Ship Travel

[23:33]  The Mandalorian Protector's fighter landed in the streets of Onderon eventually, its central city of Iziz. He descended down his Protectorate fighter's wing, heaved the Z-6 jetpack upon his back and latched it appropriately, and then came to a halt just ahead of Ordo, who too seemed to have exited her vessel, "How'd it go with the helmet, vod?"

[23:37] Shev'la Skirata walks over to the nearby corner to investigate the arrival of a shuttle.

[23:41] Nicci Ordo exited her ship, still sore from the fight, helmet fully repaired as anyone could see by looking at her.  The doors closed to the ship behind her and it flew off, in order to not block the streets.  "Fine." she answered, nodding to Shev as the departure of the ship suddenly revealed him.

[23:49] Soron 's visor focused upon Shev, and his back seemed to straighten out. It then popped, and his body briefly exemplified the pain with a wince. He offered the man a curt nod, "Su cuy'gar, ner alor. Clans Ruus'la and Kryze are also informed and prepared for a council rally to take place (Friday 9th @ 6 PM SLT), as is Ordo I believe." he glanced Nicci's way.

[00:03] Shev'la Skirata looks to Soron "Lek... I've finished doing what we discussed... I should be at that meeting provided nothin' pops up." He returned Nicci's nod.

[00:05] Nicci Ordo nodded also, "I am still waiting to hear from ner Alor but if he is not present, I will be.  Eh, I probably will be either way if Alor'ad are permitted to attend that is."

[00:07]  "I don't believe having more than one Mandalorian representative per Clan is necessary, it'll clutter discussions and create imbalances. Alore should attend, or Clan representatives in their stead. The rally will be recorded and summarized for broadcast distribution to the Clans, hopefully with a figured-out direction for the Mandalorians."

[00:09] Soron said all that, obviously. :)

[00:10] Shev'la Skirata nods "I think we should leave that ultimately up to the Aliit'alore... that being said.." He looks over to the two "I'm gonna get somethin' to drink and pass out... you two have a good one." He waves them off as he walks away. "K'oyaci."

[00:12] Nicci Ordo shrugged, "Alright Soron, I guess if only Alore are invited, then you and I can go hunt down that Siith you mentioned.  If we have not bagged him already by then. They don't want them alive do they?" she asked, sort of having no intention of leaving them alive.

[00:14] Soron raised a gloved hand towards Shev, offering him a wave, "K'oyaci, vod." before focusing on Nicci, "I tracked the target to Byss. The Great Hunt doesn't often specify what to do with the targets, so given we're hunting a sorcerer, I'd recommend we stage an ambush and assault her thoroughly -- leave her for dead."

[00:16] Nicci Ordo nodded to Shev as he said he was going to leave.  "Let's have a drink sometime Shev.  See how well you can hold it against an Ordo." she grinned.  She turned to Soron, "How about instead of leaving them for dead, we throw them into the lava until their organs melt?  That sounds more....fulfilling."

[00:17] Shev'la Skirata "Or strap detonite around their necks and watch their heads pop.... I'll take you up on that drink sometime." He turned to continue his exit.

[00:19] Soron 's head visibly tilted aside, and his visor glanced between the two, before he shook his head, "Nayc. That sounds like overkill. Feeding them full of blaster bolts and projectiles should be satisfactory to eliminate the target. Worst comes to worst, we improvise with tactics best used against Force users. I take it you were versed in them, Nicci?"

[00:19]  Soron spoke, as though an expert through experience.

[00:21] Nicci Ordo just stared at him through the cold blankness of her helmet. "Soron, overkill is how you do away with these sorceror types.  Otherwise they pull their voodoo osik and send their souls into some other osik body they have made in one of their disgusting freak labs and come back from the dead to murder you while you're taking a piss in the woods.  Kriff that."

[00:22] Shev'la Skirata yelled audibly "I'd prefer an air strike myself!" before finally departing.

[00:24] Soron exhaled a sharp snort past the helmet's filters, especially in response to Shev's distant outcry, "Well, as superb as Jedi powers may be, there are few things better than a good blaster at your side. We'll burn them if we have to, with our flamethrowers." he buzzed, "Engaging them in close quarters can be dangerous, but after they're weakened, doubling up on fiber-cord would ensure immobility."

[00:29] Nicci Ordo was silent a moment, looking up at Dxun clearly showing in the Onderon night sky.  "Could always...just glass Byss..." she contemplated out loud.  She always sounded serious, so it was REALLY hard to tell when she was joking or not.

