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+--- Thread: Tales of the Mandalorians (/showthread.php?tid=4468)
Tales of the Mandalorians - Dieter Schprokets - 02-03-2008
"Commander Masatoshi Abeki of the Kusari Naval Forces here to see you, Sir"
John Cabot, looked up from his desk, startled, speechless for a second or two. "He 's not ARMED, I assume?"
"No Sir, we made sure of that."
Cabot nodded, but looked perplexed. What possible reason could there be for a Kusari officer to come here? They were his personal enemies, the Mandalorians' enemies, and enemies of Bretonia, the house to whom the Mandalorians owed the most loyalty.
A well-groomed officer marched into the room, presented himself before the Mandalore's desk, and wasted no time with formalities whatsoever.
"I thought Mandalorians had honour." With that outburst he threw some papers on Cabot's desk.
Cabot frowned at the Kusari officer, then regarded the papers on his desk with curiousity, which changed to concern as he reviewed the documents. They were personnel files of Kusari who had recently died in combat.
Yutaka Fukushima, 17 years old. Yasuyuki Eda, 16. Hiroshi Kawauchi, 18. Tatsuya Ito, 17. There were a dozen such files.
John Cabot leaned back in his chair. He understood. "This is my men's doing, isn't it." It wasn't really a question.
The Kusari nodded, grimly.
"Well, why the hell are you recruiting them so young?"
"Do you suppose we have a choice? It has been a long war!" Commander Abeki continued, "None of those men had even 50 hours in the cockpit! Your men have been coming to our space, and interrupting training excercises and committing wanton slaughter of inexperienced pilots."
Abeki leaned over the desk, "Mandalore, if you were hunting, would you shoot the fawns? Is this the sort of thing you want your men to be doing? Is this worthy of the Mandalorians?"
Cabot shook his head slowly. No, it was not. He answered the Kusari. "We shall take steps to prevent this sort of dishonourable combat. You have my word, as a former Kusari national to a member of the Emperor's Armed Forces, and you have the word of the Mandalore."
Commander Abeki snorted, "I know your history, but you are no Kusari! You are Bretonian! Your service to that traitor Miyagi means nothing! He died a traitor's death! His firing squad was a televised event, to remind the people what happens to dogs who defy the Emperor!"
John rose to his feet slowly, fire burning in his eyes. "You have assumed too much about your personal safety, Commander. You are no diplomat, and I represent no government."
The Mandalorian moved so quickly it was all over before any observer would think to react, had any been present. One lunge punch to the throat, and the Kusari collapsed like a folding chair.
Cabot kneeled down beside the choking Kusari, and spoke in a quiet cold voice. "Your trachea has collapsed. You will shortly lose consciousness, then die." The Mandalore rose.
"I will ensure our men engage Kusari only when the situation is honourable. We will also return your body to Kusari soil."
John Cabot left the room, leaving the Kusari writhing on the floor. He would have to get that mess addressed by the cleaning personnel.
Oh well, the staff hadn't had to deal with as many corpses since Luc's time as Mandalore. They needed something to do...
Tales of the Mandalorians - yurineova - 02-12-2008
Luc walks win with a Tie-Die T-Shirt and Khaki Shorts on, wearing sandals. "Heya John, I'm back!"
"Where the Hell have you been?!" Asked John
"I'm gona kill Dha.. He was supposed to tell you I was on vacation! Jeez, here, I'm retired and dont even get to takea vacation..."
"Anyways, No attacking KNF."
"Why?!" Luc asked as his Jaw hit the Floor
"They have many new recruits, and we cannot interfere with their training. Lay off em for some time, go an get used to your ship again."
"Fine, whatever."
"Oh, and Dha's outta the hostpital. Got his robotic leg and everyhting."
"Heh, now all I have to do is throw a couple magnets to it and watch the fun." Luc walked out the door before john could reply.
(Yea, short to say I am back:P)
Tales of the Mandalorians - Flo - 02-13-2008
"WHAT!?THEY DON'T WANT TO PAY!?" Dha Piruna was trembling in anger.
"What do they even think who we are? Some puppets they can control completely by their will? I must report this to the Mandalore I am su...uh?" Disbelief diffused in his face as he read the message from NovaPG completely.
"I guess I will have to call him anyways" he thought and pressed the contact button with the golden script nameplate "M A N D A L O R E" on it...they had to talk about this too - but later.
"Um, yeah? What is it?"
"John, it's me. I have some news for you. NovaPG doesn't want to pay our first kills. But they" "WHAT?"
"Hey calm down - they made us an attractive offer we can't decline."
"Oh, that must be a really great offer so that you old greedy bast*** accept it so calmly."
