Ask Plot Feeding Frenzy

[Orenth]

The man crumpled to the ground after taking the hit. Byron was a little surprised having only been a few meters from him. Even using a stun bolt, shooting someone was still something he was not used to.

Outside the swishing sound of the energy weapon was clear. The man switched the blaster back to its lethal setting. Getting to the unconcious forrm of Thrindel's body, Byron stashed the blaster pistol used against him just a moment ago into his belt. He might end up needing it later.

By the time Izel came back, Byron had the man over his shoulders in a fireman's carry. "What about the signal? Can we get to the roof?" His eyes darted around the office for any kind of means that might allow them to signal for help. But Thrindel probably already tried everything at his disposal. The only things he had not tried was the communication setup on the top of the building. They would have to go up one floor and then all the way back down and make it out to their ship if that was the case. Judging by the sound of the zombies, there were still more coming to the two jedi even if they stayed put.

"You worry about him. Just watching our back." Izel was probably better off protecting the two of them rather than them both deviding their attention. Byron was fairly strong and was fine carrying the man for the time being. His head motioned for her to lead the way, which ever choice she decided on.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel had forgotten about about the communications array. It was closer, and as much as Izel wanted to just get back to the ship and get off this nightmare world she realized they had a duty to inform the council of what had happened. Not to mention they could send out a general warning to try and keep any other spacers from blundering into this deathtrap. With an affirmative nod to Byron she turned and exited the office, looking around for an indication of how to get up to the roof.

A quick look around would reveal to the Vratix a simple sign depicting a staircase and an arrow. That would do. "This way." She said to her fellow Padawan and gestured for him to follow, making her way down a separate hall towards the stairwell. Her eyes darted right and left, antennae twitching as she kept a look out for any enemies. She moved hastily, but tried to keep a pace Byron could match while carrying Thrindel. Before long she spotted the door to the stairwell, but there was a problem. Through a small window on the door she could see what looked like half a dozen zombies pressed up against it, gnashing their teeth and trying to get through. The door seemed secure, but they would need to go through it to get to the roof.

With a quiet curse in her native tongue Izel looked worriedly back to Byron. "Alright..." She started nervously, trying to keep her cool. "We'll have to get through them. I say, let me stand in front of the door while you open it. They'll charge me, and you can attack them from behind. You just focus on the last three to come through the door, I'll take the first three." Six enemies in close quarters would be no small task, and Izel wasn't certain of Byron's fighting ability yet. She wasn't entirely sure of her own. But looking for another way up would take time, and given the increasing volume of the zombies' howls she believed that was time they didn't have. If they took too long searching the upper floor they could end up being overwhelmed. But she left the decision u to Byron. He wasn't as well armed as she was for this task and would be at greater risk, even if they were trying to direct the brunt of the attack towards her.

@Darasuum

 

[Orenth]

Grunting and shifting the weight a little, Byron continued after the Vratix as she lead the way. Byron did not dawdle for a moment. In his hand he still held his blaster in a bit of an awkward position but his finger was off the trigger for now. Occasionally a groan or breath from Thrindel reminded Byron the man was alive and just unconscious.

Eventually they came to a stop in front of the stairwell. Beyond there was a small horde of the undead. Izel proposed her plan and the man looked between the insectoid and the numerous zombies trying to get out. "Can't you do like I did in the elevator?" His finger pointed up to the ceiling again and made a circular pantomime of cutting a hole through it. "I think the two of us can life him through a hole." The only downside was they weren't sure what was above them. But it might still be better than directly facing off against a dozen of the undead. Byron had seen some of the more lethargic ones since arriving and the twelve in the stairwell were not slow. They seemed angry and hungry. "...or just...you know. Stab them through the door with your lightsaber without opening it." He made small jabbing motions. It would damage the door but at least they would be able to take out like three or more before the door even opened. It wasn't like they were trying to minimize property damage.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel tilted her head curiously at Byron's suggestion, antennae twitching slightly. "Oh... I hadn't thought of that..." She looked up at the ceiling and considered her fellow Padawan's suggestion. It appealed to her more than trying to stab the zombies through the door. If she accidentally caused it to open or compromised it's integrity she would get swarmed with no hope of defending herself. It would take longer to cut her way to the roof than it had the ceiling of the elevator, but it could work.

Just then another howl just a short distance away caught the Vratix's attention. Deciding on her course of action she looked to Byron again. "Alright, I'll get started, it should only take me a minute or two." She nodded to the wall behind them. "You can set Thrindel down there for now. Just cover me until I've made a way out for us."

