Ask Tatooine Lost in the Sands of Time

[Darth Draugr]

Entering the canyons, the Sith Master ebgan hoping this would either drive the Krayt away or the rocks do enough damage to stop it from following. Following the path the Zabrak had noticed up ahead a steep drop on the left, into a large pit. This had to be enough to at least lose the Krayt for the rest of their travels. "Luwalhati bring that speeder up by me, I'm going to bring the Krayt to this pit and hop onto your speeder."

Draugr moved his speeder to line up with the drop and kept his course. Wodan could hopefully keep these Tuskens off of him long enough to get this Krayt gone. A few blaster shots passed by him as he rode and the large mound of dirt following him remained behind.

Coming up on the drop, the Sith Master through the transmission into autopilot and moved to a perching position on his seat as he got closer to the drop off. Getting himself prepared to jump at the last second he finally hit the drop, the speeder flying through the air and he jumped using the force to enhance his leap looking to land in the back seat of Luwalhati and Wodan's speeder. The Krayt had gained on the Sith Master quick enough to fly out of the dirt and bite down on the speeder flying in the air, and falling to bottom of the pit.

"Fuck Tatooine.." Draugr let out as he had lied in the back of the speeder.

@Braden @Xorism @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Caelian]

Caelian continued to run interference against the frustratingly difficult to hit Tuskan Raiders, despite his best efforts he still was unable to land any shots near them from a rapidly moving speeder. Okay, perhaps that wasn't exactly helping with the accuracy, but there wasn't really any interest in stopping and making themselves an easier target either.

Erratic blaster fire was sent upwards in their direction without any luck or chance of striking its intended target, but he hoped it would continue to hinder their own accurate shots while the others made their escape. A wily trick played against the krayt would hopefully also help, as they would only have to worry about being attacked by one foe now.

The end was coming up, and they'd soon be able to break away and get enough distance that it would be unlikely the raiders would be able to make accurate shots, although with any luck they'd choose to go after the dragon instead of bothering them any more.

@Scoobert @Braden @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Wodan]

His blaster was running hot, without any true targets Wodan just fired indiscriminately in the rough area of their attackers. It seemed to help a little as blaster fire was slowly reducing, either that or they were outpacing their attackers. The Firrerrian chose to believe it was his erratic firing however.

He caught the Zabrak masters manoeuvre from the corner of his eye, shit, he needed to get out of the way. Crawling, he moved himself onto the back of the speeder just long enough for Dragur to make his dramatic leap onto the back of their landspeeder. As soon as he was safe however Wodan moved back into the safety of the cabin, his blasters barrel still red hot from continuous fire.

“Fuck Tatooine.” He agreed, as they slipped into the canyon’s and out of Tuskan range, at least for the moment.

@Scoobert @Xorism @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Luwalhati]

Lu was too focused on driving and dodging blaster fire to pay attention to other details around them. Their group was a sitting duck as long as they remained out in the open, and between getting peppered by blaster fire and ending in the Krayt's stomach, the Acolyte would willingly prefer the former as long as the shots kept missing.

None hit their companions so far. Miraculous.

Still, Lu didn't allow themself to fall into complacency. With their driving skill being put to the test, Lu made sure to catch Draugr when the latter made a leap towards the landspeeder after making a tricky maneuver against the chasing Krayt Dragon. They heard the Sith Master land on the backseat with a heavy thump, followed by the dragon's ghastly roar as it fell to the pit.

Amber eyes briefly glanced to where Caelian drove. Lu followed the Echani as they drove forward, finally making it to the canyon. Soon enough the blaster fire receded until the group of Sith were free to heave a respective sigh of relief.

Screw this place in particular, thought the Acolyte irritably as they finally found the opportunity to check over their companions' well-being. Aside from the sudden Krayt chase and the rain of blaster fire, Lu didn't bother holding on to hope that luck would smile on them for the rest of their trip.

"How much longer 'til the caves, Master Draugr?" asked Lu politely, the last vestiges of their annoyance slipping away the more distance they put behind the Raiders and the Krayt.

