Kaine Australis
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Post by Kaine Australis on Jan 21, 2021 4:22:16 GMT -8
The little one was fast, and tough, Kaine noted. He'd missed the attack, it had been so fast, and one of his Commandos lost his own helmet. Kaine quickly waved the others off.
The Alor could put the pieces together easily enough; the dying one was kin to the little one.Give the kid some room. Lok, get your helmet back on.Kaine said by way of reprimand. He wasn't sure he'd have managed to defend himself in Lok's boots.
He had been spared being orphaned or abandoned as a child himself, but many others hadn't been so fortunate. The galaxy was full of such terrible stories of injustice. He'd seen it before, and it never ceased to clutch at his heart; the unfairness of it, a child having to face Death right then and there and having a part of their innocence torn away in the facing.
The other commandos saw to the other children, leaving the Alor and the grieving child with the dead body that had been a very important someone to said child. Kaine figured the comfort of a stranger wasn't going to be on the cards, so he kept a respectful distance, crouching.
The language the kid had been speaking didn't register on Kaine's HUD translation, which only meant it wasn't one of the major languages Kaine didn't speak. Plenty of cultures had their own lingo, including the Mando'ade.Udesii. Kaine said, addressing the child, putting meaning into the tone, knowing the word itself was probably meaningless. Settle down, it's okay.Kr'Naan'Kar
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Kr'Naan'Kar
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Kr'Naan'Kar on Jan 21, 2021 22:18:38 GMT -8
The wailing had turned to deep sobbing, the tusken child's shoulders heaving, which then turned to coughing and wheezing as the youngling inconsolably grieved. Beyond the realization that she was now alone on an alien world, the fact she was surrounded by outsiders began to set in slowly as she looked around in a daze. There was a receding blackness around the edges of her vision as her tunnel vision dissipated. In between labored breaths and sobs Kr'Naan did not move from the spot she was knelt, still holding the older tusken's hand against her masked face with her left hand. "Oa'Ruc'Ur'Kura" She repeated in her language over and over again, rocking back and forth slightly. Her right hand moved from the shoulder of the dead Kar'Orzh and to the side of him where the sharp piece of metal the tusken had used to forcefully remove his slave collar lay, grasping it tightly in her gloved hand. The uli-ah did not turn to the outsider addressing her. It was unclear whether it was intentional or not, due to the possible language barrier or that she was so intensely focused on the now corpose of her grandfather nothing else mattered to her.
Kr'Naan lowered the hand of Kar'Orzh from her masked face, laying his hand palm down over his heart. Moving her own hand to Kar'Orzh's neck, she reached down into his robes and pulled up a leather corded necklace, which she guided over the masked head of the dead tusken and grasped tightly in her other hand. Drawing her arms tightly to her chest, Kr'Naan reassumed her bent position over the body of Kar'Orzh, a crouched fetal position. The tusken child's cries began anew, and seemed even more intense if that was was even possible.
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
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Post by Kaine Australis on Jan 22, 2021 1:09:17 GMT -8
Udesii, Kaine had said, trying to let the distressed child know that danger had passed. It didn't seem to have done any good. The child's words rattled around in Kaine's head."Oa'Ruc'Ur'Kura"He had no idea where to start with the language. He had to try something, so he figured non verbal communication would be the way to go.
Kaine stood, grabbed a ration pack and tore it open. The contents were a bottle of water and some sort of berry paste with what looked like bread sticks. Basic food, but edible enough, and nourishing, which was what was important. Military rations weren't gourmet, but they weren't sand and glue, either.Kaine put the bottle of water down next to the food pack. Then he drew an ion baton, designed to kill droids, computers, and, slave collars. In one swift movement, he leaned and touched it to the back of the weeping child's neck, where the collar's control circuits were.The child might feel a slight minor shock or tingle, but it was necessary to disable the collar so it could be removed.All done. Kaine said, knowing it probably wouldn't help, but keeping the reassuring tone in his voice. He stepped back a few paces, to give the kid some room, and to let them notice the food and water.Kr'Naan'Kar
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Kr'Naan'Kar
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Kr'Naan'Kar on Jan 22, 2021 3:03:09 GMT -8
