Ask The Warlord of Metalorn

[Song Wren]

It didn’t take ten seconds after they entered the atmosphere that a targeted missile struck the side of their transport shuttle.

Alarms blared. Red light flashed across her vision, rattled after the sudden jolt in the ship’s descent. How easily the mission had gone sideways. What was supposed to have been a simple, stealthy landing in the war-torn capital of Metalorn had quickly transformed into a nightmare. Song hadn’t accounted for this, and she had no idea just who was responsible for the attack. The local warlord? The rebels? Both sides at once? She knew the Mandalorians were not particularly popular among those in the Rim, but there was no reason for such a rude welcome.

“We’re going down!” the droid pilot shouted, their hands clutching the ship controls like a lifeline, trying to stabilize the transport but failing miserably. The realization struck her hard and fast. In less than a minute, they’d make impact.

“Rand, I hope you brought your jetpack this time!” she called to her cousin, stepping into the ship’s cabin only to find him holding a straphanger, looking about as blank-faced as a rock falling from twenty stories. Which he was. Since they’d reunited months earlier, she had found that very little bothered the former exile—besides the threat of diplomacy. They were Mandalorians, after all, and the finest warriors the galaxy had to offer. Of course he wasn’t afraid. It was going to take a lot more than a stray missile or a blown engine to kill them, and a ship crash?

Song had survived a dozen. She could survive this.

“Looks like taking the discreet approach is off the table!” she continued over the roar of the fast descending ship. Staggering for the emergency exit doors, with the smash of her fist against the controls, they slid open in a rush of wind. Smoke poured in from a blazing engine. “We’re going to have to jump ship! Are you ready?” She slanted a glance toward him, understanding that all this was a little sudden and unexpected, but knowing he wouldn’t hesitate to act. That was how he always was. Instinctive, with a strong natural reflex.

He might’ve been a foundling, but he was a Wren at heart.

@Mockingjay

 

[Randor Wren]

Of course they had been shot down.

Why wouldn't they? Rand got the impression that Song had spent most of her time with a particularly reckless Mandalorian, because whenever she went on missions, things inevitably blew up. Bigger and bigger each time. First, it was a few angry mobs trying to stop their diplomacy. Now it was their ship. If he went on enough missions with her, he might even get to see a planet explode at some point. And while the thought of being present for a Death Star-level event was thrilling to some degree, he had to wonder at which point he would blow up if he kept agreeing to these missions. Not that life was ever much safer as a bounty hunter.

"Am I ready?" he asked her, incredulous all the same. "One of these days, Manda'lor is going to wonder why you always come back with scrap metal in place of a ship."

Nevertheless, when she told him to jump, he jumped, kicking in his jetpack and racing through open, polluted air towards the surface. It was actually worse outside the ship than in it. Rockets exploded meters from his head. Laser cannon bursts also frequently exploded, sending ionized smoke right into his visor. It was practically a war zone. He took aim at a small platform some distance below him, tucked his hands at his side, and accelerated his fall until he crashed onto the platform and rolled to his feet.

Droids.

His blaster was more than a match for them. They were only B1s, and without a Lucrehulk in orbit to guide them via hivemind, they were even worse shots than the stories of the Clone Wars claimed they were. Within seconds, the landing pad was clear, though this attack was far from over. Whatever was shooting at them was deeper into the factory complex. Blaster fire was everywhere. Perhaps they weren't attacked, per say, but rather a casualty of one side thinking they were the other. Either way, this was about to get more complicated.

When Song landed, Rand cocked his head at her. "Battle droids?" he said. "What the hell do we want with a planet full of battle droids?" @Song

 

[Song Wren]

“It’s not my fault people have a habit of shooting us down!” she replied as wind and smoke lashed against her armor. Rand had a point. It wasn’t a mission for Song without at least one of their ships crashing and burning, and she wondered just how much those losses were costing them. It was a good thing, then, that she relied on mechanical pilots and old transports ‘liberated’ from conquered worlds, instead of the shiny new intercepters or basilisks she had access to as Rally Master.