@Scoobert @Braden @Xorism

 

[Darth Draugr]

As the Sith Master sat back in the seat and had seen they were passing the Tusken Raiders, he took a deep breath and then registered the question that Luwalhati had asked him. It was hard to say from looking around, but he figured it'd be best to focus on their escape for now. "Let's just get out of here first Acolyte! Then I'll check the map." A slight snap from Draugr but should come as expected given the situation.

Looking forward he could see Caelian leading the group, "Caelian, find a way out we'll follow!" The Zabrak grabbed a spare blaster from the floor board and aimed it at the points that the Tuskens would possibly be at and began to fire. The more shots being made outward the better the chances the suppression of the Tuskens begins.

Draugr looked back and began checking on the status of their exit. How could an easy ride get this bad? The Dathomirian had been sure this way the safest means of travel, so if that was the case, imagine how bad another route would have been.

@Braden @Forsythe Crowholde @Xorism

 

[Caelian]

The twitchy movement of the speeder prevented any lucky blow from the tuskens from striking him, from his position ahead of the others it was easier to see a clearer path, and they would hopefully be able to stay somewhat close behind. Swerving to one side of their land speeder, the wind would pick up the sands and send the loose particles away from the group and hopefully towards the raiders, making the difficult shots even harder.

This way, he was also not blinding his allies and still being able to forge a path ahead between the various obstacles that popped up. Sporadically, a vicious turn would be needed to avoid collision with burnt out hulks of long dead speeders and their riders - a testament to the danger they were in, as some others were not so lucky to escape. Other times, daggered rocks protruded through the sand deceptively and would impale careless drivers and leave them stranded in the middle of a kill zone.

The narrow passages slowly but surely begun to open up, and at last the Echani could see the path out and back into the open. Standing tall, he turned and pointed to the group that he had found their freedom. So long as nothing else went wrong, they'd soon be free of this little side of hell and be able to continue on the quest as before.

@Scoobert @Braden @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Luwalhati]

Luwalhati's lips pressed into a thin, hard line as they drove, gaze trained forward and senses through the Force drawn out as far as they could. Master Draugr had snapped a reply to their question, but the Acolyte didn't hold the Zabrak Sith Master's annoyance against him. They had been used to emotions far stronger and more negative, and now they just slid past the pink-haired Near-human like water off a duck's back. Still, they kept the apology that threatened to spill to themself, realizing the thought behind the Sith Master's sentiment. The map would be useless if the people needing its guidance would get killed.

Amber eyes locked on Caelian's back as he sped forward. Deftly Lu followed the Champion's path, avoiding obstacles that blocked their path. Downed speeders, jagged rocks, stray blaster fire following in their wake – hazards, the lot of them. Irritation rose within the Acolyte once again. They couldn't mess up, not right now, and not with Wodan and Master Draugr on the landspeeder with them. Had they been alone on the vehicle it would have been alright to be left behind as distraction to ensure their companions' safety.

Screw Krayt Dragons. Screw Tusken Raiders. And screw Tatooine for harboring troublesome folk and creatures.

At Caelian's signal, Lu allowed themself to partly relax. The more distance their group put behind their shooters, the better. The Acolyte was more interested on their quest for whatever Master Draugr had on this sand bowl of a planet more than anything. Following Caelian on the last stages of their escape came without any other trouble. It almost felt as if their group of four had stumbled upon an unexpected side quest on a videogame.

@Scoobert @Xorism @Braden

 

[Darth Draugr]

As the group had made it out of the canyon, and away from the dangers of the Tuskens. Draugr took a breath and sat straight. Looking forward he'd see Caelian still ahead and then speak up. "Keep forward, there'll be a cave across the dune just ahead. That is where we are headed." The Dathomirian would ready himself as they passed through and made it to the entrance of the cave. Once the speeder was stopped, he would hop out and grab one of his sabers and hold it in his right hand. This was it. This was where he would find what he came for.

"Alright everyone, in we go." He would make his way in watching his surroundings. A Jedi had stored the lost items in here, so it couldn't be too dangerous. At least, not until they found what they came for. The Sith were known for haunting areas they had unfinished business in. The ghost of Maul may very well be awaiting them.

Draugr had thought to himself where they could be, but he had to reach out to them in another way. To feel the darkness. To make a reading on where the darkness could be strongest in the cave. When he finally felt it's presence he began to make his way to where it was coming from. "This way.."

@Forsythe Crowholde @Braden @Xorism