(This is OLD, I did it for a school writing prompt thing and if I try to update it or touch it up I inevitably take the story in another direction entirely)

In this short story, a Mandalorian super commando bounty hunter tracks an S.O.S. call from a crusader class corvette to a continental planet. The Kom'rk (gauntlet) class fighter/assault ship shows several escape pod signals but no comlink messages...
As a Mando, it is his duty to bring back the armor to the families to remember the dead, of to rescue the living.





“Three of us. We were the only ones left, the only ones to make it to the island.” the datapad said. “They came from the rear and just fired without warning, I still don’t know what they were thinking. We couldn’t fire back in time to save the ‘Honorable’ from her fate. The nineteen of us piled into the pods and launched.”
The Beskar’gam clad figure in the hologram was unnamed in his recording, but the way the datapad was just put in the weatherproof box on the beach with its pole marking its location meant that either the mando wasn’t concerned about surviving, or he had a number of datapads on hand and could leave them around with snippets of his story. The wreckage I scanned off the coast of a ship called the ‘Honorable’, was wrecked and sunk. The ship was clearly shredded by turbolasers and all eight escape pods were launched. I could only find seven transponder S.O.S. codes though, leading to the conclusion one never made it to the planet, intact at least. Whatever happened to the eighth pod was unknown to me but it was my duty as a Mando to recover the Beskar’gam of the fallen warriors to return the armor to the families of the ones who joined the dead Mandos of the past.
The island’s beach was seven kilometers from the corvette ‘Honorable’ and the remnants of escape pods were littered about the treeline as if there once was a shelter made of one or more right in front of me. My heavy Mando boots compacted the dark blue sands and carved prints into the grains. The next step hit some metal from the pod, I kicked it to the side and continued my walk into the treeline. Whoever these mandos were, they knew how to carve a trail through thick brush. They must have used their Knuckle Plates… I thought to myself as I walk through the trail leading to a cave about eight hundred fifty meters from the wreckage at the treeline. The cave entrance was approximately thirteen feet in diameter, plenty large for a Mando to enter and exit without any hindrance.
The tool marks on the sides indicated that it had been cut open wider as well. ‘Probably to compensate for something they built or found here.’ I think to myself. “Hello? Any Mando alive?” I shout into the cave without response. My ship, a gauntlet class dropship had no sensors able to map out a cave network, especially if it extended as far and deep as it looked. To be honest, I didn’t know the capabilities of my ship because I just bought it myself before I stumbled upon this rock. The M-class planet was littered with blue sand and red/orange trees on small islands and archipelagos. I tyrn away from the cave entrance and observe the path. It turned off to the right at the cave entrance. I decided to continue after placing a beacon marker at the cave mouth. Any mando wearing their Beskar’gam could pick up the signal from up to six kilometers away and home in on it for rescue.
If the three crash survivors were still alive, they would detect the signal and come and find it. Unless of course their receivers were damaged or malfunctioning. ‘Stang, that might complicate things. I’ll have to do a scan for Beskar before I leave so I don’t leave any armor behind. The families will want something to remember their dead by.’ This meant that I’d have to stay and scan from orbit with maximum sensitivity for the beskar signature makeup. Beskar isn’t exactly going to mimic the local metal deposits or anything, it’ll stick out like a rakghoul in the senate building. Walking along the path, the grasses and trees begin to thin and start to show signs of humanoid habitation. Deep holes with a makeshift well on the top, logs that were strapped together into three log walls, a thatched roof, and even some gun ports. However, it was obvious that the mandos that built this were certainly not overly concerned with attack here. The side to the east had blaster marks on it though. Probably for target practice, unlikely they were being shot at on this island. However, it pays to be prepared for anything. I pull out my Westar-35 blaster rifle and continue cautiously through the brush and dense foliage. Eventually I find my way into a small clearing roughly twenty feet in diameter and a small underwater cave entrance in a small crystal clear blue pond. No plants or animals seem to live in the water for some reason though. The birds and animals seem to avoid this area as well. They are nearby but they don't make any noise. I use the HUD on my Buy’ce to scan the water for any chemicals or harmful materials in or near the area. After an assuring negative bleep from the sensors in the helmet, I begin to seal the armor and prepare for a swim.
No way to tell how far or where the caves go, better use my climbing wire to make sure I don't get turned around. I think as I begin to swim down. About ten minutes of swimming down, I reach the time when the alert for “one third of your air is used up!” and decide to look around a bit using the floodlights in the chin of my helmet, the small bulbs ignite enough to see that the HUD was correct and that the caves continue to go out of range. This was concerning enough to make me start to turn around. Fierfek! This just looks like a hole in the ground to me! Why can't someone just build a base in here to make it fun? Good thing I used the climbing wire to mark where I came from or i’d drown in here. I think as I begin my return trip as the meter in the HUD bleeps the 50% air remaining warning.
Upon resurfacing, I begin a scan around to see if the ship I came in, a Kom’rk class dropship/fighter was still in orbit. I return to the beach and summon the ship. The sun was setting on this rock and I wanted to spend the night in my ship in orbit and in stealth mode. The ship had no cloaking device that made the ship invisible, but it used some clever tricks to make it not show up on most sensors. If an Imperial class or variation thereof scanned, Id show up, but if it were a civilian class scanner, if be invisible unless they scanned for metal or atmosphere. The blaster scorches on the building made me wary in the dense greenery. I begin the orbital scan for the Beskar’gam and go to sleep after a quick and small dinner from the dehydrated ration packs in the hold.


