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Elias Ryn

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Elias found himself on Dantooine. It was once the first home for the rebels and had offered protection to their people when they desperately needed it. The First Order had blockaded the planet when the Rebels found themselves on it and while the blockade had eventually been destroyed, the feelings of the Dantooine people and the Order weren't at it's best. There were still numerous towns and villages populated on the surface of the planet and some still had sympathetic ears that were there but would need some prodding to reveal themselves.

There have been reports of an old rebel base that been commandeered by smugglers. They didn't terrorize the local populace by killing and pillaging but by disrupting supply lines. They sold the cargo back to people at higher rates and were practically bleeding them dry. It was a slow death and one the people couldn't separate themselves from as they needed those supplies in order to survive. The people had requested help from the Jedi because of their past experiences with each other and the fact they deserved help after they had given it.

Elias arrived at the major city of Dantoo town, at least what could be considered a major city. It was down on rough times ever since the smugglers had decided to set up shop near the city. He currently stood inside the spaceport as he had recently just landed. The Jedi let out a soft exhale as he stepped out and onto the main street of the city. Kessel hadn't been a huge success in the slightest and he needed to recover from it. Not physically but mentally as it had been his operation. The Jedi needed a victory and the planet could be a helpful hand in the long run.

The Jedi wasn't just doing this by himself but with the help of a Master. It would be the first the two would actually meet as they had only seen each other at the meeting. Elias had heard stories about him and knew he was a good man and hopefully could be a great asset in this mission. He picked up a cup of coffee as he waited outside the port, occasionally sipping it as he kept an eye out.

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Maxims Tionson

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Dantooine was a lovely, peaceful, planet that Max had never had the opportunity to visit. Like most quiet little corners of the Galaxy, Dantooine often got overlooked and people tended not to visit on holidays or for business. Off the beaten path not by design but because it was so far removed from what the rest of the Galaxy considered 'important'. It didn't have massive, sprawling, cities or industries that spanned continents with billions of people.

It had peaceful communities and, maybe, a few million people scattered across a rather large planet. Maybe it had had a larger population once upon a time but it was not this time. In this era it was a tranquil place of rolling fields and gently sloping hills; if he didn't know better he would argue it was almost artificially designed to be the perfect place of a Jedi to reach into the Force and feel the life that was the Light.

Landing at the spaceport of Dantoo town, Max smiled a little bit as he just... drank it in. There was the peace he had expected but it was tainted, almost, by a sense of unease and of mild desperation. Mild in the sense that it was nothing immediate but something undeniable; something to dread in the future but not in the present.

Troubling but it lined up with why he was meeting Elias here in the first place. He pointed to his still un-named astromech droid as he pulled on his outer robes.

"Make sure you tip the docking hands when you pay the docking fees."
he reminded the little droid, "I know you like to give the credits to the dockhands in person but we do things the proper way for a reason."

Taking the beeps as sounds of understanding, Max strode down the ramp of The Tigris into the spaceport proper. While he had never really met Elias, Max didn't need directions to find him at all; the young man was tall and aglow with the Light. Smiling, Max wandered over to the Knight and, rather than bowing as Jedi tended to do these days, he held out his right hand to shake. Sometimes Max preferred to be the man who had come from the Tion Cluster and part of that was a solid handshake and a smile.

"Knight Elias Ryn - it's a pleasure to finally meet you in person."
he greeted him honestly, "I've heard good things about you."


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Elias Ryn

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Elias didn't have to wait long as he was able to sense the other presence of the Jedi. He took a sip of his coffee as he turned his head and found Maxims walking straight toward him. It was a nice sight to see a friendly face around him as he suspected this little endeavor could turn bad quick. The Jedi Master offered him a handshake and resulted in a grin from Elias before he extended his hand and gave him a firm shake. The greeting was all he pretty much knew as he grew up on Nal Hutta and it was either that or a firm nod.

"And it's a pleasure to meet you as well, Master Maxims Tionson." When he brought up that he had heard good things about him, Elias couldn't help but give a slight smirk, "That may change soon enough." Even though he managed to get the two Jedi out from harm, the overall mission of Kessel had been a failure because of reasons he hadn't foreseen, particularly the Sith. It still plagued him and Maxims would be able to sense it within him but the Knight would nod towards the administration building that was down the street. It was clear that he knew it could be noticed and just wanted to move on. "The sooner we help, the better. Let's go find out what they need assistance with."

