Ask Sernpidal Cry for Help

[Hailee Lightwood]

Hailee frowned a bit, as she had been sure that her idea was the obvious choice. "Because the ship is so far away...we would have to take the speeder back to it? As you know...I'm quite versed in this covert stuff and entering a public restroom is super inconspicuous", she replied flatly, adding a slight shrug while she wasn't quite sure why he was so against this idea...

She was fully convinced that getting back to the ship would raise unnecessary attention to them, but he was the master after all and so she followed him. "I thought we would just easier.." she added slighlty amusedly as they were starting to drive back.

He might have been right about having better equipment in the ship, but this way they would have to get all the way back to continue. She watched her master setting everything up while she put the investigation equipment in order. As he was finished she nodded and leaned back in her chair, attention directed to the footage.

She watched the security tape and at first nothing really happened until the Nautolan waiter walked up. There were a few other people of different species around, and out of a sudden a cloaked figure walked up. That was when the tape got much louder as the figure began shouting in a different language, something she had never heard before.

She shot Pêro a rather confusedly look before her attention shifted back to the tape. After the cloaked figure had shouted something, it dropped something that indeed looked like some sort of grenade and not a second this whole thing blew up. This indeed looked more like a cult than random terrorism..."Okay this is not normal...the thing we just saw is not at all crime related...this looks straight like a cult".

@LouJoVi

 

[Pêro Erval]

”Yes, but the ship allow us to watch the recording with a better resolution and use the devices that we brought from the Temple.” Pêro explained to his Padawan. “When we have the resources to make a proper investigation, it’s better to face a bit of risk. Besides, I didn’t feel anyone following us.” the Knight wasn’t stupid, since they left the gubernatorial building he had been using the Force to watch if someone was coming after them.

Now they were watching the recording on the ship. It started as a normal day on the streets, with several species of sentient being walking. Soon, the Nautolan waiter appeared and the attack started. A Cloaked individual appeared shouting and used what seemed to be some type of grenade.

During the entire time that he had been watching, Pêro was frowning. He couldn’t recognize what was being said, but it wasn’t a random terrorism. There was more behind it and they needed to discover it immediately.

“I don’t know this language, but there is still a way to find out.” he walked toward one of the bags that they brought and pulled a device. Then, he gave it to Hailee. “It’s a translator, it’ll translate any language. At least those known by the Jedi Order.” hopefully, it would be capable of giving them an answer. Such information could solve this mystery at once.

@LadyRen

 

[Hailee Lightwood]

Even though Hailee was stubborn and mostly fiery, she had learnt a lot during her time with the Order. She would never dare to question her master's plans out of politeness alone, and yes, he also had a point, so there was definitely no need to discuss further details.

Instead, she had directed her attention and focus at the holovid, curiously watching the footage and trying to make a meaning out of any of this. "That's...so strange..." she replied at first, slowly shaking her head, her brows furrowed.

Was this some sort of sick joke? Some meaningless terrorism? A religious sect or simply a radical organization that wanted to spread a bit of terror? She had so many questions, yet she also understood why the Nautolan had been so scared. That was indeed more than unusual and definitely alarming.

The translator, was however an excellent idea and Hailee had no idea such miraculous devices eve existed. "Oh perfect...let's hope it helps" she replied quietly, her mind racing, trying to process the information given.

She pressed a button to activate it and with a few clicks she reminded the footage before playing it again. Her eyes intensely rested on the video while the device seemed to process the tone, however it soon beeped and showed the following message on its screen:

'ERROR 773T - UNKNOWN LANGUAGE'

Startled, she glanced back at Pêro, her finegrs massaging her temples. "Oh of course..." she muttered half disappointed, half in disbelief.

@LouJoVi

 

[Pêro Erval]

While Hailee activated the translator, Pêro continued watching the recording. He had studied some languages back in his years as a Padawan, but he couldn’t recognize the one that was being used by this terrorist. After what he saw, he could only consider who was doing these attacks as terrorists.

The G’weneen turned his attention away from the recording to his Padawan when he heard the translator say that it couldn’t identify what was being said. He frowned, thinking how it made no sense. The device had the data of all known languages in the Galaxy. How it couldn’t identify it?

“It is strange and annoying. Without knowing what is being said here, we don’t have much information.” Pêro turned back to the recording, at least they still had it. “We are going to visit the place where this attack happened. Perhaps we can find something that was left behind during it.”

He got up from his seat and moved to collect the investigation kit and anything else that could be useful in the field. “We will be out in the open, so you will need to use the Force to pay attention to our surroundings. The responsibles for the attack can appear here while we are trying to search for clues.” Pêro said to Hailee, while walking to the exit. “Are you prepared to go?”