[00:31]  "By Kad Ha'rangir, are you Ordos /all/ the same?" Soron buzzed, even personally uncertain whether or not his question was rhetorical, "/That/ most certainly is an overkill, and borderline dishonorable. We should stick to professional conduct, no need for collateral damage if we can avoid it, right, crusader?" he buzzed -- probably joking? Also hard to tell.

[00:33] Nicci Ordo just grunted, "We're Ordo.  We aren't all the same, but you know, certain things run in the family.  And these Sith have no honor.  They would shoot you in the back unarmed in the blink of an eye and kidnap your children to do horrific experiments on them, ruining them for the rest of their lives," she snapped.  The very same had happened to her, though she did not say that, again, influence gain was needed.  "They deserve overkill, and are unworthy of honorable deaths." she retorted back.  She wasn't much a fan of glassing planets at all.  But for Byss she'd make an exception.

[00:38] Soron rolled both armored shoulders backwards passively, shaking his head in response, "I won't deny, sorcerers have interfered in Mandalorian affairs for millennia. Ancient Jedi demolished Mandalore the Ultimate's empire and broke our Clans during the Neo-Crusaders' conquests. Sith are no better, having repeatedly beguiled the Mando'ade into serving as their shock troops." he buzzed, "But two wrongs don't make a right, Nicci. Honorable conduct is necessary, otherwise we're mere savages, unworthy of being warriors. Overkill isn't honorable, and dishonor should be unacceptable."

[00:43] Nicci Ordo chuffed, exhaust releasing from her helmet in a cloud of steam.  "What you call dishonor I call preventing further hardship for our people, particularly our children, at the hands of bloodthirsty murderers.  One of them once said 'Honor is a fool's prize, glory is of no use to the dead'.  People such as this do not deserve the honor you grant to them.  Your intentions, though noble, are wasted on people like this." she hissed through the helmet.  It may become apparent in her term this was a personal thing for her.  "This is your hunt, I am just along for the ride.  I will do as you request," she relented begrudgingly.

[00:46] Soron 's head tilted from side to side as he pondered deeply on her words. He eventually took a subtle step backwards, and inclined his head, "Right. All I request is you conduct yourself honorably, Mandalorian." he said before clearing his throat, "We ought to fly deeper -- into the Core Worlds, to Byss. We'll scout out the area and try mark our target. I've already set up probe droids for surveillance." he said, "My vessel fits one. Maybe we use yours?"

[00:53] Nicci Ordo nodded.  Her vessel was made to be a drop ship capable of carrying a large part of her clan.  There was more than enough room.  "My vessel is bigger, not great for stealth operations.  Ordo come in hard and loud usually.  We can still use it if you don't mind that." she smirked.  "Or I could always cram in your lap in your vessel of one."

[00:55]  "Heh. That'd warrant too bumpy of a landing." Soron retorted humorously, tooootally oblivious to any sexual innuendos. He gestured towards the ramp behind her, to the dropship, "Your vessel it is, then, Nicci. I'll be your co-pilot."

[01:02] Nicci Ordo nodded, using her wrist communicator to call the ship back, though this time had it land on one of the rooftops, as the streets proved to be too crowded.  Citizens were probably going to be screaming about the noise at this hour but, oh well.

[01:05] Soron 's visor shot towards the skies, spying out the large vessel as it landed upon a rooftop. He gestured towards the other, "Jetpack along, I'll follow suit."

[01:12] Nicci Ordo ignited her jetpack after him, though slower, as it had to carry her heavy armor through the air.  She landed with a thud on the rooftop, sending a few shingles sliding down and crashing into the duracrete below.  She opened the back hatch and made her way toward the cockpit, seating herself heavily in the pilot's chair.  She took the interface cord and plugged it into her helmet, and instantly everything that was being seen through the view window infront of them, was showed live within the helmet visor.  It offered a larger view of things rather than having to look through two glass surfaces at what one was doing.  The controls were like a hud on the screen, so one could easily use them despite having this view on.  There was a similar interface in the co-pilot's chair, if Soron wished to do the same.  She activated the controls and the ship roared to life, back hatch closing automatically.

[01:13]  The Mandalorian Protector, upon jetpacking in semi-strict formation with Nicci towards the starship landed upon a rooftop in Iziz, proceeded rather eagerly towards the co-pilot chair. He unlatched the heavy Z-6 jetpack from his magnetic back-plate and placed the 'pack securely by the side of his seat. He flicked a few switches, and the ramp to the starship shut, "Entering coordinates to the Beshqek system, and preparing engine coolers for when we break out of the atmosphere."

