Aldross Umarov
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Post by Aldross Umarov on Mar 13, 2017 6:59:13 GMT -8
Aldross set about disassembling his M-CLAW to retrieve the power coil from the gun. He then went to work reassembling a new weapon with the parts laid out before him. It took him a fairly short amount of time to get the parts together, and with no time at all he had reassembled another gun from the parts laid out before him. To Aldross, it was almost fun, like a kind of puzzle that was simple. He looked around to see a few other recruits reassembling their weapons, and once again noticed the same recruit before during the race - the recruit that tailed just behind him for third place. He noticed that the recruit had the helmet visor set to transparent... it was a female Mandalorian, and she was quick to follow just behind in everything Aldross did. She came just before him in reassembling her gun with the parts given to her, and eyed him with a wary look; Aldross was a challenge, and it seemed like she wasn't about to let herself be defeated.
==Aldross==
"You're doing pretty damn good at this, if you don't mind my saying so."
The Mandalorian female got up from her work and cracked her knuckles upon completion of her task. She regarded Aldross with a cold stare, eyes glossed over from exhaustion - or perhaps boredom. Her jet-black hair was long and thick, yet kept up out of her face with bobby-pins, and her gaze was a silvery-green; gentle, yet ruthless - that was the only way Aldross knew to describe her. Her elevated cheek bones leaned to the idea of a constant squint, yet her eyes seemed too relaxed, naturally almond-esque in shape.
==Katreya==
"I don't mind at all. My name is Katreya, of the clan D'Ordinii - my friends call me Kat. I must say, I'm impressed - most recruits can't keep up with me."
Aldross raised an eyebrow at Katreya's last remark. This couldn't have been her first time taking this test; the way in which she spoke of the other recruits sounded as if they were beneath her - of a lower rank and not worth her time. She gave Aldross a slight smirk, and the man nearly fainted - her smile, even half of it, was absolutely beautiful. He was nearly at a loss for words - and a good thing, for this Katreya continued.
==Katreya==
"Of course, we do get the occasional underdog and gladly take him in before anyone else has a chance - hence why we're so efficient."
==Aldross==
"So I take it this isn't your first time taking the test? You're not even a recruit, are you?"
Katreya smiled openly at Aldross - he was quick of foot as well as wit, so it would seem; she liked that about him already. The Mandalorian leaned over on her left side, letting her hip stick out. She placed a hand on her hip and regarded Aldross again with her piercing green eyes, only this time she seemed to be studying him more closely.
==Katreya==
"You're quick on the upkeep - I like that. Well, you're right - I've been a member of the Recon Corps for half a decade. I come back to the testing grounds every few months - both to keep in shape and to scout out new talent; it's a win-win for all of us, so the Clan lets me get away with it all the time. And speeking of talent, it's pretty clear to me that you've got a good chance. Of course, we'll see once the test is actually over."
==Aldross==
"Don't you worry, I'm just getting started; that spot on Recon is as good as mine."
With his last remark, Aldross bowed to the Recon Officer and returned to the test at hand. She again regarded him with a smile, dropping her studious gaze in favor of a more relaxed one. At this recruit's departure, Katreya walked up to the instructor.
==Katreya==
"That one over there - Aldross Umarov; keep your eye on him. He might be just what we've been looking for... Go ahead and push him hard with the last one - I want to see if he'll make it all the way through..."
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Mondder
Mar 13, 2017 21:14:40 GMT -8
Post by House of D'Ordinii on Mar 13, 2017 21:14:40 GMT -8
==Recruitment SL==
<<106 PP; S4 Sector, Etti IV, Mondder>>
The instructor shrugged. It was up to the recruits how much effort they put into the test. Once the remaining five actual recruits had finished converting their weapons to slug thrower pistols, the were returned to the firing line. Once again, holographic targets popped up at random points in each assigned recruit's field of fire. This time however, the targets weren't nearly as far, as this was a pistol drill. Each fire of the weapon was a loud crack as the round was sent supersonic straight out of the barrel. Of course this was also a shorter drill as it was limited to the fairly low ammo supply that was pre-loaded into the weapon assembly. The four general spec recruits finished with high enough scores to pass. Once their weapons were collected, they were dismissed, leaving only Aldross.
The last test, as he was on track for recon was slightly different. In fact, the instructor wouldn't actually be present, technically speaking. A quick shuttle trip took Aldross to a fair sized biodome that was along one side of the compound. Inside was a range of difficult terrains all mixed in together, boggy jungle would give way to a wide stretch of sand & so forth. From above it looked like someone mixed up the worst terrain from every planet they could find.
Entering from one side of the massive dome, Aldross found himself on the edge of what looked like a swamp mixed with a salad bowl from hell & left to rot. Sitting nearby were ten small drones. Each was roughly the size of a large house cat. Having just come off the small arms range, it was obvious that the drones used the same power coils as the M-CLAW, the only difference was instead of a grip & a stock, it had a slotted carapace & six legs. The weapon assembly on the front of each, however, was unfamiliar.
-Instructor
These are MER mark one drones. They are useful little buggers & the clan uses them everywhere. They are fairly simple, not true droids at all, but drones that need direction. They are clever enough that they don't need much in the way beyond general orders, though, so a single person can easily handle a few dozen at a time. More if they are particularly skilled multitaskers. Another useful feature is that they can be remotely piloted one by one for far better control. These ten each have a person behind the controls. Their job is to hunt you down & tag you with one of the tracking rounds they are loaded with. Your job is to disable, destroy or evade them for as long as possible.
