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Post by Shaman Odin Alfodr on Apr 9, 2013 7:15:10 GMT -8
*Mandalore was covered in a rich natural landscape, largely unspoiled due to its sparse sentient population. The world was blanketed in lush veshok tree forests, dense jungle, sprawling hills and grassland well suited to farming, inhospitable deserts of white sand, and numerous rivers, lakes, and seas.*
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2013 12:20:56 GMT -8
The Mandalore-assigned Mobile Mining Platform, a ship type commonly shortened to MMP, was a rather lonely outpost. Despite being on the capital planet of the Mandalorian Empire, as well as part of another, much less military inclined empire (MandalMine Collective), it was still just a small, out-of-the-way outpost. Despite the small size (only the size of a light freighter) & crew (only about 30) of the outpost, it was still far more important than appeared at first glance. After all, every gram of beskar ore in the galaxy that had been mined in nearly the last half a century had come from this one, mobile, mine.
Most of the crew knew that the MMP wouldn't be here much longer though. The MandalMine Collective (whose logo was printed on the side of the ship) had been sinking a veritable fortune into completely reworking how the company operated. One of the many changes was that the older MMP design had been retired, & was being replaced by the newer Resource Extraction Platform (REP) design. This would be one of the last MMPs retired due to the eggheads in R&D wanting to make sure that all the errors were ironed out before one was put at this important location.
Until then, however, opperations continued as normal.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2013 6:27:17 GMT -8
A small notice appeared on the schedule. If anyone had been watching the screen when it appeared, they would have noticed that it lacked several of the normal attachments. However, most of the mining officers were busy elsewhere at the time. As it was, the notice wasn't spotted until the evening checks. By that time any chance of spotting something wrong was minimal. The message was simple & to the point.
Experimental mining droid in route. Test & report.
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Ael Jade
The Jedi Order - Corellian Jedi Academy
Posts: 1,544 
Affiliation: Corellian Jedi Order
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Post by Ael Jade on Sept 12, 2013 10:57:16 GMT -8
A nondescript freighter dropped out of hyperspace over Mandalore as a proximity alarm pinged on a display panel. The pilot shook herself, jabbed a finger at the cutoff switch, and angled down towards the planet below. Jade yawned, definitely ready to stretch her legs, in spite of the odds she was currently playing against. To be sure, this flight had taken much longer than 'necessary' given that she'd zigzagged her way here, dropping out of hyperspace to change course in order to make it difficult for anyone to track down her point of origin. She flicked on her scanning sensors so she'd be able to reply quickly if anyone challenged her presence. As that had not happened yet, she headed toward the coordinates she'd been given, leading her to Mandalore's Mobile Mining Platform.
I settled my borrowed vessel into a slowly descending loop around the facility in order to see what was to be seen, as well as to delay the inevitable. Craning my neck to look back over my shoulder I could see at least three coolant hoses that looked like they'd been jury-rigged with duct-tape. My own fighter was no spit-and-polish beast, but at least I knew it wasn't going to randomly decide to break down and strand me in space with awkward explaining to do. Eventually, I smoothed my features into an expression of suitable boredom, and hailed the MMP before beginning my final approach.
"Greetings down below, Mining Platform," I paused, considering. The alertness factor didn't seem to be very high, in fact, maybe the occupants were bored as well? I resumed, endeavoring to be a bit more cheery, "this is the freighter...., I seem to have a delivery for you."
She almost smiled. Finally it seemed, the waiting was over. Well, in a sense anyway. She still 'waited' to see if anyone was awake down below.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2013 11:20:32 GMT -8
It was a few minutes before the station replied, as the call had woken up the person that was supposed to be watching for incoming craft. Most of the crew left of the station were not very alert, as they knew that they were just the skeleton crew left to watch the station until the new designs that were being put into service could replace it. While it would be another few months, it was still obvious that this was a boring, if necessary, job.
Copy that freighter, we have you on the schedule. You are free to land on the attached landing pad.