When I wake up, I get a small breakfast of nutrient blocks and water from the cargo hold in the ship and begin to review the scans of the planet I ran as I slept. Forteen suits were detected all on the island I was on last night. I upload their exact locations to my HUD and begin to go for the one that was alone and closest to where I was last night. As I land, I order the onboard Droid brain I put into the ship to return to orbit to wait.. An affirming series of grunts and bleeps responds to my command and the red and black ship begins to take off. The black with red trim always looks good on that ship. I think as it leaves eyesight and range of the macrobinoculars in the HUD. I begin my trek through the forest again and soon arrive at a small grave with a Buy’ce half buried in the dirt. I pay respects, upload the information to the ship and go for the next one. I’ll return for the helmet when I have the ship nearby. Within an hour, I approached another building similar to the first but this one was substantially more fortified. Suspended in a tree canopy, made of stone and wood, vines suspending some bridges to a gunner’s pod, this was a defensive position. Not a home for someone who was unconcerned with attack, you only make this if something tries over and over to get to you. I draw my weapon and yell. “Hey! Any Mandos alive here?” after waiting for a minute, I slowly approach. I use the jetpack to get up to the door. This then means I can knock on the door five times. With no response for thirty seven seconds, I open the door, or try to. Its locked somehow on the other side. Probably with a bar going across the door. I set a detonator on the door and jump down. A loud blast rings out across the jungle and the door evaporates in Ina thick grey cloud.
I enter the dark room inside the door and see an array of Verpine weapons and normal blasters and detonators. Ordnance was not lacking in the escape pods at least. I wonder what they were so worried about killing them that they built this fortress. I think as I continue past a pair of E-web turrets that they somehow fit into the pods with them. The next room was a bunk with seven beds. A full set of armor that still encased a dead warrior sat slumped in the corner with a verpine still clutched in his hand. The mando’s head was almost completely cut off in one clean cut. Well, This place was not as defensive as it seemed then. I think I may want to be VERY alert in this place. Whatever had sliced open this mando had chased everyone else away from their base and the ordnance and munitions contained within. THAT is an achievement, when you can chase a Mando away from his or her guns. I do a thorough scan for heat signatures, thermal readings of any kind, and biological matter.