The instructor gave him a long few seconds for that to sink in deep enough to stick.
-Instructor
This last test ends when all the drones are disabled, you are tagged, or 24 hours passes. You have a ten minute head start. Beginning now.
As the instructor finished speaking a holographic timer appeared in the air & began counting down ten minutes.
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Aldross Umarov
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Post by Aldross Umarov on Mar 17, 2017 2:39:42 GMT -8
Aldross swallowed hard - this was the final portion of his test, and it was all up to how he performed here. He looked up at the holographic timer up in the sky and raced away, dashing from bog to bog, covering behind an occasion bush. As he darted through the muggy terrain, he noticed a grouping of large trees at the edge of the swamp-like biome. The trees all must have been some eighty feet tall or so, yet the real surprise was the incredibly large root system that crashed up from each tree through the bog. The roots spread around the base of the tree and made some exceptional cover. A loud beeping noise sounded as Aldross looked up to find that his head start was over. It was do or die from here on out.
Only a single hour had passed before the first drone took notice of him... or what had appeared to be him. Aldross left some of his clothing upright against a thick root from the tree, almost looking like it could be him, and definitely looking like it from enough distance. The first drone cracked a slug against the cloak that dangled from the root. Aldross jumped down some twenty feet up from a tree and grabbed the gun turret on the drone, hanging on to it as if riding the drone like a beast. He raised his cybernetic hand up and hammered down hard against the turret fitting, at which the gun on the drone came completely off.
"One down... how many did they say there were - ten?"
Aldross had no time to think, for he was once again out in the open. A light tag round crackled against the ground right beside the downed drone. All at once, the young man had worked out where the bullet had come from and the right direction to run so as to make it difficult to be hit. With his cybernetic arm, Aldross smashed off a large metal plate from the downed drone. He picked up the metal plate in his left arm and used it as a shield as he blocked a few tag rounds with it. Within three meters, he was face to face with another drone, this time firing much more rapidly. Aldross' cybernetic hand was getting hot and heavy, exhausting him further as he maneuvered around the drone and behind it. Rather than destroying it, he took the metal plate and smashed off the receiver on the drone, leaving it completely blind. The drone, for lack of any way to hunt him, shot wildly into the air, missing Aldross completely.
"Two down... Shit, I'm on a roll..."
Aldross panted hard as he worked to regain some of his composure. He was beat tired from all the testing, both mental and physical, yet somehow he was ready rather quickly to continue. Something other than his want to succeed was driving him. It was simply one word: <<Ordinii.>> It was that same voice that he'd heard over and over in his mind all throughout the testing, only this time it was crystal clear. The voice was male, and sounded distinctly Mandalorian - even the particular inflections in his voice, as well as his language. The word Ordinii gave him some strange kind of power every time he heard it, like a burst of adrenaline, only far more intense and much more instinctive in nature.
The more Aldross could clearly hear this Mandalorian, the more he wanted to respond to it... yet he somehow knew only he could hear it. He didn't want to look crazy in front of all the others, most of whom were probably watching him at this very moment. Aldross went back over to the first downed droid and used his cybernetic arm to pry off more parts one by one until he found what he was looking for - a new M-CLAW and ammunition. It was only tag rounds that Aldross found, yet he was able to manipulate the assembly of the weapon to produce more of an ionic charge per round. It wouldn't do too much to anything save for droids, yet this was all he needed to either outlast them or disable them.
"I have to find a place to lay low. They can't be too far from each other - one of them is bound to be on its way to check on these two. C'mon, Aldross - think!"
Aldross took the metal plate off of one of the drones and clamped it down hard on the bottom of his M-CLAW's stock, providing him with a make-shift moble cover; it was poorly fashioned, but it didn't need to be perfect - just enough to get him to safety. He took off from the grouping of trees and trudged as quickly as he could through some knee-high water. Once he got to the other end of the biome, he encountered a whole new biome - arid desert. He stayed close to the edge of the biome, not wanting to risk even more exposure - it was hard to hide in a place that was open. A steppe of tall grasses and large fronds made a thin layer between the desert and the swamp; Aldross found that this was a perfect place to hunker down, maybe even to wait them out. He had water to let him know if they came from the right, and tall grasses both in front and behind his position. All he had to do here was guard his left flank by the desert.
"I'd better settle in, maybe even for the night... Nah, once it's dark, I'll just climb a - SHIT!!!"
Three bullets raced just across Aldross' nose, shocking him into motion. What he didn't understand was how they had come from above. Aldross whirled around once he had decent cover and flipped up his weapon to take aim. Five drones had managed to climb the trees - all relatively near to where the other two had been. Each drone set up sniping positions, on occasion firing blindly into the steppe where they had just seen Aldross.
"Wait... they can CLIMB!? So much for sleeping in a tree... shit, so much for sleeping at all."
Aldross ducked back from the steppe and broke into a sprint as he hit the desert. He tried as desperately as he could to gain as much distance as possible from himself and the remaining drones. As he ran, he felt once more that he didn't exert much effort in his stride - more that he was being carried. Once again, the Mandalorian voice Aldross could hear in his mind resonated through his very being; it gave him direction, almost leading him through the desert into safety.
