In Hell I'll Be In Good Company

[Alden Kyr’Nau]

PLANET: Ryloth
LOCATION: About 100 click east of Nabat
POSTING WITH: [member="Mira Talus"]

Settling into position Alden takes a long deep breath. He'd needed a break, the weight of responsibility weighed heavily upon him and it was beginning to affect his mental state. While he was doing his best to be the person his people needed him to be he wasn't suited to a leadership role. Some of the people under him insisted that was what made him a good leader. Too often in the past had their Alors and Mandalors been war mongers, power-crazed, megalomaniacs. They insisted that Mandalorians were better off when their leader didn't even want the position. When their leader was the kind of man who only held it because he was who the people wanted in charge. All these assurances provided little comfort.

Most of his close advisers, the ones who told him such things were aware of the truth they kept from the others. The secret that could tear him down if it was ever made public knowledge. What they weren't aware of was why. Why he had done what he'd done, why he'd made the decisions he'd made, and why he'd been in that prison alongside them. If they'd known the truth, if they'd suspected it they may not have been so quick to leave him in charge. It was one thing to have a reluctant leader it was another to have a... a thing like Alden had been in charge of them. The only reason he didn't just run away was his desire to change, the words of a dead man, and the Resol'nare which had become the foundation of his new life.

Most days he could cope with the demands, the weight of expectation, and the responsibilities. Today though it had all felt like too much. He'd needed a few hours away from everything, from everyone, a few hours where he could just be alone and breath. Be alone and be himself... or whatever passed for such a nebulous concept with him.

So he'd headed deep into the jungle with nothing but his Beskar'gam, his saber, and his shatter rifle. Which was perhaps a bit of overkill but he needed to wear the armor until it was a second skin and he didn't like going anywhere without a weapon. He wasn't quite sure what he was doing out in the lush foliage of Ryloth's equator but he found walking in the perpetual twilight so far from everything to be soothing. He'd eventually come to this shaded pool of water and after settling down he'd just sat and breathed. He was feeling almost ready to face everything again now that he'd just had some time to himself his eyes closed his mind slowly emptying.

 

[Armand Temi]

Mira knew little of galaxy politics, but she knew that Ryloth was under loose control of the Confederacy, and the homeworld of the Twi’lek was her destination ever since she discovered a lead that would bring her closer to finding her father’s killer.

And that trail lead to Nabat.

While the Gurlanin fared better under cover of darkness, in wolf form she would able to fend off the main predators of the Bright Lands - pesky lyleks, though she tried to avoid them for the most part and had set her freighter down near a jungle area that fed into the equatorial area that would turn the perpetual day of the Bright Lands into the ever-present twilight of the dark side of the planet.

Mira resisted the temptation to shift as she was better suited to hunt the assassin with her armor, wrist guns and other various weapons. Passing by a dim-lit lagoon, she caught her reflection in the pond, her white canines gleaming in the moonlight. Surprising but she was smiling.

Mira had only a name and a location.

Alden Kyr’Nau. Nabat.

That would have to do for now as she continued through the jungle, the thick trees crowding around her. She pulled out a large vibro-machete and cut her way through tangled vines until she found an overtread path to follow.

[member="Alden Kyr’Nau"]

 

[Alden Kyr’Nau]

Alden lets out a long deep sigh. It echoes across the lagoon carried by the weight behind it. It was the sigh of someone who was resigned, someone who realized that some things were just beyond their control and they would just have to deal with them.

When he'd settled in next to the water he'd taken his helmet off, it rested beside him waiting. As he lifts it, there is a sense that it weighs more than it really should as though actually bringing it up to fit onto his head is taking true effort. Perhaps it was since once he put it on he'd have to get back to business. Going from serene tranquility to that was always going to be a drag upon the soul but what could he do.

Slipping the helmet it on it buzzes to life. He was half-firrerreo but hadn't inherited all the species traits. The one he wished he'd gotten was the ability to see ultraviolet light that could be very helpful for seeing in the dark. Without it, he had to rely on the light leveling setting in his helmet as he skins the underbrush.

