Remnants of the Resistance

[René]

Jon'Kil's bright red eyes studied the Zeltron girl as she walked over to him, observing the state of her clothing and the tears that welled up in her eyes. It was apparent that she'd been stuck in this place a long time; her clothes were dirty and old, and she talked like she knew how the Gapers behaved. Her tears indicated that there were probably once other people here with her; family, or friends. The Chiss managed a small smile at her through his pain, wincing a little as she rolled up his pant leg and observed the injury. Jaycob found the First Order splint without difficulty but there seemed to be nothing around to bite down on. Making a quick decision, Jon'Kil retrieved a small switchblade from his belt, and cut of the right sleeve of his Resistance jacket, exposing the blue skin of his arm.

Folding the sleeve a few times, he placed it into his mouth, and bit down, preparing himself for the pain the splint would bring. Attempting to distract his mind further, the Chiss observed that the sleeve tasted like dirt and sweat; he realized he'd been wearing it since he participated in Poe Dameron's mutiny against Admiral Holdo, back on the Raddus. Suddenly, he bit down harder on the sleeve as a fresh wave of pain hit him full on, his right arm punching into a locker next to him, leaving a fist-shaped dent. The pain ended as quickly as it had come however, and the splint was now on his leg, his ankle back to a relatively normal position. Spitting out the sleeve, he gasped for more air.

"Thanks for that -- err, what's your name? I don't think we've introduced ourselves. My name is Jon'Kil, and that over there is Jaycob. We're with the Resistance."

He managed a small smile at the Zeltron through ragged breaths, hoping to make her feel better in the chaotic situation the group found themselves in. The more comfortable she was, the clearer decisions could be made. Jon'Kil reached out his hand to her, silently asking for her help in standing up.

@Herrith @Jacob Flores

 

[Herrith]

Asha held the splint and eased it over the Chiss' ankle, clicking the sides together and then watching as it tightened and relocated with a short wince. She put a hand on his bare arm as a sign of reassurance before standing up. The man behind her, Jaycob, was busy pondering whether or not they were going to stay here forever. That wasn't true at all. There were a million ways out. And...a million ways in. Shaking off that thought, she spoke in a steadier voice.

"Ah, my name's...A-...Asha. It's...it's good to meet you."

Helping the Chiss man, Jon'kil, up, with surprising strength for her size, then turned her head to Jaycob, speaking. "There's a few ways out. The...things stay away from certain areas, move out every now and then." As an afterthought, she remembered hearing a female voice among the group, as well as another person. "Uh...weren't there more of you?"

By that time, it could be guessed that she had been spying on them, and suspicions could arise which could make them think she wanted them to die. Part of her was hoping, less confusion that way, but deeper down she realized how flawed that was. Too much of a survivor in her, not enough sentiment. You tended to be less empathetic when you're stuck in a cave for a few months.

 

[JDF]

The news of there being another exit calmed Jaycob down a little bit. At least the group was safe, for now, and could leave whenever they needed. But, Jaycob still didn't have his wrist and was unarmed. Sure the group could walk right out, but if they ran into anymore of those Gapers, two weapons had to protect three people.

"Wait a minute, three?" Jaycob thought and spoke aloud. He took a glance around the room and saw that they were the only survivors left. He could've sworn Priah had made it inside, but he didn't care too much secretly.

"Doesn't matter now, Asha, can you lead the way? I got Jon'Kil." He took the Chiss' arm and placed it over his shoulder. The weight of his partner wasn't too much of a pain, but it was enough to hinder his speed. He turned on his flashlight with his other hand, shining it into a tunnel that was dug inside one of the lockers. It was a tight squeeze at first, the group having to enter one at a time. But once they were in, the cave opened significantly, letting them walk through without even slouching.

"This place is damn labyrinth. Those Gapers could be anywhere." Jaycob wanted to get out of the cave system as fast as possible, for the sake of Jon'Kil's safety. If anyone knew anything about leg injuries, it was him.

