Ask Born of War

[Tandon Fell]

“We’re about to hit the ground! Brace for impact!”

The shuttle descended through the air, smoke billowing from the damaged thrusters as blasts of energy filled the sky behind them. Tandon Fell, a young man who simply wanted to escape the world that had brought him so much pain, sat near the back of the damaged vessel with gritted teeth and white knuckles as the passengers on board all cried out in terror as the Tarisian surface rapidly grew closer and closer. The sounds of Sith fighters following the carnage echoed around them as a reminder of what the armada had come here to do. There would be no mercy, it seemed. Not even the innocents would be allowed to flee.

The shuttle hit the ground, throwing nearly everyone from their seats as the wreckage skidded along the platform before coming to a complete stop as it slammed into the base of one of the world’s glittering towers. It wasn’t sparkling lights that illuminated the tower this day however, as fire had engulfed much of what was above the surface. The collision of the shuttle and tower would shake a great deal of debris free, raining down on the grounded refugees.

Tandon’s head would ring as he struggled to push himself to his feet. The warm sensation of blood oozing from a freshly opened wound on his forehead reminded him that he was still alive, a fact that he could not say for certain for the remaining passengers. Their screams of fear were silenced, only the sounds of fire and war existing beyond the downed craft. As his mind cleared, the boy could see the bodies of the others surrounding him. Many were dead, others knocked unconscious like himself though they were beginning to stir. The pilot wasn’t even visible any longer. In his place was a giant hole through the screen. It would seem he had been thrown from the wreck and only the higher powers knew where he would have landed.

Coughing, Fell soon found his footing and stumbled his way to the access hatch. The ship’s power was cut, keeping him and the other survivors as they awoke in place. Frustrated, Tandon slammed his fist into the wall with a loud bark of anger.

“What are we going to do?!”

“This thing is going to get crushed! We need to get out of here!”

Turning back to the cockpit, Tandon pointed in it’s direction.

“That way! Crawl through the glass! Go!” the man yelled as he began ushering any survivors in it’s direction. The refugees, with a cattle-like mentality, followed the demand without question and began to pile into the pilot’s cabin. Blood decorated the tips of the shattered visor but any remaining shards were soon busted out as the survivors crawled through and to the surface. Last to escape, Tandon jumped to the ground with a tumble, discovering that his left leg had been cut. Grimacing in pain, he held the wound and fell to his side. From this position, he could see the crimson colored sky. Smoke swelled, explosions echoed.

His home would be destroyed, regardless of the outcome of the invasion...

@Rhogar​

 

[Akaan Skirata]

Tandon would hear the thud of armored boots heading for the survivors, and any hope of Tarisian Security Forces would be dashed by the sheen of the black Sith trooper armor. They would immediately open fire on the survivors killing the two closest to them. There was no hesitation, no warning, and no chance for surrender. Some of the rich that fled, had brought security captains with them, and Reynald, a security chief for one of the other families aboard would rise to his feet to protect his charge, popping off several shots and scoring several kills. "All of you, run! I'll cover your esc-gahh!" whatever he was going to say was lost as the blaster fire of the regrouping sith troopers ripped through this body.

Death seemed to arrive for the young man and the other survivors as the Captain of the Sith Troopers signalled for flamethrower trooper to move up. There was a faint hiss as the primer for the thrower but the heat never came.

A thunderous roar would erupt from a armored warrior who seemed to fall from the heavens, his axe crushing through the troopers armor to cleave the torso. Golden armor would reflect the flames of the burning world around them and with surprising ease, he would pull the axe free from the corpse before making another few corpses with a second swing. "Dilasa mies hut'uune at woor!" the warrior would bellow, to seemingly nobody. "Korrah, pabida cuyan at ta'na'oaragr!"

Suddenly a woman would land beside the young man. "Ni cuyir bat bic! Kest, Flynt, gaa'tayl ti kadala!" the language would be strange, one that the boy had definitely never heard before. Her visor would pan to Tandon. "Can you move with your leg?" the tone would seem soft despite the battle all around them. "Hold on." she would put a hand on him to push him lower as her free hand pulled her blaster free and she fired several rounds into the incoming sith trooper.

Two other Mandalorians were also helping some of the other wounded.