Without waiting for a reply Izel leapt up, flipping in the air and clinging to the ceiling with her feet so she hung upside down. She then ignited her saber and plunged it into the ceiling, beginning the process of cutting a hole for them to climb through. In the meantime more zombies entered the hall they were in and started running towards Byron, gurgling with malice.

@Darasuum

 

[Orenth]

When he heard Izel agree he nodded as best he could with a man on his back before setting him down on a counter top. With the man stationary and Byron free to move he looked towards the stairwell and other possible entry points. The Vratix's acrobatic movement gave him pause. He wondered if the wall crawling ability was something biological or if that was also a force technique she was employing.

Movement in the oposite direction of the stairs made him turn and raise his sidearm. They were definitly zombies and he could see their injuries that would have hospitalized most people. He squeezed the trigger several times. Some of the shots hit their bodies, slowing them down. Byron growled in frustration at not hitting the mark. "Izel?" His tone reminding her to make sure she was working quickly.

More blaster bolts continued to fly down the hall as the undead closed the distance. All but one were taken down. The closest one reached for the padawan close enough that he couldn't bring his pistol to bear. "Get...off!" One hand scrambled to pull his fusion cutter from his belt and stab into the eye socket of the gnashing face. There was thick coagulated blood that dribbled from the wound as the cadavre went limp permanently. Wrenching the weapon from where it had been lodged, the man wiped off the gore that had clung to parts of the weapon. Byron's heart was beating quickly and he looked back at Izel hoping she was working fast. It was just a circle, what was so difficult about it? Grabbing their V.I.P. package again, the Padawan moved towards where the cutting had been done and was ready to try and hoist the unconscious body up to the roof.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel worked as fast as she could. The blade of her weapon was not as long as a regular lightsaber, and the gap between the ceiling of the level and the roof of the building was larger than the ceiling of the elevator they had cut through earlier. Because of this it took her more time to cut all the way through. Noticing the trouble Byron was having, Izel called down to him.

"Their heads! Aim for their heads!" She offered, although it was poor advice. She knew personally using a blaster was harder than it was often made to look. Nevertheless Byron held his ground, and Izel was finally able to cut through to the roof. Using the Force she removed the debris, answered by an immediate torrent of rainfall coming down through the hole. The Vratix crawled up through the gap and then reached down to take Thrindel's unconscious form from her fellow Padawan.

With some effort she pulled the body up through the hole and laid him down beside her before reaching in again and offering a hand to Byron. "Come on!" She shouted over the wailing storm. Inside the zombies were starting to break through the stairwell door, hungry eyes fixed on the lone human.

@Darasuum

 

[Orenth]

He had been aiming for the heads. That was the problem. Byron was still not the best shot when it came to blasters. He grunted and manuevered the body of Thrindel up through the hole with some assistance of the force. Byron just tried to levitate the body a little extra. Looking around he was pretty sure he heard some more sounds coming from where the other undead had come from. Taking a deep breath, he focused the force in his legs just like Hannibal had shown him and lept up through the hole and into the torrential rain.

Almost immediatly he was soaked. Water fell on his short cropped hair and off his chin and nose into droplets. Looking around, nobody else was on the roof. The door that lead to the stairwell showed movement behind it but the undead on the other side would still be unable to move out of the stairwell thanks to the locked door. "That's probably why nobody made it up here to send out a signal....they probably just added to their numbers." He gestured towards the bumps and banging noises that sounded from this distance in the rain.

"As much as I like being away from those things we probably won't be able to stay up here forever." He made his way to the communications array and opened up the access panel. It would take a few minutes but seeing as the only way to the roof was the stairwell that was secure, he wasn't worrying too much. "How will we get back to the ships?" He asked Izel over the rainfall while he worked on getting a repeating message going to warn off other visitors from landing.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

As Byron moved to inspect the communication array Izel walked over to the edge of the roof, looking out across the plantation. Her and Vesper's ship was a good distance away, and she could sense more movement among the crops. At Byron's question she turned back to him, clicking uncertainly.

"We may just need to make a break for it." She explained. "Unless your ship can be remotely activated and brought to us. I have no such way to call ours." She paused and then looked up at the sky, antennae twitching. "Our only other option would be to wait until the Order sends reinforcements. And there's no telling how long that could be..."

As if to add to their problems Thrindel began to sputter and cough. The old man sat up and wiped his eyes, focusing on the two Padawans before yelping in fear and scooting backwards on his rear. "S-stay back!" He shouted, and reached for his holster only to find it empty. With no other course of action he began to cower in fear. "D-don't hurt me!"

