Marsh Haunt Rescue

[Insanity]

View attachment 314

Undisclosed Lunar Entity, 0900 Hours​

A dignitary of the Galactic Alliance had been aboard a shuttle with a small force of GA personnel and his own bodyguards. The shuttle, named Remembrance, was making a normal jump in hyperspace when the hyperdrive blew. Three crewmen were killed and the ship found itself pulled into the orbit of a small, infamous moon in the Outer Rim. Rumours surrounded that lunar entity - that it was home to a long-forgotten Sith, that ghosts and spirits scoured it and killed interlopers, that the local wildlife was made up of undying creatures. Few, if any, Jedi had been on the moon itself. They had always discounted it as rumour. So had the GA... Until a simple distress call came.

The call came from the downed shuttle, stranded. It came in on a secure channel, using relays and multiple sounds to shield it, before connecting to the Alliance military's network. The message was this: "Oh god, oh god... The creatures... Everywhere... I can feel them digging, my skin tearing.... Help, I don't want to be dragged into the Chaos! Help! Save us! Save us!" Soon after, communication was lost with a scream and a wet sound..... That was two days ago. Two days since last contact, two days to prepare a mission and gather intel on the moon. Coordinates had been transmitted in the first communication. The rescue team was motley, to say the least. But it was a rushed preparation and personnel were tied up everywhere. They had to make do.

So they sent those willing and able: Sorn Sinclair and Akacen Mothturus, padawans of the Jedi Order, both considered capable students.... An analyst from GAIA named Adden Kal, skilled if not a people-person. He gets his jobs done. A soldier named Lan Torko, a Sergeant in the military. Along with these people, two Privates had been assigned, along with a veteran pilot. Together, they'd have to rescue any survivors they found, though their top priority was the dignitary. Anyone else was expendable. Just like they were.

This mission was going to be dangerous, they had all been briefed on what to expect. And as their own military shuttle jumped out of hyperspace and angled towards the moon... well... it was time to see how things would go. The pilot chimed in, notifying the ground-walkers. "We're here. Everyone grab your gear and get ready for deployment."

Spoiler: Specifics

A transport carrying an important dignitary has crashed on a moon of a planet. Soldiers have been sent to rescue him before he falls pray to one of the infamous local beasts, known as Marsh Haunts.

Marsh Haunts are monstrous, Force-using creatures. They're vaguely humanoid creatures that inhabit fens, marshes, and other wetlands. Their green-grey skin is dull and peeling, which helps them blend into their swampy surroundings. The head of a Marsh Haunt is set deeply into it's shoulders, adorned by red eyes that spark with a cunning gleam.

The terrifying beast acquired its horrible reputation due to its ability to instill overwhelming fear into their victims through the Force, causing them to flee and making them easy prey. They prefer to attack in groups by ambushing their prey, and are fearsome and relentless once engaged.

Objective: Find the dignitary and escort him home.
Risk rating: Moderate [Character death may result from negligence once engaged with the Marsh Haunts; do not assume that just because you are fighting NPCs you will automatically survive the encounter]

Slots and NPCs:
Jedi - Sorn Sinclair, Akacen Mothturus
Military/GAIA - Lan Torko, Adden Kal
NPCer(s) - Insanity, _______
Alliance-allied NPCS - Private Gerald Binz, Private Xant Velx, Captain Nolin Williams(Pilot), Senator Ciol'isk Iski of Vaynai, surviving crewmen/bodyguards.

 

[jp5125]

Lan checked double checked his gear. He made sure his blasters were primed and polished, and his oxygen helmet was at working capacity. He holstered his pistol on his right leg, and his rifle on his back. He made sure his thermal detonators were primed as he slid them into the small satchel he had with other miscellaneous supplies such as a medical kit. He made sure his combat knife was sharpened and proceeded to slid it into his boot. Finally he put his helmet over his head and stood up. Lan was the highest ranking member of the squad besides the jedi and the pilot, which in turn gave him responsibility over the GAIA Analyst and the privates. Lan stood up, and decided to give a little speech before the team departed.