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Ael Jade
The Jedi Order - Corellian Jedi Academy
Posts: 1,544
Affiliation: Corellian Jedi Order
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Post by Ael Jade on Sept 13, 2013 13:02:15 GMT -8
I did not bother answering as my actions could speak for themselves. Instead, I dropped the freighter down neatly in the designated area and killed the power. I did not fully shut the systems down, just in case I needed to leave in a hurry. The Fates must have a sense of humour I thought. Mandalore was a planet that I had wanted to visit, although I had never envisioned my current circumstances. I unclipped my old friend's lightsaber and dropped it into a small compartment near my seat, haphazardly rummaging up a few emergency tools as well just in case someone decided to look. Then, I opened the hatch and unfolded myself from my cramped prison.
Dressed in black, cloaked in a voluminous outer robe of the same color, a petite female stepped to the ground, a long thin object dangling in her left hand. With one fluid motion she slung the katana over her shoulder to hang in its usual place on her back, at the same time pulling open the right side of her robe so her blaster was clearly visible. She had nothing to hide, and she wasn't about to seem in a noticeable hurry either. She leisurely looked back inside and picked up a datapad. She scrolled through a list of shipments and highlighted her current cargo and destination: mining droid, MMP, Mandalore. And then, she waited...for precisely three minutes before heading towards the facility.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2013 8:38:25 GMT -8
The vistor did not have far to walk, as the landing pad was actually connected to the MMP. The loading doors along one side of the landing pad were already open, while the sky above began to release the first drops of what looked to be an heavy shower.
Standing just inside the loading doors were a small collection of various beings. There were seven in all standing there, though it was obvious that the station was built for a much larger contingent. Beyond the seven waiting at the door, the only others in the station were the three currently dirrecting the mining droids from the control room, & one fiddling with the power systems.
As the woman walks up to the group, one of them waves, steps forward, & removes his helmet. He is an older man, probably in his late fifties, with very little hair.
-Old miner
Hi there. Vode or outsider? Eh, not that it matters. Let's hurry up & get your crate inside before the rain gets started.
With that, two of the other workers lead out a repulsorcart, while the others follow along to help out if needed.
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Ael Jade
The Jedi Order - Corellian Jedi Academy
Posts: 1,544
Affiliation: Corellian Jedi Order
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Post by Ael Jade on Sept 17, 2013 9:44:48 GMT -8
This looked too easy to me. However, I was here undercover and this is Mandalore itself. They were probably not expecting a strike against the core of their empire. The chief miner seemed to be on the verge of retirement. I twiddled the remote control for the cargo hatch, not even looking back as it popped open and revealed the prototype mining droid that I'd been tasked with delivering. This was the easy part. Unfortunately, it felt underhanded to me. I have always preferred to meet my enemies face to face. Still, now is not the time for regret, or worse, second thoughts, even though something about this place felt oddly familiar. I knew I hadn't seen it before, but... I reached out and handed the datapad to the man who'd addressed me, "If you'd just sign here? I'll be minus my bonus if the timestamp or delivery confirmation signature are lacking."
Green eyes narrowed within the depths of her hood as she looked up at the leader of the miners, "Outsider, what's it to ya?" There was an unplaceable accent lingering around the last bit of the question. Jade didn't normally speak in shortened vernacular. She shrugged as a few large drops of rain began to spatter down around her. "The sooner the better," as she gestured toward the open cargo bay, "you wouldn't have a decent flask of ale just lying about all lonely-like perhaps? Long, thirsty trip out here..." she let the words trail off, not willing to seem in a hurry to disappear.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2013 10:07:45 GMT -8
He nods, & quickly signs the pad. He wasn't surprised to find that she was an outsider, MandalMine Collective employed a fair number of them after all. As the others busied themselves with loading the crate onto the cart & getting it into the station, the older miner passed over a small hip flask.
-Old Miner
Just trying to be friendly. Some of us remember when the company only hired vode, but that was a while ago now. You want to come inside for a bite to eat, or did you have another delivery to make?
