Ask [Zyggeria] 5...4...3...2...

[Kotii Solus]

Spoiler: Music

Location: Zyggeria (Outer-Rim S-4)
Time since broadcast: 6 standard cycles, 23 hours, 50 minutes ~ Approx

The Zyggerian Slave Empire had undergone periods of dormancy, inactivity and even being all but extinguished for a period of time in history. However presently the world sat on the throne of atrocities that competed with only the most unforgivable scum of villainy in the galaxy. In the shadow of the planet's lone moon the Mandalorian exited hyperspace.

Cast in the shadow of the single satellite, it would aid the ships on their approach. But it would not keep all of them from the scanners. Using the gravity well of the moon and world the ships could remain in their relatively hidden position with minimal thrusters and engine use. The Alor of House Solus had studied the orbiting bodied of the system. Such things were not hidden knowledge. Neither were the limited hyperspace coordinates taken from the smuggler ships on Pzob.

When the time was right, the fleet of ships would move from their position and on towards the Zyggerian Royal Palace at the center of the planet's Capital City. Among the fleet were three red and black painted Kom'rk class multi-role troop transports on one side of a large capital ship. Their impressive firepower and agility could keep up with the anticipated I-BEAM starfighters the planetary defenses were known to use. Another trio of YV-865 Aurore light freighters almost seemed to mirroring the mandalorians in a formation overlay. At the center of this flotilla sat a boxy shaped Lictor class dungeon ship. It held thousands of recently liberated and sworn in members of House Solus. Today, after the broadcast from their Alor they planned to continue the work and aid in liberating the slaves still at the mercy of their masters. Muun Morut, as the ship was called, was the home of the Neo-Liberators and would hopefully be a place for those on the planet blow.

A host of other small ships belonging to individuals joined the fleet. But the forefront of the fleet was a ship almost as impressive in size as the 'Hard Haven'. However it had a compliment of something other than Mandalorian warriors. A tactic used in history would be employed by Kotii today. The GR-75 medium transport was armed with a heavy aftermarket shield and set as its primary defense with the medium as a backup. Furthermore, the aft of the ship sported an extended fusial afterburner to more than make up for the decrease in speed brought on by the shields. The crew of the ship was a series of droids with retraining bolts affixed to them and under the directive of their new Mandalorian owners. A small price to pay for the freedom of many more, the droids would be in charge of flying the explosive laddened transport to the palace and making an offering to Kad Har'rangir.

-----​

Beneath the Palace, there existed numerous catacombs within the mesa it sat on. Along with the Capital City of Zygerria, the tunnels and Palace had been made by the slave labour its occupants had returned to over the years. Aside from the Jedi Order, nobody had particularly cracked down or thwarted the Zygerrian Slave Empire. Only competition, war and taboo kept the world from returning to affronts to basic freedoms.

Inside the tunnels would be the true team of Mandalorians. The leaders of Zygerria would turn their attention towards the threats in the system that had only just arrived. Meanwhile, the true threat was the smaller blade inching closer to the monarch's heart. This blade was composed of the ready and willing members of Kotii Solus's hand picked strike team. With the amassed Mandalorian presence in orbit looking like a true threat, being because it was one, the natural reaction for the leader of the planet was to retreat to the safest possible place. Otherwise they were just being stupid especially when a Solus calls you out over the holonet. Thus, the blade the in dark was the one the King would be fleeing towards.

Looking at each of the armored warriors who were brave enough to come along, the man gave a nod to the group and addressed them through his internal helmet commlink. "Keep your personavs handy. You can get lost in these tunnels. Even if you do, worst case you find a way out to the edge of the plataeu and a badger comes to pick you up." Today Kotii was carrying his black handled BW-713 heavy blaster pistol on his left hip. Attached to a sling was a galaar-15 blaster carbine for the closer spaces. They needed to anticipate royal guards would be on alert. Kotii was curious to see how the King was going to react. He wanted all eyes on Zyggeria to see what happened to someone that was an enemy of Mandalore.