"Alright men listen up. Our objective is simple. Escort the dignitary back to alliance space. Any other surviving crew members are to be taken back to alliance space with the senator. I know all of you have heard rumors about this place, but the mission will be much simpler and less stressful if you try not to think about it, and remember, don't be a hero, cause they never survive. Alright, lets do this. HOO-RAH." Lan said to the squad who was finishing their last minute equipment checks.

 

[Master Maverick]

His mind was a rushing silence of emotional thought rationalized. His nerves were starting to get the best of him. They were but half-way there when he decided to go into a full meditation; it was the only way he knew how to deal with it.

he felt out around him; the men around him were far older and their presence was strong, but he could feel the experience and the weariness growing within them. This, he knew, would grow slowly as they were soldiers and would be for quite some time. he now was a soldier as well. He wasn't sure what possessed him to sign up for the military. He felt he had a duty to the Alliance and wanted to help out as much as he could.

The hours passed as they approached the planet. He listened intently to the Sergeant as he gave his orders. He felt a bit bad that he himself outranked this man who had spent much of his life in service to the Alliance. He knew much more about the military than Akacen did. Even though he had completely a few simulations and his training as a Jedi no doubt helped, he was but a youngling in this situation, and he knew it. Even though in reality, Akacen could pull rank and order the Sergeant around, he was going to act as though he were of a lower rank than Lan.

He hoped Sorn wouldn't let his position get to his head, as he was, though older than Akacen, practically a child comparatively. He already knew what role he was going to play. As he had become rather decent at healing, and his connection to the force was rather strong, he was going to play the support role. He hoped he wouldn't even have to ignite his lightsaber, but wasn't counting on it.

After Lan's speech, he decided to reach out through the Force to the moon upon which they would be landing shortly. It was rather easy, but the alien rock almost burned his senses. The force did indeed run strong through the planet, and the feeling he got made him realize why people felt that this was the dark side. However, he didn't view it as such. It was the Force, just as it was anywhere else; it just flowed with a more aggressive current. This made him re-think his previous assumptions about the Force. He couldn't dwell on it though. Not now. They had a mission to accomplish and the sooner the better.

He pressed upon the conscious of Lan, trying to get him to look at him. "Lan. Would you be opposed to me using telepathy to communicate to you if the need arises?" He tried to keep his tone moderate, if not deepening his voice, and stern to try and build his own confidence up.

At this, he looked to the others indicating the question was for them to answer as well. He knew that some people didn't like having their minds 'invaded', and he completely understood that and respected it.

 

[MolotovCocktailParty]

Sorn made sure he had all three of his lightsabers. He did not want to be caught in a situation where he lost one and regretted it; on a mission like this, that would be extremely bad. Probably lethal, since his skill with the Force pretty much amounted to throwing around bursts of energy and telekinesis. The Padawan narrowed his eyes and swept their dark hazel gaze across the forbidding landscape of the unnamed moon where they had landed. The target was not in sight, but it was theoretically nearby, so there should not be more than an hours' walk involved.

Sorn disembarked from the vessel, glad that the air was breatheable; he hated breath masks. His long brown robes swept up the dust as he landed, sending up a swirling cloud of detritus; under these he wore the normal accompanying tunic in charcoal gray. He heard the soldiers getting prepped, and figured Adden Kal was around somewhere. Wondering what was to be done about finding the dignitary, Sorn turned to his fellow Padawan, Akacen, with whom he had had some previous interaction, and asked

"So, Akacen, you ready?"

 

[jp5125]

The team left the ship and stepped on to the dark moons surface. There was breathable air, but Lan preferred to keep his helmet on. It had targeting reticules, objective markers, the entire squads medical status, and it was synchronized to the teams comm. channel. Flipping a switch on the side of his helmet, Lan began to talk.

