Log:Mando Arc: The Climax
Mando Arc: The Climax
OOC Date: Jan 10, 2015
Location: Hoth
Participants: Russ Ordo, Narsai Ordo, Laika, Kitfox
The controls of the gauntlet class freighter are second nature to Narsai, so similiar to some of the craft she had the opportunity to fly before she became the proud owner and pilot of the Thunderheart. They get the craft powered up and ready to go in no time, it is a military craft after all and therefore able to egt into the mix fast. Sending the signal as soon as they hit open air it takes 30 more seconds for the ion canon to fire as the massive long dormant gun charges up the collosal charge needed. A monstrous explosion issues from the planet beneath you as the weapon fires the source impossible to determine as you rcoket into the outer atmosphere.
Everything seems to be going smoothly, the ion shots causing the marauder to bank as fast as the large shp can manage stopping the bombardment of the planet below. None of the fighters surrounding it nor the turbolaser batteries attached moving to track or fire upon their own Gauntlet class fighter. Then very suddenly everything goes to hell. A maelstrom of laser bolts and turbolasers turn the space around the Thunderheart crew into a storm of death. It seems that there ruse is up until the crew scramble to the instruments to find out what the hell is going on and notice something strange. Almost 30 contacts rising from the planet behind them, all of them at combat speed. A multitude of fighters of various designs...and three firesprays.
She had told them to wait, to hold strong until they could knock the big gun out of the air and press their attack. Seems the other Mandalorians can't help but be...Mandalorians. The sky lights up with laser as the two sides ignite in a brutal space battle that puts the stars around them to shame. Narsai would swear, but she's too busy concerntrating. Like a stream down a mountainside the stolen fighter finds the gaps, zipping between collisions, blaster bolts and explsions so smoothly that it's almost like the ship were in the fight but not of it under Narsai's skills. Their allies know not to shoot at them, the enemy doesn't know any better, now it's all just up to Narsai's flying to get them on the ship in one piece.
This thing wasn't the Thunderheart and Laika was still getting used to flying. Now? She's getting used to not losing her lunch, something far more difficult. Holding on tight the Cathar has her eyes shut and her head down, tucked against her lap as she waits for this carnival ride from hell trip to end one way or another.
Kitfox has her eyes closed. She fits the cool exterior of a soldier praying for a successful landing in a dropship, or a swift, painless death should the craft be torn apart by laser fire. It's calming if a little morbid. Her eyes flutter open as she clings to the harness locking her in. "Another volley from the ion cannon would be welcome, though I imagine it has already drawn attention," she calls out. "That explosion when we took off must have been them clearing the hangar..."
The deathwatch fleet was clearly not expecting such a brutal counterattack, their latest intelligence update still showing the hanger as being firmly buried under tonnes of snow and ice. And it shows in the casualties they suffer. Their fighters flare and shatter as they come under the heavy fire of the Reviver forces, the three firesprays dominating the space around them with sheer firepower. War however does not come without consequence, even for the most skilled soldiers the galaxy has to offer. A handful of the Reviver fighters fall under return fire, one of them blown into nothingness to match the space around them as they are caught by the Marauders turbolasers.
It quickly becomes clear that the crew of the Thunderheart, the tip of the spear of the Reviver effort are of one mind with the general on the ground. The forces quickly converge under cover from the fighter wing, all of them gunning for the open hanger of the marauder. The commander of the warship is not foolish and with a massive groan lost in the vacuum of space the hanger blast doors begin to creep closed
"Oh no you DON'T!" Narsai barks at her viewscreen as the hanger doors begin to close, her eyes narrowing as she hits the ships thrusters and the gauntlet fighter goes screaming forwards, the noise of its engines muted right up until the moment it bursts into the hanger and into the artificial environment, the heavy hanger behind them catching the wash of their thrusters as it slams shut. Narsai however doesn't immediately land the ship and leave them sitting ducks however. Powering up the weapons to fire on any initial defence she sweeps her eyes left and right...but there is none. Perhaps they were too fast. Even before they touch down the redhead activates the drops-ships troop bays, letting the other two out before her. "They know we're here, they'll be in soon enough, lets move!"