"Kr'Hr Ur'Kf." Kr'Naan said quietly in between sobs to the corpse as she wept over the body of Kar'Orzh. At this point the blood in the ground was beginning to soak into the fabric of the young tusken's pants as she stayed knelt on the ground, as well as the blood that was on her gloves and some of her other garments as she had handled the blood-soaked Kar'Orzh. Kr'Naan tensed up as she felt the hair on the back of her neck raise, as someone approached behind her. The tusken child yelled out something incoherent as she felt a shock on the back of her neck before leaping to her feet and spinning around. Kr'Naan brandished the jagged piece of metal like a knife she had recovered from the ground, previously used by Kar'Orzh to free himself, pointing it towards Kaine.The quick movement caused the now deactivated collar locking mechanism to come loose from its clasp, coming undone. Kr'Naan noticed this, quickly ripping the collar from around her neck and tossing it to the ground before bringing the makeshift blade back up to bear. Her left arm moved down in a blocking gesture, as if to protect the body of the dead tusken behind her. In her left hand, which was balled into a fist around something, the leather necklace cord hung. Kr'Naan screamed out at the outsiders around her, aiming the point of her knife at the nearest armored outsiders. "Ukr'R Rcr'R!" Her arm was shaking from all the adrenaline and fear, and her covered head was darting around, trying to account for the beings around her, or looking for something. "Ukr'R Rcr'R!" She repeated, jabbing the knife at the air towards Kaine and the other soldiers. She looped the leather necklace over her head and tentatively reached down and grabbed the bottle. Hanging from the necklace was a sun with a jewel in the center. Her head tilted as she found what it was she had been looking for. As fast as her feet would move Kr'Naan took off into the jungle, zigzagging and diving as anyone tried to catch her. The tusken was small and fast, and while her clothing looked movement-restricting, it was anything but.Kr'Naan would keep running for an unknown amount of time, unsure of which direction she had gone, of the trail she was leaving, or where anything was. Having been in a windowless cargo container, she had not had any sort of view from above of where she had landed. No landmarks stood out, in fact nothing made sense to her, as Myrkr's terrain was green and lush; full of life in comparison to the deserts of Tatooine. Kr'Naan slowed as her surroundings continued to set in. Panicked, she turned around several ways to try and get her bearings, but it did not help. The uli-ah approached one of the nearby trees, touching the bark of the living plant with her hand, in disbelief. Her breathing slowing from the long run, Kr'Naan sat at the base of the tree. "R'h Ura'Ar..." She said quietly in between snivels and stifled coughs. Once again overcome with emotion, she would start crying again, trying to remain as quiet as possible to remain hidden from any pursuers.
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Kaine Australis
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Post by Kaine Australis on Jan 27, 2021 6:33:32 GMT -8
The reassuring tone in his voice hadn't done a hell of a lot to help, but Kaine couldn't see how else he could have handled things. Still, it had all gone tits up, and the little one had legged it into the jungle of Myrkr. The dead fellow had been one of her aliit, he figured. Family was more than blood to Mando'ade, but that didn't mean they didn't understand how it felt to lose one of their own.
Osik. Kaine swore to himself. ::I've got this one.:: He commed the other commandos, who would see the other children to medical care. Then he headed off after the child, at a walk. There was no real need for haste, except that he was a little worried the child might hurt themselves in their efforts to flee. Vornskrs were a danger too, one he'd have to look out for.
Tracking the little one wasn't too difficult, with the lifesign detector in his HUD. There weren't too many humanoids wandering the jungles, and the ones that were had Mandalorian armour. They were well outside the Clan's sensor nets, so he wouldn't have the ability to scan at distance, but so long as he kept to within a kilometer or so, he wouldn't lose the kid.Kaine kept his distance, several hundred meters, circling slowly around to get in front of the child's direction of movement. This might take some time, but he'd stay close enough to keep an eye on the kid, and wait for exhaustion and hunger to suggest the Mandalorian might not be so much of a threat after all. This wasn't the first time Kaine had faced such a problem, kids who had been enslaved weren't the trusting sort, and he could hardly blame them. Patience was key, as well as food and drink. Night on Myrkr wasn't cold enough to freeze, but outside shelter it wasn't always pleasant either. Wait for the child to find somewhere to hole up, then try again was Kaine's plan. He couldn't imagine what the little one was going through, the closest he could get was his first time in combat, scared shitless and lost.
Ah, ad'ika. Kaine said to the little one, though he knew he would be inaudible at this distance. You're safe with us. Just gotta figure that out for yourself.Kr'Naan'Kar
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Kr'Naan'Kar
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Kr'Naan'Kar on Feb 3, 2021 20:01:41 GMT -8
As the tears started to recede after an unknown amount of time, Kr'Naan began to look more closely at her surroundings. The jungles of Myrkr were foreign to the desert dweller, who had seen only one tree in her entire lifetime. Tatooine trees were twisted, misshapen things. She had registered the trees, but had not been able to properly take in it all. Sitting up, Kr'Naan unscrewed the bottle of water and poured some out onto her gloved hand, rubbing the liquid in between her finger and thumb and lifting it to her face to smell it. Satisfied, the young tusken tilted the bottle back and took a few deep sips, coughing as she drank too fast. Kr'Naan tapped her chest and forced herself to swallow. Water being as precious as gold and jewels to her people, spitting up any was worthy of a beating from one's elders. Kr'Naan set the bottle of water down next to her and lifted up the necklace she had taken off the body of Kar'Orzh to her eyes, running a gloved finger over the jewel in the center of the sun. "K'Kr'Ucu'R'Kurk...."