Turning he begins to head deeper into the jungle away from the lagoon and back towards Nabat. Perhaps if Mira was paying attention she'd noticed that he was carrying his shatter rifle not on his back as one would for quick travel, but with the sling down to his side for an easier draw.

[member="Mira Talus"]

 

[Armand Temi]

The dirt path held no clues until the lagoon widened out before her. Now she noticed footprints - fresh ones. Mira bent down, and her gloved fingers ran over the prints almost lovingly. Male. Human. She sniffed the air, breathing in ambient particles of odor only available to a Gurlanin.

If this individual was truly her father’s killer, he could have been just up ahead. Mira became so excited and adrenaline-fueled, she felt her body shift almost uncontrollably, but once her four paws landed on the ground, she was resolute. It was better this way if she could tear into his flesh with her teeth.

Her orange eyes glistened and she squinted. Pausing, the breeze sent Alden’s scent right into her large nostrils. Hackles raised she lowered herself and crept closer to him until she could see his form, sitting by the lagoon. In her enthusiasm and blood-lust she did not see the rifle and how easy in reach it was for the Mandalorian.

Baring her canines, she padded forward until she was within leaping range. And then she waited.

[member="Alden Kyr’Nau"]

 

[Alden Kyr’Nau]

Alden knew he was being stalked. The Gurlanin did not have a monopoly on animalistic senses, even a half-Firrerreo had a sharper sense of smell than your average human. However, the real reason he knew she was there was The Force. House Naak was comprised of Force Sensitive Mandalorians and their leader was no exception. While he'd been sitting by the pool he'd been open to The Force, which meant he knew something was coming long before it arrived.

Sharp ears listen and though she is stealthy he picks it up faintly. Not consistently but the sound of her footfalls. "Four paws." He murmurs as he tries to figure out what could be coming after him. The most dangerous predators on Ryloth were insectoid, whatever he sensed didn't feel like that. There were a few things it could be... nothing sprung to mind. So perhaps it was something imported?

However, it hadn't attacked at the first opportunity so perhaps it was intelligent. With a sigh, he whirls, raising his verpine shatter rifle, and fires all in a smooth motion. Mira didn't have to be too worried since it was a warning shot. The crack of the rifle echoes through the forest sending up a cloud of Can-Cells, as the magnetically accelerated round punches through one of the dense trees.

"There that should send it running."

[member="Mira Talus"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Enticed by the jungle scents and the prey before her, Mira padded along slowly. She did have a connection to the Force, which Alden was able to feel, but the Gurlanin was, for the most part, naive about her own connection.

Ears pricked at Alden’s motion, and as he whirled around with his shatter rifle and fired the warning shot, Mira lay flat against the ground. With a canine whimper she moved to a large patch of brush and waited patiently.

Words came from the man, a statement that he felt complacent again. Perfect time to strike.

Mira leapt in the air, ears flat back against her long skull, snarling, fangs bared.

If he did not react, he would be hit by a compact 50 kg of pure black wolf.

“Grrroooowwwwwooollll!”

[member="Alden Kyr’Nau"]

 

[Alden Kyr’Nau]

Mira had read a little bit too much into Alden's statement. Just because he believed his warning shot would scare her off certainly didn't mean he was complacent. He could still sense her in The Force and since he didn't notice the creature turn tail and run he didn't lower his gun.

The sudden lunge is met calmly. Alden had suspected an attack was coming when the beast didn't run. Mira was in mid-air coming directly at him with no way to dodge. The verpine shatter rifle was a miniature railgun, the kinetic impact of it's shot would likely kill her if he hit her center mass.

Fortunately for her, Alden was feeling generous today. Depressing the trigger again the gun fires silently this time since the bullet doesn't impact a tree. All it hits is Mira the bullet grazing her shoulder and digging a great furrow of blood as it goes. This wouldn't quite be enough to knock her off course but it would be sufficient as Alden drops his rifle, pivots, and throws up his arms deflecting the wounded beast.

