A Message for Mandalore

[Meira]

The notes played out. Drawn and melancholy, they hung in the air dying slowly before followed by several sharp, quick bursts. Then another, strong and blunt at first, wavered out and also died slow. These dancing sounds were the only thing in her ears for the last hour of her flight, and they ended only when the discordant tone of the hyperdrive signaled her arrival. She stood from the bunk that barely fit in the small space behind the pilot's chair and stowed her bes'bev in her pack. Settling her weight into the pilot chair, she spun it back around to the controls. Her helmet, which had been placed on the dash, was returned to her head. It would be much easier to use the comms through her HUD's subvocalization mic than through the ship's controls. She linked the systems and keyed through the sublight drop routine. In the viewport, the bright lines of hyperspace fell away and Eris took in the sight of the jungle planet.

She hadn't been to its surface since the battle to take Iziz. She had not been a central figure at that time, but remembered the conflict well. The planet's ruler, a queen if Eris remembered correctly, had fled the planet. She left her people to die. Many had escaped, and the Mandalorians had let them run with their queen. What remained had posed little actual threat to the inevitable conquest. It had not been a hard battle, but it had been an important victory for the Vode. After taking Onderon, Mandalore declared a new era of recovery and re-population.

"This is Iziz Control." said a voice over the comms. "Arriving spacecraft, identify yourself."

"Eris Eldar, dispatched by Mandalore. Alor Carid is expecting me." she rasped.

"Yes. Welcome, Tal'galaar. We are sending your landing pattern now. Please follow it to the designated pad."

---

As the ship settled onto the landing struts, Eris stood and stretched as best as she could in the small cabin. When word of the attack reached Mandalore, she'd been ordered out to Onderon on the spot. Reinforcements would only be dispatched if she deemed it necessary, and so she'd taken a single ship, only large enough for herself and her sparse gear. In truth, her purpose here was more to assess how Clan Carid had managed to allow such an attack in the first place. Shouldering her pack, Eris moved to the rear of the ship where she lowered the ladder and climbed down.

The landing pad was on a high platform near the edge of the walled city. From it, she could see the canopy of the jungle beyond the city walls. She'd been told that Onderon was an ideal planet for hunting, and many clans were bringing their young to test them here. She did not know personally, nor did she have young to bring and test. Perhaps, after this business was finished, she could take a week or two to see the jungles for herself.

"Tal'galaar. Welcome."

Eris turned to see a tall, sturdy woman approaching her. She wore orange armor, accented with black, and had her helmet tucked under one arm. Her hair, dyed a brilliant purple, was shaved close on the side of her head, leaving a mop of locks to fall over her forehead. Below this, Bright blue eyes were adorned with hoop piercings set into the black eyebrows. Another piercing, stud, decorated her bottom lip. The square, fairly masculine jaw, did very little to diminish the undeniable beauty of her wide smile. This, Eris thought as she nodded to the woman in greeting, is a Mandalorian.

"Goda Ricmod." the woman said, saluting Eris in turn. "I'll be bringing you to the Alor. Can I take your pack?"

Eris made a dismissive gesture and then fell into step with Goda as she turned and led the way to a speeder that waited nearby. Once the two were seated, Goda gunned the throttle and the speeder zipped into the air. Eris was pressed into her seat by the force of the acceleration, and found herself chuckling silently as Goda whooped. It was only a few minutes before they were sliding to a halt at the steps to the Royal Palace. As they stepped from the speeder, a number of guards approached to escort them inside.

Several years after the palace had been sacked, there had been little done to fully hide the scars the war had left. Structurally, the palace had been restored, but much of the superficial damage had been left alone, shrines to the conquest. Much of the trappings of royalty had been stripped as well and the palace had been transformed. Now, only the shell of opulence remained in the marble and fine wood of the structure itself. The furnishings, however, now told of the more utilitarian occupants. Simple, but sturdy items had been brought in and placed only where necessary, and rooms that had once been meant for banquets and galleries now served as supply and distribution locations. Where this had once been the home to one woman, now many of Clan Carid called it their home.

Goda brought Eris to what had been the palace library. Many of the books and databanks had been damaged in the taking of the palace, but it seemed that some effort had been made to restore the room. A large desk was set to one side, covered in documents. The majority of the room, however, consisted of a holotable which projected a three dimensional image of the city and the surrounding jungle. At the table, Odo Carid stood, reviewing something on a datapad. He was a somewhat squat man, stout and greying in the beard. He was out of his armor, wearing simple clothing instead. Age seemed to be softening him, but Eris could see the iron core of the warrior still evident in his posture.

"Alor, Goda said, stopping and saluting the clan leader, "Tal'galaar has arrived."

Eris stepped around Goda, removing her helmet and setting it onto the edge of the table. Odo straightened, tilting his head slightly to Eris, who returned the gesture. He set the datapad down and circled the table, reaching his arm out for Eris. She took it, their hands each gripping at the elbow.

"Welcome. Will you take a drink?" Odo gestured to a side table which held a number of bottles of varying size and liquids.

"Water." Eris rasped.

"Of course." Odo replied, and turned to the side table. "And please, you may use your signs, Tal'galaar, if you prefer. Goda here can translate for me."

Eris turned her gaze back to Goda, who grinned and gave her a wink. The corner of Eris' own mouth twitched upward slightly and she nodded at the woman.

Very well, she signed as Odo returned with a glass of water for her, catch me up.

[Fromikeable]

Genthus had been eating when it had happened. Hunched over the counter of a small diner in Iziz, his morning had been dull. Running errands for the Deshra Clan, such as he’d been sent to do, such as he had loathed doing. But he’d come all the same, and after rising before the sun to make steady progress, he’d decided to rest at the small, dusty diner, observing the locals and listening idly to the news as he’d scarfed down a dozen eggs and half a pound of meat.

He got the impression from the silent way that the owner had handed him his bill that Mandalorians were not particularly welcome. But he’d dismissed the idea with little thought.

Surely he could change their minds, eh?

By the time the attacks had happened, he’d frozen, staring at the screen with pure shock. The locals around him mimicked the sensations, but theirs had been a different shock. Pregnant. Silent as the grave. Eyes flicked between him and the screen, as if trying to see the link. As images of the dead began to flood the holonet, the whispers had begun. By the time the sounds of sirens and alarms filled the streets, they’d begun to disperse.

But the time Genthus had regained his senses enough to leave, he’d forgotten about his check. As he’d made for the door, the owner finally spoke.

