Ask Crash Landing

[Maura Starwalk]

Maura's own blade cut through the torso of an advancing corpse, severing the reanimation in two and causing it to slump to the ground in time with the sound of Ruzaan's lightsaber hitting the ground. Her eyes, however, caught the disappearance of the blue light, and her head swiveled in his direction.

"Ruzaan!" Maura immediately abandoned her position to dive after the Togruta, her hand curling into a fist and yanking backward as the Force acted upon the pile. All of them - Ruzaan included, unfortunately - would feel an outward pull as the Force coiled around them and pulled them away from the center, fueled by the padawan's sudden panic. Though its effects were not significant due to the girl's own struggles with the more outward usages of the Force, it was enough.

Maura was able to spot where Ruzaan was in the mess, and thus able to swing her saber down and cleave a line through several of the bodies without hitting her friend. It would give Ruzaan an opening to get up if he had the mind to take it.

tag: @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Engaged in a battle for his own survival amidst a crush of reanimated sneople, Ruzaan's instincts took over and he thrashed about beneath the assault while doing his best to protect his vitals; namely, his chest and his eyes. He felt claws scoring painfully across his back, heavy blows landing all over his body, and a vise-like grip on his left ankle that resisted his efforts to kick free of it. In addition, the continuous attacks kept him from being able to focus on the Force or any of his own training.

If not for Maura he would've died; fortunately, the girl's heroic efforts gave Ruzaan the opening he needed. With one flank effectively dealt with, the Togruta was able to focus enough to send a hasty Force Push out that knocked the other zombie sneople a few feet away; far enough for him to roll himself out of their reach and over to his lightsaber. By the time they recovered and resumed their attack, Ruzaan had ignited his lightsaber and was able to keep them at bay (Ruz fight roll: 13/20).

"Thanks" Ruzaan said to Maura, breathing heavily. His robes were torn, he was bleeding from half a dozen wounds, and a severed zombie hand was still wrapped around his ankle, but he was alive. "I'm sorry for being a jerk to you." It was an odd time to apologize, but there was nothing like nearly dying to make you regret your previous treatment of people; especially when said people saved your life despite that. There was more Ruzaan wanted to say, but most of his attention was focused on warding off the zombies currently threatening them.

A quick glance over towards Dsiod and Maura confirmed that they were better off than him; a low bar to clear, but one Ruzaan was grateful for. However, he also realized that the the zombie sneople had changed up their tactics; like a pack of wolves prowling just outside the vicinity of a campfire, the dozen or so remaining zombies had switched from attacking, to pushing the three of them further into the chasm.

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

By the time the three of them had finally cut down the remainder of the reanimated zombie corpses, they had been corralled much further down the chasm. It was already dark when they'd first rappeled down here, but now the looming rocks hung over their heads, casting shadows that darkened the area even further. Both Maura and Dsiod's eyes shone an eerie green, reflecting the light from both of the lightsabers still ignited in the two Jedi's hands. They might lack the spatial awareness that Ruzaan's montrails gave him, but they were both well suited to seeing in the low light. Maura's eyes, for one, were almost entirely pupil.

"I forgive you," she finally responded in between labored breaths. Her heart was still racing - thundering like the hooves of race horses - from the fight, but there was some relief in her voice knowing that at least that problem was dealt with.

"Let's keep going," Dsiod muttered, rolling his shoulders back and gesturing for the other two to follow him. He seemed a tad nervous, but also not quite like he was trying to keep up a brave face.

"Okay." Maura followed slowly after him, using her lightsaber to illuminate the darker corners of the chasm. The trio wouldn't be traveling for long before the unmistakable orange light of fire could be seen casting shadows further down the way.

tag: @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Rather than allow themselves to be herded in the direction the zombies clearly wanted them to go, Ruzaan helped Dsiod and Maura dispatch the last of the zombies. Ruzaan tried not to be disappointed that his contribution to the fight was mostly not allowing himself to be swarmed again, along with the occasional Force Push to knock their enemies prone so that they could be finished off with a lightsaber strike. He'd been in enough combat to not take survival for granted.

