hull side and onto the turret roof, and sat on the edge of the commander's cupola. "What I need is a way out of this base. I don't care if it's a map or a bomber capable of reducing each and every tank in this valley to bits of scrap. Hell, I'd settle for a distraction and a chance to run for it. But my crew and I need out, and we need out now - it's only a matter of time until our friends outside dig through the front entrance, and we didn't bring enough shells for a stand-up fight."

"I know you've got no reason to trust me, and there's nothing I can say that'd change that. But I need your help, and I need it yesterday."

He muted his mic again. The gunner's hatch opened, and Siri Nadzir's white-furred face poked out. "Your sensor drone's goin' crazy - it picked up a mess of IFV's headed this way and the rest of Valiant. We're gonna be in real deep shit in about an hour, Sarge - especially if any of those ground-humpers brought shovels."

Keller grimaced. "Fan-****ing-tastic. Looks like we went up shit creek without a paddle, huh?"

 

[T.J]

Delmon listened intently to the soldiers words. An abandoned Mandalorian base? He had not been aware there had even been active bases on Tatooine, but then again he did not know what Mandalore spent his assets on, nor was it his place to question it. Besides, one man against even one tank was slim odds, even for a Mandalorian. There would be no way Delmon would survive any kind of frontal assault, and the only heavy ordinance he had were a couple limpet mines he had planned on using against the Krayt Dragon that had thus far eluded his grasp.

Sighing deeply as he ran his gloved hand over the top of his helmet, Delmon responded.

" Contradictory to popular belief Sergeant Keller, one Mandalorian doesn't stand much of a chance against that number of armored vehicles, especially one that's not equipped with heavy ordinance. But... I'm only a couple clicks away from your approximate location. Most Mandalorian installations have several hidden exits placed for tactical withdrawals and ambushes. Ill see if I can find one and rendezvous with you. I suggest you delay your pursuers any way you deem fit and move deeper into the installation. "

With that said Delmon ended the transmission and hopped back on his speeder bike. The thought that it had absolutely zero camouflaging of any kind crossed over his mind for a moment, whomever was after Sergeant Keller would probably have some sort of long range scanners of some kind. How else would they able to track them? Banishing the thought as they were probably too focused on finding Sergeant Keller to even notice, Delmon fired up the speeder bikes engines and set off towards the coordinates. If the base was anything like the ones on his home world, there would be several hidden entrances surrounding the actual base, maybe even some sort of ventilation system considering it would have had to have been underground to remain hidden for so long.

 

[Jiang Winters]

"Affirmative - thank you, Delmon. We'll move as far back as we can. I'm going to set the tank's IFF to broadcast on this frequency - you should be able to see us once you get close. Keller out."

The feline slumped down into the turret. "Driver, get us turned around. We're moving deeper into the facility. We've got a guy willing to help us find a way out, we just need to stall for time. Gunner, I want a round of AP in the main, and make damned sure the co-ax is ready."

Iron Giant's twin turbines roared to life as the APU sputtered out. The tank spun around and its headlights flared to life, casting amber light across the dust-choked cargo bay. The tunnel through the base continued out the far wall, and so the driver moved the Natal towards it. His gunner kept the main cannon pointed right over the bow of the vehicle, while Keller turned out and swung the cupola autocannon around so that the rear of the vehicle was covered. As he did so, he could see lights dancing across the walls of the tunnel they had used to enter the bay, then shapeless forms in the dark. No IFF's appeared in his HUD, but he didn't need it to tell him what he was staring at.

Infantry. A bunch of dismounted Infantry had chased the tank in, and were scouring the base.

"Contact, infantry rear," Keller murmured. His digits wrapped around the Em-Fifteen autocannon's spade grips. His thumbs rested on the triggers as he leaned in. The gun's reticule flickered to life in his HUD, and he placed it in the center of the formation. The trigger clicked and the cannon thudded away. It was a slow, steady pounding, the depth of which resonated in Keller's chest. A neat stitching of crimson tracers cracked through the air and detonated in the infantry formation. A series of orange-black puffs rippled about; the infantry killed their lights and scattered, but he kept firing into the tunnel. The Sergeant only stopped as the tank rounded a corner. As his thumbs released the triggers, casings and spent links tumbled off the turret roof in a cascade of smoking brass.

