The Avenging Son [Mandalorian Dominion]

[Kori Buor]

-Mandalore-
​

It had only been a few days since Ral Vizsla had discovered the truth of what happened to his family; his mother, sister, and brother, had been taken by Mandalorians bearing the colors and markings of Clan Vizsla, his clan. The explanations he could think of were numerous, but the ones that made the most sense were few in quantity and quality. Of the reasons that his own clan would turn on its own, one rose above the rest. The Vizslas who took his family were the same who opposed him, his return, and his vision of Mandalore. Likely, they had something to do with his attempted assassination, or at the very least, were peripherally related to the plot. This was not the first time he had lost family in this way; his cousin Caedryn's father had been killed because he opposed Mandalore joining the Border Alliance.

So it seemed that this faction of their house and clan had ruthlessly moved to silence the opposition, or otherwise force them to capitulate or lose those they cared about, if not their own lives. However, that was then, and now Ral had returned and with the knowledge of what they had done, he had set himself to rooting out them and their allies. And so, using what help he could gather from the few true friends he had left, Ral set out on his hunt tracking down those who might have any information on the whereabouts of his family and those who were holding them. Finding sources and leads wasn't hard, and even though he remained discrete in his search, he managed to suss out the truth from the few of his own clan he visited.

Now the son of Vizsla had information, he just had to make sense of it; to sort through the data and information and determine what possible location on what planet these dissident Mandalorians were holding his family as hostages still. There were many answers, and so Ral walked through the outer zones of the Dominion's military command center in Sundari past guards, security checkpoints, down passageways lined with offices and conference rooms. There was a room deeper inside the facility which would have access to the Dominion's archives, and by extension all of the information that the former Mandalorian government had gathered. With that information he planned on digging through the records and data for a place that would likely house these Republic sympathizers.

With his face set into a grim and determined visage, it would be obvious to all who passed him by that Ral was on a very important mission. Whether that would pique their curiosity or steer them away from the Mandalorian was anyone's guess. At the archive and planning room Ral hoped to see his cousin Caedryn who had recently returned from his exile. After a happy reunion Ral revealed what had happened to his family and his intentions on hunting down those responsible, and to reveal those in their own clan who betrayed them.

Entering the room, Ral Vizsla looked around into the shadows and darkness and saw nothing. Sighing, he realized he was there first one there. Turning the lights on so that they were low, he approached a large circular console in the center of the room and pressed several buttons along its side which caused a cool blue-white light to spring from its center and project the entirety of Mandalorian controlled space before him. Now, all he had to do was cut down on the innumerable possibilities to find a place that was sufficiently off-the-grid and as of yet unclaimed by the Dominion. It would take a while, but he knew he could do it. With some help anyways.

OOC: Any Mandalorian Dominion player who wishes to participate feel free to shoot me a PM or message on Skype!

 

[Arcangel]

The archive room was dark, silent. It was soothing to Caedryn in his mildly hungover state. He sat leaned up against one of the data consoles near the back of the room, invisible to any who would enter, except maybe the tip of his boot being visible from the doorway. Unstoppering his flask and taking a long pull, he savored the burning sensation that filled his throat and trickled down into his belly. Wiping his lips clean with his sleeve and stowing the flask inside of his jacket, he was rewarded with the darkness of the room turning to a dim light, and the sound of the door closing. Groaning and pulling himself to his feet, Caedryn gave his cousin a pained grin. "Cousin" he stated simply in greeting.

The man before him, Ral Vizsla, was his cousin. Or once was. He still was in a way, but Caedryn couldn't quite call him the same man. His amnesia had done a number on him, in more ways than one. While he was beginning to recover some of his memories, Caedryn feared he would never be the same. In the force, he felt sick, a cloying malignance tainted his spirit. Shaking his head, Caedryn pushed the force back where it belonged. Somewhere else. Shuffling over to the main console to stand next to Ral, he winced as the holographic light filled the room. "So, got any ideas on where to start?" Idly touching planets on the map, short infographics popping up next to them.