Even so, the relief evident in his posture and face would be much more pronounced once Maura forgave him. Ruzaan wiped some blood off his cheek, leaving a smear across the white markings there, before following Dsiod and Maura further into the chasm. He had a bad feeling about this, but they'd come too far to turn back now. Like Maura, he kept one half of his lightsaber activated to help guide the way.

Soon, the shadows from another light- a warm orange of a campfire- danced across the walls ahead of the Jedi. Ruzaan took a deep breath to steady his nerves, grateful that Maura hadn't just rushed in. The thought of his fellow Padawan biting off more than she could chew with him as injured as he was worried him... and also gave Ruzaan an idea.

"Why don't I go in first this time?" he whispered to Maura. "I can be the bait... not sure I'm good for much else." While that wasn't a fair assessment of his current fighting capacity, it also wasn't far from the truth; Ruzaan didn't have to try at all in order to appear visibly hobbled.

Unless Maura or Dsiod stopped him, Ruzaan would advance around the slight corner in the direction of the campfire; his lightsaber still lit and his senses alert for danger.

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

Maura didn't protest Ruzaan wanting to go first, although Dsiod looked like he wanted to. Neither of them said anything though, so Ruzaan was the first one to round the corner.

"I thought I heard some commotion," purred a voice in Ruzaan's ear. No matter which way he turned, he would find no woman standing nearby. He might look and look, but it wouldn't be until his eyes landed far past the fire that he would see a beautiful Twi'lek woman seated crossed-legged on the ground. Her hands were relaxed and rested on her knees, her eyes were closed, and there was a faint smile on her lips. "Come on out. I know you two are there as well."

Maura scowled, thinking she'd been hidden, and shuffled out from behind a large rock, followed by Dsiod.

"Ah, I remember you." The Twi'lek woman's eyes opened, and her brilliant yellow eyes locked in on the rainbow haired padawan. "Did you follow my advice, little one?"

"No. And that's not what I'm down here for, anyway," Maura answered with a shake of her head. She could feel Dsiod inching closer to her, so she tightened the grip on the hilt of the lightsaber.

"You! What have you done to my village?" Dsiod's voice rang out, accusatory and angry. "We know you're behind it all! You have to be!"

tag: @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Ruzaan startled slightly as a voice sounded right next to him, and he was about to scold Maura for following him when he realized that it was not Maura's voice... or anyone's near him, for that matter. A moment later, after his eyes adjusted to the light of the campfire, he made out the shape of the Twi'lek woman; presumably, the Twi'lek that Maura had mentioned earlier. His suspicions were confirmed a moment later when she summoned Maura and Dsiod out from their hiding place and recognized Maura. Ruzaan felt a growing sense of unease settle in both of his stomachs as it became clear that this strange Twi'lek held all the cards.

His discomfort only grew as she hinted that Maura had done more than just see her last night- apparently, there'd been a conversation involved as well that Maura had neglected to mention. However, he managed to resist the temptation to question Maura about it in the moment, which was aided by an angry outburst from Dsiod.

If the Twi'lek was bothered by the accusations, she didn't show it in the least. She ignored the snerson, her yellow eyes gleaming in the light of the campfire and never leaving Maura. "Your thoughts betray you" the Twi'lek said, her voice seemingly everywhere at once within the cavern. "It was not until you let your feelings guide you that you were able to get a glimpse of your true potential."

A wave of her hand manifested an instantly-recognizable form from the smoke of the campfire; another shadow beast. "Perhaps you need a reminder?"

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

"Maybe you should stop being so nosy!" Maura retorted as her lightsaber angled itself across her chest. There was a stubborn edge in her voice as she refused to acknowledge that she had, in fact, followed the woman's advice. Screw her.

Another shadow creature appeared, and Maura's brows knit together. There was no way they could take on this woman and the creature. Ruzaan was hurt, she had no idea what Dsiod was actually capable of withstanding or dishing out, and none of them knew the extent of this woman's power. They would have to figure something out quickly if this really devolved into a fight.