"Alright, lets do this. Private Binz you guard the Analyst. Make sure he stays alive, Private Velx, take point." Lan started to give orders and the privates nodded in agreement.

"I can't tell the 2 of you what to do, so im just gonna make suggestions. Make sure the senator stays alive when we find him, make sure we stay alive, sense danger and all that good stuff." Lan said to the 2 jedi who were standing in the back of the squad, patting the shorter on one the back. They were young, kinda scary how young they were. But, now that Lan thought about it he realized he was the same age when he first went into battle.

"You guys are our ace in the hole, so don't fail me." Lan said to the Jedi. Turning around, Lan gave the move out hand signal and the squad started to walk. There horizon was dark and it was hard to tell what was in front of you. The objective marker pointed east, so thats the direction they started walking.

As they walked, one of the jedi got into Lan's head and asked him "Lan. Would you be opposed to me using telepathy to communicate to you if the need arises?" Initially Lan was a little shocked, but he realized Akcen was proficient in telepathy. He replied by thinking, "Ok sure. So long as you don't go digging around in my memories. Some dark stuff in there." Lan said.

(OOC: Analyst should go.)

 

[Insanity]

The pilot spoke over the soldiers' and Jedis' comms, his voice somewhat scratchy from interference, even thought they were at close-range. "Alright, you poor saps, the analyst is staying aboard to process and feed you intel as needed. Just got a transmission from a relay concerning that, so you'll all have to go it without him." Private Velx looked at Lan and Binz before shrugging and going ahead of the group, Binz watching as the shuttle's ramp closed and the craft took off. "I'll cover rear-guard, Sergeant, Lieutenants?" He asked it as a question, showing that he was green, just a rookie for most intents. But he made sure to watch behind where the shuttle had landed, gripping his M15 tightly and shaking a bit. The shuttle was out of sight by the time Velx radioed back. "Forward is clear, no movement and no heat signatures. The Senator's distress beacon is relaying from the east. I'll move ahead and find navigable routes, relay them to the team."

 

[MolotovCocktailParty]

Sorn waved his hand in response to the Sergeant's words. "We may outrank you officially, but I'm only twenty-one and Akacen here is like, fourteen. Our experience is mostly fighting other Force users. Therefore, unless you go completely off your head and start giving stupid orders, we'll follow your lead. Just think of us as special forces with unique, semi-magical training and really, really dangerous glowsticks, and all should be fine. I'll warn you, I can use telepathy, but I'm not as good at it as Akacen is, so I can't really transmit to non-Force Sensitives. So if we get separated, my input will be coming through Akacen. Akacen, you should stay in the middle-back, where you're protected. Also, since you use a defensive lightsaber form, you should probably stay where you can react to incoming threats, and the back will allow you to cover a wide area with Sense without overlapping with mine. Plus, if we have a Jedi in front and in back, we can effectively react to both an ambush or direct combat." Sorn jogged a little to fall into step just behind the front guard, where he continued, "I'll stay up here to cover a different area with my Sense, and in case we run into a den of nasties."

Sorn walked along silently for a few moments, then asked, "This moon is supposed to be haunted, right? We're here because this dignitary guy is stranded, but there're also those weird creatures they briefed us about - Marsh Haunts, were they called? How much do we know about them?"

 

[Master Maverick]

"Of course not." He replied to Lan aloud, bowing his head showing his respect.

He listened to Sorn; he seemed a bit 'too' confident, but didn't mind it. Akacen surely wasn't, and though he was sure the Sergeant was, it was nice to have someone else who knew what he was doing. He furrowed his brows a bit when Sorn presumed his age to be 14. Though, he wasn't much older, being 16. However, he did nod in agreement with Sorn that they would not be leading this mission. They didn't have any of the kinds of experience needed to lead such an expedition, and Akacen knew he had no desire to. Even though he had done a few simulations, nothing can really prepare oneself for a real-world mission.