Kr'Naan's head snapped to the side as she heard a rustle of some bushes nearby, and reached for the jagged piece of metal. Not knowing what dangers lurked in this strange place, she thought it best to continue moving, grabbing the bottle of water and continuing her trek through the jungle. Her stomach began to growl as the sun began to wane, but she fought the instinct to begin searching for anything. There was no telling if anything on this world was edible. She had no way of knowing what was or was not safe to eat.
Already weak from being underfed and malnourished by the slavers, Kr'Naan was already at a disadvantage when it came to surviving in the wilderness, let alone one as alien to her as this. The sun would begin to descend on the horizon, another surprise that she was just now noticing: the singular sun. Kr'Naan stopped as she heard another sound, confused as to what it was. The uli-ah followed the sound to the source; a river. More water than she had ever seen in her entire life, at least in one place. Dumbfounded and stupefied, she dropped both the bottle and the makeshift weapon to the ground, approaching the edge of gently flowing river. It was something beyond her wildest imagination. This much water in one location. Kr'Naan looked around, suspicious as to whether she was hallucinating or not.
The young tusken would gather some wood and dry leaves, both to construct a crude shelter and bedding, and also for a fire. The nights on Tatooine got well into frigid temperatures, so she needed to be prepared. Without any tools to start a fire, Kr'Naan would begin to struggle to start a fire.
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Kaine Australis
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Post by Kaine Australis on Feb 9, 2021 4:53:58 GMT -8
Kaine kept his distance, several hundred meters staying close enough to keep an eye on the kid, and waiting for exhaustion and hunger to suggest the Mandalorian might not be so much of a threat after all. Sure, Kaine thought, in a place like this, to a Tusken kid who'd been enslaved, everything was a Kad damned threat.
Watching through the macrobinocular function in his visor, Kaine saw the child gathering wood. A fire eh? Good thinking. Kaine approved. Night was approaching, and warmth was important to survival. Made sense a Tusken kid would know a thing or two about survival. Well, there was a gift he could give.A quick burst of his wrist mounted flamethrower over a branch gave Kaine a makeshift torch. At this distance, he doubted he'd be visible in the daytime. Carefully making his way through the underbrush, Kaine found a spot and put the torch into the ground standing with the burning end upward. Then he whistled a quick birdcall, and moved well back into the jungle out of sight.The child would have to know that someoene else was out here watching, upon seeing the torch, an unnatural thing to find. Hopefully the fact that the fire was left as a gift might tell the youngling the watcher wasn't hostile. Kaine knew he had to be patient, rushing the kid would only make things worse.Kr'Naan'Kar
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Kr'Naan'Kar
The Sith Eternal
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Post by Kr'Naan'Kar on Feb 10, 2021 2:04:37 GMT -8
Kr'Naan spun around as she heard the call of an animal, a bird by the sound of it. One of the only bird-like animals the tusken child was familiar with being the bonegnawer, a bird of prey of severe danger for a small being such as her, it was another horror for her to face on this unknown world. Kr'Naan dropped the wood she had in her hands and drew out the scrap metal knife tucked in between her sash-like belt, her head on a swivel; watching the skies for any possible attack from above as she crept backwards, towards the trunk of a tree. The tree canopy made it difficult for her to see through to the sky, along with the waning sunlight, but that could go both ways, depending on the eyesite of any animals hunting from above. This was the hunting time of the bonegnawer on Tatooine, just as the twin suns set, and she had not thought of any similar animals being here.
Taking the longest and thickest pieces of wood she had found, she dug the ends into the ground at around a seventy degree angle, and covered them with leaves, to form a very basic shelter similar to a teepee. It was not perfect, not even slightly, but she could hide in it to avoid being seen by predators in the sky. The uli-ah would remain in her ramshackle refuge for a long time, enough time to hopefully outlast the patience of any airborn predators, but it was now night time and she had no light. She had stopped attempting to make a fire so as not to attract any attention, and so now was shivering in the cold. While Myrkr was a temperate world, and nowhere near as cold as even the mildest of ice-worlds, anything less than two blazing suns orbiting overhead was near freezing to the tusken child, even with as much clothing that she was covered in. Crawling out of the shelter and looking around in the darkness, unable to see much, save for a light in the distance.
Trying to be as quiet as possible, to only some success due to the darkness and unfamiliar terrain riddled with branches, twigs, and such, Kr'Naan made her way towards the light. Spotting the source to be a seemingly innocuous branch in the ground, smoldering from recently being on fire, as if by miracle. The uli-ah was a young and inexperienced, but even she knew a trap when she saw one. She was obviously wanted alive by someone who had tracked her, and was attempting to lure her in. She would not give in so easily, despite the rumbling of her stomach, and the knowledge that fire would give her the ability to cook, though what was edible on this world she had not even the faintest idea.
Overcome by the rage that was welling within her, the uli-ah ran out from the cover of the tree she was peeking behind and kicked over the smoldering branch, denying whoever had lit it. The tusken youngling raised the knife up into the air and let out a anger filled taunt towards whoever was following her. "Kr'Ukr'Ur'R Rr'R'K K'Ur'Ur, Ru'C R U'Uro'O Uor'K R'Rrk K'Ukr'Rk!" It was part threat and part challenge; that much was clear. If one was more familiar with the inflections and tones of the tusken dialect, there was a small but noticeable tinge of fear, though it was harder to pick up on by the untrained ear.
