3,968

Verd'goten

- Coming of Age

The jungle sat still, the humid mist floating above and below the canopy. Toucans, deeper in the jungle, made cries and shrieks that emanated outwards. Humongous caterpillars and centipedes crawled about, up trees, across branches, burrowing in the dirt. It was a peaceful, serene scene.

An explosion ripped through the area, sending smoke, trees, and debris flying. The roars of hell wolves took form as the beasts scurried off in terror. A lone hell wolf that had been wounded was prone, pulling itself along by it's arms, it's legs having been blown apart by the explosion.

Rising over it was a Mandalore warriour, in black and red armour, wielding a grenade launcher and an assault rifle. The warriour walked into the scene, scanning the area. Noticing the wounded hell wolf, the warriour walked forward, stomping down on it's neck, killing it. Dropping a used grenade shell out of the launcher, the warriour reloaded it. Using his helmets sensors, the warriour locked onto the hell wolf cave and fired his last grenade into the cave. Another loud, fiery explosion roared through the jungle, sending a shockwave that leveled nearby vegetation. Toucans and other birds squawked and fled, as the Mandalorian dropped his grenade launcher and replaced it with a Mythosaur hand axe. Aiming with his rifle, the Mandalorian zoomed in on specific hell wolves, picking off three. They were quick, and had already flanked him. One charged him from the right, but was decapitated as the Mandalorian cut through it's neck with his axe. Another charged from the left, but with his other hand he fired his rifle, shooting off it's jaw and blasting it in the eye. It landed and fell dead at the Mandalorian's feet. From behind three more hell wolves charged, but the Mandalorian quickly dispatched them with his gauntlet flamethrower. They rolled around for a few moments, before finally dying in agony.

The Mandalorian slung his rifle over his shoulder, replacing it with his dagger. He ventured forward through the smoking debris, arriving at the hell wolf cave. It wasn't too large, but it managed to house twenty beasts and the mother wolf. The latter of which survived and jumped at the Mandalorian from his left. However, his sensors alerted him to it, and he rolled forward into the cave, out of the way of the attack. He stood up and turned to face the mother, who snarled and charged again. Ready this time, the boy held his dagger hand back, his axe forward as the mother wolf lunged. The boy took two steps forward, catching the mother by the throat with his dagger, and slicing through her belly with his axe. The mother howled in pain, as the Mandalorian slung the mother to the ground. Putting his dagger and axe away, he pulled out his pistol and shot the mother several times in the head for good measure. The Mandalorian, satisfied with the hunt, turned and walked out of the cave.

"A fine job son." An older Mandalorian said, leaning against the exterior cave wall. Douglas Fett, just exiting the cave, whipped around and aimed his pistol. He holstered it though when he saw who it was.

"Thanks buir." Doug said. The two walked together out of the jungle, the same one Doug and his childhood friend Boudica had ventured through nine years earlier.

"That was the hell wolf hive that's been terrorizing this area." Doug said, as Doug and Arminius entered a savannah, where Arminius' G-wing shuttle sat waiting.

"Indeed it was. You did an excellent job in finding it. The lairs of those beasts are not easy to locate." Arminius said.

"Anything happen while I was gone?" Doug asked.

"Darius and Titus trained together at the Aswan Dam on the AswanRiver, where some native wildlife was threatening construction. They're still there fighting beasts and helping in the construction. Your mother and I missed you. You've been gone a month. We hired some folks from town to help on the farm." Arminius said, as they reached the G-wing shuttle. As he was about to get in, he noticed Doug's demeanor change, as subtle as it was. He knew his son well enough to know when something was on his mind, even if he did conceal his face behind a helmet.

"What's wrong Doug?" Arminius asked.

"The time is approaching for the warriour trials, buir. I'm afraid about the future, that I won't be able to handle it." Doug said. He was a teenager, thirteen years old now, and thought a lot about the Neo-Crusaders on Dxun.

"You have your training Doug. You'll have your clan leaders, like Cassus, to guide you."

"No, not that. I…I'm afraid I won't be prepared for fighting a real battle." Doug said. His father went over to him and looked through his son's T-visor.

"All warriours have fear before their first combat, no matter who it's against. You survived your first fight against the hell wolves, and conquered your fear by destroying them. You are a Mandalorian Warriour, and I have taught you everything I know."

"Except for one thing." Doug replied.

"What's that?"

"My training will kick in as I go into battle, but I need to know what it feels like. To be shot."

"Why do you want to know that?"