@LadyRen

 

[Hailee Lightwood]

Even though it frustrated her vehemently, she tried not to display her emotions. Instead, she forced herself to remain calm and keep her cool, as getting too emotional wouldn't help them anyway. They had to continue their investigations, even though things didn't exactly work as planned.

She still let out a slight sigh after they had watched the footage again and the translator had affirmed that the language used was unknown. "I agree...that sucks, but we shouldn't lose hope. I'm sure we can find something...even though this case gets admittedly creepier now. If that is no common language, I do have a very bad feeling about those incidents" she admitted after a while, putting the translator back where it came from.

She then followed her master once he had gotten up, trying to focus on her more positive thoughts even though the case was rather enigmatic for now. "Yes, I'm all set. I'll stay on guard and pay attention to our surroundings" she then replied softly after she had grabbed the rest of the equipment.

She then went past him, confidently stepping out and back into the direction of the speeder. They would start heading towards the location of the initial attack and Hailee immediately followed her master's advice, but so far, everything seemed calm, even once they had reached their destination.

Hailee closed her eyes for a second, reaching out with the Force to sense whether they were being watched, but everything's she could sense was the normal hustle and bustle of the city. She wasted no time before she started to investigate and her first target was the ground. There were still a few splatters of blood visible on the asphalt, yet it was also obvious that someone had tried to tody up the mess. "To me, it seems like we are dealing with a cult...I somehow have a feeling that this is part of some bigger story" she remarked, keeping her voice down so only he could hear her thoughts.

@LouJoVi

 

[Pêro Erval]

”Yes, me too.” without any doubt all these strange events surrounding the attacks were disturbing. If some type of cult was really behind it, they would need to discover what was their purpose. While the language that they used wasn’t translated as Sith, Pêro contemplated if they were related with the Dark Siders.

With Hailee prepared, Pêro walked with her out of the ship. As soon as they stepped out, the G’weneen opened himself to the Force. Now they would need to stay alert to any strange thing that could happen. At any moment the terrorists could jump over them and try to stop the investigation.

“I think the same. I feel that it goes beyond simple criminals doing terrorism. There was something more evil acting in the shadows.” he attributed such feelings as alerts coming from the Force. “Perhaps the language that they used is some type of code, or part of some ritual. The attacks can also be related to it.”

When they arrived at the place, Pêro saw that the street seemed to be nearly empty. It didn’t take him much time to understand that it was because people were afraid of coming here and being attacked again. Even some stores were closed.

The Knight picked an electronic magnifying glass and passed a similar device to Hailee. “You can use it to see if there is any tiny clue left by these terrorists. I’ll cover the right side and you the left, but not stay too far away from me. We can be attacked at any moment.”

@LadyRen

 

[Hailee Lightwood]

Hailee was alerted and the feeling in the pit of her stomach was admittedly bad, yet she tried not to let Pêro notice her discomfort. She had too be attentive and not distracted by those bad feelings, yet she was already quite on edge as she continued looking around.

By reaching out the Force she could ensure that they weren't watched or followed yet, but she wondered whether someone could possibly watch them from a greater distance. A slight shiver ran down her spine as she lingered on that thought for a moment, skeptically glancing around while ensuring that they were still okay.

Luckily, her master's ideas were distracting enough to stop her from descending the road of slight paranoia. "I agree...I assume that they were using a very ancient language...do you think it could possibly be ancient Sith?" she wondered as she critically glanced back at him. The hypothesis made sense in a way that those incidents seem quite sinister...

She nodded though as he handed her the magnifying glasses. "I'll stay close" she ensured him, forcing herself to a weak smile before she took the device and started to move to the left, holding thr glasses in front of her eyes. The remnants of the splattered blood were clearly visibly, yet there was nothing more. Nothing more except a few strands of dark hair.

She squatted down, not touching them yet, but simply oberserving them for a moment. 'I've found hairs...we can't be certain they are from thr attacker, but it's possible. Can we let them be analyzed?' she used telepathy instead of talking, not wanting to take her eyes off the hair because a simply breeze could destroy that slight trace already. She had heard of rapid DNA testing, but she had no real clue how it worked and whether they had access to it right away.

@LouJoVi

 

[Pêro Erval]

”Perhaps, but I’m not sure.” with the return of the Sith Empire, the Sith language had returned to several dictionaries and translators used by the Order. After all, they could use it to decypher possible messages used by Imperials. However, if the language was really something from these Dark Siders, their translator would have worked.