”Don’t come back.”

---

”Let me in.”

”I’m sorry, I know that the aruetiise call you a Champion, but the Alor doesn’t have the time right now.”

”It was not a question.”

”I won’t tell you again, Deshra, the Alor’s busy!”

”Move, or I’ll move you!”

The Mandalorian standing in Genthus’s way, a broad-shouldered, purple set of beskar’gam with montrails of some kind or another coming out the back, beat its chest. Reaching a hand out to shove them aside, the would-be guard wrapped their arms around his elbow and twisted, trying to lock his arm behind him. Grunting with indignation, Genthus’s arm shook for a second with pain before his helmet lurched forward, black and yellow colliding with the purple. As their heads collided, the other Mandalorian staggered backward, and Genthus’s arm snapped free.

Shoving them aside, he marched forward through the door and into the command room, his fists clenched with anger. By the time the other guards caught up with him, the huge set of black beskar’gam, yellow thunderbolts vibrating with rage, was pointing a finger at the head of the Carid Clan and his immediate neighbors.

”Tell me we did not sully the Resol’nare taking this world just for another to be broken today! Tell me-” Genthus grunted as a duo of guards slipped their arms under his, each holding back half of his body as he pointed with his entire posture.

”Tell me you’re of some worth to the mando’a, Carid!” Another guard came running up and saluted Odo and Eris, fist over their heart.

”Apologies, Alor, Tal’galaar.” The fourth and final guard plucked up Genthus’s sword, saluting their clan leader with a fist over their heart. ”This is that Deshra that fights in the arenas at Prazhi. He… refused to wait.” Catching their breath, the guard finally stood upright, motioning at the struggling black and yellow armor whose visor was locked onto the duo.

”He is technically here representing the Deshra clan, but…” The guard’s voice trailed off as they glanced back, clearly unsure of how to handle the situation.

[Meira]

"You arrived very quickly, Tal'galaar. We are still in the preliminary stages of the investigation. As you know, the attack was carried out using biological agents. From what we've seen with the bodies brought it, it was several different kinds. We can only assume tha-"

Odo cut off, his eyes lifting at the sounds of shouting just outside of the door. Eris, hearing it as well, spun on the spot, one hand moving to her blaster as the other gripped the hilt of her blade. But when the door opened, the beings that crashed through all wore Mandalorian armor. She relaxed slightly, though the one hand remained poised at her blaster.

The intruder was a massive man, taller than Goda, who stood beside Eris, equally on guard at first. The woman changed her stance, however, at seeing the man. She must have recognized the armor. She stood back straighter and Eris caught the glance she shared with Odo. They both knew who this was. The guard that came running in last spoke then, giving what explanation he could for this intrusion. The Deshra arena fighter?

Arena closed for renovations? Eris signed to Goda. The woman, to her credit, tried very hard not to laugh, but the chuckle escaped her anyway. After a look from Odo, she got herself back under control. The Alor sighed, pinching the point between his eyebrows and affecting the stance of a long suffering parents faced once again with their incorrigible child.

"Genthus, I told you," Odo began setting his cup down on the edge of the table, "the love I bear for your uncle and cousin encourages me to turn a blind eye to much of your behavior. But you WILL NOT disrespect Clan Carid in this manner again!" he said, pounding his fist onto the table and causing the holoimage to flicker for a moment. "Tal'galaar herself has come and this is how you comport yourself?" Odo gestured toward Eris, whose gaze moved from the Alor to Genthus, and then to Goda.

His spirit is... understandable. She signed. When Goda translated, Odo let slip a dry ha!

"He has never wanted for that, it is true." Odo replied.

If he represents Deshra, then he should stay. Eris signed. As Goda translated, Eris walked closer to the man and waved a hand to dismiss the guards. They hesitated, then stepped back. At a nod from Odo, they saluted and left the room. In the silence that followed, Eris looked up into Genthus' T-visor for a moment. Then she rasped "Sit."

Turning back to Odo, Eris gestured for the man to continue. Odo, still somewhat disgruntled, fumbled only for a moment before getting back into the knowns of the attack. The use of several types of viral agents was evidence of sophisticated planning and execution. The intent, Odo assumed, was two fold. For one, the attack was to cause fear. Any terror attack had such a goal at its heart, but to attack through the use of biological means proved the point more clearly. Secondly, Odo believed that the attackers were hoping to gain insight into which agent might circumvent the scrubbers built into Mandalorian armor. To that end, he explained, they would see little results. Many of the Vode had grown comfortable in Iziz. And, while they still tended to wear their armor when out and about, many had taken to not wearing their helmets. All those that had been killed were such.

"The most recent development has been the comment posted by one of the so-called Beast Riders on one of the HLS boards." Odo concluded, pressing a few keys to bring up the post in question on a display.

"That's a lot of words..." Goda commented, her lips moving slightly as she read silently to herself. Eris had to tap the woman on the arm to return her attention to the conversation.

Why now? she asked. Seven years, nothing. Now they attack their own temple. What changed?

[Fromikeable]

"I'll comport myself as needed in the face of the inexcusable, Carid!" As Genthus's visor turned from the clan leader to the woman standing beside him, helmet before her, he stopped struggling against the guards. The Tal'galaar herself, eh? He looked her up and down, scanning more than appraising, trying to get an instant read. He'd only heard of her in passing; fierce, loyal to the Mandalore without match, and notably fearless.

As with many legends, seeing her in the beskar, in person, always put the rumors and stories into focus. Her hoarse command rang like a mighty shout in its own right.

Grunting in response, Genthus stood tall, pulling his shoulders free of the guards. As they (reluctantly) departed, he removed his helmet, his hair flopping down and out as he did so. Placing his helmet down, he quickly reached back and formed a large bun, his eyes still locked on Odo as he began to describe the incident in detail. Some things Genthus picked up on well; the motiff, the approach, the tactics. Other things, such as the science, the strategy around the armor scrubbers, went soaring over his head, happily dismissed with Odo's admission that it didn't matter anyway.

The Mando'a had grown lazy in their conquest of the world if so few of them had been in armor in the first place.

The HLS post made Genthus blink, squinting at the wall of text that arose. Giving his best try at reading it, Genthus sighed about three sentences in, giving up. "Talkative terrorists. Huzzah." The sarcastic cheer came with a waved hand before Genthus crossed his arms.

