Ask On The Hunt

[Jace Kryze]

Jace looked through the scope of his rifle, the reticle panning over the target. He had it scoped and doped. He just needed to pull the trigger. Jace had never seen anything like it before - a magnificently huge beast with a reptilian snout, jagged rows of teeth, and the eerie way it hunched over to move. It was almost as if it was meant to walk on hind legs, but leaned on long forearms with elongated claws. There was an intelligence in its eye that could pass for cunning, and it was almost unsettling to behold. Jace watched it tear flesh from its prey, an unfortunate deer with barely anything left on the carcass.

Hauron was next to him, both men crouched behind a log in the far distance deep in the dense forest. Vines wrapped and twisted around tree trunks, tall grass hiding the two from view. They were downwind from the beast to avoid letting it catch their scent. The backwater planet here put out a contract to hunt this ravenous and elusive monster that was a genetic experiment gone wrong. It had all the attributes of an apex predator mixed with camouflage skin that made it elusive and deadly to hunt. Which was why the cavalry was called in.

Jace had just finished convincing Hauron that he was going to hunt the beast for the lucrative bounty on the trek over. And not try to bring it back alive because that hot scientist woman insisted. She and the other officials were at odds with one another.

“Fuck,” Jace whispered as the moment was lost. The beast heard something in the distance and moved in the blink of an eye, blending into its surroundings and disappearing. The Mandalorian sighed and removed his helmet, running his gloved fingers through his sweat-stained emerald hair, “I didn’t hesitate,” He said brusquely, gazing into Hauron’s visor right next to him. He could already imagine his expression behind the helmet, “I didn’t have a good shot,” He lied through his teeth.

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Spoiler: Music

Song

This excursion was definitely one that Hauron would remember if for no other reason than the strangeness of their prey. The beast was like something that belonged on the so-called "demon moon" of Dxun. In fact, it would probably thrive there. But here it would devastate the local wildlife and even any civilian populations if it got hungry enough. Taking it down was going to be difficult even for the Mandalorian duo which was why he was more than comfortable killing it and not trying to capture it.

The Solus Forge Master kept his eyes on the target even as its skin rippled with changing colors and melded with the foliage. Tapping his wrist he switched to infrared which barely improved. Their quarry was likely cold blooded and was lost among the underbrush causing Hauron's tense shoulders to drop. A nasally sigh must have been audible because Hauron heard Jace try to excuse the missed opportunity.

"It's okay." Whether Jace had the shot or not, they still had another chance. "We'll try again." It was not like the Mikkian would have done much better than his half-Twi'lek counterpart. He relaxed his hold on his own rifle and looked at their surroundings for a moment. "Something else spooked it." At least the repto-beast was not aware of the two Mandalorians as far as Hauron could tell which still gave them the element of surprise.

The badger turned back to look at the exposed head of the Kryze. "Hold on, handsome. Before we follow that thing I have something for you." The camouflaged animal could run and hide but even clawdite left footprints. The trail would not grow cold and running after it would only cause it to pick up on their presence. "I meant to give this to you earlier. We ran out here so fast I didn't have a chance to give it to you." Hauron was wearing a pair of jetboots today instead of his usual jetpack. He was outfitted for a hunting excursion more than outright warfare. The change in loadout allowed him to carry more on his back like a backpack which he had used to carry some provisions and gear. From the backpack Hauron produced a brand new helmet fitted for Jace to replace his old one. "Try this on and let me know what you think." He watched Jace's face eagerly but knew the half-twi'lek often took off or lost his helmet for one reason or another.

@Sreeya

 

[Jace Kryze]

A pang of guilt shot through Jace as Hauron had a positive response to the lie. Jace had ulterior motives, of course. Everyone knew Jace was a bit of a playboy, but Hauron always had a way of cutting right through the layers. The half-twi’lek wiped the sweat off his brow and prepared to move when Hauron told him to pause.