"Nadzir, pass me up a belt! I got a feeling this ain't the only use we're gonna get out of the Em-Fifteen!"

He opened the feed tray of the gun and threw the empty ammo tin away from the tank. As soon as the fresh box was handed up, he cracked it open and slid it into place, then loaded the weapon. Once he'd chambered a fresh round, he contacted Delmon again.

"Keller to Delmon. Infantry in the base - repeat, there's infantry in the base. Watch yourself, over."

 

[T.J]

With a low pitched whine the speeder bike skipped across the sand like a stone across water, pushing the upper limits of its speed threshold. Someone would have to be crazy to ride a speeder bike that fast through the desert, especially whilst approaching the mouth of a rather narrow canyon and even more so with two limpet mines strapped to either side. Luckily for Delmon, he was no longer riding said speeder bike, having jammed its steering and throttle to force it into a collision course with whatever he could aim it at. Its target, the mass of tanks forming near the newly formed hole Keller had used to evade capture.

As he had closed the gap between himself and Sergeant Keller, Delmon had used the IFF tag he was given to get a rough estimate of Keller's position. Using that and the large plume of dust rising up over the canyon walls that lay before him, Delmon was able to figure that the entrance Keller had used was somewhere near the end of the canyon closest to the Mandalorian. Knowing that he would probably get spotted on scanners if he drove in too close on the speeder, Delmon opted to make one hell of a distraction out it. Whether or not it made any sort of direct hit was of little consequence, the simple act alone would draw at least some of them away and buy some time. Regardless, he was unable to get an actual line of sight and had aimed the speeder on a rough estimate alone.

During this time, Delmon had slowly made his way across the dunes until he started to close in on Keller's approximate location. Below him the base sprawled out in unknown directions, but it had to get air in and out somehow. That was what Delmon was betting on. Some sort of filtration system that would allow him access to facility below. Of course such a thing would be carefully hidden, some kind of natural camouflage to prevent aerial observations and that would resist the ever present abrasive sand. Quickly looking around, Delmon began tapping on the various stones that jutted from the sand with the back of his knife. If it was meant for ventilation, it would have to be higher than the sand to prevent excessive amounts from entering the system. The logical choice was the rocks around him.

After several dozen regular rocks, Delmons knife made a metallic ping as he rapped it against the side of a somewhat large stone. Bingo. Quickly sheathing his blade, the Mandalorian gave the rock a quick kick to receive a low metallic bong. Crouching beside it, Delmon opened the comm frequency he had been using with Keller back up and began to speak.

" I think Ive located some sort of hatch into the base. Ill enter and see where it takes me. With any luck I should be within your immediate area. I also left a present for your friends outside. I hope they like it. Delmon out. "

With that said Delmon began the work of cutting through the facade with one of his vibroswords, being careful to not draw too much attention to himself as he did so.

 

[Jiang Winters]

The Kushari troops topside reacted exactly as procedure demanded when they noticed a speederbike zipping along towards them - they opened fire on it. They fired a lot at it. Every rooftop MG and coaxial gun the armored column had was brought to bear on the zippy little speeder, but due to its small size and high speed they weren't able to register anything more than a few glancing hits. If Delmon's intention was to cause a distraction, it certainly worked! The craft not only drew the attention of the entire force parked outside the entryway, it managed to strike the battle tank that Keller's gunner had put out of business earlier. The resulting explosion was as loud as it was spectacular, and while it didn't kill the tank, it'd certainly put it in worse shape than it was already in.

Better still, the distraction, paired with the unexpected autocannon ambush inside the base, caused most of the infantry inside to pause and wait while the force reassessed their mission. That bought both the Mandalorian and Keller a few precious minutes. Precious minutes Keller's driver used to navigate the tank deeper still into the base.

"Boss," the driver, Sul, hollered, "We're at thirty percent of our fuel. Not much left!"

Keller pulled off his helmet and ran a gloved paw back through his short mane. "Okay. We'll keep an eye out for any fuel dumps left behind. Most ground vehicles still use fuel I think - maybe we'll get lucky and find something we can burn."