"How will I know what do on the battlefield when it happens? I need to know now, before I'm lying vulnerable on the ground to my enemies." Doug said. Arminius looked stunned for a few moments, then smiled proudly.

"You've got some guts, Doug'ika. But don't tell your mother or brother we're doing this, ok?" Arminius said. Doug nodded.

They both went into range, as Arminius pulled out a blaster pistol, and recalibrated it to the lowest power setting. Aiming for the boy's chest, he fired off a single shot. The blaster bolt slugged into the boy's armour, throwing him back a few feet. After a few moments the boy stood back up, shaky. Regaining his composure, they boy dug his boots into the ground, readying himself for another shot. Arminius recalibrated the weapon to full power, and fired. Doug flew 20 feet, smoke rising off his armour. The boy staggered back up a few minutes later, and took another shot. And another. And another. And another…

All together, Doug was shot 73 times by Arminius, who switched in-between his pistol and rifle. By the end of the day when they had returned home, Doug was welted and bruised, but not dead. Mandalorian iron, after all, was resistant to blaster fire. It all prepared him though for the warriour trial in the next few days, and eventually in joining the Neo-Crusaders.

Arminius and Athena took Doug and Darius to town, where a shuttle was docked to pick up young Mandalorians. This was no ordinary trip the shuttle was going on; it was picking up youngsters to take them into the Mandalorian warriour trial, the Verd'goten. By passing it, the children would officially be adults, and recruited to Mandalore the Ultimate's army on Dxun.*

A Mandalorian sergeant in full regalia was standing on the loading bay of a shuttle, admitting various Human, Taung, Nikto, and other species of Mandalorians inside, their parents waving them goodbye. Arminius and Athena led their boys over, as the sergeant greeted them.

"What do we have here? Two young Mandalorians looking to serve Te Ani'la Mand'alor?"

"Yes sir." Doug and Darius replied.

"Don't 'sir' me. Just call me Ralon. I'm here to take young Mandalorians like yourselves to the first stage of the Verd'goten. You boys have everything you need?"

"Yup."

"Good. Take your seats inside when you're ready. We're leaving in 30 minutes." Ralon said. The two boys turned to their parents, as all four took off their helmets. This was the moment all of them had dreaded, when they knew they wouldn't be able to see each other again. Arminius held back displaying any emotions, keeping his stern composure.

"Well. You two be nice to each other now. Bring honour to the Fett name." Was all Arminius said, as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm proud of both of you. I love you two so much." Athena said, hugging them. Arminius still held back affection, and Doug and Darius noticed this. The boys exchanged 'I love you's with Athena, and boarded the shuttle. Still Arminius said nothing, only crossing his arms over his chest. Darius sat down and began talking with a Taung, as Doug sat alone. He wondered if that was his Dad's final lesson: emotional detachment.

Outer Rim - Mandalorian Space

A Mandalorian shuttle dropped out of hyperspace, reaching it's destination: The Mandalorian Capital Ship, Cuyan, in orbit over the planet Shogun. The shuttle docked in the hangar bay.

Darius and Doug, along with the other young Mandalorians onboard, exited the ship. They found more shuttles bringing in other young Mandalorians like themselves, who were being led away into another hangar. Ralon exited behind them.

"Come on guys, it's about to start." Ralon said, leading them into an adjacent hangar. To Doug, everything seemed so big. Even the hangar seemed 100 feet tall.

They followed Ralon into the hangar, where there were about 5,000 other young Mandalorians like themselves. Doug and Darius sat down, but not before Doug caught a glimpse of a girl with long brown hair. The girl turned to talk to her friend, and Doug saw that it wasn't his childhood friend Boudica. Doug sat down and waited patiently for whatever was to begin. The adult Mandalorians, in blue, red, and yellow armour stood around at full attention, completely silent. They stood in perfect, orderly lines, and did not speak; they embodied obedience.

Several minutes later, the blast doors to the hangar opened, and a lone figure walked out. He sized up the group of 5,000 Mandalorian children, and after a few moments finally spoke.

"Greetings. I am Mandalore, leader of the Mandalorians. I have decided to oversee the training of this new army." Mandalore said. Silence followed, as Mandalore looked about the room for a few more moments. For a second, Doug thought Mandalore looked right at him. In fact, it seemed like their gazes (behind their visors) had locked for several moments. Doug hid his wonder behind his visor, but his mind raced with questions.

What does it mean? Is he choosing me? Choosing me for what? To be the next Mandalore?

Doug shook his head, putting the ridiculous thoughts away. Regardless, something about that moment lingered in the back of Doug's mind for a long time. Mandalore spoke up.