He moved more towards the back, where directed. He heard Sorn's question, and simply replied, "Ugly... and scary." His answer was a half-jest, though he had done some research on them before the trip. There was, unfortunately little on them, and he was unable to find an accurate picture of them, but he could only imagine from the descriptions, and they were not pleasant, he was sure of that.

He reached out, not too close to Sorn, and focused to his sides and behind him. There was only one soldier behind him, and he decided to try his hand at socializing. He turned and slowed so the soldier could catch up to him. "I'm Akacen." That was all he could force out. Hopefully he would reciprocate the attempt and this wouldn't be a very short one-sided conversation.

 

[jp5125]

Lan liked the padawans sense of humor. He didn't think jedi could be so casual, especially on a rescue mission. "Alright. Lets do this. Maybe if were lucky we'll be back by dinner." Lan said, chuckling over the comm channel. But Lan had a gut feeling that this mission wasn't going to be a walk in the park, and the squad may be here a while.

The squad stayed in a tight group, and Lan made sure none of them got separated. Lan had a feeling they were being watched, so he was constantly scanning the horizon for any unusual humanoid figures.

"I have a bad feeling about this" Lan muttered over the channel, not necessarily talking to anyone specifically.

 

[Insanity]

The moon was in its night phase for the side they were on, so the darkness became oppressing quite quickly in the swampy, forested marshes. Velx, the point-man and scout, always kept just out of sight of the squad, only stopping to point out easier ways to pass through the terrain. Velx was the son of a failed colony on Dagobah, eight years prior. It had failed when he was fourteen, but when he came back to civilized space, he had signed up to join the GADF. And here he was, a soldier, twenty-two years old and leading the way through the terrain as only a swamp-dweller could do.

Binz, however, was another story. He was a city-born kid, never having left Coruscant until he joined the military one year ago. He was green but had been to a multitude of worlds. He only liked the city ones. This swamp-infested moon had him on edge, visibly twitchy at each little sound. The attempt by the one Jedi to talk to him made him laugh, a high-pitched, nervous sound. This was, for all intents, his first deployment where his life would be on the line, and he wasn't doing so well. But he was alert and watching everything, so he hadn't quite lost it like other rookies might. Binz was, is, twenty in three days.

----------​

They weren't too far from the distress beacon now, and smoke and lights reflected off water ahead. Fog kept the shape indistinct and hid most of the actual flames, but they were there to see, as was debris sticking up at horrid angles. After a few moments, Velx cursed over the comm and stopped, shining a light down at the ground....

A corpse, wearing GA armor and with gouges of flesh missing, held up an atrophied arm, rotting form the inside with rigor mortis set in. The distress beacon was coming from the body, the ship debris wreathed in flames that were fueled by swamp gasses. They'd only been recently ignited.

 

[MolotovCocktailParty]

Sorn started. "What the hell is that thing?" he asked, then answered his own question, as he was wont to do. "It looks like something got the soldier who sent the signal, something animalistic. Maybe those ugly things that Akacen was talking about. Speaking of Akacen, focus on your sensing now. If we're going to find this dignitary and any survivors, we're going to have to use the Force."

Sorn pulled ahead, examining the fire, and then turning back and dropping to one knee to inspect the corpse. He left the distress call on, in case they got lost and had to use it to find their way back. "No carbon scoring, just gashes. Definitely an animal, and a vicious one, at that. Chunks are missing entirely. And I don't sense any survivors in the wreckage. Now, think about this: why would a soldier deliberately ignite his only way off a deserted planet?"

Sorn stood and turned to face the assembled troops. "Because he knew he wasn't getting out anyway. He probably burned it to try and kill whatever was attacking him. High alert, guys. Be quiet, be careful, and watch for the fog." Sorn himself drew his lighstsaber hilt, making sure he could quickly turn it on and use it, and expanded the range of his Force Sense. They needed all the warning they could get.

 

[Master Maverick]

The man's laugh at his attempt made Akacen ever more self-conscious, and he just kept to his task; keeping an 'eye' out.