[member="Mira Talus"]

 

[Armand Temi]

This was the closest she’d had ever come to her father’s killer. Eagerness replaced caution, and she’d made herself vulnerable.

As the bullet grazed the left side of her shoulder, missing the scapila and the connective tissue around it, but her dense muscle and skin took the brunt of the hit. Crimson blood sprayed and she whined. Alden was able to bat her away and she flopped on her side.

Mira had brought in targets three times her size and under more lethal circumstances, but as she lay there, the Gurlanin realized she needed to reevaluate the more zealous approach to hunting her father’s killer.

She shifted quickly into her human form, which did not lessen the pain of the bullet wound, but hopefully the surprise of her altered form would buy her a few minutes of extra time. Groaning and rolling onto her side to release the pressure and pain, she glanced up at Alden, her crimson eyes turning quickly to brown. Her hand hovered over a holstered blaster.

“Are you [member="Alden Kyr’Nau"]?”

 

[Alden Kyr’Nau]

The impact of a fifty-kilo wolf against his arms was enough to make him grunt with the impact. Fortunately, his shooters stance had his legs shoulder-width apart so he had a solid center of gravity so he wasn't knocked off balance as he tosses the creature aside.

Turning to keep it in line of sight he hefts his rifle once more. The creature had not acted as most predators would when found, so he wasn't sure what to expect now that it was injured. The creature melting from wolf to woman was unexpected. A Grulanin, he realizes as she rolls to her side to her hand going toward a blaster.

"Don't."

Alden's low tenor cuts through the sound of the jungle like a lightsaber through flesh. His helmet muffling his voice only slightly. The verpine shatter rifle was pointed squarely at her head and if she so much as twitch to try and draw she'd not survive the attempt.

"Hands behind your head."

There would be no more from him until his words were obeyed and if she tried to stall or distract he'd start applying pressure to the trigger. Once she had her hands behind her head he would finally speak.

"What were you trying to prove by attacking me?"

While not exactly admitting to being the person she was looking for, the way he phrases his words would suggest she'd found the right person.

[member="Mira Talus"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Mira began to answer the question, but groaned in pain and held onto her shoulder. She needed to see how bad the wound was, though she could only feel a small amount of moisture seeping through the bodyglove under her plum-colored armor. Her other hand dropped to her side, no longer hovering near her weapon.

Grunting and sitting up, she winced and put her hands behind her head, causing a jolt of pain to scream through her shoulder. The aubergine-hued cowl fell down, and Alden would see Mira’s face - a little pale, jaw set from the discomfort, eyes full of fire and hate.

Now, did she tell him the truth? Or did she weave a nice, long series of lies - enough to keep her father’s killer distracted until she could catch him off guard.

“I-I actually don’t know if you are the right man I’m looking for. Can you take off your helmet?”

Mira wanted to… no, she needed to see his face. If she were to die this evening she would like to know the man who murdered her father. And if she happened to escape, she would need to eventually find him again.

[member="Alden Kyr’Nau"]

 

[Alden Kyr’Nau]

There is a moment of silence after Mira makes her request. It is hard to tell exactly why since Alden's features are covered and his aim doesn't waver for even a moment. The reality was he was trying to figure out if the Grulanin was actually being serious. He had a verpine shatter rifle pointed at her head, she was less than a pound of pressure away from dying, and she was making requests?

"If I take off my helmet that'd give you an opportunity to attack. Would have to drop my rifle and use both hands to pull it off, which would create a moment of blindness. Do you honestly think I am going to do that after you just tried to maul me?"

This woman was either incredibly optimistic, thought he was stupid, or she was as a green as a Rodian. Either way, for the moment his helmet was staying on at least until he figured out what he was doing with her.

"Now, I was generous in explaining that before I get to my next point. I have a gun pointed at your head, the next time you fail to answer my question I will pull the trigger. I can't hold this gun up all night and if you are very obviously trying to waste my time until I get tired and have to lower it... Well, you tried to kill me so I won't feel too bad about replacing your head with a very fine red mist."

