And thus, I return. Here's the next chapter of Headhunters, hope you enjoy. Expect more sooner than later, I've had some spicy ideas cooking up for some time now
Also, please remember that I own neither Star Wars nor Halo; they belong to Lucasfilm Disney and 343 Industries Microsoft Studios, respectively. So now that the legal mumbo jumbo is out of the way, enjoy!
DCS Petya, Savareen System, Milky Way Galaxy
May 22, 2539, 0013 Hours
"Unidentified ship, state your intentions in Savareen sovereign space or prepare to be boarded," a bored female voice said through the Petya's bridge radio.
"Ground control, this the Petya, we have live cargo to be submitted to the nearest Republic Judicial Forces Detention unit," Jai answered.
"I'm gonna need more than that. Please broadcast clearance codes, a mandate from an official Bounty Hunters Guild, or proof of your cargo," the voice told Jai. He nodded to himself and broadcasted a live feed of the Petya's cargo hold, which had been converted into a makeshift brig that currently held the vast majority of the captured prisoners.
"Please confirm you have visual proof of the cargo," Jai said, pulling the ship into geosynchronous orbit above the planet, Savareen's, largest city.
"Confirmed. You're clear to land, sending you the docking coordinates now," the woman said.
"Thank you, have a nice day," Jai said, clicking the radio off.
"Computer, tell Mike and Adriana to prepare for the handoff," he said. The computer chirped in the positive.
"So, Jai, where did you come across a ship like that? I've never seen a design quite like it," Tokishu said over an open channel.
"That's… classified," he answered. The Mandalorian chuckled.
"I'll ask you later, then. So, how'd you end up bounty hunting?" He asked Jai.
"And where did you get our armor from?" The young one shouted from the background. Jai heard a clang, followed by what faintly sounded like a female scolding him about what their armor looked like.
"Apologies about him, my son is quite protective of our culture. Though if you'd be willing to answer that question, I would be grateful," Tokishu asked, pulling his ship behind the Petya as they entered the world's atmosphere.
"Bounty hunting we picked up when we were separated from our people. It was just natural, almost as if we were designed for it," Jai said.
"I see. How long have you been bounty hunting? You seem quite skilled, seeing that only 3 of you could subdue the better part of a prison barge," Tokishu asked. Jai paused, focusing on setting the craft down on a landing pad next to a large grey metal building with little decoration, save some flags flying a roundel of a black starburst in a white circle.
"A week," Jai answered before turning the radio off. The Gozanti landed on the next landing pad over with a similar lack of fuss.
"Hey, Jai, why don't we take blood samples of the Aliens to hand over to ONI when we get back? The spooks are always interested in biological data," Mike suggested as the Petya landed. Mike cocked his head in consideration, then nodded.
"Make it quick, and make sure you don't harm any of the prisoners," Jai told him.
Within a few minutes, Grey team managed to round up most of the prisoners and sedate them, then drew blood samples and marched them onto the tarmac. The Mandalorians likewise marched sedated prisoners out, though far quicker, given their smaller cargo load.
Mike nudged Jai as several humans in cleanly made dark blue uniforms strode onto the platform. Jai set his stun rod on his belt and strode to meet the officials halfway there.
"Hello," Jai said simply.
"Greetings. I am Captain Tyrolo of the Republic Judicial Force, Savareen detachment. And you are?" The leader of the pack asked.
"Jai," he said.
"I am aware that you're here, along with your comrades," he said, nodding his head over at the Mandalorians, "to turn in the renegade prisoners of the Just Carriage, is that correct?"
"It is," Jai said. He waved Tokishu over. "I'll let you take over, you surely have more experience with this than we do," he told the warrior. Tokishu nodded.
"And we'll want cash for this, no transferred money," Jai told him. He nodded, and Jai got the feeling that he was smiling behind his helmet. Jai stood back and observed as Tokishu negotiated a handoff, sparing a glance over at Mike as he organized the prisoners, then over to Adriana, who was approaching a the Mandalorians.