@Kori Buor

 

[Mirdala Priest]

Sundari, Mandalore

Making my way through the Command Center, I kept my attention focused ahead, ignoring the conference rooms and rows of occupied cubicles, laid out in dizzying fashion, broken only by winding corridors. Analysts, support tech, civilian contractors, all about the day to day beat that kept the Dominion machine rolling.

Archives. Open, dim lighting. Nice ambiance. Entering, I spot the two Vizsla's examining a galactic map, zoomed in on Dominion controlled space. Their voices were low, so I intruded.

"So, spoke with an analyst in Resource Acquisition and Accounting, and she dropped a fun fact."

Moving beside the men, I point at Concord Dawn, drawing up it's general information page on accident.

"So, of the half a dozen safe houses we have active, one went inactive shortly after the disappearance of your family."

I brought up the demographics again and zoomed in on the coordinates she had given me.

"And the interesting point is to this day it's monthly resource expenditure remains consistent, yet listed as inactive to all military and intelligence personnel."

The thing about Vizslas, they were always getting into serious ****. No, I mean historically they have a reputation for history book altering ****. The look of determination in Ral's face told me he was planning on staying true to his family name.

Oh boy. Here we go.

The thing about Priests, at some point in our Clan's history we swore allegiance to House Vizsla. I planned on staying true to my family name.
@Kori Buor @Arclight

 

[Kori Buor]

"Caedryn," Ral's voice responded with an unusual gruff bass to it, like gravel being poured over itself. This was not the man his cousin had grown up with; he was changed now, made harder and crueler by the things he had witnessed, the people and the life he had lost. Now that he had returned and regained much of his lost memory, the man that was Ral Vizsla was beginning to take shape once again; he would always be different, changed by his experiences, but he would not be a wholly different person. Still, to his cousin, Ral would seem like a colder man, but the driving fire would be evident, and if it was not then he wouldn't have to wait long to see it. "It is good to see you again. I hope Diva didn't take all the wind out of your sails last night... we have a lot to do. I have managed to gather some Intel regarding the nature and location of the Republic-aligned Mandalorians. Not the exact location, but enough to start looking. Then once we find them we will exact our vengeance for being the hu'tuun bastards that have caused our families so much pain and grief."

Musing to himself with a low hum as to how Caedryn managed to go unseen in the shadows while he entered the room, Ral dismissed the thought as he turned his attention back to the display before him. A few moments later his attention was broken again as another Mandalorian entered the room. Mirdala Priest. The man was a skilled warrior, and Ral knew he could trust him; his clan was loyal to Ral's, and on a more personal level Mirdala seemed to have a sense of honor which the Vizsla felt he could count on to stay true and not betray him.

Listening to the man as he spoke about a helpful bit of information about an active safe house that he picked up from an accountant, Ral let out a chuckle. "You must have put on the charm with that accountant to get that little secret!" In truth that was the bit of Intel they needed to crack this mystery wide open. "Good job, Mirdala, you have managed to save us hours of work. This is the clue we needed. I'm sure this is where those traitors are staying, the location and timing fit... and the funds being funneled into it also matches." Ral replies somewhat absently as he reads over the plethora of information on the safe house. Pulling up the schematics of the building, Ral begins studying them and thinking about how to breach it which doesn't involve someone dying. "I think we're going to need some friends. Not that I don't think the three of us could take the safe house, but I don't want to risk my family getting hurt if their in here."

Now turning to face his companions he looked at Caedryn who was the last person around he could call family now that Bardan had disappeared into the Rim, Talia was off doing who-knows-what, and everyone else was dead or had moved on. "Well, what do you think, cousin?" Looking at Mirdala, he gave him a look which indicated his thoughts were also welcome, though, his cousin should know the question was academic; Ral was already forming a plan in his head. Ral simply wanted perspectives he might not see.

 

[Mirdala Priest]

"You must have put on the charm with that accountant to get that little secret!"

"Priest family recipe, spiced curry in coconut milk. Big hit in Accounting Department." I enjoyed the camaraderie present; despite the intensity of the project before us, jokes kept morale up and good leaders knew that. Ral knew that.