"Look at the galaxy, Tal'galaar. Hutt Space is in ruins." Genthus motioned at the message with a disapproving grunt. "The foreigners are shooting at each other again and set for... some grand play of lawyers on Prazhi." Genthus shrugged, trying to remember the specifics. He'd seen the headlines, same as everyone else, but those immediately following had been a bit lost on him. Iggy had explained them a few times, but...

"Meanwhile, the slugs and the crooks slice at each others' throats over the warm bodies of the fungus. What better a time to cause discord than when the rest of the galaxy loses its mind?" Folding his arms, Genthus’s face settled into a disapproving frown, his gaze leveling at Odo once more.

”You had better have a plan between the two of you. Theirs was an uncontested victory, if you can call it that.” Genthus’s voice dropped, a brow raising.

”Their threats are true. They will do it again unless we can slay them first.”

[Meira]

Smarter than he looks. Eris signed to Goda. The woman at first opened her mouth to voice what Eris had signed, then seemed to realize this was not meant to be shared. She snorted and nodded, signing back broken chrono. But jokes aside, there was wisdom in the Deshra's assessment. Mandalore did have his attention elsewhere. First, it was with the Archeri, and now it was to monitor the dispute between the Republic and the Empire. It made sense to attack when the enemy was distracted. The question was, did they have any other surprises in store.

"A sucker punch is no victory, Genthus." Odo huffed. "Your arena fighting has done you little good, I see. And the plan, if you must know, is three fold." Odo pressed a few keys on the controls for the table and the projected map scaled down to show the surrounding jungle. "Outside of Iziz, there are established routes that lead out to the farmlands. The largest of these have been acquired and are under Carid control. Until now, we have provided relief food support to native groups in the outer areas. This will be discontinued and security will be increased at these locations. We will starve out the bastards hiding in the jungles." He pressed keys again, bringing the city back up in larger view. "Within Iziz, we will begin rolling out the registration mandate for all non-Mandalorian residents. A strict curfew and other movement restrictions will be enacted. We will squeeze them until they pop. Patrols will inspect all buildings within the city, focusing on the native wards and moving out from there." Odo switched off the table and the display of Iziz faded. He lifted his cup, downing the last of his drink before circling the table.

"And since you are so keen on inserting yourself into his matter, Genthus, I am sure you will gladly accept your role in the third part. Find this Beast Rider and bring me his head."

Eris watched Odo move through his plan. Close advisor to Mandalore himself, Eris had long ago learned to control her face. Much of what Odo planned would likely radicalize more of the remaining Onderonian people. But, until the threat was neutralized, he could not exactly decrease security. The longer this stand off with these terrorists lasted; the longer Odo tightened his grip and stripped the people of their freedoms, the more sympathy the terrorists would gain. The only way for his plan to work would be for the masterminds of the opposition to be brought down swiftly.

"Does Tal'galaar approve?" Odo asked, though she could tell he did not seem particularly happy at the prospect of having to ask permission. Mandalore had given him quite a lot of freedom with Onderon. He seemed reluctant to give that power and freedom up.

I do not come to approve or deny you, Alor Carid. I come to witness and to aid. And this was true. For all the respect her position demanded, it did not grant her much actual power. She had no right to question a Clan Leader, nor did she speak for Mandalore. But she was his eyes. Lifting her helmet, Eris settled it into place over her head and locked it on. "I will assist you, Deshra," she said, the rasp of her voice hidden by the modulator, "if you wish."

[Fromikeable]

"A sucker punch is no victory, Genthus."

"Ask the kin of the bodies being carted from the temple what the score is, Odo." Genthus shook his head. "My time in the arenas has taught me that anyone desperate enough will do the unthinkable." Prazhi may have been a relatively safe arena, but that wasn't to say that it had avoided incidents. Genthus had been wounded, betrayed, and even poisoned by the ambitious and afraid, all in the name of leveling playing fields and escaping imaginary demise. The worst had been when his opponents had feared for their lives, ignoring the rules of the arena and the nature of their opponent in rushes of fear, adrenaline, and outrage.

When someone's back was to the wall, he'd learned, they would defy natural law itself.

So at the end of Odo's plan came a flop of Genthus's arms, followed by a pointing finger. "You'd respond to claims of tyrannical conquest by cementing oppression? I cannot believe what I'm hearing!" Smacking a fist on the table, Genthus stood up a bit straighter, his helmet plunking down before him.

"If you're going to be such a fool, then hear this. Not only will I hunt down this Beast Rider, but each and every one of the bombers among them." Extending a finger, Genthus counted off his steps as he spoke, his voice flush with determination.

"I will bring them to you and you will give them a living sentence to show the people that we are better than terrorists. I will do it by week's end, and at that time, you will end these insane policies before they can even begin!"

"And when I do," Extending his last finger, Genthus's hand pointed at the doors in the general direction of the palace's steps. "-we will all tell the people that Clan Carid and the Mandalore wish for nothing but peace on Onderon. Won't we?"

[Meira]

The tension between the two men had already been high. Genthus' entrance to the room established that. But it all boiled over now. Eris, her offer apparently ignored by the arena fighter, stepped away. This was not the fight she'd come for. And if this was the state of Onderon, it was no wonder some of the locals had managed to carry out this attack.

But while Eris stepped back, Goda stepped forward. She was not as tall as Genthus, but she was the closest to his size in the room, and she was not about to let him think he could speak to her Alor in such a way without consequence. Her blue eyes, so light and full of mirth only moments before, were stormy dark and ready for action.

"Remember who you are speaking to, Deshra." she growled.

"Goda." Odo's voice had changed. Genthus had been riling him up, but now the man spoke in a cold and solid tone. Goda stepped away from Genthus, but only after shooting him one more look of warning. "You will complete your mission, Deshra." Odo said to Genthus. "And that is all. Your concern for the aruetii scum has been noted. We will discuss what to do with you when this is finished." Odo turned his back to Genthus, an obvious dismissal, and moved toward Eris.

"Tal'galaar, whatever you need is yours. Clan Carid is at your disposal. Goda will go with you, if you wish. I will see to the preparations in the city. The droten must be reminded of their duty. Thank you for coming."

Eris looked toward Goda, then back at Odo, and nodded. She turned, looking Genthus up and down, and then strode past him back out into the hall. He didn't seem all that interested in her help, so she didn't feel the need to offer it again. Goda shouldered him aside, following in Eris' wake.

Supplies? Eris signed.

"This way." Goda replied.

---

"...and she had the nerve to tell ME to lower my voice, Like I was the one out of line." God heaved a large pack of rations onto the speeder with one hand. "Can you believe that shit?"

