First Reply Chasing Ghosts

[Hakon Fett]

Mondder, Etti IV
Corporate Sector

The hissing cackle fading away into the distance was all Hakon Fett could hear as he hung by his fingers on a ledge staring down a thousand levels of Mondder vertigo. Hunting down Vrehssk, a reputed Trandoshan hired killer who had somehow come to possess an ancient Neo-Crusader helmet, turned out to be a much more complicated ordeal than Hakon had initially thought.

Was he becoming too reliant on commanding armies and fleets, carefully weaving plans and strategies?

Was he losing his edge?

He was, indeed, losing his edge. Quite literally; his finger grip on the edge began to slip away, the pitter patter of rain not helping his case either. The jetpack on his back gasped a few lifeless sparks, well damaged by the Trandoshan’s electrostaff, and Hakon plunged helplessly into the abyss...

... until a hand, physical or ethereal, wrapped itself around his wrist and yanked him up from the maw of death.

 

[Veshok Rook]

Chasing Ghosts
Offering a hand to Hakon Fett ​

For some time, Veshok simply allowed his gaze to follow his fellow Mandalorian as he fell. The initial rush to save another Mandalorian had temporarily been pushed back as a look of recognition streaked his eyes. This man was a Neo-Crusader. One whom had been caught on some footage from Contruum.

A reluctant frown had formed across his features behind the dark t-visor before the young warrior finally decided to act. His hand shot out to catch Hakon in his fall. A grunt escaped him as he did his very best to yank the man up whilst holding on to a piece of railing with the other hand.

When both of them were out of harms way, Vesh found himself in a seated position. With arms now resting over his knees and head tilted down under the rather elaborately decorated armour, subsiding panting could be heard. Still, Vesh was, very much, still in his youth and recovered relatively quickly. Standing up, he pointed his head at the other Mandalorian whilst his eyes gazed out of the open gap behind him.

"You are a Neo-Crusader. You were on Contruum. Did you visit Manaan too?" the statements and the question were blunt and objective. Little was revealed from behind the visor - but a seasoned fighter might have been able to spot that the young Warrior's right hand lingered remarkably close to his beskad and his feet were positioned to be mobile.

 

[Hakon Fett]

The question took him aback as much as the sight of a T-visor other than his, only the surprise was concealed by the cold stare of his visor; though the armor and helmet betrayed nothing to an aruetii, a Mandalorian--whose culture revolved much around the famed armor--could very well notice emotions and expressions through the subtle shifts of the 'gam.

Trying to guess how the other Mandalorian deducted his affiliation with the growing Crusader movement and his involvement in the recent raids was a fool's errand. Hakon also did not care. He even reveled in the fact--their brethren needed to know the Old Ways were returning. And they would either help pave the Way or be paved beneath it.

"I did." the Mandalorian replied laconically. Was this another bootlicker in service to the aruetii? A misguided brother whose soul had been corrupted by the outsiders' noxious touch? Or merely another gun-for-hire, much like Hakon had been before Hoylin? These questions mattered little. His eyes caught the other's fingers itch for the hilt of a beskad; that was all that mattered. Friend or foe.

Hakon remained unmoving, in a similar seated position as the unknown Mandalorian before him, but his wits were as sharp as his blade -- ready to engage his vambrace if need be.

"Are you in my way or on it?" he asked, a part of him wishing the man presented himself as a threat. He disliked accruing debt.

Veshok Rook

 

[Veshok Rook]

Chasing Ghosts
Confronting Hakon Fett ​

There was no surprise to be found upon hearing that the white Mandalorian had been on Manaan. Vesh let out a sigh as he looked down to the seated one. "I tried to understand why you killed the Selkath" the lack of emotion in his tone was maintained as he ignored the question which had just been asked.

Vesh shook his head. "I couldn't see it. There was no honour and glory in it. It was a weakness, sure - but you gained no tactical advantage from exploiting it." Naturally, he had no insight into the Neo-Crusaders' long-term plans - perhaps which could be gleaned from the analysis he had just made too. His eyes shivered in frustration behind the dark visor and he took a deep breath: A sense of anxiety kept it from being as steady as he had hoped but he made a valiant attempt at hiding it. Vesh did what he could to keep any insecurities from surfacing as he proceeded by allowing his right hand to fall onto the grip of the beskad. A rather clear indication of what might come next.

"But" the word would follow quick, regardless of whether Hakon had risen from his seated position or not. "I pulled you up." The sentence spoke for itself. "I pulled you up to ask: Are you warriors, or are you thugs?" While his visor was fixed on that of the man in front of him, his eyes were focused somewhere lower as they scanned for threats.

 

[Hakon Fett]

Ormbyr Rook -- Hakon's close friend -- questioned the Selkath's extermination, and so did others. Much like this other Mandalorian, they could not see. And they did not need to.

They only needed to listen to Hakon Fett.

So he gave no explanation, no justification for his actions; only an answer to his direct question: "We are Mandalorians." Hakon rose up on his feet simultaneously with the other man.