"Yes it is. Listen up and take a seat. They are offering us limited access to their shipyards. You know what that means?"
"I am more asking what "limited" means...One Katana Blaster, eh?"
"Nonono, listen! Only our highest ranks are allowed - get a ground now - to fly their ships and are given limited access to their equipment. But here I must repeat that only our highest ranks are allowed to do so. If they see some John Doe mandalorian flying around in one of "their" ships they will immediately cancel their contract and hunt us down."
"That are great news. But as you said we have to be very careful. Dragon equipment needs both our and - more important - approval from NovaPG. So before you get anything ask their highest ranks for permission.
Well, I am quite...busy here. Please contact all consuls of that. And send NovaPG our accordance with their offer."
"Ok I will do. Have fun with your "serious business", Mandalore. Goodbye"
What a great opportunity that was. Their old ships were damaged due to those frequent battles the last weeks. With that new equipment they would be fully operational again - and even more powerful. And that would cause even more money on their accounts.
"Hmm...I could get a golden nameplate on my desk..."
Tales of the Mandalorians - yurineova - 02-14-2008
(( http://discoverygc.com/forums/index.php?sh...mp;#entry184093 ))
Tales of the Mandalorians - tfmachad - 02-16-2008
John Cabot, leader for the Mandalorian Mercenaries had had a quiet and uneventful morning so far. He hated the paperwork, though. He tried to push some of it to Dha Piruna and Ranov'la Aran, two of his Consuls, but they wouldn't take any more bureaucratic work than they already had.
"You need us out there making money, John." Ranov'la would say, "And we need our leader out there with us."
Business was flourishing. Dha and Ranov'la did a good job alright organizing their contracts and keeping an eye out for new opportunities, but there was so much more to that. Mercenaries relied greatly in their reputation and the relations with their clients. With the success and reach they achieved, not stepping over the toes of one client while serving another was becoming more and more of a politics puzzle. Suddenly his door opened without notice. He had told his secretary to announce people before letting them in.
"Excellent morning, isn't it, John?" Ranov'la Aran entered the office with a contented smile. John thought of objecting the intrusion, but he had already learned to pay attention whenever his Consuls were too happy about something. He decided not to say a thing until Ranov'la did.
Ranov'la went directly to John's cabinet and poured himself a drink, emptying the bottle. "Was this the last of Luc's whisky?" He didn't really expect John to reply to that and sat in the couch.
It was a kind of a warrior's jest amongst the Mandalorian command to act so laid back towards each other, specially the Consuls towards the Mandalore. Something to keep him from losing the "part of the gang" feel. They would follow the Mandalore to the grave if needed be, but they were a family more than anything.
John decided it would be a good thing to take a break from the paperwork and poured himself a drink as well. He returned to his desk and listened.
"I've got great news, John."
"Well, let's hear it then."
"We're being hunted."
"What?", John was sure that last sip went through the wrong pipe.
"Someone has hired Dark Wing to hunt us. From elimination me and Dha are inclined to think the KNF might have done it."
"And that is... What is it you said? 'Great news' because..."
"John, come on. The Kusarians despise the Bounty Hunter Guild from the bottom of their little Kusarian hearts. If it was indeed them that hired the DW to hunt us down, they had to go a lot out of their way to do it. I take it they weren't impressed by your little stunt with their commander. Anyway, we need to confirm that. I'm sure Die Hard will be more than pleased if this is true", Ranov'la smiled broadly.
"Ranov'la, wait. Hold on a second. How do you even know that?"
"Oh yes, that... Well, me and Dha were attacked by them yesterday in Bretonia territory. But it gets better. At the time, we were aiding the BPA and they disobeyed their orders to stand down and attacked us anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if the BPA/QCRF have already blacklisted them by now. The BPA officer actually helped us fighting them."
"Wait, alright, get back a little. Who were they?"
"They were Crunch, Vexille and Suzanna. The BPA was fighting a pirate bomber and ordered us to stand down. He wanted to deal with it himself," Ranov'la continued, "We were watching the fight and noticed the DWs moving. At first they just stood there. I greeted them and got no reply. They moved away and returned in different ships. I was a bit suspicious of their movement, but we were distracted by the ongoing fight. Eventually that fight ended and as we returned to Planet Cambridge, they attacked Dha. As I moved in, the BPA ordered them to stop, but they ignored. The police officer joined and helped us."
"And how did it go?"
"What can I say, John? They failed. Actually they failed big time. Neither me nor Dha even used our shield batteries or nanobots."
"Alright, I'll try and sort this out. Alert everyone to keep an eye out for these guys. Don't let them get close to the new pilots."