"What did you do to the villagers?" she asked again as she inched closer to Ruzaan.

tag: @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Ruzaan was really hoping that the woman would stop with the voice-everywhere-at-once approach, but apparently it was one of the perks associated with the Dark Side of the Force because the Twi'lek kept doing it.

"Perceptive, dearest" the Twi'lek corrected Maura, unbothered by the Padawan's words. "Hasn't this one been holding you back this entire time?" she gestured at Ruzaan with a graceful finger. "I told you that he would continue to hurt you unless you showed him how you really feel." As the Twi'lek spoke, the shadow beast prowled menacingly near the fire, wispy tail lashing back and forth, but did not make a move to attack.

Ruzaan tried to think of something to say, but it was difficult to gather his thoughts. Not only was he very nervous about the presence of the shadow beast, the disorienting nature of the Twi'lek's voice was throwing him off. The significance of her yellow eyes hit him him, and Ruzaan realized that he was in more danger than he'd previously thought; he was simply a pawn in whatever game she was playing to try and corrupt Maura.

"Don't listen to her, Maura" he said, not even sure how to defend himself. Doubt began eating at him; wasn't there truth in the Twi'lek's words? Hadn't he been hovering over Maura this whole time?

The Twi'lek's smile grew; in the light of the blazing campfire it still came off as cold. "You see? He can't even admit it!"

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

Maura said nothing as the woman spoke, her eyes narrowed to slits and her brows furrowed as she listened. Dsiod swayed back a forth, agitated and itching to fight. It wasn't until Ruzaan meekly called out for her not to listen that her frustration grew and turned its focus on him.

"Okay, maybe," she huffed. She really had felt like Ruzaan was holding her back. He was just so cautious and it seemed like he always wanted to assume the worse. But she'd already lashed out at him, and even Maura was reflective enough to have figured out that the only thing it did was make her feel worse. "So? We'll still kick your butt!"

With that, Maura raised her hand and tried to shake the rocks in the overhang above the woman's camp. Unfortunately, only a few pebbles tumbled down, leaving her looking quite silly with such a determined face and stance. Dsiod glanced at her, then shot forward to engage the woman.

roll to pull rocks down: 5/20 (fail)

tag: @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Rocks fall, everyone dies. Ruzzaan had heard that phrase uttered more than once at his Sarlaacs and Spaceships game back on Yavin IV, so he was a little concerned that Maura took that particular approach right out of the gate. However, despite the risk posed by the maneuver, the woman's words had hit close enough to home that Maura didn't succeed on her attempt to cave the roof in.

"A pity" said the Twi'lek, not bothering to stand up as Dsiod charged at her. A wave of her hand sent the Snerson flying against the wall of the cavern with a sickening thud, leaving Dsiod a motionless heap on the floor. Ruzaan thought he saw the faint rise and fall of Dsiod's chest, but just as quickly his concern for Dsiod's wellbeing was pushed aside; so far, Ruzaan had done nothing.

Keeping one hand on his lightsaber, Ruzaan reached out with the Force- targeting the campfire instead of the Twi'lek. Pyrokinesis wasn't his strong suit, but there were plenty of flames and he found them bending to his will- and towards the Sith (Ruz roll: 12/20). However, his control over the flames was met- and bested- by the Twi'lek (Twi'lek roll: 19/20).

"Come now" she purred, yellow eyes fixated on Maura. "I feel like you didn't really mean that. Let me show you what is possible." Another wave of her hand, and the flames danced up higher, before billowing across the cave towards the two Jedi.

"Maura!" Ruzaan shouted over the roar of flames quickly approaching them, standing his ground. "Trust me!" They would have to work together to counteract the flames.

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

"Dsiod!" Maura couldn't react in time to save the snerson, and she winced when he hit the wall. She turned her vision back to the Twi'lek and furrowed her brows, her lips pulling back into a snarl. There was a mix of emotions culminating in her chest, but she tightened her grip on her lightsaber and ignored them. Ruzaan was right. They needed to work together.