"Oh will you stop?" Izel asked in a frustrated tone, crossing her arms. "You can plainly see we're not like the ones that attacked you. We're here to rescue you. Now why don't you make yourself useful and help us figure a way out of here?" Izel managed to calm down the man and explain to him their predicament. While still shaken Thrindel seemed to be thinking more clearly now.

"We use speeder bikes to communicate with the other plantations when storms knock out communications." He explained, and directed their attention to a shed below, much closer to the building they were currently on then where their ships had landed. "If we can get to them, we can ride them to your ships." Izel nodded and looked back to Byron.

"What do you think?" She asked. They could use the Force to slow their descent to the bottom of the building if they jumped, although Izel wasn't sure if Byron had been taught how to do that yet. From there it would be a short dash to the shed and once inside they could secure an escape route. They'd likely encounter some more zombies along the way, but the Vratix was confident they could handle it. She didn't really have any other ideas of how to get out of this mess.

@Darasuum

 

[Orenth]

His long range communications was damaged but maybe he could reach his astromech droid. If she was able to pilot the craft over then they could get off planet. "What about Master Vesper?" He asked. Of course they could also cause some destraction away from the ships to try and draw any of those undead away from their ships. But in the rain and on the roof he wasn't sure how they could accomplish that.

The man smiled a little at the frustrated tone Izel used with Mr Thrindel. He didn't realize how much they were helping and how much he was being counter productive. But he seemed to calm down enough to offer something useful. Speeders would definitely help. They could do a lot with just any vehicle so long as there was fuel for them. Even the more lively undead seemed to still be outmatched in speed by something like even a common landspeeder.

With a few adjustments to the panel and a reboot beep along with a few light changes, the communication array sent a message to the Jedi Council with a brief message. The holoscanner would provide at least a grainy but understandable communication amid the stormy weather.

"Padawan Byron Ryker. I'm with Padawan Izel Thral and Mr. Thrindel on planet Tol Amm. We have been separated from Knight Vesper but will create a looping broadcast warning of contagion. But..." He took a moment and wondered if he should say it outloud. "The infected are violent as well as contagious so use caution and try to keep people from letting it spread." He looked over his shoulder at Izel and then turned back. "We're going to try and regroup with Knight Vesper. My ship's long range communications are shot but if we can make it back then at least we can get out of here."

That was the extent of his message. Byron wasn't sure if it would be understandable or if maybe someone would possibly intercept it. Just like he said, he tried putting a broadcast that stated there was a biological hazard from the building and any passer's by should keep their distance or notify officials. This way at least the cautious criminals and smart travelers would stay away.

Looking over the side of the roof they were numerous stories up and even for a jedi he felt it was unsafe to just go hurtling towards the ground at his skill level. "I'd rather get to them in one piece rather than as a splatter on the pavement." He answered the Vratix. He had seen how she could move and knew that maybe she planned on crawling down the side of the building but Byron couldn't manage that.

"I don't think we should split up." He said out loud despite thinking of going to the ship solo and bringing it back around to the roof to pick the fellow jedi and VIP. "If you want to try to get to the speeder bikes and lure them away do you think you could keep out of reach of them and draw them out?" He asked Izel but doubting she would want to play the part of living bait. He began looking around the edge of the building for some kind of fire escape.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel clicked thoughtfully at Byron's mention of Master Vesper. They had seen no sign of her since being separated on the second floor, but reaching out with her Force sense Izel was given the distinct impression she was still alive. The Padawan figured if she had managed to last this long on her own they could focus on getting Mr. Thrindel to safety, and come back for her afterwards if she needed their help.

"I can still sense her, she seems to be surviving as well as we are, perhaps a bit distressed..." The Vratix explained to her companions. Able to see the less experienced Padawan was apprehensive about just jumping down to the ground she heard out his counter plan. It was certainly risky, but things had gone well for them so far. So long as she kept a cool head and acted strategically Izel was sure she could pull off such a maneuver. Mr. Thrindel expedited Byron's search by showing him where there was a service ladder. Unfortunately it was on the opposite side of the roof, so once on the ground they would need to wrap around the building to get to the shed. They would need time for that.

"Very well." She spoke up finally after taking several moments to think. "I'll go down first and try to draw their attention. You follow with Mr. Thrindel. Get to the ship first, make sure he's safe. Then you can fly back to pick me up." She had to admit she was a little nervous herself, but made a point to try and appear confident before the others. Panicking now would help no one.

