Recovering Lost History

[Vilado]

Darex sat on a shuttle that was taking him to the moon Dxun. He had never visited it before but he heard that it was a dangerous jungle moon that was infused with the the Dark Side. It was full of beasts and dangers lurkered around every corner. My kind of planet!

He had been assigned to follow up a lead on the dark moon. Apparently a lost treasure trove of dark side artifacts had been found, and the Empire wanted them. He accepted and made his way to the planet Onderon. He had been told that he would be receiving aide from a marauder and a acolyte, but their names were left a mystery. He was given coordinates to land on Dxun and await for his companions, together they would find the lost artifacts and claim glory for the Empire.

The shuttle landed on the planet in a clearing, it was raining very hard. Darex walked off the shuttle and waited, he could feel the presence of the Dark side here. This would give an advantage over any lightsiders, their presences would be difficult to mask in such darkness. He began to tap his foot in anticipation, he wanted to gut Jedi.Soon his associates would be here and they could make their way into the jungle.

 

[Vonlin]

Xezgul Azool, a Sith Marauder trained in the ways of the Sith Sorcerer sat in the passenger compartment of the shuttle with his eyes closed as if in meditation. During the entire journey through hyperspace he had remained completely silent and in said meditative state. As a prominent Sith archeologist he was constantly interested in Sith history and relics. Azool believed true knowledge and power could be unlocked from studying the ancient Sith Lords and their artifacts. When news had reached his ears that some old Sith holocroms had been uncovered on a far away planet he had made it his personal task to ensure they returned to the Sith's hands.

Now as they came out of hyperspace above the planet's atmosphere he finally spoke. Each word was chilling and spoken with precision, "Lets get two things straight right away. As your superior you both will follow my lead on this mission and when you address me you will do so as 'my lord'."

His reptile like eyes slowly slid open, "Is that understood?"

Azool was dressed in full Sith battle armor, something he had constructed personally with Sith Alchemy. The armor provided solid protection against blasters and explosions. It could also rebuff deflecting lightsaber blows, although not direct ones. Even though it was a heavier armor Sith magic molded it specifically to his form and allowed rather fluid motions despite its weight. Most importantly of it all it reeked of the dark side, the crafting and wearing of it had pulled Azool further into its embrace.

At the moment he wasn't wearing the helmet of the suit, it rested in his lap. With his face exposed Azool's green skin and sleek Falleen features would be visible. His black hair styled in the traditional topknot hung behind his head. When the shuttle put down on the planet's surface he finally locked the helmet over his head. His entire body was now completely covered in black Sith garb atheistically designed to intimidate and inspire fear.

He checked to see that his lightsaber hilt was still attached to his belt. Then made sure his alchemy forged Sith sword was secure in its sheath. Once these two tasks were complete he moved down the ramp, his black cloak billowing behind him.

 

[Kant]

OOC: Ok edited and ready to go.
John Kant sat in the cockpit of his plane nervously tapping his fingers. He was on his way to the dangerous jungle world of Dxun. There, he was supposed to meet his two colleagues and depart for his first mission. He was excited to be going on his first mission finally. This was his first big chance to prove himself, but it was also his first big chance to show that he was a failure. He glanced down at the folder he carried that contained all of the mission information. He would be working with another acolyte and a marauder on this mission. He hoped that the other acolyte knew what he was doing. "This will not be an easy mission" He said to no one in particular. Just then his radio came on and Azool began to speak. "Lets get two things straight right away. As your superior you both will follow my lead on this mission and when you address me you will do so as 'my lord'. Is that understood?" John listened to his master's instructions and gave his reply promptly when he was done speaking. "Yes, my lord."
The ship he was riding in reached the atmosphere and he had to buckle in and prepare for landing.

He hopped down out of the ship's door. He looked around and spotted the other acolyte, a fellow by the name of Darex, but, to this point, the marauder had not shown up. He quickly tested his weapons to make sure they were working. He flipped on his saber and did a few light exercise moves. After that, he checked his blaster to make sure it was set to safety off; it would stay on this setting until they left this planet. Having done his equipment check, he strolled over to the other acolyte and the marauder and introduced himself. "My name is John Kant. It is a pleasure to meet you and, I hope, it will be a pleasure to work with you." He bowed deeply and elegantly to Azool "My lord" He then extended his hand to the other acolyte in a friendly manner.
He waited eagerly for the marauder to arrive so that they could depart for the mission.

