Open Dancing Through Life

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

Even though she was naturally light on her feet, for she was small and light, it was amazing how quiet her footsteps became as they moved through the jungle. For that matter, all of Jedi's footsteps did. Clove sensed the Force being used, presumably by the Councillor, but she couldn't put her finger on what was going on. Despite the urge to ask, she knew it was more important to remain quiet. So she walked in silence, looking up at the sky ahead of them.

It was a stunning sight; the sun had begun to set, giving way to twilight. A palette of colors was smeared across the sky until darkness overtook the once colored painting, and allowed the stars to shine. With such beauty, waiting for the signal was no punishment.

Then the signal came, and it was bigger than she had expected. A bright flash colored the once dark blue sky, and blended together with a loud BANG! A flashbang? Effective.

Soon after the signal, an older-looking Padawan leaped forward and dispatched one—no, two—guards. Clove wanted to chase after him, grab her training saber, and set the slaves free. But she knew it would be the wrong choice because she wasn't a fighter. Her place wasn't on the front lines until she could block an attack without feeling like her arms were about to snap. No, instead her job would be to ensure that any injured Jedi or slaves made it back to the shuttle. Her hand brushed against the leather bag slung across her shoulder, checking to see if the medkit she took from the Jedi Temple was still in there. Lucky, it was.

And so, Clove took a more calculated position near one of the trees for cover during the night. She'd wait for the last few Jedi to leap up the ridge before joining them.

---

Tag @SlagathorTheUnknown @lizziie @Altaris @Makashi Master @Forsythe Crowholde @Valen Pelora ​

 

[Drastus Drahr]

The sun was setting, drinks were being passed around, laughter was high. Seemed to be another boring night to Drast. Then off in the distance there was the sound of a detonation and even from his campfire, the Mandalorian Jedi could see a faint blip of light.

Heads turned, guards were half drunkenly shouting about grabbing water. Guess the assault team were amateurs. Oh well, time to sow some chaos.

Drast drew his blaster, firing two bolts into the torso of some Ithorian named Ted. He was a nice guy, but boy, was he a bit creepy to the slaves. So, Ted had to die. Rolling to the side, he would fire another two bolts, cripping Henry, an ugnaught. That wasn't his real name. But it was his assigned name. He liked to beat the slaves.

The confusion would only grow more as they realized the blaster fire came from one of their newest friends. Betrayal was written all over their faces. Hopefully the other team was quick, or close. Hed take both.

Backpedaling, he would grunt as a bolt pinged off of his helmet, feeling some of the heat from the blast on his forehead. Then, a detonator landed beside him. Fuck.

Drast would kick the thermal with his boot, sending it skittering between three other guards. They, were not as quick. The blast would kill the three of them instantly and throw not only Drast back, but send another five guards prone.

The Padawan would roll behind cover, cursing as he felt his underlay get moist from blood in his side. He had to get to the slave quarters. It would at least draw attention away from the gate so the team could attack them from the rear. He just had to hold out until then.

@Valen Pelora @Forsythe Crowholde @LilyNion @SlagathorTheUnknown @Makashi Master @Altaris

 

[Alexandria Voran]

Alex waited patiently. Her senses extended carefully beyond the camp. She saw the flash of light before the bang reached them. Arctus moved quickly. He rushed past the others to head into the camp. Alex reached out to grab him but was too late. Something was wrong. The young Jedi accompanying her would be unable to sense the concern. She was carefully monitoring the other group and they were overcome with sudden surprise. This was not part of the plan…at least not entirely. Something had gone wrong. Of course, it was not far too late to retreat. Arctus was already hammering guards to the ground while the other students moved in. Alex moved as quickly as she dared. The Force filling her soul before she sprung into the camp. She immediately sought the sleep quarters.

An explosion rocked the center of the camp.

Blaster fire rang in her ear. Death hammered against her senses. Shouting rose in the entire camp as the guards began focusing on the interior. They were quickly spotted. Alex frowned. What was going on? In that moment she cared only for one thing, the safety of the Padawans. She was left with no good choices…only bold ones. Her lightsaber snapped to life. The soft white glow casting in stark contrast to the night. She spoke quickly but in command. “Get behind me…cut into the barracks and free the slaves.” Alex shot one look behind her to ensure no one had any silly ideas. “I’ll draw their attention.” She tossed her hood up to obscure her face, pushing the Force to create shadows.