The padawan was unfamiliar with pyrokinesis, but her attempt to push the flames back against the Dark sider was just enough to counteract her efforts with Ruzaan's help.

"We have to stop her!" she shouted back, inching closer to the Togruta as she did. But how?

roll to help: 7/20
tag: @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

With Maura's help, the flames were repulsed- or, more accurately, a dead heat hovering in stasis with the Jedi on one side and the Sith on the other. The temperature rose in the cavern, and Ruzaan could feel sweat dripping down his forehead. Maura was right; they couldn't keep this up. Something had to give, and the Togruta was worried that it was going to be him.

Since the beginning of this mission, he'd been dreading this moment; as the senior Jedi on the mission, it was inevitable that at some pivotal moment a decision would fall to him that could be the difference between success and failure. Initially, that had meant endangering the fragile peace on Oseon. Now, it could be the difference between life and death. Ruzaan racked his head for an idea, hardly daring to try and split his focus lest his concentration on pyrokinesis slipped for even a second.

He opened himself more fully to the Force, feeling its currents in the time it took to blink. Ruzaan could sense the faint sliver of life that was Dsiod, unconscious near the wall. The Twi'lek was a beacon of anger and cruelty that made him want to recoil as she channeled her rage. He recognized his own presence in the Force- flickering and unsteady, like a candle fighting a breeze, but clearly there. And he could sense Maura, too; a powerful, vibrant blend of emotions every bit as colorful as her hair. Maura, who, despite her inexperience, never let her fears hold her back from doing what she thought was the right thing.

The realization struck Ruzaan like a chord, and he took a deep breath; quieting the worries he felt; about his capabilities, his accomplishments, his readiness. They were still present, and part of him understood that those fears would always be there, but Ruzaan realized that they only had as much power over him as he allowed them; and he was tired of letting fear have so much control over him.

"Enough." Ruzaan didn't realize that he'd spoken the word aloud, but it echoed throughout the cavern much in the way the Twi'lek's voice had just moments ago. With a twist of his hand, Ruzaan redirected the flames towards the shadow beast that snarled at the edge of the fire. Maura had already demonstrated how it was susceptible to extreme emotions, and with the flames came the Twi'lek's rage through the Force, with Ruzaan refusing to feed it any of his own emotions. "No! You are nothing!" shrieked the woman, pouring more of her anger into the Force.

At first, the beast seemed to enjoy the flames, opening its shadowy maw to feed on the Twi'lek's violent emotions, but the more the dark sider shouted and raged, the more intense the flames became; beginning to burn away the shadow beast... as well as the Twi'lek's youth and beauty. By the time the shadow had been melted away completely, the Twi'lek more closely resembled one of the rotting corpses that they'd fought earlier; a shriveled husk on the floor, one hand forever raised, as if to defend herself from the all-consuming power of the Dark side.

The fight over, Ruzaan allowed his concentration to fall, and swayed unsteadily as fatigue washed over him. "You... ok?" he managed, leaning against the closest wall and looking over at Maura.

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

Just as soon as the fight had started, it was over. The fire went out, the Twi'lek woman shriveled up and fell to the ground, and the shadowy dog was reduced to ashes. Ruzaan seemed unsteady, Maura could feel sweat dripping down her cheek, and Dsiod just barely managed to prop himself up onto his side. She rushed over to him, more worried about him than Ruz at the moment, and rightfully so. "Dsiod?" She only got a groan in response, but he was conscious, at least.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Maura called back over to the Togruta. She'd exerted herself much less than Ruzaan, that was for sure. "How are we gonna get him out of here?" There was no way they'd be able to climb the rope and carry or float him at the same time.