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Ael Jade
The Jedi Order - Corellian Jedi Academy
Posts: 1,544
Affiliation: Corellian Jedi Order
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Post by Ael Jade on Sept 22, 2013 19:30:36 GMT -8
Jade took the flask, unscrewed the cap, and swallowed a refreshing gulp of fiery liquid before passing it back to its owner. "Between you and me," she spoke confidentially, "I wouldn't be too surprised if that once again became the norm given the state of the galaxy at the moment and what it seems likely to become. Still," she shrugged, "I'll be making money on other worlds by then."
She calmly watched the unloading of her ship before replying. "Nice offer, but time is money, and speed is time. I think I'll be off. You have any tips on a nice place to refuel between here and the Outer Rim?"
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2013 6:11:53 GMT -8
The older man nods, though he doubts that the company would go back to the old ways anytime soon, the outsiders were just too useful. Quickly tapping out a bit of info on his datapad, he pops out the datacard & hands it over.
-OM
Here, this has a couple good stations you can stop by. All of them are within one jump & will get you back on your way again quickly.
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Ael Jade
The Jedi Order - Corellian Jedi Academy
Posts: 1,544
Affiliation: Corellian Jedi Order
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Post by Ael Jade on Sept 30, 2013 13:56:29 GMT -8
Jade returned the flask to its owner, trading it for the datacard which she slipped into her own datapad after saving the delivery confirmation and signature in keeping with her persona as freighter looking for a bonus on a speedy cargo run. She smiled warmly, the barest hint of darkness lurking in the depths of her eyes as she headed back towards her ship.
"My thanks. If you are still about next time I swing through this area, I'll stand you a drink at the cantina of your choice."
She climbed into her ship the usual way, instead of leaping up as that would give her away. Keeping her motions to a deliberate procedural casualness she ran the customary preflight checks, and then blasted off from Mandalore's surface. She headed at a middling angle for the upper stratosphere, and as soon as she reached the outer edge of the planet's gravity well, punched the hyperdrive and jumped into the first leg of her zigzagging way back 'home.'
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2013 8:06:30 GMT -8
The crate was maneuvered to the turbolift located near the center of the ship. Once inside the miners & their cargo desended into the mine below. The inital chamber was rather large & bare, as it was primarily used as a staging area for much of the mining operation. Off to one side was a number of carved out chambers that serve as the storeage rooms for the mined beskar until it was shipped off to long term storeage sites. On the other side of the large chamber was the massive shaft that descends deep into the planet's crust. Several dozen KM-1 mining droids were present in the chamber, either entering the shaft or leaving it carry a load of ore.
Setting up near the center of the chamber, the mining crew triggered the crate to open. For a few minutes, the crew checked over the newly revealed machine. After making a brief report of their initial reactions, the crew triggered the droid's start-up function. Once the droid was fully operational, it was quickly set to a number of simple tasks to test its basic operating programming. Once those were done, secondary much more complex tasks were presented to the device. Several hours later, the device was ready for the mining tests. After the crew had suited up to be able to function in the harsh environment of the mine, the droid & crew boarded a small skiff that carried them deep into the mine. Once there the droid spend several more hours working in the mine under the careful oversight of the testing crew. Eventually the droid & crew reboarded the skiff & returned to staging area. There the droid was deactivated & returned to its crate.
Several hours later, the crate opened itself & the droid within reactivated. Making its way unobserved to the lift, the droid made its way back in the station above. The droid met none of the crew as it made its way through the station toward the reactor room. Only after it had entered the room did it encounter anyone. Inside was a crew member working on one of the shielding plates of the reactor. He quickly discovered that mining tools tend to be rather more effective on flesh than stone. A few moments later a flash of light lit the landscape.
Once the blast had cleared away, all that was left of the station was a rather deep crater glowing both with heat & radioactive material.
