Trouble on Takodana [Exploration/Raid-Open to All]

[STaCLO]

SN looked up as the noises became clear, listening and sensing the movement. Then the droid simply got his heavy blaster ready after hearing what the man with him said. "Agreed, and don't worry, I'll cover the back, you lead the way. Maybe going alone isn't the best option you know. Double the sight should mean it's harder to sneak up your know?" The droid was clearly just trying to be logical if they still felt like continuing down the castle. After speaking SN did as he said, and covered the way they came. Leaving the way forwards up to him. It could be argued that the droid was selfishly looking out for himself my making the man that just saved him go first.

[member="Andulf Nicholas Teraan"]

 

[Cato Fett]

“Easy…” He gentled her, tapping his heel against her belly. Cato clicked a hand against his helm antenna base. “Mereel, it’s good. Just beware, don’t make a din. Safety your hardware, if you don’t mind.”

“You,” He now said as the channel locked, looking back over his hip at Mala. He crouched low, to bring them eye to eye. Cato disengaged the chin-straps locking his helmet down, removed it, sat it between himself and the indigo Squib. Mala the Thief the definition of ‘errant’, an avowed ‘anklebiter’. With inexhaustible compulsions to thieve propelled by a magpie’s fascination with everything and anything shiny. Her little worn belt was stuffed with junk prizes she’d pried off furniture, appliances, and leftover flotsam scattered around the castle’s innards. Cato slipped off his right glove and reached for her ears. He risked a mean nip if her temper was piqued but gambled on their bond. Calloused fingers rubbed and stroked into the soft roll of loose skin. It’d always soothed her.

On and off again, Mala travelled with her ‘Hunter’. He’ encountered her on Nar Shaddaa trailing bounties through gangland sectors, she trailing along to offer aid in exchange for ‘prizes’ and a bit of revenge against abusive hoods. She would disappear at random, just to show up six worlds later in as many months, unbothered by the distances. He counted her as maybe the hardiest survivor he had ever met, enormously brave and thrice as foolhardy. In turn, she called him ‘friend’. Her only friend, Cato guessed at times. He flicked her paw from reaching for the burnished pin to a stun-grenade on his belt.

“…You came on board that bloody Imp shuttle, didn’t you?” He said. “Didn’t you? Were you trying to steal that ugly droid’s face-plate? …Mereel.”

The man came jaunting up in a flat jog, rounding the corner minutes after Mala. He ushered both in with him into the apse behind the tarp screen, after fitting back on his helm and checking against anything intruding on their position. Clean returns, though thermals were curiously milked out. “…Alright. Mereel, Mala. Mala, Mereel, Mando’ade. He’s a safe sort. So, don’t rip him off.”

He leaned over to the crack in the apse wall, glancing at the shimmer of the Imperial shuttle’s black-on-black reflec hulling. “Imperials on the front step. With armour and a full squadron standing guard. Might be safe for the moment.”

They were two and a half versus a dozen opposing rifles and a hover-track tank idling in the wings. Cato was wary of taking Mereel’s presence for granted, neither having reached for their fighting knives yet. The trio listened against the tank’s repulosr undercarriage humming with the seasonal heat outside. “But this place isn’t worth holding. Imps want to camp out in front of a haunted castle, that’s their bit. All I’ve found worth extracting – “

He held out the ancient Mand’alor battle standard. The draft breeze turned the heavy cloth around, ripped in places from blade and projectile damage. Old, old gore blackened its pole haft. “Is this.”

[member="Mala"] [member="Mereel Vaun"]

 

[Wilhelmine Dahma]

Technology is a wondrous curse, thought Morro, remarking to herself at how human Carlye’s face was, full of delight and mischief over the unveiling of her surprise. Yet how cruel it was that the rest of his humanness had been stripped from him and replaced by the sum of mechanical parts, complex circuitry and code.

Would it be better if he were an HRD? She would spare any expense to have his real form back, but perhaps the robotic veneer was better - a firm reminder of the perils they’d faced together.

Only a cold, tactical Chiss could love a droid, she mused with a wistful sigh.