She grew quiet for a second, then asked, "Do you think that was it? Her? Do you think we fixed it?"

tag: @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Ruzaan took a moment to collect himself, eventually sliding down to the floor with the wall as support while he recovered enough to make his way over to where Maura was tending to Dsiod. There was a nasty bump growing where his forehead had connected with the solid stone wall, but Dsiod was conscious. One look at the slightly unfocused eyes of the Snerson made Ruzaan come to the same conclusion that Maura had; there was no way they were getting back up the rope in the condition that they were in.

The Togruta decided to answer Maura's questions in reverse order. "I sure hope so..." he replied, giving one last glance at the shriveled husk of the once-beautiful Twi'lek. The encounter had only lasted maybe thirty seconds, but Ruzaan had no desire to repeat the experience with anyone or anything else. He wanted to curl up into a ball and take a nap right then and there, but he forced himself to investigate the cave. Although the campfire seemed to suggest that the Twi'lek frequented this cave, the lack of a bedroll or signs of a resting place encouraged him to inspect the cave more closely.

Soon, he found what he was looking for; a small tunnel entrance, concealed from a casual glance by virtue of its angle, leading deeper into the cavern in the opposite direction from which the Jedi had initially approached. "Where do you think this leads?" he asked Maura, offering to support Dsiod so that she could lead the way. Of the three of them, Maura was the most combat-effective, so it made sense for her to have her hands free.

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

Maura, for once, wasn't super keen on venturing deeper into the cave. She was worried for Dsiod, but if they couldn't come back out the way they came...

"Somewhere stupid and creepy, probably," she mumbled, ducking into the small tunnel entrance. She ignited her lightsaber to see, as the tunnel was far too dark for even her to see.

They would walk for a little bit before the tunnel began to widen and the faint flicker of light began to turn the black tunnel into a dim tunnel. She put away her lightsaber just in case and made sure to move slowly so Ruz and Dsiod would be okay in the dark tunnel.

It ended up opening up into a cavern where a couple of lanterns were placed around what looked like a camp area. There was a crudely-made bed, along with a bunch of weird symbols on the ground, and belongings scattered around the area. The stench of the Dark side was present, but faint, as if it was fading away.

"Do you think this is where she lived?"

tag: @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Ruzaan grunted slightly as he took the weight of Dsiod, the snerson still slumping slightly in the aftermath of his unplanned collision with the wall. He knew that it best to leave Maura unencumbered, given how much he'd exerted himself earlier, but that didn't make supporting the snerson any easier.

The passageway was dark and Ruzaan didn't have a hand free to ignite his own lightsaber, but fortunately Maura did. Ruzaan helped Dsiod along behind his fellow Padawan, following the soft purple glow of her weapon. Dark and creepy certainly fit the bill, and the Togruta couldn't help but keep a tinge of disappointment out of his voice as they reached what had apparently been the Twi'lek's dwelling place.

"I guess... I was hoping that she'd have a ship or something similar nearby that we could use" he said, glancing around from the entrance to the spartan dwelling place. Fixing their ship was out of the question, and there was no way they could salvage anything from the wreckage that could send a signal to the Jedi Order. "If she's an outsider, like us, she must've gotten here somehow..."

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

"Maybe she does," Maura mused after a few seconds. Her eyes darted around the cavern, searching for anything that could be indicative of a hidden ship. What direction was she facing? Maura closed her eyes and tried to follow the orientation of their path down there, and she rotated until she was hopefully facing the same cardinal direction they had been facing coming down here. "I'm going to check in this direction."

Lying out in front of Maura was the continuation of the cavern, but it bent around until she couldn't quite see what was around the corner. It kind of looked like it would open up a bit more, so she had hopes that there would be something down there.

She walked for a little bit - maybe five or six minutes - but eventually the cavern did open up. Daylight streamed in from an opening in a cliff, and a large shape was covered up with a tarp. Excited, Maura hurried toward it and yanked the fabric off, showering herself in dust and revealing a small fighter. It was probably big enough for all three of them, though it was clearly meant for one, maybe two max.