Mining Droid Report Log
Initial Reactions: The pre-start reaction of the test crew is vaguely negative. The humanoid form was initially seen as a positive factor, but it was quickly pointed out that the form was not the most efficient form for a mining device. Additionally, the droid possessed no obvious vertical travel function, such as climbing claws or repulsorlift. This would necessitate a complete rework of most pre-existing mining sites, as well as preventing it's use in zero-G sites. Finally, the machine's general form is noted to have varied greatly from previous examples of equipment.
Calibration Tests: Droid functioned exceptionally well during calibrations. It performed well above the basic mining droid models currently in use at the site in every tested field. The droid's reaction time & dexterity was incredible, far above the current models in use at the testing mine. The maximum load of the model was also quite impressive, however it could be increased further with a non-humanoid base shape. Finally, the droid moved at a rate of speed that is truly remarkable for a labour droid.
Run Tests: Droid functioned acceptably during advanced testing. However, a few shocking oversights were recorded. Testing of structural stability recognition showed a lack of reaction to unstable rock structures that could lead to widespread cave-ins in the case of deployment in current state of the droid. The Droid also showed a lack of hazardous environmental factors such as explosive gases.
Mining Tests: Overall the droid functioned acceptably, but extensive rework is suggested before full-scale production, based mainly on the above recommendations.
Finial Reactions: ............. LOG RECORDING TERMINATED.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2013 16:44:47 GMT -8
The bridge of REP 11309 was much like the bridge of every other REP. An over-sized command chair sat in the middle of the room crowded with terminal banks. Sitting in this chair was James Lackeyman. He was a generally laid back kind of man & until recently he had been the XO of one of the many transport ships operated by Blue Shift Transportation. Being transferred back & forth between the various companies that made up MandalMine Collective was fairly common as one progressed up the ladder.
Today Captain Lackeyman was here on rather specific orders. He was to discover the reason for the communication blackout that had occurred at the Mandalore station. According to his records, it was one of the last of the older MMPs still active. As the large spacecraft maneuvered itself to the coordinates listed for the station, it quickly became apparent to the crew something was very wrong. The first indication that something was wrong was the fairly ominous glow on the horizon in the direction of the station. The second ominous sign was the glowing crater & huge area of devastated landscape centered on where the station was supposed to be. Quickly sending an alert out to the HQ on Etti IV, the REP settles into a holding pattern above the glowing crater.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 10, 2013 7:28:52 GMT -8
What little investigation that could be done at what was left of the site was finished. There wasn't much in the crater to look at after all. Any real information would have to come from the security logs stored back on Etti IV.
Now work had begun to try & reach the mines that had been below the station. It wasn't yet possible to tell if any of them had managed to survive the blast, but even if they hadn't, the beskar itself was still there. It would be some time before they would reach the mines however due to the hazards presented by the blast site.
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Liam Blood
Member
Posts: 102 
Affiliation: Mandalore
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Post by Liam Blood on Aug 16, 2014 16:03:07 GMT -8
By the time the Lame Llama touched down on Mandalore's surface, Liam had learned a fair number of details about the cornerstones of Mandalorian culture. It was a simple but distinct philosophy of duty to one's family, and to their clan. Aliit, Liam mentally corrected himself. Around Liam and his companions, first a few, then most of the others in the hold got ready to disembark, collecting various belongings and pushing back the crates and containers that had served as seats and tables. Liam had only a small holdall with him in addition to his weapons and the clothes on his back, so he was ready to go as soon as he stood. With a nod to the silent Wookiee, Liam preceded his two Mando companions off the ship among the tide of beings that made their way out through the single internal hatch and through to the boarding ramp.
Once on solid ground, the three men made their way out of the spaceport and into the surrounding town. After a brief discussion, they decided to find somewhere to eat, then head out to meet some of Borri's clan. Jorun made a comlink call, and organized for some of his own clan to meet them outside of town. One of them had a farm nearby that would serve as a meeting place. While Jorun set that up, Liam and Borri had discovered a stall in a small market that served roasted nerf wrapped in crispy dough. The men ate like starving neks, and then headed out to the farmstead.