When he produced the helmet, Jace’s eyes widened in surprise, a look of genuine wonder gracing his face. He studied the immaculate craftsmanship, the details, the smooth finish. Hauron put a lot of time and thought into this. There was a rare smile on his face, not the charismatic one he flashed to melt hearts, but a real one.

“You little shit,” Jace whispered with a chuckle, “You really do pick the weirdest times to try and be cute,” He couldn’t take his eyes off the helmet, “I fucking love it,” He said gleefully, briefly forgetting all about the hunt. Before he put it on, he turned to Hauron, lifting the other man’s helmet up just enough to reveal that blue jawline and his lips. Jace tilted his head and leaned in to steal a quick kiss, sliding Hauron’s helmet back down before the man could fully react.

Jace popped his new helmet on his head, marveling at how perfectly it fit. He adjusted and tweaked the HUD to his preferences, tuning the vocal modulator.

“How do I look?” His mechanized voice resounded, “Is this your way of telling me you don’t like looking at my mug?” Jace asked with a quiet laugh.

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Beneath his helmet Hauron's mouth widened into a grin. He was overjoyed to see and hear Jace's reaction. The Forge Master shrugged humbly but it had taken a lot of effort and focus for him to complete the helmet. The hours over the hot forge had not been wasted and only served to enhance his skills to the point of being good enough to properly express how much he cared for Jace.

Hauron would not have stopped Jace's kiss even if he could. He managed to at least lean in and return the peck in kind. The Kryze was the only one that made his chest feel aflutter. Heat surged to the surface of his skin and made his cheeks turn a deeper shade of blue. If they had not been on a hunt he may have escalated the situation but he restrained himself for the time being.

"You wear it well. Like it was made for you." His smile persisted even in his voice. "It's my way of telling you I want that mug safe." He quipped back. Even if, Manda forbid, Jace got a nasty scar or two on his face Hauron would not care what he looked like. The Kryze had stolen the Solus's heart. It made things easier that he was handsome though.

His visor, and the eyes behind them lingered on Jace before returning to scan their surroundings. "That thing must burn a lot of calories. It probably will be hungry again before long. If we find its prey, we'll find ours', hopefully." There was no sign of other large wildlife in the area. The animal they were hunting had left deep imprints in the ground, hinting at how strong and heavy it was. Hauron wanted to hit this beast from a distance just in case the first shot or two did not take it down. "What is this thing made of? Did they give us any information on its genetic makeup?"

@Sreeya

 

[Jace Kryze]

Jace had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at Hauron’s reason for the helmet. His buir lectured him nonstop about his helmet, but he found it far more tolerable and affectionate coming from Hauron. Making the helmet himself was a very clever strategy to keep it on because Jace found the gesture meaningful.

“I wouldn’t mind burning some calories with you,” He said with a light nudge to Hauron with his elbow, grinning at his own crude joke. Jace was already moving again, pausing now and then to study the tracks. He was relying on ambient noises to determine if the beast was camouflaged and hidden. He noticed that insects and birds quieted down when the thing was nearby even invisible.

“Some apex predator mumbo jumbo,” Jace whispered with a flippant wave of his hand. Science wasn’t exactly his forte, “But the hot scientist was blabbering about wanting it brought alive because she wanted to expose it. She’s convinced its got humanoid DNA in it and the mix was right to implant a bit of consciousness,” Jace said with a grimace, “Sounds like bullshit but, Hauron, when I looked through that scope, it didn’t have the look of some dumb animal. It…looked like it was tortured. Like it was thinking and just stuck inside its body,” He felt stupid even saying it out loud. Hauron probably thought he was crazy.

Jace turned to glance at Hauron, “I can’t explain it,” He said quietly. The footsteps disappeared on the edge of a bog. Jace sighed in dismay, pondering where it could have gone. He didn’t yet consider the beast climbing up trees and navigating through interconnected vines.

