Ask Onderon Competence

[Zorya]

.
C O M P E T E N C E
Queen of Darkness

Z O R Y A

Zorya tread lightly on the mottled ground of Onderon, her every step infused with memories of another time. The planet’s atmosphere had the tang of verdant jungles and long-lost histories, and she felt it pierce her very soul. Her hand reflexively flexed, the seared scars on her left hand a testament to the treachery she had faced. Umbara's shadows were behind her; Onderon's trials lay ahead.

The news of the Royal family's assassination had reached her even in exile. She had felt a pang of sorrow – but what truly vexed her were the Sith abominations Darth Raze and his cronies had unleashed. And the once-famed Beast Riders, now preoccupied, left Onderon's borders susceptible to drexl incursions.

Amidst the chaos, House Kira’s call to mercenaries reverberated across the land. Kill the drexl causing havoc near Kira Fortress and be rewarded handsomely. An echo from the past nudged her; years ago, she had attempted to join Sith hunting an Arkanian dragon. That venture had been cut short, the Master Sith overseeing it called away.

The notion of her joining a hunt, of offering her blade in the defense of the innocent, seemed a capricious twist. Was it altruism? A wish to save Onderon? Or perhaps a latent need to prove herself after her downfall? Whichever it was, she could not deny the allure of testing her mettle against a drexl, one of the apex predators of her homeworld.

Zorya reached the designated rendezvous – the shuttle departure point. She was garbed in nondescript smuggler clothes, a stark contrast to the Sith robes she once donned. A visor, both pragmatic and discreet, shielded her eyes and concealed her identity. The air was thick with the anticipation of the hunt. She awaited the arrival of the other hunter, feeling the simmering warmth of Onderon’s sun on her skin and the cool, gentle brush of the breeze through her long silver dreads. Every scent, every whisper of the leaves bore an intimacy of homecoming. Yet, mingled with it was the tang of danger and the inexorable approach of confrontation.
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[L'Arra]

The Lightdancer was a but a dark dot in the sky, but grew with every passing moment. There was space enough at the departure point for several ships, and so far L'Arra had the pick of the litter. The farthest spot from the shuttle pad; that would do nicely. She enjoyed the short walks that parking in the back created anyway. It usually helped her clear her mind and stay focused on the task again, which most of the time meant heading a bar.

This time however, the realization that she wasn't going to a bar hit her with a wave of humid stench. Was the whole damn jungle rotting? Hells. L'Arra shook her head, hoping to clear her sense of it, but failed. Her black furred, trimmed tail waved behind her sporadically, and her ears were low along her head. The was no mistaking her expression for anything other than disgust.

There was already a woman waiting. Guess she'd gotten the call for mercenaries too. L'Arra approached, wearing olive drab cargo trousers that fell over rugged black and grey boots, and a black tank top. She had a AZ-1 blaster pistol on her hip, an EC-17 holdout concealed in her waist band at the small of her back, and a vibro-blade tucked in its sheath on her belt.

"Heya!" L'Arra called, giving a wave. "You here to hunt drexl too?"

@Aberforth

 

[Rath Jell]

Rath had heard of the job through his contacts indigenous predators have been causing issues after the attack of the monstrosities. His ship lurching out of hyperspace as he makes his approach to Onderon. Punching in the coordinates he was given to the rendezvous location into his autopilot and glancing at the time till arrival he had a few minuets to double check his equipment.

His console system began beeping alerting him that he was approaching his destination. Taking over he landed near the shuttle pads. Before walking out he made sure to grab his E-11D going down the ramp he punched in the security protocols and locked up his ship. Looking around he saw a bubbly cat girl waving out to someone. Hearing something about drexl made him sigh. Hope she's as skilled as excited he would think to himself as he made his way towards the pair.

Reaching the two he would put his hand to his chest in the typical Mandalorian salute. "I'm guessing your the others that answered the call since your shouting about the creatures in question." Studying both his allies the one with the goggles held an air about her that Rath knew all to well. Good I only need to worry about one of them. He would straighten up an look out to the wilderness. "Well that beast won't hunt itself." Trying to gauge his companions before death was truly an issue.