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Kaine Australis
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Post by Kaine Australis on Feb 21, 2021 21:23:48 GMT -8
Kaine watched through the undergrowth as the little one, rather unexpectedly, kicked the shebs out of his gift. You idiot, he chided himself silently, now realising somewhat it had been a stupid thing to do. She knows you're here. The Australis Alor stood, enough to make a little noise. He took two very deliberate slow steps forward, which would put him within line of sight, about fourty meters distant.Su'cuy'gar, ad'ika. (So, you're still not dead, kid?) Maybe the kid spoke Mando'a, and this was gonna be easy, he thought. Worth a shot. He sure didn't have a clue yet what the kid was saying, though the tone sounded earnest as all hell. Confidence you found in situations where you were afraid all the time but weren't going to back down anyway. Kaine could empathize with the tone, if not the words.
Kaine stood there, made no further move forward. He held his hands out, palms up and out and forward for what that was worth. Come on, kid, before the kriffing Vornskrs decide we look like a pleasant evening's entertainment. Kaine had been hunted before, and though he was armed, the danger of taking on a Vornskr pack wasn't something he would do for fun these days.
Kr'Naan'Kar
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Kr'Naan'Kar
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Post by Kr'Naan'Kar on Feb 21, 2021 23:46:40 GMT -8
Kr'Naan turned to look in the direction of the noise, spotting the rising armored figure some distance away. It was the same armored being that had been at the slave camp. She recognized the way he stood, even with his helmet on; body language being an integral part of communication in her culture. The tusken child stood her ground for a moment before taking a few cautious steps forward, knife still drawn but in a lowered position. The youngling did not get closer than ten meters from Kaine, getting a better look at him. Her eyes, concealed by her hood and mask, went to the blaster at the man's hip. Kr'Naan raised the scrap-knife at Kaine, pointing the end at him and gesturing for the man to take off his weapon and put it on the ground. The small humanoid jabbered at Kaine in her native tongue. "Orr'Yr R'Rrk Cr'Rer'U Ruc K'R.
The child again gestured with the knife for the, by comparison, giant of a man to put his weapon on the ground again repeating part of her previous statement, but with slightly more vigor. "Orr'Yr R'Rrk Cr'Rer'U!" Her hands shook slightly as she yelled at the armored being, but she remained firm in her stance and resolve. She was wanted alive so she had the advantage, at least in her mind. The armored one had revealed himself showing weakness, and so she she would use his submissiveness to separate him from his weapon, by force if need be. The ghorfa child was more than prepared to fight, as shown by her escape from the arms of one of Kaine's soldiers earlier, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't incredibly scared. Scared of the intimidating size of the armored man before her, almost twice her own height, as well as the possibility of going back to the slave camp. Kr'Naan's legs shook slightly as she watched the man's movement carefully, being unable to stop them from doing so. More so than the fear of being taken back into slavery, was returning without her grandfather, who would never again be by her side. Something she was avoiding thinking about, but still the image of him flashed to her mind, laying there, covered in blood.
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Kaine Australis
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Post by Kaine Australis on Feb 22, 2021 22:00:35 GMT -8
Kaine kept still, not wanting to spook the kid any further. He still wasn't making sense of the language, though the confidence was still there. He noted the knife gesture, and figured the kid wanted a show of trust. Lose the blaster. Okay, fine. One weapon down, several more to go. Along with the blaster, there was a knife at his belt, another in his left boot, grenades in his belt pouches, and the half dozen tools built into his beskar'gam. He doubted even an experienced eye would pick every single one of them out. A Mando'ade was very rarely unarmed.
The Australis Alor moved one hand down to the blaster, slowly, keeping the other left hand palm up. Easy, kid.Udesii. He said in a tone he hoped reassured the kid, but somehow he doubted it. Experienced fingers flicked open the holster and he palmed the blaster, flipping it around butt first towards the kid. The blaster was an old DL-44, trusty, but nothing too special. Heavier than average with a decent stopping power. Kaine liked reliability, and he had a soft spot for many of the older designs. Still, he wasn't going to arm the kid with it. Kaine threw the blaster over his head into the forest, sighing. He'd never find the blasted thing now. Kaine put his palm back up, and nodded towards the kid. Put the knife away, he thought. Udesii. Kaine said again, keeping his palms up, but making a downward motion with them, then returning them to palm out. Kr'Naan'Kar
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Kr'Naan'Kar
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Post by Kr'Naan'Kar on Feb 23, 2021 0:04:12 GMT -8
Kr'Naan relaxed her stance a bit as Kaine twirled the blaster around, extending it towards her. She walked closer to the armored man, moving slowly closer like a shy animal ready to run away at the first sign of trouble. The tusken was now within a meter of Kaine as she reached up to take the blaster, her knife lowered to her side but still grasped in her right hand. When Kaine threw the blaster Kr'Naan ran past past Kaine, trying to spot where the weapon landed, but it being too dark to see for certain. The tusken child stood at the edge of where the small clearing ended and the thick growth of plants began. She hesitated just as she lifted a boot to continue in search of the weapon, feeling the hair on the back of her neck stand up. There was something out there, but what she was not certain.