As they would walk down the street, Elias couldn't help but glance at Maxims as he gave him a quick examination. "Last time I saw you, you could barely stand up. Have you healed managed to recover fully since then?" He remembered his encounter with Hannibal and how he willingly told him he wasn't worth a lick in fighting with his wounds. Hopefully, Maxims wasn't in the same condition but from first glance, he certainly had some spring in his step.
 

Maxims Tionson

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A good handshake? This was the kind of thing that Max has missed from the old neighborhood – bowing and nodding deeply had never come naturally to him. He chuckled a little bit at Elias’ comment about changes to his reputation soon enough. Max didn’t know exactly what the younger man was talking about but it didn’t matter to him.

“Good thing I don’t listen to gossip from Temple busybodies then.”
He joked back with a smirk, before nodding, “Let’s get moving then – lead on.”

He could feel troubles within the young Jedi Knight, almost as though he was dwelling on something that was causing him some emotional distress. That he could not pick up on it physically spoke well of the young man’s control of his emotions even if they hadn’t been fully worked through and accepted as of yet. It likely had something to do with the events that might change the word about the Temple about him… but Max wasn’t the kind of Jedi Master to stick his nose in.

Elias had emotions he needed to work through; which Jedi could honestly say that they didn’t? Max wasn’t the type of person to insert himself into the lives and trials of others. If invited he would be a bulwark for them but otherwise? He wasn’t Elias’ Master and he wasn’t his father – the young man seemed to be dealing, coping, with his emotions and so long as that didn’t change? Max would just be there to lend a hand if asked.

Smiling ever so slightly, Max raised his right hand slightly. He didn’t bother with a glove as he knew some people might have done – it was clear to see that just over half of his right hand and forearm had been replaced by very obvious cybernetics. Only his thumb, pointer and pinky fingers were actually still flesh and blood these days.

“I got better.”
He joked slightly before growing slightly more somber as he lowered his hand again, “Sullust left it’s scars but that is what they are now thankfully; scars not wounds. Might be older but I’m not ready to just kick back and let you youngsters fix the mistakes my generation left you.”

No, he was far from done even if he had thought about how much he truly had left to give. The answer he had found? Everything. He hadn’t given the Order everything yet so he would keep going and keep giving. Arriving at the administration building, Max adjusted his weapons so that they were visible to avoid scaring any guards, showing the vibroknife, the stun baton and the recently acquired python blaster pistol.

It reminded him of the pistol he’d had when he was a police officer.



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Elias Ryn

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Well, it appeared news of Kessel hadn't traveled yet but it would. Even though he knew that Maxims could sense it, he was glad that the Jedi Master didn't bring it up, either unknowing or knowing. It was a battle that he would just have to work through and come out the other hand with whatever injuries he suffered from it. That was life.

When Maxims lifted his hand, Elias couldn't help but give a pointed look to the cybernetics that were infused with his arm. It worked just fine for him and he was glad of it but it was just another reminder of what happened in recent history. Maxims had given his pound of flesh but the scales weren't in their favor. "I wouldn't be so ready to relax just yet. I think things are just getting started, for everyone." Plans were in motion and it would only be a matter of time before everyone would have to answer the call to action.

They arrived at the administration building, Elias following the other's lead as he showed his weapons off for the guards to take note. The Jedi were there upon request and the guards only needed the lightsabers as confirmation before allowing them to step through. When they entered the building, it would be an expansive hall with pews placed in rows that led the length of the room. At the very end of it was half circle table, five people in total dressed in robes as they were clearly the councilmen with their eyes following the pair. "Greetings, Jedi." The one in the center spoke first but that was all he said.

Elias stepped up and gave a slight bow to them. He preferred the handshake but there were traditions they had to follow. This wasn't his usual game but it was one that he would have to pick up quickly. "Greetings, my name is Knight Elias Ryn and this is Jedi Master Maxims Tionson. We heard of your calls for help and we are to provide assistance in any way we can." There was a slight pause for the other Jedi to introduce himself. First impressions were everything. "We haven't forgotten when your planet offered to help us years ago and we would love the chance to repay the favor."
 

