Hyperspace route to Blenjeel
Unnamed ATR-6 Transport, Clan Vizsla Fleet
Hector Von Ricmore
A bearded face studied the myriad of data pads and holoterminals in front of him. Information was key to many facets of life; and a hunt was no different.
A hunt. Yes that was what this was.
Hector Von Ricmore did not consider himself a Mandalorian like many in Clan Vizsla. Yet he did engage in some of their traditions. Bounty hunting and facing off against the deadly creatures that the galaxy had to offer; a way to keep one’s skills sharp, make a few credits, and fill oneself with the thrill of life and death combat.
His current hunt towed the line between contract and expedition. He, and a detachment of the mighty Frostwolf Company of Clan Vizsla, were en route to the desert world of Blenjeel. Their task? The extermination and recovery of a rogue xeno bioweapon; a creature known as the Xerexi.
The datapads Hector read contained the myriad of details about the situation. Some provided in the contract itself, others gathered from reports of spacers, travelers, and scouts throughout the galaxy.
Blenjeel was a dangerous world. The native Sandpeople were skilled raiders, about to strike and fade into the desert. They had learned how to live alongside the Sand Burrowers; massive sandworms that hunted by sensing vibrations.
To limit the potential chance of drawing the worms, Vizsla aligned agents had purchased a map containing information on the common routes the creatures took. The strike team for this mission would traverse the desert using Skiff hovercraft, in the hope that the gravity output of the vehicles produced less severe vibrations compared to a vehicle with wheels or treads.
One of the reports troubled him greatly. A fragmented account from the Jedi order, having miraculously survived Palpatine’s purge. The report stated that the former Grandmaster of the Order, Yoda, had encountered the creatures and their creature. Both had proved skilled melee combatants, with the creatures having a hide resistant to the blade of a lightsaber.
How curious. Were they resistant to the harmonic properties of the kyber in a lightsaber? Or perhaps plasma in general? If that was the case, blasters would also be less effective against them.
Regardless of either truth, the hunting party had prepared to face them. Many of the hunters, Hector included, had equipped themselves with slugthrowers to engage the creatures from range.
And the party included a Melee specialist who was not entirely reliant upon a lightsaber.
Hector’s new apprentice. Honsou Kessen.
Honsou was a mountain of a man. Nearly standing at Hector’s own impressive height, the human rippled with muscle and chained ferocity. He was likeable enough. Not a terrible partner for chatter but often very focused. Professional? Yes, that was the word to describe him.
The wave of ATR-6 shuttles descended to the designated landing zone. Each carried a skiff magnetically sealed to the body of the vessel; deploying them to the ground before landing themselves. From each shuttle descended three dozen Vizsla soldiers and technicians. They powered on the skiffs and prepared them for departure.
The journey was not a particularly lengthy or difficult one. To reduce the chance of a worm encounter, the team had landed in the nearby vicinity to their target; a sandpeople settlement which had been destroyed in a sudden attack. An attack which left no survivors and lacked the traditional tunnels and trenches of the moving worms.
It was possible that the Xerexi were behind it.
An examination of the bodies increased the likelihood of that theory. Instead of being crushed or eaten, the bodies had received injuries from numerous sharp objects. Throats and limbs had been gouged by teeth and claws a like. Numerous torso’s had wounds consistent with the puncture inflicted by the Xerexi prehensile tail.
While the team had seemingly solved the mystery of what had happened to the town, not even they could have predicted what happened next.
Clan Vizsla were used to fighting wild creatures. They had also overcome enemies capable of tactical thinking. And those who employed creatures as weapons.
They had yet to face creatures whomst inherently held such cunning amongst themselves, even without the input of other sentients.
It was this lack of foresight which caught them by surprise.
The bioengineered Xerexi had employed ambush tactics. They burst from the underground holes they had burrowed into, grappling and assaulting their foes. Several Vizsla troopers were killed outright, while others were dragged kicking and screaming into the underground pits.
The sharp CRACK, CRACK, CRAK, of Slugthrower weapons filled the air as the Vizsla troops returned fire. The supersonic slugs tore through the hide of the Xerexi, whom had developed resistance to plasma and laser weaponry instead of traditional kinetic impacts.
Ricmore took advantage of his new custom Slugthrower. He unleashed salvos of automatic fire into the approaching horde; tossing aside magazines and reloading from the crates atop the skiff he was perched upon.
A tail surged from behind Hector, poised to impale his back. A crimson bladed beam cut the tail in two, then quickly vanquished the creature it was attached to via a follow up strike.
”Excellent swing. And thank you for the save. Can you rescue those dragged below?”
Honsou gave a nod in reply. The behemoth began to make his way into the tunnels, crimson blade hacking away at the lightsaber resistant skin until it parted, and fists grabbing and smashing the Xenos who opposed him.
That had been a close encounter. It was time to get serious.
Hector transferred his slugthrower to his lower pair of arms. His upper arms drew a pair of ice blue lightsabers. He continued to output an onslaught of slugthrower fire; now with melee weapons to defend himself from ambushes.
The Clan Vizsla strike force exterminated the rest of the creatures waiting below. They had taken numerous casualties, at least two dozen dead and several times that number wounded. While the Xerexi in this area had been dealt with, the Brotherhood troops had a sinking feeling that was not the last they would see of the deadly bioweapons.
But this outing had been a costly success, with numerous trophies claimed and bodies to research.
Hopefully it would better prepare them for the next encounter.