Pêro continued searching the place after something that could be a clue to why these attacks were happening. So far, the G’weneen had no lucky. The street was filled with dirty and other typical things that someone would expect in a place like this one. Perhaps they were too late and all clues were lost.

Then, Hailee announced that she had found some hair. “Well, we could try. I didn’t find anything that we could use, so it’s our best chance.” finding such things were pretty common in a place like this one. Maybe the Force would help them and what she found would bring some light to their investigation. However, he would maintain his hopes low.

He picked another device, this time one that would do a rapid DNA testing. Deciding to turn it into another moment for his Padawan to learn. “Here, you can use it to find out whose hair this is.” Pêro explained, giving the machine to her. “Put it inside this part and wait a few seconds, the result will come soon. If it’s a known criminal, there will be a page about him in our database.”

@LadyRen

 

[Hailee Lightwood]

Admittedly, even if the case seemed dark and slightly creepy, this investigation work was exiting because it was definitely challenging. She wasn't quite sure whether the translator was programmed to work with ancient Sith, but after all, the language could have also been something made up by that cult.

When Pêro mentioned he hadn't even found anything, she was almost a bit discouraged. Whoever had cleaned up here, they had apparently done a decent job, which was however quite unfortunate for them. "Then let's hope it does work" she replied with a slight sigh.

Luckily, they had a DNA tester. "I'm glad you've brought all that gear" she replied with a smile, slightly more optimistic than before as she carefully placed the hair inside the machine. She curiosly watched it work while the bar demonstrating the percentage slowly claimed up.

"Almost there..." she kept her gaze focused on the screen, yet suddenly she felt something quite strong and somehow strongly discomforting. "Someone is coming" she tensely whispered, glancing over her shoulder into the direction of the three, somehow fuzzy but also dreadful presences she sensed.

Right before the machine could spill any results, three cloaked figures appeared right on the smaller street to their right. It was hard to tell something about them as their presence was indeed somehow blurry within the Force, yet both Jedi would be able to tell that something was severely off.

@LouJoVi

 

[Pêro Erval]

”We need to thank the Jedi investigators for that, they insisted that I should bring all the devices necessary for this type of investigation.” Pêro explained, while Hailee prepared to use a DNA tester. “Without any doubt we would not be able to do much without them.”

While the device was a very useful item, Pêro would have wanted it to be faster when reading the genetic material. Any time that was lost could mean that a new attack was going to happen in another place. The idea of more people getting hurt because of them being slow was annoying.

“Yes, I felt that too.” the Knight said to his Padawan. There was an evil presence approaching them. It wasn’t exactly a Sith, but the G’weneen could sense the chill sensation that signaled the coming of the Darkness. “Come, we can hide in this alley.” he said to Hailee, before guiding her toward it.

From here the two Jedi would be able to see a person dressed in a dark coat, exactly like the one that appeared in the recording that they had watched early. “We need to catch them.” Pêro whispered to Hailee, already grabbing his lightsaber. “In the three. One, two, three…”

@LadyRen

 

[Hailee Lightwood]

Yes, Hailee was super grateful for the investigation devices Pêro had brought along and they were surely super helpful in their cause, however, it seemed like the translator had at least reached its limit. However, it seemed like that was their least concern right now.

All of a sudden, there were those dark figures approaching and it seemed like they had already seen the two Jedi at the crime scene, so Hailee wasn't sure whether hiding would still be efficient, but she did let him guide her into the alley.

Her heart was racing in her chest while she held her breath, trying to come up with a solution, but it seemed like Pêro had an idea himself. "Catch them?" she asked in disbelief, her voice hushed, as she could still feel them getting closer.

She could understand that he wanted them captured and alive, but the way they had approached them didn't seem exactly friendly. She gripped the hilt firmly and immediately moved her thumb towards the activator button, breath still held.

Her muscles were tense and she waited for him to count before she sprung forward, immediately aiming a Force push wave into the direction of the hooded figures, but they were gone. All of them. And she was there presence."What the kark?!".

@LouJoVi

 

[Pêro Erval]

Unfortunately his plan to catch the cloaked figures by surprise didn’t work well. As soon as he left the place that they were using to hide, Pêro saw that the street was once again empty. The individuals that were coming had disappeared leaving no trace that they were here.

“Language.” it was the only thing that he could say. Much like his Padawan, Pêro was also confused with what had happened. Unless they found a way to teleport, it was impossible for the cloaked figures to have escaped without the two Jedi noticing. It was also impossible if it was some type of Force Vision, because the G’weneen felt their presence.

