Fungus Season

[Fromikeable]

"How many you killed, boy?"

"My count was 21 before one of them threw me down the steps of the Ylesian capital. After that must have been a half dozen more."

"You got proof?"

"Catch me 30 Archeri and I'll show you."

"Shiiiiiiiiiiiit, I like you." The old Toydarian slapped his knee as he wheezed, pointing a stubby finger at the large Mandalorian before him. "He's hired!" A Devarionian beside them both nodded, punching his finger at a datapad.

Genthus stood up a little straighter, a smile spreading across his face. "That's more like it." Extending a hand, the Toydarian man, a somewhat mad old coot by the name of Jethro, shook with enthusiasm.

They stood before quite the scene. A small warehouse on Toydaria had been converted into a makeshift hangar, a large portion of the roof removed and open. Within, a multitude of smaller ships sat together in an uneven jigsaw, every manner of eccentric hunter and oddball Fringer collected together in varying states of harmony. A duo of Trandoshans wrestled in front of a few cheering onlookers with credit chits in their hands. A Kalee cleaned his gun as an Epicanthix handed him oil and rags. A multitude of Rants ran between the groups and parked ships offering up random items for sale, most of it probably stolen.

It was a collection of killers, to be sure, but without the mystery, sleekness, or subtlety that would accompany assassins. These people were hunters, and it showed in the trophies, the art, and the culture that hung about them all. All had been brought here by a simple opportunity:

Become the first person in the galaxy to capture a ruthless, Force-wielding, demonic Archeri.

"When do we leave?"

"Noon. Gotchu' any friends, they should show up quick."

"We head out together?"

"Yessiree, we's pack-huntin' this go 'round. Ain't nobody gon' live through it otherwise. Som'bitch that catches one n' lives gets a bonus though."

"How much?"

"Depends how much we get! After shares n' finder's fee, prob'ly lookin' 'bouta' buck, buck n' a half." The Toydarian snorted, spitting with vigor to the side. "More if all them reporters show up when we get back like I asked."

[Ash]

Face mask on. Hood up. Horn peaking through between the two, lorking more like a decoration piece than actually being part of Ire's head. He didn't really talk to anyone yet, which was a surprise to anyone who would have recognize him. He was a social creature... err... droid.

This time, he was scouting out the other people hanging out in this rather drab looking hut of a warehouse that had been converted into a hanger of sorts. It was always an odd trip coming to Toydaria, and today was no different with the amount of hunters and other miscreants loitering around waiting for action. Everyone wanted to be the first one to capture one of these fungus crackhead invaders.

Too bad Ire had the one up on everyone else.

He didn't need to worry about being infected by the Archeri. Robots didn't get infected. They could be destroyed but Ire wasn't one worried about death. Especially when he could beat it. His audio receptors caught up some conversation between an older Toydarian and a large Mandalorian. A very large Mandalorian. The hell kinda juice did he have. He hopped up to his feet from the box he was on, bounced up to the box itself, and jumped off, leaping half the distance to the massive Mando and odd looking alien. He landed relatively softly, repulsars taking the brunt of the landing.

"So... I was right in hearing that you will need teamwork?"

His voice came out a bit muffled from the mask. Ire's body language showed a small hint of confusion before he took the mask off, tossing it to the side.

"Never got how anyone can have their face covered like that. Terribly annoying. I gotta give it to you Mandolorians for wearing them fighting the Archeri."

He nodded to the big guy, humor in his body language and face. It was nice to be able to emulate emotion.

"So, who else we taking?"

[CaptainBonkers]

The group that had gathered for the job was a mixed bunch to be sure, which was hardly surprising. Credits and, to probably lesser extent, glory had a habit of enticing all manners of adventures and mercenaries to undertake risky endeavors such as this one. Catching one of those mushrooms. Alive. It was ironic that only recently Jayec would have been there for fortune and glory as well. However, following the recent events his motives were somewhat more altruistic. Well, perhaps ‘altruistic’ wasn’t quite the right word. ‘Personal’ was probably closer but that was really semantics. He wasn’t here just because the payout looked to be a big one, though it was a definite bonus; he was here because hopefully catching one of those walking funguses would help some boffins in a lab somewhere develop a cure for the nuts infection the shrooms spread as they went along.