 

[Garuga]

Always look on the bright side of life they say. Might as well sprinkle some fairy dust all over while you’re at it. It was another typical day of ho hum for the sparkly fluttering warriors of the Jedi order, tasked to the exotic holiday paradise of Dxun. The assignment? Stop a few crinkly Sith from slobbering all over some relics they are trying to steal from the popular hit program ‘Antique Roadshow’. If only that was the case. Instead, Bacilla found herself and two fellow members of the Order on a potentially deadly race to intercept Sith from recovering holocrons containing secrets of the Dark Side. Rather more importantly, it just had to be on Dxun. Whooping dooping Dxun, possibly the only place in the Galaxy that rains more than Kamino.

But Bacilla was not grumbling, oh no she wasn’t. This was what she lived for, the brave struggle, comradeship, honour, the whole lot. Not really, but the prospect of slapping down a few Sith was certainly inticing. How nice it would be to be a carefree Sith though, having to deal with a rather lower stress load, other than perhaps killing the odd competitor or rude superior. Nevertheless, Bacilla was indeed very pleased that it was not a solo mission, and co-ordination between the 2 Knights and the Padawan would be essential.

The shuttle that carried them to Dxun landed, hidden amidst a healthy splattering of shrub. This would be a versatile position to act from, whatever way they decided to proceed. Checking her gear, Bacilla made sure her belt which carried the standard equipment of a com-link, breather, and a handheld light was fastened tightly. Her personal saber hilt was also on the belt, right where it should be. Within a hidden holster attached to her leg was her shoto. Satisfied, Bacilla turned to her fellow jedi.

"Knight Noble, Padawan Aeschylos." Bacilla said, nodding at both of them. "How do you recommend we proceed?" Speed and efficiency will be key, however they decided to do it. "Attempt to reach the Holocrons before them? Or should we strike them while they're still finding their way?" She suggested, throwing 2 possibilities out there.

 

[Matt]

''Getting off this bloody world would be my first opinion so whatever is quicker! God, why can we never get sent somewhere nice, it's always the sodding awful planet's''

There was truly only one thing in the galaxy that put Christian in a foul mood and that was rain, he hated the rain and how it got everywhere and made everything damp and miserable and Dxun never stopped bloody raining.

''I say we move as quickly as possible towards the holocrons, grab em then we can wave at those horrible rouges while we go somewhere else, Tatooine maybe?''

He looked across the skyline and felt out with the force, this planet was alive with life. It seemed to be coming from everywhere but he managed to try and pinpoint where the Sith were, it was hard but he could feel them on this planet and they would be strong here. Dxun with alive with life but also alive with the darkside.

 

[DeathToll]

Padawan Kemp Aeschylos stood there like a miniature soldier, gnashing his teeth at the Knight's suggestion to run. Kemp was young, incredibly willing to do battle for the first time in the name of the Jedi, but smart enough to know when their surroundings didn't exactly suit them. Still, Kemp wanted to surprise the Sith, form a plan, entrap them, and raise to victory.

"We should ambush them!"

Kemp's little, but ill timed, interruption cut off the last word from Knight Noble's mouth. He knew for sure that he could take them, no matter who the Sith were that threatened them. Whether he was right or not, Kemp was itching for victory; labeled under the justification of the 'light'.

"We could move the holocrons, bait them inside where our lightsabers could meet theirs equally, feint our numbers and draw them in with their overconfidence, then BAM!"

Kemp's enthusiasm was abounding. Though the rain streamed down his face, his brown hair looking darker in its soaked state pushed back by his hands, his spirits were craving excitement. He probably spoke out of turn, being only a Padawan, but Kemp was forward. His little body was fit and his mind was sharp. The rain could not impede his drive, as he stood there at 5 feet four inches with a hooded cloak ..for looks alone. Underneath he wore his usual leather clothing, though patterned with new metal bracers and shin guards.

Feeling his input might have not been well received, he tried to justify himself.

"If anything went wrong, they would let us go. Their focus would be on getting the holocrons that would no longer be there, and we would have outmaneuvered them."

 

[Matt]

The padawan was eager to do battle, not something a jedi should really be but then he wasn't Christian padawan and the padawan was only young, there was no purpose in shooting down his idea or being unduly rude to the fellow.