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Post by House of D'Ordinii on Mar 18, 2017 15:45:35 GMT -8
==Recruitment SL==
<<106 PP; S4 Sector, Etti IV, Mondder>>
The mark one drones came apart easily enough once he had his hands on them. The difficult point would always be getting that close. The only real difference between the M-CLAW & the M1s was that the grip slot had been fitted by a set of mechanical legs instead of a handle that a being could use & where the stock would be was instead a small drone brain & a cluster of sensors. When it came right down to it, the M1 drone brain could be smashed to pieces with a rock & a few minutes of pounding. The design was more for speed, numbers & occasional stealth than brute force. True enough to his musing, his every action in the dome was being very carefully watched & judged. Of course it would have been unfair to send that info to the people controlling the drones, so they were limited to what they could find.
As Aldross began his run across the sand, The team tracking him tries to decide their next move. They weren't any more familiar with the layout of the dome than their prey was, but from the high vantage point, they had seen that the far end of the sand had terminated in a fair sized lake. The far edge of the lake had been wooded, but the trees there were barely half the size of the swamp giants they had perched in.
Technically speaking, none of the trackers had to listen to the others, but they had plenty of experience working together. In the end, they decided to herd him toward the lake & ambush him in the reed beds that formed the border between the sand & water. The M1s were well faster, even limited to manual legs, than any person without speed assisting tech. Three of the remaining six drones would keep behind him. They would match his pace, but slowly gain ground to make him push himself harder & keep him from planning anything of his own. The other three looped out wide enough to his left that they were out of sight. Running at full speed it would take them only five minutes or so to reach the reeds. The man would likely take the twice that time to reach the reeds.
Once they reach the reeds, they would pick out a good spot for an ambush, planning on hitting him as he gets within twenty meters of the edge of the reed beds. It would be a pincer attack, with the three behind him rushing to within twenty meters of him at the same time the ambushers attacked. The main threat to the hunters was the lack of ammunition. On a full load, the tracker attachment could hold twenty rounds, plus any reloads the person might be carrying. At the start of the hunt, each drone had ten rounds & no reloads. For the moment, each of the remaining drone was down to nine shots. Once the ambush was launched, five drones from each group would fire one shot using four more rounds. The last drone would wait to see how well the prey responded. If the ambush failed to take the prey down in the first salvo, all five of the drones that fired would scatter & run away from the prey. The drone that didn't fire would lay low in the reeds, hopefully getting a clear shot if the prey tried to grab any of the others.
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Mondder
Apr 19, 2017 21:08:17 GMT -8
Post by House of D'Ordinii on Apr 19, 2017 21:08:17 GMT -8
==Z'har's Funeral SL==
<<106 PP; S4 Sector, Etti IV, Citadel>>
North of the Citadel, in an area that had previously been a restricted zone, a fair sized temporary city had sprung up. It was a city gathered for the sole reason of the upcoming funeral of Z'har. A wide avenue had been laid out extending from the newly created gate in the northern face of the Citadel's exterior wall. On either side of the avenue were massive stands, able to seat the literally millions of clan members that had gathered for the funeral. Beyond the stands, much of the area around was a mix of temporary prefabricated structures & parked spacecraft of nearly every type imaginable. At the far end of the new road, massive structures were already nearly capacity for the upcoming funeral parade. Meanwhile, storage room in the Citadel itself had already been cleared. The procession would pass down the entire length of the avenue before entering the Citadel & being stored there. The entire event would be capped by a speech by the new Aliit'alor, Aya.
Unlike the majority of clan craft, which were being carefully directed to landing spots outside the wall, Non's shuttle was cleared to land directly at the Citadel. Normally, any craft attempting to pass over the outer wall would be shot down immediately, but it was unusual circumstances.
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Non-Com Or'dinii
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Mondder
Apr 27, 2017 16:21:58 GMT -8
Post by Non-Com Or'dinii on Apr 27, 2017 16:21:58 GMT -8
NCO was jostled slightly by the turbulence of the rapid decent, he'd ordered. The pilot was exceeding safety parameters on this approach, because he knew his craft and his cargo could handle the rough ride with ease, as he'd done many times before, usually under intense AAA fire. So this was actually a relatively peaceful and uneventful approach. The shuttle plummeted toward the planet's surface, leveling out at two hundred meters altitude, it continued to race towards the citadel. Upon reaching the structure, the pilot pulled the shuttle up and around the structure to bleed excess velocity before landing at the designated pad. NCO was already standing by the boarding ramp, as the shuttle touched down, being accustomed to jumping out during the approach. As the ramp lowered he left the shuttle, stepping onto the pad before the ramp finished lowering. He wore his full beskar'gam, but no pack, and walked briskly into the Citadel, using his HUD to guide him to his sister's location. A simple task of asking one of the ancestors to guide him to her, and then following the displayed instructions. It even allowed his sister the option of sending him to RV point, to await her arrival, if she were preoccupied with the details of of the funeral, a likely scenario. A'den would have the same option, if he chose to follow NCO.
