Mart slowly makes his way through the Shadowlands of Kashyyyk, having been dropped off several hours earlier by Darian and tasked with finding a suitable area to have a FOB on Kashyyyk beyond having one in one of the Wookiee villages. He moves slowly through the underbrush, relying solely on the night vision of his visor to make his way as the near-perpetual darkness covers the region due to the thick canopies of the Wroshyr trees. His gaze goes up to where the sky should be for a few moments, his night vision only penetrating through the first one hundred meters of darkness, with no sign of the canopy in sight. He quickly snaps his gaze back to his surroundings, remembering the warning he received of the fierce predators of Kashyyyk, continuing to bushwhack his way through the shadowlands as he goes.
Taking his paths carefully and avoiding any well-travelled paths by wildlife, Mart finally comes across a small clearing in the forests, a dim twilight piercing the veil of darkness surrounding him. He takes a few moments to take measurement of the clearing before he hears a quiet snap of a branch before it thuds to the ground behind him, freezing in place for a split second before moving to unsheathe his swords, only getting his weapons half-way out of their sheathes before the Katarn that had been silently stalking him from above pounces on him, biting down viciously into his shoulder only to find its’ teeth stopped by his armor. Undeterred by this obstacle, the Katarn begins to claw vicious at him as Mart works to get a blade unsheathed, finally managing to get his weapon free from its’ bounds and stabbing it up and behind him blindly, getting the Katarn in its’ leg, causing it to hiss and jump back, allowing Mart the chance to stand back up to turn and face the beast that ambushed him.
The Reptomammalian predator hisses at him as it slowly circles him, fresh blood from its’ leg oozing to the ground as Marts’ own arm bleeds from its’ attempts to maul him. Mart unsheathes his other sword and shifts his stance, watching as the predator circles him, waiting for the most opportune moment to strike. After a few seconds of stand-off that feel like hours to Mart, the Katarn leaps forward with a roar, claws clanging against his blade as he catches the blow, the beast leaping back before he can follow up with his remaining sword and jumps to the side, trying to catch him off guard. Undeterred, Mart stands his ground knowing the beast would hunt him relentlessly, shifting his footing again as the beast leaps forward in an attempt to pounce him, jumping back at the last second and sinking his blade deep into the Katarn’s side as its’ swipe falls short. Letting out a howl of pain, the beast quickly swipes with its’ claws, catching Mart in the side and tearing through his undersuit like it was butter, blood quickly flowing from the new wounds.
The Beast quickly leaps back again, though doesn’t get nearly as far, beginning to limp from the wounds it has received, Mart’s own stance wavering from his pain for a moment before he regains his focus, shifting his stance again and sidestepping, waiting for the beast to charge again. The Katarn slowly limps around him, watching him with intense eyes as it circles more slowly, letting out a growling hiss before leaping with surprising strength, pouncing on Mart and beginning to try and claw into his chestplate. With the small opening he has with the beast futilely trying to claw through his armor, he sinks his blades deep into its’ throat, the beast letting out a pained gurgle before slumping to the ground. Mart slowly picks himself up from underneath the Katarn, sheathing his swords and then walking forward slowly to the center of the clearing and planting a transmitter beacon for Darian to find before slumping to the ground and doing his best to tend to his wounds, breathing heavily
Darian finds the clearing shortly after and gets Mart into surgery to deal with his wounds, before sending him back to Viscara for several days to heal, much to Mart’s chagrin and protest.