Objective: Search and Destroy
Gear: Empire’s Shadow | Nelvaanian Sword | Shroudsaber x2 | Shroudshoto | KC-95 Ace of Spades
Writing With:
Jenn Kryze
|
Eliz Krayt
The targets continued to move closer to the establishment, for they were indeed Mandalorians. Not just any ordinary Mandalorian either, but the elite as the best of the best so to speak. At least, the beskar armor was difficult to mistake for anything else, and each Mandalorian was armed to the teeth. It was a squad of ten that was divided up to two teams. One team was armed with their own blasters and gadgets while the second team notably had more explosives than the first team did. They were led by an Alor’ad who took the charge towards the mine. After all, the Mandalorians were here to do more than just attack the Eternal Empire, they were here to hurt the Eternal Empire whether they are successful in taking the planet or not.
The teams cautiously approached the small complex as they checked their corners and kept their attention to their surroundings. Metallic steps tap on the concrete structure as the Mandalorians begin to perform a sweep over the complex. Each under the impression that there would be somebody in the complex with them.
”There’s nobody here. It looks like they ran once the fighting started.” One of the warriors spoke through their communication device built within their helmets as they nearly completed their sweep. Just as he responded, something, a dark blur of movement later the Mandalorian was swept off his feet into a dark alleyway. He attempted to cry out to alert the team, but it was cut short by a sickening bone crunch. The Alor and the rest of the team quickly investigated only to find their man in pieces. Not so much as in he was cut open by a weapon, but rather something tore his body apart. It happened to be one of the explosive team members too.
Low chatter spoke amongst them as the infantry team stepped further down the alleyway, and it was then that Alor realized slightly too late what was happening.
”Find cover!” He issued as he quickly turned and they tried to get out of that alleyway before a large, fiery explosive erupted that knocked them down. Two infantry were unfortunately caught in the explosive radius and had beskar shrapnel amongst other things dug deep into their bodies. They weren’t given much time to recover before one of their Purity rifles hovered around the corner of a nearby building and unleashed a volley of prothium gas upon the remaining teams. Of course, the Mandalorians trusted their armor as the bolts deflected off their armor, but even so they sought cover from the scattered crates of raw materials. Alor’ad and another warrior dragged the wounded to cover as well before relaying the situation back to whoever commanded them.
Rath however, purposefully delayed the inevitable so that they could relay information and perhaps even request for backup. If Rath could get the Mandalorians to stretch their forces thinner then they’d be easier to take care of. The Force was stronger within Rath than he predicted, for he only meant to choke the Mandalorian into submission, but instead the Force ripped the man into pieces. That was an error on his part, and it was an error he took into consideration while animating one of the blasters to provide suppressive fire while Rath relocated elsewhere. Never once revealing his location as he used a mixture of buildings and his armor’s natural blending with the shadows.
Once the information was completed, Rath dropped on the saboteur team from above as a short, compressed blade of black plasma accompanied with a shower of white sparks in hand. In a flurry of rapid movements, Rath drove the shoto into the first Mandalorian between the shoulder and neck. Ignoring any notion of contesting the beskar, Rath targeted areas that didn’t have such protection, and the beauty part of the shoto he held was that it was originally designed for these precise cuts and stabs. Not a heartbeat later he moved onto the next Mando who swung the butt of his rifle at the aggressor. Rath however, feinted the movement and instead stopped as the rifle stock whistled past his masked face. In that same moment the bladesman thrust his compressed shoto in the man’s exposed armpit as it pierced through the softer tissue.
By the second, Rath’s headache honestly felt like it grew more intense as time went on. Before it was a dull headache, but now it was something else. Rath violently threw the Mando that he just pierced with the Force at the rest of the team, or at least that was the original intention. Instead a powerful kinetic wave pushed everyone and everything violently against the wall. Even the wall itself cracked under the pressure as it essentially felt like something large had struck them hard.
What is going on…? Rath questioned himself as his head truly felt like someone or something was trying to split his head open. There was a moment where Rath instinctively reached up with his free hand to place against his masked face. One of the two Mandalorians that Rath had stabbed made one final motion to pull a frag grenade from his belt, and as he was just about to push the button. Something dark, semi-solid tendril lashed out from Rath’s body and before the Mandalorian could blink the tendril violently grabbed him by wrapping around his body with a grip as tight as a vice. It wasn’t just the pressure though as the warrior grimaced under his helmet. He didn’t realize it at the time, and with the armor it was difficult to tell what was happening either. The very essence of life and the force that tied to it was being consumed as the rest of the Mandalorians recovered and briefly watched the spectacle.