A white blade was unusual for a Jedi. She’d hoped to maintain some obscurity. The Morellian Master raised her voice. “Hello there! I don’t believe these are approved business practices.” Bolts began to fly her way.

@Makashi Master @SlagathorTheUnknown @LilyNion @Forsythe Crowholde @Rhogar @lizziie @Altaris

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

((OOC note: Apologies if I jumped the gun, but I wanted to keep this thread moving))

For one brief, surreal moment everything was fine. Then, Ruzaan's brain caught up with his senses and decided that everything was, in fact, not fine. First was the blinding light that felt like it was burning through his eyeballs. No matter how hard he squeezed his eyes shut, he couldn't stop the light from piercing through; it was almost like the light was inside his eyelids. Tears streamed down the Togruta's face only to disappear into his sleeve as he desperately pressed his face into the crook of his elbow.

His montrals were also completely overwhelmed with a high-pitched ringing sound that permeated through his skull and foiled his sense of spatial awareness. He had no idea which way was up, and while Ruzaan vaguely registered that he had fallen to the ground in the seconds following the flashbang's detonation his sense of balance was completely gone.

Slowly, painfully, his senses would return; blips of color cutting through the endless white while muffled whumps began to register through the awful ringing sound that, unfortunately, did not stop. He felt a pair of rough hands grab him on either arm and begin dragging him somewhere, seemingly towards a well-lit area and closer to the whumps, but Ruzaan was still too much of a puddle to offer any resistance.

"I got one of 'em!" a guard would announce, upon unceremoniously depositing the Togruta on the eastern side of the camp.

@Makashi Master @Forsythe Crowholde @LilyNion @Rhogar @Valen Pelora @Altaris @lizziie

 

[Arctus Friers]

With two of the guards down Arctus moved to signal the rest of the Rescue Squad that, for now, the coast was clear. He quickly found out that he didn't need to, however, as Master Voran had already made her way to the ridge. The tiny Padawan with the pointy ears briefly caught the former smuggler's attention, and he shut down any kind of protests that he wanted to make for allowing someone so wholesome and innocent-looking join this mission. He had to remind himself that the girl was here on her own accord and terms, that she wasn't forced into joining.

The Padawans were here to learn by doing, and who was he to judge the capabilities of someone so small? Ruzaan had been to Felucia and returned. And while this wasn't literally a battlefield, he believed that the tiny lady would learn something valuable here. Corellian hells, she might even teach Arctus a thing or two about, well, something. What knowledge and specialty she had would be revealed soon enough.

Arctus was quick to level his rifle towards the slavers who spotted the Rescue Squad. Like what the Morellian Councilor felt, Arctus knew what Death felt like through the Force. Nothing about the way the Light ebbed and flowed around him warned him of an ally's demise, but the former smuggler did not dare feel complacent. He could feel a faint tug from the Force towards Team Distraction's directions. He hoped they were doing well and that he was just being paranoid.

Master Voran had taken the initiative to distract the slavers from the Jedi's goal. Arctus looked at her, brows raised. Well, that was something he wouldn't actively go against, seeing as he was the only one in the group without a laser sword capable of swatting away blaster bolts.

"Force be with you, Ma'am," he told the Councilor before shifting to face his fellow Padawan. "Off we go, Fairy Lady." The nickname wasn't an insult; it was spoken with kindness and reassurance. "Got some people to save."

Leading the tiny Padawan to a hallway adjacent to where Master Voran stood, Arctus made sure that his broad frame was covering his fellow student. Shouting came from the end of the path. The two passed by another hallway to their left, and, letting the Force guide him, he gestured for her to follow.

"Fucking– damn it! That kriffer Mandalorian (@Rhogar) betrayed us!" came a shout from the room at the end of the hall. "What? You snagged one of them bastards out front? You know I don't give a shit about that anymore, do wit' 'em as you please! Marnie! Get your ass down here, we're moving the karking slaves!"

Arctus blinked once, eyes widening at what he'd heard. There was a Mando here? And the slavers snagged someone?

Ah, shit. Not one of Team Distraction, please.

The former smuggler snuck into the room but not before guiding Fairy Lady behind one of the tall crates stacked by the entrance. Hidden for now, he glanced at the tiny Padawan with a concerned look.

"You know how to shoot?" he quietly asked her, offering her one of his blasters. "Don't worry about accidentally killing someone, I'll set it to stun for you."

