To What End

[Lina Ovmar]

Roche Sector
Va'art

The last time Mia had been in this sector, it had been to steal prizes in a war. While the Protectorate, Sith Empire and Republic slaughtered each other, she'd taken the mandalorians to the battle to snatch from under their noses. She'd taken the mantle of Mand'alor shortly afterwards, and from that point her life had changed. She looked down at her hands, inspecting the delicate lines on her palms. There were still days where she discovered something new about this form. Something uncomfortable or pleasant. She pushed its boundaries just to see how far she could go.

"Field Marshall,"

The Rally Master's crisp tone brought her out of her quiet musings and she dropped her hands and looked towards him, her expression unreadable. Taking it as acknowledgment and invitation to continue, the Rally Master stepped forward towards the holotable she'd been standing at.

"Reports of attacks are high in this sector." he began, a map of the Jungle moon of Va'art flickering into life, highlighting the base of a mountain range. It was too large an area to scout. Not that she was short on time or resources, but she was simply unwilling to spend them unnecessarily.

"Do we have the locations of the most recent attacks?"

The mandalorian shook his head. "Not precisely no. From what i can decipher, they were headed for this quadrant to harvest something and didn't return. That narrows our search area to at least three clicks wide."

"Better than the whole mountain range." Mia commented, her finger moving to the communicator, the form of a slender mandalorain female coming into view. "Captain, Take us down to sector five eight nine nine, find us a camping spot."

"Aye, Ma'am."

Her form flickered out of view. She stared unseeing at the hologram before her, chewing the inside of her cheek in thought. "Permission to speak freely, ma'am?" Mia blinked, looking up to see Rally Master Kryze looking at her with concern etched onto his face. Her head dipped in a small bow, indicating him to continue.

"The men are concerned. You came back from the dead and now you want us to hunt this...what was it?"

"Toazin."

"...right. What is it worth?"

"More than you will ever be able to comprehend. Rally the men, we'll be on the surface in half an hour."

 

[Lina Ovmar]

The camp was basic for mandalorains. It wasn't heavily fortified, simply because they were not expecting to be attacked. No one knew they were out her, and they had no enemies here. Yes there were creatures that might try to kill them, but a perimeter had been set to trigger alarms should anyone or anything pass through it. Three heavy tents had been erected. One for a food hall, one for sleeping and one as a control centre.

It was in the third tent that Mia could be found, poring over maps and teams lists, rearranging, planning and listening carefully to the shifting mood of her men. Time to tell them what they are up against. Snatching up a projector, she puched the flap of the tent aside and stepped into the bright sunlight, blinking for a moment to adjust, she glanced to her left to see Kryze had fallen in next to her. "Time to start, Rally Master." he nodded and moved away, barking commands at people until the entire group had fallen in around Mia. Forty soldiers in total, but mandalorians were far more than just soldiers, hunting was as much a part of their life as farming, and defending your brothers on the battlefield.

Mia lowered the holoprojectors to the floor, and nudged it gently with her toe. The life size image flickered to life before her, towered high above them. Mutters began to ripple through the group as they took in the details she offered about their target. "This, is a taozin. This is it at full growth. Its armour, is resistant to lightsabers and it can conceal itself in the force. We are here to find one or two, depending on our luck, and kill it."

She let it sink in for a moment. "Questions?"

"How do we kill it, if its resistant to lightsabers?" Mia smiled.

"There are gaps in its armour, if that fails we'll find another way. First things first we need to find one. Half a click north of us is an area of around three clicks, the intel we've gathered leads us to belive there is one there. Red Team, You are up first, Rally Master Kryze will give you you're area to search. You leave in," she looked at her chrono. "Ten minutes. Dismisssed."

Watching them turn away she pulled the holoprojector back to her hand with the force, turning it over slowly in her palm. The final peice to her puzzle, the last ingredient she needed to breed her hunting pack. It seemed so very close, yet so far. The more she thought about it, the more questions she unravelled. Why was she doing this? Was it nessecary? Had she let her want for strength to overcome the well-being of her people? By going down this path, was she becoming what she hated?

Her eyes hardened at the last thought. No. This was not about becoming a sith. This was something she needed an aide to help hunt them down, whatever else she learned on the way was simply an added bonus.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Day 8 - AM

The day started as in had for the past week. Mia woke before dawn, before the rest of the camp and she moved into the forest extending her senses, looking for guidance, for a clue, for something. Once upon a time, Mia would have scoffed and condemned such and action, but time, Velok and Death had altered her perception. While most force using mandalorians were content to use it for enhancement of strength and speed to better themselves in battle, Mia Monroe was beginning to see its greater power.