"What did you do?" Eris asked, her subvocalization amplified through her helmet's comms.

"Gave her a big, fat, Keldabe Kiss!"

"Oya!" Eris chuckled.

"Dodged a bullet, if you ask me." Goda continued. "Last I heard, she'd run off to join some aruetii gypsies or some shit. Left her armor an everything." God a spit.

"For the best, then." Eris agreed.

Their speeder was a small, overland transport. It had enough cargo space to carry the rations and gear for what could end up being several nights out in the wilderness, but remained maneuverable enough to get deep enough into that wilderness to matter. These Beast Riders weren't exactly known for their accessibility, after all.

"One more pack of rations being brought down now, and we should be good to go." Goda said. She was smiling, obviously eager to get out and onto the mission.

[Fromikeable]

Genthus didn’t exactly help relax the situation as Goda stepped forward, her voice terse and her threat clear. As her eyes cut daggers upward, his glared back down, his brow furrowing in a furious reaction. One of his fingers twitched, getting ready to jab at her chest in accusation, before she backed down, both of their expressions unchanging.

Among Odo’s ultimatum, only two words hung on Genthus’s ears. Aruetii scum.

Swiping up his helmet, Genthus pulled it on with a huff of indignation. ”Aye, and quite the discussion it will be.” Disgusted, Genthus spun on the spot, exiting the room with a brisk pace. The guards that followed him out kept their distance, and as he trudged down the palace’s front steps, their whispers were the last thing Genthus heard.

---

Genthus’s face scrunched under his helmet as he tried to downplay his accent, his Basic coming across as a bit comical. ”Power packs?”

The shopkeep’s stare, completely unhidden thanks to his lack of beskar’gam, deepened as he reached under the counter and produced a small case. Within sat a set of brand new packs, one of which Genthus fished out and slammed into the disruptor rifle. The gun hummed lightly as it primed, and with an approving grunt, Genthus slung it over his shoulder on his back.

”Shotguns?”

The shopkeep motioned quietly at a rack of guns. Genthus pointed at one in particular.

”That one. Do you have a saw?”

The shopkeep hesitated, but saw his opportunity. Moving to the back room, he grabbed a small hacksaw, and then opened his gun safe as quietly as he could. Tucking a disruptor pistol under his belt, he returned without a word, offering up the saw.

Taking it, Genthus slammed the shotgun down against the counter and set the saw to its barrel. After a few minutes of sawing, the front half of the barrel clattered to the floor. Nodding again in approval, Genthus tucked the shortened gun in a holder on the small of his back, pushing the saw back to the owner.

”What’s the biggest gun you have?”

The shopkeeper pointed to the rifles, his voice finally rising. ”You people won’t allow us anything bigger.”

”Tsk. Of course.” Pocketing the rest of the power packs, Genthus reached toward the back of his belt. The shopkeeper’s hand went to his gun, his entire body tensing as the Mandalorian before him drew a credit chit, slamming it down.

”Keep the change.” Genthus was out the door in seconds, leaving the gunsmith with more credits than he was owed and a shake in his hands to nurse.

---

”Tal’galar!” Back in his native Mando’a, Genthus’s voice boomed across the shuttle pad as he jogged, a veritable host of gear slung over his shoulders he approached. A pack contained rations, a tent, and other survival essentials, all of them marked with notably Onderonian marks of make and style. A small cadre of guns ranging from the disruptor rifle to a duo of pistols jangled against the metal frame, each with a local gunsmith’s impression. Both groups competed with his beskad, which shone against the black and yellow armor, freshly sharpened.

Jogging up to the shuttle, Genthus pounded his fist to his chest, saluting her.

”I did not answer your question. I apologize.” Heaving the pack off his shoulder and setting it beside him, he rolled a shoulder before extending his hand, holding it open.

”My issues with Clan Carid do not extend to a warrior as honorable as you. If you would still have me, I’d accept the help you offered earlier.”

[Meira]

"Here you go, Goda."

Goda accepted the last pack they'd been waiting for from a fellow with armor very similar to her own, though his displayed Clan Carid's symbol prominently across his chest. The man nodded his head toward Eris, who returned the gesture before he moved off to resume his duties. After stowing the pack, Goda circled around the speeder to stand next to Eris, who had pulled up a holo-map of Iziz and the surrounding jungles.

"Most reports are placing the Beast Rider camps north of the city, past the crop lands." she said, pointing to where the flat, fertile valley north of Iziz extended out to the foothills of a low mountain range. "Patrols have not expanded too far beyond the farms, so we won't have much to go on once we cross this river, here."

Eris was nodding along when the Deshra's voice rang out. She looked up, seeing the giant of a man making his way toward them. Eris' helmet turned toward Goda, who only offered a shrug. Setting the map projector down, Eris moved toward the man. He set down his gear and it clattered on the floor beside him as he extended his hand with his apology. Eris looked at his hand, then up to his helmet.

"I was sent to help Clan Carid." Eris rasped, turning to acknowledge Goda, who'd stepped up beside her. "And Clan Carid travels with me." She turned back to face Genthus. "But if the Gladiator's honor can bear it..." Eris held out her hand, paused a moment to see if Genthus would retract, then clasped her hand as best she could around his forearm. His damn forearm was massive.

"Something for him." Eris said, turning to a passing worker. "He won't fit in ours."

The man nodded and moved off to find a suitable speeder bike for Genthus. At that moment, another worker approached, carrying a few bundles of cloth.

"Tal'galaar, this was the best we could do." The man set the bundles down on a crate, then held one up for Eris to see. It was a poncho, dyed with greens and browns to provide camouflage in the jungles. "The scouts have all of our stealth field belts, ma'am." he offered as an apology.

"This will do fine. Thank you." Eris replied, pulling the smallest of the ponchos on over her armor. It did little to conceal the white and light grey below her knees, but the majority was better than nothing. Eris waved for the other two to take their pick as well, if they desired, and then moved toward the passenger side of her and Goda's speeder. The one for Genthus was brought around and as soon as he was ready, Eris waved for Goda to take them out.

---

A few hours later, the speeders came to a stop along the bank of a wide, slow river. Their journey out from Iziz had been mostly uneventful. There had been some commotion at the city gate, but they'd passed by that quickly enough when the guards saw who the three exiting Mandalorians were. The offending natives were pulled aside to allow their vehicles to pass, and the argument over their documentation continued as the three moved on down the road.