"Are you?"

Veshok Rook

 

[Veshok Rook]

Chasing Ghosts
Confronting Hakon Fett ​

Anger ceded ground to a smirk. Vesh leaned his head to the side with a shake with brows risen in a rather clear 'I deserved that'.

"I am" an equally simple response was offered in return. Following that, he would wait: In some instances, others would fill the gap of silence that followed with words. Others, especially among his own kind, would walk away - an eventuality which the young warrior was prepared for.

 

[Hakon Fett]

"Then follow." Hakon replied. He gave one last curious glance at the peculiar armor of the other Mandalorian, then turned to hurry after the Trandoshan as the beeping of the tracking fob in his helmet began to fade.

If the stranger chose not to fall into step but attack, Hakon remained vigilant to retaliate.

Veshok Rook

 

[Veshok Rook]

Chasing Ghosts
Confronting Hakon Fett ​

This guy. An amused smile formed across Vesh' lips. His body, however, remained still and told just as little as his visor. It was not until the other had turned around that he spoke a low "You aren't worthy. Your people are looking for the greatest battles. I commend you for that. But you destroy without purpose."

His lips parted to continue - but then they closed. Instead, he moved after the white Mandalorian whilst drawing his beskad. It was no silent move - instead, he allowed the blade to scrape against the metallic part of the holster to create a sharp sound. "If you want a circle, we can set one up. If not, you should prepare yourself."

 

[Hakon Fett]

Your people?

Hakon stopped in his tracks, swiveling around to face the scraping sound of a beskad being drawn. A Mandalorian never backed away from a challenge.

"I am glad you made the distinction." he noted, barely tilting his head to the side in mockery of the other Mandalorian. "My people are Mandalorians."

He drew his own beskad in a smooth and practiced motion like an executioner lifting his blood-soaked sword for the thousandth time. The blade pointed straight at the other man's chest. Judging.

"You are not." both hands squeezed the hilt, yearning to suffocate the soulless life from his foe

Veshok Rook

 

[Veshok Rook]

Chasing Ghosts
Engaging Hakon Fett ​

His eyes followed the opponent's beskad as it was drawn and how it was held with both hands. Words had been sent his way but they would remain unanswered for now. Instead, it would seem as if the young warrior's full focus was on the fight ahead.

With his own blade held in his right, his left hand remained empty for the time being. For now, it lingered close to his core whilst the right pointed the beskad at the foe. Analytical eyes scanned the other Mandalorian's armour for features whilst they still had a little bit of distance between them.

Vesh's footwork told the tale of a careful fighter. He did not rush into action, nor did he put himself into a spot where he wouldn't be able to reposition. Still, he maintained some movement, first to the side in an attempt to put himself farther away from the gap than his foe was. Then, he moved closer, regardless of whether his foe had moved inwards with him or not.

Then finally, an aggressive step forward, bringing an angled body in range to strike against the enemy beskad, then another step to produce yet another strike. The way in which the maneuver was measured showed that Vesh never expected his one-handed strikes to bash Hakon's weapon away completely. A third, much more conservative step followed with a strike aimed higher, threatening to hit a hand or a wrist. The flurry of strikes happened in a quick succession.

 

[Hakon Fett]

Like a mirror image of his foe, Hakon shuffled sideways to keep him in frontal sight. But instead of moving inward, he drifted closer to the skywalk's edge where just moments ago he'd been pulled back from falling into Mondder's abyss, and now here he was, inching toward it again; keep the other guy guessing.

His foe, careful at first, lunged forth into a flurry of aggressive strikes. Edging ever close to the brink, Hakon parried away the initial two attacks, but the third cut straight across his wrist – beskar cutting through layers of his crushgaunts until it tasted blood. He snapped that hand off his sword's grip, leaving his center-mass wide open for attack.

Veshok Rook

 

[Veshok Rook]

Chasing Ghosts
Engaging Hakon Fett ​

The initial attack had went as well as he could have hoped and an unexpected opportunity presented itself as the injured limb snapped back to expose the opponent's core. Eyes, sharp as ever snapped to the, now open, area before returning to the blade. Instead of continuing the advance, he placed his blade against that of his foe and pushed away as he took a step back to create a little bit of distance between them.

Hakon had been backing ever closer towards the edge. If he tried to move deeper in again, Vesh would make sure to try to cut him off. With a quick toss, he swapped the beskad from being held by his right to being held by his left. Consequently, the two Mandalorians held their weapons on mirroring sides. And then, he slowly went back in with a measured step to cross his blade against that of his foe by slashing against the opposing blade from the inside. Either of them would have to push a little further to threaten the other, but this time, Vesh held off to see what his opponent might do.

 

[Hakon Fett]

A smirk flickered on his lips. If his foe had seen through the bait, or wavered over taking the initiative, Hakon would seize the momentum himself.

No hesitation.