The tank continued to rumble down the narrow tunnels of the base. After what felt like an eternity, the passageway widened into another large bay. This one was some kind of repair bay. Keller recognized it instantly - it was the sort used to repair heavy machinery like mining rigs and drills. He'd worked in one when he was young. The feline had just ordered his driver to halt when their Mandalorian 'friend' radioed.

He let out a silent huff of relief, but didn't respond. "Okay guys, our pal topside found a way in. We're gonna hold here. Sul, grab a carbine and dismount. Switch over to the APU first, we're gonna have a real quick look around and see if we can find a fuel canister. Siri, hold down the fort and blast anyone who's not Mandalorian or... Well, y'know the drill."

She flashed him a toothy grin. "Yeah, I know the drill. Now go find us some fuel, Giant's a little thirsty."

Keller pulled on his helmet and gave her a quick nod before bailing out of the tank along with Sul. The two felines, carbines in hand, split up to cover the bay that much faster.

Meanwhile, on the surface, the 'other' Kushari were starting to search around a bit - a few patrols of heavily armed infantry, wearing the same Templar armor as Keller, began to make rounds. They were following the same line of reasoning Delmon was; if there was an underground base, there had to be an entrance. If there was an entrance, they could find it and lock it down to prevent the tank crew inside from escaping. Whether or not one of those four-man patrols found Delmon would be another matter entirely though.

 

[Twisted Reality]

While Delmon had been providing the distraction, Jayden had been making his way carefully into a possition on the opposite side of a dune some distance off. His MBR rested over the crest of the dune, he'd painted his armor to match the sands and looked down the scope. He made a few adjustments as he settled in behind the rifle. He only had two magazines left if he didn't count the one he had in the rifle.

He had a half cloak over his head to help hide him and try and to blend in more. It was one of those times that he wished he was in a nice cool location. But this was his home, so he knew how to survive the wasteland that was Tattooine. It was good to see a few members of the old team that had retired from bounty hunting. But he had went to get his target practice in. He counted the furry creatures though his scope and opened coms to Dalmon, and the tank crew that was trapped.

"This is Jayden of Clan Vevut, ii'm 1500 meters out and in position for long range support, how copy?"

The former bounty hunter and Mandalorian Marksmen waited. No doubt that this was a hairy situation (Full pun intended) a gloved finger came to curl around the trigger. His HUD's targeting system gave him a firing solution as he waited, and made adjustments to his scope's zoom and his hold. His cross hairs leading ahead the head of a patrol.

"Ready to fire on your order Delmon."

He wasn't close enough to get the full picture of the scene but he was ready to make them duck for cover, and hopefully his camouflage helped him stay concealed from those cannons. Because the last thing he needed was to be a smear in the sands, as for what he was doing here? Oh he was doing some moving target practice on a traveling group of Sand people, nothing special but he needed the practice.

 

[T.J]

Just as Delmon put the last blow needed into the rock facade his radio cracked to life once again. This time however, a different voice than the man he was speaking to previously filled the Mandalorian's ears. A young man by the sound of it, claiming to hail from the Vevut clan. Being that he seemed to be a sniper, his long range support would be a great asset for entering the installation undetected, and even providing further distraction if necessary. He thought his abrupt arrival was quite strange, but such thoughts were quickly snuffed out by the sound of combat boots shuffling through sand.

Delmon was no longer alone atop the canyon wall. Honestly he knew it could only have been a matter of time before whomever was hunting the Sergeant began snooping around for an alternative entrance they themselves could use. Being that thus far the small ventilation shaft Delmon had just cut his way into was the only entrance he had found, he knew he would have to seal it behind him or at least deter being followed if he wanted to avoid allowing the enemy another way in.

Jumping into the freshly cut opening Delmon pinned his back against the back of the shaft and pushed with his legs against the opposite side to prevent himself from falling immediately. As he did so, he quickly pulled his last limpet mine from his belt and placed it directly under the opening on the inside of the shaft and set it on a proximity detonation with a 30 second delay before opening the shared comm channel.