She'd be lying if she didn't revel in it more than a little.

She'd move back to the camp as the sun crested over the trees, and scour over the holotable, chosing a new area to be searched. Kryze was waiting for her as he always was, helmet tucked under his arm. "Ma'am." he'd greet with a bow of his head, before briefing her on the search reports from the previous day. Today, Mia barely heard him, her eyes were staring unseeing at the 3-D map of the area in front of her.

"Ma'am?"

Her head tilted slightly and a line appeared between her brows as she frowned.

"Monroe?" Kryze repeated a little more sharply this time.

"Here." she said finally, pointing to a section of the map "Sector fourteen."

"All reports have turned up negative thus far, ma'am."

"Send them again."

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Sector 14 - Red Team

The coolers in his armor were working over time as he pushed over the crest of the ridge and paused to catch his breath. The rally master in charge of the red team cast a glance behind him at his comrades. Curses were slipping between lips as roots and earth gave way on the climb. His second in command joined him first, bedning over to rest her hands on her knees she was breathing heavily.

"This," she gasped "Is ridiculous."

That was a polite way of putting things, Rally Master Beviin grinned, beneath his visor and clapped his sister on her shoulder making her stumble slightly. "It could be far worse. Lets face it, this is a holiday in comparison to the operations going on in the Core."

"Yeah, right, because I'd rather be hunting a shadow, than killing sith." she retorted sarcastically.

"Amen to that." grunted another as he pulled himself up. "The old Monroe would never have us pushing through this hell. What does she even want this thing for?" Easily twice the size of the rest of them, Rook was the heavy hitter, but that meant he had the heaviest equipment to bear, as well as the slowest mind.

"Can it!" Snapped Beviin. "If Monroe wants this, then we get it for her."

"You're just saying that because you want in her pants." piped up his sister, even with her face hidden behind her visor, Beviin knew the grin on her face.

"Hell, anyone with a third leg wants in her pants." Rook chimed in.

"You are both ridiculous, you know that?"

"Red Team, din'kartay?"

Beviin tensed as his com chatted in his ear. "Nothing yet, ma'am." There was silence as the last five made it to the top of the ridge, all of them watching him expectantly.

"Are you equipped to search through the night?"

"Ma'am?!"

"Don't make me repeat myself."

"Yes ma'am."

"Good, I want you back at camp at first light tomorrow."

"Understood, Red Leader out."

His sister and Rook had pulled of their helmets and were glaring at him, having heard the entire conversation. "What? Have you ever said 'no' to her?"

Rook jammed his helmet back on his head and began to move down the other side of the hill, muttering curses as he did.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Day 9

The camp was quiet again, the occasional low muttering and stifled laughter drifted across it as those who couldn't sleep entertained one another. Kryze watched the Feild Marshal from the entrance to the control tent. She stood at the camps edge, hands clasped at the small of her back, feet set at shoulders width, unmovable, unbreakable. The wind tousled her hair slightly and she turned her head towards it as if listening to what news it might bring.

It was an hour until first light, They'd lost radio contact with Beviin and his team not long past midnight. What was it she was waiting for? An invitation? He blew out a heavy sigh and rubbed his face. When he looked up again she was looking at him, her gaze intent. He held it, to look away would only secure that he had been thinking badly of her. She moved towards him, stopped less then a foot from him and simply studied him.

"Well?"

She said finally. He didn't respond though his jaw tightened somewhat. "I though as much." she said softly. "Prepare a team, I'll lead them."

 

[Lina Ovmar]

She wondered if they knew, as they pushed through the thick undergrowth following the previous teams trail and a weak distress beacon. She wondered if she knew she had done this deliberately. There had been no movement, no sign of the taozin during the day, so she had baited them. She had used Beviin and his team like pawns in a game of chess. A sacrifice to leave the enemy open for attack.

Their tight lipped silence told her the answer to that, she could feel their eyes on her back as she took point and pushed forward. Anyone of them could have lifted their gun and shot her in the back, they were entitled to. Yet they didn't. Why?

Kryze fell into step next to her and she stopped allowing the rest to catch up. "Are they alive?" he asked her. She looked at him, eyebrows arching in surprise, before looking away. "Perhaps."

"You mean you don't know."

She shot him a cold look, and he looked away. "Beviin is not an idiot. If anyone can keep his team alive against the odds its him."

"So you hope."