Besides, she’d embarked on enough missions to cover the cost of her string of bad luck and more, so she wasn’t concerned what Nox would think or say.

Mid-descent, Song took in the landscape around them. According to reports, the planet had once hosted sprawling forests and colorful fields, and between it’s industrialization and the war that had ravaged the surface, there was little green that remained besides the chemical waste pumping into the nearby river. Then there was the smog, pollution, and sheer disaster that plagued the city. The factories here would prove important to the Mandalorian cause, but she had to wonder if inheriting such an ugly, unstable world was even worth it.

She gave herself in an internal shake. At the end of the day, it would be worth it. There was incredible value to having an entire army at your back, droids or not.

Upon landing on the ruined platform, she met Rand’s side, surveying their surroundings in case of more enemies. “You would be surprised,” she told him, kicking aside the metal scrap of a former droid. “Even battle droids as useless as these could serve a purpose to us. For manual labor, or cheap security, or keeping the peace on occupied worlds. We may be Mandalorians, but we can’t be everywhere at once, and we’re going to need more numbers if we intend to take on the Republic someday.” Or the Sith, she thought, the implication hanging in the air.

“They also make decent pilots, I suppose,” she added, just as another explosion tore behind them—the sound of their transport ship finally hitting the ground. She cast Rand an awkward smile and shrugged, then continued down the platform and into the city. “Come on, we should probably move before more reinforcements arrive.”

@Mockingjay

 

[Randor Wren]

Rand grumbled.

Song was somewhat more 'progressive' as a Mandalorian. Accepting of droids. Diplomacy. A lot of things that didn't use her fists. Which was probably why she was responsible for all the scrap metal on Raxus or any other number of junkyard worlds. Even so, he followed her lead. It didn't take long for them to run into more trouble. Big trouble, in fact.

A pair of Scorpenek annihilator droids rounded a corner, and Rand grabbed Song and threw her behind the nearest shipping crate. He had heard horror stories about these droids, that they were designed as Jedi killers and enormously hard to destroy. Rand lowered his voice to a sharp whisper when he whirled on Song. "When I signed up to kill your father, I didn't know that being vaporized by droids was on the table," he hissed. Of course, he wasn't actually angry, but annihilator droids were not what he signed up for. "If the rebels are up against those, they're going to need more than two Mandalorians to take them down."

His back against the crate, he tried to think of something. The clicking of the droids' legs growing closer was ever present in his mind. "We need to find the droid controller," he whispered eventually. "We can shut down the droids, or maybe even rewrite their signal to fight for us. But we'll both be dead if we just charge in guns blazing."

He peaked around the corner of the boxes and saw that the droids had come out of what looked like a garage entrance at the back of one of the factories. He didn't know which factory the droid controller was in, but they might be able to find a way to trace it inside there.

Not that it mattered.

One of the annihilator droid's turned, its big red eye fixed on where Rand and Song were hiding. And then it opened fire. @Song

 

[Song Wren]

“Spare warriors from Clan Wren are waiting in orbit as we speak,” she reassured him, “I have them on standby until we can establish a safe rendezvous point in the city.” She planted both hands on her hips and scanned the desolate panorama of buildings, between caved-in towers, looted shops and gray piles of rubble. “I can call them down now, if you want. I just thought you and I would be enough to track and deal with the rebels, or this local ‘warlord,’ on our own, you know.”

There was a wistful tone in her voice, as if slightly disappointed by the thought of calling for help. Men were nothing but prideful, and she figured questioning Rand’s capabilities as a warrior might provoke him into sticking to this operation with just the two of them. Sure, it was reckless—foolish even—to head into this alone, but Song didn’t want to risk more of her own kin if she didn't have to. If it was possible for her and Rand to do this alone, then she’d take that chance.

Before she could say more or admit that desire, she felt a prickle of alarm on the back of her neck. Not even a moment later, she spotted the two Scorpeneks emerge from around the block, red eyes unblinking. Thrown behind a nearby crate, she cursed under her breath, less about Rand’s manhandling and more about the fact that their odds of doing this alone had spiraled to zero.