"You look like a fine group of Mando'ade. I wish you all well in the ensuing tests. Good day." Mandalore said, exiting back through the blast doors. A Neo-Crusader in yellow armour came forward.

"That was our leader. You will all follow him to your deaths if you have to. But that's only if you don't die today. We are circling the planet Shogun. As there are 5,000 of you, there are 5,000 Basilisk War Droids on it's surface. You will perform H.A.L.O jumps, find a Basilisk for yourself, and head to the nearby planet Keirut, where one of the leaders of Clan Ordo will lead you in an attack on the planet. Afterwards, you will return here, board the shuttles again and head for Dxun. It's easier said than done. Shogun is a harsh, and desolate world. Some of you may remain on the planet indefinitely. But if you are a true Mandalorian warriour, then you will survive the perils of the planet below, and live to serve Mandalore. Any questions?" The Mandalorian asked. The 5,000 had none.

"Good. Head to a shuttle. You will each be given a parachute. You will be instructed on how to use them and how to perform a H.A.L.O jump. Oya Manda!"

Doug patted his jetpack, and wondered how a parachute would fit over it, and how much the armour would weigh him down. But he shook the thoughts out of his head, as he walked with Darius to a shuttle. As he boarded, he spotted another brown haired girl at a different shuttle, and passed it off as another look alike. He did a double take, though, and realized it was her – it was Boudica! She turned and spotted him too, as they continued staring at each other for a few moments. They got yelled at by the pilots though, and were forced to go in. That was the last time they would see each other for a long, long time.

Doug took a seat opposite Darius in the shuttle, and pulled out the Mythosaur tooth Boudica had given him. He thought about his dad's unorthodox last lesson, and wondered what specifically it might have meant. Detachment from people, or detachment in battle allowing for ruthless efficiency? Doug shook the thoughts out of his head as he noticed he and Darius' cousin Titus Fett walk onboard. Titus sat next to Darius. The two conversed, as Doug looked on. The ship took off a few moments later, and a Neo-Crusader gave them the rundown on parachutes and H.A.L.O jumps. Like surviving Shogun, Doug surmised that even the H.A.L.O jump was meant as a way to weed out weaker Mandalorians. Regardless, they flew around the planet's atmosphere for 30 minutes or so to breathe out the nitrogen in their system.

Doug and the other Mandalorians onboard went quiet, as they got in line for the jump. They were in Shogun's atmosphere, about 29,000 feet up from the surface. The loading ramp opened up in the rear of the shuttle, and cold, harsh winds whipped at the young Mandalorians. Titus, always the daredevil, was first in line. The Neo-Crusader who taught them earlier stood by the open loading ramp, waiting for confirmation by the pilots when the kids were good to go.

"GO!" The Neo-Crusader yelled over the winds. Titus ran off the ramp, and jumped out, free-falling towards the planet below. Darius went next, followed by Doug. Other Mandalorians followed, as they free-fell through the atmosphere. Off in the distance were even more shuttles, dropping off many more young Mandalorians into Shogun's skies.

As per instruction, Doug switched to his helmet's rebreather for oxygen, as a substitute for the lack there of at 27,000 feet. Across the planet, Mandalorians opened their parachutes, and began their descent on the crystalline ice world…

Shogun

Freezing cold winds shot at the young Mandalorians, but their armour and under suit protected them as they fell. Doug passed through a cloud, and maneuvered past another Mandalorian as he spotted a large, frozen lake below.

The Mandalorians dropped at an incredible speed, and Doug did his best to fly away from the lake below. The surface kept getting closer and closer, and no matter what he did, Doug couldn't budge from his path leading down towards the ice lake. The high winds forced him downwards on a crash course for the lake below. Doug panicked for a moment, realizing that if the impact didn't kill him, the water would. At the right altitude, he pulled a wire, and the parachute flew out from his pack. He descended further.

The ground got closer, and Doug decided to bail out – the winds seemed to disfavor him that day, as they continued pushing him towards the lake. Freeing himself from the parachute wires, Doug free fell, igniting his jetpack 30 feet above the lake, flying towards the snowy shore nearby. He landed in a puddle, the jetpack having melted snow beneath him. It was so cold, that the puddle began to freeze up, and Doug quickly jumped out, lest he be caught in it. His helmet already had icicles, but Doug knocked them aside.