" Jayden? I need you to try and draw a patrol away from my position. I'm sending you my coordinates... Now. They should be somewhere near them. I'll be entering the installation in a few seconds. Try not to get yourself shot. Delmon out. "

Shortly after ending the transmission, Delmon relaxed his leg muscles and quickly descended into the darkness below. Should the patrol actually reach the ventilation shaft, they would be in for a nasty and quite explosive surprise. Delmon descended for several seconds before finally bottoming out at a "t" shaped junction. Using his helmets HUD once again to triangulate his position with that of Keller's, the Mandalorian quickly and quietly began moving through the vents. With any luck, he would find an opening close to the Sergeant and his men. If not, he could always rely on simply cutting his way out to reach them.

 

[Jiang Winters]

"Fuel - Sarge, the Mandos left a fuel tank behind!"

Keller grinned behind his faceplate - luck was on his side after all. The Kushari bolted towards his driver, who was busily dragging a four hundred-gallon out from the enclosure he'd discovered it in. He joined the driver and, with little effort thanks to the low gravity, pulled it free. They were fortunate that Tatooine had half the gravity of their homeworld - it made everything easier. They were doubly fortunate that, as Kushari, they were incredibly strong. More than strong enough to move the tank.

"How much is left?" he queried, as he unscrewed the cap atop the tank and activated one of the small flashlights built into the edges of his helmet. He peered inside - fluid sloshed around, and it seemed like the container was over half full. A quick glance at the markings told the feline it was some sort of kerosene blend. It wasn't the KT-90 blend rated for use in the Natal's turbines, but the engines would burn anything put through them. "Help me haul it to the tank. Nadzir! Tell Jarv to get out of the assistant driver's seat and grab the hand pump!"

Two bursts of static answered him over the comms - Nadzir heard him. He and his driver pulled the fuel tank over to the rear of the Natal. Jarv, fully armored, came clambering over the turret and dropped down onto the engine deck. The APU went quiet as it deactivated, and the assistant driver jammed a combat knife under the lip of the armored panel hiding the refueling hatch. Once they got the pump inserted into the main tank and a hose into the spare fuel they'd found, the Keller and his crew took turns cranking away on the hand pump. Nadzir, helmetless and in all her white-furred, short-haired, grease and powder-stained glory, had popped up through the commander's cupola and had her fingers wrapped tightly around the grips of the Em-Fifteen autocannon - just in case.

Keller, having taken his turn, relinquished the pump to Jarv. He jumped up onto the tank and stood on the turret bustle, eyes scanning the bay carefully. Their Mandalorian friend had to be close - he knew for a fact his Kushari 'friends' were close too.

 

[Twisted Reality]

Jayden listened to Delmon and opened the area map on his HUD when he was given his location. Shifting a little bit, he moved down the dune a few inches slowly altering the leveling of his rifle. Scoping in he saw the patrol in question, once again his HUD Gave him a firing solution and he made the adjustments. He opened the shared channel once again.

"I'm on it, firing now."

With that Jayden held his lead and curled his gloved finger over the trigger, ex-hailing slowly he squeezed the trigger. The rifle sounded, and he felt the recoil against his shoulder. The round flying out of the barrel, Jayden was well inside the rifles range and with the help of his targeting computer. The round soared through the air and struck one of Keller's 'Friends' in the back of the shoulder. A second shot rang out shortly after the first and struck another in the right flank. Wither the rounds penetrated the heavy armor or not he couldn't tell at this distance. But at least he could take them unaware, and try and get them to run for cover. He just had to keep his position hidden and them too busy to be able to look for him.

​

 

[T.J]

As he crawled through the twisting and turning vent system, Delmon silently thanked his mother and father for the beskar'gam that sealed his body from the elements. Judging from the interior of the vents condition, it was quite apparent the base had been abandoned by its Mandalorian builders for quite some time and had at one point been the home to some type of vermin.

Suffice to say Delmon's newly found cramped environment was beyond filthy, the grime of the ages covered every nook and cranny inside the vent and had slowly began covering Delmon himself. It wasn't so much the dirt and filth that got to Delmon, but more the tight quarters. Never had been been exposed to such a thing, having been accustomed to open skies and dense jungles. Then and there he decided he did not quite like such confined spaces and just as he made a mental note of it, the metal below his hands gave out a low creaking moan.