Despite what he said about not being able to hold the rifle all night, it almost looks like he could. His aim is steady, his posture perfect, and since she couldn't see his mouth moving he almost looked like a statue with how still he was.

"Who are you? Why did you trying to kill me? And seriously, why would you try and surprise attack someone who clearly knew you were there?"

[member="Mira Talus"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Mira’s eyes scanned Beskar’gam, attempting to memorize ever color and enhancement of the distinctive armor.

“Fine,” she said, chin tilting up slightly defiantly. “You are a Mandalorian. At least that part of your identity I can tell.” Young and eager for vengeance, she knew she’d made a huge mistake, but there was no turning back now. She was as close as she’d been to finding Xakic’s executioner. If she died right now knowing the truth, perhaps her demise would be a sweet relief from the pain she felt from the loss.

The ire in her brown eyes coupled with her rapid breathing told Alden there was fear in Mira, yes, but also a resoluteness. She was quite unafraid of the rifle which was either courageous or completely foolhardy - likely a bit of both.

“Do you know a man named Xakic Talus? If so, you should probably just kill me now,” she spat, pulling her knees up to sit crosslegged, arms still above her head, fingers laced, but she could feel her muscles begin to tremble with the pain of remaining in that uncomfortable position especially with her wound.

[member="Alden Kyr’Nau"]

 

[Alden Kyr’Nau]

"Doesn't ring a bell."

Alden says calmly before pulling the trigger. Mira was lucky, he adjusted his aim slightly to the second shot grazed her opposite shoulder. Just like the first the slug would tear a long strip of flesh out of her shoulder. His aim was excellent so he didn't take it off or hit any major veins or arteries but it would still hurt like. The Mandalorian would give Mira time to collect herself since being shot again couldn't have been pleasant.

"Now, I don't want to hurt you but you need to understand that when I say I will do something I will. I told you if you didn't answer my questions I'd pull the trigger. That's happened. Now, I have no stomach for torture so understand that if you fail to follow my instructions again, I will pull the trigger again. This time I really will shoot you in the head. Are we clear? If we are, answer the questions I already asked. If we aren't well, you know what happens."

[member="Mira Talus"]

 

[Armand Temi]

“Doesn’t ring a bell.”

Soundless, but deafening in its pain, a second kinetic pellet hit the right shoulder, another graze, but the force of it caused Mira to fall backwards from her lotus position. As she screamed in pain, she realized the Mandalorian had crippled her enough so that she would not be able to shift. In her human form, she would still be able to walk, but on four legs she’d be a useless lump of black fur that could only crawl.

Doesn’t ring a bell. But was it a lie?

“Okay,” she said in a softer and more resigned voice. Mira realized that in her blinding rage she had not even registered one question the man had asked her. Surely it was Alden. She knew that now, but her head swirled with confusion.

“Okay, okay.” Mira was stalling now, searching her memory for what he wanted to know. No doubt it was life or death now, her future existence hung on these important details and whether she could recall them.

“Who are you?”

Despite the throbbing agony in both her shoulders now, she answered what she could remember: “I’m Mira Talus, daughter of Xakic… Xakic Talus.” There was nothing to gain by being deceitful, and it was not in the Gurlanin’s nature to be so. She still lay on her back, gazing up at the jungle canopy and the black sky beyond, the stars beckoning to her as though her father was trying to signal her to come join him. She blinked hard to stop the sudden flow of tears.

“He was murdered not to long ago. And the trail to his killer led me to you. That’s precisely why I tried to kill you.”

And I would do it again if I found out you were lying, she thought. How she wanted to say it but the aching in her chest told her stubborn brain to finally be quiet, complacent and cautious.

[member="Alden Kyr’Nau"]

 

[Alden Kyr’Nau]

Alden's trigger finger begins to twitch as she desperatly tries to stall. In his old life, he'd have pulled the trigger by now and been done with it. He was trying to be better than that person though which meant he'd give her a chance to recover herself. He had shot her twice so there was a fair chance she might be struggling to remember just what he asked. It wasn't as though he was pressed for time, he didn't sense any allies nearby so unless she brought a Force dead he was safe for the moment.