@Aberforth @TheDudeMike

 

[Zorya]

.
C O M P E T E N C E
Queen of Darkness

Z O R Y A

With solemn inscrutability, Zorya's eyes, veiled behind her protective visor, registered the arrival of the felid stranger. The other woman's vibrant energy stood in stark contrast to the dense weight of Onderon's muggy atmosphere. In tacit response to the query, Zorya inclined her head in subtle agreement, the lingering tautness in her demeanor affirming her purpose.

The second entrant in their embryonic assembly was markedly different. Enrobed in the unmistakable armor of a Mandalorian, his methodical approach conveyed a familiarity with potential perils. While she made no overt display of emotion, there was a subtle shift in her stance, an inward sigh that only someone who knew her intimately might detect. The Mandalorian exuded an aura both seasoned and resolute, immediately placing him apart from the exuberance of the felid.

Without uttering a syllable, Zorya raised her hand, motioning to the shuttle droid conductor. The message was lucid: they were prepared to embark. As the shuttle's repulsorlifts hummed to life, it elevated gently, cutting a swift path through the jungle canopy.

Below, Onderon unfurled in a verdant expanse, a melange of rich foliage interwoven with the silver threads of winding rivers. Through the subtle vibration of the shuttle floor and the hushed whispers of the wind, the enclave of civilization emerged: a humble village bearing the jagged scars of a recent devastation. Buildings lay in shattered disarray, once idyllic homes now stood as hollow husks, all evocative of the drexl's malevolent passage.

Descending upon the affected terrain, the shuttle alighted gracefully, affording them a panoramic view of the devastation. Emanating authority, Zorya stepped forth, her senses intensely attuned to the tangible dread that permeated the air. The village seemed eerily deserted, the only evidence of its once teeming life being the still smoldering fires and trampled underbrush.

She looked between her two new associates, her silence lingering like an unspoken question, palpable and profound. Lifting her scorched left hand, she gestured toward the fractured landscape, her intention clear: they needed to ascertain the drexl's path, to pursue this airborne leviathan to its lair.

Though mute, Zorya's query was unambiguous: How do we proceed to track the creature that wreaked this havoc?

@TheDudeMike @Javier esschoolbus
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[L'Arra]

L'Arra tilted her head, ears perking up and tail wagging without a thought. So the woman with the goggles was mute, or didn't want to speak. No matter. L'Arra could speak enough for the both of them. She leaned a little close to the woman. "Love the hair, by the way," she said in a hushed voice.

The next guy to show up was decked out in Mandalorian armor. What L'Arra would do to get her hands on some of that. Some of the best armor a girl could half. She'd seen a few beskar clad mercenaries that she dropped bombs on crawl out of the dust without a scratch. She gave him a wave out of courtesy. A nod would be all he'd get from L'Arra when he asked about the job, but she noticed the way he looked at her, and knew she wasn't very fond of her talking. Fuck him.

The devastation below them when they reached the destination wasn't lost on L'Arra, but just wasn't an issue. Hells, she'd cause more with some of her own bombing runs in the Imperial Navy. Nothing caused devastation like fire bombs in a forest. It wasn't something she was proud of, but it was something she did. And she revisited it every night in a drunken stupor before bed. Especially when she remember it wasn't a forest she fire bombed, but a village.

Stepping off the shuttle, L'Arra looked around, her ears perking up to take in every sound available. She didn't have the heightened smell that her more animalistic Fiani had, but she at least had the hearing. "I don't hear anything. I'll take point," she said. Her AZ-1 blaster pistol left it's holster and found it's way into her right hand as she followed the woman's motions and started cautiously patrolling into the devastation left by the drexl.