When the drop-bay beneath her opens Laika has at least got time to open her eyes and stretch out in a way that lets her land on her feet rather then head-first, her blaster pistol held in her hand for a moment while she scans for threats. None here yet! Hearing Narsai's voice in her ear the Cathar is straight to the door of the hanger leading deeper to the ship. "So...do you know where you're going?"
Kitfox unstraps when the ship lands, hefting her rifle and rushing out with Laika and Narsai. "If we can get the doors open, the others can join us. But the sooner we can get to the bridge and take command of the vessel, the better." She takes a moment, then looks to Narsai. "If we control the ship, it can be an asset to the Revivers. Alternatively, we can sabotage the reactor and destroy the Deathwatch's heaviest asset here. The choice is yours. A three-woman mutiny might be difficult on a ship this size."
The generals voice cracked over the comms, static fouling up the line. "Thunderhearts, my forces are cut off from you. It is of the gravest importance you take the bridge and cut off the head of this snake." The line fizzles out for a tension filled moment before it comes back "...i am sure Narsai can tell you roughly how many crew a ship this size uses. You are terribly outnumbered, you..." The line hiccups again "..take the bridge, open the...doors. Kill the...and issue a....order." The voice dies off now the line filled with static. Looks like the communications officers of the marauder have locked down and killed the signal.
Enough time passes for Narsai to climb from the pilots' seat and the redhead joins the others, adjusting her rifle and looking between the pair. "Fortunately." She breathes with a smile behind the mask. "The bridge on the marauder-class vessel? It's pretty conspicious. Keep moving forward till we find the people in charge."
The general's communication is heard by Laika and the Cathar frowns, but Narsai's words make her nod. "Go straight for the boss? They wouldn't expect anything that crazy right?" The Cathar grins, claws ready and nods to the other women as she prepares to open the door into the hallway. "Lets be crazy."
"Our chances of success will be much higher if we can open the hangar doors for our allies," Kitfox points out, though it's really stating the obvious. "They'll have a higher chance of survival in here with us than out there I think as well. There must be a console or an access panel we can use on the way towards the bridge," she offers with a shrug. Not that the clanners are good shots on foot. Maybe they WILL do better outside...
The push up towards the bridge will not be an easy one, a ship this size is crewed by approximitly 160 men. Luckily the ground forces have left or that number could have jumped as high as 260. Still three supremely skilled warriors are up for a bloody tough fight if to comes to fighting one hundred and sixty trained killers. As they start to cautiously make their way out of the hanger they can all notice something odd. There are no alarms besides the low alert klaxons that go off whenever the ship is in combat. There is no sound of armoured booted feet on polished metal floors as they storm to repel boarders. The only sign there is combat is all really is the sound of the battle raging, the impacts felt as blasters and missiles impact against the shield and armour of the capitol ship.
"Move fast and hard, try to keep them off us. These corridors should cut down a big number advantage but we still don't want to fight the entire ship." Narsai says as they set off, making their way down the corridors with her weapon trained ahead. "If we can go undiscovered for a little while longer, so much the better."
"We're not wearing disguises." Laika comments as they move, "So the prisoner gambit won't work twice. I'm all for sneaking around a little longer till we're right on top of the people in charge." The cathar talks soft, eyes and ears ever seeking sounds of threat or discovery.
"Sneaking and quickly, then," Kitfox says quietly, hugging her rifle to her chest, her cold weather gear looking a bit ridiculous in the stark setting of the spaceship. "Take the bridge, depose the leader, and order a stand-down?" she asks to be sure of their mission. Hopefully they can get there before a fight does break out. Corridors are excellent killzones after all, and they're outnumbered.
They go undiscovered for a good long while as they proceed toward the bridge, the advantage of having a Mandalorian Reviver 'fleet' keeping the enemy occupied. They aren't exactly aimlessly wandering around their craft, their ground forces are deployed and the crew is all at battle stations fighting to press back the onslaught. Things can't go perfectly forever however. You can hear it, back towards the rear of the ship. A thunderous explosion shakes you as you stand, the source hard to tell. Maybe one of the firesprays landed a solid missile hit on the much larger ship. But now your goal is just ahead, the bridge doors just being a few corridors away.