Of course, chances were that if this thing was successful they’d end up selling the Archeri thingy to a group that wasn’t too keen on distributing the cure beyond their own borders. That’s why Jayec intended to take notes and if, or when, the captured walking shroom got handed over to the Imps or some shit corp looking to make a killing he would just have to capture another one.

Fighting the Archeri would be a new one for him, though. So far Jayec had only dealt with folks under their influence and had only heard about the real things and most of it was possibly rumors and hearsay. The few things he knew for certain was that they were big and strong, had a bunch of natural defenses that made them eschew additional weapons or armor, didn’t feel pain and that they all commanded Jetii sorcery to some extent. The last two were tricky but the former ones were something he could work with. Size didn’t matter from range, strength could be counter acted with numbers and maintaining the right distance and natural armor couldn’t be as sturdy as manufactured ones. And apparently they couldn’t get into his head. Jayec had now had two lungfulls of their powdered shit inside of him and all it had ever given him were mild headache and nausea. No weird compulsions or desire to go kiss mushrooms. He had had worse hangovers. Sure, it wasn’t much of and advantage but every little bit was bound to be helpful.

If nothing else, that immunity had sealed his invitation on this gig. Sure, he had never fought an Archeri personally but he had enough of a reputation in the business that convincing the folks footing the bills that they ought to take him on. However, the ones that seemed to have heard of him had appeared somewhat disappointed that he had not brought the rest of his unit with him. Truth be told, Jayec himself missed them quite bit but he moved faster on his own. He also couldn’t afford having some of them along while looking for Ylva, so he had left them on Manadlore under Kenna’s command. She’d keep them in line and busy.

Still, he missed having fellow Mandalorians watching his six. Aruetii could be skilled fighters as well but you could never trust most of them like you could trust a vod. That’s why it was a nice surprise to spot another beskar’gam clad figure among the crowd.

“Sucuy’gar, vod. Me’vaar ti gar?” he inquired once he got close enough to be heard without shouting.

[Fromikeable]

((I'm outrageously lazy, so any dialogue in contained within <> is Mando'a, and all other is Basic))

---

A masked man and another Mandalorian held Genthus from further inquiry. The former earned some raised eyebrows as he disposed of his mask carelessly, revealing the face of a droid. Giving him a once over, Genthus tapped a few fingers on his helmet held to his side, a smile forming.

”You’re in luck, metal man. You get two Mandalorians on this run.” Turning to his other side, Genthus gave the other Mandalorian’s shoulder a playful punch.

”<I’m on the hunt, friend. I couldn’t be better.>” Giving a hearty chuckle, Genthus was joined by Jethro, who floated up from his seat.

”Two Mandalorians and a droid. If you die, it’ll make for a fine joke.”

Nodding in agreement, Genthus hummed, his mind made up. The three of them would hunt together, and that was that. ”One of you has a ship, aye?” Blinking, he only then seemed to realize that he had forgotten a step. Puffing his chest a bit, he widened his smile, a gauntlet moving through his long hair at a mild attempt to prepare his appearance.

”I am Genthus Sigurdson Deshra, <Beastslayer and Champion>.” The expectant look that followed made it clear that he expected their names in return.

[CaptainBonkers]

"Jayec of clan Veth." Jayec replied. "And I have a ship."

It wasn't Bes'galaar, her he had left with the rest of his usual comrades. As much as Bes'galaar was his home, it was as much one for his brothers and sisters. Jayec might have paid the initial credits to buy the ship but the men and women who'd fought beside him over the years had earned their right to the ship by blood shed and times they had hauled Jayec's ass out of trouble. He could not take away their home from the just because he needed a transport. So, he'd dug into grandpa's carage and taken back into use the old rust-bucket he had used back in his old bounty hunting days.

It might be a bit tight squeeze if the big guy wanted to hitch a ride but he ought to ultimately fit; Jayec had hauled some larger bounties in that tub in his day so if nothing else the brother could hole up where the cage used to be. The droid on the other hand ought to fit just fine, assuming they wanted to join in on the ride.