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Relaxing? Max was firmly of the opinion that he could relax when he was one with the Force, for now he was going to have to put in the miles and keep on going. Bowing alongside Elias, Max smiled his usual smile and gave a brief wave of acknowledgement to the council members as well once he was out of the bow.

The council members shifted slightly in their seats as they observed them. Through the Force, Max could feel their nerves as he had when he had been coming in to land. There was a threat here that made them uncomfortable but not in immediate danger; which made a change from most of the situations Jedi ran into honestly.

Head Councilwoman Gloria brought up a few holographic images of what looked like the cliff-face of a mountain. Upon closer inspection however it was clear that it was at least partially a facade as there were glimpses of a hanger inside the mountain.

"Masters Jedi - the people of Dantooine do not often call on outsiders for help."
she admitted at length, "We pride ourselves on being largely self-sufficient and resilient. However... several components for our power and farming equipment cannot be produced locally and we need to purchase them from foreign planets. What you see here is an old Rebel Alliance base that has been taken over by smugglers who steal from these vital shipments."

Rubbing his beard ever so slightly in thought, Max nodded along with the points raised by the Head Councilwoman.

"Are your people suffering from a lack of these supplies as a result? Our Order has several freighters we can use to run supplies for you if this is also required in the short term."


One of the other members of the Council, an older Gran, shook his head and spoke up.

"The smugglers are largely non-violent or, at least, unfailingly non-lethal and they sell the parts we need to us. However they do so at such a vastly increased price that it is quickly becoming unsustainable for our people."


Thieves but not murderers? They sounded like they were a group with morals - some messed up morals but morals. Max was glad of his lack of a lightsaber actually as it would force him to think of non-lethal solutions to the problem of the smugglers as well. He nodded in thought, turning slightly to Elias.

"I do believe old rebel bases were built with 'secret' exits - we should be able to make our way through undetected through those."


Once they arrived in the belly of the beast? Well they would have the chance to decide on what options to take then and there with more information about the smugglers as well. If they needed to take them down it would be easier from behind and if they didn't? Well it was easier to get an audience with the leader if you caught them unprepared and alone.

Max made a show of bowing to the Council once again.

"Leave this situation to us, council members. We shall do all we can to make sure this situation reaches a swift and satisfying conclusion."


Unless Elias had anything more to add, Max was ready to get the information on the old rebel base from the locals to check for the secret entrances... unless Elias already had the data he supposed. It was the young Knight's mission after all so it wasn't outside the realms of possibility that he had gotten the blueprints already.


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Elias Ryn

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After Elias had spoken, the councilmen informed them of the problem they faced. He listened intently as they told of smugglers who stole from their shipped supplies and resold them to the people for an exuberant cost. It must have been painful for the people of Dantooine, to be sold equipment they couldn't live without when it was rightfully theirs, to begin with. Maxims offered a short term solution for the time being with the idea of freighters unloading supplies for them. But, they shot it down and Elias wasn't surprised. He figured it would result in that when people were actually dying on the streets. That wouldn't happen on his watch.

It was interesting that the smugglers had never killed anyone yet and that could definitely open doorways in the future for them. When Maxims suggested that there were secret tunnels, he gave him a nod, "That will probably work. They are usually only known by the Jedi or forces that are familiar with the Rebels." Hopefully, these smugglers haven't destroyed them or done anything else to keep them secure.

Elias gave a slight bow to the rest of the councilmen as Maxims did and turned his attention to the third councilmen that spoke, "We will figure out a solution and make sure your people get what they need." It was their duty as a Jedi after all to see this through. "Would you mind if we take those schematics for the base with us? It would be very helpful."One of the councilmen nodded and motioned over for a guard to take the plans and give them to him. After that, he turned to leave but stopped himself as he glanced back to the council, "How long has this been transpiring?"

The council looked to each other, a little perplexed by the question but answered anyway, "About a month or two now, Jedi." Elias directed his attention to Maxims for a moment before giving a nod to the council. "Thank you for everything." With that, he left with the other Jedi as they exited from the building. When both of them were outside, Elias turned toward the Jedi Master as he grabbed onto his chin, "If they have been doing this for months, that means these smugglers are good at what they do. They haven't killed anyone either, that means they have control and know what they're doing." It would have been easy for one of these supply raids to have a mistake and someone gets an itchy trigger finger. "It's a detail that we should keep in mind."

