The Next Generation [ Aka'liit & Mandalorians ]

[Ardgal Raxis]

The beast slammed Ardgal against the back of a tree as he backpedaled to stay on his feet. The warrior was surprised at how strong the wry creature was for its size, as the back of his head hit the tree, a spray of bark went out in all directions, and he could feel his muscles loosen and his vision blur for a second. The beast gave a hissing roar of victory, bearing its fangs that twisted into a sound of annoyance and anger.

These horrific predators of the jungle were more evolved than even the humans who considered themselves the dominant beings. Sure they weren't sentient--but could a human claim to have natural cloaking ability? Or hide that was blaster and lightsaber proof?

The Maalraass wrenched its forepaws out of Ardgal's grip and began to slowly stalk towards its new prey--Drof'del. Ardgal blinked twice, shaking himself as his cyborg components began to jolt him back into activity. Subject 13 propelled itself off the tree, diving for his weapon in a single, fluid movement as the predator stalked closer to his friend and ally.

The nighthunter reared, bringing both of its claws down in a heavy blow that could sunder Drof's shoulders from body. As it landed the monster snapped at Drof with a vicious bite at Drof's stomach. Ardgal twisted on the ground firing off one of his shots at the monster's hind legs.

"Try melee," Ardgal shouted rising to his feet, "close in on opposite sides and we'll take it down like that."

[member="Drof'del Tavor"]

 

[Drof'del Tavor]

He had succeeded in distracting the creature, but now it was focused on him, so he had to act quick.

"Yeah, Melee....got it, I will close in on my right- its left. You good?"

Drof had shot a quick glance at [member="Ardgal Raxis"] to see if he was alright. The general seemed to be able to handle himself well so Drof immediately spun his vibroknife around, pommel facing toward him and the blade showing itself to the Maalraas.

Tavor was not well versed in Melee combat, but knife fights were okay, so he thought. He did a false swipe at the creature's face to make it flinch to where he could get a good poke at the beasts legs. His goal was to work his way to the vital area to where they could both bring down the heavy creature.

The monster flinched in aggravation long enough to where Drof ducked down and performed a quick slice at the Maalraas' front leg. Although his vibroknife made contact, the creature showed little to no emotion at his attack.

Come on, focus on me girl
By distracting the creature further, he had hoped to give Ardgal another opening to attack.
The Maalraas snapped at Drof'del's torso, which made him lose balance so he jumped out of the way and got grounded.

The ground was damp, warm and smelled of slaughter. Drof; who was now on his back, tucked himself in and rolled backwards to gain distance from the creature and to recover his stance.

"Come on, you wanna eat? You gotta die for it"

 

[Ardgal Raxis]

Ardgal was sure there was some sort of saying somewhere about bringing a knife to a Nighthunter fight. If not then it was going to be a saying now. He fired one of his two shots, he had other shells in the pouch on his belt of course, but reloading was a very long and slow experience with this crack-barrel open double barrel shot gun.

The Maarlaas turned to him after Ardgal's shot gashed its leg, but Tavor's show garnered its attention again. The warrior knew he could survive a pretty unfair amount of abuse from this creature, but could Tavor? They would find out, Ardgal supposed.

Adrgal fished out a duo of shells as he circled around to flank the beast from Travor's side. When the other warrior sliced at its leg, a trickle of blood began to trail down its leg. Ardgal gave a tilt of his head, Travor had guts, that was for sure. The thing made its move and Travor dropped. Feth. The warrior instinctively brought his weapon to bare, firing his second shot. A few of the rounds lodged themselves deep in the side of the raging Nighthunter, distracting it with a pang of agony. The beast's head swung from Travor to Ardgal. Its jaw snapped as Ardgal jumped back. The teeth of the animal pierced his forearm, sending a small spray of blood through the air.

Feth.

"Come on, you wanna eat? You gotta die for it"

The monster lurched back at Tavor, limping. Adrenaline surged through Ardgal's veins as his wound began to close. He wrenched his shotgun open, slammed the shells free and rammed another in as the beast attacked his vod. With a quick snap of his wrist he closed the barrel. In a fraction of a nanosecond the circuitry in his head ran the probable solutions for a victorious outcome.

"Catch!" Ardgal shouted tossing his weapon towards Tavor.

[member="Drof'del Tavor"]

 

[Drof'del Tavor]

Drof'del was intrigued at how well [member="Ardgal Raxis"] moved in combat. The man was fluid and precise in his actions.

This Maalraas was starting to become more than he anticipated, this is good, A proper challenge.

