Ask Preventative Measures

[Ezra Thorne]

With Trina Kalist siding with Jedi and owning the largest shipyard in the galaxy, she had made herself a prime target for Raze or Sith. Even the Empire would no doubt see fit to attack Kuat if they were truly under the control of the Sith. Ezra identified it as a place to set up further Jedi fortifications to be prepared in case any attack came. Senator Kalist was all too happy to have Jedi on her planet, and the locals actually welcomed the Order.

Ezra arrived a few hours ago and he requested other Jedi to join him, though he didn’t specify a preference beyond Knights and above. He didn’t want to drag a padawan into a potential abomination mess if he could help it. He looked more unkempt than usual, his hair styled but a small beard lining his jawline instead of the crisp stubble that was his usual. Ezra had thrown himself completely into work and aiding the Jedi, sparing almost no time for his personal life.

The Thorne stepped off the ramp of his transport ship, looking over some speeders that would take them to the outskirts of the main cities. Once the other Jedi arrived, they would need to formulate a plan to set up a Jedi base and nexus here to deter abominations and attacks.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

"You there!"

Dash swung down from the scaffolding next to the docking port. He had climbed higher to perch than any sensible person would, but it was still strange Ezra had not noticed him. Or it would have been, if Dash was not becoming used to it.

"I wonder if you can help me" Dash said cockily, landing in his armor on the deck. He had dispensed with his shoulder cape and his hair was still white rather than blonde, but he was otherwise recognisable. "I'm looking for my partner, perhaps you have seen him?". He reached for Ezra to pull him closer "He's 6'4, silver eyes that should be illegal. Jaw stubble that's" he quirked a brow "running a little wild?".

Unlike Dash, who still took out the trash looking his best, Ezra looked a little weather beaten. More than a little in fact. The Rhinnalian thought he could cope with the ruffled look, but he was less sure about what it might say about any other changes in Ezra. Most of all, why he barely heard a thing from him.

"Where have you been?". He tried to keep it playful, but some of his anxiety seeped into his voice.

@Sreeya

 

[Ezra Thorne]

“-And the shipyards would need a military presence…” He trailed off when he heard a familiar voice. He turned to look, surprise registering on his face. It had been months since they had seen one another. While Ezra looked rugged, Dash was his same stunning self, always put together and garbed like a dazzling ice prince. The part Sephi managed a faint smile at the lighthearted greeting, exhaustion clear on his face, “He's been busier than ever,” He said with a sigh, “Hey Dash.”

The Rhinnalian would likely notice that he didn’t exactly rush over to embrace him or show other displays of affection. It wasn’t the norm for him regardless, but the formality was very apparent. Ezra had a datapad in his hand and he glanced towards the direction of the speeder bikes, “I’ve identified a few areas where we could potentially set up Jedi bases. They also happen to be near areas where the locals have reported some activity.”

Ezra stashed the datapad away and looked back at Dash again. There was a moment of silence, and for a brief moment he had an even more uncanny resemblance to Emryc Thorne and his Presidential poker face, “How’ve you been?”

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Dash's smile faltered and his cheery exterior cracked. He had spent most of the journey to Kuat telling himself all would be made right when they saw each other. Tired or not, Ezra was straining that hope.

Busy. "I guessed as much" Dash said nonplussed. His blue eyes followed his man's every move, the flick of the datapad to the speeders and back. The mission? He was talking about the mission?

Dash managed to say nothing and his patience was at least rewarded with a moment of silence as Ezra paused and stowed away the datapad. He's just wrapped up in what he's doing, with everything on his shoulders.

The Rhinnalian had seen and felt enough in his meditations to have some sense of the things Ezra had been through. Even so, when his man finally asked how he was, he didn't sound quite as interested as he used to. The cute ears never moved.

"Worried" Dash replied "and missing you. You told me not to push you away remember, so I've been trying real hard to keep in touch". Real hard, he thought. "You're EZphone working? I don't get a lot back?". He looked Ezra up and down briefly, as if hoping to see the damaged handset hanging by a thread from his belt. No such luck.

@Sreeya

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra was taken right back to Kro Var when Dash reminded him of what he had said. It had only been a few months back, but it felt like years. Ezra felt like a different man from then. He thought about everything he was taking on, the impact he was having on the galaxy, the shoes he was trying to fill…all of it sounded so overwhelming. And he had neglected his personal attachments. All that time had passed and he realized he hadn’t even thought about it. It felt unnatural and odd. It was how his father came across - icy, distant and aloof. Was he turning into Emryc Thorne?

“I’m just…figuring things out,” He said vaguely. It sounded pathetic as the words left his mouth, but he had no excuse for why he had been withdrawn. He wasn’t the best at texting to begin with, but he was always on top of things when it came to Dash. The part Sephi stood there in silence, looking everywhere but Dash’s eyes. He hadn’t even thought about his relationship the entire time, and it gave him pause now that it was staring him in the face.