"Well, that answers two of my three questions."

Is the Mandalorian's eventual response. He finally lowers the rifle and slings it behind his head. At this point, it really wasn't necessary if she tried to attack him again he didn't need to shoot her to take her out. Pulling his helmet off he hooks it to his utility belt, finally letting her see his face. Hard grey eyes stare out from a rugged but still relatively youthful face.

"I suppose you could have seen the last question as being rhetorical. That or slipped your mind getting shot tends to make focusing hard. I am, however, genuinly curious as to why you would think it was a good idea to charge someone who knew you were there and who was pointing a gun at you."

There is a brief pause as he considers this before he finally shakes his head.

"Well whatever, I suppose it isn't relevant. The more pressing concern is who sent you after me and why. Did you actually look into me at all? Or did you just get a name and location before charging off after me? I am currently the Alor of a Mandalorian house and prior to that, I was a farmer. What part of that would make you think that I could possibly be the person who killed your father?"

This was, in a way, a lie. Alden Kyr'Nau certainly had been a farmer before being sent to Sindari prison. However, the man standing across from Mira was not that Alden Kyr'Nau, he'd taken that man's name after the original died in prison. The man currently going by Alden certainly had been the kind of person who might have killed her father but no one was supposed to know about his real identity. Which meant whoever sent her after him had either been trying to get him killed... or if that person knew who he really was then he'd been trying to get Mira killed.

[member="Mira Talus"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Pain began to blind her awareness but only for a moment. And then she felt perhaps as her father may have if he happened to be aware of the series of events which lead to his demise, a bit betrayed by not necessarily his own killer, but by life itself. That everything could happen so soon.

Talking helped both distract from the injuries and to help Mira focus on survival now.

“Animal instinct,” she murmured at Alden’s confoundment over her attack.

Struggling and wheezing, Mira sat up. “Eleven years ago, a simple merchant - my father - was murdered in cold blood in the middle of a Qiilura marketplace. It’s taken me that long to find out that the man who raised me, for better or worse, led a double life. After investigating the various criminal groups who operated in and around my homeplanet, my search took me off-world to Mandalore and I mean, of course it likely would as I’m assuming he was taken out by a bounty hunter. Your name was one that came up a list.”

She coughed, placing her palm at the center of her collarbone to steady herself. “You were not easy to find… not by a longshot. I had to beg, borrow and bribe to track you here.” Her voice sounded tired and resigned now. “Do you have any bacta?”

[member="Alden Kyr’Nau"]

 

[Alden Kyr’Nau]

What kind of predatory animal attacked when it was found out? Hell, if you made eye contact with a tiger it would back down. However, she wasn't a tiger she was Gurlanin. Perhaps the animal inside her just made her more aggressive? That was certainly a possibility and a heightened sense of aggression could override common sense. Still, hopefully, she'd learn a lesson from all of this.

Moving over to her he kneels down next to her. If she flinches or tries to pull away he'd just grab her and force her to hold still. He really did not have time for her to act like an idiot and it was fairly obvious that she was too injured to fight back. Cracking open a pouch on his belt he removes a trauma kit, tearing it open with his teeth. There was only one bacta patch inside but it was fairly easy to split that in half and use them to cover her wounds, neither was very large though they were quite deep. The patches had been made to treat direct shots so they were a fairly large square, which split into two even rectangles worked fine.

"I would have been... thirteen? Fourteen? Eleven years ago so while I am flattered by your confidence in my abilities at that time I was not going around killing people." Not on missions at any rate. He hadn't been sent on his first field assignment until he was sixteen. "Beyond that, I'll repeat that I was a farmer." Or at least Alden Kyr'Nau had been. "So it is a bit odd that I would appear on a list of bounty hunters." This sounded like he'd have to investigate further, someone was being set up and it didn't appear as though Mira would be able to tell him who.

[member="Mira Talus"]