@Tulos

 

[Tandon Fell]

As the troopers began to converge on the location of the surviving refugees, Tandon could not help but wonder just why they had taken to engaging civilians. He had heard stories of the Sith, how they displayed little to no mercy against those who would oppose them, but to simply open fire on innocents? It made no sense. How could it? The people of Taris had lived in peace with the greater galaxy for generations and this attack as a whole seemed unprovoked to the young man as he watched the soldiers growing closer. Then again, Tandon’s life in the lower city had demonstrated on countless occasions that motive was often a point-of-view issue… If not entirely fabricated for personal gain.

Closing his eyes and holding his breath to prepare for his inevitable end once the two Scorch troopers advanced, Tandon was left in a state of confusion as no flames would come. Instead, the sounds of jetpacks descending from the sky caught the attention of refugees and soldiers both as a group of armored warriors engaged the squad that had been such an imminent threat.

Opening his eyes to the scene, Tandon could not help but allow himself an elated beaming grin as he caught his breath. Never before had he seen such fighters, cladded head to toe in battle-scarred plate armour and speaking a foreign language that he had most definitely never heard before. He watched as they engaged the Sith soldiers, eliminating more than half and forcing the others back to regroup. Enamored by their efficiency, Tandon would attempt to push himself to his feet to assist their newly arrived rescuers only to be pushed back to the ground by one such warrior as she engaged a remaining footsoldier.

“I’m fine! Get off me!” Tandon barked, perhaps with a bit more adrenaline-sourced hostility than was intended, as he scrambled to his feet. His leg ached but he could put weight on it for now. If they survived, he could worry about the injury later. All that mattered was they were safe for the moment thanks to the four Mandalorians but for how long remained unknown.

“Who are you people? Why are you helping us?” Tandon would ask of the woman though his gaze would shift between each of the four warriors. “You’re clearly no friend of the Sith. Are you some sort of TSF Special Forces or something?”

@Rhogar​

 

[Akaan Skirata]

Of the group of sith troopers, only two would be fortunate to get away. The warrior brandishing the axe would feign a charge and laughed heartily as they fled.

The woman seemingly took no offense at the snap. She was understanding of he situation and she seemed delighted that at least one of the Tarisians had some fire in heir soul. "Easy, ad'iik." she said gently, even helping him up as she inspected the leg.

"Or something." Akaan would say as he approached. "We're Mandalorians. And we're helping, because that's what we do."

"These -cowards- kill children." The woman would say. "Riduur, this one has some runi."

"That so?" Akaan said, his gaze shifting to Tandon. "Take some weapons from the dead, boy, you're with us. Flynt, get the rest to the ships. Rest of us will push to the orphanage that the Jedi informed us of. Make sure the ade get out safely. Let's move out."

The woman would stay near Tandon as he grabbed his foraged the dead.. "stay behind me."

Flynt nodded as he gathered the survivors and departed for the upper levels on foot.

@Tulos

 

[Tandon Fell]

Mandalorians… Tandon had never heard of such things. Or… had he? Taris was such a backwater world but people of most walks of life had made their way through the Lower City once or twice. The armour he would be able to recall if he had ever seen before but he was coming up blank.

Their way of talking was odd to the young man. Ad’iik, runi. These words made no sense to him, almost seeming like gibberish. Perhaps it was code that they had formulated in the past for when they were on the battlefield? Or a dying language that few knew. His money would be on the latter.

As their apparent leader made his orders to the fellow warriors clear, Tandon watched with enthrallment as the man known as Flynt led the other survivors of the crash away before turning his attention to the burly man in gold armour. He never broke his stare as he leaned down and plucked an E-11 from one of the fallen troopers. It, alongside his DL-18, should suffice. Fell was curious as to why he had not been asked to go with the others, his leg wounded and his face covered in his own blood, but rather he was asked to stick with the group of warriors despite these injuries. Of course, if they were going to be saving a bunch of orphans from the conflict then that was a cause he could support. Besides, he knew exactly which orphanage they were referring to. He could lead them through the lower city to the turbolift and that would keep them out of the Sith’s attention, leaving only the gang known as Rak Savages between them and these children.

“So tell me Mandalorian... You save these kids. Then what? That’s a lot of mouths to feed. You can’t be planning on keeping them safe forever so where are you going to take them?” Tandon asked partially out of wanting to know that if he helped, these kids would be safe. Mostly, however, he wanted to know if it was somewhere he could get off himself and start a new life away from this festering hole.