“Great,” she muttered. “One I could deal with, but two?”

This wasn’t her first time coming across the annihilator droids. Back on Rothana, she’d fought one single handedly, but it had taken crushing it under a hangar and several painful attempts to take it down, leaving her with injuries she wasn’t keen to relive.

“Whether it’s the resistance or this ‘warlord,’ whoever is controlling those droids, that’s our enemy.” She let the absolute hang, still not entirely sure herself who'd they come to side with, just before the very droids they were hiding from found them.

Now it was Song’s turn to shove Rand aside. Pushing him out of the way, she backpedaled as an explosion ripped through the shipping crate. Splinters of wood and metal scattered, and a cloud of smoke swallowed them both whole, masking her vision. Instead of reaching out to find him, she shouted, “Split!” Then she sprinted for an opening in a neighboring apartment complex, hoping it might draw one of the Scorpenek’s attention away.

Because what else was there to do than run?

@Mockingjay

 

[Randor Wren]

Of course Clan Wren was in orbit. They were always in orbit and not down here where they were needed. What was the use of an army of Mandalorians if they were just going to sit on a ship at the edge of the atmosphere? Rand bit his tongue. It wasn't his place to question Song. She was a Rally Master and he was still just a bounty hunter. One who was not getting paid for this mission, but what could he do? He wanted her father dead, so he had to cooperate.

While Song dove for alley, Rand split for the sky with his jetpack, veering sharply for a nearby roof. Both annihilators chose to track his movements, firing their cannons after him. A few close shots landed in the side of the factory, splitting their concrete exteriors and leaving pock marks in their place. Rand landed out of sight and heard the annihilators shift their attention to Song. The clicking of their mechanical legs as they moved after her echoed up to where he lay perched.

He had to think of something.

They couldn't get him up here, but she was a sitting duck. He scanned the nearby roof tops, hoping to spot something, anything. And then a crane appeared in his line of vision. A crane still holding a payload of what looked to be heavy crates tied up in a thick net. Those might be enough to smash through the annihilators' shields. He touched his helmet, connecting his comms to Song's. "I think I see a way to knock those two out of the game," he said to her, already rising to his feet. "There's a crane over the river. Payload should be big enough to knock out their shields. Get in position and knock their red eyes out when I get their shields lowered. Oh, and don't die."

That last part was important, because it was going to take a minute for Rand to get to the crane; and he had to do so carefully, without drawing the annihilators back to him. A series of rooftops would get him closer to the crane, so he would focus on hopping from one to the other. Song wouldn't have to wait long if he made a dash for it. So that was exactly what he did, surging towards the edge of the building and making a leap that landed him solidly on the neighboring one. His landing perfectly coincided with a series of explosions, which meant the droids were firing on Song again.

Moving quickly, he darted towards the next building in the chain. She would just have to hold on a little longer. @Song

 

[Kraaz Wail]

Kraaz had been on world for a few days now. Having snuck in during a night raid by the rebels of the world against the current Warlord. He'd been deployed earlier with a small detachment of the Deathwatch. Kraaz's primary goal was recon for whatever ambassador or primary force was sent in. His briefing mentioned he was to rendezvous with the Wren Rally Master and any body with her. It was the estimated time for his fellow Mando'a to arrive so Kraaz had found himself a perch up high on a roof of one of the many many abandoned factories in this sector of the planet.

He scanned the sky and finally saw a transport ship emblazoned with the Wren Clan Crest, though he had no way to warn the ship of the quickly approaching missile. He didn't fret much about though as he could see 2 armored figures fly away from the ship as it descended. He tracked the pair through his scope but lost sight of them. He slung his rifle over his shoulder and activated his jet boots and flew to a better vantage, picking up the pair again but also something else. A pair of damn Scorpenek droids! He would take aim and try and reach out to the pair though his coms.

"This is Kraaz Wail of Death Watch. Hope you have a plan for those annihilators. I've got you on overwatch and ready to offer any support you need." He would offer over the comms. He'd take aim at one of the droids, even his sniper rifle wouldn't penetrate it's shields but he could at least get one of them off his fellow Mando. He would take a shot and as predicted it simple pinged off the droids shields, but would slowly turn to face the direction of the shot. Well he'd at least gotten it's attention.