Looks like luck, the Force or whatever other cooky religion one might have is on their side so far, Narsai makes it to the bridge door and looks at the other two women with her. "Alright. Lets do this. Ready?" she questions, taking a deep breath behind her helmet and gripping her sword tightly. "For the Revivers." the younger sibling says, looking at Kitfox before turning her gaze to Laika. "And for my brother."
"Perhaps it would have been wiser to check for grenades before we lifted off..." Kitfox laments for a moment, then her expression turns serious and solemn. No helmet, but her expression is neutral. She brings her rifle into a ready position, ready for whatever might be thrown at them. "For the Revivers. And for Russ," she affirms stoicly.
Laika grins at Kitfox, rolling her shoulders. "Where's your sense of fun? Besides. We rupture the bridge and it's you and me that's going to get really cold really quickly." Flexing her claws she nods and bares her fanged teeth. "For all of them. Now lets go suprise some Deathwatch."
As the bridge door slides open you are met with a now familiar sight, armoured Deathwatch Mandalorians. Most of them are manning various consoles, directing the flow of power throughout the ship and more or less directing the course of the ferocious battle visibly raging through the view screens. Three of them however face you, the tallest figure being in the center. They all wear black armour trimmed with gold and none of them seem overly suprised by your entrance. The one in the center speaks in a deep measured voice, it carries easily throughout the large bridge. The voice suprisingly charismatic coming from such a figure of dread. "So finally someone comes to face me. I have wanted to face one of the Reviver leaders for some time. To prove once and for all that we are the true Mandalorians, and you and your ilk are just the pretenders. You must have seen many worthy battles to make it here. But we are Mandalorians and we all see many great battles. You are not worthy to take my place and lead the deathwatch. So draw your sword and prepare to die."
Stepping forwards, Narsai does indee draw her sword, a flick of the power-cell bringing the vibroblade humming to life before she gives it a roll of her wrist and raises it almost aggressively. "You're not worthy of facing the lest of the Revivers. Sabotage and cowardly tricks is all that bought you the advantage over those men fighting below." Extending the point of her blade out at the leader the redhead's eyes narrow behind her helmet. "But fortunately enough for you? We're willing to make an exception. You're going to stand down and cease your attack, or it will be ceased by whomever fills your shoes when you're dead." All more vicious words then Narsai usually comes out with, but it's been a rough day.
It's a stark contrast, but Kitfox remains silent. After all, it's not her brother that's lost to space, nor ir she a true Mandalorian. No, her offering is simple and quick, bracing her rifle against her shoulder and drawing a bead on the nearest officer in that ornate armor. Speak softly and carry a huge blaster? Maybe. At least there are enough consoles to offer cover?
Not her brother either by blood for Laika...but certainly her friend. They're outnumbered, but aren't they always? Fangs and claws bared the Cathar flexes her fingers and falls to a crouch without a word, ready to fight the moment things start and ready to die taking out as many Deathwatch as she can find the throats of.
All three of the Deathwatch step foward, clearly honorbound to meet the coming fight head on. They all move in synchronization as they reach for their weapons. Drawing as one they leap to meet the defenders in open combat, likely deciding the future of all Mandalorians in the eyes of the Galaxy.
The Fake Mandalore depresses the small button on her lightsaber. Suddenly a blinding bright violet energy beam extends from the metal hilt with a snap hiss!
That igniting blade makes Narsai flinch. A laser sword is something Mandalorians have been faced with before, but never has Narsai stood against one till this very moment. Is there fear? Absolutely. Even she knows what that weapon can do. There's a moment that she wishes she had managed to find that crystal and repair Rax's own blade. Then the moment is gone. No backing out here, no way to run. Taking a breath she gives a cry and leaps into battle. If she's going to die at the end of a lightsaber she'll make this pretender work for it
Laika leaps at her foe with a snarl, throwing herself at her axe-wielding foe and weaving between his strikes. Her first blow rattles his helmet but the next doesn't quite make it through the armor. Her fighting techniques and natural weapons just aren't quite enough to beat Mandalorian steel every time.