 

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Max was willing to bet that even a more professional smuggling ring wasn’t going to have been able to get all of the secrets of the old rebel base. The fact that they had found it at all was rather impressive but he really doubted that they had the knowhow to really dig through some of the more secure and secret areas.

So long as they had the means to access them (Elias’ lightsaber would help), they were going to have a better understanding of the smugglers’ base than they themselves. He really did prefer having more information than the enemy so this was all putting him in a good mood.

Though he was already mentally preparing for the almost inevitable deluge of things going wrong on an otherwise simple mission.

“Skilled and yet restrained in their application of force; their choice in career may turn out to be something not entirely of their own choosing…”


But that was something they could focus on later.

“Where’s the closest entrance?”
he asked Elias before thinking about it for a moment, “If it’s a fairly easy journey it might be an idea to bring along my astromech droid. They have a habit of being able to get into systems they usually have no business being in.”

Might be time to utilize that ability…



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Elias Ryn

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Maxims brought up a good point about their career choice but that would be a bridge for them to cross later. He then brought up the idea of bringing his astromech along with them. "Good idea, better to have him and not need him than the other way around." There was always always a door that somehow got in the way. But he answered the Jedi's question, "There's a tunnel not too far from here. Only a couple of klicks." It perplexed him that the town had the schematics but hadn't used the tunnels themselves to solve the problem.

Although it was a worry, Elias kept it to himself as he thought it would be mentioned at the meeting. "Tell your droid to meet us at the tunnel." The coordinates were sent to Maxims PDA so they could be sent to the droid he mentioned. He was actually quite fond of droids and their assistance and it made him miss Wulf slightly but he was in for repairs. "Let's go and find us a speeder" Elias made his way to the edge of the town and where the vehicles were docked. After paying the dockhand for a pair, he would get on his before shooting off into the fields of Dantooine.

It wouldn't too long before they would arrive at the location. It was a small field with few trees plotted across it without order. Elias swung his leg over the speeder as he pulled out the map and checked the location. "It's supposed to be here." He called out to Maxims and walked toward the tree that was dead on where the coordinates were. There was nothing that stood out and proclaimed, "ENTRANCE HERE!" and he wondered if the maps of the tunnels were false.

But when he inspected the lone tree, he noticed a thin line that was cut in the formation of a square. Elias arched his eyebrow at the discovery. That wasn't supposed to be there. He placed his hand gently against the square and the moment he made contact, it sunk into the tree like a button. Both of them would hear a whirr before the ground beside the tree shifted. A ramp dropped with a thud and would reveal a clean metal hallway that extended underneath the ground.
"Those Rebels were quite intuitive."
 

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Nodding in understanding, Max brought up his com-link and called his droid friend on his ship. Instructing the droid to come on over (after locking the ship back up), he put his com-link away in a pouch on his belt after giving the droid the co-ordinates that Elias had found for the tunnel entrance. The droid would meet them there and probably end up doing half the work of the mission all by himself.

Some of the things that the droids could do just meant the humans were just kind of along for the ride. He chuckled a little bit as he remembered something he probably should mention to Elias.

"Just to let you know - my droid doesn't have a name."
he admitted, "I told him awhile back he could pick his own name because he didn't like to be called QC or anything. So I just call him Buddy or something like that."

Weird but he wasn't about to call the little guy anything he didn't like just because it was easy. Riding the speeder afforded Max some time to think even as they were in motion, reaching into the Light as he did so. The planet was so alive and yet so peaceful that he found it actually rather relaxing.

Parking up, he nodded to Elias as he started keeping an eye out for his droid. His little buddy could really book it when he wanted to and they had delayed slightly in getting the speeder so it wasn't much of a surprise to see a small cloud of dust not to far off.

"I think we beat him here."
he called out to Elias with a laugh, "Going to tease him about it for weeks."

A whirr and a thunk had Max turn round to face Elias instead of his droid friend, which was the only reason said droid friend was able to ram into his right leg from the side. Muttering an aborted curse, he stared down at his droid, who just squeaked at him in binary as if he had no idea what he'd done.

"Alright we're sending you in first."
he told the droid, rolling his eyes at the hurt string of binary it let out, "You're the one with a spotlight built into your head. That's why, not because you ran into me."