"Understood, John. Dha is already working on that." Ranov'la stood up, "Oh, one more thing. I need you to sign this.", he handled John a document.
"What? Why do you need yet another ship? How many have you got already, five?"
"Come on, John. I'm a collector, what can I say? Also, I didn't even apply for that fat bonus you mentioned. I'd much rather you get me a nice little gift." he said leaving the office, "Oh, and be sure they send that one in a gun metal pattern, it will look gorgeous in that color. Thanks a bunch, John."
Tales of the Mandalorians - Dieter Schprokets - 02-19-2008
Mandalorians Dralshyar and Kandosii entered the spacious office to find the Mandalore regarding the stacks of paper on his desk with all the affection of a caged animal.
Gentlemen, PLEASE interrupt my paperwork. Or, maybe even kill me..
Please have a seat. Cabot gestured to the chairs in front of him.
The two men sat, and were apprehensive. Coming to see the Mandalore wasnt always a good thing. As a Kusari officer had recently discovered
The Mandalore got up, rubbed his eyes, and made his way to the picture window overlooking New London. He kept his back to his guests as he spoke, and while that act is considered rude, even arrogant, in most other cultures, to the Mandalorians being addressed in this way by a superior conveyed a very high level of trust, especially when the speaker wore no armor. The act meant I know you are loyal, and will not put a blade in my back.
So, these men knew they were here to receive good news, and became visibly relaxed.
Gentlemen the Mandalore continued, Luc McLoud has left us.
The mens shock was visible. McCloud had led the exodus to Sirius, led the Mandalorians to Bretonia, and then led them into disastrous war with the Union of Gold. Subsequently, he was deposed by John Cabot, the first Bretonian Mandalore. McCloud still held the rank of Admiral, a consequence of the strangely easygoing way the Mandalorians forgave former honourable enemies. To them, Civil War was just part of the business of changing governments. Like an election, but with bloody fighting, and fewer speeches.
We dont know where he is. We think he may have been assassinated. But there is no body. Another alternative is that he has joined the Blood Dragons. He has a special affection for them.
We may never know. In any case, I am down one Admiral, and that, Kandosii, is where you come in.
Kandosii looked up, startled. Cabot smiled, then continued.
Yes, Friend, its true. I didnt want to risk asking you, in case you said no, so Im just telling you, Admiral Kandosii. You have served us a long time, and you will be a better Admiral than you yourself believe.
The Mandalore continued, smiling and that means Im also now down one Commander, and.. well I think you get the idea, Commander Dralshyar. You execute a lot of contracts. I must say Im extremely pleased by that. Dont get to do as much fighting lately, myself. Ill live vicariously through you.
Now it was Dralshyars turn to be surprised, but neither of them had time to say anything but a murmured Thank you sir before Cabot terminated the meeting.
That is all, gentlemen. Go now to your duty. Dismissed.
And so they did.
Tales of the Mandalorians - tfmachad - 02-23-2008
Ranov'la Aran entered John Cabot's office with a broad smile on his face.
"You look satisfied, Ranov'la. What is it?"
"Well, these are strange times, John. But funny times nonetheless.", Ranov'la sat on the couch and continued, "Remember that incident in Liberty a couple of days ago?"
"Of course."
"The whole point of me and Prudii entering Zone 21 the other day was because we were tracking that pirate Gunship, the Black Pearl. Our informants in New York reported the ship was trolling inside New York for some two or three hours that day, so I decided to try and catch it. I called Prudii in to help me with it and at a certain point she had a hint that it might be hidding inside the minefield."
"The navy and the LSF are being particularly protective of that area these days, Ranov'la. You should've been more careful, or at least requested permission to go there."
"Not really the point, John. Not a week ago I went to Alaska to aid Liquid against a Corsair. I mean, they must make up their minds already. They allow us in, don't allow us in... Also, how could we know that they recognize that rogue band, the USS, as a legitimate part of the navy?"
John shrugged.
"Then we enter there and the guy starts shooting at Prudii. He could have at least ordered us out as we entered the minefield. I probably would not have listened to him anyway, but there were SA in New York at the time, and if they intervened I would."
Ranov'la got up and went to pour himself a drink, "The guy shot Prudii without any warning. A freaking capital vessel against a fighter! If we weren't old time colaborators of Liberty that would still be criminal. To put a golden cherry on top of it all, as me and Prudii were there arguing with the whole SA, LSF and USS force in the system, the Black Pearl just passed us by. They did stop it, but the guy managed to get away with some sweet talk about meaning no harm. A pirate, John, a freaking pirate and they let it go! If there was any one day I felt like an idiot helping Liberty against pirates that one was it."