@Rhogar​

 

[Akaan Skirata]

Akaan would watch the young man with hidden amusement. His wife was right, the kid had a soul, and he showed it in his resolve to pick up weapons. He didn't even question or complain. Once Tandon was armed, the Mandalorians would move, with the golden beskar taking the lead, his horned helm on a swivel as he watched for enemies and potential rescues.

Korrah would walk beside Tandon and at his question, she would speak with an obviously amused tone, even through the speakers of her helm. "Well, we'll cook em and eat em." she said before laughing. "Or whatever you Aruetii say of our kind. In reality, we'll get you off world and see if we can drop you elsewhere. The Jedi may have a fall back point for refugees.. Or, for those who wish it, we'll bring them back to Mandalore with us.. To become as we are. These children will likely go there, where they won't be orphans for long. Many of our kind will happily adopt them."

They'd reach the turbolift and Akaan would pause to check the map coords that the Jedi had sent him. "Boy. What do you know of the evils that lie ahead? I know your kind have a sickness that turn normal streets to dangerous avenues."

@Tulos

 

[Tandon Fell]

The similarities between these so-called Mandalorians and Tandon’s own brothers in the time of The Brood rivalled the differences that also existed between them. The dark humour of the woman warrior was something he was only too familiar with. Even so, simply saying the words of cannibalising children curled Tandon’s lips upward in disgust though they were partnered with a half smirk.

“That’s… That’s just messed up,” he replied before she continued on her description of what would come after. Her words intrigued him. Not the part of being taken to some Jedi selected refugee haven, no. The part of the children being adopted into Mandalorian families is what stuck out to him. To become as they are, she said. Warriors. Is this how it was for these people? Is this how they bolstered their numbers? By claiming victims of war as their own?

Tandon mulled over the concept as they walked, the sounds of battle raging in the distance. Every so often, a fighter squadron would fly overhead cutting him from his train of thought but once the danger had passed he would return to it. All of these children they would rescue seemed to have a destiny born of war… But what of him? What would he do? Where would he go?

Coming to the turbolift that would take them to the lower levels of Taris, the group halted as the leader of the squad asked his question.

“Well, the invasion is probably restricted to the upper city. Any army that comes to Taris would think twice before sending forces below. Us lower city citizens won’t just roll over and let someone take our home. We’d let the rich suffer, sure. But strangers aren’t welcome in our territory,” Tandon would explain as he approached the turbolift door, realising it was locked down. No doubt actions taken by the Raks to keep the Sith out of their turf. Kneeling down, Fell removed a panel and began pulling wires apart as he continued explaining what they could expect. “We won’t encounter any Sith forces but… the gangs that control the lower city aren’t a threat to be taken lightly. They’re not a trained military force but most of them aren’t afraid to get their hands bloody. Especially the Rak Savages that control this sector. I’ve had a couple run-ins with them myself… They never end well,”

As he finished speaking, the turbolift door powered up and slid open to reveal the cabin that would take them below. Standing up and slinging the E-11 across his torso, Tandon nodded the Mandalorian Commander inside.

“The way you guys fight? We should be fine. Just keep your head on a swivel. They’re sneaky bastards,”

@Rhogar​

 

[Akaan Skirata]

His aversion to her joke only made her laugh more. "Relax. We're more civilized than your kind give us credit for." her visor would shift upwards as a squadron of fighters flew overhead. "All these people here and you have homes for children who are unwanted. It's sickening." she'd say, stepping over a corpse. "They won't be drowning in riches with us, but they will be loved, have a home. Or else they will become these.. Rak Savages.. and put more sickness into your world."

"Kill enough of them, they'll stay away." Akaan would say, as he stepped aboard. It was going to be ugly business, but someone had to do it. "Anyone can get their hands bloody, boy.. But few are willing to die for what they believe in. Our conviction is what sees us through.. We are all willing to die to get your people off this world. Unfortunately, we don't have room for all.. So we have to make a choice and that was the orphans."

The turbolift would reach the bottom, and the door would open. Korrah and her pistol ready, Kest had his sniper rifle, and Akaan would step out with his axe in hand. He seemed to hear something and that axe would swing around the side of the lift, sending a spray of blood outward, as one of the Rak's slid to the ground, headless. Akaan would crouch to grab the head and lift it skyward, so any others hiding could see. "Stand aside, we're not here for you! But if you tarry us or attack us, there will be a reckoning."

