Dredd sat stiffly with his eyes shut as the transport veered suddenly in a different direction. The rumble of the ship and the increase of heat told him that they had just avoid an explosion. His hands tightly grasped what they could to keep him still, his fingers beginning to ache under the stress. No matter how many he did, he always hated these drops. He had no control over what was happening - he didn’t even [i]know[/i] what was happening most of the time. [i]“Not long now.”[/i] he silently reassured himself as the shuttle seemed to jolt. Inside his suit he was sweating profusely and it make him incredibly uncomfortable; he was made for colder climates after all. The fact that he hated his large cumbersome armour made the experience all the worse. 

[b]"Don't melt in all this heat Snowflake, once i win all the glory the bar tab is on you after this. I'll see the rest of you on the ground, don't be surprised if the battle is over."[/b] Dredd opened his eyes to see Russ standing by the door facing him, and a quick glance revealed that Rika and the droid had already jumped. He simply smirked in response to the jibe, knowing that his comrade was going to jump before he got a chance to fire off a witty comeback. 

[b]“I’ll cover the bar tap of whoever manages to shoot Russ.”[/b] Dredd jested to those left on the transport as he climbed to his feet. He took a moment to brace himself before jumping out into the dark veil himself. A long deep inhale should have cleared his mind, but instead made his nose twitch as it was filled with the various lingering body odours that stained the vessel and its crew. Pushing off his back foot, Dredd burst out of the door and fell into the open sky. He let himself fall flat for a short time, relaxed and able to scour the area, and took some enjoyment in feeling the wind gush wildly past him. As he neared the deployment altitude he tucked himself in and did a couple of rolls in order to get himself upright and prepare to use his jet-pack. The decent was executed without a hitch, with him finding himself in some thick woodland about 3 clicks west of Rika.

[b]“This is Mynock Five. I have landed 2 clicks West of Mynock One. ETA t-”[/b] Dredd’s message was suddenly cut short as he heard the rumble of footsteps nearby. [b]“ETA fifteen minutes as I might have company. Don’t wait up.”[/b] As he continued his message he flicked the button on his belt, powering up his stealth field generator. Within seconds the Mandalorian seemed to fade from sight, just in time to avoid being seen by a trio of soldiers that emerged from the treeline. 

[b]“It was over here. I swear I just heard someone talking too!”[/b] said the smallest of the natives. These men were clearly militia, and judging by the look of apprehension on their faces they were probably inexperienced too. The trio slowly walked out into the small opening and towards a small patch of scorched earth. [b]“See! Burn marks! One of those bastards must have landed here.”[/b] said the smallest man again. 

The oldest of the trio, a man clearly close to retirement age who bore only the remnants of grey hair, begun to look around. His voice was grizzly as he spoke, [b]“Couldn’t have gotten far, but there’s bound to be more of them. Probably landing all over the place now. We should get back and help with-”[/b] The man’s voice was cut off and his eyes grew large with terror as he felt the cool metal whip across his throat. His comrades couldn’t process the threat quick enough as the near-invisible being launched himself at the next man, knocking away the soldier’s rifle before sticking the vibroblade beneath his jaw. The man did not die straight away and struggled futily as Dredd held his grip on him. 

[b]“No!”[/b] screamed the youngest man in fear as he watched his friends butchered before him. He raised his blaster rifle and tried to fire at Dredd, but the mandalorian used his friend as a shield and blocked the shots. Dredd, still holding on to his now dead shield, closed the gap between himself and the last man before barging him over. 

[b]“Don’t struggle. This was never a fight you could win.”[/b] Dredd whispered as he wrestled with the last man on the floor. He manoeuvred himself onto the man’s chest, pinning down his arms with his knees. Then, without hesitation, he plunged his two blades into the man’s chest. He did not wait for the man to die and instead climbed back to his feet before disappearing from sight once more.