We went over the schematics, analyzed entrances, exits, most probable traffic routes, both with peraons in the safehouse as well as vehicles and lanes surrounding the target building. We needed one shooter out back, to contain any runners once the assault began. Most likely me. The Vizslas worked together in the past, they most likely would perform the breach, knowing how one another moves.

In a safehouse there would be a minimum of two security personnel, most likely a team of four. Ral and Caed's plan would put a two man assault team against a four men defending a position. Even if the element of surprise gave the Vizslas an edge, that wasn't how you planned an operation. You planned to even odds or overwhelming odds, you planned to win. Ral knew this. He was asking for additional team members.

I wanted to call Aryn, but she had fallen off the grid. I needed to find her after this op. I could only think of one other operator I knew was on call and active. I hadn't worked with him before, but I had heard good thing's. Both a bounty hunter and legionairre, we had enough in common to be able to work cleanly together.

"Aiden Fett."
@Chask274 @Kori Buor @Arclight

 

[Chask274]

Concord Dawn

The armored Mandalorian laid on top of the old building on the outskirts of the city, peering down at the small warehouse at the end of the street. Between his visor's low-light mode and his rangefinder's zoom function, he had no problems getting a nice and close look at the people moving between the speeder parked at the curb and the warehouse entrance. Normally this would be nothing to raise an eyebrow at, but these weren't normal circumstances. This warehouse had been abandoned for ages, and according to the report he'd been sent some time ago, the Dominion safehouse within the building should be inactive. So why were people with Clan Vizsla's crest on their armor dragging what looked like supplies and equipment into the building?

Sighing, Aiden slowly crept away from the edge of the rooftop and out of sight. 'They're gonna want to hear about this back on Mandalore...' Moving quickly, he dropped down into the alley on the far side of the building, and pulled out a holoprojector. Dialing in his comlink, he opened a connection to the Command Center in Sundari, and hoped someone helpful would be there to receive it.

@Kori Buor @Arclight @Mirdala Priest

 

[Kori Buor]

"Aiden Fett?" Ral asked, repeating the name as his mind turned invisible cogs trying to see if the Mandalorian could recall the face to whom it belonged. Nothing came up, but the name sounded familiar enough he was sure he had seen or heard it in passing at least once or twice. Humming to himself, he decided that if Mirdala trusted the Mandalorian than he would, too. At least, he would be willing to take a chance with the Fett and see if Priest's trust was well-placed. "What do you know about him?"

Suddenly, one of the lights on the communication console in front of him started flashing. There was a priority communication being routed to them from Concord Dawn. Odd, Ral thought to himself as he reached out and pressed the button to make the connection. There was a series of bleeps as the link was established. What struck Ral as too impossible to be coincidence was that the user's ID was designated as an A. FETT. "Well, speak of Had Haran..." He muttered as he glanced at Mirdala, wondering if the man has somehow managed to get a message off. Unlikely. As improbable as it seems, this might just be good fortune.

Looking over the holofeeds that were being piped through the connection, Ral could see a warehouse, and a number of men in Mandalorian armor moving equipment into the large building. The fact that they were wearing the crests of clan Vizsla was not lost on him either. He did his best to study what the Mandalorians were grabbing and the condition of the warehouse. Bringing up an overlay of the schematics of the warehouse and the safe house which resides inside on the display, Ral began comparing the images he was seeing to the blueprints they had on record. Once he has seen enough he turned to the other two, a serious look on his face. Speaking to Mirdala, he glanced at the holofeeds. "I've seen enough. If you believe this Aiden will support us, send him an encrypted reply on this same channel. Tell him to stand by and observe, we will be there shortly. We'll meet him at whatever rendezvous he chooses. Grab whatever gear you need; we aren't going to take any longer than we have to. Time to bring vengeance to our enemies, vod."

The trio of Mandalorians had quickly departed Sundari on one of the Dominion's transports, taking a short jump across their territory to Concord Dawn where they landed without delay or fanfare. Heading towards the location of the warehouse, Ral was in his armor, helmet on, though he had thrown a cloak of it to hide the symbols; he didn't want to herald their presence. As they arrived at the rendezvous location, Ral approached Aiden and saluted him with a fist on his chest before extending the same hand in a warrior's handshake. "Aiden Fett I presume? I am Ral Vizsla. You seem to have stumbled upon the rogue Mandalorians I am looking for. What has Mirdala shared with you about these Mandalorians and what they're doing here? What have you noticed since we last communicated?" Ral was eager to learn and have a picture painted in his mind of what was in the warehouse and what they might face. After all, information was power, and the more information Ral had the better strategy he could craft.