She would wait until both men were by the ladder and ready to start their descent before making her way to the other side of the roof, directly over the shed. Taking a deep breath she started crawling down the side of the building. She moved as quickly as she could, passing by windows through which she could see countless zombies still milling about within the building. The second she hit the muddy earth she made a break for the shed. Several zomibes noticed her and started closing in, but she managed to get inside and lock the door behind her before they were on top of her. The shed was dark and had a few holes in it's roof through which water was leaking in. Four speeder bikes rested in a line facing a large sliding door that was currently closed. Izel quickly made her way to one of the bikes and began examining it. It seemed to be in working order, and while built for more humanoid species she figured she'd be able to fit on it with only minor discomfort.

Climbing onto the vehicle she could already hear the zombies outside pounding on the flimsy sheet metal walls. Taking a deep breath she started up the bike, the engine roaring to life, and then used the Force to open the sliding shed door. Immediately two zombies came bounding towards her. The Vratix thundered forward while igniting her saber and leveling it forward like a lance. She ran over one of the monsters and skewered the other with her saber before tearing out into the rainy landscape. Instead of heading straight towards the ships she turned and made an arc across the front of the building, the noise of her vehicle drawing most of the zombies outside directly to her. Hopefully her companions would take full advantage of the opening.

@Darasuum

 

[Orenth]

Byron wondered about others, not just Knight Vesper, but additional survivors. They had found Mr Thrindel alive so part of the man felt like they might still have a chance to save others. Peaking over the side as izel spoke he could see the undead here and there. Shaking his head to himself he knew the best thing for the two padawans and their charge to do would be to get back to the ship. They would be able to maybe distract some of the frenzied zombies which hopefully gives anybody else the chance to get to further safety, including Vesper. There was only so much he could do.

"Stay close." He said to Mr Thrindel as they made their way over tot eh ladder and head down as close to the ground as they could get. It was quite a few stories and would take some time. "The lift..." He began to likely ask why the elevator wasn't an option. "....it's got more of those things around it doesn't it?" His face was pale and he continued to look down at some of the individuals beyond some windows. A few came to the side of the building and pushed against the glass that the fire-exit led down.

Izel managed to get to the ground very quickly and Byron had to stop himself from just watching her and make sure to just descend the fire escape. So THIS is why I do all that running and jumping through the woods. He thought about his training on Ajan Kloss and checked on Mr Thrindel periodically to make sure he didn't freeze up or start freaking out again.

The shed door closed and several zombies surrounded it with Izel inside. The two made it to the bottom of the fire escape, still a story off the ground to prevent people from climbing to the rough and trespassing or using the fire escape like a normal stairway. He only looked away for a moment, wondering if the Veratix was going to give him a signal but then she came bursting from the bike shed, immediatly taking out two of the zombies that had been clambering around her previous occupancy. She was lost from sight and all the remaining undead around the shed hurried after her, still not noticing Byron and Mr Thrindel. Silently Byron thanked her for the distraction and then waved for the man to follow him.

Using the force he dampened his fall. Mr Thrindel hesitated and Byron didn't feel like coaching the man to drop three meters. Raising both hands up he took a deep breath and lifted the man off the fire escape and lowered him onto the ground. "Hey woa-" "SSHH!" Byron realized it would have been better if he had warned the man. Rushing to the shed, Byron could hear some of the undead out of sight but getting closer, probably attracted by the noise. Byron went through the door that Izel had taken her bike out through and quickly hopped on top of one of the bikes. Mr Thrindel got on his own bike and waited for Byron.

Without saying anything else the two took off, swinging around wide towards his ship. Byron didn't see many of the undead around but there were a few that lingered close by his ship. "I'll clear the way." He said as they slowed and took out his blaster again. With a few well placed shots the two began backing up towards the cargo door. Byron typed in the access panel and the doors opened allowing them to get inside. He went immediatly to the cockpit and began powering the ship back up and doing preflight checks. With the ship slightly elevated off the landing area he could see the speeder bike the Veratix road and some of the zombies that she attracted. But there were still some that were prioritizing the ship and its two occupants.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel rode in wide circles around the main plantation building, trying to draw as much attention to herself as possible. The speed of the vehicle kept her well ahead of the pack, and she was able to cut down any that got too close with her lightsaber. But the longer she kept up her show the more zombies began to flock around her. Soon enough the sheer volume of the monsters was beginning to overwhelm her.

Izel turned her attention away from where she was driving for just a moment, long enough to see that Byron and Yars had made it to one of the ships. Then she looked forward again and gasped, leaping from the speeder bike as it ploughed into a crowd of zombies. The vehicle managed to run down about ten of them, but the Padawan still landed in the middle of a massing horde. Cursing herself for her foolishness she twirled her pike in a flourish to cut apart those immediately surrounding her. She knew she couldn't fight them all though. There were far too many, and to be perfectly honest her talents with a lightsaber still left much to be desired anyway.