I update the HUD in real time so I can see it highlighted and maybe see what killed the mando and took the base from the rest of them. Another biomass that is warmer than the rest of the room is on the other side of the base and in what seems like a curled up sleeping position. I can't tell if it’s some gear they didn't turn off or whatever killed the men. I look around the slightly rusted metal sheets and the wooden beams holding this place together. The next Beskar’gam signature is in the other room with another one. Both on the ground so I assume dead as well. From the smell and lack of fingers on the corpse, i can tell that I’m correct and that these men were killed by something wanting a trophy. This was no animal, this was a hunter.
What could have done this to a mando group? How did this thing get in here and kill them? The answer came when there was a sound of a high pitched whirring like an ancient energy weapon charging up. I collapse to the floor just in time to watch a blue blaster round go where my head was just at. I whip around and drop a plasma mine as I jump backwards. The mine detonates and kills whatever was shooting at me in a sickly green flame. This thing apparently had a stygium crystal cloaking device that was destroyed in the blast but was easily recognizable on its torso. The body had dreadlocks that look disgusting and scaly, the mask is lying on the floor three feet to this things left, and the four mandibles on the jaw are just repulsive as well. I check the shoulder strapped weapon and look for the trigger, but there isn’t one and I just stomp on it to make sure that nothing comes and makes it shoot at me again. I draw my rifle and prepare for imminent attack. I set the E-webs on auto, set the sensors on the wall by the door onto a stygium setting to detect the cloaking devices if they’re active, and to alert the E-webs and me with an alert beep.