He heard and felt the commotion from up ahead, and moved quickly to catch up. He figured what it was, listening to the scout talk about it, and looked at it from afar having no desire to see it up close.

He did as he was bidden and lowered his chin and focused outward. First he felt around the immediate vicinity, feeling the death and chaos that clung to the sight. The intense fear was also something that stuck out to him. Fear peaked it's ugly head again, but he suppressed it, focusing on his task. He reached out as far as he could, starting from his left and moving around and behind himself. His reach was impressive, for a padawan, but he couldn't sense anything until he felt out in front of him, to his right.

He moved quickly, stepping over the carnage of the wreck to actually see if it was plausible that they did indeed go in that direction. Akacen was no tracker, but there was a small path in that direction. He reached out again, feeling every foot of the path. It meandered viciously but the trace of 'people's' presence lingered. This was distinct from what he had felt from the other places; a dark, menacing evil that devoured any and all light that they could find. They hungered for it and looked for it constantly.

He reached as far as he could, and the resonance only got stronger, but he couldn't quite find them. They did, however, stay on the 'path'. Whether that was a good idea or not, tactically, he doubted. He knew that fear overruled many a rational thought, and he rationalized that going into uncharted and unknown swamp would be all the more dangerous.

"Sorn, I believe they went this way." Though he said Sorn's name, he looked at him only momentarily before moving his gaze to the real commander; Lan.

Quickly he spread his consciousness over the area half a kilometer in diameter, covering everyone to not allow an ambush.

 

[jp5125]

Lan kneeled down next to the body. He pulled out a small data pad and scanned the body. The only sound you could hear was someones heavy breathing and Lan lightly tapping the data pad screen. Lan inspected the results carefully before speaking.

"He must've bled out. His major organs are still intact, but he had severe blood loss. Poor Bastard." Lan said as he stood up. Lan continued to send the scan to the analyst back on the ship so the data could be further investigated and maybe even find a more precise cause of death.

Lan let out a deep sigh before he turned around to give orders. Akacen had just informed him that there was a trail headed north. "Good work." Lan said to Akacen.

"Ok, now we have to follow that trail." Lan said as he put his medical analyzer away and drew his rifle from the holster on his back. He switched the safety to the off position. "Alright boys, safeties off and follow that trail. Akacen you lead the way, Velx stay with him make sure he doesn't get hurt. The rest of us won't be far behind. Lets move." Lan said, pointing in the direction of the path.

 

[Insanity]

Velx's expression tightened as he was addressed, though it had been somewhat distant when he'd gazed at his dead comrade, nameless now. He shook his head as if ridding himself of doubts or fears before approaching Akacen. "Keep that laser-sword of yours out and ready, or lightsaber, whatever term floats yer boat." Velx addressed Akacen directly then motioned towards the path, starting down it with M15 raised as his eyes tracked the shadows. If he came off as hostile, he had every right to - He'd requested more soldiers be sent, not Jedi, and had been ignored.

Binz continued to cover the rear, nearly retching when he got a full, unblocked look at the corpse. He turned away quickly enough, but in doing so missed a momentary flash of red beneath the water near it. The red vanished quickly, but the Jedi might feel a slight disturbance echo through the Force. The wrongness in the air just seemed to grow more powerful, and the path led into what could be considered even stronger, unnerving sensations that reeked of the wrongness. The perceptions of the soldiers and Jedi would even alter, bit by bit, as the trees seemed to grow larger and thicker, blocking out the sky and view of the marshes. This was one of the things stories told of, concerning this lunar planetoid: twisted landscapes, seeming to alter every minute, halucinations the further one got in any direction. It was an attribute that people blamed the carniverous predators known as the Haunts, which hunted each other when no other food source was around..

And there was plenty of food right now.