@Forsythe Crowholde @Nefieslab @Scoobert @Versok @Killa Ree

 

[Arthos Vizsla]

Arthos breathed out slowly, taking the time to measure and prepare himself and his breathing ahead of the expected combat. As a Mandalorian he knew that he would be expected to kill as many of the slavers as he could get his hands on because he was one of the chosen few. Maybe it was just to make up the numbers of the strike team and maybe Kotii Solus didn't need someone of his meagre skills but Arthos was just so incredibly happy to be included. To be given the chance to prove himself as a true Mandalorian and finally show his quality to those who had judged him in the past.

Equipped as best as he could be, Arthos had learned his lesson from the last mission he went on with the Alor of Clan Solus and had also brought along two frag grenades. The last time he had been caught flatfooted with only some gas grenades. They might be more useful here than they had been against the droids of the old Consortium compound but he wanted to make sure he covered all the bases.

Covering the rear of the group, Arthos did a visual sweep over the rear approach to make sure they were not snuck up on. They were the hidden blade and he would be damned if he left any of the slaving cats catch them off guard. At Kotii's words, he nodded, patting his personav attached to the belt at his waist.

"Oya." he acknowledged both the instructions and the general call to prepare for combat, "I am ready."

He hoped to prove it.

@Forsythe Crowholde @Scoobert @Versok @Killa Ree @Darasuum

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

It was a very lovely thing, being committed to an aruetii who understood the Creed she needed to uphold. A man – an outsider – who painstakingly took the time and effort to study not just her language but also the culture of her people. And while Reiel was bound to her duties to her beloved sorcerer as his chief of security he also respectfully gave her the freedom to be the Mandalorian she was.

Suffice to say, Reiel's face was still beet red beneath the cover of her buy'ce upon remembering how Carrick bid her good luck and for her to have a successful hunt with her vode. But just because she was still mentally swooning didn't mean that she wasn't paying attention to the instructions she received before finding herself in Kotii and Arthos' company once again. There were other Mandalorians that comprised the blade that would strike the Zygerrian monarchy, and Laren Vano was one she'd fought with back on Mandalore against the army of the false Mand'alor Malinkar.

She didn't doubt Mysha Kelborn and Drak Vulfur's combat prowess, already having an inkling that they far exceeded hers. Instead of being anxious, embarrassed, or even jealous, the knowledge only served to fuel the small Mandalorian's confidence and courage.

Positioned in front of the youngest Mando in the group, Reiel offered Kotii a thumbs up in response to the Alor's words. She had just recently acquired a new personav of her own, though she didn't imagine that the first time she would use it was during a vital mission that would dictate the annihilation of a planet's unsavory trades.

Reiel hated slavery with a burning passion. The mere memory of the kids she and Kotii found on that smuggler base on Pzob was more than enough cause for her to join the ranks of the hidden blade the head of the Badger House had organized.

The small Mandalorian was armed, and then some. A DE-10 Blaster Pistol, her trusty DC-15A Blaster Rifle, her usual arsenal of frag grenades and flash charges strapped to her utility belt, and two vibroknives tucked to each boot. It felt like a typical hunt to her, though she still possessed the common sense to remain aware that this current mission was so much more.

"Noted, Kotii," she replied almost brightly, grinning under her helmet. "I'll stick with Arthur over here for good measure so I won't get lost."

Reiel was still terribly embarrassed when she found out that she'd been calling Arthos the wrong name during a past mission. Now, though, using the wrong name had become more of an endearing nickname for the Ossein Mandalorian. She just hoped Arthos had truly forgiven her for the unintended slight and the fact that she'd just given him a nickname.

@Darasuum @Nefieslab @Killa Ree @Scoobert @Versok

 

[Mysha Kelborn]

Mysha wasn't here on some personal vendetta.

Sadly, slavers were common in the galaxy, especially outside the more 'civilized' systems. But this was a direct strike against a group that was openly of the slave trade; ones she held in deep contempt. Many of her own people had told stories of this proud race of racists; she only hoped her strike back would land hard enough that even the cats' descendents would feel it.

She had been eager to allow her hammer to fall, and it happened to fall on a cause Kotii believed in. And he was a man of his word; she wanted to fight by his side, to prove House Kelborn wasn't out of the fight just yet. Holding the grip of her vibrohammer, she gave a brief nod to the Solus Alor, a small smile on her lips.