​

@Song @Mockingjay

 

[Song Wren]

“You want me to serve as bait?” she told Rand, a mix of bewilderment and uncertainty in her voice. It wasn’t that she believed her cousin still to be out for revenge, but given the fact he’d held a grudge against her family for the last half decade and had only recently warmed up to her, Song wasn’t exactly sure if she could trust Rand to deliver on this plan. Besides, it had taken a whole building to disable the shield of one Scorpenek back on Rothana—could a single crane load be enough to cripple two? There was no possible way of knowing.

And there was no way for Song to argue, either. The ruined apartment complex she had fled into shook violently. Dust and plaster rained over her head as both annihilator droids tore into the building, explosions eating at the stone pillars that made up its foundation. If she didn’t move faster, she would be the one crushed under a thousand pounds of concrete.

Fortunately, she didn’t have to rely on her feet and stamina forever. As a column fell over just ahead, caving in the floor, Song swept a hand over her left wrist, fingers dancing over the controls. In an instant, her jetpack activated and she soared. Down a crumbling hall she went, flames guttering at her back, and through a shattered window at its end, she could see the crane Rand spoke of. It wasn’t far. Twelve meters. Ten. Five.

Then she heard it. A fresh voice over comms, the sound of additional reinforcements. She felt her spirits lift, only for them to sink as the head of the first Scorpenek appeared before the window. “Shit, fuck, shit!” she shouted over comms, completely forgetting that Kraaz was listening to every word, before she dove out the window. Song was lucky to fly just past the droid’s energy shield. Had it not been for Kraaz’ distraction, she’d have probably smacked and bounced right off it.

Angling between both Scorpeneks, she fired two quick rounds into each of their shields, recovering their attention. “Come on!” she shouted, luring them directly beneath the crane. Shots roared past her, narrowly clipping her beskar helmet and throwing her off-balance to the ground. “Rand, now!”

@Mockingjay @Okoju

 

[Randor Wren]

The momentary distraction provided by the new arrival gave Rand just enough time to fit himself into the crane and release its cargo. Some of the smaller crates bounced harmlessly off the two droids' shields, but the larger one punctured them the same way a nail might a balloon. And once other crates fell on the already-punctured shields, both blinked red, then fell.

Rand knew the shields wouldn't stay off long. As soon as the droids recycled their energy supply, they would be back up, and there was no more payload to make use of. Rand stuck his head out of the cockpit of the crane and took two shots at the back of the droids. His blasters left searing marks where they struck the droid's metal shell. Not enough to kill them, but enough to buy Song time to punch a pair of lasers through their big red eyes.

"I didn't know Death Watch was still around," he shouted into his helmet comms in the meantime. "Aim for the back of the droids. Get their attention. Song," he switched over to her channel, "Hit those eyes! We only have about a minute or two before the shields come back up!"

And then they were fucked.

They might already be. Rand was present-minded enough to notice the sound of nearby fighting had died down. Someone had won. Someone had lost. And if one side had Scorpenek droids, he was willing to bet whoever they were was the winner. They might not take the loss of these two droids well, either. But that was a challenge for later. Coming fully out of the crane's cockpit now, he continued to rain fire on the droids' backs, trying to get them to think less about shooting Song and more about turning around to shoot at him. @Okoju @Song

 

[Kraaz Wail]

Well these two certainly knew how to put on a light show. He could hear the pair over the comms and saw Song come soaring out of the blasted out apartment complex. Kraaz used this moment to sling his rifle and activate his jet boots and angled in closer, landing in a roll and drawing his MK rifle once again, now having a good flank on the droids as the shipping containers came crashing down into the droids.

After the dust settled Song was on the ground almost close enough to kiss the droids. Randor called for the hammer to be brought down on the droids which he was happy to do. "That's exactly the point." Kraaz would answer coolly to Randors statement on Deathwatch. He took aim and waited for the right moment and as the droids turned once again to face Randor, Kraaz took his shot, the hot bolt of plasma hitting the mark of the Scorpenek's glowing eye. He wasn't sure if it would bring the droid down but he shifted his scope to the other droid and put another shot into it's back to keep the pair of annihilators confused.