Taking his gloved hand back, she stroked the knuckles, wondering if he could feel anything. Lifting the bubbly wine to her blue lips, she vowed only one sip if only to preserve the health of the one, maybe two very organic lives inside her.

“And you will always be my mentor and my hero,” said Morro with a husky whisper back to the man she’d been infatuated with practically since the day she’d met him. “Stirring up so much outrage among the more neanderthal elements of the galaxy.” The trouncing of Mandalorian mercenaries on Lanteeb had been highly attributed to the Admiral’s fine efforts in thwarting a worse attack.

“I’ve never been good with these kinds of things,” the Chiss officer admitted. “So I’ll come out and say it. I’m pregnant. Whatever the scientists did… it worked.” A genuine smile spread across her blue chiseled cheeks, the red eyes hollow, but the dip of her head would let him know that she was incredibly pleased to be the mother of his children.

[member="Robogeber"]

 

[Itash Mecetti]

"Lord Mecetti?"

Wyman had been trying to talk to him for about a minute now, but Tash's eyes were closed and he seemed unresponsive. He was sitting on one of the boulders in the new room they had entered.

Large hexagon shape.

Very mysterious.

"My Lord?" Wyman looked over to the Thyrsians, but they also had their eyes closed. Suddenly the large Baron felt very... alone in a dusty, dark room deep under the ground and surrounded by half a dozen unresponsive guards. "Why do I always get myself in these sort of situations, Wyman? This was deeply irresponsible, yes, Debrah is going to have a heart-attack! Oh, good lord, she will put me on a diet again. Noooo."

"Baron, who are you speaking to?"

'What?!" Wyman almost jumped as he whirred around - faster than a man of his bulk should have been able to. "Oh, Lord Mecetti. No, no one in particular. We are all good. Where you having a... nap?"

A shake of the head.

"No, but we must go now."

"...why?"

"The Imperials have come."

 

[Mereel Vaun]

Location: Third Floor
Talking to: [member="Cato Fett"] [member="Mala"]
Primary Objective: ?
Secondary Objective: Find the source of the hauntings


Mereel stared at the tattered cloth in reverence. He popped off his helmet to make sure he had seen it through his visor clearly. With his bucket now off, he took in the battle standard with his own eyes. "Kandosii, Cato. Kandosii."


Mereel looked past Cato and at the thing taking refuge behind the man's legs. He leaned to the side so it could see his un-helmeted face more clearly. "Su'cuy, Mala."

He then put his helmet back on and looked back to Cato, "I wasn't able to find what I was looking for in the basement before I got your transmission. If my hypothesis is correct, there will still be ghosts running about the Castle. If you're really lucky, maybe our stormtrooper buddies down there can give the ghosts some company while you make off with that banner. Unless you plan on sticking around with ghosts and stormies that is."

Mereel wasn't sure what Cato's plans were from here, but he had unfinished business in the basement.

 

[Andulf Nicholas Teraan]

Talking to: SN-1411
Nearby possibly to encounter: Mereel Vaun | Cato Fett | Darth SiRiDio
Presumably Relatively Nearby: Itash Mecetti| Kyoko Ike

Location: Ruins of a distant castle...

Post: 7

At that time seem to pick up on the urgency in his tone as well hopefully hints he'd drop regarding the fact he did not wish nor were post a threat to the Droid. As at the same time in the back his mind he hid well the lingering thought as was the reality of that which he feared. That whatever it was that lurked within these cavernous halls or tight passages now either overgrown by vegitation or burried deep . Under years or pehaps even century of soot, dirt and debries brought up by either or both the battled that was said occured here. And the mirrad of stranger, pirates or what not that found themself here. For the same or varid reason of their own device perhaps all but dead and burried beneath their very feet one could only guess. As from look of things these place was no less ancient as it were left unoccupied for quite a long span of time.

Of which with all its silent history and possible secretys that lay hidden within it hall or hidden vaults. But all that he had set asside as he figured listen as droid words all but hinted to drown out some but not all that play in his mind.

"Agreed, and don't worry, I'll cover the back, you lead the way. Maybe going alone isn't the best option you know. Double the sight should mean it's harder to sneak up your know?"