"I am ready."

She was mildly surprised at the young voice of the Viszla; she had heard rumors of the boy, but was keen to see the prowess of this crew. She also nodded to the rest of the group. She was pleased to see the smaller Mandalorian Reiel, and she had heard of the rest of this group's fighting prowess. They would be strong. They would be swift, and they wouldn't relent. She felt sure of this cause.

She had gotten the personav and blaster recently; though she trusted her steel skin to protect her well, she knew how all too easy it was to lose your weapons, and your way. And though grenades were useful, they weren't as satisfying to wield. She could be patient, however. There was a time for assault, and a time for stealth.

Taking a deep breath, her grip on her hammer tightened in excitement. To prove her worth by Kotii's side, and with her brothers and sisters... was there anything better?

@Nefieslab @Darasuum @Forsythe Crowholde @Scoobert @Versok

 

[Drak Vúlfur]

Calibrating his weapons and equipment while listening silently, the Mandalorian of clan Vúlfur prepared himself as they got closer and closer to the future victims of the Mandalorian's wrath. Drak was not someone that adhered to the moral code of the rest of the galaxy, being part of the Mandalorians that could be considered zealots even by the standards of their other brothers and sisters, Drak Vúlfur considered himself an agent of the god of war and change and, at the end of the day, didn't care if innocent people died by his hand, war created a stronger galaxy, and as Mandalorians, war was their sacred duty, it should not be the means to an end, but rather the end goal itself.

That being said, Drak saw the zygerrians as more than worthy targets for their crusade, Kotii Solus could have not chosen anything better. After all, there was no honor in slavery, the galaxy at large could choose who to side with, from the greatest soldier to the most modest citizen, all of them decided where to stay, who to make their enemies and who to make their allies, they died and thrived because of the consequences of their own actions, but slaves didn't have that right, their lifes forfeit from the moment they were born in many cases, taking the ability to choose from another sentient life was disgusting even in the eyes of someone like Drak, who had been called a senseless butcherer in more than one occasion.

"Oya." Drak put his fist on his chest, acknowledging the other Mandalorians, so many warriors from so many different clans, young blood and veterans all united under the banner of one Alor to strike fear into the hearts of their enemies, it was a wonderful sight to see "Let's make our ancestors proud."

Just like always, Drak was more than prepared to face his enemies, his flame projector will bring the fire of the forge of Vúlfur to his enemies, his westar blaster pistol and beskad will strike true at the Zygerrians' heart and the two fragmentation grenades he brought along with him would decimate as many as possible if the opportunity was presented to him, today the galaxy would witness the prowess of the greatest warriors in the galaxy.

@Nefieslab @Darasuum @Forsythe Crowholde @Killa Ree

 

[Kotii Solus]

Kotii felt a sense of pride in the moment as he saw the readied warriors of Mandalore joining him. He took a second to put together who Reiel meant by 'Arthur' but didn't comment on it. Each of them responded with a readiness and enthusiasm that caused him to smile. His confident tone replied with a nod. "Oya"

Connecting his commlink with the Mandalorian flotilla, Kotii would direct the small fleet to begin their approach. It would take them a few minutes to be noticed by the local defenses and move into position. <"Move on the Palace now. Drive them down to darkness brothers or be burned above."> The relayed commands were given and the more wizened leaders in the ZDF would try to assess how best to deal with an arrived and closing Mandalorian military force.

As the squad of Mandalorians ascended the cattacombs, Kotii wished he could be in the command room when the Zygerrian King was informed of the situation. The look of surprise and fear was something he would get to see up close soon enough. If any attempts at hailing the Mandalorians occurred in space, Aden would be in command and able to respond appropriately and remain silent. They likely still expected the Alor to be with the majority of his forces. But Kotii did things hands on and when he said he was going to kill someone, he meant it. The count down clock was getting closer and closer. The warships approaching the capital city would be noticed and intercepted by the limited defenses of the planet. Even if they could protect against an all out battle with some of the galaxy's greatest warriors, the local defenses would be devastated. A badger bites down and doesn't let go until their prey was dead even if he takes a beating in the process.