@Valen Pelora @LilyNion @SlagathorTheUnknown @Makashi Master @Altaris @lizziie

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

Everything happened so fast. An explosion rocked the earth by the time Clove arrived at the remainder of the group. After the explosion blew thick smoke into the air, there was a single second of silence before the sound of blaster bolts burst through the stillness. Soon after, the eerie feeling of death lingered in the air. It was the first time she had felt it, and it was horrifying. As though any warmth had been sucked out of the air, leaving nothing but bitter emptiness behind.

The half-Sephi's ears were laying flat on her head, this was not how she expected her first mission to go.

By the time she snapped out of it, an older-looking Padawan stood in front of her and called her a fairy lady. Her nose scronched and she gave him a puzzled look, but there was no time to question him.

"Okay, I'm right behind you!" she quickly replied with her usual high-pitched bubbly tone.

The towering guy was in front of her like a shield while guiding her through the corridors, and she couldn't help but feel grateful. Not only was he physically protecting her, but he also prevented her from witnessing some of the real battles.

Just like before, she didn't question it when the tall Padawan motioned for her to follow him down the left corridor and into a room with towering crates. Their rush through the corridors and into the room happened so quickly that she didn't even notice the slavers discussing something about a captured Jedi and a Mandalorian. Although it's possible that some of that was thanks to the fact that her sensitive ears were still ringing.

She knelt on the floor behind the crates once they arrived, and by the time he joined her, her attention was locked back on him. With a kind yet worried expression on his face, he offered her one of his blasters.

Clove was well aware that firing a gun for the first time under stress was not going to go well. At all. For everybody involved.

"No- ... I'd rather not, thank you. But I've been taught how to deflect bolts with my lightsaber! One of the first lessons, actually. If you'd like I can give you cover?"

---

Tag @SlagathorTheUnknown @lizziie @Altaris @Makashi Master @Forsythe Crowholde @Valen Pelora ​

 

[Alexandria Voran]

The camp was rapidly descending into chaos. The shooting really was unhelpful. Alex swept back and forth, the bolts pinging off the barrier streaming from her hands. This was a mess. She was supposed to protect the Padawans, not hurl them into sudden danger. Her mind reached for them all. She spoke quickly in their minds. “Ruzaan is injured…get him…free the slaves…and leave!” The Force began to slowly gather in her chest. “I’ll be fine.” Alex needed to create a distraction and one so great she would become the sole focus of the camp. The Force began to coalesce around her. Green mist forming at her feet, a cackle escaped her lips. Might as well lean into it.

“Fear me fools!” The voice of Sith Councilor Darth Andruil leapt from her throat, the Jedi Councilor slowly transforming into her Sith counterpart. What did witches well? Spooky things certainly. “The Ancient Sith ruled this world and I shall again!” More creepy green mist…some fake lightning bursting from her hand. Fear. Push fear into the Force. Come on be afraid. “I will boil your blood and feast on your children!” Now that was good. She could feel the fear growing in the Force. Panic began to grip the camp.

Perfection. Alex pushed harder, her mind shoving on the slavers. She spared no strength. Their thoughts crumbled into hers as she hammered their minds. “Flee before my might!” Finally, the slavers began to break. They screamed, cried, or wet themselves. Alex did not relent. Her illusions grew stronger as she built on the horror in the slaver’s minds. They would find no peace until they ran to exhaustion.

@LilyNion @Forsythe Crowholde @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

"Do wit' 'em as you please!" The order was given as Ruzaan tried struggling to his feet, spots dancing at the edges of his vision and his hearing still muffled. His entire nervous system felt like it had been given an overwhelming jolt, making his movements sluggish and his perception of the happenings around him muddled; not unlike he had just woken up. He was vaguely aware of a couple beings nearby, which were neither friendly nor sanitary; surprisingly, his nose worked just fine.

The Togruta had just managed to push himself onto his feet when something solid and metal- the butt of a blaster rifle- cracked painfully across his back. Unfortunately, the part of his nervous system that registered pain also was working, so Ruzaan dropped back down to the earthy ground with a cry.

This is it Ruzaan thought to himself as he lay on the ground of the slaver's camp, awaiting the inevitable blaster bolt from the thug standing over him. This is how I die. He'd been in a situation like this before- on Felucia, after taking Nightsister Magick to the chest- but this time something impeded his willingness to fight back; a small voice in the back of his clouded mind that whispered that he should just give up.

His lizard brain, on the other hand, had different ideas. Overall, Ruzaan was still reeling and as a result his mental defenses were down. Fear washed over him, originating from somewhere to the west; a very, very dangerous predator was approaching. The thugs standing over him would fire off a few blaster bolts in vain before running away, leaving Ruzaan at the mercy of whatever this was.