@Chask274 @Mirdala Priest

 

[Mirdala Priest]

Before I could share what I knew of Aiden, Ral received a transmission from him.

Jate! ~good!~

. "I've seen enough. If you believe this Aiden will support us, send him an encrypted reply on this same channel. Tell him to stand by and observe, we will be there shortly. We'll meet him at whatever rendezvous he chooses. Grab whatever gear you need; we aren't going to take any longer than we have to. Time to bring vengeance to our enemies, vod."

"I'm good to go."

Doom on them.

Reaching into my "black kit" pouch on my utility belt, I pulled out an object resembling a phone casing. Slipping Cirrus inthe casing, I activated the device via a rubber button on the bottom. Encrypted. Why not just keep it attached all the time? Battery in the rubber casing dies within 15 minutes of usage. Best to keep it off connection in the case of moments like these.

Dialing Fett's digits, I left the conference room, winding out of the office corridors intobthe cubicle maze. He answered.

"Mirdala Priest. Stay put and gather intel. Choose a rendezvous point for our link up. We're leaving Sundari now, en route in 15 minutes. Rock and roll vod?"

Arriving outside, I made my way to my bike.

"Cool, this is an encrypted channel, don't hesitate to connect. Priest out." Cutting coms I pulled my carbine from my bike and sheathed it, magnetically, behind my right shoulder.

Covering my baby with my poncho villa, I strapped her down in case it rained while I was gone. Heading along the perimeter of the installation, I made my way to the hangers. Spotting the Vizslas, I made my way over and we boarded.

Next stop Concord Dawn. Helmet on, Heart off.
@Chask274

 

[Chask274]

After a moment, the commlink chirped to indicate his message had been received. Finishing up the transmission, Aiden switched channels as a hail came through on an encrypted line. "Acknowledged, Priest. Sending rendezvous coordinates now." Transmitting the coordinates for an old office just a couple blocks from the warehouse, Aiden shut down his comms gear and, after checking in with some local contacts, moved to the rendezvous.

When Ral and the others arrived, Aiden returned the salute and handshake in kind. "Didn't expect you to be the one to show up, but I'm glad you're here. Priest didn't say much about them, but I've seen enough myself to get a good idea of what's going on. Some time ago, well after this safehouse was supposed to be inactive, these lot showed up and set up shop. Friends of mine in the area say that they had what looked like prisoners with them, but they couldn't be sure. I caught wind of it while passing through the area, took a closer look, and here we are. By my count there's at least ten of your clansmen in there, maybe more. All are armed, and one of them has a light repeater. Building is too well insulated for thermal scans, so I've got no idea where anyone is positioned in there."

He paused, glancing in the direction of the warehouse, then back to Ral. "So, seeing as how it looks like you're going after people from your own clan, just how much osik are these guys in?"

@Kori Buor @Mirdala Priest @Arclight

 

[Kori Buor]

There was something akin to an amused chuckle from Ral when Aiden mentioned seeing ten of his clansmen inside the safe house. Scanning the warehouse from inside the old office building they were in, the son of house Vizsla could see that they had chosen wisely for the location of their hideout. It was easily defensible with plenty of escape routes which would be hard to cover with a small strike team. Glancing back at Aiden, Ral shot Mirdala a look before speaking, "They may be Vizsla, but they're no clansmen of mine. These hut'uun kidnapped my family as an insurance policy in case my assassination didn't take. I am pleased to announce it didn't, but now we just deal with these traitors and rescue my family. So I'll let you decide for yourself how much bantha crap they're in."