 

[MolotovCocktailParty]

Sorn nodded. "I sense it too. Something's off. It's almost like... hunger. I don't like this; I don't like this at all. Stick close together. And does anyone have a flare? If we're attacked, light might drive the animals back. We'll need every advantage we can get." He took a few steps onto the path that Akacen described, then stopped and closed his eyes, putting a hand to his temple. What was that? He felt like his sense of the Force was shifting, like something was altering the very perceptions of the sentients around it. Sorn had never heard of something being able to do that... and it unsettled him. He switched on his lightsaber, the viridian blade passing close to his face and casting a shallow pool of light in all directions. He wanted to be able to see if something started coming for him.

All of a sudden, the feeling intensified tenfold. He couldn't pin it down, but he felt overwhelming waves of malevolence, semi-intelligent gluttony, simple, unbridled greed. Sorn shuddered. Something was here, and to it, they were just food.

"Something's here!" he called. "Form up, guns out! Akacen, come with me to the front. We can do the most damage with our lightsabers. Let's get to that rock spire!" Sorn pointed at a thin, craggly stone structure no more than four meters in height, but the only cover other than marsh scrub that was visible for a long way, and the fog was considerably thinner in that area. Sorn took off at a run, blade ignited, feeling the strange sensation, of predation, being hunted, intensify. The things were getting closer, and this triggered the fight-or-fight response in Sorn, pumping him full of adrenaline.

Of course, Sorn wasn't the "flight" type.

"Come on! Hurry, we're almost there!" Sorn's sensing skills weren't particularly acute, and even he was feeling this crushing anxiety, as if he were surrounded by Sith. He worried about Akacen, whose Force Sense was much more keen.

 

[Master Maverick]

He only reluctantly led the way through the swamp. It was not pleasant, and not a place where he preferred being. Though he could sense a decent enough distance around him, he still felt very exposed.

Taking heed of what the private had said, he put his hands over the hilt of his saber. He was glad that he had a real saber now, rather than his training saber. He was not under the delusion he would not need it, and was glad to have something that would actually be affective.

At the same time Sorn had stumbled, Akacen stopped, holding his head paralyzed and almost falling to his knees by the feeling Sorn had been describing. However, to Akacen he had underemphasized the term 'hunger'. They were indeed starving and only their flesh could satisfy them. Perhaps not even that. The light that they brought with them to the moon, it was a delicacy, and they craved it. For too long had they been without a full meal, and they would get it. Or die.

Fear would have gripped him if he hadn't instinctively closed his mind off to it. It was not difficult, as he practiced this technique daily, but now he was really blind. For only a few moment, he centered himself, and reached out, only a fraction of the distance as before, still plenty far though, but with a dulled sense. He could feel the activity, the pure evil, but overriding hunger circling them, ever creeping closer. They were being herded and he knew it. They had little choice, though, as they had their mission to accomplish. However, deep in the pit of his stomach he knew that it was highly unlikely that their objective was no longer alive.

He followed behind Sorn, keeping a good distance, but at the same time trying to get him to slow down, impressing upon him his thought of needing to stick together. It was more important to stay as a group than to run for their lives. For if they were separated, death was all but inevitable. He kept his connection to the others, keeping a feel for where they were and changing his speed accordingly.

He knew the feeling would have knocked him flat if he had allowed it. He was glad that though he could be considered overly sensitive, he had enough foresight to be able to control it as well.

Trudging through the swamp greatly hindered their ability to move, and was relieved when they were able to walk over, albeit small, islands of solid land. These were few and far between however. The trees around them swayed despite there being no wind. Indeed, the air was stagnant and almost suffocating. He couldn't worry about it now though. They were being hunted and such oddities would have to be left alone for the moment.

The stone didn't seem to get any closer as they neared it and his determination whittled away with each step. He was tiring quickly both physically and mentally. Keeping up the pace as well as keeping the stabbing pulses of the creatures away was starting to take its toll, and they had not even begun.

 

[Insanity]

((*ahem* Going to skip Jp, who needs to remove his previous post still. We'll go back to the posting order as it's been.))