The Deshra seemed like a promising fellow to have on ones side. A bit conspicuous and boisterous but that was one of the standard molds for their people. Jayec wasn't about to fault a vod for embracing said qualities. The droid was an unknown quality, though certainly handy to have around against Force sensitive shrooms. The fact that there wasn't owner in tow for it, though, was somewhat disconcerting. Independent droids were often a bit weird; fully functional ones didn't usually end up without an owner. Or at least Jayec assumed it was independent actor. It certainly didn't look like it belonged to Genthus or anyone around.

"Might be a bit uncomfortable, but you ought to fit with some fiddling." he continued. "The droid's welcome too if it needs a ride."

[Ash]

"Oh the droid is welcomed? Well that is nice. The droid welcomes the fact that he is welcomed and will aspire to be as good as possible for his organic companions."

He tuned his voice to sound more synthetic than usual, and when he was done talking, he rolled his eyes and took a step back, turning around, his cape winging out before he fipped back around, it spinning again. He wasn't done being his sarcastic self. He figure dthat if he was talking to some mandalorians, and they wanted to use their native tongue, then...

"<Oh we got stuff to talk secretly about? Like secret hunting parties? I like this, Mr, Champion Beastslacker... Slacker?> Blast what was... oh. <Beastslayer. There we go. How could I forget that simple translation. I am. IR-6. Ire for ease of use. Chef and assassin, killer droid. Complete with a big ole hun.>"

He took the Ace out of his holster, spun it on a finger a few times, and slid it back with very little effort. He gave a wry smile, which was an odd thing for a droid to manage but he did.

"Thanks for this fun job. Lets go get one of these Fungi's and have ourselves a party."

[Fromikeable]

"Fantastic. A ship, a fellow vod, and a sarcastic droid that speaks Mando'a!" Uttering a hearty chortle, Genthus slipped on his helmet before clapping a hand to both Jayec and Ire's shoulders. Pulling them close, he nodded to Jethro, who waved at them as they walked away.

"Let me know if you die, boys! Gonna' have to name a drink in the bar after you if y'all do!" Laughing in agreement, Genthus sighed happily.

"Now then." Clearing his throat, he looked to Jayec. "Where is your ship? And-" his head turned to Ire, his eyebrows wiggling under his helmet, "- what is our plan?" There was almost entire Hutt space for them to go diving into, full to the brim with Archeri. The other hunters around them no doubt had their own angles of attack, secrets and leads to chase, tricks and trades to fall back on. If they were going to be the first ones to capture one of the fungoids and live, they would have to come up with something and act on it quickly.

Lowering his head, Genthus attempted what he thought was a whisper. In truth, his voice was just slightly quieter, the excitement ringing in it like a bell. "From what I hear, the Archeri have sent most of their creatures to pillage Nar Shaddaa. That leaves us many options." Humming for a second in thought, he stood tall again, releasing both men as he crossed his arms.

"... perhaps we could try to hunt down one of their lone ships. Or set a trap on one of their occupied planets." A beskar-clad finger stroked lightly at the bottom of his helmet, the giant Mandalorian falling into serious consideration.

"What say you two?" Genthus was smart enough to know only that planning had never been his strong suit.

[CaptainBonkers]

Jayec did not have to think his choice for a second. Boarding an unknown ship with potentially multiple shrooms onboard was not a recipe for success. They had no hope of capturing one stealthily, or even boarding undetected, and all the fighting would take place in narrow spaces, negating any range advantage they might hope to gain. 

"My ship, Orar, is at the LZ that way." he said, gesturing to the general direction of his ship. "It's a dinged up rustbucket but it has a working hyperdrive and a stealth suite." 

He might not have used the damn thing for almost a decade, but ba'buir had kept Orar in fairly good shape to pass his time. The old man needed something to pass time on retirement, after all, and had always been fond of tinkering with vehicles. Jayec had still run full diagnostics, though. Ba'buir might have had experience with ships maintenance but he was also pushing ninety-four and sharp as he was still, it might be he had missed or forgotten something. However, the only thing he really had to do was update the navcomputer's software. 

"As for what comes to picking a target, my vote is on trying to find and isolate one of them on a planet they're infesting. Their ship's come with too many unknowns." he continued.