With no way to fight, nowhere to run, and no option of hiding, Ruzaan played the last, desperate card from the Akul Attack playbook; when all else fails, play dead. Ruzaan slumped to the ground and slowed his breathing as much as he could; maybe, if he avoided drawing attention to himself, the Very Scary Predator might pass by.


@Valen Pelora @LilyNion @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Arctus Friers]

"Er, okay, that's– alright, pretty fairy, I'm counting on you," Arctus told the half-Sephi with a quick amicable grin before taking a peek at the slaver who was still yapping angrily at poor Marnie. Taking a few deep breaths the older Padawan made sure that his blasters were still set on stun while at the same time gauging the best moment to come out of their hiding spot to take the enemies by surprise.

The voice of Councilor Voran echoed the former smuggler's mind before he could launch a surprise attack, however. Arctus hissed out a curse at the information being passed to him – and to his current companion, no doubt. Ruzaan was injured? Why? But most importantly, how?

There was no time to further think about the whys and hows. The Padawan quickly leapt out of their hiding spot and fired two shots towards the angry slaver, the stun bolts hitting the latter squarely on the chest and face. Marnie, caught off guard by the former smuggler's sudden appearance, would fumble for his holstered blaster but Arctus ignored the bloke knowing and trusting that Fairy Lady had his back. Hazel grey eyes zeroing on the passage right behind Marnie, Arctus would leave it to the half-Sephi to cover the older Padawan as he sped past the slaver.

Should his fellow Padawan's offer of cover was done well, Arctus would proceed further towards the short passage and would be instantly met with the sight of the slaves huddled together in the dimly lit room. They were all fitted with shackles and connecting chains. At the sight of an armed, unknown man they would most would understandably cower away in fear while others snarled defiantly.

"I'm Padawan Arctus Friers of the Jedi Order," he told the slaves in a placating manner and moved to holster his blasters. However, he noticed a little too late another slaver appearing from a concealed guard nook. "We're here to–"

The Force sent out a warning, and Arctus instinctively stumbled to the left just as the red blaster bolt whistled past where he previously stood. The former smuggler didn't escape unscathed, though, the bolt grazing his right arm. Worry for his fellow Padawans – mostly Ruzaan –, the Morellian Councillor (though she was the most powerful in the group), and the slaves mixed with anger for the atrocities committed on this slave camp. The sudden fear that suddenly permeated through the Force didn't help, feeding the slavering beast that latched itself in the former smuggler's psyche.

In the dim light Arctus's eyes briefly flashed yellow, the color reverting to the original hazel grey after he'd fired five stun bolts at the panicking guard. The former smuggler shook off the malicious laughter that rang much clearer in his mind now. It was a struggle to keep the Darkness to himself but he managed for the sake of Fairy Lady and the slaves they were about to free.

"We're here to free you," he told the slaves before quickly getting to work, striding towards the unconscious guard to grab the keys hanging from the latter's belt. Mindful to keep his movements non-threatening, Arctus set about unlocking the shackles that bound the slaves. For their part most of the slaves didn't think twice about staying after they were unbounded, quickly running off towards the passage Arctus had entered from earlier.

Some of the slaves were injured, thankfully none of them severe and were in need of medical aid.

@LilyNion @Valen Pelora @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

Clove took the training lightsaber off her belt with a nervous sigh and activated it beside her hip. She wasn't going to fight the slavers, just defend the other Padawan. And she was capable of at least that much. It was also less scary, because this meant she didn't actually have to harm them, or worse, face them. She felt the hilt come to life in her hands, humming quietly in their hidden corner and lighting the shadows.

She was so focused on preparing herself for her task that she barely noticed the voice in her head, something about another Padawan being captured? There was no time to linger on it because the older Padawan was already running off.

The half-Sephi dashed behind the Padawan, relying on the Force to warn her if someone fired at them. While they were fortunate that not many bolts were aimed at them, she was able to detect any bolt that shot in their direction at a reasonable time. And, while her blade work was far from flawless, it was sufficient to deflect the shots that mattered.

They made it to the slavers unharmed, but Clove didn't see them; her back was aimed towards the Padawan. She had to cover him after all.

But just as she hadn't seen the slaves, she also hadn't seen the slaver sneaking up on them and shooting the tall Padawan.