”What the hell are you? The Alor’ad questioned before the husk of a warrior was violently thrown at the team. This time they ducked, but the body went through the cracked wall as small debris fell upon the opening. By this time the remaining squad unleashed a myriad of blaster fire and even explosives. Rath fought through the growing trauma within his head as he fought on and slew the elite warriors one by one. He was like a graceful dancer, moving from one warrior to the next, utilizing their own fallen as cover and even projectiles. Giving them no quarter of morality as Rath mercilessly used any of their own resources against them. In the end, only the Alor’ad remained alive, but with his rifle sliced in half he resorted to whistling birds. To which Rath responded with a raised hand and produced a barrier of kinetic force that prevented the birds from touching him. They bounced off the invisible barrier as a result.
”You vermin will never leave this planet alive. Our brethren will avenge us tenfold even if you kill me! No one will escape their judgment!” The warrior spat at the lone Warden who responded with a casual gesture to approach. Not that the Alor had any choice as an unseen force lifted the man off his feet and was forced to float closer.
”If judgment comes at my door, then so be it. But if judgment sends death and destruction upon my nation. Then it wouldn’t matter if they were a man, an army, a king, or a god. I’ll cut down anyone who threatens the Eternal Empire.” A sharp pain resonated in his head, and once again the shadowy dark tendril lashed out to the man’s head. Thankfully it was protected by the beskar helmet, the pressure was intense before a muffled sound of bone snapping could be heard. Causing the man’s body to go limp before Rath dropped the body.
At that moment, Rath felt sick to his stomach like he just ate something he really shouldn’t have. He placed a hand over where his mouth would’ve been and noticed that even his hand was slightly shaking. Killing someone was never an issue for Rath as it was something he was vigorously trained to do. Both in the military, Spear, and as a Warden. Truthfully the last time his hands shook was in bootcamp when he had his first kill. That was years ago though, and although the sharp pain had subsided for now it still felt like Rath couldn’t control the Force as well as he could before. It was either too much or something odd with the dark tendrils. It felt abnormal, twisted even, and yet he felt rejuvenated at the same time.
Curious, Rath removed the Alor’s helmet, and aside from the broken neck. The Alor’s skin was hollowed and grey like he’s been dead and decaying for months without rot. There were no eyes, and the teeth were black with decay. Not a trace of hair either, but Rath wasn’t sure if he had hair to begin with. Still, it was most unusual since Rath only saw a similar case back in Cularin where Rath slew his master and the others that followed the rogue Warden. It was then that the young Warden understood what caused the victims to appear like they had the life sucked out of them. Technically Rath knew of the ability as well and could perform it, but he could only do it by touch. Whatever the power was, it was something new and incredibly tainted with the darkside. Granted he couldn’t smell his own alignment, but from what he knew of the Force it certainly wasn’t the Light.
Gathering his wits after finishing his assessment of his own outcome, Rath took the weapons and armor off from the men that were still operable and usable. Where he proceeded to keep a Purity rifle on him with an additional clip, but the other weapons and ammunition he actually left scattered throughout the complex in strategic points. Even piling the bodies in the center and rigging a couple of mines underneath said bodies. Leaving a surprise for anyone that tries to move the bodies. Additionally he left mines at the exposed flanks to the east and the west. Leaving the north which led into the mines, and the south was the only other cleared entrance. Rath continued to watch from the shadows as he hoped that by keeping himself busy before any more Mandalorians to appear would work through the nausea. In other words, whatever was going on with the Force within his body was making him feel ill.
The beskar armor, which could’ve been recovered at any rate, was loaded up in specific crates near the storage warehouse. Rath had an idea of his future project, and frankly there was no better metal than beskar. However he wasn’t going to risk destroying it more than he already has.
Sergeant Omen
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Kranak Vizsla
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Lyssa Io
Alessandra Io
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QEMD-15 Echo
Baron Reinhardt Ström