Being honest, Pêro still felt them. Turning to look at the top of one of the nearby buildings, the Knight saw the cloaked people holding against it. They were positioned exactly over the two Jedi. “Hailee! Look up!” he screamed, already summoning his lightsaber with the Force and preparing for the fight.

As soon as they saw that they had been spotted, the cloaked people jumped down from where they were hiding. The two Jedi were going to see that they were prepared to a fierce battle.

@LadyRen

 

[Hailee Lightwood]

For a moment, there was just a pin-drop silence that had spread in the deserted streets. How could that be? She was utterly confused, especially because she hadn't sensed a single thing. For a moment, this looming, dark threat was gone, but that was it.

As he suddenly commented on her language use, she shot him an even more confused glare and she felt tempted to ask him whether he was truly worried by that right now, but this was clearly not the time to start a discussion, because this oppressive darkness reappeared.

The moment he mentioned it, her gaze shot up and landed directly on the cloaked figures. A gasp escaped her while her hand shot towards her lightsaber, immediately grabbing the hilt and activating the blade. Before the first one had even touched the ground, she shot a blast of the Force right at him, wanting to immediately swipe him off his feet with that push and potentially also to blow away that cloak, but whoever this person was, he was apparently trained as well.

He skillfully evaded the push by pushing against it, so that he merely moved a few inches. Great...so they were Force user too. Without hesitation Hailee began to lunge forward in an attempt to strike the sinister attacker, hoping that Pêro was getting along, too.

@LouJoVi

 

[Pêro Erval]

Pêro frowned when he saw that Hailee had used the Force against one of the cloaked figures, but they barely felt its effect. This could only mean that these people were Force users and trained enough to protect themselves against an attack. “Be careful, they are more powerful than we thought.”

The Knight was starting to wonder if they really could be the Sith, only that could explain their ability with the Force. However, when all the figures pulled vibroblades, Pêro dropped this conclusion. While some Sith used other weapons, most of them preferred the use of lightsabers. He really doubted that they found a bunch of oddities.

Together with Hailee, Pêro moved against them. He used his lightsaber to attack one of the figures, but they used his vibroblade to block his attack. While he was distracted, another came from behind him, prepared to pierce his body with the weapon. The G’weneen was able to disengage and kick them in the chest, sending him away and avoiding being wounded.

The numbers weren’t at the Jedi side. They would need to be creative if they wanted to defeat them. Suddenly, an explosion sounded far away. Turning to look at it, the Knight saw a column of smoke rising in the sky. He wondered what was happening now.

@LadyRen

 

[Hailee Lightwood]

What the hell had they gotten themselves into here?? As Jedi, they had wanted to help their allied planet...and now they were confronted with an apparent strong and cunning group of radicals that obviously wanted to harm damn...Fantastic.

Their cloaks and hoods reminded her of Corellian scum, but those were obviously profesionals...but nos it was way too late to turn back. She narrowed her emerald eyes as the push came back, frustratedly realizing that they were indeed well trained.

She growled as reached out and attempted to pull the attacker closer, but before she could reinforce her attack, the next one already swung at her. She ducked right in time before she brought her lightsabed up, but the assailant instantly blocked.

Her attention was caught by the explosion in the distance and she immediately spun around. What the hell was going on?? She had absolutely no clue, but she also didn't have any time to ponder on that.

She immediately pressed on, continuing her dance with the attackers, but it wasn't looking good, and then, all of a sudden a grenade came rolling in, immediately coating their surroundings in thick, dark smoke.

She involuntarily breathed in a bit and her lung began burning while dizziness set in and she also realized that the cloaked figures were covering their mouths. "Don't breathe" she coughed, hoping that her warning would come in time, but she already realized that her muscles suddenly faded in strength.

@LouJoVi

 

[Pêro Erval]

Pêro turned back to the fight right in time to avoid being cut by the vibroblade of one of the cloaked figures. Moving his lightsaber, he blocked the weapon that was going to cut through his chest. The figure that attacked him disengaged, giving his place to another one to make a move against him.

Then, he heard Hailee scream. Pêro turned in time to see that the hooded figures had detonated some type of smoke bomb. When he saw that their enemies were wearing gas masks, the G’weneen understood why his Padawan was screaming. It wasn’t simple smoke, it was a gas.

Before it could reach him, the Knight took a deep breath. However, it would not last long. He saw that Hailee was getting lethargic, probably for having breathed it. They didn’t have any way of continuing this fight. Pêro would need to make a choice. If this gas was poisonous, his Padawan needed help immediately.

Using the Force, Pêro would pull Hailee towar him. Once she was in his arms, the Knight would jump to the top of a nearby building. Now he would try to run away from the hooded figures through the roofs. He needed to reach their ship, this way they could take care of her.