Today, there was to be minimal casualties. The only ones to die were the slavers. Minutes would pass in the darkened tunnels beneath the palace as the blade in the dark waited. Then echoing from above would be the reverberation as heavy blast doors opened. A dozen sets of foot steps would subsequently be heard. Voices speaking in Zygerrian talked and directed one another with tense tones.

In the darkness of the tunnels the black scatterweave coating would make the badger almost undetectable when near the shadows. Spaced out lightening made it easy for the heavily armed squad to prepare in side tunnels and position themselves well. Taking the time to get where they were early helped avoid having to consider the movement of heavy armor plates and weaponry echoing up the tunnel.

Coming down the tunnel at the front of the group were six Zygerrian royal guards armed with electro-staves in hand. On one hip they each had blaster pistols and on another they carried whips. Behind these was clearly the captain of the guard. A more detailed headdress and a pulse wave pistol. The feline captain stood beside the obvious King who carried a bird in his arms. The feathery creature squinting and cooed in the cradling arms of the tyrant. Making up the rear guard were another half dozen royal guards. Evidently the King had somewhat taken his threat seriously, or maybe the Captain had. Either way, their target was here now.

The first thing that Kotii wanted to make certain, was that the King would not get away. Unhooking a stun gas grenade from his belt, the Mandalorian primed it with a typical delay of five seconds. While Arthos had made sure to bring more lethal grenades than the time they had been underground on Hypori, this time they were dealing with organics. Even non-lethal tools could still bring victory which was exactly what Kotii intended. The cylindrical ordenance was sent flying through the air. What's more, amid the darkness of the tunnels, Kotii kept his throwing arm outstretched and used the magnetic properties of the black gloves he wore. The grenade continued to move with the momentum of the throw. Instead the Alor, with practiced skill, let the grenade drop in the center of the rear guard.

A 'hmm?' came from one guard and then another murmured as the stun gas grenade made contact with the tunnel ground. What probably was a question in Zygerrian was cut short as the bursting of gasses sounded from behind the King. The tunnel and the way the royal entourage had come was soon filled with gas leaving. "Behind us!" One of them said while coughing. The captain of the guard put a hand on the King's shoulder and the lead formation of guards tensed, brandishing their staves. That was the signal for the rest of the squad to engage.

@Forsythe Crowholde @Nefieslab @Versok @Killa Ree

 

[Arthos Vizsla]

Oh gods above, she was still calling him Arthur because he had never gotten around to telling her what his actual name was because it would have involved telling her that she was wrong. She knew that it was wrong, now, but he had never actually said it himself and now she was still using it. Was that a good thing? A bad thing? Kark, this was exactly why Arthos didn't enjoy social interactions - there was just so much pressure! He swallowed thickly underneath his helmet and gave Reiel a thumbs up because he couldn't trust himself not to open his mouth and insert his own boot.

It seemed to basically live there half the time.

With his blaster pistol at the ready in his right hand, Arthos had made sure to come ready with his vibroknife in his left hand. Stealth was the name of the game for as long as they could maintain it after all. As the group moved forward, Arthos kept a close eye on their six to keep them from being snuck up on, though it did mean he needed to check his nav a few times to keep his understanding of where they actually where up to date.

Moving into one of the alcoves when they heard incoming Zygerrians coming, Arthos holstered his blaster pistol and held his knife in both hands in the darkness. Muttering a quick prayer, he released the blade with one hand to grab a PL-50 stun gas grenade of his own and armed it ready until he heard Kotii's own touch the ground.

"Kad Ha'rangir, Sarsala ni nakinagr be kal bal gaan."

Throwing it then, slightly ahead of the King's party to surround them with the rapidly expanding gasses. With his rebreather swapped out for a filter, Arthos was not subject to the stun properties of the gas as the guards were and in the darkness he was swift to charge forward from cover with his blade. Unfortunately for Arthos, one of the guards was more alert than the others and it was, obviously, the one he chose to attack.

His movement through the gas caught the guard's attention and the staff was swung. Arthos cursed in the privacy of his own mind as he brought his blade up to catch the attack by instinct - before his muscles began to seize up as the electrical current passed directly from the staff into his blade... and directly into his body.