The farmstead was a fairly rustic looking place, squat buildings that could have passed for bunkers; indeed they were built as such, surrounded by small but healthy looking paddocks of grass and various edible plants in minor commercial quantities. As Liam, Borri and Jorun made their way up the path that led towards the outbuildings, they soon spotted and were spotted by the dozen or so armored warriors from Clans Viszla and Skirata that had made their way here from Keldabe and other towns. A round of loud and ribald greetings were exchanged, Liam recognized a common exchange of Su'cuy and Su'cuy'gar; Mando'a that went "So, youre still not dead", a greeting for warriors that encapsulated the nature of the Mandalorian's lifestyle.
Liam watched how the two Clans were mostly amiable towards one another, but there were two distinct groups for all their comradely banter. Though they all claimed common cause as Mando'ade, no two Clans were alike, and there could be friction between them. Liam stood with Borri as he finished greeting his brothers, his Vode, and introduced him to the Skirata warriors, all of whom wore full armor with helmets either worn, or clipped to a belt, revealing that most, but not all were male human, and several were women, though all the females were human. Mandalorians didn't discriminate about species or gender. They respected talent, skill and strength as well as intelligence, and that rang true with Liam, who had always found that the most sensible way to live life. They greeted Liam warily but respectfully. He knew to them he was Aruetii; a stranger, an outsider. Not one of us, said the eyes that looked his way. Not one of you yet, Liam's friendly but resolute gaze replied. He would need to prove himself.
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Spectre
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Posts: 273
Affiliation: The Moon Goddess/ Dha Werda Verda
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Post by Spectre on Aug 16, 2014 18:32:26 GMT -8
*Just after Pantora and relearning his Clan name. Several Months before the meeting. He sat in the terrain, buy'ce off, in the open fields. He waited. A future Vode expressed interest in joining the Clan. An odd request. Considering the recent failure of the Mandalorian Crusade. Nevertheless he was here and waiting. Waiting to see if he had what it took to be a Clan leader. Waiting to see if this future Vode had what it took to be Clan Skirata. He waited. Patiently.*
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Liam Blood
Member
Posts: 102
Affiliation: Mandalore
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Post by Liam Blood on Aug 17, 2014 14:59:40 GMT -8
Liam noticed the blonde Mando'ad sitting on his own off to one side of the gathering. Taking in the man's features and trying and failing to identify his species, Liam gave up and instead resolved to find out for himself.
Liam tapped Borri on the shoulder and nodded to let the other know he was heading apart. Borri nodded in agreement, and Liam stepped away and approached the solitary man. He gave the man a tight but friendly smile, such as one would give to a stranger in polite company, and inclined his head slightly in greeting. Knowing few words in Mando'a, and knowing that to speak even haltingly was likely to produce a reply in rapid-fire speech too fast for him to have a chance of following, Liam bit the proverbial bullet, and spoke Basic, even as he knew it would mark him as Aruetiise.
Nice day to be outdoors.
He took a closer look at the Mando's armor, noting the weaponry; a formidable array, and mentally assigning himself the task of designing and acquiring his own armor and weapons. Plain civilian clothes and only a blaster and vibroblade made you practically a naked man holding a sharp stick on Mandalore, it seemed to Liam.
I reckon i've come underdressed to this party. Where can I get myself a set up like yours?
It was as good a start as he could manage. He hoped this man wasn't one of the closed-mouthed, unfriendly types he'd met among the Mandalorians he had worked with before. If he was, he was half a chance to pull a blaster or two and tell Liam to piss off. If not, well, this might be the start of something very interesting indeed, and who knew where the path would take him?