Kest would crouch and slide to a corner, his rifle focused on someone. "Ni soletar e'tad bat yusnurya, at katktas cuir o'r atar."

"He counts seven on the rooftops and sees a few hiding in the alleys." Korrah would translate for Tandon. "He doesn't speak your tongue."

@Tulos

 

[Tandon Fell]

With each passing moment as the turbolift descended, Tandon found it harder and harder to disagree with the things that these warriors said. He himself had nearly found his living situation to be identical to the children they were now going to recover. The only thing that had saved him from such a fate was The Brood. His brothers and sisters. While they were gone, they had demonstrated to him what a family really was. These Mandalorians, they seemed to be the same. Blood doesn’t forge bonds. Only hearts do.

“Is… is that how you became Mandalorians? Any of you?” Tandon would ask as they approached their destination. These people, what they were here doing now in the face of such danger, it was something the young man admired. Willing to die for a cause. The right cause.

Tandon would not get his answer, not immediately. As soon as the lift slid open, blood was spilled once more. He had seen some pretty gruesome deaths in the turf wars between The Brood and the Raks but it would take more than what he had experienced to fully prepare himself for the sight of a head cleaved clear from it’s shoulders.

“What the fuck…” Tandon whispered as the golden Mandalorian reached down to claim the head, presenting it to all who stood in wait. Standing at the rear of the squad, he decided he needed to step in. He would push himself passed the warriors and out into the street, holding his hands into the air while still keeping the E-11 in his dominant hand. “Let me try to reason with them,”

“Fell! You should know better than to bring outsiders to our home!” A Nikto man would shout from behind a dumpster, his rifle trained on the young man’s chest. Tandon turned to face him, never once letting his arms drop down. His eyes, however, reflected a stare of determination. What these Mandalorians were doing… It was the right thing and these savage bangers would not stop them.

“They’re not Sith, Kaga! They’re here to help our people!” Tandon pleaded, stepping further into the alley. He started to spot the additional Raks that Kest had located, many more starting to spill out of the numerous store fronts that adorned the long tunnel. “Let us pass! I’m taking them to O’Haro Orphanage! Let us gather the children so they’re safe from the invasion and we’re gone!”

“You’re a damn fool, Fell! Those kids are ours and you know that! We fund their care for a damn reason! You think letting them get off world with Mandalorians is going to be a better fate?! Give your damn head a shake!” Kaga barked back at him, waving his hand for his men to close in. Tandon gritted his teeth. This was not going well. Looking around, he started to count the amount of guns trained on them. Fifteen… Sixteen… Seventeen… Eighteen. ’Great…’

“Last chance, Kaga! I don’t want to fight you but if you’re going to stand in our way from freeing children while a battle rages on the surface? You don’t deserve to lead!” Tandon shouted back, moving his finger on to the trigger.

“You always were too soft, kid… Open fire!”

Tandon moved first and as soon as Kaga gave the order, his mouth took in a blast from the rifle in the boy’s hands. Blaster fire began to rain down, forcing him to dive for cover behind a pathway sized garbage can beside a bench that lined the passageway. Looking over to the Mandalorians, he shrugged.

“I tried!”

@Rhogar​

 

[Akaan Skirata]

Even through the filters of his helm, Akaan could smell the greed rampant through this level of the city. And the way this.. Kaga.. spoke of the children, it was enough to make the Mandalorian charge ahead. But he didn't. The boy wanted, no, needed to prove something. And so he would let him. Despite his experience letting him perceive the doomed failure, he was all the more ready for when the fun began.

As Tandon hit cover, a thermal detonator would be lobbed in his direction. Before it landed, a golden gauntlet would reach out and catch it, before quickly flicking it back in the direction of whoever threw it. The resulting blast would kill two of the Rak Savages in the alley and knock three more prone. Akaan would position himself between the boy and the gangsters, allowing the bolts to bounce off of his reinforced armor. "This is it, there is no turning back." he'd say in warning to the Raks. "Engage!"

Korrah would run from the turbolift to slide behind cover, popping out briefly to pepper one or two with a handful of bolts. The former would fall from his perch and die on impact with the ground, while the latter just seemed to be stunned where he was.