Almost immediately he was fighting just to stay conscious.

@Forsythe Crowholde @Versok @Killa Ree @Darasuum

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

Reiel could only smile in approval at the assembled group, mirroring their quietly spoken battle cries with one of her own.

It didn't take long for their prey to take the bait and abandon his post in the throne room. The small Mandalorian's height and build perfectly granted her cover in one of the alcoves within the tunnels. Wrapping her cloak around herself and covering her helmet as well, the Zyggerian guards practically took no notice of her as they moved past her and forward to engage with her fellow Mandalorians. From one past mission with Kotii on Pzob, Reiel had found it prudent to swap out her rebreather for a filter for their current mission.

The stun gases would soon take their effect but for the meantime the Crowholde knew that they needed to strike. Reiel drew one of her blasters and shot at the incoming Zyggerian soldiers from her hiding spot. Two of the guards were caught by surprise by the sudden attack while a third manage to gather his bearings and moved to stun the small Mandalorian with his electro-stave but Reiel was already on the move.

Dropping on all fours before the stave could hit her, Reiel did a quick forward roll, free hand swiping her vibroknife from her boot. As she rose up so did her vibroknife, plunging into the guard's back. The Zyggerian let out a choking gasp when the small Mandalorian viciously twisted the blade, unaware of Arthos's plight as her attention was caught by the sight of the Zyggerian king ahead.

@Darasuum @Nefieslab @Killa Ree @Versok

 

[Kotii Solus]

Ironically, Kotii didn't have his rebreather equipped. The man would have to hold his breath once he traversed through nearest cloud. His focus, allowing him to exhale a tiny bit of air only to keep his subconscious from inhaling. Instead, he knew he needed to get to where there was less of the gas. A roar the Mandalorian's back mounted jetpack would send the Alor barreling through the front group of coughing royal guards. He had confidence in the warriors behind him. On impact the rearmost zygerrians were sent to the floor before their leader. But Kotii was practiced in falling even when it came to having a jetpack and came up with his blaster carbine trying to acquire the King.

Kotii inhaled as he saw the Captain of the guard level their pulse wave pistol's elongated barrel at the Mandalorian. They had drawn their weapon quickly and simply held their fire for risk of hitting a fellow Zygerrian. Kotii was aware of how much damage such a thing could do to him especially at close range. The badger had both of his hands on his blaster but would raise the weapon to parry the Zygerrian pistol away. The Royal Captain's trigger still pulled and caused a bolt to hit the ceiling with a damaging blast, sending rocks and gradient onto Kotii's shoulders and the groaning guards he had tackled a moment ago. The stun gas continued to add to their lethargy.

Gritting their teeth, the Captain stared in defiance. Unlike the king, they were feeling the fight part of fight or flight and weren't as spineless as Kotii would have guessed. But that resolve of the Zyggerian Captain wouldn't save them. Kotii dropped onto a knee. Before the captain could require the scatterweave coated warrior, their chest received a double tap. Between two clouds of choking royal zygerian guards, with his primary means of defense gone, the King looked terrified.

He wanted the slavery approving King's last moments to be filled with fear. After Pzob, he felt he had let those smugglers off too easily. Rising from the stance, the King took a step back like that would help him. Kotii kept the weapon leveled as he stood and advanced. He proceeded to fire shots on either side of the King's head and body causing him to flinch, jump and yelp. Yells and death screams as the bolts fired by Kotii found their way to the guards struggling to remain conscious. It was a practical if not intimidating to kill all the King's men and save him for last.

The King held out a hand to fend off Kotii's approach. The owl like bird cried and flapped its wing to try and flee back up the tunnel rapidly and leaving its master to his fate alone. Kotii was beyond the first squad of guards and so was ignorant of the danger Arthos was in. He should be able to handle a single slightly stunned guard. Otherwise he should hope one of his brothers or sisters that is closer will come to his aid.

@Forsythe Crowholde @Nefieslab @Versok @Killa Ree

 

[Arthos Vizsla]

It was like a fog descended on him and Arthos was no longer truly in control of his body.