Doug trudged through the snow, observing an odd looking bush. It turned out to be a crystal bush, and they dotted the landscape for miles. Doug continued walking through the blizzard, when his helmets sensors alerted him to a free falling target. Doug turned around to see another Mandalorian, falling towards the lake below. Doug tried yelling, but the winds muted his voice. With his arms, he tried motioning to his comrade to land away from the lake, but to no avail. The Mandalorian couldn't move in time, and struck the ice lake. It cracked open, and as the Mandalorian struggled to get away, he fell in. Just as quickly as he had fell in, the hole froze back up. Doug gaped his jaw, stunned. That was the first time he'd seen a fellow Mandalorian, even one his own age, die. It wouldn't be the last.

Doug continued walking forward, shaking the image of his dead comrade from his head. It had left him shaken and distracted. He concentrated on the environment. The planet was barren and flat, not even a tree in sight, dotted only with crystal bushes. The winds continued waling, but Doug got use to it. He couldn't see any other Mandalorians through the blizzard. Not even his handy helmet sensors picked up life forms. For the first time, Doug felt alone. He let the feeling go, knowing that only the mission and his loyalty to Mandalore mattered.

Doug continued walking through the barren, snowy wasteland, when all of a sudden he lost his footing. He slipped and fell into what now he recognized as a chasm, grabbing onto a ledge he was just standing on. The fog was so thick it hid the giant crevasse he didn't see before. He pulled himself back up, and scanned the area with his helmet. The crevasse continued east and west for miles, and the distance across was vast, a good 70 feet. Doug breathed in and out, calming and preparing himself for what he had to do.

He walked back 40 feet, and when he was ready, ran forward. The snow crunched beneath him as he ran, and as he got to the end of the ledge, he jumped. He cleared 6 feet before falling, igniting his jetpack, darting across to the other side. However, Mandalorian jetpacks were only meant for short bursts, and after a burst would have to recharge, forcing the user to land. When Doug had 35 feet to go, his jetpack gave out, and Doug free fell down the chasm. Firing his gauntlet grappling hook, he continued falling, and spotted what looked to be mass crystalline structures at the bottom of the chasm. Just 10 feet from a spiky death, the grappling hook finally caught a hold of a crystal bush. Doug breathed sigh of relief, and began reeling himself up.

At 20 feet, Doug ignited his jetpack, flying up above the chasm over to the other side, dropping and rolling. The other side of the chasm didn't look much different from the other. A snowy, icy waste with no end in sight. Doug continued on, in search of a Basilisk War Droid.

After 5 minutes of trudging through the blizzard, Doug finally found something – a cave. With his helmet's sensors, Doug didn't pick up any life forms inside. He ventured inside. He learned from the trap at the chasm, however, and watched his step. Walking a few feet forward, Doug realized the ground was completely ice, devoid of even an inch of snow. Looking hard enough, Doug saw a spiral ice slide, descending further into the depths of the ice cave. He detected nothing with his sensors still, and placing his fists at his side, sizing up the situation, Doug jumped on the ice slide.

Doug slid down, spiraling downwards till finally the slide ended. Doug stood back up, looking forward. The cave continued onward, growing ever darker. His helmet's night vision found nothing to illuminate. Doug stood contemplating, weary of what lay beyond. Working up his courage, Doug equipped his dagger and Mythosaur hand axe, and feeling brave, walked forward into the darkness.

Doug walked slowly, his stance ready for anything. The whole cave screamed 'trap.' Doug kept his night vision on, and it finally paid off. He ducked and rolled, as an arm from the shadows swiped at him. Doug quickly stood back up, and his attacker revealed itself in the light – a wampa, native to many ice planets.

The wampa rampaged forward, arms swinging at the Mandalorian. Doug swung his weapons in his hand, and as the wampa swiped again, Doug dodged, slicing it's forearm off with the axe and slashing it's throat with the dagger. The wampa roared, swiping at Doug with it's good arm. Doug took a step back, but the wampa managed to connect, sending Doug flying. Doug gritted his teeth, but he was ok; the helmet was doing it's job. Doug dropped his weapons, aiming instead with his gauntlet wrist-blaster. He fired, hitting the wampa in the shoulder, chest, and finally the head. It gave a final death groan, and collapsed, dead. Doug pulled himself back up, picking his weapons up with him. Doug continued on into the darkness. His sensors told him there was something up ahead, something big.

Doug continued walking through the dark ice cave, until he reached a wall. Doug stood stumped for a moment. His sensors told him whatever it was was right there, but yet it wasn't. Doug stood contemplating, and after a few moments kicked the ice wall in. It broke apart into a separate chamber, and Doug stepped inside.