NCO would wait patiently and, if necessary, politely deal with any tasks handed him until Aya was available. Then he would greet her in usual mando fashion, trading forearms, then ask her if she needed anything, up to and including a mini-vacation to get away from everything for as much as a few days to deal with the grief or just de-stress. Organizing such a massive event was never easy, and being a short notice event on top of that only served to complicate things. NCO could keep things moving long enough for her to catch a breath, before the ceremony itself started.
Su cuy'gar Aya. What do you need? I can handle the details for a bit if you need a break, I'm sure you've been going non-stop since the news first reached you. Just let me know where to be and what you need done, I'll take care of it.
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Mondder
Apr 27, 2017 16:44:34 GMT -8
Post by Aya D'Ordinii on Apr 27, 2017 16:44:34 GMT -8
In order to keep the funeral from creeping into every moment, & to give the other support staff an area to work from, Aya had commandeered one of the temporary office spaces in the Citadel. It was there that the ancestor directed Non. She was the seemingly calm center of a small blizzard of activity. However, to those familiar enough with her personally would be able to tell she was burying herself in the work in other to keep her distracted from the issues until she had enough time to deal with them. The fact that her bodyguard was more or less hovering over her shoulder was a very clear indicator of that.
As Non entered, Aya waved off the remainder of the staff to go & greet him.
-Aya
Su'cuy Non. I need the room people.
It didn't talk long for the fairly small office to empty of people. Most of them already knew what needed to be done. The rest would just have to wait outside for a few minutes before they got their marching orders.
-Aya
It is surprising what a difference actually being in charge is from just holding the fort for someone else. I need someone to ride herd on the work details down on the road, but that can wait for a bit. Me'vaar ti gar?
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Non-Com Or'dinii
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Mondder
Apr 27, 2017 20:00:36 GMT -8
Post by Non-Com Or'dinii on Apr 27, 2017 20:00:36 GMT -8
NCO listened and a smile crept across his face as she commented on the difference between being an acting head, and actual head. He was familiar with the phenomenon, though not on such a grand scale. He dipped his head in acknowledgement of her new burden, and paused a moment before responding to her question, considering his words to be sure he wasn't being crude. The more abstract points of mando'a were not something he was particularly familiar with, so it took a moment to be sure he had the right words. He removed his helm, before responding. His voice was softer than it usually was, but still steady and calm. There was a hint of sadness in his face, but his eyes carried mostly the resolve to carry on where his buir had tread before him.
"Ni echoylir. Ni aalar aay'han. Ni mirdir bic ca'nara mir'jahaal, cin vhetin. Me'vaar ti gar?"
["I grieve. I feel the bitter-sweet memories of our time together. I think it is time to heal this wound, and start again. How are you?"]
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Mondder
Apr 27, 2017 20:28:31 GMT -8
Post by Aya D'Ordinii on Apr 27, 2017 20:28:31 GMT -8
-Aya
Ni atiniir. Umaan urmankalar buir kyr'adyc. Ni aalar darasuum
<I will survive. It is hard to believe he is dead. I always thought of him as immortal.>
She gives herself a little shake, as if setting her mind back on a different rail of thought. It was pointless to dwell on things that should have been.
-Aya
Gar kar'tayl ven'alor? Akay ad'ika ogir'olar echoy'la ori'vode yaim'ol. Gar kute kyr'bes jate'shya.
<You realize this will make you my only heir? At least until I have a few children reach age or my wandering brother decides to return. To be fair, you are a better fit for command than he would have been anyway.>
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Non-Com Or'dinii
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Mondder
Apr 28, 2017 14:53:57 GMT -8
Post by Non-Com Or'dinii on Apr 28, 2017 14:53:57 GMT -8
I listen quietly, knowing that listening is often more important than speaking. I'd never considered buir to be immortal, but then I'd met him after he settled down and become a business man. True he had been a man of great exploits and a long life, but all things come to an end. It was the way of things in the universe. I shrug a shoulder as she mentions me being the sole heir. It was an important note, but it also didn't matter to me. Aya still had most of her life ahead of her. Still, the time to bear children was seldom found within the schedule of an empress. I also didn't really care if I made a better or worse leader than Marcos. I'd met the man once, and he didn't seem the sort to desire an empire... then again, he was his father's son, so who knows? If he wanted the throne, he'd have a lot of work to do.
Enough about heirs, you can worry about that after we lay buir to rest. Tell me, what is your fondest memory of buir?
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Mondder
Apr 28, 2017 16:38:24 GMT -8
Post by Aya D'Ordinii on Apr 28, 2017 16:38:24 GMT -8
Aya thinks for a moment & laughs, a nearly unnoticed mask of stress fleeing her face for a few moments.
-Aya
I was trying to work through a third party contract. Two planets were attempting to cut a deal that would make help them both with the Clan as the moderator. The two I was working with couldn't come to terms anywhere. It had been deadlocked for month, neither one willing to give a centimeter, & me having to deal with them pretty much every day. Buir had been nearby overseeing something else, & as usual we talked a lot. I think I mentioned my growing annoyance with the two. One day, he walks right into the conference room. You have to understand, that was the first I knew he was even on the planet. He plants this huge blood covered axe in the table, goes 'Deal with her, or deal with me' & walks right back out.
Aya takes a moment, reflecting on the memory.