The guard he was facing wavered under the effects of the gas enough that their weapons didn't connect any longer. Instead of feeling relieved that he was no longer being shocked, Arthos was filled with a shame he had not faced in his entire life. However, unlike anything else in his life he knew precisely the way he was going to handle it.

"AH!"

With a lot of anger and violence.

Throwing himself bodily at the guard, Arthos used his size and aggression to outright tackle the guard down to the floor. Wrestling the distressed Zygerrian to the ground, Arthos smashed his elbow repeatedly into the creature's mouth until he was able to win the grapple and rested atop the downed guard who lay wheezing through a broken nose and shattered teeth.

Seething in his shameful rage, Arthos gripped the alien tightly by the neck with both hands and began to squeeze, forcing his thumbs to tear into the skin around the guard's throat. Taking a shaking breath, Arthos wiped his bloody hands off on the guard's uniform as he stood up.

He wanted to be sick... but the mission wasn't over.

@Forsythe Crowholde @Darasuum @Versok @Killa Ree

 

[Mysha Kelborn]

She didn't waste any time.

The guards wouldn't wait idly by while a group assaulted from all sides; switching her rebreather on, she gripped her hammer and charged forward with a wordless, bloodthirsty battle scream. The weight of her hammer was sure. It was held strongly in her grip, and she wouldn't hesitate to hammer into her closest adversary. Bone and flesh met unyielding vibrohammer with a sickening crunch, and the guard crumpled as though they were made of little more than tissue paper.

However, when her adversary fell silently to the ground, it was a scream that cut through her senses to the plight of the skinny, young-sounding Viszla. Pulling the hammer free with a schlop from the pasted Zyggerian, she strode over towards him, prepared to strike her hammer at whatever had harmed the youngest of their strike team. She trusted her other companions to watch their backs and help Kotii keep the King pinned.

She made sure the youth would see her, first, before allowing the lightest pat on the shoulder.

<<Not bad.>>

The battle wasn't over yet, however.

Hefting her hammer, she let out a low chuckle, and unseen smirk.

They would prevail.

She would watch over the young Viszla's back, and the backs of her companions, but any guard that would dare get close enough would feel the wrath of the armorer in the swing of her vibrohammer.

@Darasuum @Nefieslab @Forsythe Crowholde @Versok

 

[Kotii Solus]

The tunnels echoed the cacaphony of battle. Impacts from the brutal melee and short range fire fight resounded up and down. The thunder of combat added to the chaos. The bodies of guards succumbing solely to the gas would continue though many of them were unceremoniously executed or bested in short order.

The monarch of the Zygerrian Slave Empire coughed and looked to have trouble standing. The feline king's fearful posture backed up but coughed and desperately tried to calculate some sort of way out. The look on his face told Kotii he wanted to try and manipulate, to do anything to survive. But the Alor of House Solus was not going to let that happen. Even now, the King spoke his native tongue to the ignorant Mandalorian. Pleads, threats, it didn't matter what the Zyggerian said.

A single right hook was attempted by the King to punch the advancing Kotii. In response, Kotii fully let go of his Galaar-15 carbine this time, causing it to swing from its webbing by his side. Kotii's left cybernetic hand was able to intercept and keep the arm from connecting with any of his plates, not that it would hurt.

The vibroblade on the Mandalorian's right hip was gripped by the rispective hand. The weapon did not activate until it sank into the King's chest in the center of his solar plexus. A continue look of bewilderment was etched across the King's face. The slight hum of the rapidly moving knife would kill him in a matter of moments. But not before Kotii wrenched the weapon down, only pulling the weapon free after reaching mid-stomach. Entrails and other organs would spill out onto the ground. Part of Kotii wanted the man to be alive just to see his own dissembowling. But personal vengeance and righteous justice were two different things even if they shared a fine line.

Kotii stood panting for what felt like several moments. The adrenaline surged in his veins and his crimson eyes stared at the life fluid that left his target. Combat continued and the Alor couldn't lose focus, not when he had waded into battle this far. Whirling around he would begin to draw his heavy blaster pistol from its holster in search of a new target. A prod from a stun staff sent Kotii recoiling slightly.