While the Jedi reacted, the two Privates took a few moments more to follow suit. Velx reacted faster, bolting after Akacen without question. His eyes were darting over the terrain, just realizing the wrongness of the shifting trees and terrain. Sergeant Lan would follow next, leaving Binz somewhat confused as he whimpered from fear, though he soon took up after the others. Back near the wreck, the fires all seemed to extinguish, one by one, as the beacon that had brought them to it disappeared from the soldiers' displays. What that meant was best left to the imagination.

Even as the Jedi and soldiers ran, the stone Sorn had sighted seemed to grow more and more distant, unreal, as the fog thickened and blocked it from view. Indeed, the fog thickened everywhere, making progress impossible. By then, the group would have time to gather into one spot, leaving the soldiers to aim outwards, at their invisible and hidden foes. The Jedi would have to be relied on now, more than ever. Water sloshed all around them, as Haunts emerged within the fog. Their red eyes glowed from between their deepset shoulders, piercing through the fog. What sounded like cruel laughter echoed around the group.

The laughter spread, echoing more and more as if it were getting closer. And then it cut off, the fog receding as the shapes and red eyes seemed to melt back into the background, that hunger and wrongness withdrawing from the air and the Force, as if it had never been. The group would find itself two paces from the stone Sorn had run to originally, with a view of a half-collapsed temple visible behind it. The temple's architecture was covered in runes, and the sense of wrongness permeated from it... but another surprise for the group was that the path Akacen had started them on, was right beneath their feet, and led into the ruins.

 

[MolotovCocktailParty]

Sorn forced himself to think clearly. Mustering every ounce of his considerable force of will, he mastered the anxiety that was overriding his body, transforming it into iron-hard, unshakeable determination. More than that, he identified it as being wrong, unnatural, fundamentally something of the outside.

"Akacen!" he called. "The fear we're feeling is Force-induced! Center yourself and you can overcome it!" To the rest of the group, he said, "We need a defensible position; we don't know how many of those things there are. These ruins, while suspiciously convenient, are the only decent cover for miles. If we can defend a gate, or something, we can win." He paused, closed his eyes, and stretched out his senses. At least a dozen primal, evil presences were headed their way, the closest about 20 meters from the group. These matched with the visible pairs of eyes. He reached within himself and drew up a well of Force energy, releasing it in a telekinetic wave that spanned three hundred and sixty degrees, a full circle, and would be strong enough to move the air, drastically thinning the fog in the immediate area. He opened his eyes and once again addressed the soldiers.

"I can't give you any advice about centering yourself because you have no Force training. But to get rid of the fear, think of the reason you're fighting, the reason you want to return home safe and cling to it. Focus on that thought and immerse yourselves in it. That ought to dampen the effect that these creatures are having. And aim for the eyes. I don't know any creature, no matter how evil, that can take a shot to the head and keep coming."

To Akacen, Sorn added, "You feel it too, right? The ruins just feel worse. But the remaining survivors came this way, I'm sure of it. We have to go in there. I'll go first to make sure it's clear; you and the others stay close behind, and make sure none of them get dragged off into the fog like in some cheap horror holo."

With that, Sorn took off running through the ruined gate of the nearest building, clearly once some sort of entranceway, lightsaber ignited for protection and extra light, held close to his body to be able to rapidly respond to any threat; he sharpened his perceptions, reaching outward to search for potential enemies (or allies) and releasing a wave of telekinesis periodically to shred the fog behind him. He just hoped Akacen, Lan, and the privates stayed right behind him like he had said. It wouldn't do to get split up."

 

[Master Maverick]

As they hobbled through the swamp, and the fog thickened, the intense fear came back. Though, this time it came with rage, not to leave the unquenchable hunger that filled them. Even though it was deafened and muted, it still came through and hindered his thought processes. Sorn's exclamation was a far-away echo on the edge of hearing and coherence. He did hear him and understand him, it just took a second. With the chaotic state of the Force, he was in no mood for Sorn's antics. He was a natural leader, this was a given and not to be discounted. But, for all intents and purposes, they were, more or less, equals and he didn't enjoy being instructed as though Sorn thought he was his Master or something.