For all of her aim and concentration, Kitfox isn't able to get -the- shot on the man that rushes at her. The trio of blaster bolts that her cannon hurls slams into the bulkhead instead, dripping slag from the holes they leave. She had not anticipated being rushed, though perhaps she should have. As the Deathwatch swings at her, she backpedals towards the bridge door, ducking the first swipe and trying to pull that massive rifle back for another shot. The axe comes back, digging into her side, but there's no scream of pain, no biting back a hiss or anything. The woman wrenches her body away from the weapon, blood and... something else spilling out of her. There's something black, and the glint of metal soaking her thermally insulated clothing. "If I'm to perish here, then at least it's for a good cause," she growls in that accent of hers, cold but proper, as she swings the barrel around to get one more shot.
This is unlike any sword-fight Narsai has ever been in. Not only does she have to avoid getting hit by her foe's weapon, but she has to avoid hitting it with her own blade. A shower of sparks from a particular parry her foe's blade makes and the red head whinces at the loss of the stabbing tip to her weapon after she lands a glancing blow.
The struggle for the future of the Mandalorians is exactly that. A struggle. Narsai pitching herself against the leader of the Deathwatch in brutal one on one combat to avenge her brother. That lightsaber coming periously close to ending the fight then and there, only her natural athleticsm saving her from meeting her end as she ducks away from that perilous purple blade. Locked in a stalemate as neither seems to score a meaningful hit on the other.
The other two could not be at much further ends of the spectrum. Laika dances around her opponent her felince grace lending her the reflexes to dodge the falling vibro-ax. Giving her the speed to lunge through her enemies gaurd and land some solid hits. Kitfox on the other hand is not wielding a weapon suited to this kind of combat, her massive blaster cannon putting her at a disadvantage against her ax wielding oppenent. He lands a solid hit to her side while he himself remains in pristine fighting form.
Laika might almost look like the beast her features usually present her as. A snarling blur of claws, kicks, elbows and punches the Cathar leaves her foe staggering as she advances with murder in her eyes and pure killer instinct on her body. She's an animal fighting for her life and she's seeing blood.
Kitfox is durable, but she's not equipped for a fight at this range. Her futile attempt to blast the seasoned melee fighter with a rifle that size just leaves her open to another attack. She manages a parry with the rifle itself, slamming the metal of the weapon into the haft, but the follow-up swing slashing through her cold weather jacket and just about embedding the axe in her chest. She drops to the deck, one hand clutching the blaster, her other pressed to her front, black and red soaking the armor as her eyes glaze over. "Sustained excessive damage, core systems initiating emergency shutdown until maintenance and repairs can be completed..." her mouth hangs open as she trails off, crumpled against the wall, staring blankly at the battle still going on.
The deathwatch leader continues the assault the saber progressivly getting closer and closer to cutting off something vital. A smile hidden by the all encompassing helmet rises on their face as one of her men lets out a cry of victory. "You are outnumbered now reviver, your companions in here fall just as readily as your companions out there." Her attack does not slow, if anything it grows in intensity as she feels the end of the battle drawing closer. "It has been an honorable fight Reviver, but your time ends here. The galaxy will tremble at the mere mention of the name Deathwatch." Then an axe joins the fray, the blade scratching along the side of Narsai's helmet as he narrowly dodges the blow. This is going to end soon. One way or the other.
Hearing Cecily's noise of pain, the sound of her weapon falling and the axe rattling against her helmet Narsai feels a flare of saddness...then determination. A deep breath and the woman grips her sword so tight there might be an audible squeek of material as she moves. Two foes to fight, but she can't and won't stop till either they lay dead or she does. Stepping inside one of the lightsaber's swings her elbow slams brutally into the Pretender's forarm and knocks the weapon back before she cleaves a heavy gash over the man's chest. The fight isn't over yet.
Laika's fists pummel and her claws tear. It takes willpower not to sink her teeth into the exposed throat of the man she downs in her frenzy, but she instead turns her angry eyes to the sight of her fallen comrade that shocks her back into action. There's enough time that they might hear a roar, then she's leaping at the man with the axe for a little revenge.
The Deathwatch 'Mandalore' seems astonished when her lightsaber fails to connect with Narsai, so sure there was no way that after her brother had joined the fray there would be no human who would be able to move fast enough to dodge that attack. She is correct in a way, Narsai didn't dodge it. Instead opting to close with the reach of the swinging arm to deliver a punishing blow. The axemen stumbles as Laika joins the fray in the center of the bridge. Not hearing his brothers body hit the ground before the cathar is on him.