They stopped at a few of the farm settlements on their way out as well. At these, they gathered information regarding sightings of suspicious natives, and any other reports such as theft of property or food stuffs. The farms on this side of the city were largely overseen by Mandalorian families, though some did employ and house Onderonian workers. Such operations became more and more prevalent the further they traveled from the city. The last farm they stopped at was, in fact, entirely operated by locals, though they were adamant that their loyalties lay with the Clans. Indeed, they'd sent their son to be trained in Iziz in the Resol'nare and to become a true Mandalorian himself.

From there, they traveled several clicks further until arriving at the river. It was a meandering waterway; wide, slow, and shallow. But, with no bridge, it would have to be where their trek by speeder ended. A natural bend in the river created a comfortable enough area to set up camp, and would serve as a decent launching ground for their exploration into the foothills beyond. From this point, Eris reasoned, they could meticulously search the area to see if the rumors of Beast Rider presence were true. If they were not, they could move on in some other direction.

Fish? Eris signed to Goda, her throat sore from use through the day. Goda nodded. "Big, fat, lazy bastards." she chuckled, and rummaged for their fishing gear at the back of the speeder. They had rations enough, but Eris preferred to save those and supplement with real food whenever possible. Taking the gear from Goda, Eris walked over to the edge of the river and set about the work of catching their dinner.

[Fromikeable]

The trip into the Onderonian wilds proved why the city clustered in cities like Iziz. Straight out of the gate, the jungles swallowed the landscape, the howls and shuffles of a thousand different types of creatures competing with the hum of the speeders. Genthus had been hunting here before; there were many reasons to call for a monster-hunter when the planet was full to the brim of nightmares. But the primalness of the place always struck him. It always reminded him that even he, in his few demands for material, was an urban man by some standards.

The locals they met did not seem that way. Each had wild looks in their eyes the way only someone born into a wild place could look. It contrasted their civility as they worked under the watchful eyes of new Mandalorian bosses, as they answered questions when asked with minimal hesitation, when they nodded and thanked the Tal’galaar for her time.

It was strange to see. Were the people on the farms less bothered by their new lives? Or had they become better at hiding it?

Dismounting his bike, Genthus busied himself making camp as Eris fished. Soon enough, tents were pitched, a fire bristled under the jungle breeze, and fish were caught. The evening passed with idle conversation into early slumber, and the Mandalorians were up before the sun striking camp and arming guns.

By sunrise, they had crossed the river, Genthus at the forefront watching for tracks. The early hours of the jungle offered them screeches and caws as a serenade, the night life scurrying into their lairs as the day goers stretched and awoke. It was a prime time for tracks; anything that should have been asleep in the evening prior stood out like a sore thumb on the moist dirt below.

And indeed it did, Genthus shouldering his rifle to squat down and look. A massive gauntlet mimicked the claw that made the track, a quiet hum emanating from the black helmet. Looking around, the signs were tell-tale: long striking marks in the dirt beside the tracks, and numerous broken branches above.

”Drexl. Or maybe a large Skreev.” Standing, Genthus drew his rifle again, cocking the action.

”No signs of a kill. A rider landed it here and they went that way.” The barrel of his rifle pointed in the direction of the tracks.

”If you can handle the riders, I can handle their beasts.” Reaching back, Genthus patted the handle of his sword, grinning under his helmet.

”They’re something of a Sigurd Deshra specialty.”

[Meira]

The work of setting camp, preparing and eating their evening meal, and then bedding down had kept the three in a companionable sort of quiet through the previous night. Eris had half expected Genthus to continue his diatribes against Alor Carid, as it seemed he'd had so much to say before. But instead he simply did his part and that was that. Perhaps she'd judged him too quickly. Hot tempers were not uncommon among the vode, after all. Maybe he and the Alor just brought out the worst in each other. She'd known a few people who boiled her blood in her lifetime, could she really blame either man for the same?

Their morning was a faster reverse of the evening's process. A quick breakfast and then they struck camp. The gear they wouldn't be bringing with them was stowed into the speeders and all secured before they waded across the river and into uncontrolled territory. Eris carried her two beskad, slung to her back in sheaths tucked behind her jet pack. Over all that, she loosely wore her shawl, its greens and browns covering up much of her otherwise beacon bright armor. It was fastened in a manner that would allow for quick removal, if necessary. On her thigh, her blaster pistol waited as a backup to the small rifle she carried. Goda was a walking arsenal, with her in-hand weapon a repeating blaster that she wielded as if it hardly weighed a pound. Eris was fairly sure she couldn't lift the thing at all. Goda also sported bandoliers of reserve power clips, a backup pistol and a number of thermal detonators that were, as Goda put it, for when shit got fucked.

Genthus took the lead, being the only one with any true tracking experience. Eris could follow a set of footprints well enough, but finding them was a different story. She was also largely unfamiliar with the fauna of this planet. She had no reference for what was typical animal tracks or what might be more nefarious. Besides that, they weren't looking to standard military signs of movement. These were loosely organized, necessarily secretive, small groups using scout tactics and some with animal mounts. What was more, in the teeming life and humidity of the jungle, thermal scans proved next to useless. But Genthus was, apparently, trained in the old fashioned ways and eventually found sign of movement through the thick vegetation. When he pointed out the signs that had drawn his attention, Eris' own eyes began to see as well. Following where he pointed, Eris could see the pattern of plant breaks and nodded her head.

"Weird flex, but OK." Goda said as she brought up the rear.

For several minutes, they moved through the underbrush, following the tracks. With some of the tracks clearly made by booted, humanoid feet, Eris managed to keep up, only losing the trail twice and having to rely on Genthus to correct her. That is, until they came to a pool of water. The vegetation cleared somewhat around the pool, which had formed at the base of a large rock formation. Water dripped down over the face of the rock and into the pool. This was clearly a watering hole for many animals in the area. The tracks they'd been following disappeared -to Eris' eye- into the chaos of other creatures tracks. Eris stopped, looking about to see if any distinct trail similar to theirs moved away from the pool.

"Where did they go?" she rasped, turning to Genthus. As she asked, there was a snap of a large branch overhead. The crack was like a clap of lightning in the relative quiet they'd been in until that point. Eris froze. From where she stood, she could See Goda, her visor moving slowly upward.

"Shit." Goda said.

All at once, a ferocious screech erupted from overhead as blaster fire began to stream past in several directions. Eris dropped to one knee, much of her small frame quickly concealing in the underbrush. She turned, tracking her line of sight around the area and picking out points of origin for several blaster shots. It seemed some of the enemy had appeared from around the smaller boulders near the pool and above...