"Oisk."

Such sounds could only mean one thing. As quickly as he could the young Mandalorian tried to back pedal, but the tight surroundings made such a maneuver to slow. Below him the rivets and holdings keeping the vent together gave way under Delmon's weight, dropping the Mandalorian to the floor below. With a loud metallic thud that was sure to echo through the virtually empty hallways and corridors, Delmon officially entered the base. The young Mandalorian had landed on his armored back, and forced the air from his lungs. Even still, Delmon quickly jumped up to a crouched position with his slug pistol drawn, his visors filters allowing him to see in the extremely low light.

" Sergeant Keller. I have entered the facility. Please tell your men to ease up on their trigger fingers if possible. Id hate to have traveled all this way to just get shot by one of you. Ill be with you shortly. Delmon out. "

 

[Jiang Winters]

The patrol was caught off-guard. The pointman was the victim of a round to his shoulder; the projectile came in under and behind his pauldron, and penetrated his armored bodysuit. He yelped and stumbled; the soldier to his right was caught in the side, but the torsos of Templar armor were heavily reinforced. The shell deflected and went whizzing off, but it still gave him a good scare. The group scattered the moment the 'cracks' of gunfire finally echoed to their ears. In a matter of moments they'd gone to ground. Rocks, folds in the terrain; anything they could use as cover, they dove into or behind.

In the distance, one of the Omar Infantry Fighting Vehicles groaned to life and started to move in the general direction of the patrol; through his scope, the Mandalorian sniper would no doubt be able to spot the Kushari Marines peeking out of cover and scanning their terrain, their black armor standing out against the reddish-tan of the Wastes. Worse still, they had no idea where he was, and roughly half of them had taken cover behind low rocks or in dips that left them exposed to Jayden's rifle.

----

"Our Mando friend is inside."

Keller made the announcement the moment Delmon finished his message. The feline fished around in the lowermost pouch on his right calve and produced a small holographic emitter. He thumbed it on, and cycled through the images within until it displayed a rendering of beskar'gam - an older type, though. A supercommando variant, to be specific, similar to the one worn by the Fetts during the Galactic Civil War.

"That T-visor is a dead giveaway. Only Mandalorians have it, so if you see it, don't ****ing shoot it. In fact, don't shoot anything you can't positively ID as Kushari. Check your targets."

He paused and pointed up towards Nadzir. She flashed him a toothy grin, her fangs gleaming in the dim red light cast up from the tank's interior. "Don't worry, Sadiir, I can tell beskar'gam from Templar."

The Sergeant Major huffed. "I hope so. A hail of High-Ex wouldn't be a very nice way to greet our pal."

 

[Twisted Reality]

Jayden watched through his scope, by the lack of return fire. It was safe to assume that those two shots had went unnoticed. But he did scan around, and noticed the vehicle starting to move. He took a deep calming breath and moved his scope back to the area that he'd taken the shots at. Seeing one of the Kushari peak out from cover, unlike him and his desert painted beskar'gam. Their black armor stood out like a sore thumb, and that Marine would regret that mistake.

"Good news, i have the patrol pinned down...bad news, i don't have a rifle powerful enough to punch through those armored vehicles."

Jayden's voice would sound over the shared frequency, just before yet another shot would be released from his rifle. A little token he had left over from his life as a bounty hunter. The rifle was rugged, and multi roll being able to switch between a sniper and a battle rifle. The round aimed right at the one Marines vizor, but the target was smaller then the two center mass shots he'd taken before. Even his HUD's firing computer couldn't get that much accuracy with the heat shimmers.

Once the recoil was absorbed by his shoulder, he kept his eyes on the target just to see where his shot would hit. Hopefully at this range, his muzzle flash would be Negligible with the heat shimmers. Maybe it would have been a better idea to set up a little further away. He was well inside his rifles effective range as it sat now.

"But i'll continue to Harass them as best i can, but if i start receiving cannon fire i'll have to bug out."