Taking a few minutes to assess their situation, Ral came to the conclusion that any plan they came up with would be hard pressed to defeat these traitorous Mandalorians with the numbers they had. Their only hope was to use the element of surprise and quick action to level the playing field and get his family out before retribution could come against them. Knowing that any safe house worth it's salt would likely have surveillance set up to watch the obvious approaches, that made a sneak attack by the three of them succeed to be rather unlikely. Then an idea hit him. Securing his helmet on his head, Ral looked at the two Mandalorians.

"I'll make the approach as one of them with Caed and pretend to be one of their own, Mirdala, you cover the back, Aiden, you take a charge and go in through the side," Ral brought up a holo of the schematics and pointed to an exterior wall which connected to a hallway which would be safe to breach through. While most of the doors were reinforced, the walls were only mildly improved over the original warehouse construction, and therefore, still vulnerable to the right explosive charge. "There. Once I give the signal everyone will need to move to keep them off balance and prevent anything from happening to my family. At that moment, Aiden, you breach at the side, and Mirdala, if the back looks clear then you breach from the rear. Now, unless there's something else, let's move out."

Doing one last prep of their gear, Ral slung his particle rifle and moved out. He took a roundabout route to get to the entrance to the safe house, the others would need time to get into position. Counting down in his head from one hundred, Ral steadied himself and controlled his breathing as he could feel his heart accelerate and adrenaline fill his veins. That would give his allies plenty of time to move into position. When he reached zero he moved in swiftly, through the open cargo doors of the warehouse and to the front of the safe house as though they were being followed. The safe house was disguised as a large office annex of the warehouse where all the paperwork and filing would be done, at the front was a door designed to look normal to the layperson, but was in reality a reinforced blast door. Pressing a button on the door controls which would allow him to announce himself he spoke, "This is Ouros Vizsla! You've got to help me, the Dominion knows about this place! They captured my father and he told them everything! They're coming after everyone else now; I think they're going to kill me! You've got to help!"

There was silence and Ral wondered if his plan was going to work. The alias Ral used was one of the family members of a man who sympathized with the traitors and was a font of information. So if anyone wanted to double check his story it would look legitimate. After several more seconds there was a clanking noise from the door and then it opened slowly as a man appeared on the other side. "Get inside, Ouros, now! Tell us everything!"

"My pleasure," Ral replied solemnly as his Sunspear appeared in his hand. With a squeeze of the trigger, the Mandalorian fired a blaster bolt right into the visor of the armored traitor beyond. The blue bolt exploded and the man fell to the floor. "We are good to go! Breach now!"

 

[Mirdala Priest]

"There. Once I give the signal everyone will need to move to keep them off balance and prevent anything from happening to my family. At that moment, Aiden, you breach at the side, and Mirdala, if the back looks clear then you breach from the rear. Now, unless there's something else, let's move out."
Rock and Roll.

Checking to make sure my helmet com was open and sync'd with the team, I made my way out to a residential street, keeping to the sidewalk, parallel to warehouse. My poncho villa was back in Sundari covering my bike. Low income, doubtful anyone here would snitch to the Law. A small mandalorian girl, 6 or 7, watched me hop the short stone wall separating the sidewalk from the ware house's backyard. Whatevs.

Nothing but uncut grass kneehigh, and a low wooden ramp as a walkway to the rear door. One camera. The wire was already cut?

"My brother done that."

Spinning, I see the little girl sitting on the stone wall. She's wearing a tunic (probably her parents) so long it looks like a night gown. Blonde, greasy, unkept hair fell around her shoulders."They fix it sometimes. But hims do it again and again. Momma says she send him away to military academy iffin he don' get right."
"Your momma sounds like she's doin' her best."
"Yeah."
Reaching into my utility belt, I open a pouch containing my black kit. Pulling out my quickflash, I stick the muzzle between door and frame, filling the perimeter with putrid smelling gel.
"Eww." her nose was crinkled in displeasure. "Are you a robber?"
She got me.
"Yes..." I said flipping the prongs out of the gel gun. "And you better run!" Pulling the trigger, electricity danced along the prongs arcing a few inches off towards the child. Eyes wide and squealing in delight, she hops to the sidewalk and takes off, laughing as her feet patter away.

"We are good to go! Breach now!"
"****!"