Kest stayed where he was, his sniper rifle snapping from one target to the next. He would target three hoodlums and he would drop three hoodlums, each one only taking a bolt between the eyes. Despite his effectiveness, it would be the large and heavy beskar that seemed to draw the eye of their attackers and he would bear the most targeting as he darted forward, his axe driving into the chest of a Rak Savage and spraying the gang member behind him in blood.

Six down, ten plus to go, it would be a very fun time.

@Tulos

 

[Tandon Fell]

Chaos reigned on Taris this day, it seemed. Planet wide invasion above, outsider invasion below. Tandon heard the explosion that would have undoubtedly ended his life had the Mandalorian not intervened but he didn’t have the opportunity to acknowledge it as one of the Raks approached his flank, cutting through a run down shop that lined the passage way. The gangster leapt from the shadows and collided with the young man just as he was preparing to step out from his cover and join the fray of battle. Together they fell out into the street as the Rak brandished a metal rod, likely an old piece of plumbing or something similar, slamming it into Tandon’s ribs as he was pinned down on his right side. The combination of the strike to his midsection as well as the tackle he had suffered, would force the E-11 from Fell’s hands and clatter across the street.

The Rak never gave an inch as he pulled his arm back, striking Tandon’s left shoulder as he tried to push him away with his forearm. Both of these men had lived a life of surviving on the streets of the Lower City. Both of them had the strength of survivors. Tandon, however, was the only one who had the motive of doing what was right to bolster his resolve. Mustering every ounce of strength he could, Fell would push back against the Rak Savage and successfully force him off before reaching for the DL-18 on his hip. The blaster would slide out of it’s holster before Tandon would manage to pop off a round into the neck of his attacker.

The fight was far from over Tandon would find as he scurried to get on his feet. The three Mandalorians were doing quite well at subduing their enemies, much as they had with the Sith Troopers above, but the numbers were far more heavily weighted in the favor of the locals. Unknown to the golden clad warrior, another Rak had prepared to leap from the roof of a single level complex to land on his back and try to distract him while his fellow gangsters could pepper him with blaster fire. What the Rak had not taken into account however was that Tandon would be watching.

As he finally pushed off from the roof top, Tandon still not fully on his feet from his previous tussle, the Tarisian would place a lead on the descending threat before squeezing the trigger again. Red energy collided with the leaper and propelled his corpse along the Mandalorian’s left side. While Fell was no Mand’oa, he couldn’t help but be proud to be fighting alongside them. It was this pride that pushed him to his feet as he hurried to recover the fallen rifle.

”Come on! This way!” Tandon bellowed, trying to get the Mandalorians to follow him to the next turbolift that would return them to the Upper City. The Raks would no doubt follow them but only so far; they wouldn’t dare leave their turf and certainly would not go to the surface in the face of invasion.

@Rhogar​

 

[Akaan Skirata]

Akaan could hear the skirmish behind him and as he turned, he would see Tandon, pop off a round into his own assailant. The boy had spirit, he had the soul of a warrior, that much was certain. A few seconds later a body would hit the ground to his left, he didn't even need to look to see who did it.

Kest would speak over the comms. "Slanar ti b'amr, Ni malyasa'yr koor ti hut'uun." He was just now creeping out from the cover of the other turbolift, sliding behind a some cover as he fired off his rifle several times, peppering one of the Raks three or four times.

The golden clad Mandalorian would look towards Kaly and nod. "Lead on boy, Kest will hold them off. We need to get to the children and quickly." He would begin to run after Tandon, before pausing to fire his wrist rocket at one of the rooftops, scattering another three of the Raks. It was unsure if he killed them or not.

Korrah, however, would fire off a few more shots from her twin blasters before rejoining the pair, pausing only to give Kest a nod.

@Tulos

 

[Tandon Fell]

The slapping of Tandon’s soles against duracrete echoed down across the Lower City, the sounds of the skirmish fading away with every painful step. Glancing over his shoulder to ensure that the Mandalorian’s were still behind him, he had to force himself to keep from turning back to assist the warrior known as Kest. They had thinned the group of gangsters but he was still vastly outnumbered and who knew if more Raks were on their way? Tandon reminded himself that despite the odds, each of these Mandalorians had proven themselves beyond capable. Kest could well handle himself against a group of mostly untrained thugs.

For the first time in years, Tandon felt alive. Fighting the Brood’s enemies had given him purpose so long ago, something that drove him each and every day of his youth. Those days were long gone and he had become stagnant. Comfortable to sit in a cantina and drink, flirt with women, just be a normal young man. These Mandalorians and their objective reminded him of who he was. What he loved to do. Fight.