A rush of wind accompanied the movement of two incredibly large wings. Eris had heard of Drexls, but had never seen one in the flesh. They were indeed impressive creatures. A shot flew past, a little too close for comfort, bringing Eris' attention back to ground level.

"I'd say that's your cue, Deshra." Eris said, then squat-walked sideways as she began to lay down some fire. Goda also set to her work, unloading a barrage of shots in a wide arc across the clearing. "I'm going to get cover, then move around."

[Fromikeable]

The pool them came to was the epitome of peace. Water danced and babbled as it lapped across stone and vegetation, its patterns constant and wild. The tracks of everything from vermin to predators blurred together in the mud at its banks, insects abounding in the reeds, birds squawking with offense overhead at the encroachers.

It was only when the peace was shattered with blasterfire that Genthus smiled.

Diving to cover, Genthus was shooting before he quite knew where to. His eyes danced as he tried to pick targets out of the jungle. The fighters that peeked out to end them were everywhere, their faces painted with the colors of the growth, their clothes very natural shades of browns and greens. Their acumen for this trap would be admirable if Genthus survived it.

All of that stopped mattering as the sound of beating wings made Genthus’s ears perk. Looking up, he froze as he saw something massive cast a wide shadow on the battle below, an ugly screech heralding its arrival.

Genthus roared back at it with something between a mad laugh and a mimicry.

The beast came crashing down in the pool, its giant fangs barred as one of its two arms rose, preparing to strike. The three riders atop it yelled at each other, the reignman tugging on the striking arm in encouragement as the commander and the gunner both opened fire. Genthus largely ignored them as he rushed forward, shouldering his rifle and drawing his sword. As the drexl’s arm came down at them, he leapt up to it, slamming his body into the talons’ side and knocking the strike slightly off the mark, landing just meters beside Goda.

Recovering from the impact, Genthus clung to the arm and began to shuffle up it bound by bound.

The drexl shrieked in distaste and waved the arm, but its reflexes proved too slow. With a final bound, Genthus was at its shoulder, an arm reaching up to grab the gunner. His opponent slammed the butt of his rifle against Genthus’s side, knocking loose his grib on the beast, but not on himself. Both fell to the water below, and as they plunged, so too did Genthus’s sword into the man’s stomach.

Resurfacing, Genthus lunged to avoid another stab of the drexl’s arm. Panting heavily, he hollered.

”Go, I will cover you!” Reaching for his belt, Genthus produced an impact grenade. Chucking it with one hand, it slammed into the drexl’s stomach, exploding with a sharp bang. The beast recoiled backwards a few steps as Genthus produced his rifle, taking aim at the treeline and liberally suppressing the shooters there.

[Meira]

As the first barrage of shots began, Goda had put herself behind a tree as she activated her heavy gun. It required a moment to warm up, but it seemed that the Deshra and Tal'galaar were doing just fine in providing the distraction she needed. When the light on the top of her gun turned from red to green, she grinned and swung out from behind the tree. All across the clearing, she fired. Each shot emitted from the rotating barrel of her gun with a satisfying recoil that let her know it would definitely hurt whoever it hit. Behind her T visor, she grinned. Even the giant beast, large enough to carry three on its back didn't phase her much. Genthus had said he'd take care of it, right?

The creature's forelimb landed not an arms length away from her. Her fire paused, but only for the moment it took for her to confirm that the Deshra was indeed taking care of it. Turning her head slightly, Goda saw Genthus climbing the creature and let out a whoop of approval.

"He's got balls, I'll give him that!" Goda declared. She shifted slightly, moving sideways to begin to get an angle around the boulders. "You good, Tal'galaar?"

Eris, having moved through the underbrush had just made it back to the tree line. Posted up behind a boulder of her own, she started into taking more precise shots against their enemy. With Goda and Genthus now stealing the limelight, she was free to strike from the shadows. And she was just fine with that.

"I'm good." Eris replied to Goda. "Changing positio-"

Genthus fell, pulling one of the enemy fighters down with him. Eris paused, watching as the two splashed into the water, waiting to see which would come up. Genthus exploded from the water, and Eris smiled. Of course he did. His renewed distraction and covering fire was exactly what she needed. Eris shouldered her rifle and skirted around the edge of the clearing. Goda was moving in the opposite direction and they'd soon circle around either side of the boulder formation. Goda's heavy fire would push the enemy Eris' way, and she was ready.

Drawing one of her blades, Eris deftly pulled herself up onto a tree branch, just as two of the terrorists came running from around a large stone. She leapt, landing atop one of them and using her weight and momentum to drive the blade down through his shoulder. The other, having been ahead of the one she ambushed, whirled around at the sound of his friend choking on blood. He fired a wild shot, but it glanced off her armor, causing her to only roll her shoulder slightly with the impact. In the moment it took for him to readjust his aim, Eris darted forward, her blade slicing diagonally across the man's chest, then stabbing true into his stomach. He'd barely fallen before Eris had turned, dashing back toward the fight.

Goda was clearing out the other side of the rock formation, and so Eris began to scramble up the boulders, looking to get a higher angle on the two beings still mounted on the beast's back. Genthus' grenade had wounded the creature, it seemed, but not downed it. Eris was amazed. How much punishment could those things take? Once high enough, Eris got her eyes on the reignman, struggling to control the more wild movements of the creature. Sheathing her blade, she swung her rifle up from where she'd let it hang from its strap and aimed. She took a steadying breath, and then fired on the exhale. But the creature had moved, and her shot only hit the man's shoulder. The commander, having seen the shot, whirled and let off a volley of shots in her direction, forcing Eris to move back for cover.

"Almost cleaned up, here." Goda said over their comms.

"Make your circle, then come lay down fire on the beast." Eris replied, peaking her head back up from cover to fire off a few more shots.

[Fromikeable]

Blaster bolts plinked off Genthus by the second as he emptied his rifle’s clip, keeping an eye on the drexl from the corner of his eye. The beast’s recoil from the grenade was longer than he’d hoped, but shorter than he liked. Shuddering as it recaptured its balance, it at least seemed a bit less eager to fight, no more roars escaping its lips. Instead, its breathing deepened, as if its anger had been internalized.

This time when its mighty arm swiped, there was no dodging it. Genthus could only move enough for it to slam into his back, sending him rolling to the side with a harsh thump. Groaning as he followed the motion through, his rifle was lost to the mire as he stopped in a crouch, his hands redrawing his sword.