Jayden stayed were he was, three shots from one place was a bad idea for any sniper. But the risk was needed to keep the marines on foot from finding the entrance into the facility. A well placed sniper could hold off a larger force, if the sniper didn't have to worry about hostile counter snipers. Jayden just happened to know the terrain as well as anyone could know Tattooine.
​

 

[T.J]

The interior of the base was just about as dirty as the inside of the vent system. Judging by the layers of dust that lined the walls, the structure Delmon found himself in had been abandoned probably long before his own birth. Whatever reason the Mandalore of that time thought it was a good idea to set up installations on Tatooine were obviously no longer valid and judging by the disheveled state of the place, they had left in a hurry.

Using the darkness as a cover, Delmon quietly moved through the facility towards Sergeant Keller's position. Every so often he would pause and crouch down to listen for possible attack or to examine some sort of debris he came across. Most of it was garbage, but whenever the young Mandalorian found a rotted piece of paper or even a random tool worth keeping he would place it in one of his belt pouches for further study. After all, Delmon was an adventurous sort, anything from the distant past he found interesting would find a place in his quarters back on Mandalore. All the while the Mandalorian kept his slug pistol at the ready, keen to counter-act an ambush should one be waiting for him.

As Delmon closed in on the Sergeant's position, he began to hear the sound of muffled voices softly echoing off the walls around him. Dropping the search for discarded treaures, the Mandalorian double timed it towards the increasingly louder sound and the waypoint his HUD indicated towards. Coming up to a turn in the corridor, Delmon backed up against the wall and slowly peered around the corner with his slug thrower at the ready. Swapping through several vision modes, he was able to make out several figures standing around a large cooling vehicle. Not wanting to walk into a potential group of enemies, Delmon silently rounded the corner and closed in on the large vehicle.

Stopping just inside the bulkhead that opened up to the larger room beyond, the Mandalorian was close enough to hear the sounds of combat armor shuffling around and some sort of sloshing liquid. The vehicle was definitely a tank, a large one at that. Even the figures moving around in the darkness seemed larger than normal. Crouching low and pulling his boot knife from its sheath in his off hand, Delmon readied himself for a potential fight. Taking a deep breath he stepped into the large room with both slug thrower and knife at the ready and spoke.

" Sergeant Keller? I believe its time we left this place. "

 

[Jiang Winters]

Luck was on Jayden's side, but not the Kushari soldier's. His round struck squarely in the center of the armor-grade transparisteel visor and punched a neat hole right through it. The soldier slumped over immediately, blood trickling out of the ruined visor. Within a few moments one of his comrades had grabbed him by his heels and dragged him into cover, no doubt hoping he was still alive.

The Omar gunned it; its rugged all-terrain tires scrabbled against the harsh desert terrain as it bolted towards the pinned-down squad. The twin autocannons, mounted in a turret atop the vehicle, began to swivel about in search of a target - like any military vehicle, it could be safely assumed to have both zoom optics and some form of thermal imaging. It'd eventually find the sniper - it'd find him faster if the bloke opened fire again!

It pulled in front of the infantry and, as guided by the patrol, positioned itself between them and where they imagined the fire was coming from. The rear hatch dropped and the soldier who'd been struck in the shoulder scrambled inside, while the two healthy Marines grabbed their dead comrade and hefted him inside as quickly as they could.

--

Keller's crew bolted all at once when they heard Delmon's voice; armored hands reached for sidearms and carbines, only to freeze as they realized that they weren't facing an enemy. The Sergeant Major was the first to relax. He lowered his carbine and moved towards the Mandalorian. His tail twitched inside its sheath - it was wrapped around his waist inside his armor, and moments like this, it was restless. He briefly cursed his feline heritage, but collected himself before speaking to Delmon.

"I hope you got a way out for us and Iron Giant back there. My gunner'd spill my guts if I left her favorite tank behind," he replied. The Kushari half-turned towards his crew, and gestured at their tank with his free hand. They didn't need any further explanation; they picked up the pace and worked hard to finish transferring the fuel to their vehicle. "If I know Mandalorians, I'd bet my last paycheck that there's another vehicle entrance somewhere in this base. I just have no idea where to look."

