Private OYA: Desevro - Praxor Escort

[Casany Praxor]

Spoiler: Music OOC

Desevro. Another ecumenopolis. Though this one appeared to be a bit more cursed than the likes of Coruscant with its decrepit urban sprawl. Subarctic climate. Cold almost all year long. A perfect winter for a city-planet frozen in its development. Stagnant and at a crawl, rather, with swamps and mountains at the flanks of its grand towers still standing tall.

In the dead wake of this all but forsaken world, amid its red haze of smog besides its lights, there was still time and space for the rich to enjoy an existence. Perhaps it was their best candidate, given the wealthy elite were generally criminal to begin with and, if they weren’t, were more than likely of the corrupt kind of government.

It was no less of a lucrative location for those accustomed to violence. Bounty hunters. Gangsters. Mercenaries. Warriors. Mandalorians, even, of a whole other caliber. There was more than one of them here, but one had come here on the hunt for just two. Theirs were the same colors. They were her kin. They bore red and gold. They were Praxor.

“This is the place,” said Casany Praxor. She stood in full beskar’gam, helmet over her head, weapons on her person, standing outside a warehouse at night. “They should be here any moment.” If the information was anything to go by.

A man of Clan Awaud in a cantina on Vlemoth Port had informed Casany Praxor that two of her ilk were playing bodyguard for the rich on Desevro. Contact data provided, Alor Praxor set up an appointment of sorts, and her Mandalorian contacts who claimed her clan’s name responded with an encrypted message. It was a bit cryptic which suggested they were on a mission but had room to meet her too.

“Now we wait.” She would not do so alone. Casany had come to Desevro to meet two of her brothers, if the info proved true, but she brought a sister of another sort even if not Praxor. “And see what we can see, Adi.”

Adi'ka Awaud

 

[Adi'ka Awaud]

Adi'ka Awaud had landed her gunship at the Jigani Port high above the city Maslovar on the steep rocky spires and took a helicopter taxi down to the sprawl.
The green furred, apelike Saheelindeeli pilot flew his small primitive craft along massive carved stone faces in the cliffs and talked with no end about which old Tionese tyrants they were supposed to be.
The Lepi Mandalorian was skeptical about this. 20 000 years of weather had smoothed the outlines and every face looked similar, even for human standards.
Somehow this was comforting. Time has made all these dead genocidal despots equal, all their deeds were forgotten, and nonhuman taxi drivers made up fairy tales about them. These megalomaniacs would have truly hated that.

https://www.scified.com/u/engineer_face_in_mountain_on_paradise.jpg

The urban sprawl of Maslovar had the same problems. The ancient city was build about the ruins of hundreds of eras before now and only these artificial islands had prevented to drown it as the old pump systems failed, and the water had made the ecumenopolis into a lagoon city. The weak, pale light of the old sun emphasized the flair of decay.

"This is the oldest human realm still existing. Not so high and mighty anymore", Adi'ka said to herself.
At street level the white and red armor of stormtroppers and tattered black flags with the black imperial sun and golden victory wreath showed how this lost empire was part of the Empire of the Lost. "How fitting!"
She would have to be very careful. Mandalorians of her clan were not allies of this Imperial Remnant and the people, the Deservrars, were speciesists and called all non-humans "Hutts".

So she avoided the checkpoints and met with her sister Casany as she had descended from her landing spire. Both went to the warehouse as the sun set.
As Casany said "And see what we can see, Adi", the Lepi scanned with her high-end surveillance equipment in her helmet the area.
The murky, stinking waters of the canals and the maze of windswept buildings were a slight problem for her scanners, but soon she had a full HUD map of the vincinity.
"Two people with powered armors and many weapon energy cells are closing in. Must be your clan."

Indeed, two silhouettes with the classic Mandalorian helmets and Jetpacks walked out of an alley.
"Su cuy'gar, alor Praxor!", one of the two the said. "Thought the clan would be scattered to the void. What do you want from us? We are in the middle of a rescue mission. Hostage liberation. You know the drill. The time window is closing, if we want to save the target in one piece."

Adi'ka, always spontaneous, answered before Casany could: "Su cuy'gar, I am Adi'ka clan Awaud. I am specialized in hostage liberation. I could help you!"

"And we should share our bounty, I guess?", the man laughed. The other, a woman, laughed too. "Adi'ka, the name of a kid, are you old enough to play with the big siblings?"

two Mandalorian siblings with sniper rifle and blast... | OpenArt

two Mandalorian siblings with sniper rifle and blaster pistols, one male, one female, rugged and weathered armor, sandy desert planet, dynamic action pose, high quality, detailed 3D rendering, sci-fi, dusty tones, intense sunlight, intricate armor details, intense and focused gaze, cool metallic...

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Casany Praxor

 

[Casany Praxor]

Must be my clan. Even those simple words were enough to make Casany wonder how all of this had actually happened. Earlier, days before tonight, she had never expected to find more of her own, let alone so many, never mind so soon. Though, if she was being honest with herself, she had never really bothered to search. Maybe that was the real wonder.