Kraaz would then take aim at the same droid and try and get a shot on it's hind leg, hoping to hobble the droid while it's shields were still down. "They're close, I'm assuming this isn't how negations were supposed to go correct? "

@Mockingjay @Song

 

[Song Wren]

Song hit the ground and rolled. She recovered quickly, shooting back up to her feet, and found herself directly beneath the first Scorpenek. Clawed legs snapped and twisted around her. She had to do everything not to be crushed by the droid, which was almost panicking as tons worth of crates broke through its shield. One nearly crushed Song too, but she was fast on her feet and leapt aside. Forget the ringing in her ears. Forget the pain and ache in her legs. She’d fought opponents twice as fearsome as these mechanical nightmares, and she could do it again.

While Kraaz readied his blaster rifle, she went for their legs. Crushing the hilt of her sword in both hands, Song slashed it through one of their front limbs. The Scorpenek she’d struck hobbled, teetering, just before she heard Kraaz’s first blaster bolt crash into its singular eye. A direct hit. As if a man unsure of dying, the droid staggered to the side, gears screeching, then collapsed into a pile of a useless scrap. The other one barely had time to retaliate in response. With a shot at its back and hind leg, the second Scorpenek tilted on its side.

And that was when Song went in for the kill.

She came at the droid like liquid lightning. In a flash, she cut through its front leg, forcing it down to her level, and then soared upward with a boost of her jetpack, sword aimed forward like a spear. Throwing all her weight behind it, she drove her blade into its unblinking red eye. The Scorpenek shrieked, reeled, and at last, fell over onto its back. Once she was sure it was dead, Song tore her sword out from it as if she’d taken down little more than a forest bear, then casually strode down its remains.

“Much easier than the first time,” she murmured, flourishing and sliding her blade back into its sheath. “Beautiful work, Randor. Never doubted you for a second.” A half-truth, maybe, but he didn’t need to know that. “And Kraaz, was it?” She turned to the other Mandalorian, catching sight of the gray sheen of his armor. “You came at a perfect time. I take it the Mand’alor sent you? Because I don’t remember requesting back-up, and certainly not from an organization like Death Watch.”

“Not that I’m complaining,” she added. “You’re a good shot. Maybe as good as Rand here.” She smirked and clapped her cousin the back, if only in jest.

@Mockingjay @Okoju

 

[Randor Wren]

Rand took the compliment in stride. Under his helmet, his eyes were trained on the newcomer. Kraaz, he was called. He was skeptical about the continued existence of Death Watch, moreso about the need of them. But he was just a bounty hunter. Not one to question Mandalore's tactics. "There was no negotiatons," he said instead. "We had barely gotten here when we ran into those two." Now, he looked to Song. "And there will be more. There are droid factories everywhere here. No telling which one of them has the master-slave beacon."

Rand was still uncertain about the silence. There was too much of it. Whoever had been making the noise when they arrived would not fail to notice all of Clan Wren in orbit, even if they had failed to notice Death Watch sneaking about. Rand eyed the newcomer again with renewed skepticism. "What's the situation here?" he asked. "More importantly, who has the droids? Please tell me its the rebels, because if it isn't—" He swiveled back to Song "—we're going to need the rest of the clan to take out the warlord."

He knew she didn't want to hear that. He had heard all about her 'adventure' with Valeska Kryze back on Scipio. How the two of them had pulled it off was beyond a simple bounty hunter, but he wasn't as crazy as Val was. And he didn't like risking his life if the odds were stacked against him. "That is," he add by way of reconciliation, "unless Death Watch here has figured out where the off-switch to these droids are. Warlord will be a lot more vulnerable without them."

He turned to face Kraaz more fully. "So? What'cha got for us?" @Okoju @Song

 

[Kraaz Wail]

Kraaz admired the woman's work as she finished off the other droid with her sword. With quick thrust from his jetboots he made his way down to the pair on the ground and greeted them with a curt nod.