The droid squeaked and headed down the ramp first, it's spotlight coming on strongly but not enough to fully illuminate the gloom. Max shrugged at Elias as he followed.

"It's a little bit because he ran into me."



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Elias Ryn

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The droid, who didn't have a name, made himself known as he ran into the leg of Maxims. The two had a quick argument and it resulted in the droid being sent down the ramp first. Elias glanced at the other Jedi and let out a soft chuckle, "I can tell you two are buddies." The relationship between him and Wulf was practically the same.

Elias stepped down the short ramp afterward, the droid as his source of light as it waited for the pair down there. When they both entered, Buddy let out a couple of beeps before spinning around and heading down the hallway. Their path still remained untouched as it appeared like they were the only ones to have used it in years. When they took a turn and went down another hallway, however, there was a door and all of them could see the vegetation and nature that was growing in between the cracks and spaces.

Buddy let out another chorus of beeps as if asking what he was supposed to do with that. Elias approached the door and placed his against it while he closed his eyes. He held his palm there for a while before eventually dropping it as he turned toward Maxims. "The other side of this door is teeming with life. I guess we figured out why the locals haven't dealt with themselves by now." There wasn't a way for Buddy to open the door because it didn't appear to have any power flowing through it.

Elias activated his lightsaber and performed two quick slashes in that of an X. The metal melted slightly and he brought his hand back before thrusting it forward. A blast of force erupted forth and the door was simply taken off its hinges as it was thrown into the wall behind it. The light from his lightsaber allowed them to see that the next tunnel was unlike anything they entered. Fauna and vines covered pretty much every square inch of the ground and walls. "That's great." It was the only thing he could mutter at the sight.
 

Maxims Tionson

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It probably said something that his relationship with the droid that rammed into his leg for fun was very similar to his friendship with Hannibal as well. He didn't really have normal friendships though since he and Indy had more of an adoptive dad/daughter thing going on and Talak? Well Talak spoke very little but every-time he did, Max liked to think he listened well.

"All my friends are like that."
he admitted with a small sigh and a grin, "Sometimes I think I should make a normal friend but I'm sure that probably gets boring."

Chuckling a little bit, he followed Elias and his droid down into the hallway. It was long and it was dark and it was pretty much every escape route he had ever been down. Finding a door wasn't unexpected to be honest but it looked like it was part of a floral display at this point.

Just like Elias, he could feel life on the other side of the door but it felt... both basic and complex at the same time. As though it was both an animal and a sentient at the same time. He wasn't entirely sure what that meant but he was sure it was a surprise waiting for them.

"They feel both simple and complex."
he admitted aloud, "If they are territorial I can definitely see a local militia force not wanting to tangle with them in an enclosed space."

Looking into the next tunnel, he scowled ever so slightly as his Buddy beeped at him.

"I know vines aren't great for your wheels - I didn't leave them here you know?"
he shook his head and drew his pistol, making sure it was in stun mode, "Alright let's move... wait..."

He held up a hand to get his allies to stop moving and Buddy turned off his searchlight for a moment. With the Force neither he nor Elias would truly be blind... and his left eye had vision modes now thanks to Lilith, which was handy.

After a few moments of observing a small cluster of insects before they moved on, he switched his eye back to regular viewing and tapped Buddy to have the searchlight come back on.

"Kinrath nest."
he muttered quietly, "We can probably sneak through if we're careful... or we can see about clearing them out. They're smart but still non-sentient and these tunnels could be useful to us in the future."


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Elias Ryn

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Elias wasn't suspecting the tidbit about friendship coming from Maxims. It was out of nowhere but it made him realize that he didn't really have a normal friend as well. Most of the people he knew were acquaintances that he had met through his missions or something similar. He had never really thought of it like that until then and Elias glanced back at the other Jedi, "Well, maybe we both can get a normal one depending on how we turn out from this." It would be nice to have someone that could actually be considered a friend.

The next tunnel wasn't appealing to anyone in the group. Maxims droid let him have it as it explained its wheels weren't exactly built to traverse the vines. Elias actually understood what the droid was saying and he considered himself both lucky and cursed this his own droid preferred to be in the air a lot more than on the ground. The whole exchange made him grin but Maxims was ready to keep going down the tunnel as he pulled out a blaster. Elias didn't really understand why the Jedi seemed allergic to using his lightsaber as he didn't even bring it but he wouldn't openly question it there.