“I see them,” Cas answered her sister. Perhaps this was yet an ambush. She wasn’t already affiliated with this planet, didn’t tend to mess with lost empires or the Empire Of This That Or The Other unless they paid her, but stormtroopers were generally not in her favor and the hunter had sure made some enemies in her day.

Queue two Mandalorians on the move, helmets and jetpacks revealing the distinctive appearance of their metal and mettle. My clan. Red. Gold. Of course, there were more than two Mandalorians in this universe with red gold ‘gam. Only one aspect of their armor would prove the truth of it.

One of them spoke at a distance. It was Adi who answered after him. Casany kept quiet, just observing behind her helmet, checking her heart rate, making sure excitement was contained in her veins. Whoever they were, already, Adi was more Casany’s sister.

“She took out pirates from the sky, took down rakghouls on a planet infested with them…” Trailing off, Cas planted a hand on her sister’s back. “And she can dance. She is Adi’ka Awaud, the Mandalorian I fight beside today, tonight, as she has my back and I have hers in turn.”

She waited, made sure she had their attention, and considered their words about their mission. “I am Casany Praxor.” Your alor. “If you are of my clan, I request that you prove it.” I demand it. “Step closer. Show me your shoulders, warriors.”

They didn’t have to. They didn’t even exchange glances. They just moved, speechlessly, offered their armored shoulders; rather, their symbols. And she saw it. The sigil of her clan. A golden sun on red. They are my kin.

“We will assist you with your mission,” Cas commanded. “Then you will give me your assistance.” She stepped forward, offered her shoulders: gold sun sigil, black anvil signet. “For I am your alor, and I have spoken.”

Adi'ka Awaud

 

[Adi'ka Awaud]

Adi'ka swelled with pride as Casany praised her.

The two warriors were stunned for a moment by the aura of command Casany. Then they said at same time: "Oya!"

Immediately, they both talked business like true professionals. "I am Odok Drang and this is my vod Vissu Drang. The acquise is the 9-year-old Clia D'Eperne, heir to one of the 37 ruling families of Desevro. Kidnapped yesterday at 5 AM. The kidnappers are fundamentalists sponsored by the rival D'Aribac family to extort political favors and possibly a forced marriage.

Our employers will not negotiate and fear for the life of the hostage. They could not use their own house guards because that would start a family feud and political turmoil, the Empire of the Lost could use to gain more control of the planet.

So we are hired to liberate the hostage and send a message to the D'Aribac. Clear?"

He used a holoprojector as he spoke to show the face of a pretty girl with curly dark hair, then a compound of abandoned warehouses in the neighborhood.

He nodded to Adi'ka. "You are a specialist for such missions, vod, and you seem to have a high-tech armor with slicing and surveillance tools. Could you map out the motion sensors and cameras of the place and the movement of the guards?
Is this a Verpine Magna Caster at your back? Gooood, so could silently take out the guards, before we and the alor storm in and take them by surprise."

"Sure it is, and sure I could! Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur!"

"Good! The hostage is not to be seriously harmed, but we would sweep the room where she is with a stunning decksweeper and stun grenades to avoid the kidnappers to kill her or use her as a bargaining chip.

My sister is a field medic and could do emergency reanimation if the hostage has a stopped heart because of the stun weapons.
A speeder van is parked two clicks away when we extract with jetpacks. Failure is not an option! They lose or we die!

That is the plan. Something you would like to add or change, alor?"


Casany Praxor

 

[Casany Praxor]

Odok Drang. Vissu Drang. Names immediately committed to memory. It didn’t take much effort for Casany. They were one of her. They didn’t need to speak about their deeds, their battles, their conquests—of other beings if not of planets. All four Mandalorians already understood one another. Their songs and stories would come later at some tavern after this was over.

Cas nodded her acknowledgment as she listened to the mission and watched the holoprojection. Unlike her kin she of course knew little and less about the politics of this planet, having done some homework along the way, but all she needed to know was which way to aim.

“Free the hostage. Send a message. Extract with jetpacks.” Alor Praxor repeated after her vod finished. Failure is not an option. That thought was silent but as loud as a thousand songs. There was of course a mission for Casany Praxor beyond this one. It stretched to the ends of the dust and bled like her blood. Conquest. Will Clan Praxor restore Kad-Stor and join the voices of our brethren in the end?

“We are warriors of Mandalore,” she stated the obvious as much as answered as to whether she had anything to add or change. Metaphysically, perhaps, but she dismissed future promises and focused on the moment—this mission. “Each one of us is worth more than a thousand house guards who aren’t.” Exaggerated figure, perhaps, but not really as she looked between each of her three vods.

“A three-pronged approach when it’s time to strike. We’ll take them from separate sides and destroy these fools.” She raised a hand and a fist and smashed it. “Hammer and anvil.”

Adi'ka Awaud

 

[Adi'ka Awaud]

And so the four Mandalorians began their Blitz against the kidnappers.

Adi'ka got the high ground on the weathered spire with the baroque decorations of a long-lost temple to the god-kings of Tion. She activated her powerful passive scan arrays and her two tiny droids scrambled around to surveil the blind spots in her scan.