'The Sith I can assure you my young friend would not let us go, most likely they would kill us or they would take us with them, torture us until we gave into the dark side of the force and be as twisted and downright nasty as they are''

Christian took off his outer robe and throw it quickly into the shuttle, the bloody thing was dripping wet and would only serve to drag him down and make him even more miserable.

''We should make for the temple now, try to take them and avoid battle if we can. A jedi should not seek out a battle, especially in this weather!''

 

[Vonlin]

Azool's eyes darted between the two Acolytes, "Enough with the pleasantries, there is no time to waste. The Emperor will have all of our hides if we fail here." Though if for some reason it did come to failure he would certainly be doing everything in his power to place the blame on the two of them.

He looked past the clearing they stood in and at the jungle beyond, "We should begin moving to the temple immediately with all haste, if were lucky the Jedi might not even be planet side yet." He had no idea obviously that the Jedi had also already landed.

"You two go out ahead in front, I will take up the rear," as he said this he washed away from sight as he bent light and sound around him with the force. His sudden disappearance was intended to leave no room for discussion. Using force cloak he would follow the two Acolytes from behind at a slight distance. If the two Sith were ambushed during their journey through the jungle by the Jedi he would be able to catch the attackers by surprise himself. Internally Azool asked himself, 'What is the word to describe how I am using the Acolytes?.....Oh yes...bait.'

 

[Saint]

Norman 'Suicide' Saint said little as the Sith Lord addressed his fellow Sith in their little pow-wow of authority and power. The remark about referring to the lead Sith as 'My Lord' didn't strike him funny at all. It was important to make sure that your underlings understood that there was a separation between the leader and themselves. If they lost focus of that, then further disciplinary issues would ensue. So while some might consider it to be a power trip, in Norm's mind, it was standard protocol.

As the Sith Lord ordered his Sith to positions, Norman turned to his four fire team leaders. Each of them had three additional troopers under them. Along with the commo expert, that put Norm and his squad at eighteen Stormtroopers altogether. Addressing his team leaders, he instructed, "A'right, so Charlie an' Delta teams will stay here. Charlie, instead of off-time/sleep-cycle, I want you to work with Delta initially and get a good perimeter sweep around the landing area. I'll ensure you all receive appropriate rest time later. Delta will be on react an' local security. I'll call Charlie forward when its time t'switch out with Alpha team."

It was standard operating procedures, but each and every time, Norm covered the process for troop rotation so that there wouldn't be any questions later. Turning to his Alpha and Bravo team leaders, he went on, "Alpha team will take point in a wedge formation. Bravo team take rear with an inverse wedge. I'll float the middle. Engage imminent threats only, otherwise, we're rollin' silent. Questions?"

They had all done this before, though not with any Sith prior. Norm had ensured that his Troopers had gone through some Jedi mind trick training, at least in how to avoid having your mind read like an open book and how not to betray your thoughts and feelings. They weren't exactly masters of it just yet, but had a decent grasp. With no further questions, Saint nodded once as he ended the brief, "A'right, le's do this."

Turning about, he was about to report to the Sith Lord that he and his squad were ready to move out, but the Sith disappeared into thin air right before them all. Turning his attention to the other Sith instead, Norm bowed his head lightly as he informed, "We're ready to go." Then, glancing over his shoulder, he ordered, "Alpha team, assume positions." With that, the first fire team that was to lead the way ran down the boarding ramp with weapons at the ready, locked and loaded.

 

[Kant]

Kant did what the Marauder told him to do. He took up a position in front of Azool. He was not in the front of the group because the storm troopers were, but he was in front of the other Sith. He was not fooled by the marauder's actions, but he also figured this way was best since the marauder was not very good with his blade. It would be much better if the marauder could use his spells and force powers on them undetected. John kept his hand on his lightsaber. He did not trust these storm troopers...especially if it came to a fight. He silently checked to make sure his wrist blaster was on safety off. The marauder had given the order to move out, and John began to move. They walked into the nearby jungle. He was careful to be very quiet; he understood that stealth would play a major role in this mission. He hoped that the storm troopers would at least be able to keep up with the Sith, and that they would be able to spot any enemy Jedi before the Jedi saw them. The thick jungle would be hard to move through, and would take time for anyone...let alone storm troopers in heavy armor. John expected that this mission would come to a fight, and hoped that the marauder was ready for one.