And but by then just as he was nod in agreement to the droid that something caught his eye. Barely visible if not from an angle he found himself be shifting his feet. Symbol or of some sort which he approache while he replied back to the droid.As the two head out moving out of the basement towards the upper floors slowly and as quietly they could with blaster out in hand.

​

"Well that good to know and believe me i second you on that run off by one lone some seem not be best idea. Thought it was not really my choice begin in.....and....well"

His words cut short as he apporached and unmindfully reach over with his index finger which he ran across it. After which he come rub it with his thumb then bring it close enough to his nose and seem be shocked. Upon the realization of what and where he'd seen it before.....with an old crew he happend found himself with once. A group he'd rather leave fogotten or the very least as nothing more than oid history as his mouth moved to for words escape it.

" Blood....not to recent but ......we definitely have move it...."

Running off as he did towards the opposite direction he no less run into some more famillar symbold that apparently he followed thru. Far enough that as they turn the corner they come acros it. Thought he barely had time stop and not trip over it....but it no less was there and for good reason he was thankfull that he hadn't. As before them were a small catche of what he figured be bit or piece of a presure bomb something which he assume perhaps given the years that passed would had hopefully been a dud. But then again with such weapon and seeing how jerry rig it was and lay out he wasn't about put to the test. As he then motion for the droid to silence and with him try make a quick sweep of the room. Extending two fingers away from his face he then raise them towards his face let them rest upon the edge his eyes before motion outward. As it then proceed hover towards the left and slowly move towards the right in a sweeping motion.

 

[Mala]

[member="Cato Fett"] [member="Mereel Vaun"]

Mala relaxed at his touch, leaning forward to loop her hands around his neck briefly, hugging him tight, drawing back eyes roamed up to his head, where the plate was visible and grinned a wicked grin at his question. “Mhmm, Mala came with the white ones. Nasty. Nasty like Big Boss, but white ones can’t catch Mala. No, no, no Mala too fast.” She tensed as Mereel approached proper, slinking back behind Cato’s legs, uncertain.

She shot a glare up at Cato. “Mala not rip, Mala bite.” she gnashed her teeth and giggled at Mereel’s greeting. Bouncing towards the pile of junk Cato had dismissed she began rifling through, casting boxes over her shoulder without care, humming tunelessly as she did. Something shiny caught her eye, caught in the corner of the box she flung.

“Shiny!” she yelled as a medallion was shot out of the box at force and rolled away between the mandalorians. Mala shot after it, bowling between their legs as it bounced down the corridor. Muscles in her back legs tensed and she pounced, flattening it against the floor with a gleeful cackle, settling on the floor to marvel at her new piece, twisting it to catch the light. The little gold beam reflected down the corridor highlighting a figure, twisted in shadow, wreathed with wisps of dark mist and stinking of death.

Mala stared at it.

It stared back.

“Mala’s shiny.” she said pointedly, shoving it in her mouth, storing it in a cheek pouch. The thing advanced with a ghostly snarl. Mala was reminded of the black death that had squeezed her when she fought with the captain and a blade of sunshine snapped to life in her paw as she scrambled to her feet and swiped with little skill pushing the thing back from her.

 

[Cato Fett]

“Mala, Mala!” She scarpered off, dodging between their boots after a trinket loosened from a torn, felt lined jewelry box. Cato loosed a breath past his nose and was turning to Mereel. The flag’s discovery encouraged perhaps another sweep through the castle grounds. The Imperial presence was still something to potentially contend with and the Resistance was owed an intelligence update. Takodana was spoilt; good for emergency landfall, maybe, but smugglers had given up the ghost, if the Enemy could tritely settle in for a picn –

“…Hold this,” Cato passed the banner pole into Mereel’s hands and drew Oilseller. Then passed through the tarpaulin curtain after little Mala.

She flailed at an ebon revenant accosting its way toward her. The sound of her Jetii sword lighting had sounded alarms on his HUD. With the Imperials outside, the qualities of interior acoustics, Cato still wouldn’t risk outright gunfire. Mala cut at empty air, trying to ward off the ghostling. The thing was homunculus, physically breached with distortion and reforming character. It unfurled a long, thin hand, and swiped for Mala’s snout. Sword in grip, he swung and caught the blow in his own. The blade’s edge ground on sludge-like bone and unreal flesh. Cato drew the cut out, pulling Oilseller back into guard, launching from out and poking the curved sword’s point forward. Forward and under the ghost’s breastplate, skewering the shadow of its spine.