Leaping on the deck, I shove the prongs in the gel and pull the trigger. As the electricity ignited the quickflash, I put the tool away and pulled my carbine from over my shoulder. As soon as the hissing stopped, I lifted my right knee, sprang off my left foot and kicked the door inward. Immediately it hit a wall, almost bouncing back into me as I made entry. Open left and right. Hallway.

Turning left, weapon at the high and ready - contact. Man, armored, no hostage. Coffee table beside him. Steam wisping from cup. Squeezing the trigger, a circular burn forms necklevel where the bolt punched through both jumpsuit and bodyglove. Falling over, he reaches out for coffee table and brings that to the ground with him.

Spinning 180 I clear my six. Hallway secure.

Twelve foot ceilings. Not a warehouse. The rear door led straight into the safehouse.
Jate ~good~.
But it looked like an office building? Great disguise. 9-5 jobs terrified me. Living here would be a nightmare.
@Chask274
@Kori Buor
@Arclight

 

[Chask274]

"Sounds like a solid plan, Ral. Let's do this." Accepting the demo charge, Aiden slipped it into a belt pouch and made his way towards the indicated wall. As he jogged along, Aiden couldn't help but smirk a bit beneath his helmet. Attempting to assassinate one of your own and then kidnapping his family as a backup?! The word coward didn't even begin to describe how Aiden felt about this fools, and he wasn't even personally involved with it. It almost made him feel bad for The people they were going after. Almost.

Around the same time Ral blew a hole in the visor of the man at the entrance, Aiden was securing the charge to the wall and backing off to await the signal. As soon as it came in through his comms, Aiden hit the switch. With a resounding boom and a flash of fire, a not-so neat hole was blown in the duracrete wall, which Aiden immediately jumped through into the corridor beyond. Checking right, he found a sealed door. Checking left, Aiden saw the corridor continue for a short distance before turning a corner. Moving forward, he paused at the corner and peaked around it. Just under 10 meters away, a trio of people were standing around a large table, grabbing for weapons and starting to move in his direction. Pulling a frag grenade from his belt, Aiden pulled the pin and tossed it onto the tabletop. There was a burst of panicked shouting from the three, before a cloud of smoke and shrapnel cut them off. Advancing into the room to find it contained a couple computers and maps, Aiden decided to check in with the others. "Three down, and secured some intel. How's it going on your end, guys?"

@Kori Buor @Mirdala Priest

 

[Kori Buor]

Moving swiftly inside, Ral burst through the door before the body of the guard had fully settled on the ground. Just beyond the door, there was an open atrium area with another man standing guard, a look of shock and awe on his face as he watched a fully armored Mandalorian in cobalt blue armor burst forth from the door. Without even hesitating, Ral aimed his pistol over and fired twice. The first bolt struck the man in the chest, the second in the abdomen, burning deep holes into him and killing him.

Hearing Aiden's voice over his comlink, Ral nodded to himself. That was five down, perhaps more if Mirdala killed one, leaving around half of the known guards left. "Confirmed, vod. Proceed with the mission, watch for the hostages and alert me when you have eyes on, oya!"

As the Mandalorian moved deeper into the safehouse, moving down the corridors and clearing the empty side rooms, Ral quickly around a corner and face to face with another Mandalorian in Vizsla colors. Knowing that it wasn't Caedryn that left only one other possibility: this man was one of the traitors to his family and to the Mandalorian people. Immediately, Ral fired, but the traitor was fast and knocked his pistol to the side causing him to miss. Trying to readjust his aim Ral fired again, but he was now struggling with his opponent over the weapon and the second shot missed. As they struggled, the pistol discharged again into the ceiling causing dust and chunks of duracrete to fall on their heads. Pulling his knee up, Ral hammered into the traitor's side causing him to grunt and allowing Ral to push him off.

With his pistol empty, Ral tossed it to the side as he glared at the other man from behind his helmet. Then, the other man spoke, "I didn't believe the rumors at first. You had been gone for so long we were sure the assassination attempt had worked. When the first reports of your return as a shade known as Asterion passed my desk I thought nothing of it, but once the rumors became facts I knew it was only a matter of time before you found your way here."