His wounded hand clamped down on the hilt, and as the other Mandalorian swung a probing slash, Hakon exploded forward, smashing the attack aside with a fierce two-handed strike. He closed in, relentless, driving against his opponent with a barrage of powerful overhead and horizontal blows.

No quarter.

Veshok Rook

 

[Veshok Rook]

Chasing Ghosts
Engaging Hakon Fett ​

The open area on the surface closed quick - and just as quickly, the other Mandalorian's beskad bashed Vesh's blade aside. This was where his careful footwork came into play as he managed to take a quick step back in a diagonal direction to somewhat hamper the attacker's momentum. It allowed him to evade the first powerful swing. His own blade hade barely returned from being bashed away when the second strike came crashing down from above. What would originally have been a clean strike at the center of his helmet was redirected to the left where the aggressor's beskad would scrape against Vesh's helmet, ruining the ornamental engravings and shooting away one of the golden decorations from its spot. The blade almost continued down to the shoulder but the young Warrior managed to step back just in time.

He let out a sharp breath as the merciless onslaught continued with a quick and powerful horizontal slash - this one redirected without issue. For some time, Vesh relied on backing away whilst redirecting the slashes which he could not avoid - blocking was out of the question for he was still relying solely on his left arm to wield the basked.

With any luck, the brutal and heavy attacks would drain his foe faster than it drained Vesh - but it was clear that there were some closer calls than he would have liked. Especially when a miscalculated evasive step resulted in the very tip of the heavy beskad connecting with his breast plate, effectively tearing through part of it in a relatively deep cut. Still, Vesh did not retailiate, at least not immediately. Instead, he waited for Hakon to launch another overhead attack. Instead of trying to back away of redirect, however, he pushed forth and met Hakon's blade before the swing had even started.

Vesh moved close to make it harder for his foe to get to much force behind potential kicks before employing his free arm to launch a series of powerful jabs: If Hakon was looking up, to where their blades met, they would go to his presumably exposed throat. If not, they would go to the exposed parts of the same arm which carried an injured wrist.

 

[Hakon Fett]

Trinket-like adornments and ornaments flew from the other Mandalorian's armor, sheared off by Hakon's blade, scattering like pine needles from a shaken life day tree. In a way, it reminded him of his own grueling toil for his people—trimming the fat they had amassed over years of misguidance.

And much like in those strenuous efforts, the proverbial swine did not stay put—it lashed out. Steeled fists bit ravenously the wounded wrist, tearing it from the sword's hilt. As their blades remained locked in a grating contest sending sparks in between their T-visors, Hakon, unable to shove a kick into his foe, fired off a kiss.

A kiss from Keldabe.

Veshok Rook

 

[Veshok Rook]

Chasing Ghosts
Engaging Hakon Fett ​

Vesh barely managed to brace himself before the close ranged move impacted with their helmets impacting against each other, causing him to let out a grunt as he stumbled back with a few short steps. Underneath the dark visor, he blinked hard as if trying to help his eyes regain their focus.

Exploiting the fact that his own blade was on the inside, he brought it down towards his foe's neck. Meanwhile, his footwork indicated that he was staying mobile and in a good position to back away quickly.

 

[Hakon Fett]

Hakon wanted to press his advantage, but the flash of steel aimed at his neck forced him back. He spun away in a tight pirouette, breaking from the clash and returning to his original stance. Silently grunting, he used the brief moment to catch his breath from the grueling exchange, poised for the next test of mettle.

Veshok Rook

 

[Veshok Rook]

Chasing Ghosts
Engaging Hakon Fett ​

His foe disengaged and Vesh did not show any particular eagerness to reengage. At least not immediately. Instead, a few small careful steps were taken to back away from the man. Behind the visor, Vesh still blinked hard and squinted as his sight recovered from the Keldabe Kiss. A few more careful steps back came with a concentrated breath. For a moment, it looked like he was about to charge at his foe - but then he looked to the right, noticing that he now stood right next to a pillar. Feeling the weight of his beskad in his left hand, the young Warrior stayed himself and held position.

 

[Hakon Fett]

"You fight well. A shame you are misguided as much of our brethren." Hakon stated, using the lull in battle to gather his strength.

Veshok Rook

 

[Veshok Rook]

Chasing Ghosts
Engaging Hakon Fett ​

Behind the dark visor, the words provoked hints of a frown. On the outside, they bounced off of his armour like bolts from a holdout blaster. The many small steps back were soon replaced by a few great strides forth. The attack would be a surprise to anyone expecting him to stop the fight for some chatter.

Characteristically - perhaps even predictably - even the lunge forth was careful in nature. Vesh was not looking for a thrust to pierece his foe's armour and reach his heart. Instead, he merely aimed for the tip of his blade to pierce the unarmoured bit necessary for mobility by his opponent's groin. The final step of the attack, the one bringing him close enough to strike, was taken with a bit of a bounce. Just as quickly as he had entered striking range, he would pop out of it to protect against any immediate retaliatory attacks.