During their encounter the monster had latched onto Ardgal's forearm; wrenching blood out. Kriff, we need to down this thing
While distracting the monster from harming Raxis further, Ardgal was reloading his Ravager in preparation for the next volley.

With his vibroknife still at the ready, blood dripping from the blade itself he saw Ardgal prompt him

"Catch!"

Drof smiled and nodded "Yeah chief, you got it!"
Just like playing catch back at the homestead on Concord Dawn, Drof caught the weapon gracefully and went down on one knee to make himself a harder target to hit and to provide stability.

He rose the weapon up quickly and fired into the maw of the beast letting the first shot hit its jawline. The beast roared even louder this time-- a solid good hit!

Drof had a risky maneuver in mind, he waited in the same position while the Maalraas was going to attempt to grab him by the torso with its razor sharp teeth. He bided his time until the beast was only a hair away and he lodged his arms into the mouth of the beast and fired the Ravager upwards, hoping to hit its brain or at least kill the beast. Drof's arms brushed against the Maalraas' teeth while doing this and his tunic was getting ripped and his arms were pouring with blood--his blood.

"To Kriff with you! Die already!"

Hopefully this risky maneuver wouldn't be the death of him, and he had hoped that he and Ardgal would come out on top.

 

[Keira Priest]

The two had only fought twice, and yet they had a rivalry that seemingly spanned lifetimes. Despite that there was still a strange sort of respect there, though it was one most outsiders would have trouble detecting even on a good day. There was a constant back-and-forth present that never dwindled even on the battlefield, and only heightened on their off days. His title as Mand'alor meant nothing, as summarily her former rank as Warmashal had been equally meaningless. "We've only fought twice, you di'kutla shebs. If you want another dance, I'm certain the both of us have grown enough since then to make things interesting." While a fight wasn't what she had come here to seek out, it wasn't something she would necessarily decline either.

"The Force is a tool I have at my disposal, and so I'm going to use it. But make no mistake, I don't need the Force to deal with you." A thinly veiled challenge though it may have been, Keira didn't have a true desire to clash with him. If anything the pair should have been more focused on making reparations and building bridges, as they had spent all of their other encounters doing the exact opposite. Wordlessly she extended a hand for the traditional Mandalorian handshake - a grasp on the forearm as opposed to something more traditional - and a sign of good faith between them after so long a time spent as enemies. "Cin vhetin?" It was about time the pair started over as something more akin to vode.

[member="Vilaz Munin"]

 

[Ardgal Raxis]

Ardgal had nothing in his heart for anything familial. He was a cold machine of war, better than a droid by a country mile, but still a machine of war. But still, he didn't know if it was pure comradre for a fellow fighter, or a kindling sense of family within the Mandalorians, but when he saw Drof get swooped up in the Nighthunter's maw, he felt a sense of protectiveness. He saw the blood from the torn tunic begin to drip from the animal's jowls and he felt a wave of regret followed by loss. Drof was about to die, and it was his fault. He was the one who lead him here and told him to remove his armor.

Then the second shot rang out and the Maalraas shuttered for a moment before collapsing, a spray of gore exiting the top of its skull. Its dying gargled groans filled the air before the beast gave up its life.

Ardgal rushed to help pry Drof from the maw of the Nighthunter, "You alright?"

[member="Drof'del Tavor"]

 

[Drof'del Tavor]

The second shot rang out, all the while that Drof had his eyes closed--he could die today, it would be a good day but death would not take him in her arms today

No....guess not, your not done with me....and i am never done with you. He thought to himself.

This beast was the largest he has ever hunted before, but he could'nt have done it alone. He would have perished already and made the Maalraas' stomach full.
Gore and cranial matter rained on the jungle foliage and on Drof himself. It was a mess.

Ardgal had rushed to Drof's side, to which he collapsed on the jungle floor to recover from his maneuvers. Holding the Ravager he shot his arm upward to give it back to the man, the weapon was covered in chunky gore.

"I feel like i got slapped around by one of the cantina women from Concord Dawn....Ill be....fine..however she is going to need a good cleaning" He chuckled

They made quite the pair, although Drof may be hesitant leaving his armor behind, he knew this battle made him more aware and more agile.

"I would have died if you hadn't thrown your weapon, i owe you one-----vod. How're you holdin' up?"
Drof laid on the wet jungle floor in a relaxed position, blood was gushing slightly out of his rib area, tunic all tattered. Drof closed his eyes briefly and flashes of his mom and dad came to pass. Both of them smiling at him
Dont worry, I am going to keep going....I will do much more in my life
[member="Ardgal Raxis"]

 

[Ardgal Raxis]

"You rocked her world almost as much as you rocked her bed," Ardgal said dusting a handful of gore off Drof's shoulder. "I hope you don't treat all your first dates that way."