Before she could react, the Padawan's shoulder got hit, and he replied by shooting five stunning bolts at the slaver. A bit of an overkill, but she wasn't one to question him. Plus he cleared the area for the slaves, which was the priority.

Clove moved deeper into the room, her eyes scanning the open doorways, her heart pounding in her chest. Fortunately, the tall man was breaking the slaves' chains and freeing them, because she was so intent on covering his back that she doubted she could lower her training hilt and kneel on the ground. She did manage to take one look at the slaves and assess their injuries. But thankfully she returned to covering duty because no one appeared to be injured to the point of being unable to flee.

"Okay. That's the slaves. Where to next?"

---

Tag @SlagathorTheUnknown @lizziie @Altaris @Makashi Master @Forsythe Crowholde @Valen Pelora​

 

[Arctus Friers]

Fear remained stagnant in the air, and Arctus couldn't guess why he felt it more on the slaver he had just stunned than the freed slaves. While there were those who opted to run away at the first opportunity, some of the slaves still remained and were now gazing at the two Jedi hopefully. The former smuggler turned to face his fellow Padawan and offered her a grateful smile despite the sting of the blaster wound on his right arm.

"Thank you," he gently told her, wanting to give her head a pat but refrained from doing so. She might be creeped out or something... though his doubt was immediately redirected when she asked where they should head to next.

The older Padawan between the two gave a momentary pause, eyes closing as he reached out past the fear and as far as his senses through the Force could cover. Aside from the sentient life in the room where the slaves were being held he could feel no immediate presence from the passageway they entered through. Arctus pushed forward, past the room where the angry smuggler lay currently unconscious. The other slaves' presences – those who already escaped – grew fainter the farther they ran away.

Hazel grey eyes reopened, a slightly confused expression crossing Arctus's face. Shouldn't there be more slavers approaching the slaves' cells now that the alarms have been raised throughout the camp?

Still, he didn't want to further question why he couldn't detect any more lifeforms stormin towards his and Fairy Lady's position. Though it would be terribly unwise to ignore the source of this fear that suddenly ensnared the camp. He drew the Light tighter around him to keep the Dark Side within at bay, but with it feeding off the fear that hung in the air Its whispers grew ever persistent.

Why not set the blaster to lethal? If the Jedi asks about the dead bodies, you know you can just always lie like you did~

Ignoring the taunting whispers, Arctus began to lead Fairy and the rest of the slaves out of the room. Acting as the vanguard in case some of the stupider slaves decided to stay despite the chill and fear in the air, the former smuggler once again trained his weapon ahead as the group walked past the unconscious slaver fron earlier and out in the hall he and Fairy previously took to get to the slaves.

"I got word from Master Voran," he finally answered his fellow Padawan, genuine worry replacing any confusion and apprehension he felt earlier. "One of our fellow Padawans, the Togruta Ruzaan Kai, has been injured. I'll hazard a guess and say that he might have possibly been the captured Jedi the slaver was talking about earlier. We–" his voice shook, the young Togruta was someone he already called a friend, "We have to get him."

Instead of leading the slaves back to where the two Padawans parted ways with the Jedi Councilor, Arctus led them to another hallway eastward. They passed by abandoned rooms, looking as if their occupants have made a hasty exit. Letting the Force guide him, he focused on Ruzaan's signature through the Force – or more importantly how Arctus was beginning to see the young Togruta and other people through it.

Fairy Lady glowed a vibrant, calming lilac beside him, or at least that was how Arctus now saw her aura through the Force. The slaves were a mix of pale greens and blues, a hint of pink here and a splash of yellow there. Some were subdued, hidden by the other colors though Arctus understood next to nothing why. Maybe they were still scared? Either way he focused on Ruzaan, azure on a clear sunny day. Still mired in the Force the older Padawan noticed drab browns and greys that trailed on a corridor to their left that led further from the camp's entrance. Mixed in the drab colors were Ruzaan's azure.

Either I'm tripping or I'm suddenly seeing actual Force energy aura and trail thingy or something.

"Over here," he told Fairy Lady and the slaves before following the faint trail of azure. Down the corridor the group went, their path surprisingly unimpeded. Arctus didn't question it, he just wanted to find Ruzaan and made sure that he's okay–

The colors faded as soon as he blinked, his focus through what the Force showed him being directed elsewhere – namely the injured Padawan they were looking for.

Ahead of them was a partially closed door, and behind it Arctus could feel Ruzaan's presence more strongly now. Without wasting another moment the former smuggler rushed forward and kicked the door open.