-Aya
He walked through the security of not only the best the two locals could provide, but my own as well, carry a giant blood splattered axe the whole way. I never did figure out where he got the axe, or the blood from. The blood was some animal or other. & he never did tell me how he got through the security. Regardless, two days later, the deal was hammered out & signed. I've still got that axe somewhere. It was always a good remind that he could still surprise me, even with how close we were. I don't think he ever shared all of himself with any one person.
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Aldross Umarov
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Mondder
May 5, 2017 19:16:50 GMT -8
Post by Aldross Umarov on May 5, 2017 19:16:50 GMT -8
Aldross felt a strange sensation in his gut - the need to turn back from the desert. He looked back for a moment to see if his hunters had caught up with him. As he looked, his eyes narrowed - for a brief moment, his vision extended as if he were standing back at the swamp. Aldross couldn't believe his eyes; he blinked twice and looked away, regaining himself in the desert.
"What just happened...?"
Aldross' whole body felt strange; a soft vibration emanating from his core spread throughout his entirety, claiming his attention - demanding not to be ignored. He closed his eyes and focused on that energy inside, feeling a new pulse that beat with his own heart in tandem. Aldross lost himself in that instant as time all around him ceased its normal flow. He opened his eyes again - as if for the first time - and found a grey-robed man standing before him.
"Who are you?"
The man laughed with a deathly familiarity, identical to Aldross. The man lowered his hood, revealing what the recruit had already assumed. Aldross say his own self staring back, a devilish smile playing across his lips, his face scarred from battle.
"Hello there," the man said with a slightly deeper resonance, "I've come to help you pass your first true test. There are many who are eager to see these results, Aldross. It's time to awaken before them - time to show them your true potential."
"You - you're me... What in the name of...? This - this is too much... what the hell are you!?"
The grey-robed Aldross smiled again, almost delighted to be given the chance to introduce himself. He simply bowed his head and placed his hand firmly against Aldross' chest.
"You are my reincarnation, young Mal'liik. I was born one thousand years to the day of your birth, in the unknown regions of space - just as you were. I have been waiting for the chance to give you our clan's power, Aldross."
Aldross shook his head and looked away, almost afraid to meet the gaze of his grey-robed self. His head was riddled with questions that had no time for answers, and his mind was plagued with doubt. He couldn't explain why, but part of him wanted to believe.
"Okay, sure. Reincarnation - happens in a lot of myths and legend-"
"Don't fool yourself, Mal'liik," the robed Aldross thundered quickly. He stepped forward and flicked his wrist gently, forcing his reincarnate to meet his gaze. "If you believe for a moment that you were born for any other purpose, forget it now. This is your calling - you must redeem our clan's honor. We met a terrible fate when we were cast out for our gifts, but you will show this age that we wield them in the name of our people."
"Surely there has to be someone better suited than me?" Aldross whined, almost pleading to not have to be whomever this strange version of himself wanted him to be... yet he had to believe it - it was happening right before his eyes. The grey-robed Aldross held tightly against the recruit, forcing visions of clan Mal'liik into his mind. Aldross could no longer deny it - he looked nearly identical with his ancestor.
"I think I understand... just... one more question. Who are you?"
"Alderoth Mal'liik," the ancestor replied with a smile. His hand left Aldross' chest and glowed with a pulsing red aura - the same pulse that Aldross felt just moments before. The aura spread around Alderoth and slowly consumed him, bathing him in a blanket of strong red light. The light whirled forward and slammed into Aldross' core, flooding into his very being. It was excruciatingly painful, forcing a lound and violent scream from every fiber of his being. His body seized for what seemed like a lifetime until Aldross collapsed. He was greeted by a mouthful of sand by the desert - a nice reminder for what had come before.
"Plagh, smooth - face first in a dune."
Time had resumed its natural course as Aldross turned to what looked like paradise - a lake with some sparse trees just beside the desert. His gut lurched as he drew closer, until finally he'd had enough. Aldross stood still and turned his head once more to see if more drones were on their way. He sighed and climbed to the top of the nearest dune to get a better view. He held up his hand to block out the simulated intensity of sunlight, concentrating on where he'd come from. As he narrowed his eyes, his vision tunneled forward.
"Damn, more are on the move... Shit, I can't go back... I'll have to keep on going to the lake."
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Post by House of D'Ordinii on May 6, 2017 9:47:28 GMT -8
==Recruitment SL==
<<106 PP; S4 Sector, Etti IV, Mondder>>
The hunting crew was a little surprised when the target dropped to his face while running. For a moment, they thought he had hit his limit. However, he quickly managed to get back to his feet & continue toward the reeds. Unfortunately for the hunters, none of the M1s were close enough to take advantage of the fall. On the other hand the brief fall had been enough to ensure that the three M1s looping around to have time to set up their ambush. The chasing drones however, did close in closer to him. Mainly it would be to drive him harder toward the ambush, but if he fell again, it would let them take him out quickly.
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Aldross Umarov
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Mondder
May 6, 2017 19:50:34 GMT -8
Post by Aldross Umarov on May 6, 2017 19:50:34 GMT -8
Aldross felt a sickness in his gut - not unlike fear, yet much more subtle. He could hear in the distance past the lake a soft humming noise. A slow vibration emanated forth from the humming, the noise giving shape to the vibration. The noise was mechanical and precise, yet it had its own life to it, and all of it felt too familiar.