 

[René]

Jon'Kil was surprised that Asha was able to help him up off the ground, but hid this surprise behind a smile of appreciation. For someone who looked like they hadn't eaten a decent meal in a few months, she had a surprising amount of strength. Picking up his rifle in one hand, he observed it and noticed it only had a good three shots left. As he slung his other arm around Jaycob's shoulders and neck, he realized that he wouldn't be much good in a fight. He still slung the rifle over his shoulder, however, and squeezed through the narrow tunnel before coming into an open cave. He was mostly able to limp on his own now, but it still hurt to move his foot through he splint.

The group was about halfway through the cave-like area before the Chiss put a little too much pressure on his leg and it collapsed beneath him, causing him to fall down. Taking a deep breath, he silently cursed. He hated putting the pressure of getting him out alive on Jaycob; after all, his friend was already dealing with the death of a very close friend. That thought soured his mood a bit, as he also really hated relying on others, unless it was while he was flying.

@Herrith @Jacob Flores

Sorry again that this is so late!!

 

[Herrith]

Asha entered the small complex, not bothering with lights or anything. They could feel their way through just fine, and soon enough their eyes would adapt. An eternity in a black hole tended to cause you to have to learn to see through the darkness. Waiting long enough for them to catch up, she guided them through the labyrinth, shushing them when they became too loud with a finger to their lips. The last thing they needed was to become trapped in the maze, never able to escape. Much like many of the survivors who had perished before her...

Shaking off that thought, there was a small sound of someone falling, presumably the Chiss man by the name of Jon'Kil. Jaycob was quite the chatter, and, as dark as it sounded, those were the ones that had died first here. Natural selection was working hard on this planet. Especially when the sentients were the prey. Taking a final turn, she whistled and gestured to a locker door, popping it open from the inside. These secret passages were everywhere, and she'd never really found out the purpose, only used them for maintenance runs, and...hiding now.

"We're deeper into the facility. There's no way to get back from where we came, at least not for a while."

No problem, Kyle!

 

[JDF]

Jaycob strugged in the small uncomfortable confines of the tiny locker. He shifted around anxiously trying not to make noise but to no avail. He could hear the familiar hisses from the Gapers echoing through the cave system. With the group armed with only a rifle and a multi-tool, a head-on fight wouldn't last very long.

"What the hell do you mean, 'not for a while'? We know what happened to our allies here, mission complete, we gotta get out of here!" He whispered.

Usually Jaycob would try to hide his fear from others, but this time he didn't care. He desperately wanted to get off the haunted planet. He tried to calm himself down, formulate a plan, think like White Leader. But, those plans never ended up well. First step, find a weapon. Whether it was finding one on the ground of the facility's armory or crafting one from spare parts, he didn't care. He just didn't want to be defenseless. He was also sure Jon'Kil was low on ammunition, which pushed his gut feeling out even more.

"We need weapons, some that'll combat these things effectively. They're scared of flares, you got any more of those laying around? I need to go back out there and get my wrist."

Spoiler: OOC

No problem Kyle, just glad you're still with us. Like that little FF connection you got there. BTW, new chapter is under progress that I think you'd might wanna check out ;)

 

[René]

Jon'Kil carefully stood back up, making sure he didn't put much pressure on his bad leg, lest he fall down again. The Chiss could hear the desperation in Jaycob's voice, and for a moment he felt as if he was Jaycob, as if telepathically connecting to him. It was an odd sensation, but one that didn't feel totally strange. He remembered a story his father had liked to tell him, about an ancestor from the ancient past, a Mandalorian soldier who'd been able to do fantastic things with his mind. His name had been... Ji'Kel. Apparently he'd also been one of those mythical Jedi the Resistance revered so much. Snapping out of this daydream about space magic and people long dead, he continued to follow behind the others.

"Hey, Asha?" He called out, "When we get out of here, um... er... how'd you like to come with me? I mean, us? With the uh, you know, the Resistance?"

It came out much more awkward than originally intended. Jon'Kil had once had someone he loved, but she'd shot him in the back as he stole his TIE to defect, and died when he destroyed that cruiser. The Chiss liked this odd stranger, but he had no clue how to act.

@Jacob Flores @Herrith

 

[Herrith]

Asha looked around in the room while Jaycob continued his pondering. It was getting to be annoying, and risky, the more he ran his mouth. She turned fully to face him and walked forward, covering his mouth with a hand and jabbing the sharper end of the tool into his stomach, making eye contact and speaking slowly, like to a kid who didn't understand a lesson. The jab wasn't enough to pierce skin, but it was enough to prove her point. They weren't the top dogs here. Fear and anger lingered in her eyes. The time here had made her tough, but she was still a little Zeltron girl in a big new galaxy.