@LadyRen

 

[Hailee Lightwood]

From the moment she had taken the first breath of gas, she already knew this wasn't going to end well for her. Whatever it was, it burnt in her lungs and she just dearly hoped it wasn't lethal, but rather just sedative. She kept swinging her lightsaber, desperately trying to hold her breath, but she was still forced to cough mercilessly.

With her vision growing blurry and her mind spinning it didn't take long until the first knee hit the solid ground, sending a wave of pain through her body. She was staggering, barely managing to deactivate the lightsaber in order to avoid hurting herself with it. Heavily coughing, she shot Pêro a desperate glance, but he already seemed to have noticed that she was in desperate need of help.

Without thinking twice, he pulled her close before running away with her. She wanted to coil the Force around them and explosively release it against the attackers to hurl them away, but she couldn't even move her hand any more. She slowly started losing control over the rest of her nerves and drifted into a fuzzy state of semi-consciousness.

She noticed they were moving fast, but Hailee could still sense that dreadful, grim aura following them. "They're..." she tried to stir, but merely flinched, "coming...". She still warned him while he ran with her in his arms, her voice faint and absent. Whatever she had inhaled, she was hoping the effects would pass.

@LouJoVi

Spoiler: Uh Oh

They are following

 

[Pêro Erval]

Once they reached the roof of the building, Pêro ran away with Hailee in his arms. At first he thought that they should go to their ship, but soon decided that the best would be if they went to a police department. They could find support from the police and return to catch the hooded figures.

While he jumped from one roof to another, Pêro heard his Padawan trying to talk. The G’weneen felt relieved with the fact that she seemed to be well, only a bit lethargic. However, what Hailee told him wasn’t good news. He briefly turned his head back and saw that their enemies were right after them.

”Merda!” the Knight cursed using the language of his homeworld. “Hold tight, I’ll need to go faster.” he said to Hailee, while holding her closer to his body. Using the Force, Pêro would increase the speed of his movements, hoping that this way they would escape the cloaked figures.

Unfortunately, their enemies continued after them. At some point, Pêro passed near a billboard. Seeking to stop the cloaked figures, he used the Force to break its supports and pull it down. Soon, the billboard started to fall over the roof that the Jedi were crossing, at the exact moment that their enemies were landing on it.

Pêro didn’t wait to see, but his plan had worked. The billboard fell over the cloaked figures, giving time for him to continue fleeing with his Padawan.

@LadyRen

 

[Hailee Lightwood]

Hailee's arm lifelessly hang down and she did not even manage to move her fingers. She had no choice but to keep holding on, but her mind was still fighting with staying conscious. She blinked and tried to focus her blurry vision, but with Pêro increasing their speed, she was utterly unable to see.

Slowly but steadily, the feat crept in. They were in a really bad situation and she had no idea how long the gas would spread its effects inside her body but it frustrated her severly. She still coughed while she tried to reach out with the Force to sense their pursuers, but everything was simply fuzzy.

After a while of running, Hailee noticed how Pêro manipulated a billboard nearby, but unfortunately the attackers leaped over it with ease, just one of them slightly staggering before she caught himself. "Shit...shit...shit" she faintly muttered, still desperately blinking while she felt like she regained some control over her body though.

She gritted her teeth as she reached out with the Force too, now a bit more conscious somehow and she randomly fired a force push backwards. However, the Force Push didn't even reach them at all and so the situation was still the same. Pêro carried Hailee while they ran, the attackers close behind and there was seemingly no way out.

@LouJoVi

Spoiler

5/20 damage on the bad guys, 3/20 for the Push

 

[Pêro Erval]

”Merda!” Pêro cursed again, when he saw their pursuers evading the billboard that the Knight had dropped over them. These hooded figures were faster than he had expected. By this point their only chance to escape them would be to reach the nearest police station.

The Knight jumped to another building, this trying to go run faster. He felt that his body was starting to get weak, with him growing tired of the effort to move away from their pursuers while still carrying Hailee. He had felt her efforts to use the Force to push the cloaked figures away, but it had no result.

At some point, the cloaked figures stopped following them and retreated. Pêro continued running, but briefly turned his head back to see it. He frowned in confusion, not understanding why they did it. They were close to catching the two Jedi, but suddenly had abandoned the idea.

Whatever was the reason, Pêro continued moving toward the police station. When he arrived in the building, the Knight noticed that it was mostly empty. An officer that saw him carrying Hailee approached them. “Master Jedi! What happened? We thought that you two would already be at the museum. There was a new attack here.”

@LadyRen