"And who do I have the pleasure of facing?" Ral inquired as he stood there in the hallway, a few scant meters from his opponent, legs bowed, body relaxed and waiting.

"I am Count Torre Vizsla, former commander of the Border Alliance and resplendent noble of clan Vizsla, you meddlesome busybody!" The man announced himself with no small amount of pride and arrogance in his voice. By his body language, Ral could easily see that the traitor held him in loathsome contempt. "If only those Force wielders had killed you and Talia in that park with your father. Without you, there is no dream of a free Mandalore, and I remained in power. Without you, no one thinks to rise up against us to forge something 'better' and to shake off the ties to the Republic. Without you, there is no Dominion, no Prudii, no Talia. We were already strong! We were important! Why did you have to ruin everything?"

Ral scoffs in his helmet, "There would always be someone if it wasn't me. Caedryn would have moved against you eventually, and others would have had the same dream I did. Now, if you're done crying over the cruel whims of fate, I suggest you draw your sword, stand for the crimes you committed against me and my family, and die with honor."

The Avenging Son's voice was grim and harsh as he drew his family's ancestral vibrosword from its blue and gold scabbard, its phrik blade honed to the finest edge, its hilt and eagle-headed crossguard gilded and burnished to reflect its status. As the sword activated its blade became ember-hot as vibroblades are wont to do, and the son of Mandalore held it in both of his hands. Letting out a warcry, Ral would dash forward and swing at Torre Vizsla.

 

[Mirdala Priest]

Approaching the end of the hallway, I fired a single shot, above the bridge of the nose, confirming compliance as I passed the body of the downed sentry. Hugging the corner, I turned sharply, carbine at high and ready.
Clear. Another hallway, door right side, halfway down. Moving quickly, I slide up to the frame and test the handle. Locked. Holstering my carbine over my right shoulder, I released my grip when I felt it magnetize to my back plate. Reaching into my utility belt, I secured my quickflash and began filling the doorframe with gel.

Tapping my helmet comm. "Any available team, south side building, on me for breach." I wouldn't be waiting for anyone, there was no time for that. Hopefully I wouldn't have to wait.

"We have a situation!" The voice was coming from the hallway I had cleared.

Someone found the body. I had to move quick. I couldn't give them opportunity to execute the hostages.

"Team 3, report!" Voice was nearing the corner. Team 3 must be closest to the hostages.

Just as I flipped the prongs and ignited the gel, the operator turned the corner, Nova at the ready. Seeing me kneeling by the door, he froze for a second before rolling his shoulders and firing.
"Contact!"
"Contact!"
We both shouted into our mics as he fired. The bolt clipped my shoulder pauldron, spinning me right and sending me to the floor.

Drawing my Parallax from my left thigh holster, I squeezed off 4 bolts, suppressing his movement and forcing the shooter to take cover back into the hallway.

I could hear the hissing of the incinderary behind me, crackle out. Ready to breach. I needed to contain this this threat before kicking that door and exposing my Six. Pulling a smackdown grenade, I bounced ir off the wall, watching it roll past the corner before detonating. Rushing forward, I lean against the wall until the concussive bursts cease. Turning the corner, sidearm aligned with my line of sight, I draw a bead and double tap the shooter.

Spinning, I rush the door and holster my pistol. Drawing my carbine, I lean forward, prepared to kick the door and execute the breach while the hostages were still breathing.

@Kori Buor @Chask274

 

[Chask274]

"Fett copies all, moving to assist Priest." Slapping a new powerpack into his rifle, Aiden took off down the hall towards where he could hear the snap of pistol fire. Hearing the call-out of contact on the comms, he picked up the pace, rounding the just as Priest was stacking up to breach. "Alright, vod, let's do this." Taking position at the other side of the door frame, Aiden nodded once to Mirdala before turning and kicking the door in, rushing into the room immediately after.