"The more...you run...your stupid mouth...the more likely, moreso than we already are, the chance that these things are going to find us, take us, turn our insides into liquid, and slurp it up like a karking smoothie. So, if you want to avoid that grisly end, and I do enjoy smoothies myself, how about you take this like it is and zip it. We can fetch your 'wrist' after they leave. It might take days, weeks...months...but what you need to focus on right now is surviving, not calling whatever whore is waiting on the other end of whatever comlink is in that thing."

She had never had a way with words, and said it like it was. He was being too loud, and needed to shut up before they all died. Her tone was a low whisper, but it got the message across. Jon'kil had said something in the meantime. She'd answer Jaycob's questions first, though. There was no sense missing those.
"They stay in one place for a long time. And if we try to get out now, which I've noticed you've been fairly unable to kill these things...what I said earlier is going to happen. Smoothie organs. And flares scare them, but also attract more from afar. The short hand solution is the long term problem."

Asha looked around before continuing, as if scanning for danger.
"There's one problem with your plan about weapons..."

She walked over to a screen and powered it on, flicking to cameras showing the way to the armory and turned, waiting for the inevitable 'What's wrong with the plan' line.
"I'm not going through all these things. None of us can. And to answer your question, Jon'kil, I'd gladly. But getting out of here isn't exactly the easiest thing to do right now. Seeing as your friend is trying to complicate things."

For all she knew, Jaycob was pissed off and about to rip her a new one about threatening him. She didn't care. It was a button press away from opening the door and letting in a swarm of the things. They were bigger and could garner more attention. And the things could get away from the main door long enough for her to flee. A pang of regret went through her as she thought about the Chiss. He seemed like a good person. It'd be a shame to lose him to a bunch of monsters.

 

[JDF]

Jaycob was a little shocked that such power and force could be exerted from such a small person. He was also furious, this girl didn't know a damn thing about him or what he's been through. But, she was right. If he continued the argument by being even louder, they'd all end up dead. Jaycob could see how his wingman looked at Asha, and he quietly laughed about it.

"I have a plan Jon'kil. Why don't I just strap a bunch of flares to your girlfriend and send her running off in the other direction? That'll give us plenty of time to get back to the ship."

Then, he turned to Asha and spoke menacingly.

"I'm starting to think it was for the best you didn't come when we sent out that distress signal. Pull that stunt again, and you'll wish your guts were mush. You don't know a damn thing about me, and it'd probably be in your best interest to stay on my good side seeing as I'm your only way off-world. Don't get me wrong, I owe you one for saving our lives, but so far, we're off to a terrible start."

He glared at her for a couple more seconds until he broke eye contact. He approached the security cameras and found that almost every single camera, apart from the ones that were destroyed, projected images of either eggs or more Gapers lurking in the shadows. Almost every camera. Jaycob took a deep breath, channeling out his anger through his mouth instead of on her. He had to restrain himself from striking her, especially at the mention of 'whore'.

He pointed to one screen that seemed to have been abandoned, keeping his other hand in a tight fist. It didn't look like there were any signs of life. Although, the creatures could just be hiding outside of the camera's field of vision. Nonetheless, he figured it was the best chance they had.

"There. I don't see too much activity going on. What room is that?"

 

[René]

The hair on the back of Jon'Kil's neck bristled and stood up, the tension in the room becoming almost palpable. Something in the back of his mind was warning him of imminent danger, but he didn't even need that strange feeling to inform him that if the insults kept flying, someone was going to end up dead. He quickly stepped between the two, but upon hearing Jaycob's comment about his "girlfriend" he attempted to retaliate, but ended up only fumbling over his words.

"Jaycob, how dare... Don't accuse me of... I don't have any... Dammit! Nevermind. Everyone, let's just calm down. Jaycob, we're all under a lot of stress and it'd be great if you didn't lose your cool. Asha, we need your guidance to get out of here alive, so please don't try to kill anyone right now."

The Chiss had never had the opportunity for this kind of group work in the First Order; there, you did what you were told without question. Because of this, he was still very unfamiliar with group work and relations and came across as awkward, unless he was piloting a ship.