"Ruzaan!" came an almost strangled yell from the older Padawan when he spotted the Togruta lying, unmoving, on the ground. What have those fuckers done to Arctus's friend?

@LilyNion @SlagathorTheUnknown @Valen Pelora

 

[Alexandria Voran]

“Ah ha ha ha! Yes run before me!” Alex was not having fun. This mission was dangerous and at least one Padawan was possibly injured. But…the distraction needed to be convincing. She poured ever increasing power into the Force. Her mind fully battering the terrified slavers. They could not withstand the constant pressure of her thoughts. The illusion grew mightier. Dark magic springing up all around. “I will burn you to the ground!” Explosions of green ripping through the camp. A little over the top maybe. Eventually, she could feel the relief of the slaves coupled with free from Arctus. Ruzaan. He wasn’t dead. She could feel his flickering life in the Force. It was time to go.

Her mind reached for all the Padawans. “Time to go before the illusion runs thin. Drag him if you have to but get to the ship.” Even Alex had limits. The strength of the illusion along with the flexing of her mind was burning through her reserves. She would not be able to maintain either much longer.

“My subjects will hunt you to the ends of the earth!” She began to wind down the illusion. What would Andruil do? Disappear in a puff of smoke? That seemed spooky enough. Slowly, she made her way towards the edge of the camp. The scary Dark side effects fading ever so slightly. By the time she reached the edge of the camp the mighty Darth Andruil would be gone. Alex breathed heavily, exhausting gripping at her body. She could only pray the Padawans were safely on their way back to the ship. They had to be. The slavers were scattered into the forest which meant the young ones should be safe.

@SlagathorTheUnknown @LilyNion @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Ruzaan didn't need to open his eyes to sense the wall of pure fear that was coming ever closer. It took every ounce of Ruzaan's self control not to curl up into the fetal position; he was already prone on the ground, how hard would it be to just hug his knees to his chest and cry? Just as the panic became unbearable, the effect lessened and he could sense the predator weakening, or perhaps moving further away. Just as he began giving thought to what to do next, a door swung open and a familiar voice cut through his disoriented and strained senses. The Togruta almost wept in relief as Arctus called out.

"Escape. Now." Ruzaan said, hauling himself up into a seated position- a move that made his head swim. "There's more than just slaves here... can you sense the monster?" Perhaps they'd avoided it thus far; as far as Ruzaan's eyes could tell, Arctus and the short girl following after him were unharmed. Then, he heard Master Voran's voice in his head... what illusion? Despite his confusion, he would will himself to his feet and stumble in the direction of Arctus. "The mission?" he asked through a mouth still dry with fear.

@LilyNion @Valen Pelora @Rhogar @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

So the Padawan truly got captured? "Say no more, we can't leave him behind! Lead the way."

Clove let the majority of the slaves get in between herself and the man who kept calling her fairy lady, so he could cover the front, and she'd cover the back and keep an eye out on the slaves. "I'm right behind you!" she called out to make sure he hadn't lost her in the crowd of slaves. Because truth being told, she was shorter than most of the men and women they were leading to safety.

The Padawan guided both Clove and the slaves through several corridors, past many open and empty rooms. It was almost creepy how empty everything had become, so quickly after the attack. This search for the missing Padawan eventually lead them to a closed door, which the tall Jedi kicked open like it was made of sand. Impressive.

Now that they were outside, Clove focused on nothing but the slaves for a moment. "Go, travel north, there's a town not far away from here where you can find shelter. Here's—" She paused, reached into one of her belt's pouches, grabbed a few credit chips, and distributed them to the slaves before continuing her sentence, "—some credits, in case you need it for a ship ride or anything."

It wasn't her job to give them money, but she was going to waste it on a new pair of way too expensive shoes anyway, so helping them was the right thing to do regardless of her 'job'.

Her attention returned to the two Jedi, one who was crawling on his feet with a stumble. "The slaves are freed and heading in a safe direction. Are you okay to walk? We need to get back to the ships as quickly as possible!"

---

Tag @SlagathorTheUnknown@Altaris @Forsythe Crowholde @Valen Pelora​

 

[Arctus Friers]

Arctus didn't think twice about stepping into the room nor did he even care if a slaver jumped at him. He would just have to kill them for the audacity they possessed, taking people to turn them into slaves and now hurting the former smuggler's friend. It would be so easy to lie and say that he'd forgotten that his rifle nor his blaster pistols were still set to lethal. It would feel so good to simply wipe these scum off of the face of the planet so they wouldn't be a bother to anyone any longer–

Kark off, you're not tempting me today, bastard.