@Aberforth @Javier esschoolbus

 

[Rath Jell]

Rath stood quiet on the ride when the goggled woman moved forward. Looking over her he could get faint glimpses of the devastation. Stepping back he let the others get off first. Activating his jetpack he hovered over the village turning his thermal view in his helmet on he scanned for any life. Not being able to find any he landed near the others.

"No signs of thermal activity not even a rat moving about. No noticeable trails from the beast either." He would begin thinking of his hunts he's been on. "Normally a flying creature would have a perch so a nearby mountain or plateau would be my guess." He would then look to the others for there thoughts on the situation.

@Aberforth @TheDudeMike

 

[Rue "null" tepmuart]

Suddenly, a loud "OYAAAA!" Could be heard as the alor of the twins, rue tepmuart now zoomed in on a rented speeder bike, hard breaking and stopping in front of the group.

"Su'ca gar friends!" She merrily salutes, gingerly hopping off before she adopted a more.. mandalorian persona.

"I heard things were kicking off?"

She looked around.

"As in, hunting whatever did this?"

To zorya, she bore the exact same armor design as cremek, in the same patterns, the only difference between them was her armor was colored differently, with oranges, silvers, blacks, and reds, with hints of bronze in some places, and Scarlett paint covered the right side of her helmet, including the visor, where the relative eye would be.

@Aberforth @TheDudeMike @Javier esschoolbus

 

[Zorya]

.
C O M P E T E N C E
Queen of Darkness

Z O R Y A

Zorya's attention first swung toward L'Arra as the Fiani commented on her hair and brandished her pistol, her auditory faculties capturing the sense of certainty with which L'Arra announced her decision to take point. She offered a minuscule nod of acknowledgment, although her focus shifted immediately to her tactical visor, cycling through various scanning modes to survey the situation.

Rath's analysis, presented with a characteristic Mandalorian bluntness, resonated with her own train of thought. His conjecture about the drexl's likely haunt—a mountainous perch—filed itself away in her mind as she continued her silent scrutiny of the ravaged terrain.

Abruptly, the droning of a speeder bike ruptured the stillness, its aggressive deceleration signaling the arrival of another player on this grim stage. Rue, flamboyantly armored and jubilant, stood in front of them. One glance at the armor and Zorya's senses tingled in a swirl of conflicting emotions. For an excruciating moment, her visual processors sharpened the colors—oranges, silvers, blacks, reds—the configuration echoing with a sibilant whisper of memory tied to Cremek Candorus, her former ally turned enemy.

Involuntarily, her grip tightened around her weapon's handle, an austere manifestation of a storm brewing within her. A dissonant chord of emotion—betrayal juxtaposed against a visceral sense of alertness—steeled her resolve. But just as swiftly, the tumult subsided, and Zorya relaxed her grip, choosing not to divulge her emotional turbulence.

She tapped the screen on her wrist console, bringing up a topographic map of the area and pointing to a series of elevated coordinates that aligned with Rath's hypothesis about a potential perch. Her eyes locked onto each of theirs sequentially—questioning, probing, asking for a confirmation or alternative strategy without voicing a single word. Their next move was not hers to dictate alone; it would be a collaborative endeavor. With a flick of her wrist, she expanded the map, making it visible to all.

@TheDudeMike @Javier esschoolbus @Hastur
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[L'Arra]

L'Arra gave a small wave to the second Mandalorian. She'd seen plenty of them in her day. Might have even shot a couple done before. Hard to tell, and she spent most of her life now trying to forget those things. The goggled woman's grip tightening on her weapon put L'Arra on edge. Hells what she would do for a death stick right now. Wasn't a good idea though; the smell would drive the drexl away.

The initial reconnaissance came back with exactly what L'Arra suspected. Flying creatures wouldn't be hanging out down in the lowlands for long. When the goggled woman opened her map, L'Arra approached her, yellow eyes flowing along each contour line to identify each peak and plateau. She pointed at the nearest peak to them on the map.