“Think it…swam across this?” He asked, prodding the marsh water with his boot. In any case, there was a plainer field across the bog which might have animals the monster would hunt.

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Hauron let out a chuckle at Jace's joke. While he did not quip back in the moment he fully intended to follow through later and make him moan his name in the process. The Solus may appear more reserved and less flirtatious than the Kryze but he still had a fairly high libido that was only enticed by Jace's actions.

The hot scientist Jace referred to came to mind at Jace's provocation as well. Hauron could not help but have a few brief lewd thoughts involving a combination of himself, Jace and the scientist. But he pushed aside those urges in favor of focusing on the hunt before him. Hunt now. Sex later.

The details of their prey and the tone shift in Jace was serious. Hauron did not brush off his partner's concerns and considered them as they examined the trail left by the predator. The Solus had hunted many animals, some of which had a degree of intelligence but still were not classified as sentient. But even though the mandalorian was a hunter and killer he did not think of himself as a cruel man.

"I believe you." He reassured the fellow hunter by placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "We'll find it."

Hauron was not a scientist either. He could only speculate at the origins of this beast and what its true nature was. The two of them had been hired to do a job regardless, which he fully intended to see through to the end. The Forge Master took a deep breath in contemplation, considering moral implications of the experiments that created such a thing. In the end it did not matter how he felt about it. At least this way they could put it out of any misery it was experiencing and bring to light any atrocities done to create it. The galaxy did not need more of these things. There were enough abominations running around.

The Rancor Squadron Leader stopped at the edge of the swampy terrain. He was not excited to trapse through muck and water. The brackish liquid was hard to see through and its depth could change sporadically making the bog a treacherous crossing. "Maybe..." He answered idly as he carefully looked for disturbed flora that would betray its movements. "There" Hauron raised a gloved hand a pointed where it looked like something had swam through a patch of bright green algae. Whatever had moved through it had passed a few minutes ago so the water had calmed. Not so much as a ripple moved the placid waters. But the trail was undeniable.

"Either it swam across or something of a similar size did." Even so, Hauron did not immediately cross. He looked over his shoulder at the route they had taken to get there. His head tendrils wriggled slightly under his helmet and he could not help but feel like they were being watched. Maybe it was just mild paranoia. If it was not following them before, it could be now and they would have no way of telling until it made its move. "There's only one way to find out. I'll take point." He was Solus after all and Solus meant being first.

@Sreeya

 

[Jace Kryze]

“Fucking great,” Jace muttered with distaste. There were a few points where Hauron could jump to get across. A jetpack would be entirely too loud and leave them caught off guard. The Mandalorian had his rifle at the ready, his wrist weapons also primed in case something jumped out at them.

“I’ve got your six, go,” He said to Hauron with a nod. Jace looked around himself, feeling that similar sensation of being watched. He had hunted enough wild beasts to know when he wasn’t the only apex predator around.

“Do you see anything?” Jace asked Hauron through their shared comms instead of shouting at him. From where the Solus was, he could potentially see anything on the other side of the water.

Meanwhile, Jace only had a bit of rustling as a warning before something big and heavy jumped down on him from the trees. The Mandalorian landed with a thud, glancing up to find himself face-to-face with the very monster they were hunting. His rifle was pressed against his own chest from the pin, the weight of the beast making it difficult to breathe.

“Fuck you’re ugly,” Jace choked out right before the beast opened its massive maw and roared down at his face.

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Hauron was glad that his jetboots were rugged though he made a mental note to clear them once he made it across. Blockages would make things perilous for the Mandalorian if he ended up needing to use them. Carefully, he began making his way across, trying to not make noise or disturb the water too greatly.

The Solus was glad to have someone watching his back. It was one of the few things he never took for granted. Putting one foot in front of the other his boots pressed into the soft ground. "Nothing." He had made progress across only to hear the clattering of Jace's weapon slam against his breastplate. The abominable creature was already on the half-Twi'lek.