It was a Basilisk War Droid. An original model, not one of the newer variants. Except for it being a droid, it looked quite similar in shape to the Lagartoz War Dragons. Doug looked at it in awe for a few moments before going over to it. It bucked, happy that a new rider was taking it for a ride. It poked out it's arm to let Doug climb on top of it. Doug climbed up and sat down, finding the pressurized suit and putting it on over his armour. Doug looked at the controls, and pressed a button. The droid unleashed two rail guns, and began firing, destroying another wall of the chamber. Doug pressed the button again and they went back in their housings. Taking to the controls, Doug rampaged the droid through the snow outside the cave. Testing the controls more, Doug eventually took it to flight, and within a few moments began heading for the rendezvous point in orbit over Keirut.

As Doug flew into space, he saw other Basilisks with Mandalorians riding on them, having survived Shogun and now embarking for Keirut. It was a sight to behold, several thousand Basilisks and their riders flying through space together. Doug enjoyed the moment, riding alongside fellow Mandalorians. It was then that he felt like part of a cause. He smiled jovially under his helmet as they reached Keirut space, where a lone Basilisk and it's rider floated patiently for the young Mandalorian.

The lone Mandalore warriour flew about, observing the many young Mandalorians assembled before him. The warriour finally spoke up.

"I am Canderous Ordo, of the Clan Ordo. I lead an entire sub-sect of my clan, due to great feats of honour I gained in battle at Althir. Like all of you, I once passed these trials, a long time ago. In those days, we fought real opponents over a thousand worlds. You won't hear about them anymore, thanks to the old Mandalore's Crusaders. The Krath are gone, so instead we attack the world of Keirut today. It's an industrial world, foolish enough to stand against us. They know we're coming, and have prepared their defenses against us. Use whatever means necessary. They have no chance, and are already forfeit. Show no mercy. Oya Manda!" Canderous said through his suit's comlink to the 5,000 or so Mandalorians before him. Canderous flew around in his Basilisk, and lead the charge on the planet.

Keirut

Several thousand Basilisks reigned down upon the planet like meteors. The young Mandalorians had always heard stories of their predecessors and their exploits with Basilisks, but now the stories were going to come alive. They unleashed a hellfire of destruction, the ensuing explosions annihilating villages, ripping up city blocks, exploding building after building. A nuclear reactor was blown up, causing a mushroom cloud that sent shockwaves for miles around, engulfing several hundred cities in it's wake. Anti-air batteries were blown up, causing the missiles inside to explode and kill thousands of civilians and soldiers nearby. City centers were destroyed, sending fiery debris into nearby structures, setting them ablaze.

Other Mandalorians took their Basilisks to the planet's surface, rampaging through city after city, busting through houses and ripping apart whoever they came across, picking off survivors with an overkill of rail guns, laser cannons, pulse-wave cannons, and shockwave rods.

Doug wiped out a whole city in the mountains, causing several cities within the foothills to be consumed by the ensuing avalanche of debris. The explosions were so violent they caused the dormant volcano to erupt, drowning nearby cities in lava, and spewing an ash cloud so large it covered the world in darkness for 12 years.

The whole massacre lasted only an hour. These was nothing left to salvage afterwards. Billions died, the planet's surface annihilated, devoid of life. The young Mandalorians, after dropping their Basilisks off on the Capital Ship Cuyan, went onboard shuttles en route for the Mandalorian HQ, Dxun. Those that survived Shogun and took part in the assault on Keirut had passed. They were all adults now, and in the ensuing years they would become full Neo-Crusader warriours, serving under Te Ani'la Mand'alor.

Doug sat in a shuttle alongside other Mandalorians, as it jumped into hyperspace towards Dxun. He had time to reflect, and saw that Arminius' training had come full circle. He was a warriour now, and proved his worth in battle. He thought of his teachings, and the Mandalorian philosophy: that of change versus stagnation, war versus peace, Kad Ha'rangir versus Arasuum. There was a war coming, that much was true. The Mandalorian war machine and it's actions embodied the philosophy: fight or die. By serving Te Ani'la Mand'alor and destroying his enemies, the Mandalorians were ensuring their own survival, destroying lesser peoples, gaining great honour in battle, and by fighting, they warded off the over imposing taboo of being associated with the sloth god Arasuum.

Doug looked out the ship's view port, the stars flying by as they traveled through hyperspace. He was bored already just sitting. He craved another battle, where ever there were foes of Mandalore, Doug relished the opportunity to fight, destroy…and conquer.

DOUGLAS FETT MISSION PORTION: COMPLETE