Kr'Naan turned back around to Kaine, swiping her left , unarmed hand through the air in a dismissive gesture to the man. "H'Ruk Or'Ryr! The man not responding to her words, Kr'Naan dropped to her knees, her head lowered in defeat. Tears welled up in her eyes once more as she shook her head, repeating, partially at least, some of the same words she had spoken before. "Cu'R Cru'K Rr'R H'Ruk Or'Ryr?" The tusken looked up to Kaine, screaming at the man in between tears and sobs. "Ur'Yr R'Rr'K Fr'Uc Urk Kr'Fru Rur'R'Ku Ukr'A Ar, Rrk'Urc'Rk!?" The uli-ah's knife dropped from her hand to the ground as she wrapped her arms around herself.
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Kaine Australis
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Post by Kaine Australis on Mar 6, 2021 5:09:25 GMT -8
Kaine felt a little pang of guilt as the child ran past him towards where he'd thrown the blaster. It wasn't a nice trick, but he couldn't well hand over a loaded weapon to a kid, even one he was feeling sorry for and trying to help. He wasn't a bright being, but even he realised arming an upset little one wasn't a good idea.He moved to turn and go after the little one when he detected movement out in the jungle. A quick blink flicked over to thermal vision, and he spotted the predator; a Vornskr, some distance away. Another blink flicked vision back to standard, and the jungle reappeared, cloaking the animal in deep green.
Not a linguist by any means, Kaine was having little luck in deciphering the little one's langugage. He had to settle for tone and mannerisms. So far, he hadn't gotten beyond upset child, and he already knew the reason. She'd been a slave and had lost her family. Osik, Kaine hated the shabla galaxy at times like these. Well, he wasn't going to let this story end with the tragedy with which it had begun.Kaine raised an arm in the direction of the Vornskr and loosed a heatseeking minirocket. The rocket whooshed into the jungle and detonated against the beast's hide, shredding it as it charred the remains. Humane as an instant kill, but overkill, and bad sport. Kaine didn't feel like being fair to anything wishing to harm the little one just now.Udesii. Kaine said again. Say something else, dumbass, he cursed himself.Everything will be alright. He pointed one finger, not using the arm that had the rocket launcher, to himself.
Mando. Kaine. Here goes. He pointed at the little one, tilting his helmeted head in a questioning fashion.
Do you have a name?Kr'Naan'Kar
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Kr'Naan'Kar
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Post by Kr'Naan'Kar on Mar 19, 2021 1:28:43 GMT -8
As the minirocket killed the Vornskr, the explosion made the Tusken child visibly flinch. The uli-ah looked up at the small fireball, slowly turning her head to look at the armored being that spoke in the outsider's tongue, but she did not speak the language. Kr'Naan fell silent, fearing what the giant of a man would do to her after demonstrating his destructive abilities. It was even more clear he wanted her alive, but in her fear and grief and anger she had not taken the time to discern for what purpose. His body language was not threatening. It could be a trick, to lure her back without harming her, but even Tuskens had their limits when it came to hostages. Kr'Naan knew that she was no one special among her own people, at least in the hierarchy of the clan; so if she were to be taken hostage by an enemy tribe she would have long ago been killed for causing so much trouble for her captors. As she thought about it more, it made less sense as to why the armored outsider was going to such lengths. Was it possible he was not one of the group that had abducted her from her homeworld? That had led to the death of her grandfather?
She noted the gestures the being made towards himself, saying something in the outsider's language, and then gesturing to her. He wanted her name. Kr'Naan stood up, facing the large armored being, her hands in tight fists, trembling slightly. Her heart pounding in her ears, she tried to speak as confidently as possible, moving her left hand up to rest flatly on her chest. "Kr'Naan'Kar'Krish'Rak'R'Crurak" It was a long name, including her own name, part of her father's name, her family name, and her tribe name: a byproduct of the oral traditions of the Tusken people. Another way to keep their history alive, to carry it with one's self.
"C'Ur?" Kr'Naan spoke in the tusken tongue. "C'Ur Cr Rr'R U'Rk Kr'Fr Ar Ur Urk'Kr? R'Rr Rk'R Rrk'Urc'Rk...U'Rk A'R Er'Reor...C'R Uu'R'Roc U'R Rur'Ar'Ru." Kr'Naan looked down and shook her head, knowing that he would not be able to understand.