Three hours later, the sensor goes off. The E-webs go off shredding the doorway and the creature in the stealth field with a horrifying shriek of agony, the scream was like rubbing your knife on a hull the long ways, screeching at Ata painfully high pitch that rattled your teeth. The minefield I set up in the other room goes off as well. Apparently there are multiple ways into that room. Oh well, This room is secure against all directions with durasteel salvaged from the ship that crashed here. The inscriptions on the hull are tally marks etched with a knuckleplate, counting. Probably the days they’d been in this base. The tally goes up to thirteen. And the name of their ship is still legible in it’s red paint even after the reentry and crash, as well as the salvage process. That's traditional Mandalorian workmanship for you! I think to myself. “COME OUT YOU UGLY BASTARDS!!!” I yell into the air. My cry is met with an animal’s roar and a charging sound. The E-webs make short work of the foolish beast as it charges with a bomb into the room. The blast knocks over one of the E-webs but doesn't damage it. That is good, for me. “HERE I AM!!!” I scream again. Righting the E-web, the monsters seem to be holding off their attack for a bit now after seeing that they are able to be seen by the turrets. This is what they didn’t know about us Mandalorians, see, our ancestors made several species extinct in the galaxy before either the Sith or the Republic or even the Jedi found them. So many species and all their technology was thrown at us in an attempt to even slow us down, we only sped up our conquest. These invisible beasts would not be any different for me. They may have taken out my vode but they shall fall to the Mando’ade nevertheless. They aren’t attacking anymore… don’t let them lull you into security! I think to myself. I begin to recharge one of the blasters I set up in another entrance. All of a sudden, the wall to my left cracks and then splinters as one of the bipedal beasts crashes through with it’s bladed gauntlets. It tackles me and starts screaming and roaring in my face before even attempting to strike me. This was it’s mistake, it allowed me to move my right hand up under its chin and extend the knuckleplate. The small vibroblade extended and punctured deep into the creatures neck. It's eyes widened and it bleeds a tame green color onto my chestplate. The creature then recoils and begins clawing at it's throat in desperation, in the process forgetting the gauntlets it had on its arms. This only hastened it's death my further mauling it's throat and increasing the already quick waterfall of blood out of the neck. After this quick struggle, the other creatures decided that they should take advantage of the minor struggle as a distraction and within seconds six of them were in the room with me. I am able to stand up and enter a defensive stance with my armored legs spread and fists raised to chest height, ready to either block or deliver a devastating cross. I extend my other knuckleplate and stare through my sharp T-visor at the closest beast. Their eyes glitter with animal hatred but also a sharp and wary intelligence. One charges at me with a sideways hook. I grab his punch in my left elbow and wrap myself behind the creature and quickly and efficiently insert my right knuckleplate into the base of the skull, quickly ending the attack in less than a second. In a continuous and fluid movement from the kill, I drop the body and return my attention to the remaining nine beasts standing still and calculating in the cramped wood and metal hallway. A tiny drop falls in between me and the group of combatants. None of them move and neither do I, we all stand and stare at each other for what feels like years but was probably just five or so seconds. Suddenly one, presumably the leader raises one hand in an open gesture to call off the others. They step back looking tense and confused. What’s his plan? I think to myself not changing my stance in the slightest. Curiously I observe it slowly approaching with its hands by it's sides. It shows waryness but also determination and possibly a hint of curiosity. At three feet away it slowly raises its hands to its head and removes it's mask. The four mandibles and scaly skin don't faze me in the slightest due to my extensive history of bounty hunting and other activities that the higher ups of society see as dirty or illegal. The being then extends one hand as if to shake hands. I cautiously sheath my knuckleplates and return the gesture. In a heavy and somewhat mangled accent it begins to speak. “Well met hunter. We are the hunters. We see great warrior in you. We should no fight anymore. We hunt together?” What is this thing playing at? I think to myself but disengage the handshake to remove my buy’ce. My smooth and sharp angles in my face are apparently surprising to the supposed leader of these ‘hunters’. “We not know you a human…” the leader says somewhat shaken. “You fight like hunter, not human. Why you dress as dead humans?” This confused me for a moment. “What dead humans?” I ask. The alien seems confused and a little surprised at my question. “Dead humans dress as you, they dead when we here. Why you dress as dead humans?” It seems to not know why I'm confused and unsure of what to explain. “So you didn't kill the mandos here?” I ask cautiously to the alien in front of me. “No, we no kill humans here. We kill many away here but here we no kill humans in armor. Dead humans wear armor like human and be dead as we here.” The leader seems to want to shift away and I want to rest. I activate the slave circuit on my Kom’rk ship in orbit and step outside after motioning them to follow. The aliens follow a bit confused and very uneasy. “Human good fighter, how human fight good? Hunters fight good, humans fight weak.” one of the aliens asks me. I ponder this for a moment before I answer. “I'm Mandalorian. Mando’ade are the greatest warriors in the galaxy. We conquered half the galaxy before the Jetii destroyed Mandalore. We were at war and they killed the wives and children. My home turned to white dust and my ancestors had to choose to either flee or be disintegrated. The jetii got what was coming to them with the Empire’s rise. I'll personally hunt every one down that survived the clones. They will suffer. NI OR’PARGUUR JETII!!!” I scream at the sky in my sudden rage. The venomous nature and hateful contents of my rage filled cry stunned and apparently scared the aliens following me into the clearing. In the sky, my red and black Kom’rk approaches from the blue sky of the planet and begins to rotate it's wings into landing position. The aliens seem to have never seen a ship like this before and it showed. Their eyes scanned the Kom’rk and began to ogle as the ramp lowered without someone at the switch. “How ship open with no human?” another one asks. “Slave circuit. It's essentially a remote control with pre-designated routes and limitations. It homes in on the transceiver on my forearm.” I say slowly to the lizard like hunter. “I have to find what killed my vode and avenge them before I return the Beskar’gam to their clans.” I say before boarding the kom’rk and closing the ramp behind me. I look out the loading ramp camera to see the aliens still talking to each other in front of the ramp. I shrug and begin to take off for high orbit. I still feel very uneasy around them because they still tried to kill me not ten minutes ago, plus they became WAY too nice way too quick. As I take off, The creatures disperse back into the forest from where they came. Something just seems wrong about their story about not seeing living humans around here. I’ll keep my eyes open for any of those “Hunters” in the future. But if what they said is true, something else killed my vode and quite quickly too. My vode started with a simple unfortified building and immediately made a suspended fortress. They wouldn't do that unless something was very angry at them, or hunting them. I think to myself. Then I realise something, How do they know basic? I decide to ponder this when I have a clear head in the morning when I wake up. And with that I turn in for the night.







I spent the night In my ship in a fitful sleep cycle of ins and outs. The dreams I had were of the vode as they died in various gruesome ways. From dismemberment to asphyxiation.