Jarv and the driver had finished fueling up the tank. As the driver banged the fuel cap back into place and slid the armored hatch closed over the fueling port, Jarv climbed back into the vehicle through its side door and fired up the turbines. They groaned, then roared to life. Nadzir disappeared back into the turret and slammed her hatch shut. Keller took that as his cue and started towards the tank. "Come on. Let's figure this out from inside the tank - my pals would've heard that start-up from a mile away. There's no way they don't know where we are now."

 

[Twisted Reality]

Jayden watched as the large armored Marine slumped over, Jayden took no real joy in seeing his round hit but it was his job. He kept watching through the scope, and noticed the turret of the vehicle swing in his direction. Jayden may have been young, but he wasn't stupid and took that as his cue. Sliding his rifle down on far side of the dune he turned and inched his way down. That way he was harder to spot, and once he was far enough down. He pulled his rifle down across him and sighed slightly making sure to remove the empty clip and clearing the breach to make sure his magazine was truly empty. Opening the Com channel once again, their was no way he could continue to be effective now that thing was searching for him.

"Jayden to Delmond and Keller. Do you copy?"

Jayden continued down the backside of the dune, and looked around. Pulling up the Map of the area on his HUD. To try and come up with the best way to move unnoticed and try and find another way in. Since that Armored fighting Vehicle was standing in his way of getting to the vent that Delmon used.

"I've downed one hostile and wounded another. The rest have moved into a Vehicle, my position is compromised. I repeat i can not provide support and distraction from this position over."

Jayden stood and used the bottom of the dune as cover to move. Removing his Helmet to hydrate himself before slipping it back on. With these Vehicles what he wouldn't do to have a damn squadrons of bombers right now. He sighed and curled his arm around his rifle holding it at his side with the barrel down as he moved. If this thing had been a long ranged blaster, he would have been spotted the second he fired...that's why he loved slug throwers. Not as effective against Heavy body armor, but harder to make out where he was shooting from.

He checked the time, and looked up at the sky. Just another day at the office for a Mandalorian, he had no idea what the range was on those guns but he wasn't going to take the chance of it being able to reach him. He knew the right time to withdraw and rethink his positioning. He at least hoped that he managed to render that patrol combat ineffective. After all, without the right weapon there wasn't much else he could do but waist ammo on shooting at an armored vehicle.

​

 

[T.J]

" I wish I could say that I do Sergeant. Truth is I know just about as much as you do about this place. "

Pausing briefly, Delmon sized up the soldier that stood before him. He was at least a full foot taller than the Mandalorian, and by the look of him probably a couple hundred pounds heavier. It went without saying the Sergeant would be an opposing individual to most. Delmon was not like most however, having fought much larger creatures in the past.

" Our verd on the outside might be able to get us a ride however. Though he currently engages the enemy, his is still free to roam. "

Holstering his pistol Delmon fell in behind the Sergeant, pulling several pieces of flimsi from his belt pouch as he did so. Flipping through what was still legible, the Mandalorian continued to speak.

" This base seems far older than I originally anticipated. I'm not entirely sure whether or not the builders kept to the same code I am familiar with, although it would be logical in the strategic sense to have more than one entry way for larger vehicles. "

Nimbly hopping up onto the side of the tank, Delmon switched his helmets audio to contact the Mandalorian on the outside.

" Jayden. Break off attack if you can. We're gonna need a ride out of here. Something large enough to at least temporarily accommodate a tank. Can you acquire one? "

 

[Jiang Winters]

Keller wasn't quite a foot taller than Delmon - while he was a bit higher, he was actually shorter than most of his Kushari allies. (Nadzir, the female gunner, being the sole exception as she was just barely an inch shorter than the Sergeant Major.) He was, however, substantially heavier than the Mandalorian, and more powerfully built than his crew members. The feline was a highly experienced soldier with years of special forces and anti-force sensitive work under his belt, and he had the scars and the brawn to prove it. But, for the moment, he only had a suit of Templar armor as evidence. It was the same suit he'd used when he had first joined the corps; it'd saved his life many, many times, and it had the scorchmarks and wear to show it.