"Well, from the original mood with which you entered my office today I take it you didn't come here to rant about Liberty law enforcement, am I right?"
Ranov'la regained his light expression from before, "Yes, John, you're right. Here's what I was laughing about."
The Consul tossed a folded newspaper over the Mandalore's desk.
Quote:Rheinland Military seize control of pirate ship, arrests captain and crew"This was the Black Pearl?" John asked.
A pirate gunship crossed Rheinland space today. Military pilots chased the vessel down to the Stuttgart system where they managed to stop it and seize control of the vessel. The ship was escorted to the Brandenburg station where both captain and crew were disarmed and arrested.
"I confirmed it, yes."
Ranov'la Aran laughed, joined shortly by his Mandalore.
Tales of the Mandalorians - Dieter Schprokets - 02-27-2008
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John Cabot, Mandalore, rounded the corner in the corridor to see his new Admiral, Kandosii, sitting against the wall in what seemed to be a catatonic state.
Cabot, concerned, approached slowly, then inquired, none too gently;
Good God, man, what happened to you?
Kandosii, startled into reality by the realization that the Mandalore was standing before him, mouthed something quietly, then repeated himself more audibly;
She is here!
Cabot shook his head. WHO is here? What the hell are you talking about, man?
Kandosii roused himself still further, and managed to say a bit more. She is here, in Sirius, with us. She came with us. I have told the others. We are all blessed.
Cabot rubbed his eyes, then forcefully pulled his obviously incapacitated Admiral to his feet, pinned him against the wall and demanded,
Look son, you are overestimating my patience. I ran out of that precious commodity several years ago. You have to explain yourself, clearly, articulately, NOW!
Kandosii nodded, and the Mandalore relaxed his grip, and Kandosii explained;
I was in the California system. I was on a job escorting a trader, when a fighter appeared and attacked it, quite without provocation, I was going to respond, then
He paused for breath, SHE appeared. The Mandoa Goddess Caylith. She was in a craft, it could not have been made by human hands, the power..
She destroyed the fighter with one righteous blow. Then she disappeared.
John Cabot looked at his man in stunned comprehension. He was looking at somebody in a state of intense religious exhultation. It was new and unexpected
..and extremely disturbing.
Kandosii must have seen his masters disbelief, and felt the need to explain.
John, you are Mandalore, but you are Bretonian. You are not one of the Exodus. You cannot understand how we feel about this. Caylith is one of the Old Gods of the Mandoa Pantheon, one of the Admin. They roam the stars, and deal in righteous vengeance.
I have told the others. We are constructing a temple. Do you not understand? She came here to Sirius, to be with us again. We are blessed...
The man clearly hadnt slept, and was becoming incomprehensible again. John let him go. Kandosii wandered down the hall, still muttering and smiling..
Sweet, merciless Caylith
John raised an eyebrow at that one. He shook his head again, and walked towards his office, where the liquor was, which suddenly mattered a lot.
Great, he thought. Now Im running a bloody cult
Well, hed let them build that temple. Likely couldnt stand in their way now anyway. And religious attachment to gods of vengeance could really help the business
Tales of the Mandalorians - Dieter Schprokets - 02-29-2008
Dha Piruna, Ranov'la Aran, and Mandalore John Cabot walked towards one of the Mandalorian's hangers at the New London Spaceport. The Mandalore's pace was quick. He was anxious to share his most recent pet project with the consuls.
"Where are we going, and why?" Dha demanded. "I have numbers to crunch."
Ranov'la looked at his watch, and asked, "Yes John. What is this concerning?"
Both these men were busy, and had been called away from their business unexpectedly by John, with no real explanation forthcoming. Mandalorians did not value patience. It was considered a weakness. In this, they shared a trait with the Bretonian who was now their leader.
"It concerns.." said Cabot, pausing for effect, "The Dha'wherd." He was grinning somewhat madly now...
Both the consuls stopped dead in their tracks. They looked REALLY incensed, like they had just been asked to cluster bomb a refugee camp. Dha was actually speechless, but Ranov'la found some few, angry words, mostly said between clenched teeth;
"What the HELL do you want with those evil bastards?"
The Dha'wherd were a secret society within the Mandalorians, who fell in and out of favour depending on their usefulness to the Mandalore and Consuls. They were assassins, and had no compunction about killing anybody, anywhere, anytime. Their initiation rituals were said to involve murder. They were, to say the least, not nice people. Often the Mandalore had to curry their favour, if only to prevent having their knives finding his back.
John answered, waving one hand to encourage them to follow. "I want them to have something to do. Something less.. bloody.. than their usual diversions. And I think you will like what I have in mind. Come on!"