The phantom shuddered, whipping claws across Cato’s helm. Faint scratch lines cut into the duraplast and etched over the visor glassteel. He backpedalled from its reach, Mala gripped by the scruff of her neck and hauled along with him. How to really kill these things, he wondered? What’s the key to make you sleep forever?

[member="Mala"] [member="Mereel Vaun"]

 

[Mereel Vaun]

Location: Third Floor
Nearby Allies: [member="Cato Fett"] | [member="Mala"]
Primary Objective: Protect the Battle Standard
Secondary Objective: Find the Source of the Haunting




As Cato handed him the banner pole, he recognized the snap-hiss of a blade, but he still couldn't believe it. "Mala has a lightsaber?!"

Ghosts, imperial picnics, and lightsaber-wielding lifeforms that scurried about the floor on all fours. Mala certainly didn't strike Mereel as a Jedi, maybe Mala had just found the saber somewhere? So far Takodana had done nothing but defy his expectations, so he wasn't going to jump to conclusions as to how Mala got the blade.

He passed through the curtain Cato had just walked through. Upon reaching the other side, he saw Mala and Cato, one with saber drawn, one with sword, but something was wrong. Cato was falling back from the beast with Mala in tow.

He drew his rifle and was about to pull the trigger when he remembered that the First Order was on their front doorstep. He sighed, there was nothing he could do in this situation. If he fired a blaster it would alert the First Order. He could put down the battle standard and use his wristblades to help, but dropping the ancient battle standard now that it was found felt like a sin.

When he had thought the cause was right, Mereel had commited sins against Mandalore before.

He leaned the battle standard's shaft against the wall beside him and ran at the phantom monster in a sprint. The creature turned its attention to him too late, and he tackled it to the ground. He retracted both of his wrist blades and got in four quick stabs to the creature's sternum.

To his shock, the phantom held its disgusting form. The monstrosity roared, and translucent spit attached itself to his visor. Enraged, the creature delivered a vicious strike to the side of his helmet.

Mereel hit the floor a few meters away from the monster. The blow rolled him over several times until he landed on his back. His sight started fading to black at the edges until his vision was utterly consumed by darkness.

Spoiler

OOC: Not dead, just unconscious

 

[STaCLO]

After listening to his new partner he'd reply. "Certainly" and without hesitation got in front with his heavy blaster. Looking over and seeing the symbol as well he waited for their response. "Yeah, spooky stuff like that can even make a droid's skin crawl... Well you know what I mean." He added, since droids don't have skin. Before moving along with him. SN would say one other thing. "Hey, If things get really dire could you try and take my important hardware if I get destroyed? Then plug me into anything, even a junk droid should do, that way I don't die for good." The droid said after they stopped. Watching him with his fingers out, SN would follow them. Nodding before heading to the right to check out what was there or cover the area.

Down the hall where he was, the droid could hear a familiar noise. SN perked up and aimed down his blaster. The noise again sounded like wet towels slapping against the floor. After a couple seconds of it the noise grew then faded. Perhaps whatever it was, was heading in a different direction. Off to catch some unseen prey. Internally the droid pictured what it looked like, imagining some kind of fish monster with legs.

[member="Andulf Nicholas Teraan"]

 

[Mala]

Fear should have been clutched around Mala’s heart, like it had done when the mist came for her. But it didn’t, instead she was filled white hot fury as Cato peddled them backwards, lines scored across his helmet. Not only was this thing trying to take her shiny, but it was trying to hurt her hunter.

Mereel rushed in taking it down, but Mala’s cheer quickly became a shriek as he was tossed across the corridor. A small cry of fury and Mala wrenched herself from Cato’s grasp. “Bad juju!” the lightsaber in her hand deactivated as she barrelled into its stomach. Talons raked across her back and she scrambled up and over its shoulder, sinking her teeth deep into its neck. It uttered a ghostly scream, twisting and trying to reach her as she spat a mouthful of black ‘flesh’.