In reality it wasn't that big of a deal, he was just looking out for the boy. In any other situation he would have gladly took the advice. Though, because of the mental pain and the fact he was already doing that, it rubbed him the wrong way, but he kept his mouth shut and keep moving forward. Ever forward.

The fog thickened and he almost had to stop if it wasn't for his sense through the force. He slowed greatly, but stopping was not an option at this point.

Soon enough, the floating pairs of red orbs started to poke out through the dense fog. Just because of that visual, the feelings and emotions intensified. In reality they had as well, but seeing the evil did nothing to help the situation. He muted his senses even more, but this allowed him to increase his perception of everything immediately around him as well as focus on the others in the group.

They were all still there, accounted for and he sent a sense of temporary relief and assurance through the group, making them feel so they all knew that everyone else was there. At the same time, he tried to connect with them, except Sorn, to allow them to 'see', albiet incompletely, what was around them so they would not trip and drown and/or be eaten.

Then the cackling started. It was pure evil and pierced through his confidence like nothing else. He covered his ears because, not only was it demoralizing, it was deafening. He almost stopped completely, but stumble along, not stopping for anything.

It was like a blessing when he felt the swamp solidify below them, giving way gradually to compacted soil. When the fog finally cleared, he was startled to find himself at the mouth of a dilapidated building. The eyes receded with the fog, and he was more than grateful. He kept note of this and hypothesized that they may be connected. Though, controlling the fog was a bit out of their power for the most part.

Though Sorn used a gentle force push to influence the air and fog to more away from them, it was only somewhat successful, and would be difficult to perform on a large area in order to see and be able to defend themselves properly. Especially with their ranged weapons. In most other situations they would be at an advantage. Here, however, they were almost more than useless.

"Yes." His answer addressed both of Sorn's questions and was concise with no explanation or conversation between the 2. He was in awe at the structure, though the dark energies emitted from it were anything but awe inspiring. It was a dark, damp, and evil place. Of this there was no question, but he did feel *something* down there. He wasn't sure what for the planet clouded his vision, but they would have to at least explore down there.

All in all, the probability that their objective was still alive was growing smaller and smaller with each passing minute. They had little time, but he waited for the others to catch up and waited for more direct orders.

 

[jp5125]

The fog was thick, and the air was moist. Every step felt like he was walking in a bowl of pudding, the mud stuck to the bottom of his boots and at some points Lan was shin deep in water. Lan trudged through the water, wading through weeds that came out of the water and were almost up to Lan's waist. He tried to stay as close to Velx as he could, who he assumed was following the jedi.

Lan was a bit worried for Binz, who he had not heard from since they started running. Lan wanted to turn around and run into the fog and attempt to find Binz just to make sure he's ok, but he had a feeling in his gut that Binz was fine and he should keep moving.

The he heard it, the taunting laughter. It sent chills up Lan's spine. He leveled his rifle and kept moving. There were small red orbs in the distance and Lan knew that the squad was about to run into some trouble.

The laughs continued as the squad moved, they were slowly picking up speed and Lan could tell that the squad was beginning to get panicky. It was funny, Lan had laughed in the face of danger many times before, but this was the first time danger laughed in Lan's face and for some of the squad it may be the last.

Lan finally made it to were the Jedi and Velx were waiting for himself and Binz. Looking over his shoulder, Lan checked to see if Binz was behind him. He couldn't see through the fog but he could hear the splashing of Binz's footsteps in the distance, or what he hoped was Binz's footsteps.

"Well, I'm more of the stand in line and shoot kind of soilder, not the run through thick fog and hope some gigantic ugly thing with red eyes doesn't eat me kind of soilder." Lan said. That was his way of saying what should we do now?