"This peak is taller than the others. If we can get up there, we'll have a decent view of at least half of these," she said, gesturing to the plateau's and other peaks along the map. Turning, the realization that the task she just laid out would be a daunting one. It'd be a hell of a treck. L'Arra turned back to the group.

 

[Rue "null" tepmuart]

To make matters even worse for poor zorya, as of the universe was there to spite her, she bore Cremeks signant of the krayt sand dragon, stating not only was she part of his clan, but likely family by blood.

"rue candorus Aram tepmuart at you service, by the way, and I did some scouting by accident when I accidentally had my holo map project upside down, place is rather hard to hide in, but I noticed a high..ish? Perch about.."

She opened her holo map, as it flickered and even blinked out for a moment, before blaring fully to life, she tapped a second location.

"It's very much possible they perched there as well."

@Aberforth @TheDudeMike @Javier esschoolbus

 

[Rath Jell]

Rath had finished his report and heard a speeder decelerating nearby. Before turning to address the newcomer he saw the goggle wearing one gripping her weapon causing him to do so reflexively. The mandalorian addition was just as bubbly as the one with ears.

Looking at the map he scanned the various potential locations. A chunk of them felt like they were too far for it to have been logical for the creature to do this. "I agree with the tailed one. Although the creatures lair may happen to be there. It wouldn't make an attack like this outside of its territory if its a predator. Caution will be necessary for the climb and our survival." A display pulled up of a meter seeming to be slightly depleted. "I should be able to make it up to the top and have a quarter of my fuel extra. Chasing it though will not be possible even with my current fuel." Looking back at the group the display going away.

@Aberforth @TheDudeMike @Hastur

 

[Zorya]

.
C O N V E R G E N C E
Queen of Darkness

Z O R Y A

As Rue's holographic display sputtered to life, Zorya's internal processors waged a brief, intense battle between irritation and discipline. The Mandalorian's familial insignia—a provocative cipher that screamed of lineage to Cremek—loomed in her peripheral vision. She decisively curtailed any descent into bitter recollection. Now was not the moment for personal vendettas to cloud judgment or compromise the mission.

Zorya parsed the strategic inputs, her cerebral circuits humming with activity. L'Arra's suggestion of the elevated vantage point carried merit, juxtaposed with Rue's additional data. Rath's cautionary note on fuel economy and the predator's territorial behavior integrated seamlessly into her analytical framework. The most rational course emerged from the kaleidoscope of variables: a multi-tiered reconnaissance and engagement strategy.

Her gloved fingers danced over the wrist console, superimposing a series of waypoints over the existing topography. Each marked an incremental ascent toward the highest peak, allowing them to reconnoiter alternative lairs pinpointed by Rue en route. She dispatched the updated map to their individual displays and then gestured toward Rath. With an economy of motion, she mimed a flying ascent and a lookout pose, signifying his role as their airborne sentinel.

Next, her eyes locked onto L'Arra and Rue, her gaze wordlessly conveying the crux of her plan: they would form the ground unit, cautiously advancing through the treacherous ascent. She marked a rendezvous point near the pinnacle, a confluence where both teams would converge for the final hunt.

Before initiating the operation, Zorya reached into a compartment on her utility belt and retrieved a small, spherical object—an advanced sensor beacon. She activated it, and it hovered briefly in the air before settling onto the ground. It would alert them to any major movement in the area, a final safeguard should their elusive quarry decide to venture close to their starting position.

With tactical efficiency, she initiated the shoulder-mounted grappling system, the servos whirring in anticipation. One final glance toward her temporary allies—each encased in their own armor, each a cipher of competence or potential liability—and then she moved, leading the ascent with a series of well-calculated grappling launches.

Their quarry wouldn't wait. And neither would she.

@TheDudeMike @Javier esschoolbus @Hastur
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[L'Arra]

L'Arra watched the goggled woman form a plan from all of their inputs. It was amazing the efficiency at which she worked. Two in the air, two on the ground. Looks like she was pairing up with one of the Mandalorians. As the goggled woman took off, L'Arra jerked her head toward the first waypoint, yellow eyes locked on Rue.