A taloned hand lunged for her and she lurched away to the other side, reversing her grip on the lightsaber she pressed the emitter to the back of its head. The yellow blade punched through its skull, silencing its roar. For good measure, Mala hung from it, dragging the saber through its spine till she hit the floor and deactivated it.

“Mala’s shiny's.” she reiterated as it toppled over.

[member="Mereel Vaun"] [member="Cato Fett"]

 

[Itash Mecetti]

They are having a picnic.

A picnic?

Yes.

Not attacking then?

Not yet.

Well, there lies the rub, don't it? How we do know-

What's going to happen? We don't.

Chief ain't gonna like that.

He'll like the cash we will be getting at the end of this.

True.

True.

True.

---​

​

"Lord Mecetti?"

Wyman was still sneaking looks at the other Thyrsians. They were all walking, but some of them had their eyes closed - it didn't seem to bother them in the slightest and they were walking with the same surety and ease as if their eyes were open. "Yes, Baron?" Their walk was swift. Whereas someone else might have been trying to get involved in this upcoming mess?

They were walking away from it as soon as possible.

"Their eyes are closed."

"That is quite correct." Tash retorted smoothly while keeping his eyes on the path ahead. "...they are walking like their eyes are open."

"Yes."

The Baron was getting flustered and frustrated in equal measures, because this made no sense. What was the point even? Couldn't they just keep their eyes open for at least a minute or two, until they were safely in the ship with the rest of the expedition? There was no need for this as far as he was concerned. "That is quite out of the ordinary, Lord Mecetti." Wyman finally got out with a sigh, dabbing his forehead again.

"Yes, yes, it is, Baron."

In truth none of that was necessary, but Itash felt like being petty and this was clearly freaking out Wyman.

So that worked for him just fine.

 

[Cato Fett]

“Mala’s ‘shinies’, very good…” Cato took a knee and held Mala’s paws between his fingers, feeling the adrenal shake rattle small bones in the wrist and palm. He soothed with a little hum he sung every so oft when the Squib refused to behave for bed time. It calmed enough, let him reattach the hilt back to her belt. A few odd trinkets had spilled out during her flight-or-fight grapple with the revenant. Cato collected and stuffed them back into her tunic, while she ran her paws across his helmet in likewise concern.

He tapped her shoulders and beckoned her to his side. Both crossed over to Mereel. He was poleaxed and sprawled on the flagstones. His armour had caught on the stone and left a wake of silvertine scratch-marks and cosmetic weal’s on his beskar’gam. Cato paused, crooked his helmet. …The Mando breathed. He slipped off his right glove and felt for a pulse underneath the armoured gorget. Then diligently edged his touch up Mereel’s spinal nape, checking for contusions and swelling, in case the gorget and his helm hadn’t done the work protecting his collar from injury. Some of the skin felt hard; just bruised, spotted with swells, but nothing he could detect as threatening. Cato adjusted Mereel’s posture and put his rifle back into his hands.

“Up. Up!” He clapped the back of his gauntlet across Mereel’s visor. “You’re not dead, Mereel, come on.”

[member="Mala"] [member="Mereel Vaun"]

 

[Mereel Vaun]

Location: ?
Nearby Allies: [member="Cato Fett"] | [member="Mala"]
Primary Objective: ?

Mereel was alone, adrift in a sea of stars.

I'm not wearing my helmet. How am I still breathing?

He tried to look down at his chest to see if he was still wearing the rest of his armor, but where his body should have been he saw only light. The empty space where his form should have been was illuminated by the heat of a hundred blazing suns all around him.

Then the light around him slowly faded. It was as if each shining star had been hidden away from him by a horrid veil of darkness. He was left floating in a bitter cold void.

The darkness around him evaporated before his eyes, revealing a damp, dark chamber. Three passages branched off from the room.

I recognize this place. This is the tunnel system beneath the castle ruins I found on Takodana.

The middle tunnel and the tunnel on the right side of the main chamber faded from his vision, and a faint sphere of light formed at the entrance to the tunnel entrance he saw to the left. He looked at the sphere, it doubled in size in response to his gaze. He found himself unable to look away from the ball of light.