The consuls carried on, apprehensively. This had better end well..
Soon they were at the hanger. With a bit of unneccessary drama, John opened the hanger main doors using the control pad available. The inside was dark. John turned to his consuls, gave a maddening grin (He knew this was driving them nuts.) then turned on the lights.
It was a hanger full of Arrows. Lean, sleek, maneuverable craft, fun to fly, but..
"Bloody useless in a fight." said Dha. Interesting, thought John. These Mandalorian imports are starting to sound like Brets. He'd actually heard Ranov call someone a "wanker" the other day.
Ranov'la was inspecting the craft, noting that the weapons were decent, the shields pretty well top of the line, but the armor options non-existent. What was most revealing was that the countermeasures and cruise disruptors were absolutely top notch. Ranov started nodding in understanding.
"Interceptors. You've bought a fleet of interceptors."
Dha looked a bit startled. "At what price?" Ever the banker...
"100 million or so, all told, maybe a bit more." responded Cabot. Dha choked just a bit... He muttered something about John never buying used..
John walked up to one of the sleek little craft, put his hand on the wing and turned around to give his sales pitch.
"Gentlemen, we are going to split those demented Dha'wherd bastards up, get them the hell away from us, and make them earn their keep. When they are gone, they can't poison our food, stab us in the back, or put bullets in our craniums."
"But what they CAN do, with these babies, is watch over Sirius for us. They can intercept our targets and slow them down while our bombers, gunships and fighters rendezvous for the kill. They can assist traders in trouble, by disrupting those who hunt them. They can just observe, and report fleet disposition, to us, or to our clients. For a price, of course.."
"And if they do some 'wet work' on the side, well, out of sight, out of mind, I say. Better way out there.." John gestured up to deep space "than here in Bretonia."
John sat down on a workbech, then continued.
"Gentlemen, the Dha'wherd don't like us. Not you, and certainly not me. We aren't dirty enough for them. We prefer the standup fight to the knife across the throat in the dark. They are currently too idle. And gentlemen.."
"They're going to kill us, eventually. I can sense it. Then they will replace us with someone more to their liking. They've done that before."
"AND, we need eyes and ears in Sirius. Two birds, one stone, gentlemen. One stone."
Ranov'la looked at the little fighters, and was nodding and smiling. He was sold.
Dha looked a little less convinced, but that was just because he knew that all this equipment was bought and paid for.
But he reasoned, trying to return it all would mean murder in restocking charges. Better that the Arrows be used, and even if some were destroyed, then they could be written off of the books. Might get the clan into a lower tax bracket. He smiled, convinced that this was win-win, even if every single depraved Dha'wherd got killed in the bloody things...
"When do they leave?" he asked, smiling.
Tales of the Mandalorians - Dieter Schprokets - 03-06-2008
Dha Piruna walked into the Mandalore's office. He looked grim.
"John." The Mandalore looked up, wearing his new spectacles (which he detested)
"Yeah Dha? What is it?"
"A client owes us money, John. Big money." He handed a sheet of paper to Cabot.
Cabot read the paper then closed his eyes. "The Royal Fleet owes us $112 million credits." Wasn't a question, actually. Just a statement of fact.
Dha sat down. "Yeah."
The Mandalore sat staring into space for a bit. Then he opened his desk drawer up, pulled out a cheque and started filling it out.
Dha looked perplexed. "John, what are you doing?" He was not just a little concerned. He knew bloody well what the Mandalore was doing. He just thought it was nuts.
John handed the cheque over. "112 million credits. Paid." He waved the check to indicate that Dha should take it. Now.
"John, that's YOUR bloody money. A hell of a lot of it. Are you drunk? Are you sure?"
John answered curtly "Kinda, and yes. Take it." Well, it WAS after noon..
Dha took the cheque slowly. He looked at John. Some kind of explanation was forthcoming, he figured.
Cabot leaned back in his chair, and spoke. "The Crown pays us those credits, that's one less Templar or Challenger built, one less pilot trained, a dozen fewer widows taken care of."
He paused, then continued. "I'm Bretonian first. My people are at war. What do I need that money for? To retire? I'm gonna die in the cockpit. So will you. Mandalorian Consuls don't usually die in their sleep, Dha. And the Mandalore almost never does."
John leaned forward to emphasize. "This isn't something to discuss. Take the bloody money, and pay some of our bills, will ya?" Then he leaned back and gestured to Dha to go.
Dha nodded, stood up, and left even more sombre than he arrived.
The Mandalore stared off into space for some time, then dove back into the paperwork, with no enthusiasm whatsoever.