"That's our que to get movin'," she said. She moved at a brisk pace, but not a pace that would allow her to be taken by surprise. Save the running for when the blaster bolts start flying. The creatures they hunted lived in the air, but that never meant they couldn't be taking a nap down here in the mud. L'Arra had to admit though, if she still had her TIE she piloted in the Empire, these drexl would be sitting ducks. She'd feel a lot safer too. Much easier to strafe and bomb than it is to patrol on foot.

The first waypoint was coming up quickly. The goggled woman would most likely already be there at the pace she flew about.

@Aberforth @Hastur @Javier esschoolbus

 

[Rue "null" tepmuart]

Despite what a lot of people thought, rue was far from dumb, she was a gunslinger, and god damn good at what she did, something of a quick draw artist, when zorya moved for her weapon rue already had a small scattergun out.

"You sure you wanna do that?"

When zorya moved her weapon hand only away rue spun her slug thrower in her fingers before putting it away.

"oya!"
She gave a cheer, following suit after l'arra

@Aberforth @TheDudeMike @Javier esschoolbus

 

[Rath Jell]

The goggled woman laid out an intricate plan. She even added the data from the second mandalorian's data map. After sending the updated maps and the waypoints she began signing for him to be the recon for the group. She set down some sort of sensor or something before taking of making her way for the first waypoint.

Rath looked over the map in his display as the others jogged onward. Aerial recon normally wasn't a bother for him but now his foe was better than him in the air. Launching up into the air he would make sure he didn't go over the apex of the tallest peak. Making his way to overlook the first waypoint he would notice various peaks seem to have bones scattered on them. Yet there was still no sign of a lair on any of them.

@Aberforth @TheDudeMike @Hastur

 

[Zorya]

.
C O M P E T E N C E
Queen of Darkness

Z O R Y A

A complex tableau of emotions and calculations unfurled within Zorya, her grappling system retracting with pneumatic hisses. The cadence of this artificial breath belied the uncanny dispassion of her internal machinations. Rue's deft handling of her scattergun hadn't escaped her sensors, and the terse encounter flickered briefly in her memory banks. The Mandalorian's agility confirmed her analysis: Rue was a proficient combatant, albeit one with an unpredictable flair.

Arriving at the first waypoint ahead of schedule, Zorya conducted a rapid visual survey. Her advanced optics scanned the landscape, cross-referencing Rath's latest report of scattered bones. Yet, the elusive creature's lair remained a perplexing absence, a void in a puzzle growing ever more intricate.

The data were inconclusive but ominously suggestive. Such extensive predation patterns without a discernable lair implied a creature of considerable intelligence or perhaps, multiple entities. She spared a fraction of a second to reconsider the sensor beacon she'd left at the rendezvous point—had it been sufficient?

Her auditory receptors caught the distant echoes of her team's progress—Rue's jubilant "Oya!" reverberated across the crags, and even from this vantage, the distinct cadence of L'Arra's footfalls betrayed a confidence that Zorya found both admirable and concerning. Was it courage or recklessness? The line between the two often vanished in the heat of combat.

Decision matrices recalculated, updating risk parameters. They were a patchwork team, each with their own shadows and motivations, yet each also endowed with skills vital for the mission's success. It was a delicate dance of mutual interdependence, and Zorya understood her role as the fulcrum around which these divergent forces rotated.

Opening a secure comms channel, she dispatched a burst of encrypted text data to Rath, requesting an update on any thermal activity from his elevated perspective. Simultaneously, she forwarded a panoramic image of the first waypoint to Rue and L'Arra, marking potential hazards with luminescent glyphs.

She cast her gaze skyward, aware that the creature—or creatures—they hunted were creatures of the air. But for now, the heavens revealed nothing, a blank canvas awaiting the brushstrokes of forthcoming conflict.

Fully armed and sensor nets activated to full range, Zorya advanced to the next waypoint.