The feline pulled himself into the turret and settled into the commander's seat as Delmon climbed up onto the side of the tank. As soon as the Kushari was reasonably certain that the Mandalorian had a good hold on the vehicle, he ordered the driver to move out. The vehicle started towards the back of the bay. Keller stood out of the turret as it moved, and swung the M15 around to cover the vehicle's rear. He placed his LAWS carbine on the turret roof alongside the cupola, so that he could easily grab it if the autocannon ran out of ammunition.

Just as he did so, lights danced along the rear wall of the tunnel. Keller let out a low, audible growl and shook his head. "These dipshits haven't been trained to fight in bunkers - should've brought infrared," he muttered. "Hey, Delmon. Jump on the turret, hang on tight, and cover your ears if ya can." The feline slipped half inside the turret and gripped the commander's override. He swung the turret around so that the 15-centimeter gun was pointed straight at the corridor. "Gunner, infantry, 40 meters. Target ground ten meters in front of infantry. Load High-Ex."

Nadzir confirmed the target and, as soon as the order to fire was given, hollered, "On the way!" The battle tank's gun barked and thundered, the entire vehicle rocked, and a plume of dust and fire roiled out from the gun's muzzle. Its brilliant flash lit up the room and, for the briefest of moments, the horrified silhouettes of the infantry pursuing. A shimmer of gold - the tracer component of the high-explosive incendiary shell that had been fired - streaked across the room and buried itself in the floor of the corridor. It burst into a firestorm straight from hell. The blastwave rippled out and encompassed the entire corridor instantly, bits of shrapnel and debris cutting through the air like a whirling storm of razor wire. The soldiers disappeared inside a thick cloud of choking smoke, which was dimly illuminated by smoldering rubble.

The Natal continued to move along as Keller 'turned out' again, resting his elbows on the turret roof. He was quiet until the vehicle had slipped off into the tunnels and had left behind the burning passageway. "I hope we didn't kill 'em," he sighed, as he glanced to Delmon. "Guess it doesn't matter though. Delmon, the way I figure out, this base is in the canyon wall - if we keep going up, we'll come to the surface eventually. This corridor has an incline to it, so we should be going topside. Or, at least, to another level. If we can get above the armored column outside, then maybe we can outrun them. Get to a settlement, or to a heavy lift transport of some ki-"

Keller's words were cut short by the staccato bark of an assault rifle. Shells rattled off the bow of the Natal and the rear of its turret. The feline swore and started to back down into the turret. "Jump on the roof gun and open fire! I'm gonna get the turret cranked around!"

The infantry in front of the tank continued to fire - but now that they'd realized they were shooting at a heavily armored vehicle in cramped quarters, the Kushari troops turned and started to bolt. One briefly fumbled with an anti-tank rocket launcher, but quickly abandoned the idea as the driver put his foot in the gas and all but charged the squad.

---

Topside, Jayden didn't have much to fear from the Omar. While armed to the teeth with anti-tank rockets, a heavy machine gun, and twin autocannons, it couldn't kill what it couldn't see and it had yet to figure out where the Mandalorian marksman was. The IFV could only drive off towards its company, turret swiveling about madly as it kept a careful watch out for any potential ambushes. There was quite the bustle of activity in the valley below, though, as the entrance to the base was slowly - but steadily - cleared up. It wouldn't be much longer until vehicles joined the search, vehicles better-suited to close quarters encounters with a main battle tank than the poor bloody infantry who'd been sent in so far.

 

[Twisted Reality]

Jayden stopped when he heard his fellow Mandalorian come up over the radio. So far he recieved no fire, so that was a plus. He listened and pulled up the dimentions of his transport. It was an beat up ship, but it was reliable and get him were he needed to go. All that he needed was to get to it.

"Yeah, i can get us something. Just keep me updated, i'll be as fast as i can."

Jayen moved behind another dune, removing a large sand colored Cloth from a speeder bike and tossed his leg over it. He turned it on, and kicked it into gear before rocketing forward. He needed to get back to the settlement and fast. His HUD Displayed the route, and the time it would take to get back. And hopefully, he could get out of their without drawing any attention.

​