Did I leave Takodana?

The orb of light grew until it consumed all of his vision.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Mereel gasped for air. He was still holding his rifle, and Cato was standing over him with a hand on his visor.

"I'm fine. I'm fine.. what happened?"

He tried to recall the events that lead up to him laying on his back on the castle's stone floor. The last thing he could remember was being given a battle standard and then..

"Oh yeah, I think I was freaking out about how Mala has a lightsaber?"

He popped off his helmet and clasped his head with his right glove. He had a terrible headache.

Ball of light.

"Mala, you didn't hit me in the head with the hilt of that saber, right? I've got a splitting headache."

 

[Mala]

Mala kept a paw upon Cato as he tried to stir Mereel, terrified that if she lost contact with him that the strength in her kegs might fail, that she might be left behind in the bad place with the bad things. He back stung, the blaster wound torn open again my the creatures claws, fresh parallel lines of red scoring her purple fur through her torn tunic. She whimpered and rubbed her face with her free hand, bottom lip trembling slightly.

Mereel offered distraction, a question, a question she didn't wholly understand. What was a lightsaber? Mala had only shinies. "Bad juju hit Mur-ill, Mala not hit Murr-ill." she twisted to point at the mess the leaked across the corridor. "Bad juju." she bared her teeth at the corpse, ears flattening against her head. She inched a little closer to Cato.

"Mala, Hunter and Murr-ill leave now, yes? Away from white ones and bad juju. Mala wants to go. Mala hurts."

[member="Cato Fett"] [member="Mereel Vaun"]

 

[Cato Fett]

Cato unfastened a hard pouch on his waist belt and had Mala turn about. Mid-centre of her backbone were livid tissues still healing from blaster discharge. Some flesh was ashen and scorched, necrotic in places but flaking and peeling aside thanks to bacta salves. Patches of her fur had been scorched to the root. It looked woefully tender, angrily mottled and weeping thin blood in places. He freed a small emergency canister from the pouch and held Mala still by the shoulder. He then applied broad strokes of aerosol bacta to her stressed wound, its mixture brewed with numbing agents that hissed on like ice before pain and discomfort dulled in to just a warm, heart-beat throb. Cato rubbed her ears between his thumb and fingers and stood.

What about Mereel? Cato thought on his mentioned task, cleansing through the castle’s sublevels. The man had character and steel to match it, moderate without the usual bombast and verboseness that infected their people, that made even conversation a separate torture for all the injections of ego and conceit. He also hadn’t taken Cato to task about his allegiance. Was he for the new Empire? A Man on the Watch? Or was he another slinking traitor requiring reconditioning to be accepted back into the proper fold? Neither had he pressed Mereel for details. His affairs were his own. Cato wanted very much for Mereel to come along; he longed for news from the ‘territories’. And he was loathe to leave a Mando without compensation.

Mala was cuddled up to his leg and holding tightly on his knee. She was tattered, messy, in need of a good wash, food, and rest. The Squib’s welfare fell to him. Her wits were flighty, sharp but flighty, her character quick to tire out anyone not patient with her. If they lingered in the castle and broached its ghosts or pricked the fingers of the Imperials outside, he could not guarantee her safety. Trust was its own weight. She held him as the responsible figure that looked after her where many had failed or dismissed her outright.

“…If you’re going to hang about,” Cato said, taking the banner pole and pushing its haft into Mereels hands. The threadbare war standard draped over the man’s pauldron. “Keep that with you. It has strength of its own. It’ll lend it to you, when you walk into battle. This one requires my care. If you’ll come with us, then good. If not, ret’urcye mhi. Jate’kara.”

[member="Mala"] [member="Mereel Vaun"]

 

[Mereel Vaun]

Mereel was still rubbing his un-helmeted head when Cato shoved the pole of the standard into his unoccupied hand. He was tired, and his head hurt, but the sight of the tattered battle standard, something which had retained its identity throughout the test of time, ignited a fresh flame of resolve in him.

He looked directly into Cato's visor, "I still have to go down to the basement, but I have no clan to rally with this."

He held the standard away from himself and offered it back to Cato, "Take it with you. Clip it to your back if you have to. If for no other reason, take it to prevent it from sitting away in some tunnel for the next one hundred years."

