Private Vod to Vod

[Selle Skern]

"Eight minutes!" echoed through the shuttle.

Selle had reservations about accepting an assignment from the Galactic Alliance this soon. With the Enclave's increasingly aggressive actions, she knew it was only a matter of time before they crossed a line that demanded a firm response. Many believed they already had. Ideally, she would've liked another month to prepare her squad before venturing into the fray. However, the urgency shifted when the General disclosed the identity of the Alliance's contact. Her father always knew which strings to pull to hasten her decisions.

The shuttle's descent caused a cacophony of metallic noises, signaling its impending landing amidst the forest clearing. The young but seasoned Mandalorian ran a final check, ensuring all her Vod had their weapons calibrated to stun. The last thing she wanted was a skirmish stemming from a misinterpreted act. She imagined the scene: the Alliance's troops, potentially scarred from recent clashes with the Enclave, startled by the familiar armor of their newfound allies. With a swift motion, she removed her helmet, revealing a stern face ready to address her team.

"Stay sharp, everyone. Remember, we look like their enemy. Our mission is clear - assist them. Strengthen their defenses, set up their base, and bolster their training regimen. Their commander is a Vod, one of the rare souls beyond the Sirsahyav I place my trust in. Her orders carry the same weight as mine."

The shuttle's vibrations softened as they approached the surface. Determined to be the one to greet Minerva first, Selle positioned herself at the shuttle's exit. Upon disembarking, she extended her arm, anticipating a Mandalorian handshake.

"Vod, it's been too long, and yet it seems like yesterday. How can we help?"

Minerva Fhirdiad

 

[Minerva Fhirdiad]

Tag: Selle Skern

Minutes earlier…​

Once more fully clad in her armor Minerva stood in the clearing, waiting for the shuttle. Behind her was one of her squads, the rest were back at their new base. Arms folded together she kept her glance to the sky. Subsequently someone behind cleared his voice and asked.

"So Cap, is it true? You really know the leader of this group?"

Turning her head back she looked at a Quarren male in brown and green camo uniform with an ammo bandolier sling to the left side. Immediately Minerva shook her head.

"No, Selle is not the commander of all Mandalorian Rangers but she is one of their squad leaders. We did meet that one time at Corellia shortly after Kaskyyyk. She came to my aid during a brawl and after escaping we talked before going separate ways."

The squid faced NCO nodded in understanding before asking his next question.

"Can we really trust them? I know they're fellow Mandalorians to you captain but…"

"As a matter of fact I do trust Selle and I had checked her bethern’s record thoroughly, Nep Tuni. The rangers are different from the Enclave. Besides, our unit need's more training on how to engage our new enemies. That's why I made a deal with Selle's commander. They won't fight our war for us but we'll get assistance for our operation here."

His question answered Sergeant Tun became silent although Minerva can tell many of the more inexperienced members to his back were wary about the upcoming arrivals. She already had a talk with the whole company about this but it will take more effort on both sides to build future cooperation. Hearing the shuttle's engines, Minerva looked back up to the sky.

The present…​

As soon as Selle stepped out and offered her hand Minerva immediately grasped and shook it. Reminded that she did have honorable vod like the warrior before her gave comfort to Minerva's soul.

"Indeed it's great to see you again, Selle. As I told your commander, our unit, especially the new members, need further training. The type that only you and your warriors can provide."

Turning to the side she introduced the troops with her.

"This is Sergeant Nep Tuni and his squad."

The Mandalorians would note half of the squad bore the expression of veterans and the rest while trained hadn't much combat unlike the rest of Strike Force Talon. They wore various uniforms and gear with only the emerald color as the one common theme. It made them look more like mercenaries than the typical Alliance soldiers and that was the whole point.

Done with allowing Selle to view the squad Minerva examined her ally's team in return.

 

[Selle Skern]

Selle flickered her eyes over the Strike Force members as she nodded to Minerva's introductions, noting the differences in stance, gait, and gaze that betrayed which of the Alliance soldiers were hardened veterans and which had yet to taste the fires of the battlefield. The former would probably be better at adapting to the training the Mandalorians would offer, but the latter would have fewer bad habits to correct. Either way, Minerva was entrusting her with making sure they were prepared for combat, and Selle was trusting them to keep her Vod alive.

"It's an honor to provide this help in training these men. I'll do what I can to make sure these men are ready not only to fight, but to return to their homes alive, when the time comes."

Selle's own squad lined up behind her, their almost uniformly-grey armor broken up by the pauldrons colored to signified their clans, and the varied number and severity of battle scars across their armor, revealing that they two had a somewhat varying level of experience, although each of them had at least a few blaster scars or scorch marks. Directly behind the Ruus'alor, was a single Mandalorian with a golden dot over the ranger sigil on her pauldron, if Minerva looked closely, she would see another Mandalorian with such a dot, black rathe than gold, over his ranger sigil.

"May I introduce my Sol'yc Alor'uus. Jag Kaden," the woman behind Selle removed her helmet, offering a polite nod as she did so. "She's saved my life more than once, and she's always looking out for our Vode."

"A pleasure, Captain." The XO and Fireteam Leader again offered a polite bow to Minerva.

Selle had noticed that the Alliance troopers more varied looks - and figured that they served the opposite purpose as her unit's uniform look. Where the Alliance wanted the plausible deniability that their operators looked more like mercenaries and rebels, the Rangers wanted to make absolutely sure that everyone on the battlefield knew that they were Rangers - and not any other kind of Mandalorians.

"So, where do you think we should begin?" Any of her men were capable of teaching a crash course on elite combat training, and Jag was one of the best drills in the Rangers despite having only risen to Corporal, but Selle was really hoping Minerva would start with her specialty. Once she gave the Alliance men a masterclass in CQC, she had some special training in mind for her Vod.

Minerva Fhirdiad