[01:21] Nicci Ordo grasped the controls, guiding the nose of the ship upward through the atmosphere.  The roar of the engines grew louder as it met with the resistance of the stratosphere and were breaking free of the planet entirely, stars rapidly approaching though unable to quite be seen yet as the hull of the ship heated.  She did not really call much out, she was used to flying by herself, and it was kind of weird not having to do all the work of flying, not that she minded much.

[01:25] Soron naturally called out what he'd done as co-pilot, running his gloved fingers over the display and hitting buttons, "Engine coolers active, repulsorlift technology deactivated, energy diverted to thermal shields. Tar fuel at 78%, plenty." he buzzed professionally, "Hyperdrive coordinates... ready. Prepared to jump to hyperspace on your mark, Ordo." he said, allowing his hand to rest on a slightly bigger lever.

[01:31] Nicci Ordo almost actually laughed at the formality in which he co-piloted the ship.  She could be very string, up-tight even, rarely joking around.  But this was a whole other level of near military-style command of a bridge that was overkill, which was particularly amusing from a man who seemed to not care for overkill.  "Yes admiral, ready to jump into hyperspace sir....3...2....1....mark," she teased somewhat, putting her hand on the drive lever and pulling it down.

[01:38]  "Mark." Soron buzzed simultaneously and tugged at the drive lever in synchronization with Nicci. The stars seemed to elongate for a moment, before the window pane was filled with white light, and after a sudden jolt the blue, flickering tunnel known as hyperspace came into view. His reflective, T-shaped visor ran along it, "... The galaxy's true beauty..." he commented, glancing towards the back of Nicci's head, "No, /captain/?" he subtly teased in response.

[01:43] Nicci Ordo looked at what he was referring to.  She had actually never even thought about it.  Nicci actually had severe PTSD, and didn't even really realize, because she wasn't one to seek help with that kind of thing.  Simple things like the beauty of the sky, the stars, the galaxy, music, holidays, she had never stopped to admire.  Life to her was about a fight to survive.  It had been that way since before she could even remember.  The stars to her were a place one travelled through to get from point A to B.  And no one had ever really suggested she stop and look at them as anything else.  So she looked at them pretty much for the first time, and tried to find the beauty in them as he suggested.  "What makes...something beautiful to you...?" she asked.

[01:47]  "Oof. That's a loaded question. Aesthetic perfection in some cases? Abstract destruction in others? An explosion is art, for example." Soron buzzed a very Clan Wren principle, "I've always been a fan of space. Particularly fighter piloting. Working as part of a squad, being the most agile and indestructible marksman in space. There's a beauty in that -- in conduct of combat. There's beauty in... a lot of things."

[01:57] Nicci Ordo was silent a moment, then nodded in agreement.  "I have never been one for space combat.  Never done much of it, might be something to practice at a bit.  I am more a...hands on, sort of person.  Being to being. Something about fighting in a hulking machine behind several tons of durasteel seems....cold?  The Echani believe that you can only know the contents of the heart of another through combat.  Our people may have not always gotten along but, I admire them for that.  I think were I not mando'ade, they would be a culture I might be content with joining.  I suppose you could say I find beauty in that.  Physical combat in particular.  Muscle movement of another.  What they do, how they act.  What weapons they select.  When you are nothing but blood and sweat and exhaustion on the ground with another being, that is beauty to me I guess.  It makes me feel....alive.  More than alive, something beyond alive.  On fire...really is the best I can describe it.  But, I enjoy explosions as well.  Stars and planet bodies are unpredictable things, sometimes in volatile ways.  Chaotic.  I suppose there can be beauty in chaos.  I have never really looked for it before."

[02:36]  "Elek, beauty in chaos, that's a solid way to describe it." Soron agreed, his visor still meticulously studying the blue tunnel, as though dazed. "Though I agree with you, combat is where passion and beauty shines most. War is our birthright." he summarized very Mandalorian ideals, "And, talking of sweat and exhaustion... you're a fine warrior, Nicci." he complimented a little directly, "I respect that."

[02:37] Soron then glanced at the screen ahead of him, punching in a series of buttons before adding, "Fifteen more minutes until we get to the Core World planet. Relatively short journey from the Inner Rim."