Hunting on a planet they could hope to actually lay a trap. Either something that immediately snatched on up in a cage or a regular ambush. Anything that gave them even the slightest of advantages. Against such opponents as the mushrooms the only unfair fight was one that you lost.

[Ash]

"I am thinking, with my super smart robo brain and everything, that landing on some planet and grabbing them there will be the best way to accomplish this. Chuckles here is right about ships containing too many unknowns."

Are nodded slightly towards Jayec when he said chuckles, then tapped his chin with a finger, gloved hand making nothing more than a soft 'pat pat pat' sound.

"Howeeevvvvvvveeeeerrrrr... The cockwaffles do make use of ships they steal from other people, if my memory serves us right. Think some freighter or small warship could become an impromptu prison ship? I don't know if they can survive hard vacuum... hmm... that would be something cool to study."

Somehow, someway, Ire got a mischievous twinkle in his cold, robot eye. He gave a rather wide smile, a small laugh as his mind started to play through many, many scenarios brought up by his assassination protocols.

"Hey, lets try to steal a couple and subject one to space. Maybe drop it into the orbit of a gas giant and make a little mushroom diamond. Im sure, we can get a good few while planetside."

[Fromikeable]

"A planet it is then." Patting both the Mandalorian and the droid on their backs, Genthus grunted, the matter clearly settled in his mind. Leading them both in the direction that Jayec had pointed, he rolled his shoulders. "Now here's what I'm thinking..."

---

The swamps of Nar Kaaga were legendary for their complete and utter misery. Cold and damp, the waters and wildlife of the marshes were beyond compare in ability to be both frigid cold and sopping wet. The mists that such conditions resulted in were thick as could be, rolling across the globe like cloud systems across the ground and threatening to drench whatever happened to be in their way.

So then naturally Genthus was in a chipper mood as he strode through the waist-high swamps they had landed in, his eyes and ears sharp beneath his black and yellow helmet. His HUD idly flicked information by him about the temperature, the small component of hazardous, polluted gases in the atmosphere (a persistent problem on most Hutt worlds with economic activity), and most importantly, the location of his compatriots and his destination.

"Nearly there, lads." Circling his away around a large swamp tree, Genthus tried to put a bit more speed into his step. The plan they had come up with was simple; he was the bait, and Jayec and Ire were the trap. They had landed just beyond one of the more popular remote trading outposts on the planet (or, at least, it had been prior to the invasion). Jayec and Ire were to set a trap while Genthus trudged ahead to the outskirts of the outpost proper. From there, Genthus was to do what he did best; be loud, obvious, and belligerent. The Archeri would give chase, he would lead them back to the trap, they would grab at least one, and run for their lives.

Exhilarating work, or so Genthus thought.

Hopping over a fallen log, Genthus finally spotted lights in the distance. Zooming with his helmet, he spotted the trading post, albeit blinking at its color. Rather than the usual whites and yellows of normal electrical lighting, the entire facility glowed a steady purple, the sources not windows and lights but crystals stuck to the streets and walkways like cement.

"I'm here. Be back in a moment, be ready!" Unshouldering his rifle, Genthus took aim with relatively little care. A few Archeri could be seen patrolling the walkways, addressing the crystals, but whether or not he hit them was immaterial. His hand squeezed the trigger, and the sound of a full clip being unloaded reverberated through the swamp like so many bells. The Archeri's telepathic hiss of displeasure proved no more pleasant a noise. Genthus only heard it from behind as he was already shouldering his gun, beginning to jog through the swamp water as he could hear bodies rushing into it behind him.

The chase was on.

[CaptainBonkers]

It was a charming scenery they had chosen to conduct their hunt in. As the big guy set out to lure one of the shrooms to their location, Jayec couldn’t help but to reflect on what a filthy, stinking and fetid cesspit Nar Kaaga was. Sure, it was one with a bunch of interesting beasts stalking its innumerable swamps and marshes but it was still a cesspit. No other ways about it. It was something of a miracle that the mushrooms had even decided to take up residence on the planet. The sooner they were done with their job here, the better.