The former smuggler swiftly approached Ruzaan and carefully helped the young Togruta up on his feet. Fairy Lady was currently dealing with the slaves, he could hear her offering them credits but he was so preoccupied with helping Ruzaan to hand out his own. Throwing one of the younger Padawan's arms over his shoulder Arctus slowly stood up, aware that the Togruta might still be dazed from what those fuckers have done to him.

"Monster?" he asked Ruzaan, confused. "What monster?"

He frowned upon hearing Master Voran's voice in his head once again. Illusion? Thinking back to the fear that swiftly overtook the camp and the slavers' odd behavior, it didn't take long for Arctus to put two and two together. Somehow, he hypothesized, the Morellian Councilor had used the Force to scare away the slavers through the use of an illusion. He'd seen an illusion created from the Force before courtesy of his Master Indy Sati, so for the Councilor to do the same wasn't exactly far-fetched.

Feeling real smart now, aren't you?

I said shut up. I know I'm smart, bitch. Just easily distracted.

Mindful of whatever injuries Ruzaan might have sustained at the hands of the slavers who captured him, Arctus half-carried and half-supported the Togruta out of the room. Together they approached Fairy Lady who saw the slaves off. The oldest Padawan in the grouo shot her a sincere and grateful smile, oddly feeling proud of what she did for the slaves and how she handled the situation.

"Master Voran rang again," he told her, carefully adjusting his hold on Ruzaan so the Togruta wouldn't be jostled too much when they began to move out of the camp. "Says we have to get back to the ship."

@SlagathorTheUnknown @LilyNion @Valen Pelora

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Ruzaan's eyes widened as the pretty half-Sephi gave an update on the freed slaves. "No, wait! They're supposed to come with us back to the ship, right?" He allowed himself to be propped up and mostly carried by Arctus wherever the former smuggler would take him; his sense of equilibrium was still way off, and his attempts to walk on his own only slowed them down. "And the monster, yes!" he replied to Arctus. "I sensed something big and scary coming this way, and then it left. We should be careful, it might still be nearby!" Serious grey eyes stared at the older padawan currently hauling him through the camp; Ruzaan knew he was a liability in a fight.

@Valen Pelora @Forsythe Crowholde @LilyNion

 

[Drastus Drahr]

Drast's plan had gone off without a hitch, at least in his eyes. He had managed to distract a good portion of enemies and even began to draw that away from the slaves. Blaster fire rang all around him and the pressure would lighten some as the rest of the team entered the camp. That lightness of pressure, would be replaced by panic. Real panic. And confusion. Guards scattered in any and all directions and those would be handled with a quick click at the thumb to switch to stun rounds.

As the combat started to die down, he would enter the caves and begin to release any of the slaves held inside or liberate those still working. By now, the guards had all but quit the place. Beskad would be sheathed before he pulled free his lightsaber, slicing the locks on the doors with quick swings. "C'mon, head through the front of the camp. Guards are either dead or unconscious. There should be a team out there collecting you for rescue." he would say, his voice modulated through the speakers in his helm. "Let's go, double time, move it!"

The two dozen or so slaves that had been either trapped or still working would offer their thanks before heading out to where directed, just in time to pass through the gates before the illusion began to fade. When they reached the Jedi, they would hear from them of a Mandalorian with a lightsaber that had rescued them.

Back inside the cave, Drast would enter the overseers office and quickly remove the flashdrive from the terminal, unsure of whether he did it right or not. Thinking he had all the information on the operation, he would pull his blaster and begin to destroy anything he could, before heading for the door. His movements were halted by a silver shine, pausing long enough, he would toss the fabric to the floor, revealing a few bars of cortosis, probably being squirreled away for side dealings.

Cursing, he would quickly grab three or four and tuck them into his pouches before exiting the office and then racing to the mine entrance. So far, the coast was still clear, apparently the fear had felt more than real for the guards and the other workers of the mine. So much so, they had abandoned the dead and wounded. The Padawan would stop at a body and pull a few detonators free from the mans belt, prime them, and lob them for the mine entrance at least in the hopes that the blasts would cave it in and set the villains back some. He didn't stick around to find out, instead, he would exit through a side gate of the camp and begin his trek to the capital. He had a success to report, and a ride home to catch.