He quickly took in several details; three people were tied up in the corner, there was a rifleman covering them and swinging around to blast them, and another man was taking cover behind an overturned table with a repeater pointed at them. Continuing to charge forward, he yelled over his shoulder at Priest, "Smoke the di'kut with the long gun, I've got the hostages!" Looking forward, he noted with panic that the rifleman had his weapon on target and was ready to pull the trigger. Realizing he couldn't bring his own weapon to bear in time, Aiden made a split-second decision and reached out through the Force, giving the muzzle of the traitor's weapon a sharp tug sideways. He always hated using his admittedly limited abilities with the Force in front of other Mandalorians, too much prejudice against it, but this situation was a special case. Thankfully it worked, and the first bolt slammed into the wall inches from one of the hostage's head. Before the guard could readjust, Aiden slammed him into the wall with a full on tackle, then extended the vibroblade in his gauntlet and buried it in the man's throat, killing him. Trusting that Priest was able to dispatch the other guard, Aiden moved to the hostages and began working on their restraints.

"Ral, this is Aiden. Hostages have been located and secured. I say again, hostages are secure and alive."

@Kori Buor @Mirdala Priest

 

[Kori Buor]

Torre Vizsla barely managed to block Ral's strike as his own sword had only just managed to clear its sheath in time. The two swords clanged together and the Mandalorian warriors exchanged blows in a series of rapid-fire parries and ripostes. Neither man managed to land a solid hit and the sound of swords ringing out from being clashed together rang down the hallway.

Ral's vibrosword hummed, sang, as the microvibrations thrummed rhythmically up and down its glowing blade. Holding the sword close to his face after a rather vicious exchange that had left him slightly winded, Ral took a moment to study his opponent and catch his breath. Torre was a strong opponent, and nimble. Perhaps not as strong as Ral, or as deft as Talia, but he was no slouch; he knew what he was doing and what's more he knew the limits of his own body. That made him just as dangerous as he knew exactly what he could get away with.

Letting his opponent make the next move, Ral kept his blade close and his body relaxed, the two slowly circling each other. There was nothing more for the two warriors to say, all that was left was to act; there would be no pandering or witty quips, only the lightning thrusts or powerful slashes with the blade. Without a word Torre attacked, moving his blade in a flourish to try and deceive Ral into blocking prematurely. Fortunately, for Ral, he kept his guard in tight and simply stepped away from Torre so that he would not be threatened until the true attack came. Their blades clashed again and Ral saw an opening he could exploit.

Using his superior strength to push aside Torre's blade slightly, Ral snapped out a stomp kick into the side of Torre's rear knee. The attack staggered the man back and the Avenging Son knew that now was the time to make his move. Swinging his blade back around he hammered it down on Torre's guard repeatedly until the man could not keep his sword up to defend, and then Ral swung his sword up in a diagonal arc so that his sword would bite deep into Torre's abdomen and chest. Blood gushed out and Torre let out a cry of pain followed by a sigh of defeat, his sword crashing to the ground as he lost strength in his arms.

"It seems I have been defeated," Torre managed to struggle out between grunts and hacking coughs which Ral could only assume were filled with blood.

Looking sternly at the man from behind his helmet, Ral spoke, "Go meet your ancestors as a warrior, Count Torre Vizsla."

Drawing his blade out, Ral swung around and beheaded the count. After a final spray of blood, the Count of Vizsla fell to the ground dead.

Just then, Ral heard Aiden's voice over his helmet's comlink informing them they had secured the hostages. Feeling the rush of joy and excitement, the Mandalorian rushed into the safehouse until he came to the location where the other two Mandalorians were waiting for him. Taking a fraction of a second to register the corpses on the ground and his family standing nearby, Ral ran forward, removing his blood-stained helmet and rapping his mother then his little brother and sister into a warm embrace. After tears began to shed at the reunion and many tender words were said, Ral finally stood and faced his companions.

"You have both fought with me today. You helped save my family from captivity and death, and you've helped me rid my clan of the traitorous Republic sympathizers who would seek to weaken our Dominion. You have my eternal thanks and gratitude. For now and forever, you are my brothers, and I shall see that you two are honored for what you have done here." Sticking his fist across his chest in a salute, he bowed his head to the other two as a sign of his respect and thanks. "Now, let us leave here. My family needs to be seen to."

@Chask274 @Mirdala Priest