Children of Mandalore: Prelude to Terror

CHAPTER SEVEN:

Yunauli sat with his feet up on the control console of the Tal’galaar with his hand folded on top of his chest as he gazed out at the stars on the other side of the main viewport. He found a very welcome calmness from the inky blackness permeated by the sparkling orbs of light. That calmness was certainly most welcome. By his wrist chrono and the standard rotation rate of the planets in the system he had concluded he and Rev Devieyc had been sitting in the heavily modified KDY staryacht for the better part of two days.

Now that he had reached a certain age, Yunauli wasn’t as eager to rush headlong into a fight and was more than happy to sit the action out while the fighting was left to the younger men and women, but Tyran and his strike team were late and he couldn’t help but start to feel like he had to take some form of action. The Tal’galaar, occupied only by himself and the much younger and increasingly agitated brother of Ryia Devieyc, was positioned on the far edged of the Katna-Rae system no less than an hour away from the moon that the rest of the Mandalorian strike team was operating on.

They were waiting for the pick up signal that was now almost six hours overdue. Rev was bordering on the hysterical, albeit in a very discreet way. Yunauli had seen men crack under stress more than once in his long career as a mercenary, assassin and starpilot and it was very clear that the fear of not knowing what had become of his older brother and his friends was starting to fray the nerves of the young Rev Devieyc. He had adopted that thousand yard stare that men seemed to adopt when pondering the worst case scenario. Rev was seated next to Yunauli staring down at the ships communications console and absently biting on his armored thumb.

“Hey you shouldn’t think about it.” Yunauli said looking at Rev.

The younger Deveiyc brother didn’t turn his head and didn’t shift his gaze “That’s easy for you to say because your only remaining family member isn’t down on that moon.”

“Fair enough.” Yunauli sighed.

**************

Ryia splashed through the mud making a beeline for the large yorik coral structure ahead of him. He didn’t see any Yuuzhan Vong warriors lurking around the perimeter of the temple just yet. The tracker linked to Tyran’s beacon was beeping at an increasingly fast pace as he drew neared to the structure.

“One-hundred meters to target.” Ryia said calmly as he slammed himself against the yorik-coral wall and did an ammo count. He had seven blasterpacks left in his belt and only three thermal detonators “Hold here and everyone do an ammo count, Dyir get a tape charge on this building and make us a door as quick as you can.”

Ryia listened to the gentle panting of his team members as they followed his instructions. Dawk was standing right beside him, her weapon in both hands and her head was looking down at her feet. Ryia bumper her with his elbow and she lifted her head and looked at him. Her purple armor was plastered with mud and dirt and the blood of more than one Yuuzhan Vong warrior. Ryia felt a small pang of pride for the girl.

“You ready?” he asked her.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” the young and inexperienced medic replied back as Dyir began placing a strip of thermal adhesive tape to the yorik coral wall. “Wont they hear the explosion?”

Dyir shook his head “Not this stuff, it’ll burn through the wall rather than blow a hole in it. We’re going to quietly create our own little archway into their precious temple.”

“Are we good to go?” Ryia asked.

Dyir gave him the thumbs up. “Thirty second burn time, estimated.”

Ryia nodded towards the wall and Beluin, Koryn, Dyir and Dawk pressed themselves against the temple wall on either side of the thermal tape outline. Dyir pressed the detonator and almost instantly the tape came alive in a white-light of hissing noise. The glare screen in Ryia’s HUD activated as he turned his head away from the bright light.

“Beluin, Koryn watch our flanks. This might be a little hard to miss.”

**************

“What is it?” Kial asked as he walked over to Tyran.

“She can feel Ryia and the others.” Tyran said feeling genuine relief. “Get ready, I give it less than five minutes before this place is buzzing with angry scarheads.”

Kial flexed his crushgaunts “I cant get any more prepared than this.”

Raven stood up, unsteadily and placed her hand against the wall of the room that had been her prison for the last hellish week of her life. “What about Rixa?”

Tyran felt the relief drain from his body. Rixa was a bloodied, wheezing pile of flesh curled up on the floor. The Yuuzhan Vong had really done their best to try and coax information out of Tyran and Kial by torturing him. That was the only real regret Tyran had about the mission so far.

“We need to get him out of that blorash jelly.” Raven said finally managing to right herself and take a few sluggish steps toward the battered Mandalorian. “If I had my lightsaber, it would be easy.”

An unexpected, metallic shunk made her whip her head around. Tyran was standing beside her with a large metal blade protruding from a housing on his arm.