[member="Cato Fett"] [member="Mala"]

 

[Mala]

Mala hissed at the bacta spray, trying to bite Cato's hand for causing her more pain. He was faster than she, snatching his hand out of her reach. She didn't pursue it and he didn't punish her for it, the understanding between the two was absolute. Eyes closed momentarily as he rubbed her ears and stood, moving in close eyes passing between the men as they spoke, trying to pass the banner between them.

She worked her tongue in her cheek, extracting the gold medallion and wiping it dry on her tunic. It was embossed with the face of a creature Mala did not know, but what was on it, was utterly meaningless to the squib. "Shiny, shiny, shiny." she sang quietly fingers tracing the outline of a mythosaur skull with her fingers. There was something in their tone, something that made Mala uncomfortable as realisation slowly began to dawn on her.

"Murr-ill staying?" She looked up at Cato, ears drooped before looking to Murr-ill. "Staying with bad juju?" she let out a whimper looking between the pair, unable to comprehend why anyone would want to do such a thing. "Bad juju hurts, biting scratching and squeezing. Smells like white death, smells like undercity...underground." she covered her eyes and bared her teeth. "Mala no like bad juju. Mala like Murr-ill but Mala not stay." she uncovered her eyes and dug into her pockets hunting for something pulling out a bronze band. She eyed it for a moment, then eyed Mereel before detaching herself from Cato to place it in Mereel's hand. She darted back as quick as she'd moved forward.

A strange gesture but one that had great significance in the squibs eyes. She climbed nimbly to Cato's back. "Mala hungry." she stated.

[member="Cato Fett"] [member="Mereel Vaun"]

 

[Cato Fett]

“Mala will eat,” Cato assured, not a little astounded at the unpolished brass band sitting midst Mereel’s fingers. The token was inestimable, in Mala-terms. All that glinted was gold to her, from flecked candy wrappers to priceless heirlooms and vaunted cultural artefacts, to rhinestone jewelry, the plastic rubies sewn into children’s wear, so long as it sparkled, held dashes of light, be it gold or silver or diamond or chrome. She did not part willingly with her acquisitions. They were immensely precious, even if she never sold or bartered them for advantage, for the simple fact that they were hers. She had done Mereel a rare honour.

With reluctance, he accepted the banner pole back. The haft was ancient fir wood hardened to a grade akin to steel and wrapped in bands of beskar-iron. It was a killing polearm, transformed from a mere martial standard display to a weapon worthy to carry into steeped open fighting. The flag's embroidery indicated service in a Mand’alor’s retinue. Which it didn’t say outright. He’d have to take it to an authority that could read its pedigree truthfully. Perhaps to Mandalore, or perhaps to an outlier source not affiliated or trapped into affiliation with Ra Vizla’s ‘empire’.

“As you wish,” Said Cato. Briefly, he laid the standard against a close wall and clasped Mereel in close. His fist pounded once between the Mando’s shoulder blades, a scuff of leather on metal, releasing him the following beat. Cato let silence air with the dignity of the moment. Once more, he bowed to his warrior-brother, took the battle standard and left. He strode on down the passageway before edging left at an unlit junction. The banner fluttered in his wake, followed him into the turn, and disappeared.

[member="Mala"] [member="Mereel Vaun"]

 

[Mereel Vaun]

Mereel looked for a second at the quaint bronze band given to him by Mala. The band seemed rather plain in design, with no discernible patterns or symbols etched into the bronze. His memory returned to him and he recalled how Mala had eagerly ran off into danger earlier in order to chase a shiny medallion. He clenched the bronze band tight before slipping it into one of his armor's belt pouches. As Cato and Mala walked down the hall, Mereel waved a goodbye to the strange being now attached to Cato's back.

"Ret'urcye mhi."

He picked up his helmet and put it back over his head. He was down two allies, the First Order was having a kriffing picnic outside, and ghost monsters that seemed inspired by works of fiction roamed the abandoned castle halls looking for victims to eviscerate.

He got up off of the ground and shouldered his rifle, thumbing the safety off.

[member="Mala"] [member="Cato Fett"]