[02:42] Nicci Ordo felt her cheeks get hotter.  No one could see it, not even herself, but they were getting redder too, once he complimented her as a warrior.  She felt tongue-tied and unsure what to say.  She felt she should return the compliment, but everything she thought about saying suddenly sounded incredibly stupid in her mind.  "Y-you fight pretty well yourself.  F-for a bounty hunter, I mean." she cleared her throat and was relieved she did not have to say much more on the subject when he announced they had fifteen minutes left.  "Thank you admiral.  You're more reliable than a droid," she teased a little again.

[02:50]  "Heh." Soron exhaled a short chuckle past the helmet's vox, allowing his back-plate to lean backwards into the seat a little more. After a brief moment of silence, his head titled aside a tad, "For a bounty hunter? What's that supposed to mean, /crusader/?" he emphasized, though his lack of attention seemed his intention was likely more to tease than to insult. "Mandalorian mercenaries tend to be the galaxy's most dangerous and highest paid warriors." he buzzed in response, "And our way of life prompts honor, keeps us in check."

[02:56] Nicci Ordo did not really see Crusader as being much of an insult.  Her mentor had been called that.  It did not mean much to her.  It was when people graduated it to Kyr'tsad that would make her bust their heads open.  "I do not doubt that Mandalorians bounty hunters are some of the highest paid.  Our reputation has survived somewhat all these long years.  I happen to think that fighting for survival and the glory of ones own people brings an inner strength that fighting for credits never could.  I also think you and I have very different definitions of honor if killing someone for money falls under yours." she smirked.  "Still, you beat me in a fight, that is not something many can boast of.  I even enjoyed rolling around in the dirt with you, bounty hunter."

[03:02]  "Likewise, Mandalorian." Soron distinguished fairly instead, "But if you think we fight for credits, then you're direly mistaken. The Codex exists first and foremost to ensure than any Mandalorian who fights, does so /honorably/. It dictates a professional conduct, borrowing and revitalizing concepts from the Canons of Honor. It keeps Mandalorians in an honorable state." he said, "The credits are a bonus. And Mandalorians are /bound/ to be highly paid if they're mercenaries: our services are not that of a standard soldier." he buzzed, taking a look at the screen, "Three minutes. I'm prepared to pull out of hyperspace when you are." he droned, a hand planted firmly upon the hyperdrive lever.

[03:14] Nicci Ordo did laugh this time, "Whatever helps you sleep at night bounty hunter," she teased him further.  "I don't know who you think you are fooling with the money doesn't matter bit, but it isn't me," she chuckled.  The ship began to shake a bit as they entered the system.  More debris were always present in planetary systems, though not enough to destroy a vessel, just enough to cause a mild turbulance.  "You can pull out now," she stated, putting her hand on the lever.

[03:20]  "Roger. I'm not scanning any large hostile presence surrounding the planet, only a few defensive ships not too far from our entrance point." Soron said, and then tugged at the lever on her mark, before tapping a few buttons to pump more coolant into the engines. Once out, he kept silent for a short bit, but shook his head, "You're not wrong, Ordo. Credits do matter. Money is power in the field of bounty hunting, but the Codex doesn't exist purely for its gain. It exists for something much more than that." he buzzed finally, alluding to the notions of honor.

[03:27] Nicci Ordo chuckled at him. "Of course not Soron.  When you have over 400 hypervelocity canons on the surface of a world, you do not need a large defensive force around the planet, now do you?  I am sure their fleet is better used elsewhere, burning and subjugating a world full of innocent people most likely," she scowled, as if saying all that to reiterate they should just glass it instead.  She pulled the lever at the same time he did, and the long lines that were the blur of stars suddenly became little dots again, and the giant red lava ball loomed before them.  She immediately went into the atmosphere, the ship rumbling as they made their descent.  "I believe that you believe that, Skirata.  And because of that, it has a strange nobility to it.  We both walk the path of honorable intent, though they say the lane to hell is often paved with such."

[03:34]  "Let's not talk of Hell or Chaos, it's an imagined principality that belongs to Corellian mythology. As a Mandalorian, after death -- if you truly understand what it means to be Mandalorian, to follow the Resol'nare and to honorably live out its ideals -- you will join manda, the oversoul, the collective state of being a Mandalorian upon death." he spoke philosophically, his reflective, T-shaped visor staring at the red planet that zoomed closer. "Head to the undercity, we'll start from there. I'm sending you specific coordinates."

[03:36] Nicci Ordo nodded, "The Resol'nare is at least a code we CAN agree on then, vod." she replied.  The coordinates came up on her screen and she steered the ship in that direction, maneuvering around lightning strikes and storms in the unstable atmosphere, and then buildings as she went in for a landing.