It was pointless, the man was covered in blood and stinking tissue, but it was a gesture that most could interpret as approval. He didn't loose troops often, but when he did, Ardgal took it to his core. They were the closest thing that he had to family, and yeah, they had worked rather well together. He would like to think that he could keep people there, distant in every way from him so he couldn't be hurt additionally when he outlived them and they ended up leaving him there... again. But he knew he needed brothers and sisters, real brothers and sisters, even if that was going to tear him apart. He supposed Tavor was a great place to start.

He inclined his head, "Of course. I couldn't have taken it down without you," he flicked the weapon, sending some of the guts that had lodged itself in the Ravager's twin barrels. She would need a thorough cleaning but for now, that would at least make it functional enough to protect them on their way back, "I think this calls for some celebration. We should head back,get you bandaged, then dinner and drinks on me."

[member="Drof'del Tavor"]

 

[Vilaz Munin]

"Will that duel be with or without the Force," he shot back at Keira, commenting on the woman's usage of the Force. He found it very unsettling for any Mandalorian to use the Force in combat as he found it something that most warriors would use as a crutch and lose touch of their own natural skills. He didn't see this in Keira, but in other Mandalorian associates - or should he say once Mandalorian associates of his. "Mandalorians" such as Draco, Anija, Ijaat, and others had access to the Force and Vilaz could somewhat see they constantly relied on it on every mission. That was something he wished for every son and daughter of Mandalore to avoid. He didn't mind them using it as a tool, but he didn't want them to be greedy with it.

"It may be a tool, but you'll probably lose touch with your other skills. I've seen it happen before to other Mandalorians, and I expect you not having to use it when fighting someone," the Mand'alor replied back to the Ticon, not taking anything too personally yet trying to give some personal advice to the woman. Then something bizarre happened. Keira extended her hand out to Vilaz. Never in this life or the afterlife would Munin ever thought of this day coming. He thought this feud would last for an eternity, but that could be otherwise.

Respecting and honoring Keira's actions, the warrior accepted the traditional Mandalorian handshake from the female. "Cin vhetin," he said back to her, now starting to tear down hostile walls between them and replacing them with bridges. It was time for both of them to let go some of their pride and actually act like brothers and sisters.

"So is there something that you can teach to a veteran like me, vod?"

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Drof'del Tavor]

"You rocked her world almost as much as you rocked her bed," Ardgal said dusting a handful of gore off Drof's shoulder."I hope you don't treat all your first dates that way."

Drof'del chuckled at the man's remark "Oh, no of course not I am much more gentle on my first dates"

The general's sense of humor was very appreciated during a time like this. Drof had felt good all things considered, a few pokes here and there but nothing he couldn't handle.
He struggled at first to get up but he managed to make it back on his feet. He made sure his vibroknife and his carbine were still on his person for the trek back to the outpost.

From now on, he knew he had someone he could fight with. Someone more familiar than the others. Sure he met a perfect stranger but Ardgal was a different acquaintance. He was more like a mentor--or a teacher perhaps.

"I think this calls for some celebration.We should head back,get you bandaged, then dinner and drinks on me."

Looking down he saw a small stream of blood leaving his body--from where the beast had punctured his rib area slightly. He embraced the wound with his right hand and nodded at Ardgal. Getting patched up and grabbing dinner sounded like one hell of an idea after the quarrel they were just in.

"That sounds like a good kriffin' idea Ardgal. Let's....get back to the outpost" His words left him rather delayed in his actions. With the Maalraas in a bloody heap and with the two companions ready to depart, Drof shuffled through the jungle foliage. Still keeping an eye out for more predators his drew his vibroknife and kept it in his left hand at the ready.
[member="Ardgal Raxis"]

 

[Strider Garon]

Strider looked at the two blond children before him. One knew exactly who he was, the other was extremely confused. THe old man couldn't blame Kaylanna, for he had been absent during her life span and presumed dead for a small chunk of it. " I am your grandfather!' His words came out cold and raspy. He didn't even believe the words himself. Life has given him a second chance, this was one of the tasks he promised he would achieve before death came calling again. He will make amends with his family, he will be the alor and buir they wished he was.