“Step aside.” he said kneeling down next to his brother and cutting away the outer edges of the blorash jelly around his brother’s hand.
“You’ve had that the whole time?” Raven asked and Tyran nodded in response. “Why didn’t you use it earlier?”

“Didn’t want the scarheads to know I had it.” Tyran said grabbing Rixa’s left forearm and giving it a hard tug. Rixa’s hand pulled free of the blorash jelly with a stomach turning squelch and Tyran went about freeing the other hand. “Kial, keep an eye on that entrance. I don’t want anyone getting the jump on us.”

“Yeah I know the drill.” Kial sighed as he crossed his arms and stared at the dark wall where the door-membrane was located.

There was a second squelching sound as Tyran freed Rixa’s other hand. Tyran caught his younger brother as he slowly collapsed onto his right side. Raven made her way over to Rixa’s side and tried to take some of his weight and help Tyran lift him.

“No, you stand over there in the corner out of the way.” Tyran said pointing to the far wall. “I can handled this.”

“I want to help!” Raven argued. She wanted to make up for giving the Yuuzhan Vong all the information they had needed to defend this system from the Alliance fleet massing over Gyndine.

“No.” Tyran said as he draped one of Rixa’s arms around his shoulders and effortlessly lifted the two hundred pound man up off the ground. “You are the mission objective, you just stay behind us and let us do our job.”

“I can heal him.” Raven tried. “Set him back here with me and I’ll try to ease his pain while you deal with the Yuuzhan Vong.”

Tyran stared at her for a few moments as if he was having an inner debate with himself. She was a really stubborn one and he needed to find a way to show her that that wasn’t going to be acceptable, but as Rixa started wheezing again Tyran couldn’t help but feel sorry for his little brother.

“How well can you heal him? Will he be able to help us fight our way out of here?”

“It wont be like a bacta tank no, but I’ll try to heal his internal injuries and ease some of his pain.” Raven said. She had seemed to have found some internal spring of energy she hadn’t had before. “He wont be in danger of dying….from his wounds at least.”

Tyran weighed his options and decided that he had to work with the tools he had. He dragged Rixa into the far corner and the Jedi Apprentice followed him.

“Turn him so I can have access to his back.” Raven said as Tyran positioned Rixa in the corner. Tyran grunted as he maneuvered his wounded brother as instructed.

“You stay in this corner and you keep your head down.” Tyran said. His voice indicated that he wasn’t asking or suggesting the course of action. “From here on out you do exactly what I tell you when I tell you, same goes for anyone else on my team.”

Raven nodded and dropped to her knees next to Rixa and rubbed her hands together. The gesture made it look as if she was unsure of her abilities. She tucked a lock of jet-black hair behind her ear and closed her eyes and her hands drifted over Rixa’s carved up back.

Tyran couldn’t see anything happening, but he hadn’t expected to. He’d seen Jedi use the Force before and knew that whatever the Jedi Apprentice was emitting was invisible. He hoped that whatever was happening to his little brother was actually healing him. Tyran didn’t want to say anything to diminish her spirit, or what little of it that had been rekindled, but Raven Varos didn’t look like she was capable of healing anything or anyone in her own, cut up and wounded state.

Her body was just as cut up as Rixa’s was. The rags she was wearing left very little to his imagination. Her torso, portions of her chest and her left cheek sported burns and lacerations of varying degrees of severity. Her back though was the most gruesome injury she had. If she laid down on her stomach two people could play a game of dejarik on the mutilated flesh there. He didn’t know how the young woman was even on her feet, let alone how she had the energy to try and heal his brother.

Maybe there was a lot more to be said for the Force than some older Mandalorians had said there was. He didn’t want to ruin her concentration but he did have one more order for her to follow.

“When my team get’s outside this room, let me know which direction they’re coming from.”

She didn’t reply or make any acknowledgment that she had heard him but Tyran decided to take it on faith that she had. He moved to stand next to Kial in the dark room facing the portal membrane. Neither man looked at each other, there wasn’t anything to say. They just had to sit and wait now. The floor vibrated beneath their feet and the sound of very non-Yuuzhan Vong weapons discharging could be heard from not so far away.

“Two minutes.” Kial said. “That’s how long I bet it takes for them to get to us.”

Tyran grunted “I’ll give them less than one.”

**************

A mix of razor and thudbugs whizzed past Ryia, missing him by mere inches and leaving a small gouge in his right shoulder pauldron. Blasterfire erupted all around him as he and his team forced their way into the Yuuzhan Vong temple.