The signal to halt was given as all the light sources coming from them was turned off. Elias reached out with the force as his lightsaber deactivated, able to feel the signs of life in front of them before the sound of chitting could be heard. A Kinrath nest. It was the first he had ever come across insectoids such as them. Maxims suggested clearing them out but Elias shook his head and quietly spoke to him, "No, we can't disrupt the peace, at least not yet. The Councilmen didn't even know about these creatures. If we disturb them, they may flood out and attack the innocents." There was a possibility they wouldn't attack but if they removed a nest, he suspected they would become highly agitated.

When Buddy turned his spotlight back and revealed that the path was clear, he stood back up to his full height and turned toward Maxims, "We should sneak through. Worst comes to worst, we get caught and then try and clear the nest." Elias took a step forward but stopped and then shrugged, "Or just run." There was a high chance there was much more than the small pack.
 

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Max grinned a little bit at Elias' response. He had just been commenting on his relationship with his droid and his other friends but it was nice to know he wasn't the only one. The guy seemed like the kind of dependable and solid person that people could rely on and Max would be lying if he said he didn't already kind of like Elias. If he were the dramatic type he'd go so far as to say they'd clicked.

"Best we come out of those smelling of roses then."


Which was probably going to be harder than either of them realized because of course it was. The Force didn't like to make things easy for them and if they were easy then they wouldn't be worth doing in the long run. At least that's what he told himself when he was trying to accept a lot of kark being thrown his way.

Max took a breath before nodding in agreement - Kinraths weren't really a threat to trained Jedi and they were a limited threat to a trained fighter without the Force. The people of Dantooine lacked either the Force or a lifetime of training. Clearing them out would be useful but it wasn't worth the potential downsides for now.

"You're right Elias; better we leave the decision up to those most likely to be effect should things take a worst turn."
he accepted before reaching down and picking up his droid Buddy, "I say we go with sneaking first since we barely know where we're going as is."

Knowing their luck they'd run into the Kinrath queen if they just started running. His droid latched onto his back, magnetized so that he was stuck firmly to the back armor that Max wore. The older Jedi shook his head slightly as Buddy's spotlight peaked over his shoulder, lighting the way ahead of them.

"You're a terrible backpack, Buddy."
he declared, ignoring the amused beeps he got in response, "Straight through do we think?"

There were a number of different tunnels and due to the biomass (most of which was partially digested food and dead creatures which was very disgusting) it was hard to tell which tunnel was rebel-made and which were insect made. He could feel a large cluster of life off to his right though so he signed to Elias that it was a no-go.


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Maxims agreed with Elias and he was glad for it. Unessecary risks for them would be removed so that it wouldn't slow them down. The pair would just have to guide themselves through the tunnel and receive help from the force. The droid was picked up and fashioned as a backpack with the searchlight providing them a cone of light so they could actually see. With their not really being a defining feature to lead the way, straight was the answer and Elias walked forward slowly.

Maxims warned him that the right wasn't going to be the move and he went left instead, the fauna and biomass growing thicker but their slivers of metal underneath to confirm they were still in the rebel tunnels. Elias kept his senses alert and his deactivated lightsaber hilt remained in his hand at the ready. They would be able to hear chittering all around them but it wasn't close enough to let them become worried.

They turned into a new hallway and before Elias took a few steps, he dove to the side and pressed himself against the vine. Eggs lined the ground, perfectly spherical and covered in some type of ooze. There weren't any Kinraths patroling around them and he knew that with the sight of the eggs, it meant the queen was close. Elias turned slightly to face Maxims before waving his hand down the way they came, telling him to silently turn back before the mother arrived.

When they reached a sort of crossroads in the hall, Elias crouched down in the middle. He pulled out his PDA that had the schematics of the rebel base and handed it to Maxims, "We have the schematics of the base. Is there a way Buddy can sketch and predict a layout of the tunnels if he has this information?" It would be better than guessing but he wouldn't hold it against the droid if it couldn't.
 

Maxims Tionson

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Max adjusted the droid on his back slightly, glad he didn't decide to pipe up when he did so. Binary was rather loud and he didn't want to chance the kinraths not hearing it just so his little Buddy could joke about him needing to lift more or something. Keeping up with Elias, he would keep his blaster at the ready and his droid shining a light ahead.