"Hello, I'm Adriana. A shame that we got off on the wrong foot," she said to the armored warriors.
"It is indeed," a middle aged sounding man said, offering his hand to shake. "I am Yelt, this is Ati and Yatren," he said, waving his arm at the feminine warrior and young, boyish warrior she'd encountered on the prison barge. Before she could speak to Yelt, he nodded and went inside his ship, leaving the two younger Mandalorians in her company.
"I believe we've met," she said. Ati shook her hand.
"I think you're right. If I may ask, how did you manage to restrain all of those prisoners?" Ati asked her.
"Flashbangs and stun rounds," she answered simply. If she was honest, she didn't remember much of the mission because of how routine it was.
"Heh. There's gotta be more than that," Ati snorted.
"Did you use slugthrowers on them?" Yatren asked as he glanced at the magnum on her thigh.
"Who uses slugthrowers?" Ati asked him before Adriana could answer. "These people aren't Mandalorians, but they clearly aren't savages either," she finished.
"Actually, they are slugthrowers," Adriana answered, unslinging her MA5b and making sure the safety was on. She held it in plain view, allowing them both to inspect it.
"That is rather… fearsome," Ati said, leaning a bit closer. Yatren leaned far closer, scanning left to right in obvious interest.
"Cool," he muttered. "It looks like the slugthrowers the Lorridian militia uses," he said loud enough for the women to hear.
"Don't remind me of Lorrd," Ati muttered.
"What happened at Lorrd?" Adriana asked as she slung her rifle on her back.
"We'd been sent in to retrieve a bounty, some politician, but the local government had been tipped off that we were coming. Kriffin bastards almost took us out of the sky even after we snagged the bounty," Ati answered.
"At least we got Jaida and Joran," Yelt said. Adriana took a seat on a crate, though it collapsed under her weight, sending her tumbling to the ground. The mandos both chuckled a bit and got up to help her, but she was already on her feet.
"So, how did you get that armor? It looks like ours, but so much… not ours," Yatren asked Adriana as if nothing had happened.
"That's… classified. But however your armor is made, I'm sure ours is made differently and functions quite differently," Adriana answered. Yatren nodded quietly, looking her rough, bulky suit of mjolnir up and down.
"It's some pretty impressive craftsmanship, anyway," Yatren added, standing up again and closing the distance between him and Adriana. "What's it made out of?" He asked, tapping his fist on her slightly angled chestplate, the metal coverings of his fingers clanging against the plate.
"Titanium," she answered simply.
"Titanium? Won't that bend?" He asked her.
"Not this titanium," she answered.
"What sort of alloy is it, then? I'm always looking for new materials for our armor," he asked her. Before Adriana could reply, Ati chuckled.
"Don't let Yelt hear you suggesting that we mix Beskar with anything," she said.
"Beskar?" Adriana asked the pair.
"Beskar, yeah, it's what our armor is made of," Yatren said as he banged his fist against his painted chestplate, producing a metallic clang similar to beating a rifle against a Brute's helmet. Adriana nodded, thinking of further conversation.
"So how'd you get into bounty hunting?" Adriana finally asked, breaking the small but growing silence between them.
"We're mandalorians, nobody's better at bounty hunting than we are," Yatren said. Ati moved her head as if she was rolling her eyes.
"Simply put, yes. We're warriors for our people when the time requires it, but when we aren't, we need to feed ourselves somehow," she added.
"I know that exact feeling," Adriana said. She looked back at Mike and Jai and saw them talking to Tokishu. They shook hands and parted ways.
"I think that's my cue," Adriana said. The mandalorians rose and offered their hands to shake. She accepted and shook them both, finishing just as Tokishu arrived with a large grey crate adorned with the same rondel as the ones on the flags whipping overhead.
"Friend, I've offered your companions to join us for a drink. Would you be interested?" He asked her.
"Why not?" She answered, making sure that squadcom was active. The mandalorian nodded and made his way onto the ship.