“If we cant thin them out, it’s going to slow us down.” Beluin said. “They might move Tyran, Kial and the Jedi before we can get to them.”

“Then we’ll just follow Tyran’s locator to where they move him.” Ryia said swapping out his power pack for a fresh one.

He was picking his shots carefully, he couldn’t afford to waste what little ammo he had. The small team had made it probably twenty meters into the temple before they encountered the first pocket of Yuuzhan Vong resistance. Dawk had switched to her sidearms rather than using her rifle, she had an abundance of powerpacks for them.

Koryn let out an intimidating hiss and removed a thermal detonator from his belt and set it to it’s shortest fuse timer and hurled it into the knot of Yuuzhan Vong warriors ahead of the Mandalorian group. The immediate whump and the close proximity of the blast knocked Beluin, Dyir and Dawk off their feet. Chunks of yorik-coral and bits of Yuuzhan Vong Warriors flew this way and that while others remained still in the crater Koryn had created. An eerie silence fell over the corridor as the Mandalorian strike team recovered from the sudden shock and pressure waves from the explosion.

“Everyone still in one piece?” Dyir asked he pulled himself up off the ground and then helped Beluin up to his.

“Yeah nothing’s missing that I’m going to miss later.” Ryia said. The sensors in his helmet didn’t indicate any movement up ahead “Come on we need to get while the getting is good.”

**************

“I told you to trap them in that corridor, why are the infidels still moving through the temple?!” Kurru Ivat raged at his subordinate.

The equally large Yuuzhan Vong warrior standing in front of him didn’t flinch or show any sign of fear of his commanding officer.

“None of my warriors want to damage the Temple of Yun-Yammka and risk his wrath.”

“It would be in defense of his Temple, the War-God will not strike down those that fight in his name.” Ivat replied. “Destroy those Mandalorians, I want you and your finest warriors stationed outside where we are holding the Jeedai and the three other infidels we captured. There can be no mistakes.”

“As you command!” the large warrior exclaimed as he saluted Ivat and rushed out of the room.

Ivat began to contemplate how much time he had left to live. The High Commander wouldn’t accept any excuses for why the Temple of Yun-Yammka had been breached by the Mandalorians. His failure to defend the Temple would surely end with his sacrifice and a large amount of dishonor heaped onto Domain Ivat.

Ivat snarled and brought his fist down hard on a yorik coral fixture next to him. He didn’t react as the jagged material sliced his hand open and his blood began running down his fingertips. He wouldn't let the slight against his domain stand. Someway, somehow Kurru Ivat vowed that he would bring some honor back to his Domain, even though he was certain his life was now essentially over.

He walked over to the villip communicator seated on a pedestal deep inside the main chamber of the room. He stroked the leathery sphere until it opened and moments later the ritually scarred face of Falas Draisa appeared in front of him.

“High Commander,” Ivat said saluting his superior.

“I thought I made it clear that I was not to be disturbed while I'm dealing with other more important matters in preparation for the infidel fleet.” Draisa growled.

Ivat didn't shrink at the anger in his superior's voice. “My lord, the Temple of Yun-Yammka has been breached by the infidels who survived the crash.”

The face of Falas Draisa was blank for a few long moments. “Infidels have entered the sacred house of of War God?”

“Yes.” Ivat said.

“You assured me that the three infidels you took prisoner were the only survivors of the crash and resulting skirmish in the swamps.” exclaimed. “How many are there?”

“Reports aren't clear on that High Commander,” Ivat said “No less than five, maybe a few more.”

“What about the Jeedai and the three other prisoners?”

“They are secured in their chamber, I have your son and the Temple Guard stationed directly outside.”

Falas let out a low rumble. “Sehn will stop those infidels from retrieving their comrades, of that I am sure. He will make a suitable replacement for you. You should hope that you are slain in battle Kurru Ivat, if not I will ensure that the Shapers find some way to turn you into a Shamed One. You are not even worthy of being sacrificed to the gods.”

Ivat didn't know how to respond to his commander's comment and the villip quickly reverted back to it's normal state. Ivat clenched his bloody hand in anger. To have the honor of being sacrificed taken away from him was a punishment he had never heard of before. To be condemned to live the life of a Shamed One was worse than death.

Ivat was headed out of the main chamber an instant later. He was going to confront the big Mandalorian who had stood guard over the Jeedai and slain many Yuuzhan Vong warriors before his associate had been questioned by High Commander Draisa.