The turbolift came into view and once boarded, would take them back to the surface. Back to the invasion. From there it would only be a short distance to O’Haro’s but by the heavy reverberations through the tunnels, it sounded like they could well be underneath a major skirmish. The chance they were going to be rising up into a full-blown conflict was high and that was if the turbolift was even operational.

”There it is! Hurry!” Tandon yelled back to the Mandalorians, turning his body to point his DL-18 down the hall behind him and in between his allies to place a blaster shot into the shoulder of one of the Raks that had either managed to slip past Kest or had picked up the chase at some other point. Wincing from the wound in his leg, his success would transition pain into satisfaction after turning back and sliding to a stop at the door. He quickly surveyed the panel and with the blinking lights still alive, things looked promising so he began to repeatedly push the button that would call the lift to them.

“Come on! Come on!” he growled through gritted teeth while slapping the button with his entire hand. Finally, as if the lift had understood his anxiety, the doors slid open and into the cabin that would ascend to the war. “Get in! Get in!” he would yell, turning to fire another series of rounds down the hall as more Raks closed in.

@Rhogar​

 

[Akaan Skirata]

As the Mandalorians followed after Tandon, they would move at intervals, turning to cover the other ones retreat. Korrah would give Akaan a detonator to throw when he covered and in return, she would lay down blaster fire. Taris was far from the first warzone for each of them, but it was definitely a thrill all the same. They had followed the call of their god and gone to war, and in doing so, brought change. Win or lose, Taris would never be the same, hopefully it would tip towards something better for the world.

Korrah would curse as a bolt ripped through her left shoulder, making the arm relatively useless, at least until she could find a stim for it. She would fire off another three or four rounds killing two more pursuers. She would be the first to reach Tandon, one hand nudging him forward at the wince, her body positioned between him and the Raks, in case they managed to get past her husband. "Riduur! Hurry!" she shouted back to Akaan, and when the door slid open, she would begin to push Tandon inside.

Once they reached the hallway, Akaan would feel more secure in the knowledge that they would be unable to get around him to attack his companions. That said, he wanted to make sure. Slowing, he'd turn with a vicious battle cry as the beskar axe sliced the flesh and bone like a heated knife through butter, the blade cut through with such ease that even the spinal column didn't put up much resistance. Both halves of the dead Rak would litter the floor before Akaan began to fall back again.

Reaching the lift and seeing it hadn't arrived yet, Akaan would turn, lobbing a thermal at the ceiling of the tunnel, the resulting blast, seemingly damaging the structure. Priming his repulsor, he'd fire it at the damage, the force of the blast enough to knock the damaged duracrete loose and cause it to cave in. The hall would shake as part of the ceiling began to crack and fall, rogue pieces crushing Rak pursuers.

As Akaan ran for the lift, Korrah would smash the up button, forcing her husband to dive through the turbolift doors before it closed. They could feel the reverberations from both above and below now as the small lift took them skywards.

@Tulos

 

[Tandon Fell]

Tandon breathed a sigh of relief as the lift ascended to the surface. They were safe, at least for the moment, but the image of watching Akaan tear through the Rak thug with his axe was burned into his mind. He had never seen anything that brutal before, short of the decapitation he had witnessed only moments before. These Mandalorians were many things, brutal and efficient chief of them.

Explosions above shook the turbolift shaft, causing the light of the cabin to flicker in and out, but ultimately they remained on track. Soon they would arrive on the surface and they would be on the move again. Looking over the group, Tandon could see that the female warrior had suffered an injury to her arm.

“It won’t be long until we’re back in the shit,” Tandon said with concern as he inspected the wound from a distance. Her arm looked like it would be all but useless going forward. Unless they arranged a pick up near the base of the tower, it could well become a problem. He wasn’t without his own injuries either, the pain in his leg beginning to resonate across his thigh as the adrenaline subsided. “That other partner of yours, the one you sent with the other survivors… Can you comm him-” Tandon paused, finally realizing he had not yet learned the names of these warriors.

They were a mystery to the golden clad warrior and his allies. Nameless, faceless… Fearless. They were everything he wanted to be. Everything he needed to be if he was going to survive in this galaxy. He had no one but himself. He needed to be strong, like these people who saved him for no benefit of their own.