/Thread Exit (unless stopped)

@SlagathorTheUnknown @Forsythe Crowholde @LilyNion @Valen Pelora

Spoiler: OOC Note

Sorry for super delay. I had some IRL circumstances emerge.

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

"Wait. Wait. In the ship with us?" Clove locked her gaze on the injured Togruta for a few moments. "Ah, freaking sugar." She said beneath her breath. It was her fault, and it was up to her to make things right. But boy she was itching to come home and rebraid her hair.

"Okay. I'll go and re-collect them and send them towards the ship. You two, try to get to the ship as fast as you can."

Clove sighed and straightened her robes before leaping to her feet and racing down into the forest in the direction she had ordered the slaves.

Thankfully, the slaves weren't the fastest, and they'd be easy to track down. Because of her keen ears, she was able to hear much of what was going on in the dense forest, which was rather noisy with people breaking branches and whispering in low tones. And so, Clove was reunited with the slaves in a matter of minutes, and they glanced at her with confused looks.

"A bit awkward this, but the Jedi have a new plan! A safer plan for all of you. I'll lead you to our ships if you follow me. It will also be warmer." There was no further convincing needed because the freed slaves made barely any objections; everything was preferable to the woods for them.

The half-Sephi steered them as rapidly as she could back to the ship, making sure to keep an eye on all of the men and women in the group during their hike. Most of them kept up well; a few required assistance getting over a small tree or stumbled over a limb due to tiredness, but they all tried their best, which was more than enough.

And so, they made it to the ship safely.

Slaves ascended the ramp one by one, boarding the ship on which the Jedi had arrived. Clove arrived after everyone had entered the ship and made sure they were safe and secure. She had to redo the belts for some, and some others needed some extra comforting words, but it all went smoothly in the end. "There. Just hang in there. We're about to leave at any moment."

The half-Sephi took out her commlink, switched the frequency to that of the Jedi on the mission, and began speaking into it. "Hello, this is Padawan Vanhoop. All of the people have been rescued and are aboard the ship safely. We should be ready to take off once everyone else has boarded!"

---

/ Exit thread (attempt?)

Tag @SlagathorTheUnknown@Forsythe Crowholde @Valen Pelora​

 

[Alexandria Voran]

Alex made her way back slowly to the ship. What a fun little adventure this had been. Her mind kept close tabs on the Padawans while they made their way back to the ship. She beat them by just a few minutes, plenty of time to get to the controls and compose herself. No need for them to worry about her. The Morellian Jedi sensed the freed slaves boarding before Clove’s voice flicked over the coms. Slowly, she started the wind-up procedures. Alex flicked the ships coms on.

“Everyone get buckled in…” She was dimly aware of Ruzaan’s continued fogginess. “Arctus, Clove, would you please tend to Ruzaan. There’s a med bay near the front.” She lightly tipped a few more switches. “I’ll come see him once we are away.” Alex remained seated at the controls while the last of the slaves and Padawan’s bored the ship. Once everyone was aboard, she would swiftly grab the controls and ease them off the planet. She gave control of the vessel to the astromech and made her way to the back of the ship.

She spent time moving among the freed people, using whatever strength she had left to heal their wounds. In time, most were resting comfortably. She turned on her coms again. “You all did very well. It’s a long ride back to the Temple…get some rest.” She was proud of the Padawans. Alex made a mental note to seek out Drastus. She knew what he had done in the camp. Knights and Master often had to make the difficult choice of taking a life. She did not always agree but it was their choice. A Padawan should never have to make that choice. What had driven him to so easily kill? She would need to see Drow as well.

OOC: Alex Exits

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

As he leaned on Arctus for stability, Ruzaan fretted over whether they would run into the dangerous presence he'd sensed; Master Voran's powerful Force Illusion. Thankfully, they didn't run into anybody besides than the other Jedi and escaping slaves, and soon the transport was lifting off Bal'Demnic.

By now, the effects of the flashbang had worn off and Ruzaan was just trying to stay out of the way; many of the humanoids were profusely expressing their thanks to the Jedi for their rescue, but the Togruta felt ashamed at the part he'd played. He'd managed to make a fool of himself in front of one of the most important Jedi in the entire Order, and had even been unceremoniously captured. Giving up his seat to one of the rescued slaves allowed him to huddle up in a quiet corner of the transport, and Ruzaan tried not to dwell on what might've happened to him if the plan to rescue the slaves hadn't worked. He should probably thank Arctus and the half-Sephi who had come to his aid, but his thoughts kept returning to his failure during the mission...

@Arctus Friers @LilyNion