The ground underfoot shook like an earthquake. The badger was nearly thrown from his feet and stumbled. "That was the GR-75." He grinned to his fellow Mandalorians and answering the shocking prod he received with a bright red blast of plasma. The royal guard's blast vest took the shot but caved in a part of his chest from the damaging shot.

The sounds of aerial combat above the city or on the surface were unlikely to reach this far. But the massive explosion of the fireboat sent to the palace was certainly felt. Thankfully the tunnels were fairly strong and unlikely to cave in. It was that reason why the king had evacuated to this location. <"Kad Har'rangir...please except this sacrifice."> He added as a whispered prayer to the Mandalorian god of destruction.

@Forsythe Crowholde @Nefieslab @Versok @Killa Ree keeping this moving

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

She stepped forward in time with Arthos's furious shout. It was only her trust in the young Vizsla's skills and her fellow Mandalorians behind her that made Reiel continue forward, blasters raised as she felled another guard who tried to impede her march. The other Zyggerians were succumbing to the effects of the stun gas, and she only gave them her attention whenever one or two struggled and attempted a futile attack before they lost consciousness.

The monarch's desperate words echoed in the cavern, and Reiel didn't bother trying to translate what the king was saying. The words of a dead bastard wouldn't matter any longer anyway. Approaching Kotii while resisting and disposing of any enemy who stood her way reminded Reiel of Pzob and at the same time it didn't. The slick sound of blood splashing on the dirt beneath them felt nauseating and not at the same time, mixed with the sound of battle behind her and above the caves.

Oddly enough – or maybe it wasn't – all Reiel could hear were the frightened voices of the children she and Kotii rescued on Pzob. Even as one of the Zygerrian guards managed to trip her and brought her down with a following strike of a non-functional shock rod, she heard the Mikkian Hauron's defiance and the reassuring voice of the Ithorian girl See. One hand lifted to activate a whipcord, the wire wrapping around the guard's neck. With a mighty pull the Zygerrian stumbled before falling on top of Reiel whose blaster dug deliberately on the former's stomach.

A choked gasp was all the guard mustered as blaster fire created a burning hole on his midsection.

"They won't harm us, Hauron! We hafta... we hafta trust them..."

"They– They hit us when we cry, an'– an'–"

Underneath the cover of her helmet, Reiel was crying, the reality of what Kotii was trying to accomplish by murdering the Zygerrian King fully sinking in. She thought of all the slaves, all the children this act would save. She thought about those who were still in need of saving. So many Haurons and Sees. So many beings who suffered.

"No more," she whispered softly to the corpse above her before pushing him off of her. Reiel rose, Zygerrian blood on her helmet and armor. "The end of an era of slavery starts here."

@Darasuum @Nefieslab @Killa Ree @Versok

 

[Arthos Vizsla]

Arthos pulled himself back together as quickly as he could because he needed to. He was in the middle of a dangerous area, he needed to pull himself together because he couldn’t rely on anyone else to keep him alive. They were Mandalorians and if his clan had taught him anything it was that they were responsible for themselves. In his clan, if someone fell behind then they deserved to be left behind.

And he refused to be left behind.

Standing was a little bit difficult on legs that shook slightly but Arthos decided he was going to help himself again but doing something else his clan had told him to do; taking trophies. Grabbing the staff that had shocked him in the first place, Arthos leaned on the staff a little bit for support as he let his legs rest.

He growled at the corpse he had created.

“Ni’duraa! Shabuir.” He cursed the dead Zygerrian as he gripped the staff, “I’m keeping this.”

Noticing that Kotii had gotten the King and the rest of the guards were covered, Arthos let out a deep breath.

“How goes the aerial assault? Do they need support?”

@Darasuum @Killa Ree @Versok @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Mysha Kelborn]

She was proud of their little group, dispatching of the king and his guards so quickly. But it felt easy... almost too easy, even by her standards. Hefting her axe again and staring down the rest of the group, she paused when the ground tremored again.

The air raid above seemed to run well, but... was this it? Was this all? A measly handful of guards and a panicked king? Why then, would not any other group, such as the Syndicates, not try this exact same tactic?

Still...