His dark eyes darted to Corvus, the boy was all full of excitment. "Boy, you want to be better than i am" And that was a promise he hoped that both if not all his bloodline would achieve. Sure, Strider was one of the greatest warriors, but there was more to this life then slaying scores of enemies and planetary conquest. "Since we have decided to make home of this dreaded jungle moon, the first lessons will be on survival"

"So go back to your bunks, remove your armor. Fill a day pack with what you think you need to survive a week out in the jungle with. Return to me"

[member="Corvus Detta"] [member="Kaylanna Detta"]

 

[Corvus Detta]

Corvus didn't even blink before he was off and running towards the compound where he'd been staying. He moved his legs as fast as they could, excitement brewing deep in his chest. He slid through the door to his room and began removing his armor. Setting, assembled into a neat-ish pile. He grabbed a pack, stuffed a blanket, a medkit, a canteen of water and strapped his knife to his belt.

Catching his breath for a beat, he looked around for anything else he'd need, he grabbed a roll of rope, and a change of clothes. Before leaving his room, he spent a moment reassuring himself that he was being trained by Ba'buir, and he could make father proud. He walked the rest of the way back, knowing Kaylanna wouldn't have been too far behind. Returning to grandfather, Corvus had been thinking about what they might experience and learn, it gave him the jitters. He was excited and nervous at the same time.

"Ni'm tsikala ba'buir." He confirmed to Grandad.


[member="Kaylanna Detta"] [member="Strider Garon"]

 

[Kaylanna Detta]

Kaylanna was a bit slower to dash off and do the bidding of someone calling himself her grandfather. But she could do it if she told herself he was her mentor, trainer, or teacher and she was sworn to obey.

Keeping that thought and holding it tight she headed to the path to go back, she turned looked at him again scowling as she did. She took a breath and then sprinted down the path to find her rooms tossing things, and gathering others as she moved about. Rations. Water pellets. Whip. Knife. Blanket. Med Kit. change of Clothes. A week. She tossed that thought around in her mind asking herself if she's alone for a week what does she need. Eat. Drink. Meds in case. a weapon. The rest was really just extra.

Once rolled into the blanket Kaylanna ran back along the same path she had earlier run down. She stood near [member="Corvus Detta"] looking up at [member="Strider Garon"]

 

[Strider Garon]

Strider watched as his golden haired grandchildren made their way back, forming up on him. He looked upon them with his scarred visage, his thoughts running deep upon what needed to be done here. "The essentials of survival" His voice gravely and horsed as he kept a stern poise and refraining from kneeling down and smothering the two with affection. "I want you two to think of a pyramid. At the tip of the pyramid is 'Kit'. The middle is 'Knowledge' and the very base and what i would say is the most important....... 'Will to survive'"

"Now look around you" His hand would wave at the jungle around them "This is dxun as you would of course know and more than likely you would know its real name. The Demon Moon" He gave pause, letting that sink in deep. "This world is a unforgiving world, cruel right to its nature and ill advised for those not prepared for its elements. Our people once again have decided to take home here and it is my responsibility to make sure that the likes of you do not parish with in the lush green abyss of this planet"

"This is not news to you, so lets start with Kit. I want you two to show me what you decided would be efficient to carry into this jungle to aid you in your plight of survival"

[member="Kaylanna Detta"] [member="Corvus Detta"]

 

[Corvus Detta]

Corvus looked up to his grandfather and opened his bag. He pulled his items out as he named them.

"Rope, bedroll, canteen, knife, medkit, and a couple spare clothes, ba'buir."

Here on the Demon Moon, the Mando'ade of the future were about to learn how to survive. This planet was one of the most inhospitable due to its flora and fauna's natural predatory predispositions. A small child wouldn't normally survive in a place like this, but Corvus and Kaylanna aren't normal children. They're Mandalorian and Emberlene. The toughest breed in the galaxy. They were part Detta, D'ulin and part Garon.

With dangerous beasts like the Drexl and carnivorous plants like the Crasna, it was highly likely that they'd suffer at least minor injuries while on their week long excursion. Hopefully they'd stay away from Orbalisks, no one likes a parasite. But maybe they'd be handy in the future as their carapace is resistant to lightsabers. We'll see if they get so lucky.


[member="Strider Garon"] [member="Kaylanna Detta"]

 

[Kaylanna Detta]

[member="Corvus Detta"] [member="Strider Garon"]

Demon Moon Kaylanna looked around at it it looked welcoming but perhaps that was part of the demon it was pretty to look at but underneath it would eat you.

" Rations. Water pellets. Whip. Knife. Blanket. Med Kit. change of Clothes." She turned to look at him Strider Garon, Hound of Keldabe. She had a memory of him where he held her on his knee, his birthday? She couldn't remember that part.

She heard what Corvus had brought they sounded like peat and repeat on what they brought. But then their buir were both skilled warriors they had been teaching them since they could walk. Why wouldn't they think to bring the same things.