 

[Garuga]

Bacilla listened as the two other Jedi discussed the situation at hand. Indeed, the best choice was to head to the temple as quickly as possible. "It's settled then, we try and grab those pesky things as quickly as possible, but if or once we encounter them, we'll devise an assault." Her coat had semi-decent capacities to prevent herself from becoming soaking wet in normal conditions, but realistically on Dxun, none of that makes a difference. At least the lighter-set up would help.

"Let's run, not so much as to wear ourselves out completely, but the sooner we get there, the more choices we have. I do not know how capable the forces we face are, but I'd recommend cloaking our presence nevertheless." Bacilla said, starting to set off for the temple that held the cause for all this fuss. Her force presence faded, as she became just another creature moving through the jungle.

How much sound her footsteps made as she ran through the jungle was redundant, the sound of the pouring rain and the jungle's typical rowdiness was enough to drain out anything short of a star cruiser crashing into the moon. Leaping over the terrain, Bacilla knew that in this dense jungle, her force senses would be just as crucial as her own eyes.

 

[Matt]

''Agreed!''

Christian went quiet for a moment as his force presence was put out like a light before he moved off into the forest. The forest had all manner of sounds moving through it so they could walk straight into a group of bloody stormtroopers and not even know.

Though if it were as bad for one side it was as bad for the other atleast!

''Do you ever get that feeling that the force has a sense of humour? I just have this feeling it is sitting there chuckling as we are moving through the forest blind, deaf and dumb to our potential enemies and they are probably doing the same thing!''

 

[DeathToll]

"Right!"

Kemp nodded with Bacilla and Christian, ready to get going. Though, Kemp did not know how to reduce his presence in the Force. As they burst off, leaving him to the end of the line, Kemp followed. He was fast, but not as quiet as the others in a multitude of ways; scrunching his features as he tried to feel what it was they were feeling. And as Christian spoke, Kemp wasn't even listening as he was trying to emulate their skill level.

The downpour of stormy rain clapped onto the leaves around them as they shot through openings and over broken tree limbs, torn by their own weight over time. Kemp was in total concentration, in a struggle of precise movement and reduced presence. He was little and young in the Force, so it would make little difference in the crashing noise of the storm whether or not he was making a bit of noise. His presence wasn't a magnificent one and his feet were a size too small. With all considered, Kemp was silent enough.

 

[Saint]

The Sith remained silent as the group moved quietly through the jungle. Norm's team of Troopers maintained radio silence throughout, using only hand and arm signals when needed. It wasn't often. The group passed a few Cannoks. They were predators... of a sort, but didn't offer any attitude or threatening movements towards the group, so they simply pressed on. Dxun wasn't exactly the most hospitable environment when it came to wildlife.

According to the Sergeant's datapad, the tomb they were to explore and gather some type of precious cargo from wasn't too far up ahead. Another click or so and they should be able to see it. Rustling in the leaves and surrounding foliage was common, though the Troopers kept alert with their weapons at the ready as they stalked through, doing their damnedest not to disturb the fragile harmony that surrounded them.

Their luck was not to be though. A raging Cannok shot through their midst, howling as it bled profusely from a large, gash of a wound across its side. It appeared to have a number of bite marks on it as well. With quick reactions, the two teams turned and raised their weapons to where the beastie had come from. Sure as bantha shet, only a moment later, a pack of Maalraas came slipping through the foliage, intent focused on the Cannok initially.

Holding their fire until engaged, the Troopers watched for only a moment as the pack quickly tore into the fated Cannok, ripping its flesh free from the bloodied, twitching and kicking corpse. It didn't last long. A couple of the seven predators hadn't partaken in the feast, instead focusing their hungry gaze upon the Troopers and their Sith partners. Flashing their sharp teeth as their tongues flickered out. A call went out and the others looked up as well.

The pack was hungry and feisty. The Troopers armed and ready... mostly. But regardless, you didn't get into a scuffle with these things without losing a little blood. Hopefully it would only be a little. Quietly, Saint readied his vibro-knuckler, giving a sign to his men to do the same. If they didn't have to fire off their weapons and betray their presence, they didn't want to. However, it wasn't worth losing a life over either...

They skilled though. And had a couple of Sith with them. Hopefully this wouldn't take but a few moments...