”Come then!”

The drexl’s mighty fangs rushed toward him, and were met with an upward swing of Genthus’s sword and an accompanying backstep. The blade cleaved through the creature’s lips and gums as the jaws snapped, clanging against bone as giant eyes blinked through the pain. Before the head could withdraw, Genthus grabbed a horn. Smashing a foot into the beast’s teeth, he used its now-bloody mouth for leverage to get up and over, onto its neck.

The reignsman barely had a chance to shout before Tordenopkalds carved through him neck to hip, his body slumping and falling below into the muck.

The drexl began to thrash, causing both Genthus and the commander to hang on for dear life. Huge wings spread as the beast flapped in outrage, clearly sick of both of them. But even as the commander struggled to stay aloft, Genthus advanced handhold by handhold, practiced in the art of defying raging beasts. With a roar, his sword descended at her as well, lopping off a leg at the knee. Without it, she was knocked loose from the rampaging beast, its wing slamming her into the water below with a harsh crunch.

Stabbing his sword into the drexl’s back for leverage, Genthus hung on as a new bout of flailing started in earnest. The creature’s wings began to flap in earnest, its entire body beginning to launch off the ground.

”The wings!” Hollering as loudly as he could, Genthus stabbed at its back again, trying to reach for another impact grenade. ”Shred the wings!”

[Meira]

”Shred the wings!”

"Oya! Goda said, rounding around the boulder formation and leveling her gun. In a steady, rhythmic succession of shots, plasma bolts peppered the great beast as it reared back to flap its wings. The shots that hit its body, even what one would suspect to be the less protected underside, seemed to do very little. But the wings were more fragile and each shot burned a hole through them. The beast roared, terrible and echoing throughout the jungle. But also pained.

Eris, looking up again from over her cover saw what Genthus had managed to do in the short time she'd ducked down. She shook her head. She had to hand it to him. The man was a beast in his own right. And it seemed, soon enough, he and Goda would have the creature handled. So she, instead, began to scan the area to ensure they hadn't missed any stragglers. She flipped through the various modes her HUD could manage, but none seemed to reveal any still hidden threats.

"Shit" Eris heard the word, not only through their comms, but also because the cacophony of Goda's gun had suddenly stopped. "It's jammed!" she shouted.

The beast roared, sensing its moment for escape. Its wings, riddled with scorched holes began to flap anew, and Eris watched in awe as it began to lift itself up. In that moment, she'd almost forgotten that the beast still had Genthus on its back. But his movement, his struggle to keep his grip as the beast reared back, caught her eye and Eris snapped back into the moment. She could feel her heartbeat in her ears, pulsing loud, but steady. The beast's wing spread wide as it compelled its weight upward. Slow, sweeping beats. Eris drew her swords, adjusting to a reversed dagger grip on each. She backed up as far as she could, then shot herself forward. She pushed all the power she had into each footfall, and then as she reached the edge of the boulder, she activated a quick burst from her jet pack to get her just far enough.

With a mighty cry, Eris collided with the beast's wing, her blades slicing through the membrane. When the momentum of her jump was spent, gravity did the rest. It pulled her downward and Eris continued to shout as she fought to keep her elbows bent in so that the swords pulled down with her. The creature's blood poured out as the swords cut down through the wing, and the creature's upward momentum was stopped. It faltered to the side, causing Eris to swing wildly. She lost her grip on one of the blades, and the added weight to the remaining one did the trick. She'd cut down to the end of its wing. Free of the membrane, Eris' fall quickened and her limbs flailed as she fell backwards.

She splashed into the pool, sinking quickly to the bottom. Her helmet, sealed as it was, prevented any water from creeping in but she only had a moment or two of air without a dedicated tank. As the disorientation of the water faded, she began to push herself upward toward the surface. But a second later, the bloody shreds of the creature's wing was above her, pushing down and trapping her. A warning display appeared on her HUD, indicating air reserves were not available. Forcing herself to slow her breathing, and then holding her breath entirely, Eris pushed against the enormous weight of the beast's limb.

[Fromikeable]

Genthus held a hand to his head to duck as Goda rained blaster fire upward at the creature, each puncture to its wings squelching in sound. The beast faltered as its natural rhythm was interrupted, faltering in its efforts. Genthus seized the opportunity to pull himself back up to a standing position, about to heave his sword free and advanced.

Then the blaster fire halted, and the wings renewed their pumping with vigor. In an instant, Genthus was dangling by the handle of Tordenopkalds, desperate to just hang on.

Eris’s cry was audible even through the roars of the bloodied beast, and the sound of her daggers tearing through its membrane would have been sickening had they not been such a relief. The creature crashed back down to the water with a giant splash, collapsing in a heap of exhaustion. Heaving himself upward again, Genthus sucked in a quick breath, pushing through the burning throughout his frame.

This was his best chance. He had to seize it.

Pulling his sword free of the drexl’s back, Genthus charged forward, slamming his boot into the back of its neck. As it began to raise its head to respond, his sword came sailing downward for yet another stab, this time finding much more hollow purchase. The blade pierced into the beast’s esophagus, making the drexl shudder heavily as its breathing now sounded through a brand new hole. The thrash it gave afterward wasn’t simply rage; it was panic.

Panic enough to knock Genthus from its neck, dangling beside its head by the hand that still held his sword.

The drexl knashed its maw as it struggled to find the energy needed to move, its movements sluggish and its wings flopped down into the water. Hand shaking with effort to hold on, Genthus reached his other back into his back and finally found another impact grenade. Holding it out for a few swings as the drexl gurgled, his body swung toward its mouth.

His arm dove into its maw, grenade first. The creature bit down as best it could, fangs scraping against beskar and piercing the joints between as they could. But with a roar, Genthus triggered the grenade, released it, and yanked as hard on his arm as he could. Fangs fractured and pulled from their gums as his other hand released his sword, falling from the drexl’s head into the water below.

It could only choke for a few seconds before its gullet exploded, the beast falling backward with a terminal shiver.

[Meira]

"Oya!" Goda shouted at she watched Tal'galaar fly through the air and rip through the beast's wing.

But the exclamation was only a brief aside from her attempts to clear the jam in her gun. She turned her attention back to this as the Deshra did his own work. By the time she had the gun ready to rev back up, the muted thwump of a grenade was heard and the beast was finished. Shoulders slumping slightly, Goda set her gun down by the edge of the pool and moved toward Genthus.