He knelt down to reach his hand into the layer of ever-present sludge to check up on one of the traps he had set up. Mostly he had set up various anti-infantry mines that would hurt but hopefully not kill the shroom. He had also set up a few electrified snares but those were just the apetizer. The main course was the old electronet, originally used by some trandoshan slavers Jayec had had a disagreement in his youth, he had set up to catch the Archeri. If that thing went over it in anyway, four small repulsor engines would lunge into the air and ensnare the hivy bastard. The net was strong enough to hold an adult male wookie and the current that could be ran through it was strong enough to incapacitate one.

His hope was that electricity would help them to keep their intended target subdued. And in his opinion, based of course on limited information on Archeri physiology, the chances of good ol’ shock therapy working were fairly high. If the fuckers had muscles or nerves, electricity was going to fuck those up. Even if they didn’t feel pain, it was hard to put up a fight while spasming on the ground.

Everything seemed to be in order with the net. Jayec added its location to the map in the corner of his helmet’s HUD and sent it to his teammates. He gave one quick look to his surroundings, pondering if there was anything else he should consider before Genthus returned with the party. There were plenty he would have liked to but didn’t have the resources for. However, with the resources at his disposal, there was nothing else he could do. Thus ready with his preparations, Jayec picked his rifle and the pair of shockbolas he had dug out from his ships storage and propelled himself on the large branch he had picked as his perch. He settled down there and levelled his blaster to the direction Genthus would be returning from.

“Ready and in position.” He said to the comms and settled to waiting.

[Ash]

Ahh. How deliciously disgusting the swamps of Nar Kaaga were. The water was cold, everything was wet, and Ire was utterly miserable.

Or he would be if he could feel and was a fleshy meatbag. Honestly, Ire didn't feel too bad about coming here. Sure, his clothes may have gotten a little wet walking around in the water, but it wasn't anything he could do about it. Besides, clothes weren't that important. Besides making him look badass. The droid made a noise like he was taking a deep breath in.

"Smell that? Such an amazing planet."

He let out another breath then chuckled. He could admit he was glad he wasn't a lifeform. Just a simple chef with a murder streak. He looked between his two comrades, but they didn't really seem to care much for the sass he brought to the table. Eventually Genthus took off to go try to coax a fungus creep this way.

The other Mandalorian, Jayec, went off to set some traps then went into a tree to hide. Ire wasn't going to find a tree like that. Instead, he mimed hitting a button, and sunk into the water like he was riding an elevator down. He even made a bing sound before he starting humming some aimless tune.

Once fully submerged, he swam away and around, using his extensive sensors to map the are and find a nice spot nearby. From there, he turned and barely stuck his horn out of the water, making full use of the sensor cluster housed in it.

"Set. Mind hurrying this up? I'm under water and not sure how long i can hold my- waiiiiiiiiiit a second. I don't need to breath.... Nevermind. Take your time."

In the comms, it didn't sound like Ire was underwater. Perks of being a droid at least. At least one as badass as him.

[Fromikeable]

Adrenaline coursed through Genthus with every beat of his heart. The inside of his head rang like a bell as the telepathic screams and scowls of the monsters behind him ran roughshod through it. His armor jerked and pinged as each that got close tried to get a stab in, or those further behind tried to peel off a shot. The water below him sloshed with every step of his sprint.

None deterred the small smile splayed across his face. He lived for this.

Such thoughts were interrupted as a weight hit his back, arms curling around him and trying to pull him back. Nearly slipping off his feet entirely, Genthus scrambled for a moment to find solid ground in the murk below, elbows jabbing backwards at the Archeri trying rip him to pieces. After a dire few seconds, his feet found purchase, saving him from falling below the waterline. With leverage, his hands shot backward, grabbing two rough fungoid shoulders.

With a heave, he pulled the creature over his shoulder and flung it toward a nearby tree. It hit with the sound of snapping wood, slumping into the water below as it recovered.

Resuming his sprint, the rest of the Archeri weren't far behind. Between glances, Genthus could see at least half a dozen; probably closer to eight including the one he'd flung that now lagged behind. Keeping an eye on his HUD's map, he lead them into deeper and deeper water, the line becoming waist-high as they neared the trap.

It was only when he was right on top of it that Genthus stopped, taking one final look behind him. As the Archeri waded through the swamp water with wild abandon, each lunged forward, taking their chance to prey upon his hesitation.

"Now!"