@TheDudeMike @Javier esschoolbus @Hastur
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[L'Arra]

L'Arra's EZPhone buzzed. She took it out, pressing a button and letting the panorama for only a second. Her training with night-time close air support mission in the Empire gave her the ability to create a baseline and append that baseline within her mind. A second after it had activated, the panorama was clicked off and the phone put back into her pocket. There was no need for L'Arra to turn to the Mandalorian following her, but she did anyway. Trust, but verify.

"You got where to look? You take west to south. I'll take the three o'clock half, you take the nine," she said. Turning back to the trail, she moved to the first waypoint. Stopping for a moment, L'Arra took the time too look around. Her main focus was the points the goggled woman had sent, but she paid attention to every shadow, every crevice. If there was one thing nature had perfected, it was using the environment to it's advantage.

Finding nothing, save for a few bones here and there, L'Arra motioned for the Mandalorian with her hand. At a patrolling pace, she moved again along the makeshift trail laid out by the goggled woman. Her yellow eyes scanned her sector, knowing the Mandalorian behind her would handle their sector just fine. Her Fiani ears swiveled, hoping to catch even a whisper of the drexl's presence.

@Aberforth @Javier esschoolbus @Hastur

 

[Rue "null" tepmuart]

"mhm.. I got it."

She drew what seemed to be a blaster rifle off her back, keeping it in a ready position, she pulled a bolt back, loading it.

"you think were gonna run into them quick?"

@Aberforth @TheDudeMike @Javier esschoolbus

 

[Rath Jell]

As Zorya made her way towards the second waypoint she would see the mandalorian land on a plateau ahead. Shortly afterwards an image would be sent to her via the shared system it was a purple horn inside of a corpse the blood was still fresh. The mandalorian launched back up to his recon height.

Continuing his scan of the peaks he isn't able to notice anything else. He begins looking around the sky but doesn't notice anything. It is eerily calm almost as if they're the ones being hunted. He begins moving to the next recon location marked on his map.

@Aberforth @TheDudeMike @Hastur

 

[Zorya]

.
C O M P E T E N C E
Queen of Darkness

Z O R Y A

The hum of the dark side surged within Zorya, its familiar resonance a juxtaposition to the unfamiliarity of the environment she navigated. Being an exiled Sith Master, she had felt the vastness of the Force many times, and now it served as an unerring compass, guiding her steps. The message from the Mandalorian was alarming. Fresh blood, yet no creature in sight. Suspicion laced her every thought; the environment was too placid, too silent. An ambuscade, perhaps?

The thought made her spine tingle with anticipation. She reached out with her senses, tendrils of the Force extending in every direction. As she approached the second waypoint, a curious sensation piqued her awareness. It was subtle at first—a temperature gradient, the faint scent of ammonia, and a pulsing energy unlike the natural ambiance of the terrain. She drew her saber staff, its crimson light yet unlit but ready.

A few paces more, and Zorya's foot met with an unexpected hollow beneath the surface. Kneeling, she brushed away the topsoil, revealing a membranous surface, stretched taut and pocked with tiny pores. Drawing upon her alchemical knowledge, she identified it as part of a drexl nesting ground.

Resuming her stand, she observed the surroundings with a hawk-eyed intensity. The nest's location was intelligently chosen: a minor depression in the ground shielded it from aerial view, while the surrounding rock formations provided an umbrella against ground threats.

She took a moment to admire the creature's instincts before reaching out with the Force, trying to ascertain if any eggs or juveniles were hidden below. The knowledge would be paramount; disturbing a nest could incite the wrath of an entire swarm.

"Found the nest," she wrote tersely over the comms, ensuring the team was apprised. "Proceed with caution."

As she stood guard, Zorya pondered on the drexl. In many ways, the creature mirrored her own existence—marginalized, seeking shelter in the fringes, but ever watchful and ready. And like her, it bore the weight of survival with a predatory elegance.

@TheDudeMike @Javier esschoolbus @Hastur
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