@Herrith @Jacob Flores

 

[Herrith]

Asha's skin tone had deepened, as Zeltrons tend to do when they were so beyond angry that even a hurricane couldn't stop whatever they were doing, and clenched the tool in her hand as the guy brushed past her like some kind of dignified piece of brix and went on to check the cameras as though nothing had happened. Shoving him aside with an elbow, she looked at the camera. The kitchen. Something snapped in her head, and she was suddenly back with her friend. Sheira. The woman came out of the vent, only to hit a clanging utensil, and that was the last that Asha had seen of her. For months.

Her teeth were gritted, and she came back to the present with a blink. Jon'kil was stuttering about something, whatever had happened she had missed in her little blast to the past.
"Alright, keetar freg...echuta o nami kala..that's the kitchen. And I'm not going back there in a million years. You two have fun getting eaten, I'll try to scrounge up the keys to your ship. You're on your own. You don't scare me, you half-witted Nerf-Herding human..if only you knew just how much I want to send this bar of metal so far up your-"

Clenching her jaw shut, Asha backed away and spun the tool in her hand before sending it flying into a soft material, likely a pillow or something, and then muttering to herself in the language of Zeltros, something neither of them likely understood, as well as sending several untranslatable insults to the overly flamboyant and controlling human. Stopping at the corner, she spun around after seemingly debating with herself mentally and walked back to the console.

"Fine. I'll get you there. The kitchen connects to the armory through some corridors, the cams are broken in those areas but I haven't seen activity there. On one condition, though: you tell me what exactly is so important about your 'wrist'. Miss a call to your girlfriend or something? Aw, that's sweet."

She turned her head to Jon'kil and spoke again.
"Can you walk? We're going to have to move fast, and I can't exactly be waiting ten hours for Jaycob here to drag your broken arse down a corridor filled with angry murderous insectoid demons from below."

 

[JDF]

Jaycob did nothing but smile as the Zeltron continued to curse him out. He wanted to retaliate, but doing so would most likely lead to disaster. But also, she would want him to take the high road, if she were still here at least. The thought of her still left a stinging feeling in his chest, and Asha asking about his "wrist" certainly did not help. Jaycob didn't understand why she wanted to know so badly, maybe it was because he made such a fuss about it.

"OK Pinky, you want to know why that gauntlet is so important to me? Well I'll just say this, my 'wrist' is the only thing keeping us in contact with the Resistance. I was supposed to report in our progress half-an-hour ago. But since they haven't received word from me yet, they're probably going to think we're dead. That's it. Mission Failed."

Jaycob broke eye contact again and turned his eyes to the multitool laying on a mattress. He reached out and grabbed it, feeling the weight of the makeshift weapon balance in his hands. He took a few swings at the air before speaking again.

"And as for a girlfriend..."

He stopped swinging and looked at the ground. The memories still haunt him. Flashbacks of a hangar exploding, a familiar A-Wing flipped upside down, and the ringing of a heart monitor all triggered for a small moment. But then it was gone. Jaycob could feel himself falling into the beginning stages of shedding a tear, but he stopped himself before Asha and Jon'Kil could see the obvious distraught in his expression.

"No...no. I don't have one."

He trailed his words. He shook himself out of it and turned back to Asha, shoving the multitool back into her arms and sending a forced fake grin from his mouth.

"All you need to know is that I need it back. Now, take us to the kitchen."

 

[René]

"Yeah, I'm definitely fine to walk. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I don't want to drag you down."

Jon'Kil was not okay. But he didn't want to rely on the others, or be the weak link in the group. The Resistance had made him a bit more willing to be reliant on others but in the First Order he'd learned that you either get the job done yourself or die. The group started off towards the kitchens, and the Chiss did his best to follow behind.

Initially he kept up with Jaycob and Asha just fine, and luckily they weren't slowed down by any more bickering between the two. It was clear they still didn't like each other still, though they managed to keep things down. However, after a few minutes Jon'Kil began to fall behind the group, his broken ankle hurting more with each step. He never fell down though, and eventually they reached the kitchens.