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Kaine Australis
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Post by Kaine Australis on May 10, 2022 4:49:56 GMT -8
Myrkr - Present Day
From the far-flung reaches of the galaxy to the Deep Core, word had gone out among the Mandalorians of Clan Australis that a census was to be conducted. Mandos weren't the trusting type, and nobody liked the imperial chain-code system, so the census was to be conducted voluntarily.
Usually the operation would be outsourced to a company best equipped to deal with the task, but this was being conducted in-house by the clan. A loose affiliation of many different familial groups, much reduced twice in war, the aliit had existed for more than four decades, taking in thousands of recruits from hundreds of different species.
Clan Australis had always been based on Myrkr, a world close to Mandalore and the Mandalore Sector, between Mandalore and the Core, along the Hydian Way. Though the Clan had spread far and wide, the majority of its people and military strength remained within the Sector, most of it on Myrkr itself.
Kaine had established the Clan on Kiffu, but they had soon moved closer to Mandalore and constructed the citadel of Cerar Kandosii under a mountain located some distance from Hyllyard City. In time, the Clan's operations spread to cover a wider area of forest and jungle, taking in the Playground, the Clan's primary training ground and a series of defensive fortifications protecting the HQ.
Today, the Alor himself was overseeing operations from within Cerar Kandosii. Just outside, several battalions were training, drilling and equipping. The work was never done, and soldiers loved nothing more than getting into the field.
Everyone had a talent, and everyone in Clan Australis was given the opportunity to put their talent to best use, to further the whole of the Clan. There was plenty to do other than fighting, and everyone got a chance to find their place within the whole of the aliit. Given the numbers the Mandalorians had grown to in recent years, there were even skilled administrators and financial prodigies among the armoured warriors.
For more than fourty years, Kaine had led his Clan as best he could, through bad and good times, through war, and in recent years, a long peace. He'd never admit it to any one, but he'd noticed himself starting to slow down just a little bit. He was pushing seventy, but that didn't mean he liked it.
Kaine Australis would lead the Clan until he couldn't do the job any more, or until someone else got sick enough of his antics to remove the old shabuir. He privately told himself that he'd retire before he couldn't do his job, but a quiet voice told him he'd die before he shirked his responsibility.
A long time in any job, but Kaine wasn't a man to leave a job unfinished.
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,036
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Kaine Australis on May 16, 2022 5:11:26 GMT -8
Battle drills were constant on the jungle world of Myrkr, as Clan Australis trained recruits and hardened veterans alike through the wilds, and through the training ground they called The Playground. The Clan simulated large scale battles here, and multiple small scale engagements. Sensor nets kept score, and maintained a high level of skill and efficiency among the warriors. Experienced soldiers often played opposition to recruits, passing on what they had learned in the most instructive of exercises.
Kaine himself was down in the trenches now, literally and figuratively, as part of a free for all exercise, fifty recruits, limited area, first to 200 kills. A death was simulated by a full body shock from the suits the combatants wore. The exercise allowed a soldier to use a full range of weapons, primary rifle, sidearm, melee weapon, and grenades. It was a brutal and very competitive simulation, one all the soldiers enjoyed. Instructors would often take part along with new recruits.
After the combat ended, the recruits and instructors met up for an after action review. The entire combat area was packed with sensors and holocams, allowing the techs to build a full holo replay of the events, and to pick out events of note. The whole thing was very educational, and allowed soldiers to further learn from mistakes; their own, and others' too. The scores came up on a large screen, to cheers, and jeers, from the soldiers.
FFA 50-200
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Sgt Krul - 200 kills, 13 deaths
Xilos - 194 kills, 23 deaths
OB-1 - 189 kills, 0 deaths
and on to the bottom three
Hammazan - 21 kills, 50 deaths
Kiro - - 19 kills, 69 deaths
Oriole - 18 kills, 60 deaths
The three troopers with the lowest scores were humble in defeat, knowing that their low scores guaranteed a veritable mountain of osik from their fellows. The group's training sergeant had won the exercise, and he would have copped worse from his fellow sergeants had he not topped out the scores. Sergeants were even more merciless on their own where the regular troopers couldn't see. The Sergeants' mess was known as the snakepit for a reason, and not even officers set foot in there.
"Who's OB-1?" Asked one of the troopers, Xilos, who had put up a score that would likely have seen him win most other exercises, had his own sergeant not been trying his best to not lose to a trooper. No one had an answer, as the troopers looked around. A voice spoke up from the back of the dark rear of the tent. "Old Boar." The soldiers went quiet hearing Kaine's voice from the back of the room. Colonel Bors was next to the Alor, and he spoke up next. "Old Camper, going by that score."
The troopers broke into laughter, as Kaine punched Bors in the nearest shoulder. Cheeky chakaar that he was, he was right. Troopers talked among themselves about what the kriff the Clan Chief was doing down here, until Sergeant Krul, a mean old Nikto, waved them to silence. A hand went up. Xilos again. Krul pointed to him, permission to speak. "You told us not to camp, Sarge."