He fell behind slightly and frowned when Elias gestured for him to go back the way they came but didn't question it. Max was confident that Elias would only send them back the way they came if... ah. Feeling with the Force Max felt dozens of potential lives and lives growing in stages. Eggs if he didn't miss his bet.

Yep that was NOT a the right way to go!

"Let's see."
he tapped a few buttons on the PDA to start sharing it's data with his droid, who began looking it over, "Come on buddy we could really use a way that doesn't involve fighting giant insects."

Buddy gave as quiet a beep as he could and Max nodded a little bit.

"Alright if you're sure buddy."


He was trusting his droid to know what it was doing and he didn't feel like it was a gamble. Hell, he trusted his droid not to let him get hit by debris mid-hyperspace jump and to handle tasks around the ship such as life support. Max trusted his little droid friend with his life in a very real way almost every day.

Still, after three turns they were standing in front of a what looked like a dead-end and he considered it for a moment before reaching out with a hand. Feeling the wall with Force Sight, he could see through the vines to...

"Locked door behind the vines."
he told Elias, stepping aside, "He says this should be an exit that should lead us into an area close to the living quarters."



@Orbit
 

Elias Ryn

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After Elias had handed over the datapad, he remained in his crouched position and waited calmly as the droid attempted to make schematics from scratch. They really could use a way where they didn't have to fight giant insects. It took about a minute or so but eventually, Buddy let out a couple of beeps that he had finished the job. He gave the droid a nod, "Thanks, Buddy, nice work. We couldn't have done it without you." It was true, the pair would have been knee-deep in bugs or just lost.

With the new map for themselves, Buddy led the way through the tunnels as they navigated through twists and turns. Eventually, they arrived at a dead-end, the wall completely covered in vines and other plants that hid the door behind it. Maxims approached the door and placed his hand upon it while Elias stood watch for them. When the Jedi Master finished, he confirmed that there was a door on the other side before taking a step away. Finally, a real way out for them. The more time they spent in the tunnels, the less inviting it was.

Elias stepped forward once there was space and activated his lightsaber. With a few coordinated slashes, the fauna was removed to reveal the door to them, the controls also open to be interacted with. "Buddy, think this is where you come in." The droid let out a couple of beeps before rolling forward, a slot opening up as a multi-tool came out and finagled with the controls. As the two waited, a sort of ripple seemed to travel through the biomass that covered the door that wouldn't notice.

It would only be a few moments before both of them could hear intense chittering that wasn't just from one creature but multiple. Immediately spinning around to face the way it came, the lightsaber was raised so that its cone of light could actually reach down the hallway. What it revealed was a horrifying sight as dozens of Kinrath crawled along the walls and ceiling, right towards them. Elias twirled his blade so it was placed in front of him and in a defensive position. "Buddy! Open that door!"

The Jedi sent out a blast of the force as quite a few of the insects fell off from the walls and were sent back flying but there were enough of them in numbers that it simply didn't matter.
 

Maxims Tionson

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Once again, astromechs and Jedi proved why they were the perfect partners for all manner of adventures. They helped them fly their ships, they handled repairs and they opened doors that could only be revealed with a lightsaber. It was poetry in motion working with a good astromech droid and his little Buddy was definitely one of them.

Max didn’t often let himself indulge in emotions for their own sake but watching his little friend immediately attach himself to the lock without a second’s thought made him just a tiny bit proud. He patted his astromech on the head.

“Glad I got you around Buddy.”


Of course things didn’t always go smoothly and the increase in hungry, chittering, emotions bubbling up from behind them was a good sign of that. Spinning round, Max cursed a little bit before reaching deep into the Force, closing his eyes as Elias held his saber defensively and Buddy beeped about being almost ready.

Kinrath were blind – they ‘saw’ people by sensing heat.

Pushing both hands out, Max began to manipulate the temperature in the tunnel between the Jedi and the Kinrath. Frost formed in a ring around them, coating the walls, floor and ceiling of the tunnel. Pushing more, mist formed in the middle of the tunnel as well, his left hand shaking slightly as he channeled more and more cold until there was a section between the Jedi and the Kinraths that was suddenly a tundra.