The results she sent to the vode who took their positions in the meantime. Their HUD would display the area and all high-lighted enemies and surveillance equipment for them.
... and the highlights turned one by one from red to green, as the Lepi nerd used her hacking skills. For her, it was like a holo game on story mode. Lepi had a knack for this, and she was even more technophile than your average Lepi.

But then it would be time for the game to turn into bloody reality as she aimed at the first guard sniper on the roof. Adi'ka hold her breath and pulled the trigger of her Verpine Magna Caster. Nobody not even she understood how the insectoid Verpine could suppress the supersonic bang of this powerful rail gun rifle, but nonetheless the ultrahigh compressed needle left the silenced barrel with only a low whistle and the enemy sniper collapsed like a puppet whose strings were cut.

"One sniper down", she radioed as she took aim for the second one. He was dead a second later "Second sniper down. Proceed along the markings on your HUD to avoid the motion sensor. Start in 3 ... 2 ... 1... GO!"

And three-pronged her vode stroke. The surprised guards at the front door were prey for the alor, of course. The siblings entered trough roof and back door.

Meanwhile, Adi'kas droids have closed in to scan for their master through the walls of the building to highlight her targets.
The Lepi sent the new data to actualize the HUDs of her vode. There would be no surprises!

Her Magna Caster punched holes through the walls and through enemy targets, as the front door, the back door and the roof shattered under thermite charges and armored doom entered the building.

The labyrinth of corridors and rooms was an advantage for the attackers and not a hindrance. Too few of the kidnappers with good paramilitary training could engage the miniature walkers at the same time to seriously threaten their beskar alloyed armor.
The hammer stroke the anvil and the unworthy slag piled behind the advancing Clan Praxor

Hastily, heavy weaponry packing support was moving in hold-out psotion ... and was eliminated by the sniping of Adi'ka.

Some Dikut with the signature of a vibroknife tried to reach a small silhoutte on her HUD. Instantly his head disappeared from the HUD as a high powered metal needle vaporized it into red mist, after punching through three walls.

This was the situation as the three other Mandalorians assaulted the room with the hostage.

A little girl was sobbing as a headless corpse hit the floor and three other kidnappers clad in city camouflage drew their weapons.

Three visors glowed in the smog filled corridor as the silhouettes of Clan Praxors avant-garde slowly closed in for the kill.


Casany Praxor

 

[Casany Praxor]

Red. Green. Red was her armor. Red was her blood. Green were her enemies. Targets lit up. Stop. The Praxor commanded herself. She stood tall in her beskar’gam, back to a wall, hugging the corner of a container, peering behind her helmet amid this warehouse complex. Pistols on her hips. Sword on her back. Jetpack. Vambraces. Rifle in her grip. Go. Red to green.

“Kandosii!” congratulated Casany.

The shot from her vod’s rifle that took out a sniper was quiet but lethal as hell. As that tango fell down, so did his comrade, though Casany personally doubted that any of these di’kuts were actually companions. They sure as farrik weren’t Mandalorians. They were just grunts. Objects. Obstacles in her way. They had chosen their fate the moment they kidnapped that girl and decided to stay.

“Jurkad,” Cas commanded to each vod over the comm. Taking aim, she took out her prey in two shots. Front door cleared from the pair of guards, she moved and her vode did too. Through the front or from the roof or at the back.

Adi in the spire, Casany fired at a target directly in front of her as she moved forth in a corridor. One of her suns, Odok, communicated that he was moving toward the center. Vissu clearing through the roof. They were three killing machines but they moved as a unit too.

“Di’kut,” Praxor called to a distracted man who just then fell back, courtesy of a bolt in his skull. Quickly, the warriors converged toward the chamber where the hostage was being held. It was easy pickings most of the way, given their enemies were pretty pathetic, although Casany had managed to stub her toe.

Smog in the room but that black T-shaped visor could see through fog too and it proved true as she fired. The bolt struck the target in the chest and he struck a wall. As Odok and Vissu danced with their own tangos, Casany moved toward the hostage, ready to extract her as promised.

Just then, that man she shot flew toward her, clearly having some pretty decent armor. As his weight slammed into her frame, pushing her rifle away, the Praxor shifted her feet and whipped around with a sword hilt in her hand.

-SHWING!-

There went that di’kut’s head. Though this little girl would surely have nightmares about headless henchmen and whatsuch, at least she was freed.

“This is Casany,” she called to Adi as the girl whispered her thanks. “Hostage is secured. Repeat. Hostage is secured.”

Adi'ka Awaud

 

[Adi'ka Awaud]

Epilog:

All four retreated with the girl to the hovervan waiting in an alley and extracted from the scene.

A while later at a grand noble estate relieved parents received the freed girl and guardsmen with grudged respect and a openly shown despise for the clearly non-human Adi'ka handed of a coffer with shiny credits for a job well done.

"Now, we are free to join you, alor", the siblings said.

Casany's clan has grown again.

Casany Praxor