"No Mandolore didn't deploy the whole of Deathwatch, heard of the situation over the wire and decided to lend a hand." Kraaz also noted that the sound of battle had calmed in the last few minutes and he kept his eyes on the roofs around them as he continued. "From intel I've been able to gather the droids are under the control of the Warlord. The "resistance" movement was severely over estimated. There were only a few cells." He sighed loaded a fresh power pack into his MK rifle and stowed it on his back. "I'm afraid we may have just heard their final stand."

"Warlord, names Cuustad, has become a megalomaniac in the past few weeks. He has aspirations to pursue further conquest beyond Metalorn if he's not stopped." He could tell that neither of the clan Wren members much cared for Death Watch they had a job to do here and needed to get cracking on getting it done. "Cuustad is held up in factory that he's turned into a makeshift stronghold. It's a few clicks west of this position." He finished and waited to see the Wrens response before he offered any ideas of his own. If Song had reinforcements waiting in the wings he had a possible idea of how to utilize them. @Mockingjay @Song

 

[Song Wren]

“Ah, another megalomaniac,” Song said once Kraaz was finished speaking. “Just our luck. But nothing we’re not already used to, right, Rand?” She nudged her cousin with her elbow, reminded of their last mission on Horuz. Most Rim worlds seemed to have a habit of fostering corrupt, ambitious politicians, and it was always up to Mandalorians like them to clean up their messes.

“I’ll contact the rest of Clan Wren and have them rendezvous with us outside Cuustand’s stronghold. A little brute force, and we should have him before the sun sets.” She ran a hand over her wrist controls, sending a message to orbit, only for a red light to flash in response. Dread coiled in her gut. “Well,” she continued irritably, “it would appear we’re all we have right now. Comms are jammed. Our dear warlord friend must have figured us out, thanks to those damned Scorpeneks.”

She cast an annoyed look back at the destroyed hulks of metal behind them. She shouldn’t have been so bold. Fleeing, or hiding even, would have drawn them less attention. Now, Cuustad knew who they were, just how much of a threat they posed, and likely where they’d be heading next. The odds had shifted dramatically out of their favor. Just the three of them against a droid army seemed ridiculous, and if there was a worst case scenario for this mission, it was right now.

Song let out a sigh. There was no point bemoaning that fact. For Mandalorians, they had faced down far worse enemies than droids. What they needed was a plan, and one that did not involve an embarrassing retreat or a suicide charge. “We can still salvage this operation,” she declared to Rand and Kraaz. “We just have to sneak into Cuustad’s stronghold and disable whatever jammers he’s put in place. Hopefully, we can capture him and shut down the rest of his army before things get messy.”

She pressed a finger to her chin, considering. It was a simple plan. Scattershot, made on short notice, and a mix of generally bad ideas—but it was a plan regardless. “In most situations, I’d recommend we stay together and deal with this one step at a time, but last thing we need is for all three of us to fall into a trap. We should split up. One of us can distract the warlord, while the others find this ‘master-slave’ beacon of his and that signal jammer. Sooner we can rob Cuustad of his army and get Clan Wren planetside, the better.”

Song glanced between both men. “Thoughts?”

@Mockingjay @Okoju

 

[Randor Wren]

Rand listened to Song's plan while he knelt down to examine the damage dealt to the Scorpeneks. He reached inside one of them, locating their internal comlink, and then tapped a few buttons on his wrist gauntlet. "No objections here," he said as he stepped away from the scrap metal. "I'll deal with deactivating the droids. I just ran a trace on their integrated comlinks. I should be able to follow the signal back to the source."

Rand was relieved at her suggestion. He was growing begrudgingly fond of his cousin, her antics aside. Still, at the end of the day, he was a bounty hunter who preferred doing things solo. He just worked better that way. Besides, the signal he had traced was nearby. Closer than he had originally anticipated. Assuming there were no more Scorpeneks, he could have the droids down before the sun fell. He had been on harder missions, and he knew Song had.