That would be an honorable fight. It would be an honorable death.

**************

The beeping in Ryia's helmet began to quicken as they came closer and closer to Tyran's position inside the Temple. There had been little contact with any more Yuuzhan Vong forces for the last few minutes. That worried him deeply. It could only mean that their enemies were planning something up ahead of the group of Supercommandos. They had slowed their speed of movement down enough so that they wouldn't turn a corner into a situation they couldn't get themselves out of.

He could hear the heavy breathing of his team over the shared link. Dawk, more so than the rest of the team, was clearly having trouble catching her breath after the initial series of engagements as the Supercommandos had fought their way inside. Ryia felt bad for her, but he couldn't slow the team down enough to allow her to recover the risk to the others just didn't warrant it.

“You doing alright?” Dyir asked from behind the young medic.

The purple armored woman turned her helmeted head over her shoulder feeling a little shocked. Dyir had been one of her biggest naysayers, other than Kial Volar. He hadn't seemed to care about her well being before. She wondered if her performance in the last few engagements had started to win him over.

“I'm fine, just a little winded.” She said between wheezes.

“Just don't collapse on us because we don't have the resources to carry you out.”

“I'll be alright.” Dawk assured him.

“Ammo check.” Ryia interjected into the conversation “I've got that feeling I usually get just before we wind up in the osik.”

“I've got just enough to fight our way out of here if I manage my rate of fire correctly.” Beluin said.

“Same.” Dyir and Dawk both said.

Koryn let out a low rumble “Thiz one is never short on weaponz.” His heavily armored tail thumped on the yorik-coral below him.

Ryia nodded his head “Good, I just hope Tyran, Rixa and Kial are in some kind of fighting shape. We're going to need them.”

The group slowed as they came to an intersection. Ryia knew which way to go because of the tracking beacon he was following. But he still came to a stop to check for an ambush. The rest of the team fell in line behind him.

“Remote.” He whispered despite the soundproof interior of his helmet.

Dyir pulled one of the small devices from his belt and handed it to Dawk who then handed it to Ryia. He activated the small, palm sized sphere and waited until it's video feed appeared in his HUD. When it did he let go of the device and it floated out into the intersection. The hallway up ahead of them was clear of any hostiles, and sensing no enemy contacts the remote turned to the next hallway which was also devoid of Yuuzhan Vong warriors.

The hallway to their left however was clogged with the alien soldiers. Everyone of them appeared to be heavily scarred which signified high rank in the warrior-caste. Ryia noticed one large warrior enshrouded in a long red cape standing at the front of the wall of Yuuzhan Vong with his arms crossed. He snarled something and a few seconds later a razorbug sliced through the remote.

“You dare desecrate the Temple of Yun-Yammka further by using your blasphemous technology?!” a voice boomed from around the corner. Ryia assumed it was the large one in the cape who, judging by his mastery of Galactic Basic, must have been in charge. “Step out and meet your death with some honor at least.”

“Yeah we stepped in it....again.” Beluin said.

“Looks that way.” Ryia said thinking. “Do we have any of those yorik-coral mines or did we use them all?”

Dyir checked the pack that Kas had given him. “We've got two of them.”

Ryia gestured for them and Dyir handed the pack to the temporary team leader.

“Thiz one wantz to know what you are planning?” Koryn sissed.

Ryia nodded towards the hallway “It's narrow in there, these don't look like regular thermal detonators. We toss these in and they wont think anything is amiss, at least not right away hopefully.”

“Those things blow and we take out anything left standing.” Dawk said “Correct?”

Ryia nodded “You catch on quick.” Tyran and the others are just up ahead, we might have to blow through a wall but we need to get through these scarheads first.”

“Answer me Infidel!” The warrior yelled. “I am Sehn Draisa of Domain Draisa, Commander of the Temple Guard, show yourselves and die like the cowards you are.”

The warriors behind Draisa roared behind him and slammed their amphistaffs against their vonduun-crab armor.

“Well he seems eager.” Dyir said.

“Yeah, that might just be his undoing.” Ryia said clutching one of the yorik-coral grenades in his hand. “Maybe I should give him the fight he's looking for.”

“You'll be right there when the detonator goes off,” Dawk said. “There is a very large chance that you wont survive, even though you're wearing beskar armor.”

“I'll be fine. You all just make sure to move in once the detonator goes off.” Ryia said handing his blaster rifle to Dawk. “This scarhead will want a fist fight.”

Dyir laughed “I bet it'll be a blast.”