Narsai has never moved so fast and so smooth in her life, it's as if her very motions and movements were guided by some unseen hand, her senses sharpened further then they'd ever felt before. Another stinging hit on the man with her sword and she pushes forwards on the staggering leader with a grim mask of determination on her face beneath that T-Visor.
Smacking the axe-man who'd been trying to literally axe Narsai in the back Laika slams him hard, making him stagger away from her companion and leaving the Cathar positioned between them. Giving a feline hiss she gestures for the man to come at her, she's his opponent now! Even so, she doesn't stand still for him, ducking and weaving between his attacks.
A step forward, a weave backwards. Narsai continues to beat back the stikes from the now tired Deathwatch leader. Her armor is marked, but she stands firm where he staggers. A slash comes at her head and she ducks under it, pivotting and twisting past the man to slice across the back of his kneecap, sending him to a kneel. The fake Mandalore throws a desperate horizontal slash and Narsai kicks out, knocking his hand away with a heel to his ankle even when the heat of the saber marks her armor before the woman slams the hilt of her blade hard into his helmeted head and sends him falling to his back.
Knocked prone, the Deathwatch commander tries for one last flailing swing at the attacking Ordo...and her hand closes around his, wounds saping his strength that probably would have overpowered him if he wasn't slowly bleeding on the ground. Oh-so-slowly the saber is edged away from Narsai as she kneels over the man, her grip holding fast.
Then in a single moment it's over. A sudden sparking tearing noise and Narsai's other hand plants her vibrosword in the man's throat, the edge pushed down like a guilotine in vicious moment before she drags it sideways and the helmet bounces away.
Compared to Narsai's overpowering the deathwatch leader, Laika's strike might seem simple and basic. But her punches rain down on the staggering warrior even as his boss is torn apart by the Ordo, rattling his head and knocking him back further. She actually smirks at the warrior and speaks with a voice slightly huskier and beastial then usual. "Not so fun now is it? Uneven sides..."
The man doesn't even respond to Laika as he sinks down to one knee, remaining motionless and silent in his position facing the fallen Deathwatch leader. The rest of the bridge continues as per usual operations, speaking in hushed voices as they carry out there last orders.
Narsai moves, stepping down as she lifts the fallen lightsaber and exhales. Her eyes fall on the slumped Kitfox. In a moment she'll help her friend, later she'll question how she was able to fight like that. For now? She lifts the lightsaber and speaks loud, voice firm as she activates the weapon and holds it extended. "Open communications. All channels." She speaks to the bridge crew, her face still hidden by her helmet as she waits for the Deathwatch to obey. Their leader is dead at her hand, it's their way...or she'll simply have to make them.
When the broadcast begins she holds the weapon out so it's clear in the image broadcast to the holocoms. "Your leader is fallen at my hand. I claim the right to command by victory! This battle is over. All will cease their attack stand down by word of your commander!" Deactivating the lightsaber she steps aside and lets the image of the fallen former leader follow. "My word is law. Does anyone challenge my right?"
The last is almost yelled, daring someone on the bridge to speak up.
All is silent as the bridge crew rush to obey there new orders. Many of them clearly in shock from the fight they have just witnessed. Their leader, proven strong in a hundred battles wielder of their most treasured weapon lies dead at the feet of the supposdly weak Revivers. The comm channels open, the message goes out. It is not immediate, but within a minute all signs of fighting stops. The vicious dogfights visible through the view screens slow to a stop, the turbolasers of the marauder start to stop their constant barrage. The Revivers have won the day.
Laika doesn't have any great proclaimations to make. Instead she moves over towards where Kitfox is slumped and goes digging for the medic's kit, digging for bacta. After Narsai's grand speech is over? She has her own two credits to add. "Someone get me a damn medic!"
Kitfox lays dormant, one hand with that deathgrip on her blaster, the other hanging limp against her chest. Her eyes have since fallen shut, mouth closed. No heartbeat, though Laika may notice the glint of a metal endoskeleton through the gash in her chest. The red and black mixture smells less of humanoid blood and more of some light chemicals. She's not /quite/ a perfect Human Replica Droid, but she's almost close enough. Her medpac isn't hard to get ahold of, and there's probably some oddly placed tools that would be more at home in a mechanic's kit than a medical kit. Pity she isn't awake to see how badass her teammates were.