“Do you think he can get to us without the Sith forces noticing? We need to get off world,” Tandon finished.

@Rhogar​

 

[Akaan Skirata]

Akaan would have a half laugh "We are already in the shit, ad'iik. A moments respite is nothing but a breath of air." He would look over the wounds of both parties, his own armor covered in blood though it was unclear if it was his or his enemies. "He was once like you." Akaan would say to the initial question of their fourth companion. "It's why we sent him with your kind. He will bring a transport once we are at the orphanage. I have no intention of running the orphans through the warzone."

The lift shook from the various explosions surrounding it and Akaan would stand at the front. "Stand behind me." As the doors slid open, blaster fire would rain towards them, pinging off of Akaan's armor and being drawn to him like glue. At least a dozen Sith Troopers had been pushing forward when the lift opened and their fire was now focused on the gold.

Several inaudible grunts would leave the golden behemoth as several bolts grazed his side, or pierced his thigh. One hand would raise and he would fire a wrist rocket, sending a good number of them scattering for cover. It was enough respite for him to surge forward and drive his axe into the dome of one of the troopers, causing his body to seize up before collapsing. "Get to cover!" he would yell back to the lift.

Korrah would advance behind her husband, though when he moved one way, she dove the other, for cover: a building that had recently collapsed. "Ad'iik! This way!" She would activate her comm. "Venku! Tek! Mhi cuyir gebi akaanir, liser gar dinuir mhi patka? Mhi ne'waadas at pabida mies bakrinr ut olar!" She would peek out from cover and fire off several rounds, killing two more troopers.

@Tulos

 

[Tandon Fell]

As the lift opened and the onslaught of the Sith troopers began, Tandon could tell the battle was nearly over. The skies were dominated by Sith invasion forces of whom were now meeting little to no resistance. As Tandon took cover behind a fallen billboard, he scanned his surroundings with a painful expression of dismay. His home was lost. The last of the only things he had ever known were now in flames. There was nothing here for him and he was further assured in his thoughts; it was time for him to go.

As he laid in cover, blaster fire seering through the air above, he couldn’t help but think of what had transpired that had brought him here. Not just through the invasion but his life as a whole. His father cast him and his mother out. Growing up on the streets with the Brood watching over his back. The things he had done in their name. It was all a culmination. But to what? His life had been upended in recent years time and time again. What was next for Tandon Fell?

“Adiik! This way!”

The Mandalorian woman’s call snapped Tandon back to the here and now. The advancing platoon of Sith soldiers had grown close to his position during his distracted state and as one such trooper poked his head and rifle out from above, Tandon looked up in time to lock eyes with him through his visor. Reaching his left hand up as the trooper tried to take aim, Tandon wrapped his fingers around the chin of the man’s helmet and tugged him forward to the ground at his feet before turning the E11 on him and dropping a volley of rounds into his chest.

Scurrying to his feet, the Tarisian hurried over to Korrah as she provided cover fire for his advance. The orphanage wasn’t far. He could see it and it remained standing tall, albeit flames and damage to the structure were hard to miss. Diving across the wrecked speeder that Korrah had hidden behind, an odd incision just before the handlebars catching his eye, Tandon leaned his back against it’s frame and looked to the woman at his side.

“That’s the orphanage there,” he began, pointing towards the tower with his rifle. “Pray to whatever gods you worship that they’re okay,” he continued in between ragged breaths, the havoc of the day taking its toll on his psyche and draining him of his energy.

@Rhogar​

 

[Akaan Skirata]

Akaan was still out in the open, his golden armor drawing most of the Sith Troopers like a beacon, or rather, the blood stained gold armor. The children were the mission. Korrah's visor was fixed on her husband, now being swarmed by the troopers. "We need to get to the orphanage.." she'd say solemnly. To leave him surrounded was nothing easy for her, they had been married since they were fifteen. "Lead on!" she shouted, groaning as she lifted from her position, damaged arm hanging limply as her other hand leveled her pistol and laid down some outgoing shots.

If at any point Tandon looked back to Akaan, he'd see the mighty warrior drop to a knee, albeit after taking quite a few of the enemy down with him. As one of the troopers tried to lift his axe, the sound of jetpacks roared overhead, followed by the sound of a heavy repeater as one of the Mandalorians opened up. Bolts would rip through their numbers, the elevation leaving them exposed to an attack from above. Akaan would use one or two of them as a shield when he hit the deck.