He didn't wait for his cousin or the Death Watch newbie to object to his plan, either. "I'll have those droids down by the time you two rendezvous at the warlord's stronghold. Then, I'll bring up the rear," he continued. "He knows there are two Mandalorians. But you—" Rand pointed at Death Watch "—were a wild card, planted here without his knowing. When the two of you show up, he'll probably be ready for you." Rand turned his back on them both. "He won't be ready for me."

Then he was airborne, rocketing into the shattered window on the top floor of a nearby factory. It was an office space, littered, desk overturned, and long-since vacated. Not a bad place to start a hunt. He checked his gauntlet, the readout showing the retraced signal clearly pointing towards a building two streets over. He was willing to bet, with a rebellion ongoing, it would be heavily guarded. But then, it didn't matter. He wasn't like Song or Valeksa Kryze. Guns blazing wasn't always the solution.

And he knew a path in to circumvent any droid guards. This was the Way. @Song @Okoju

 

[Kraaz Wail]

Of course it was more bad news. While it was to be expected that Custaad would jam them, it wasn't ideal that he now knew they were there. Kraaz kept his eyes scanning around them to make sure they weren't in for more surprises.

As Song laid out that the plan he would nod. "I've got the warlords last known location, splitting up is agreed." He would say as Rand would proceed to link into the droids communications. He could see the bounty hunter in the man showing as he jetted away to bring and in to the droids. He didn't disrespect the man for that choice, but Kraaz had always preferred the soldiers life of the mercenary. The battlefield was his home, his way, and he was ready to show this Custaad how ruthless he could be.

He looked back to Song and nodded. "I know the way, I'll take point if don't mind." With that he would draw one of his blaster pistols, he was kitted in all of his gear but his Galaar rifle, as he'd opted for the MK on this mission. "There are patrols all over the city, I've stayed out of sight on the rooftops...no one ever looks up." With that he would activate his jetboots and make his way to the next roof headed west, Rand had flown southwest. If that was the direction of the signal it would make since. While not wanting it located in his own stronghold it was wise to keep it somewhat close. He landed on the next roof and went by foot till reaching the edge, this was how he planned to go the distance they needed 6 klicks.

As they made they're way, looking down patrols could be seen, with scattered blaster fire, the droids finishing off any rebel stragglers. Kraaz knew it was only a matter of time until it would only be the Custaad's droids on the streets soon, he picked up the pace.

@Mockingjay @Song

 

[Song Wren]

“Sounds good,” she told her cousin, nodding once in his direction, a fist over her heart. “Good luck, Rand.”

Song knew he’d pounce at the first opportunity to split. He had spent years working and living alone, and if it wasn’t already obvious to Kraaz, he was something of an antisocial loner. Maybe Kraaz was the same, considering this long-term mission he had with the local rebels, but it was better for Rand to head out on his own. She could trust him to complete the task. He hadn’t failed her before, and against a few more droids, she doubted he would fail her anytime soon.

Once he’d jettisoned into the sky, she turned to the other man and nodded. “I don’t mind,” she said. “You’re more familiar with the city. I trust you.” Mostly. Song didn’t trust easily, and especially not for a member of Death Watch. Although he seemed to be working in a more independent cell, she’d heard of their practices, including their torture methods and ruthless approach to conquest. The last Mand’alor, Fenyang, had been a part of them once, and she’d never been a particular fan of his.

But as long as Kraaz served Nox, she could play nice.

Following him up to the rooftops, she kept in step behind him. Her blade felt fused to her palm and she kept a close eye out for wayward guards or surveillance droids. “Hey,” she said, hoping to probe some more information from their new friend before they split ways, “How long have you been undercover on Metalorn? I remember seeing you back when Nox Solus was sworn in as Mand’alor. Couldn’t have been more than a month ago.”

She thought back to that fateful day. A truly historic moment for Mandalore. That time, almost every named Mandalorian had been there, including herself, unlike the moot where Fenyang had taken power, courtesy of the Sith. She was proud to have seen Nox rise to the occasion. He was the best leader they could ask for, and she didn’t know anyone else more fit for the position.