The Chiss noticed he'd begun to sweat, though why was unclear. As he sharpened his focus to assess the new situation, he quickly said,

"Stop. This doesn't feel right. One of them is in here. Don't ask me how I know, but just be careful."

@Herrith @Jacob Flores

 

[Herrith]

Asha wandered through the tunnels and eventually slowed, opening the doors with a small sigh, pulling out her multitool and peeking outside. It was clear. It looked clear. There was no sound. As Jon'kil said, something still didn't feel right. Stepping away from the door, she looked to the two with actual weapons and then walked in first. Going in quiet was more advisable, and she was by far the quieter of the two.

 

[JDF]

Jaycob scanned the area for any immediate threat. However, the room was simply too dark to see anything at a distance. This was both a good and bad thing. It meant that there were no Gaper eggs around, since their green glow would give off some sort of light; but bad in the sense that he couldn't see anywhere else but directly in front of him. He silently urged Asha to go in first, simply because she knew her way around. He leaned forward and asked,

"Do you see anything?"

Without waiting for a response, Jaycob crept inside, staying cautious and evading the several broken plates and glass scattered on the floor. If any one of the group members tripped or caused any sort of commotion, the unknown enemy in the room would definitely come. Jaycob felt around on top of tables, opening cabinets, and grabbed a fusion cutter. He whispered back,

"This could come in handy. Find me a flammable liquid and we got ourselves a flamethrower."

He pointed to the right side of the room and commanded Asha to check the pantry for the liquid; whether she would obey his request was a different story. Then, he pointed at Jon'Kil and told him to search for the other exit.

"Stay quiet guys. We don't have to build the flamethrower, but that other exit leads to the armory and I don't wanna leave empty-handed."

He calmly asserted his dominance over the group. Whatever came next relied heavily on the group. They would need to put their differences aside and do what must be done in order for them to succeed.

 

[René]

Jon'Kil quietly shifted himself into the room, following Jaycob's instructions as best he could. It was hard to move around the room with his injured leg, and the Chiss made more noise than thenothers, yet so far everything was working good. As long as he made no sudden movements, he figured he'd be able to avoid making any noise loud enough to alert whatever was nearby.

"I have a bad feeling about this." He whispered.

Jon'Kil found an exit that led through another small tunnel, and it led for only a few meters before entering into what looked like the remains of the armory. He quickly motioned to the others, making sure they got in quickly. He was about to go in behind them when he slipped on his brace and hit the ground hard. A terrifying screech filled the room as a gaper at least twice the size of any before let from the shadows right over where the Chiss was laying. He reached up and grabbed it's massive fangs, holding them an inches from his face.

"Hurry, go! Finish the mission, I'm not what's important!!" Jon'Kil screamed after the others.

Spoiler: OOC

The gaper is the queen gaper, and my intention is not to let Jon'Kil die. Sorry about the delay!

@Herrith @Jacob Flores

 

[Herrith]

Asha gingerly grabbed the chemicals in the space, tucking them into her utility belt. As much as she didn't enjoy listening to the keetar freg that was trying to run things, she reasoned that they had a common goal for now. Not die and get the juice sucked out of her and Jon'kil. The context of that was up to others to decide, but then again nobody was listening to her thoughts. A few distracting images of the Chiss flashed through her mind before a scream and a hiss came from the newly discovered tunnel leading to the armory. Her heart rate quickened, and the panicked voice of Jon'kil, telling them to keep going. Running out of the space, she discovered him holding the monster by the fangs, attempting to stall for time. Her skin tone deepened, and an urge pushed her to jump at the beast, driving her multitool into the base of its neck and twisting. She yanked it out and smacked the metal object against the thing's snout, yelling a cry of defiance while it refocused on another target: her. Snarling, it lunged, and she avoided it through mere luck by diving under its swipe and then stabbing it in the underbelly before rolling away, toward the Chiss that she suddenly had found feelings for.

Extending her hands, she grabbed him under the shoulders and started dragging him toward the armory, struggling despite making good haste. Hopefully Jaycob would be able to fend it off long enough for her to reach the armory. Through a stroke of luck, or maybe the Gaper being preoccupied with his corpse, she made it to the armory and took a brief respite, collapsing next to the man and giving him a brief embrace, then standing up and looking outward to the tunnel, her multitool raised and emotions on overload. The legends about Zeltrons were true: with proper drive, they were formidable opponents. And she wasn't intending on leaving this galaxy in a death cocoon and being digested. Plus, there was someone she'd very much taken a liking to who was sitting up beside her.