"Damn good job, Deshra!" she exclaimed, clapping the man on the shoulder. The beast gave a final shudder, it's pained groan accented by the gurgling of its blood. Goda glanced up at it, then her head jerked quickly, looking around in all directions. "Where is Tal'galaar?"

Eris heaved, but the slick mud and moss of the pool's bottom gave little purchase. Then, the beast suddenly jerked and flailed, stirring up the sediment once again and tossing Eris about like a rag doll. She collided, hard, against a rock. Had she any air in her lungs, that would have knocked it out of her. But instead, she just wheezed, black creeping in at the corners of her vision. She could feel the blood pulsing in her ears, a pressure building and threatening to pull her completely into that black. She clawed at the rock, trying to free herself from the weight of the beast as it settled now more limply over her.

She pulled, gripping the rock, as she felt herself move out from under the beast inch by inch. The sediment began to settle again and she could see the surface overhead, the sky and the green of the trees. She reached, silver and while armor glinting as the tips of her fingers pierced the surface.

The water blurred and buffeted against her as something disturbed it. The black had nearly taken over all her vision, but the faintest hint of orange registered as something gripped her hand. And then, in one massive heave, Goda was pulling the near limp form of Tal'galaar from the water. Falling backward as the weight of the beast finally released the small woman, Goda scrambled to pull her from the edge.

"Tal'galaar!" she shouted as she struggled to pull the helmet from Eris' head.

As the seal broke, air rushed in around her and Eris gasped in frantic gulps. Her eyes bulged, and she turned suddenly to cough and heave some more. But after a moment, the black was receding and the world around her had finally stopped spinning. Flopping back onto her back, Eris angled her head to look at Goda, her hand moving in the sign of gratitude. Goda waved it off, then looked up at Genthus.

"How many of those things do they have?" she asked, gesturing toward the beast.

[Fromikeable]

The world spun as Genthus lay on the rocks of the pool, hands slowly moving without aim to regain any sense of motor control. Goda’s hand clapping his shoulder at least helped him know which way was up, but following it to sit upward proved to be a mistake. Her question about Eris fell on deaf ears as Genthus just tried to sort through the pain, disorientation, and rush of adrenaline.

By the time he did, he heard gasping. Moving his head as minimally as he could, he saw Eris finally breathing, her helmet in Goda’s hands.

”We’ll make a monster-hunter out of you yet, Tal’galaar…” He offered her a dazed thumbs-up, clearly still a little unaware.

Still, seeing the two other Mandalorians led Genthus’s eyes to the hot corpse of the drexl. Patting a hand randomly across himself, his eyes managed to focus on a glint in the creature’s flesh. Shivering as he commanded his body to move, Genthus got up slowly, struggling to find some balance.

Once he was standing and the world had stopped spinning again, he began a slow trudge over to the corpse. This time he heard Goda’s question, responding with an exhausted chuckle.

”Enough. Even I wouldn’t be fool enough to try and count them.” Leaning against the drexl’s shoulder, Genthus inspected it. The grenade had failed to outright explode the creature’s neck, but numerous tears and strains in the flesh there made it clear that the internal damage must have been immense. Within one of the tears, metal caught what light it could and glinted outward.

Reaching in, Genthus breathed a sigh of relief when he found purchase on his sword’s pommel. With a grunt, he pulled it free centimeter by centimeter, the beskar blade finally emerging caked with gore and blast marks.

”But this is their best.” Grinning beneath his helmet, Genthus crouched and dipped his sword into the shallow pool. As he scrubbed it lightly with his free hand, he looked up at Eris and Goda, his chuckle beginning to return with strength.

”And here it lays!” Laughing much more loudly, Genthus cut himself off with a hiss, his scrubbing hand dashing to his shoulder. Probing fingers found a collection of fang tips still embedded there, poking through the joints in his armor into his flesh.

With another grunt, he pulled them out one by one. Holding them up, he dangled them before dipping them into the water too, cleaning them of any blood.

”Your trophies…” Standing with clean sword and clean fangs, Genthus sheathed the former and held out the latter. Approaching Goda and Eris, he offered them first pick of the teeth, each broken in different ways.

”Did any of the cowards survive?” Giving a final sigh, Genthus placed his free hand on his hip. ”I did promise Carid prisoners.”

[Meira]

Eris did not move. She laid her head back onto the bed of grass below it. She just breathed. In all, she was uninjured. She could feel her body was bruised and battered, but it was nothing she wouldn't recover from with a good night or two of rest. Goda, too, seemed intact. But the Deshra had been much more in the fray. Eris turned her head to look at him when she heard his assertion. He seemed far worse for wear than she or Goda, but Eris smiled and a soft chuckle escaped her at seeing his thumb extended in approval. She returned the gesture.

Soon, Eris was sitting as Goda and Genthus discussed the drexl and what more they might face. She would be a liar if she said she was not relieved that this was, likely, the worst of them. That would not have been such a challenge with more vode at their back, but with only the three of them, she doubted they would come out so well if they encountered another such fearsome beast.

"No." Eris croaked to his question. But there would be others, she was sure. Can he see any other tracks? Eris signed to Goda, scooting herself across the ground to recline against a rock.

As Goda conveyed the question, Eris picked up her helmet, brushing out some dirt that had gotten inside when it'd been removed. She put the helmet on, locking it back into place and bringing her HUD and comms back on line. When it finished booting, she saw a message icon come through.

"You see?" Eris asked, interrupting Goda and Genthus. She then opened the message.

SOS!
Immediate assistance needed at the Par’jila in orbit of Mandalore!
Massive explosion detected in engineering. Radiation spreading throughout ship. Power and back-up power failing. Life support failing. Multiple hangars compromised.
Require ships for evacuation.
Large cell of terrorists disguised in fake Mandalorian armor last seen in control of the bridge. Broadcasting madness across the ship. Trying to activate engines and crash the ship into Mandalore. Engines have since become inoperative, will likely try to cause a second explosion instead. Suicidal. Keep screaming “Death to Mandalore”.
Mandalore himself unaccounted for. MIA.
SOS!

Eris jumped up from the ground and rushed over to the beast. From its wing, she pulled one of her blades where it'd been snagged. The other she spotted in the water and jumped in quickly to retrieve it. Her other weapons were still secured. She turned to the others gesturing We go! and turned to find the path they'd followed earlier. The Onderonian rebels would have to wait. Mandalore was in trouble!