[SWAW] Mandalore [S8 Kelb]

Adam

It's been nearly a week since you left Kestic, and for the first time in years, Mandalore — your home — is visible from the bridge windows. The blue marble hangs against the backdrop of stars like so many of the other planets you've visited of late — and yet, this is the one you're not welcome on. Nill, never one for sentimentality, takes you down just outside of Keldabe, and touches down on a small village just a few minutes ride from the city's borders. She instructs you to stay put for a while as she goes through the process of bribing a few people, but you eventually get the OK over the radio to come out.

This is what you see:


What is the first thing that strikes you when you step off the ship onto your homeworld, Kelb?

Rich

The smells. The mixture of flora and the earthy smell, I'd completely forgotten it. It's so alive, so unlike life on a starship. The greens, the browns, vibrant and imperfect and ever-changing.

I smile, feeling the dirt and rocks under my feet. They might not want me here, but there is no doubt my home. I've missed it for so long it'd become this dull ache, something that was always just "there".

Even the air smells great. I used to hate the smell of the air here. When did that change?

Adam

Nill comes out from around the ship and takes up a spot next to you. She gives you a minute to take it all in... That you're here, and appreciate whatever it is you want to appreciate about this rock. Then she clears her throat a few moments later, and points in towards Keldabe. "Word came in on your three contacts. Fenri is dead, or at least reported dead in a raid. Hudu was captured in one of Baltan's warehouses... I've got a lead on Dred, but he's hard to get to. Word has it he's gone completely legit... Dumped before the raids started going down..." She lets you draw your own conclusions from that.

Rich

I straighten up a bit when she clears her throat, and listen in. Fenri dead? I'm not sure how to feel about that. He was a squaddie if not a friend. "We can look for Rav. She's around, I'm sure. Never been one for hiding." I find the idea of Dred going legit unlikely, but I'm not sure where to find him.

After a moment, I muse, "I wonder, though. Hudu seems like the best bet, since he was working with Baltan. Security is tight on most prisons, but maybe he was sent offworld? Let's check on that."

Adam

Let's skip some time for a while so your crew can do some research on the location of these people. Did you spend much time off the ship? The village you're docked at is remote enough that you've learned the patrols, and have some amount of freedom in you coming and going — so long as you don't go into overly populated areas. The fake IDs Ramud knocked up for you are working reasonably well.

Nill comes to you early in the morning, finding you wherever you're shacking up, and slaps a dossier on your desk, and starts prattling off details:

"Hudu, it seems," she begins, not even the slightest bit tired, "was exiled onto Concordia for his crimes against the Duchy. Most reports show that he's established himself with the local government there running a security crew for a criminal settlement. Getting to him would be a cakewalk — we walk into his settlement, pick a fight with one or two of his people, and we organize a hit when he surfaces."

She flips the page, "Rav is teaching students at a military base on the other side of the continent. It's not affiliated with the Duchy, so you should be able to walk right in and talk to her. Rumor has it Baltan had an inappropriate relationship with her back in his days as a part of your squadron... I'm hoping the well of old feelings he had for her didn't simply dry up. I say we question her for details on Baltan before leaving the system..."

She flips the page one last time, "Dred has some farmland just north of Keldabe that he's almost certainly running an illicit spice business from... He's no doubt got guns, and friends who know how to use them watching the premises — it would seem his connections to Baltan truly are severed, but you never know... He may know something of value."

She closes the folder and slides it over to you, "now I don't have a particular preference to approach, but I would say we play to our strengths here... We don't outgun them, but we can out-think them. I can plan a late-night extraction op for Dred, and send Pem and Macks to stir up the hornet's nest with Hudu... The question is, which one would you like to hit first?"

Rich

I consider the options. Dred was a tricky fighter. He's probably loaded for bear, while Hudu had it pretty easy. I'll save Rav till last, I don't want her to be embroiled in anything with me unless it is unavoidable.

"If I know Hudu, he's relaxed into his job. Let's hit him first. Then, we tackle Dred. Dred holds grudges, so he'll know something about Baltan. I imagine he'll be a tougher nut to crack." I look over to Nill, give her a curt nod. "Let's pack up, head to Concordia."

My old stomping grounds. At least there I'm not the only criminal. Not by a long shot.

Adam

Nill nods in agreement, "sounds like a plan. We should be ready to go in a few hours. The settlement he's in is small enough it doesn't even have a name... From what I gather, most places on Condordia don't merit naming them. It's a small mining settlement near the Beskar mines, about 40 people total... I've arranged for the yapper to set us down just outside of town."

A few hours later, and you find yourself touching down on Concordian soil. The air here is thin, and cold, but breathable. You spot a couple of criminals heading off to the mines, likely a shift-change. The settlement itself seems quiet — almost peaceful. Nill, Macks and Pem are gearing up to head out with you.

This is your view of the settlement:

Rich

The settlement looks peaceful, but a job as a miner is nothing to sneeze at. Of course, it's doubtful all those guys are mining, probably illicit trade going on. Not judging, but I know how Hudu operates. Easiest way to comfort, that's his route.

The plan is simple enough. Pem and Nill head in, start trouble. I jetpack down when Hudu rares his head and snatch him off to Macks. Macks is the lookout and sniper. Pem and Nill will beat feet when I fly off with Hudu.

Adam

So tell me a little bit about your jetpack – we've kind of glossed over it to this point. How far can you go on that thing between recharges? Is it for short hops that can recharge quickly? Or longer runs that require a refuel?

I ask because it looks like you're quite a ways from the settlement proper... Surely someone would see you coming if you flew in from your current vantage point.

Rich

My jetpack is standard, contains enough fuel for twenty bursts of thrust. Of course, it only has a handful left. I gave Jazz guff about not maintaining his armor, but I still need to tweak my fuel gauge. I've lost count of how many bursts I have left.

Of course, you're right. I should head down closer before flying in. I'll sneak in at an opposite direction than Pem and Nill.

Adam

Give me an Act Under Fire to find a good ambush spot.