"RUZ! I FOUND SOMETHING!" The girl began running back, though it would be a minute before her return.

roll for search: 16/20
tag: @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

"There's another tunnel there!" Ruzaan called excitedly, his spatial awareness alerting him to its presence before he realized the significance of it; he'd been a little busy getting Dsiod settled onto the bed. He wasn't in a position to try healing the snerson, so it was best to keep him off of his feet and as comfortable as possible in the meantime.

Ruzaan didn't like the idea of splitting the party, but he found it easier this time for him to trust Maura going off be herself. The Togruta settled himself down cross-legged by Dsiod's bedside, meditating as Maura continued her search. "Holler if you need help" he said as she vanished down the tunnel. "May the Force be with you."

The brief break, scarcely five minutes, was still helpful. Ruzaan let his consciousness sink into the Force, breathing out the exhaustion and fatigue that he felt. Despite their rocky relationship over the course of this mission, he and Maura had been able to work together when it mattered; and the Togruta felt optimistic about their friendship going forward. Each had come to a better understanding of the other, and Ruzaan knew that he'd also come to a better understanding of himself. His attempts to stay in control of situations- and, by extension, Maura- had been a result of his own insecurities. Only once he'd acknowledged those fears had he been able to move past them... at least for the moment. Ruzaan knew that he'd taken the first step of what was certainly going to be a longer journey.

There were other, easier steps to take in the meantime, though. Maura came rushing back, eyes and face aglow with a new discovery; their ticket out of here. After rousing Dsiod and leading the snerson to the small fighter, the Jedi were presented with a problem of logistics. Ruzaan could tell that it was likely to be a very comfortable ride back to Jedi space with Maura, but the question remained as to how to best transport Dsiod back to the camp since there wasn't room inside for three humanoids. Ruzaan almost suggested typing the snerson to the outside of the ship with some vines, but ultimately decided against it; hadn't that made headlines a while back? "You could fly him back and then come get me?" he offered. That way, Maura could say goodbye.

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

The three of them returned to the hidden vehicle, and Ruzaan suggested that she fly Dsiod back to the village and return for him later. After helping Dsiod up into the ship, Maura waved goodbye to Ruz and promised to be back soon before starting up the engines. He didn't need to know that she really didn't know how to fly ships.

Oh well, time to wing it. Eh heh.

It took a bit of flying around to find the way back to the village, and landing was...an ordeal between trying to find a place to land and actually landing, but she did it.

The villagers were restless at the sight of the ship, but upon seeing Maura leap out with Dsiod, they relaxed. She explained to them what was going on - or what had been going on. The chief reported that some of their sick were already feeling better. They wanted her to stay and asked where her friend was, but she explained that he was waiting for her so they could be off back to their own homes.

After some goodbyes, Maura left the village and headed back to the cave to pick Ruz up.

tag: @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

It was only after Maura had begun the takeoff sequence when Ruzaan remembered that it had been Maura's piloting... skills... that had been partially responsible for them crashing here in the first place- but by then, it was too late. The ship was already rising into the early evening sky, on its way back to the camp with Dsiod.

Although some of his time was spent worrying about the odds of Maura crashing their one way off this planet, Ruzaan found his mind straying to potential futures and what might come next. He and Maura would have to report their experiences to the Council, who no doubt would be very interested in why two Padawans had suddenly gone AWOL. There was a chance that they could still make the negotiations, although his current state- covered in dirt and blood, with torn robes- would likely not make a good first impression. A more likely outcome was that they would be summoned back to give a more detailed explanation about their encounter with the Sith and the mysterious sickness that had affected the sneople.

The thought made him return to where the Twi'lek had made her lodging, using a small notepad to copy the runes from the floor before scuffing them out so that no other beings could stumble upon this place and its evil. He also made sure to check the corpse of the Twi'lek; a decision that was vindicated when he found the lightsaber that had been used to murder some of the sneople. The crystal inside would need to be purified, but like the runes it would no longer be a danger to the sneople (search roll 14/20). His investigation finished, Ruzaan hurried back to where the ship had been, hoping that Maura would return soon.

@lizziie