"Terrific, more drones... it feels like they knew I would come here... But they must not notice me yet - that or they aren't firing for some reason... what's that?"
Aldross looked down at his cybernetic arm and noticed a loose-fitting panel. A few small wires sparked just beneath the panel every time Aldross moved the cybernetic limb. He dropped his M-CLAW and pulled the panel back to reveal an incredibly small zero-point energy generator hooked up to a small glowing stone. The stone was then hooked up to the rest of the limb's hollow insides via small wires; most likely the stone was some type of energy storage, like a battery. Maybe - just maybe - he could overcharge this stone and create an electromagnetic pulse that would render the rest of the drones nearby inert - yet in doing so would disable his own limb. He glanced over his shoulder one last time to see the drones closing in on him.
"It's do or die..."
Aldross fished out a small magnet from inside the M-CLAW that lay at his feet - the magnet burried into a propulsion system that required no explosion to create, hence the lack of any form of blasting powder. He took the magnet in one hand and ripped the stone out from his left arm, causing his fingers to briefly seize until falling completely limp. The stone glowed with a feint red aura as Aldross grabbed hold of it. He pulled a few wires out and wrapped up the stone, placing it and the magnet back into his M-CLAW. He pulled a few more wires that were attached directly to his nervous system and fiddled around with the rest of the parts until he had his EMP. His left arm tingled from the energy he felt building up in the stone.
"Breathe, Aldross... Breathe... that's the key to energy... breathe..."
It was no small effort that Aldross exerted to feed his own life energy into the stone; he wasn't even sure what he was doing or how, only that it would mean the difference between passing - and being passed over. He pointed his newly-fashioned EMP arm out towards the drones that chased him and begged his idea to work in prayer-like fashion. He felt an immense power radiate forth from his arm, fused with electromagnetic energy and his very own life energy. A gust of wind pulled in toward the energy before shooting outright in all directions, booming forth like atomic fire and disabling the pursuing drones. In that instant, Aldross ran over towards his pursuers in the desert to find that all were belly-up, twitching with an occasional electric spark - not unlike a dead animal.
"I... I don't believe it... I'm a - a Jedi......?"
Awe-stricken as he was, Aldross couldn't delay. He tore apart the drones and found enough scrap metal to fashion a new make-shift shield against any more drones that were sure to find him weakened without his left arm. Aldross looked up at the sky - darkness was on the approach as the mid-day sun kissed the horizon in a beautiful purple-red. He trekked back through the desert once more, on his way to the safety of the swamps past the steppe.
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Mondder
May 6, 2017 20:14:11 GMT -8
Post by House of D'Ordinii on May 6, 2017 20:14:11 GMT -8
==Recruitment SL==
<<106 PP; S4 Sector, Etti IV, Mondder>>
The hunter team had been rather surprised by the man working a chunk of his arm into an EMP grenade while on the run. The graders however, had spotted what was going on & were sure to get video copies of the hunter teams face when it went off. The pictures would to a fair bit to deflate the egos of several of them. However, shock turned into disbelief as the man decided to take the time to try & loot the downed drones. If he had grabbed one & run he might have made it. Or if the other drone had been farther away. As it was though, the ambush group had a nearly perfect set up to jump him. At that range, with three drones firing & no cover close enough to hide behind, the man being tagged was pretty much a foregone conclusions.
The testers however, where still fairly impressed. He had managed to take out seven of the ten drones. That was a better score than had been seen in the last few years at least. It was easily enough to be considered a pass. Now it would just be a case of processing him through orientation & shipping him off to a Recon unit for whatever training they had in store for him there.
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Aldross Umarov
Member
Posts: 20
Affiliation: Self
Traffic Light: Green
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Mondder
May 6, 2017 20:58:31 GMT -8
Post by Aldross Umarov on May 6, 2017 20:58:31 GMT -8
Aldross felt a sharp prick in his neck - a small metalic dart. He heard the whirring of an alarm and turned to see the remaining drones all pointing their guns at him. The man dropped to his knees and slammed his right fist down hard into the sand. He knew that he did exceptionally well, yet he still wanted more. He looked over at the drones pointing their guns at his face. A part of him wanted them to try and shoot at him, just so he would have a reason to tear them to pieces. He seethed with anger, the very air around him almost vibrating. He took a few deep breaths and calmed down enough to spot a transport shuttle hovering just above him. He saw yet another familiar sight - the female officer he'd competed against in the basic recruit training. She gave him a smile and offered him a hand into the shuttle.
==Katreya==
"Hello again, Aldross. You've turned quite a few heads today. C'mon up, we'll take you back to processing."
The young recruit did as he was bade and gracefully accepted Katreya's gesture of kindness. He grabbed her hand firmly with his right as she hauled him up and into the shuttle before it lifted into the skies above. He took a seat across from the officer, the latter regarding his cybernetic limb with interest.
==Katreya==
"So how did you managed to reverse-engineer your arm mid-run?"
==Aldross==
"I don't really want to talk about it... I didn't do my best out there - I stopped to search for better cover and got shot like damn fool."