The other Mandalorian would touchdown beside them, running beside the pair. "It's getting sporty!" Venku shouted to Korrah. "As far as we can tell, it's even. Though, it's weird, the Tarisians have started to pull back! Maybe falling back to the lower levels!"

The -trio- would now be fairly close to the orphanage when Venku received a comm. "Tahla'ada! We need to get back! The ship should be on the way!" Venku would activate his jetpack once more, the early launch forcing him to fly low with Tek.

"Riduur.. Check in." Korrah said to her comm.

"Hurry! Tarisians have started to open fire on me." Akaan's grizzled voice would come over the comms, he sounded fairly injured. "Didn't think I looked like a trooper.."

"We're almost the-" Korrah was cut off by the sound of.. artillery fire? A tank? She didn't have time to register the exact source, she just heard the whistle overhead. It was already on her side, she had to act quick. "Ad'iik! Get to the children!" She would then fire up her repulsor and shoot it and an unawares Tandon, launching him farther from the blast radius.

The blast from the tank exploded some nine meters to her left, almost thirty away from Tandon by the time it hit. The shockwave from the explosion would send the mother flying, her body smacking hard against the walls of the orphanage. She lay prone where her body lay.

@Tulos

 

[Tandon Fell]

Everything had happened so quickly with the battle rapidly looking to be a Sith victory. The golden plated Mandalorian being peppered by blaster fire from every angle, the arrival of other warriors from the skies, the cries and orders of everyone that surrounded Tandon as the skirmish escalated. He had hardly any time to wrap his head around what was taking place when he was snapped back to reality at Korrah’s cry.

“Ad’iik! Get to the children!”

With that, Tandon was thrown from his feet and propelled in the direction of the orphanage. He let out a sound of shock but it was enveloped by the blast of artillery that had landed behind his previous position. As he tumbled into the ground, the sight of Korrah slamming into the wall just ahead of him spurred him to a hasty crawl in her direction.

“Are you alright?! Hey, wake up!” Tandon pleaded as he shook the seemingly unconscious woman only to receive no response. Panicking and unsure of the woman’s condition, he reached for the bottom of her helmet and pulled it upward to reveal the woman’s face, blood seeping from a wound on her forehead. Dismayed, Tandon fell backwards onto the seat of his pants, the woman’s green helmet still in his hands as he gazed upon her.

He didn’t know these people nor did they know him, and yet they came to his rescue. They brought him along on their mission to rescue the children of this orphanage despite not knowing a thing about him or what his values were. They saved not only his life but potentially many others at the cost of one of their own. That sacrifice could not be in vain.

As a blaster bolt struck the wall, narrowly missing his head, Tandon flinched back to reality. He needed to finish what they started so with one last look at the inanimate form of Korrah, a steely expression dominating his face, Tandon slipped the woman’s helmet over his own head and made a break for the entrance, turning and firing a volley from the E-11 that slammed into… A Tarisian militant? Now he understood why Taris had fallen...

@Rhogar​

 

[Akaan Skirata]

Korrah remained unmoving, the flow of blood from her forehead not seemingly slowing down. But no matter what, all that had mattered to her squad, was saving the children. As Tandon turned and fired the volley, he would notice the bodies of two more Tarisian soldiers dropping behind the first. And beyond them, a Tarisian hovertank would be rolling towards his position.

The cannon would begin to swivel towards Tandon, as if ready to finish the young boy off before it suddenly began to shift up and away from the boy. Heavy laser cannon fire would rip through the armor of the tank, crippling it. The tank would fire back, only to miss whatever it was targeting. A Kom'rk class transport would swerve overhead, the next volley of heavy laser fire destroying the tank.

Landing nearby, a half dozen Mandalorians would deploy, half of them heading to recover Akaan who had begun the trek back while the other half hurried to Tandon. The lead would stop at Tandon, his visor shifting to inspect the helm before the looking past to Korrah. "I take it this building is the mission? I don't know why they diverted down a level. You head inside, we'll collect our wounded."

The other two would begin to carefully prep Korrah for travel, each of them also trying to assess her injuries.

Carbon scoring decorated the exterior of the orphanage, and if Tandon went inside, he would find the two guards, a pair of Tarisian security forces with a half dozen dead sith troopers and another dozen orphans huddled behind some of the workers.

@Tulos