As the zombies closed in on her she crouched down, gathering all her strength and augmenting her physical ability with the Force she leapt high over their heads. Landing on the other side of the crowd she made a mad dash for the unoccupied ship, leaping forward at intervals like a grasshopper to try and increase the distance between her and the horde. She was out of luck though, as she started to pass through the plantation fields she was ambushed by more zombies that had been wandering amongst the crops. One of the creatures tackled her to the ground before she could jump again and tried to bite her. She managed to put her saber through it's head before that, but only bought herself a little time. As she got back to her feet she panted hard, exhaustion and Force fatigue starting to set in. And the horde was getting closer.

@Darasuum

 

[Orenth]

The padawan's hands danced over the controls of the ship. +Bewwweeeoor+ came the voice of his astromech droid. Byron had not heard Big Low's roll into the cockpit. Byron growled a little at himself for being surprised. The astromech was uncannily stealthy since he picked the droid up.

Returning his attention to getting the ship reaady for take off, he looked out the front of the ship to see Izel dismount from her speeder in a display of acrobatic prowess. The Veratix made it outside of the horde of undead which she had been drawing out into the open. The Scarab lifted off the ground after he saw Izel head for the other unoccupied ship.

"WHATAREYOU-" He yelled at her knowing she couldn't hear him. There was no point in wondering why the padawan had not just come to the one working ship especially since he thought they were planning on leaving the ship the two of them had come in with Vesper in case she gets the chance to escape.

"Does nobody watch horror holo-dramas anymore?" A question that earned him a sassy remark from his droid. The quad five light courier lacked any weapons so that would mean Byron would improvise. The ship tilted forward and with only a few meters between it and the ground, flew towards where he had seen Izel last but the crop fields made it hard to pick out the insectoid especially as he realized the full extent of the horde pursuing her.

An exclimation from the droid followed and some noises came from the back. Byron wasn't being gentle, that would come later when his ship came in low, splattering several heads with landing gear. The padawan wasn't as good of a pilot as he thought or he was just that unlucky for trying a risky maneuver. The front swath of undead chasing Izel would be unceremoniously beheaded by landing gear, crushed or knocked to the ground among now permanently lifeless bodies of other former locals. The cargo ramp was open but given what he had seen the Veratix do he was confident she could make the jump on board.

@Reyn

 

[Izel Thral]

The rain was starting to fall heavier and heavier, transforming into a torrential downpour. Izel huffed and swung her lightsaber wildly at any zombies that got within range, slipping and trying desperately to maintain her balance in the sea of mud she was standing in. She was exhausting the last of her energy, and the horde was closing in. Thankfully Byron was there to help, bringing his ship in low and cutting a swath through the throng, the ramp lowering to accept her.

Gathering the last of her power the Padawan used a Force repulse to knock the monsters surrounding her away and give her an opening to jump. She leapt up and grabbed the edge of the ramp, a zombie clinging to one of her legs in a last ditch effort to devour her. Izel used her free leg to kick the zombie in the head. Once, twice, and the third hit knocked it free.

Breathing heavily the Padawan dragged her body onto the ramp and collapsed, her chest heaving as she looked in towards the belly of the ship. "I'm onboard!" She shouted hoarsely, hoping Byron could hear her. "Get us some altitude! Quick!" Looking out across the field she spotted Vesper's ship. She saw no sign of the Jedi Knight, but it looked like a few stragglers were hastily making their way up the loading ramp. So there were more survivors. She reached out with the Force to see if she could sense that Vesper was aboard, but just ended up giving herself a headache. She was spent, she wouldn't be using her powers anymore for a while. She could only hope her comrade was among the other survivors.

@Darasuum

 

[Orenth]

He couldn't see too well from the cockpit and piloting a light freighter just a few meters off the ground and then some was a risky manuever. Hearing Izel say she was onboard he began increasing the altitude, slowly enough at first to hopefuly not cause the Veratix to lose her grip.

"I'm closing the ramp." He said to make sure she wasn't going to get crushed from it closing. But after that was quickly done he began accelerating eve faster until the ship was close to its maximum speed. Byron set a course for Ajan Kloss. They would hopefully be able to do something about this with the information they had gathered. The information that Mr Thrindel had regarding the food shortages and what had gone down on Tol Amm would probably bring to light other aspects of the picture that weren't being seen. Byron was just a padawan, they both were, and now they had to break the news about Knight Vesper. If there was a rescue mission, Byron would probably be first in line unless of course Izel beat him to it. The man took a deep breath and his shoulders sagged, realizing how tired and stressed he had become after the events that had transpired.

END THREAD​

@Reyn