Katreya was silenced by Aldross' evident disappointment. She cleared her throat and placed both her hands gently down on her lap, letting out a soft sigh. Aldross was far too preoccupied to even notice anything from her at this point. He was still angry with himself for losing - even if the objective was merely to survive. He didn't enjoy failure - especially if the failing was his. To him, this was his chance to show these people that he was the best - and he blew it. A stray tear fell down his cheek, yet Aldross was quick to make a loud sniff and rubbed his right arm across his face.
==Katreya==
"You know, it's been at least a decade since a new recruit was actually able to defeat more than six drones during this exercise. To purpose is to survive - to outlive."
==Aldross==
"Please don't. I appreciate what you're doing, but stop. I failed. Don't coddle me."
==Katreya==
"You passed, Mellik. And before we continue, let's get one thing straight-"
Katreya stood from her seat in the shuttle and slammed her fist against Aldross' right shoulder. It didn't hurt, yet it got his attention.
==Katreya==
"We don't have time for self-pity - not to mention it suits you very ill. What happened to that grin you came in with?"
The female officer gave Aldross a wrap over his shoulder again, looking down at him with a playful smirk. Aldross returned her smile with a smaller one of his own. At this, Katreya was pleased. She sat back down in her seat and folded her arms down on her lap.
==Katreya==
"See? That's a more handsome look for you. Now let's get you out of here and over to processing."
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Mondder
May 7, 2017 22:10:12 GMT -8
Post by House of D'Ordinii on May 7, 2017 22:10:12 GMT -8
==Recruitment SL== <<106 PP; S4 Sector, Etti IV, Mondder>> The shuttle was little more than a small cargo space, some replusors & a drone brain. It didn't really need anything else as it was designed for closed systems like the training dome. It took the craft very little time to cross the distance the trainee had covered & return its two passengers back to the entrance area.-Instructor Congratulations. You may not have lasted very long time wise, but you scored rather well thanks in part to the number of drones you managed to take out before being tagged. You will have a few short lectures to sit through for processing, but pretty much everything is learned hands on so they are only going to be covering the really important bits.Before heading over to processing, they made a quick stop by the medical station to get his arm back working again. The processing building was rather straightforward. The first stop was getting him a pair of HUD goggles. Of course that included a crash course in the standard systems & how to personalize them. After that he was issued a small case with a number of metal chips contained with in it & told not to lose it. Next up was a short speech on how the awards worked in the D'Ordinii. After that he was shuffled over to the recruit's barracks. While it was called a barracks, it was actually fairly well appointed. The rooms weren't luxurious by any stretch, but he would only be spending one night there. There were also a number of food shops, parlors & even a dance club within the area in order to help pass the time or celebrate getting the position the recruits had wanted. |
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Aldross Umarov
Member
Posts: 20
Affiliation: Self
Traffic Light: Green
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Mondder
May 8, 2017 15:04:32 GMT -8
Post by Aldross Umarov on May 8, 2017 15:04:32 GMT -8
Aldross felt a sense of familiarity - one that seemed to haunt him about everything Mandalorian - as he placed his HUD goggles over his eyes. It was interesting to see all of the different things the goggles now allowed him to notice. Before he entered the barracks, he turned back to his guide and regarded him with a smile.
==Aldross==
"If you could let somebody know about my ship - I believe it's still in one of the city's hubs. It's the Collector; small freighter, got low-emitting ion engines for... nevermind - if you could let a docking authority know about it so it can be locked up, I'd appreciate it. I would owe you big time."
==Officer==
"I believe we've already sent someone to do exactly that. By the way - if you leave the base, you'll need an M1 to follow you out. It's just standard procedure for all of our recruits."
==Aldross==
"Thank you. And yes, they mentioned something about a drone tagging me if I leave. I think I'm going to lay down for a bit - I'm pretty exhausted."
==Officer==
"That's not a bad idea - you'll probably be shipping out tomorrow; I will leave you to your rest then - and congratulations on making recon."
Aldross walked slowly over towards an open bunk to lay his head. His mind was still racing with questions that had the most unbelievable answers and plagued his thoughts constantly. He'd heard of the Jedi - had even heard of the force - but never thought he was one, or if he even had the potential to be one. He couldn't deny it,
though; only moments before had his adrenaline become something more than mere biology could explain. Still, it was enough to give him hope that he would find purpose among these people.
==Aldross==
"I must be more tired than I thought... I can't even see straight - and my head-"
Once more could he feel that pulsing energy that flowed through him. It almost hurt to listen to, and he could hear more than that pulse. Cries and lamenting moans filled his ears like echos, repeating and fading. It was too much for him; Aldross held his hands against his ears as the room spun before him, trying desperately to silence whatever he was hearing. His arms trembled as his whole body shook in pain, as if small blades slashed up and down in all directions around him. A few small waves of energy pulsed out from him, like a violent aura that threw much of what was around him to the ground - not unlike the quakes of a planet with heavy tectonic activity. Aldross forced his eyes shut and screamed - almost begging his pain to stop - until at last it had relented. When he opened his eyes, he saw the face of a woman. She wasn't in front of him at all,
only her face, and she didn't even regard him. As he focused, he could see all the pain he had felt emanating from her. She then took notice of him and smiled in a horribly devilish grin before vanishing completely.
==Aldross==
"She... she was beautiful... but that pain? Who is she?"
Pale-pink skin, with long, bright-red hair and piercing red eyes; she was a Zeltron, that much was certain - but that still left only more questions to plague Aldross' mind as he tried to lay back down to rest. He begged an answer to at least her name... then it came to him, a whisper on the wind. Lucy.