She glanced over at Kotii, then Art, and Reiel, lastly at Drak. Time wasn't a luxury they had.

"We need to send a message to the cats above. Break them and show them their defeat." She gestured at the King's corpse, then back at Kotii, her voice level, almost nonchalant.

"It's your call though," she almost said Honey Badger, but resisted. However, a grin crept in her voice, as she hefted her axe up once more. "Should probably clean out the stronghold of other cats from within as well; they might not surrender as easily until we have our conquered facility secured. As above, so below."

@Darasuum @Nefieslab @Versok @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Kotii Solus]

The stun gas up the tunnel and back the way the Zyggerians had come was littered with the bodies belonging to the royal guard. Arthos's voice reached Kotii's ears as the last of the bodyguards were dispatched. The stun gas would dessipate soon enough and the man took a short breath of what he hoped was unsaturated air before jogging through the remaining gas and meeting back up with the squad.

<"Probably couldn't hurt. It'll be best if we head back to the ship."> He would get a more accurate picture of which battlefronts needed assistance. His voice carried to those physically present. <"The shadow gauntlet will be meeting us. Anybody injured?"> Nobody looked to have severe injuries but it was best they figure that out before moving on. There was the option of trying to find a surface entrance but with the bombing a collapsed tunnel was more likely.

<"I don't want them to surrender. They had their chance. We'll free the prisoners, but their keepers will pay for their lives."> He had given the warning of a standard week yet nothing had been done. <"Fine."> He huffed and placed a hand next to his helmet, connecting him to the Werda Kom'rk.

<"Aden, broadcast my message, they aren't jamming us right?"> They weren't jamming them and didn't have the capabilities of ignoring the small fleet engaging the planetary defense forces. <"You can at least be heard...probably."> The friend of Kotii shrugged somewhere in the cockpit of the starfighter. Kotii didn't care too much if the bastards heard him or not. Wherever the locals would hear the Alor's voice come through they would maybe see the rotating holographic image of the Solus clan sigil substituting Kotii's previously shown form. The message was relayed from the multi-role craft to the more powerful ships in orbit approaching the planet's surface.

"Members of the Zyggerian Slave Empire, your king is dead, gutted like the coward he was and his elite guard crushed. Fleeing his domain like a true chakaar, you have a chance at not being looking over your shoulders for the rest of your lives. Surrender and we will turn you in to the Republic for your crimes." The offer was not much better, in fact he knew many would refuse. But it was either a life in a maximum security prison, possible death sentences depending on their luck, or dealing with Mandalorians for the rest of their lives. Kotii and his squad had done just as he had promised and hunted down the king and killed him. The slavers had committed to their way of life and were not going to be getting out of it. Kotii would make sure of it. After all, they had a dungeon ship and a prison facility. The Crypt was not a nice place. Who knows how long until the Alor chooses to hand them over to the republic and in what condition.

@Forsythe Crowholde @Nefieslab @Versok @Killa Ree

 

[Arthos Vizsla]

Arthos had long since come to the conclusion that the best way for him to actually win larger battles was to help co-ordinate things with people who were just so much better than him at the actual combat. When Kotii asked if there were any injured, Arthos considered pointing out the injuries he had sustained - some burns and a tremor that didn't seem to want to go away... but he didn't. Instead he just shook his head and turned away, hands balling into fists to hide the way his fingers shook without any input from himself.

Freeing the prisoners was something that he had expected. As much as Mandalorians could grow in numbers due to natural births within the clans, they most often grew in size through foundlings both adult and child. If even a fifth of the slaves kept by the Zygerrians in their little slave empire decided to sign up then the number of Mandalorians in the Galaxy would rocket up at a rate unheard of since before the Scouring.

Turning them over to the Republic?

"... the Republic would be too good for them." Arthos commented, far enough away that his voice wouldn't be caught on the recorder though still loud enough for the Mandos around him to hear him, "Why not kill them all?"

He was typically not so blood-thirsty but Zygerrians as an Empire had done their best to make millions, billions even, of people feel as small as they possibly could. It was something he could not stomach.

@Forsythe Crowholde @Versok @Killa Ree @Darasuum