Reflexively his weapon was already coming about to point at predator but Jace was still too close for comfort. "Hey!" He yelled, hoping to draw the beast's attention. Instead of firing his rifle, Hauron raised left arm and pointed it at monster. From his vambrace a glowing yellow energy cord shot forth and wrapped itself around the reptillian snout and tightened it shut. It hissed in anger and was far from defenseless but at least it could not bite Jace.

Hauron was strong and had gained some muscle since G'wenee. His work in the forge and continued mission after mission had made his athletic frame bulk up. All that still was not a match for the might of this artificial organism. The energy cord launcher would cause Hauron to be yanked back towards the treeline and Jace, dragging the Solus through the muddy water. Now it was Hauron's turn to curse. "Don't mess with me you ugly fucker!" The threat was probably less intimidating as he struggled to get solid footing. At least now it was focused on Hauron. Kark, did they give this thing rancor genes too? It seemed to be trying to reel the badger in. Its claws were just as dangerous as its maw.

@Sreeya

 

[Jace Kryze]

Jace thought his helmet was about to get stress tested for the first time when the beast’s jaws abruptly snapped shut. He didn’t wait around to marvel at Hauron’s fast thinking, quickly rolling out from underneath it. Jace had his blaster out, aimed at the head to shoot when Hauron zoomed in and crashed into him, “Release the cord!” He snapped at the Solus as the beast shook its head around and dragged Hauron all over. Jace had no clear shot and he risked shooting the other man.

As soon as Hauron found a way to detach the cord, Jace shot the beast. There was a loud cry as it took a hit to the shoulder, but it moved lightning-fast. Without warning, it leaped up and expertly latched onto a tree before jumping to the next. It landed on the other side and disappeared, purposely withdrawing to attack again when it had an advantage.

“Shit,” Jace grumbled as he jogged over towards Hauron. Jace wiped the drool from the beast off his helmet, extending a hand to help the Solus up, “We’re going to need to trap it,” He said, “We can’t hunt it like normal big game,” Jace concluded. He exhaled, “Are you all right? You really saved my skin back there,” He asked as he placed a hand on Hauron’s shoulder.

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Hauron had his instincts telling him to keep the monster's mouth shut. The cord would lose its effectiveness if he released it and probably get free in short order. But the Solus trusted the Kryze and released his hold. The mud covered armor of the Mikkian quickly came to a stop before it could be dragged any further through the muck.

He recovered in time to see Jace take the shot and the repto-beast's retreat. "Rrh!" Hauron growled from both the roughness of his handling and to verbalize his aggression towards the predator. None the less he gladly accepted Jace's hand in helping him up.

"Agreed." He nodded as he tried to think up options to trap the creature. "I'm fine...thanks. You?" He would feel sore tomorrow but it was nothing a few days rest would not fix. His helmet turned away from the direction of their prey to examine Jace for any signs of injury. He was more concerned about the Kryze's well being. Hauron returned the gesture and pulled Jace close so their helmet bonked gently together in a relatively soft keldabe kiss. "You scared me." It was more accurate to say Jace's health was what had scared him. He did not know what he would do if he lost the half-twi'lek.

The Forge Master was still on guard but felt like the reptilian creature had retreated for now and would wait a few minutes before attempting to attack them again. It learned that two Mandalorians were not easy prey and per Jace, it had a degree of cunning. "On Dxun I hunted Zakkegs with Miri. Those things were really tough. But this might be even harder to trick. We had three separate traps and it took all of them plus the two of us giving a pair of them everything we had to take those things down. Grenade trip wires, spiked pit fall, and a log roll. I don't think we have the luxury of time like we did then. If you and I try anything too intricate I think it will try jumping us again." Hauron took a breath and scrapped off a handful of mud from his visor before letting it plop onto the ground where it had come from. "I'm open to ideas." That very Zakkeg he had slain had been turned into his kama which the Forge Master wore presently.

@Sreeya