Kaine laughed loudest of all, the troopers too, even the hardened old Sergeant wasn't made of stone, and a hint of a smile crossed his craggy features. "Camping or not, none of you barves killed me." That was to the point. Every rule had its exception, and sometimes camping, dirty tactic or not, was the best tactic. The troopers all filed out, dismissed, and filed past the Alor for a handshake and a smile. When they were gone, Bors turned to Kaine.
"You're getting old. Too lazy to move around." Kaine grinned. "It worked, didn't it?" Bors was having none of that. "You came third." Kaine wasn't letting it go either. "I didn't die!"
Bors gruff voice continued as the two walked off. "You didn't win." The argument continued in good humour as the two wandered back to officer country.
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,036
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Kaine Australis on Jun 1, 2022 9:01:33 GMT -8
Though the housing and comfortable storage of the creatures was by now, well organized and supervised by experts, the harvesting of them from the wild was not. They did not breed well in captivity, and usually didn't survive long enough anyway. So, they needed to be captured in the wilds of Myrkr. The Mandos contracted out the work to tourists and visitors, paying good wages for the skilled and painstaking chore of coaxing the lizards from their natural habitat.
Expeditions into the wilds of Myrkr were best well planned and equipped, and the harvesting missions were organized down to the smallest detail. An area was marked out, and teams of commandos would push out from the centre of the zone, hunting predators and driving them out and away. Once the area was pacified, antigrav barges would lumber in, accompanied by teams of guest workers.
The most recent expedition had included a tribe of wandering ewoks, drawn by the promise of credits for jungle work. The workers were always an eclectic bunch, who were trained in Hyllyard City on a holographic simulator before being certified, ensuring they were at least capable. The expeditions were expensive, not least because the wages were high, but also for the considerable security cost.
The system worked well for Clan Australis, providing sufficient supply of live and healthy Ysalamiri for distribution to military outposts across the galaxy. In addition to supplying the Mandalorians, there was a surplus that allowed the Clan to supply the lizards on the open market, providing a source of income, and discouraging dangerous poaching expeditions into the Clan's territory.
At the end of the harvest week, the barges would move back into town for the final time, and the workers would be paid off, heading back to the spaceport, or to spend their credits in Hyllyard's cantinas and markets. Until someone discovered a way to get Ysalamiri to survive longer than a month or so outside their natural habitat, the expeditions would need to carry on. |
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,036
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Kaine Australis on Jun 25, 2022 2:54:57 GMT -8
The day was a mild one as far as Myrkr weather went, the sun rising just over the eastern horizon as Kaine's group set out from Hyllyard City. The deployment of over five hundred supercommandos was done as quietly as such a thing was possible, with all the Mando'ade highly trained and cleared at the top levels of security. Most of them assumed they were for a wargame, but Kaine had kept the actual mission secret until they'd deployed to the jungles and forests, well away from prying eyes.Though professional soldiers all, there was some muttering and confab among the ori'rami'kade on the unusual nature of their mission. Some wondered why the 'goldies' were handling exterior security. The Copad Guard was seldom deployed in such numbers, and they had formed a perimiter of nearly two hundred. Carrying their large combi-weapons, part spear, part blaster, and clad in gilded heavy armor, they were very conspicuous. Kaine finally let the troops in on their mission, to much chagrin, that they had come to carry out a Ysalamir harvest. He wanted this one off the books, and for nobody to notice a large number of the regular supply being dipped into.With the golden giants providing a secure perimeter, Kaine and his commandos did the careful, patient work of gently coaxing the lizards from their natural habitat and depositing them most carefully upon potted olbio trees. Several gravsleds laden with the pots accompanied the force, allowing them to match the streamlined harvesting process used during regular collections elsewhere on Myrkr. Though many of the supercommandos weren't familiar with the process, they were all intelligent, and learned quick. Handling the skittish lizards was a lot like handling explosives, something they all knew very well.There were few casualties, as the commandos made a contest of collecting the creatures, and mercilessly ribbed any of their number who managed to kill one. Nobody wished to experience that, especially more than once. One senior commando sergeant found himself pelted with dung after he had handled one lizard a little too roughly and it expired as he was transplanting it. Kaine let the troops have their fun, they were getting things done well, and were taking to the manual labor about as well as he could have expected. The fact that he participated in the repetitive and careful work alongside them helped, a little.
The mission would take up most of the day, and continued for several hours after the sun had dipped below the western horizon. Predators, Vornskrs mainly, had been kept well away by the perimiter. They'd learned well enough that armored things did not make for easy prey, and the Copad Guard didn't sneak, advertising their presence as they tromped through undergrowth. Kaine wanted this particular collection to go unnoticed outside of the Clan. These Ysalamiri were intended to equip a very secret and very specific operation that was now moving into its second phase.
Once all the gravsleds had been filled with occupied potted trees, the group began to retrace its original path through the forests and jungles of Myrkr toward the base at Cerar Kandosii. There, they would turn over the precious cargo to qualified handlers, who would prepare them for the operation.