The Kinrath’s advance stuttered, the insects slowing almost to a full stop as they were essentially blinded for a moment. They knew that there were lifeforms ahead of them but their sight was being masked by the oppressive cold, almost like wrapping a blindfold around the eyes of a charging human. Even though they knew the enemy was straight ahead, having their sight robbed of them made advancing tricky.

Buddy beeped happily as the door opened.

“Elias – you first.”
Max advised, his voice tight as he further froze the tunnel between them and the Kinrath, ice beginning to rise in sheets to trip them up even as they tried to be slow and steady, “Buddy isn’t combat rated… and we are stepping into their sleeping quarters…”

Indeed, the door opened up into what appeared to be a large dressing room… it probably would have been an armoury once upon a time but there were no suits of armor or weaponry on the walls anymore, just winter overcoats and some other miscellaneous loot.


@Orbit
 

Elias Ryn

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Elias had been ready with his saber, prepared to start swinging like his life depended on it because it really did if they didn't get through the door. But before the creatures could reach them, Maxims stepped forward with his arms outstretched as the temperature rapidly dropped. Even he began to shiver slightly as his breath became visible. The creatures continued forward but slowed greatly, each step taken by them with trepidation as they became blind.

Buddy beeped that he had completed the job and Elias spun around instantly to face the door. "I gotcha." The door opened and he stepped through swiftly, his lightsaber aimed straight as it was held near where his shoulders were. It was a small supply room with equipment but not real people. When it was cleared, he turned back and flicked his wrist toward Buddy so that the droid was lifted gently with the force and brought into the room as it went to the next door to get ready.

Elias made his way to the entrance they came through and motioned for him to come through. "Let's go!" He quietly shouted as he sent out another blast of the force to push the insects back and give an opportunity for Maxims to make his break into the room. When the Jedi would rush into the room as well, he would press the button to close the door as they could both see the blind-fold ripped off the insects and charging right toward them. The door dropped and sealed as the chitting of the bugs could be heard on the other side for a few moments before it eventually ceased.

He wiped his forehead of sweat as he exhaled, glad that part was over and they could just deal with people. Elias turned to Maxims, "Good thinking, you probably saved both of our lives." He wouldn't have thought to reduce the temperature. Making his way to the second door, he pressed his shoulder against the wall beside it to relax for a moment,
"If we can, let's try and find out who runs this smuggling ring. We need to incapacitate still to let them talk to us."
 

Maxims Tionson

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Buddy beeped in gratitude to Elias and Max grunted slightly in thanks of his own as he quickly staggered into the storage room and let the door be closed and locked behind him, his little Buddy making short work of it. Hissing slightly in pain, Max looked down at the fingertips on both hands, flexing his fingers a little bit to try and get the blood circulating faster and more easily. Although it hadn't done too much damage to himself, a hasty use of advanced cyro-kinetics left his hands shaking from the cold alone - though thankfully there was no chance of frostbite.

Nothing a little bit of temperature manipulation with the Force didn't fix as he heated the air between his cupped hands and relaxed a little bit more.

"I encountered some Kinraths before."
he admitted with a grimace, "Saw one of them halt a charge because of a campfire and when I got back to the Temple I researched them on the holonet - apparently they see through heat and both high and low temperatures act like a smokescreen to them. Thank the Force for Holopedia."

He could have used fire.

He could have blinded them just as easily with fire but it would have also burned them and perhaps even have killed them. Not to mention the vines around the tunnel catching light as well? No. Max could have used fire but it would have carried too much risk of being deadly force and he didn't resort to that even under pressure.

Moving up to the door, Max nodded to Elias before placing a hand directly against the door and reaching out with the Force. Force Sight and combined with sensing emotions and minds led him to a discovery that was both good and bad.

"Three people in the room ahead of us."
he told Elias quietly, drawing his pistol on stun setting, "They're in the middle of the room, clustered together. Some signs of light inebriation but nothing major. On your go? I'll take the one on the left and stun him; you take the one on the right. I'll put the central one in stasis while you make sure the room is locked down tight so we can ask them some questions."

Violence was often not his first choice but he didn't think even a smuggling ring that prided itself on being non-lethal would take kindly to two armed men (and a droid) wandering in from a store room they didn't know had another door in it.


@Orbit
 
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