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Mondder
May 8, 2017 17:15:25 GMT -8
Post by House of D'Ordinii on May 8, 2017 17:15:25 GMT -8
==Recruitment SL== <<106 PP; S4 Sector, Etti IV, Mondder>> The landing hubs were never truly silent. Ships came & went constantly, however there was less traffic at night due to fewer pilots wishing to leave during the middle of the local night. Like most spaceports, the hub had a few heavy tugs on hand that were large enough to lift an entire medium freighter. Normally, they were used for impound orders from the local law enforcement or to tow ships that had been left longer than the pad hand been rented. Every now & again, a local owner would find it simpler to pay a fee & have their ship moved to another location than to fly it there themselves. One of these craft was the Collector. The ship would be moved to a nearby dedicated Clan landing area. There it would be loaded & secured in a stasis container. From there, the container would be lifted into orbit & loaded into the next available Clan D'Ordinii cargo ship. It would then be transported to one of the Clan's secure long term storage facilities hidden deep in interstellar space. From there, it could be retrieved from anywhere in the galaxy, as long as the person was willing to wait for it to be shipped.Back at the assessment facility, a minor disturbance is recorded & logged into the personal records of one of the new recruits. For the moment, little could be done beyond keeping a steady eye on the recruit to judge for possibilities of threat from uncontrolled outbursts. Bright & early the next morning, many of the new recruits were (in some cases literally) rolled out of bed by the morning crew. It was expected that the recruits would party overly much the night before. To that end, the morning crew personnel were armed with handheld geneprint scanners that informed them exactly where the person was supposed to be heading. It was often simpler than trying to get useful information out of sleeping, hungover, or in some cases still drunk recruits. The security systems did however, make special note of those that were awake & alert. Either by moderation or natural resistance. In either case, it was a positive note in the still fresh records of the recruits. Though, to be fair, the others were not penalized for their state. In many ways, the Clan felt that as long as the work got done well & on time, citizens were free to monitor themselves. Getting the recruits underway was a surprisingly streamlined process as they were bundled into shuttles to be taken to the various craft that would take them on their way. Most would find themselves aboard one of the many passenger ships that the Clan operated, traveling alongside the paying passengers to their next layover. For the one recruit that was joining the illustrious Recon force, the trip would only take a week to reach the nearby Bonadan system |
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Non-Com Or'dinii
Member
Posts: 461
Affiliation: Mandalorian Clan Or'dinii
Traffic Light: Blue
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Mondder
May 18, 2017 15:58:10 GMT -8
Post by Non-Com Or'dinii on May 18, 2017 15:58:10 GMT -8
Aya thinks for a moment & laughs, a nearly unnoticed mask of stress fleeing her face for a few moments.-Aya I was trying to work through a third party contract. Two planets were attempting to cut a deal that would make help them both with the Clan as the moderator. The two I was working with couldn't come to terms anywhere. It had been deadlocked for month, neither one willing to give a centimeter, & me having to deal with them pretty much every day. Buir had been nearby overseeing something else, & as usual we talked a lot. I think I mentioned my growing annoyance with the two. One day, he walks right into the conference room. You have to understand, that was the first I knew he was even on the planet. He plants this huge blood covered axe in the table, goes 'Deal with her, or deal with me' & walks right back out.Aya takes a moment, reflecting on the memory.-Aya He walked through the security of not only the best the two locals could provide, but my own as well, carry a giant blood splattered axe the whole way. I never did figure out where he got the axe, or the blood from. The blood was some animal or other. & he never did tell me how he got through the security. Regardless, two days later, the deal was hammered out & signed. I've still got that axe somewhere. It was always a good remind that he could still surprise me, even with how close we were. I don't think he ever shared all of himself with any one person.
I nodded my head, and spoke in a soft voice that carried well, despite it's lack of volume.Buir was good at that, redefining what most considered impossible as merely improbable. I hope that I can continue that legacy of his in my own small way. He took me in when I was nothing, less than the dust on his boots... now I can blink and send thousands like me to their deaths, or to save millions more. I pause, drifting through the past in my own head. It had been rough, mostly by choice, but even the rough bits had served to polish and sharpen my skills and understanding. Buir had guided me as I went, letting me choose for my self, but warning me when I approached unseen dangers and mistakes from lack of experience. He'd taught me, and many others well. He would be sorely missed. Buir never lost his roots, never tired of dirty boots, and still built the greatest empire the galaxy has seen. True, his holdings might be lesser than other empires, but his rule was infinitely better than any other's. And if the last few months are any indicator, you'll easily surpass his achievements as you continue to build his legacy for us all. The clan is yours now, we look to you, but we're also here to shield and support you. Remember you will never be alone, so long as this clan breathes.NCO watched Aya, trying to gauge just how well she was holding together. She seemed to have everything under control, but he knew better than most what a mask could do for a person trying to hide their emotions. He wanted to be sure she was as okay as she wanted everyone to believe. NCO removed his gauntlets and moved behind her chair and attempted something he'd seen others do, but never had a reason to do himself, massage her shoulders, neck and upper back. The tension was clear, even to his cool smooth fingers. He tried to trace the muscles gently, willing the knots of flesh to fade. |
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