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Kaine Australis
The Vegemite Enclave
Consuming Copious Coopers
Posts: 1,036
Affiliation: Vegemite and Mandalore
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Kaine Australis on Aug 2, 2023 6:39:21 GMT -8
 It had been some time since the Old Boar had returned to Myrkr. He'd been travelling for the better part of a year, on his personal ship the Wild Boar, on a tour of some Mandalorian Coverts in the Outer Rim that didn't like visitors. Making contact with each was a time-consuming and tricky task, and not one he had personally relished, but it was for the good of the Clan, and only one of his stature could even attempt such without being killed out of hand. He was looking forward to some rest and relaxation after months of tense negotiations with people who didn't trust easily, even their own.Kaine set the Wild Boar down outside Hyllyard City, where it was overdue for a maintenance overhaul. He took a speeder away from the populated town and into the wilds of Myrkr, heading for one of the outlying villages. He liked to take some time well away from the Clan, the military tended to overdo the ceremony and political nonsense when he was on their patch. That part of rank he had not missed. He wanted to be just another soldier, but that was long past. He was an elder now, and didn't have to like it.He parked his speeder at the village outskirts, flipping a credcoin to one of the nearby kids, who looked in his early teens, and was staring at the tall Mandalorian in full armour.
Don't let the Jawas touch it.
Kaine wandered into the village, heading for the tavern. A drink would do nicely just now, and then he could get about his business.Mistress Pomsty |
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Post by Mistress Pomsty on Aug 2, 2023 10:29:44 GMT -8
Kaine Australis 
Onboard an allied, commercial transport ship, passengers were rocked awake by an explosion and subsequently a ruckus of bedlam within the main corridor. Numerous decks were consumed by a raging fire. The main computer had become corrupted and fell off-line, hindering the automation of the fire doors intently placed to contain the flames. Members of the crew succumbed so quickly to the thick smoke, that none successfully reached the manual override. The direct path to the escape pods was hindered and few passengers retreated back into their quarters, where they manually seal themselves into their rooms. For many it was no use, the oxygen was quickly stolen from the vessel and smoke pushed through the air vents.
A small group managed to manually seal the doors and ride out the ordeal in a greenhouse bunker, protecting themselves from encroaching flames. In no time at all, the vessel began drifting aimlessly through the current star system, a shell of what it was only moments before. Within a fraction of the hour a team from Myrkr spotted the ship in distress. They immediately determined life signs onboard and approached swiftly for a rescue. The dead ship was drawn into the space station's docking bay. Upon investigation, the computer systems and data back up discs were found fried. The flight recorder melted into a heap. Those who survived were unable to recount the cause of the fire. Interview by interview, the recovery team tried to piece together the events of the disaster.
The survivors suffer intense emotional trauma from witnessing the horrifying deaths of their fellow passengers. Most remains of the deceased were unidentifiable, adding to the heartache of the survivors who had personal connections to anyone. Some victims rambled on while attempting to help the local officials piece together the series of events, while others remained incoherent and aloof. The information they had gathered most concerns the passenger list and names and ranks of the flight crew. The most notable passenger mentioned by most was a last minute arrival, a Galactic Military officer. Nobody among the civilian survivors know anything about the purpose of his presence beyond the fact that he came onboard with a civilian passenger in tow. None were permitted to disturb him, and during the entire trip, he opened his door for no one but to receive room service. His charred body and that of another were discovered within his sealed compartment, still in their bunks.
Pomstychtivé spent the next few weeks with her head wrapped in gauze. While a number of the others chose to move on, others remained behind for whatever reason. Pomsty remained and was welcome into the home of a local elderly couple who appreciated her assistance, as much as she required their guidance regarding civilian life and Law. They saw how she struggled to remember how to perform simple chores. Her memory stricken from her, she could not remember her own name to tell it to them, and answered to what they called her Mesh'la. To the old couple's delight, it was mere days before Mesh'la began to open up and engaged in short conversation. They are certain that this young woman is one of the people. At times though, when she is surprised they note that she speaks with a strange foreign accent. Mesh'la joined the clans with only the simple dress she had been rescued in. Upon inspection of the ship, she found that all her possessions had been lost in the fire, except for the simple good luck charm she wore about her neck and her small hand sewn suede purse which the recovery crew found had spilt out its contents in the shuffle onboard the ailing ship. She, like many others had no recoverable identification. Others at least, retained the memory of their history and what planet to call home. Her adoptive family soon had her blending in like one of their own. She had ever been a natural master of disguise, and today she wears her hair just like the native girls. She donned herself in their customary attire. She was beginning to anticipate how to be a productive member of the Mandalorian community.
Something about the nature of the land and this life she finds most comforting, as if she had been to this place many times before, in her dreams everything is red. For her PTSD she took to drink, this too feels a hundred percent like something she is accustomed to! She marched into the pub as routine as ever, taking the empty seat to one end of the bar. The bartender quickly poured and set her customary drink immediately between her slender fingers.
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