"So I hope." She agreed sadness touching her voice. They pressed on and as the night began to close around them, Mia could not help but smile.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Red Team - Day 10

Beviin tilted his head back against the tree. Breathing hurt, he must have cracked a rib or two along the way. His sister had collapsed at his feet and Rook stood doubled over in front of him. Out of eight men, that was all that was left. "Sonuvvah queen knew that damn thing would get us in the dark." Rook grumbled, spitting a mix of gore on the ground. He'd lost his helmet somewhere along the way. Straightening up he looked at his leader. "Tell me I'm wrong."

Beviin shook his head. He couldn't answer him. "Now is not the time, Rook." he looked down at his sister who shrugged. "Comms are down, must be some interference. maybe its the valley. Signal isn't getting out of it. I dunno, i'm out of ideas."

"We have a choice then," Beviin said, "we get to higher ground signal for aid and then go get our vod. Or we go get our vod first."

"Feth that, I'm not going back there." Rook jabbed a finger back the way he had come.

"Yes, you are." her voice drifted down to them and Rook's shoulders slumped, his chin dropping to his chest as he shook his head.

"Field Marshall?!" Beviin started moving away from the tree to greet her.

"Rally Master Beviin." she inclined her head. "How many did you lose?"

"Three confirmed deaths, two unknown." She nodded and moved past him, the rest of the team following her.

"Far better odds than I expected. Lets go and kill this damn thing."

"How!?" barked Rook, stopping her in her tracks. She turned to regard him, saying nothing. "None of our weapons touch it."

"How about, you worry about getting your team out, and let me worry about killing it."

 

[Lina Ovmar]

An unnatural silence pressed on them and Mia brought them to a halt, reaching out in the force, searching for the survivors. In the undergrowth surround a clearing spotted with silken web, the team hardly dared to breath. Even the bird seemed silent here. Mia could feel the tension rolling out from the group, but beyond that, she could feel the weak signatures of the two soldiers.

A hand signal commanded them to hold their position and Mia moved out into the open, ducking beneath a large leaf. Her hand reached behind her shoulder, drawing her beskad from its sheath. She took two more steps and a tingling ran up her spine. She dove left, shoulder hitting the ground hard as a silken web hit the ground where she'd been a heartbeat before. Now she could see it, using two large trees to pull its front half upwards it drew back its head for another try.

"NOW!" Mia bellowed coming to her feet.

The squad burst from the undergrowth and began hammering the Taozin with slugs and blaster fire alike, giving it second thought about its target.

"In the trees!" Kryze called over the din. Mia looked up, spotting the two survivors hanging unconscious.

"Beviin, get your men!" Mia yelled, dodging yet another net.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

It was chaos, as any fight was. Beviin and Rook used the rest of the group as a distraction, allowing them to climb and cut their comrades loose. Mia's bolter spat at the huge beast and in return it spat webs at all of them.

"Monroe! We're clear." Bevvin's call came across the comm, and it was all Mia needed.

"FALL BACK!" She didn't need to loose anyone else to this and the squad did not hesitate to obey, with Kryze bringing up the rear.

One misstep tangled Kryze in a misplaced web, and in seeing that it had successfully pinned at least one of its prey, the taozin released its grip on the trees, its great weight dropping causing the ground to tremor beneath their feet. Mia's heart jumped to her throat. "FIRE!" she yelled, but the beast simply shrugged it off. It moved toward Kryze who stopped struggling and emptied the contents of his shattergun in the creatures face. Cursing, Mia burst into a sprint, beskad coming down to cut through the web coiled about Kryze feet.

"Move!" she yelled at him pulling him to his feet and shoving him towards the rest of the group. A deep rumble made her turn to see the maws of the beast seconds before the engulfed an arm swept her into them.

 

[Lina Ovmar]

There were no teeth, just walls that closed about her, contracting looking to force her down, suffocating her. A sudden lurch and a shift in gravity told her the beast was upright again. She dug her elbows outwards trying to stop her movement, but the muscles simply closed in tighter. Anger burned in her chest, and she pushed again, managing to adjust her arm quickly enough that when the walls closed again, the point of her beskad stuck fast.

There was no noise, no scream of agony the toazin simply began to writhe in discomfort. But Mia wasn't done yet, she heated the small amount of air around her, made the molecules dance until they ignited.

"Feth you." She growled and forced the fire down into the beast stomach. She held onto her blade for dear life as the taozin writhed and twitched in protest. The fire rose up towards her and Mia stopped trying to control it, focusing instead on tutaminis and letting the fire was over her. It stopped fighting, stopped struggling. It simply let out a sigh of breath and lay still. The fire dies around her, and Mia pulled free the beskad, crawling towards the mouth She used it to push it open and roll free.

Kryze was the first at her side, ripping his helmet free so he could look at her properly. "You alright?"

Mia closed her eyes and managed a weak smile, before unconsciousness embraced her.