@Mockingjay @Okoju

 

[Randor Wren]

Rand stood across the street from the large tower the signal was coming from, staring down at what used to be a subway access tunnel. From the looks of things, this part of the city had been heavily shelled sometime early in the fighting; and while there was likely tunnel collapses further in, the risk of their instability was a perfect shield for Rand. It was unlikely either the resistance or the warlord would waste thier men and droids patrolling the tunnels.

Underground, the bounty hunter relied on his helmet's visor to help him see. Water leaked in from somewhere above—likely from a blown sewage vein—creating a thin flim of sewage at his feet. He would be spending weeks washing the stench off of his armor. For now, he focused on the task ahead. Thanks to the thermal mode on his helmet, he was able to trace a path under the street and into the cellar of his objective tower. From there, it was just a matter of getting up into it and disabling the signal.

But Rand knew it wasn't going to be that easy—and, indeed, it wasn't.

The moment he emerged onto the first floor of the tower, corridor pointed to a nearby lift, a pair of B1s rounded the corner. Rand got off a shot that disabled one, but not before the other could yell into a comm, "Mandalorians! In the beacon tower! Roger, roger!"

The second shot silenced it, but it was too late. The droids would know he was coming for the signal beacon and would likely be diverting troops to reinforce the tower. "Song," Rand whispered into his comms. "I'm drawing some of the droids away. Don't waste this opening." He closed the channel before he could hear an answer, then charged inside. @Song @Okoju

 

[Kraaz Wail]

Kraaz landed hard on a roof and went up to the ledge and knelt down motioning for the following Song to join him. "Warlords hold up ahead. I'd assume he'd keep the jammer close by...but not too close." He would take the scope off his rifle quickly and use it to take a peak over the ledge and took a look at the compound. It was once an abandoned factory , bombed out and now rebuilt until a make shift stronghold. Walls made of scrap material lined the outside, as well as numerous battle droids. Kraaz lays out the details over the comms quietly.

"I can cause some mayhem and draw out the calyarnr while you go for the jammer. Call that back up of yours the second it's down." He'd take a moment to see if Song agreed, he was fine going for the jammer if she wanted to distract the warlord. From what he'd seen She'd be decent at either.

@Mockingjay @Song

 

[Song Wren]

As Kraaz scoped out Cuustad’s stronghold, so did Song. Using the vision magnifiers in her helmet, she scanned the building perimeter, making tiny notes of the guards, their positions, and what other defenses were peppered about the factory. It wasn’t as much as she’d anticipated, but it was a lot. Anti-aircraft turrets on the roof, turret cannons in patrol towers, plated blast doors serving as the main entrance inside. Cuustad, clearly, was well-prepared for an assault. What he probably didn’t expect was not just who would be leading that attack, but how many.

A single Mandalorian was worth a hundred droids. Once Rand managed to disable the beacon tower commanding them, the tyrant general didn’t stand a chance.

“Thanks, but I know what I’m doing,” she told the other Mandalorian, the curve of a smile on her lip. She clapped him on the shoulder. “Good luck, Kraaz. You’re going to need it.” Then, without another word, she descended from the rooftop and into a neighboring alley, knowing she’d have to wait for his distraction before she could fly towards the stronghold and track down this comms jammer. Given her experience, she was likely to find it tucked on the factory roof, exposed but heavily guarded. Not that it mattered how many droids would be patrolling it.

All she needed was one clear shot.

Letting the shadows cradle her body, Song slowly advanced toward the compound. At the very first sign of Kraaz’s attack, she moved into position and activated her jetpack. Whether he was throwing explosions or blaster bolts, once she was certain the droids were distracted, she launched into the air. Flames guttered at her back. She only prayed this time there were no snipers hiding around the area. This was her third jetpack replacement in the last month, and the last thing she needed was to go see Nox once again about getting a new one.

She sucked in a breath. Fortune would favor her this day. She believed it. Because if things took a turn for the worst, Song wasn’t sure if they’d be able to take Metalorn.

@Mockingjay @Okoju