When “Morning” came, I wake up and make myself some breakfast out of the nutrient blocks and water from the cargo hold once again. This is getting unappetizing. I'll have to get something from a market in a nearby system. I think bitterly. I think back on the night before when the aliens had finished fighting me. They got way too comfortable with me after I killed several of them. This isn’t how things work in the galaxy, I'll have to either avoid them, or kill them. I begin to get my ship ready for hyperspace to the nearest trading port three systems over. As I finished inputting the last of the coordinates, I realize I should retrieve the last suits of Beskar’gam from the hanging fort the mandalorians built after they crashed. I sigh heavily and store the coordinates in the navicomputer for when I return to high orbit with the suits.

The retrieval went well and I didn’t see any of the reptilian aliens. When my ship’s slave circuit sent a security proximity alert however. I remotely activated the lockdown and chin mounted channons on the ship. Last night I had calibrated thermal sensors to link with the cannons in case the reptiles got any ideas about boarding my ship. This was the alert the ship gave me, thermal signatures in bipedal configuration were approaching the ramp. The cannons swiveled around and blasted three of them through the central body mass within a second killing them by incinerating their vital organs.Two more were now dashing behind the rear of the ship. I retrieve the last plates of Beskar and attach the bag I had with me to carry the armor to my chestplate via a harness I had on hand for heavy cargo lifting and jump from the high treehouse fort. My JT-12 jetpack kicks in before I begin to fall launching my through the sky in an arc like a massive jump. I land square on the transparisteel cockpit window of the red and black Kom’rk with with a dull twanging sound. I look at the thermal imaging on my helmet HUD and allow myself a sly grin from behind my Buy’ce. The aliens had decided to hide behind the engines to escape the cannons. I drop the armor bag on the hull and use the emergency dorsal hatch to slide the sack into the living area of the ship. I drop in after it and seal up the hidden hatch. I had it specially installed to look like the natural ridges in the hull that are unique to the gauntlet class assault/fighter ships. The heavily customized ship had it's troop deployment bay modified to replace the seats with a full bomb bay and cargo ramp. The ship had a fully reclinable cockpit chair that I use as a bed sometimes, and a complete kitchen and pantry. I could and did live in the ship year round. Now I was in the ship I headed into the cockpit and began to fire up the rear gun and the Vtol engines. “Let's see how heat resistant you suckers are!” I chuckle to myself from the controls as I fire the engines cooking the lizard closest to the engine. The three remaining lizards ran only into plasma bolts as they fled the engines. The rear gun was primarily used to destroy ships trying to shoot me down from behind but was useful in situations like this as well. With the beskar’gam recovered and would be ship thieves dispatched, I headed off to high orbit again.

As I prepared to jump into hyperspace, what I presumed was the alien’s ship sped towards me from behind some space debris it was latched onto. I immediately fire the engines to try and outrun the ship but Kom’rks weren’t known for their speed. The armor and shields along with weapons were the ships claims to fame. However the Kom’rk was not slow, so I was able to greatly slow down the amount of distance gained by the hostile. A high pitch beeping began from the control console. Missiles! Aalar ner a'den! I fire the flairs and begin the break off from my vector as the missiles shoot towards the decoys.
As the missiles exploded on contact with the flares, I yank the lever to deploy a proton bomb and slash my left fist into the hyperdrive charge button. As I maneuver the ship around debris and blaster fire, I keep my eye on the charge progress display. I had upgraded the hyperdrive many times to a class 0.2. Probably the very fastest in the galaxy, this also meant it took almost a minute to charge. I increase the power to the hyperdrive at the expense of forward guns and shields since they will be useless with the enemy behind me, at the same time, the alien ship enters the blast radius of the proton bomb, detonating it and crippling their port side, spacing several creatures and anything that wasn't bolted down. DAMN DAMN DAMN!I I internally shout at myself. Why didn't I leave the ship above the fort!? I chastise myself just as a violent shaking takes over my senses. It was as if a giant rancor had picked up the ship and thrown it into the ground. I look to the shield status readout and see that there had been a major hit scored onto the shield. It was now at thirteen percent as the ding on the console showed a full progress bar. “KANDOSII!!!” I shout and pull the lever. The stars streak into lines and eventually turn into the mottled blue and white of hyperspace.