"Jaycob! Jaycob! Over here! There's weapons!"

@Jacob Flores @Lord Kyle

 

[JDF]

Jaycob turned his attention to the badly damaged Gaper and his two friends behind it. The arachnid turned its attention to him now, lunging with great speed. But before it could strike, he vaulted over the center island and grabbed a pan. The moment he turned around, he chucked the silverware at the monster's already-bleeding snout. The Gaper stumbled backward, giving Jaycob enough time to reposition himself at the tunnel opening. He darted into the entrance, picking up one of the spray bottles on the way.

"Well if you found weapons, USE THEM!"

Jaycob yelled back as he activated the fusion cutter and sprayed the liquid into the Gaper's face. What good was a callout for weapons if nobody was around to use them? The spider screeched in agony and tried to swipe at the source of the flames, but to no avail. The flesh was burnt to a crisp and the pain was too extreme for the monster to survive. Within 30 seconds of pure inferno, the Gaper died. It was perfect timing too as the bottle ran empty. Jaycob discarded the crafted weapon and booked it backward for the armory. Jaycob retrieved an old E-11 model from a shelf and checked its energy pack.

"That was too close. Now that we found our weapons, we need to find a way back to the ship."

A silent look of relief and camaraderie found its way onto Jaycob's face and a couple seconds of awkward silence paired along with it. This was it. Whether the group made it off the planet or not, Jaycob knew this could be the last time he would see Jon'Kil or Asha, especially with the crazy stunt he was about to pull. So, he decided that he should probably share his last goodbyes with them now. Ugh, just like his brother.

"Before we move on, Jon'Kil and Asha I-"

The ear-piercing scream of another Gaper echoed through the air vents and hallway. More were on the way. The group's main objective was to get off Dathomir. But it wasn't Jaycobs. Looks like the goodbyes would have to wait, or better yet, they'd never have to come at all.

 

[René]

As Jon'Kil lay beneath the huge creature, it took all of his strength to keep its massive fangs away from his face. He heard running behind him, and as his muscles began to tire, he thought that while it was a sucky way to go, at least Asha would be safe. However, he was surprised when the running stopped next to him, and the Zeltron girl fought of the Gaper with her multitool and dragged him into the armory. The Chiss' emotions were overloaded; fear, a desire to kill all the Gapers that came near. Those were normal during war, and Jon'Kil was quite used to them. There was something else though, something new and unexpected; feelings for Asha, a strong desire to protect her. The man was confused, but after Jaycob entered the room he shakily stood up, minding his ankle, and grabbed an A280 blaster rifle.

As more Gaper screams echoed through the vents, the Chiss turned to Asha and quickly kissed her. He wasn't sure how this situation would end, but he felt like it was better to get his feelings out before anybody had a chance to die.

@Herrith @Jacob Flores

 

[Herrith]

Asha took a step back once Jon'kil had ran off, shortly after delivering a solid kiss right on her lips. She blinked for an instant. Jaycob's words registered in her mind for a few moments. Use weapons. She'd gotten basic training on firing a blaster. Just not really ever used one after being shoved in the maintenance passages. The Zeltron figured she'd better help before the giy who'd just revealed his feelings got eaten alive, so she grabbed an old blaster pistol, a RK-3 pistol probably stolen from a stormtrooper, and powered it on, sending a blast into a Gaper that was lucky enough to make it through the two guys' lines. She grabbed a satchel and swept multiple energy cells into ot, zipping it shut and then slinging it over a shoulder. No way three could fend off these things. Not forever. Hell, the whole kriffing base had gotten wiped out.

"Come on! Let's go! There's way too many for us!"

She ran forward, snatching the Chiss' hand and shaking Jaycob's shoulder slightl before making a break for a shelf. Asha grabbed it and pushed, grunting with the effort, and walked into a maintenance vent hidden behind the object. She swung herself in, multitool in hand, and leaned out, gesturing to the two. However, she forgot to check for anything lying inside in the excitement. A potentially fatal mistake.

@Jacob Flores @Lord Kyle