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Spectre
Member
Posts: 273
Affiliation: The Moon Goddess/ Dha Werda Verda
Traffic Light: Blue
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Post by Spectre on Aug 19, 2014 7:33:58 GMT -8
Liam noticed the blonde Mando'ad sitting on his own off to one side of the gathering. Taking in the man's features and trying and failing to identify his species, Liam gave up and instead resolved to find out for himself.Liam tapped Borri on the shoulder and nodded to let the other know he was heading apart. Borri nodded in agreement, and Liam stepped away and approached the solitary man. He gave the man a tight but friendly smile, such as one would give to a stranger in polite company, and inclined his head slightly in greeting. Knowing few words in Mando'a, and knowing that to speak even haltingly was likely to produce a reply in rapid-fire speech too fast for him to have a chance of following, Liam bit the proverbial bullet, and spoke Basic, even as he knew it would mark him as Aruetiise.Nice day to be outdoors. He took a closer look at the Mando's armor, noting the weaponry; a formidable array, and mentally assigning himself the task of designing and acquiring his own armor and weapons. Plain civilian clothes and only a blaster and vibroblade made you practically a naked man holding a sharp stick on Mandalore, it seemed to Liam.I reckon i've come underdressed to this party. Where can I get myself a set up like yours? It was as good a start as he could manage. He hoped this man wasn't one of the closed-mouthed, unfriendly types he'd met among the Mandalorians he had worked with before. If he was, he was half a chance to pull a blaster or two and tell Liam to piss off. If not, well, this might be the start of something very interesting indeed, and who knew where the path would take him?
" Me'copaani aruetii?"
*Spectre can see he's still sizing him up. It wasn't threatening but it was annoying. Finally, the man states in a passive way that he's looking to join and get himself some iron skin aka beskar'gam. Spectre does his best not to roll his eyes. Even if it wasn't in mando'a, and a thin challenge the boy made his wishes be known. Spectre speaks in a condescending tone that was painfully obvious in the basic tongue. So the boy could resonate some understanding.*
"So you saw some iron skin and thought, 'Hey that's pretty nifty! Where can I get some?' I hate to bust your bubble outsider, but Beskar'gam is earned. Not given or handed out. A sacred right bestowed upon Mando'ade, not aruetiise asking for a handout."
*His point made, he lets it sink in for a bit.*
"The only way you get yourself some iron skin is by getting it the hard way. By joining a Clan. You want in? You better ask with more conviction than a passive way than you just did." |
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Liam Blood
Member
Posts: 102
Affiliation: Mandalore
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Post by Liam Blood on Aug 20, 2014 5:47:37 GMT -8
Liam truly loved these people. They took no grief from anyone, not even their own, and no man was exalted beyond what he had earned. He'd known that he would need to prove himself more than just another aruetii to them. The condescending tone made the other's feelings toward him clear.
Liam stepped forward and puffed out his chest. My name is Liam Blood. I want in. The hard way.He widened his smile, till he was grinning at Spectre.
Meanwhile, other vode had overheard the conversation, drawn by Spectre's tone, and several heads had turned to regard the exchange. Liam noticed, but his attention remained fixed on the Mandalorian before him. He could think of several clever remarks, even a few Mando insults to hurl back, but that would prove little. He knew he didn't speak Mando'a, so did these others. Pretending otherwise was stupid, and not really honorable. What he knew, but these others probably would not, was despite the fact he was an aruetii, with no beskar'gam of his own, he was a capable fighter. That left only one option to him. Liam was careful to keep his hands off his weapons. If the other wanted to escalate this further, Liam would leave that decision to him. He had no desire to kill a man whom he would call vod.
How many times do I need to put you on your shebs? Liam relaxed his leg muscles and threw a left handed straight punch at the bridge of Spectre's nose. The area around erupted with cheers and shouts of "OYA!" as the others broke off their conversations and quickly formed a ring, a battle circle, around Liam and Spectre, giving them plenty of room. Liam held no particular malice towards his erstwhile opponent, and though he wasn't sure he would win this fight, he would prove to them he was made of sterner stuff than your average spacer. If the man wanted to take him down, Liam was going to make him work for it. He would start off by proving that he was prepared to take on an armored Mando hand-to-hand with a disadvantage, and win or lose, they should respect him.
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