“I’m in a funk, babe..” He admitted quietly after a while, finally looking at him, “Can you get me out of it?” Ezra asked with a tired, defeated smile. The weight of everything was bearing down on him, and he didn't have enough left to look after himself on top of it.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Dash fiddled with one of the straps on his wristguard, suddenly becoming super absorbed in the way it was secured. Figuring things out? That immortal phrase could mean so many things, half of which he did not even want to entertain.

Ez was not giving much of an explanation, but somehow Dash found himself still holding it together. Their bond had always been built on the Thorne's ability to calm Dash down, just as well as the Rhinnalian could fire him up.

"I guess we'll see" he replied noncommittally, though the babe and reluctant smile had only softened him further. "Depends if I broadcast better in person". In truth, they both knew that was not in doubt. Dash could make a real loud nuisance of himself now he was here. But he could see the weary look in his man's face and feel the shadow of the weight on his shoulders. Again, he told himself to be understanding.

"Why don't we go set up a base together for a change, eh?". It had been a while since they had done anything much together and perhaps going shoulder to shoulder on Jedi business was exactly what they both needed. It could also be the last thing, but hell they were here now.

@Sreeya

 

[Ezra Thorne]

“We can even share a bike,” Ezra said with a smirk as he walked over to pick one. The smirk immediately left his face as he looked over the bike options, “Ugh, this is so low quality..” And then he went into a full on rant about the specs and subpar engineering for about five solid minutes. Dash would feel right at home, fully used to the part Sephi’s nerdy tirades about tech when he came across vehicles or technology not up to his standards, “-and look at this exhaust.”

In the end, he quieted down to a grumble, taking a seat and waiting for Dash to hop on behind him. Once his man was on, the two were off and jetting out towards the boundaries of the city. The journey didn’t take them long, especially with Ezra zooming in and out of traffic. It pushed the ‘subpar’ bike to its limits, but Ezra knew no other way to drive.

Eventually Ezra had to slow down because it looked like some sort of barricade set up by speeders and local authorities up ahead. His brows furrowed but he parked the bike and walked over to meet with the local Ranger.

“What’s going on here?” Ezra asked, flashing his identification to share that he was on official Jedi business.

“It’s the Senator’s niece..” The Ranger said, “She has been kidnapped by a group and taken into the outskirts of the city. We think it’s to force the Senator to withdraw her support of the Jedi.”

Ezra looked at Dash. His man would be able to tell the displeasure on Ezra’s face right away. There was nothing Ezra despised more than aiding in a personal crisis. However, perhaps this would help them score more points with the Senator…

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Ezra had not lost himself entirely it seemed, still able to talk for hours about anything mechanical. It was strangely comforting and Dash let him rant, unable to tell anything about the exhaust save how dirty it was.

It felt good to lean in close as they sped out towards the country, holding his man tight and feeling nourished from the act. He squeezed gently, hoping to remind Ez what he had been missing too.

Dash snorted at the sight of the barricade, stopping them far too soon. With everything going off in the galaxy, with the scale of the evils they had to face, he often tired of little stuff like this these days.

"A kidnapped niece..." he said distastefully, sliding down off the bike. He was very skeptical this was anything they should get involved in. "Do we have to be the law and order in friendly territory too?". He looked the burly Ranger up and down. If he was any example of Kuati security forces, they certainly looked capable enough. "Do you guys not have this handled?".

He shot Ezra an uncertain look. He might know something Dash didn't, but the Rhinnalian had done his fair share of do-goodery and he was unsure if chasing after some girl was the best way to get stuff built here on Kuat.

@Sreeya

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Dash’s question got a scandalized expression, “We are doing our best,” He said icily, “But we think it has some of your kind involved,” He said with a glare.

Ezra rolled his eyes, “We will look into it, clear the path.”

He didn’t bother with the bike this time, walking down a path that took them deeper into the woods. The moon was high, but the trees grew dense and blocked out a lot of the light. Ezra stayed close to Dash, ducking to avoid hitting low branches, “It’s always a cop out, isn’t it? Anything that seems cultish or slightly off and it’s ‘our kind’,” Ezra scoffed as they walked.

He looked around himself with a smirk. The stroll would almost be romantic if they weren’t trying to solve an active criminal case. Ezra looked down at the datapad that the detective handed him, “All right.. the niece is ten years old and was last spotted at a shopping plaza. They tracked a terrain speeder that took her into these woods and allegedly some hooded figures attacked and killed the officers in pursuit...which is why that barricade was there.”

Ezra looked at his man, “What do you ‘reckon’?” He asked, using a foreign term Dash used from his Rhinnalian origins.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Dash didn’t shrink from the Ranger despite being nearly two feet shorter than the man. But was still formulating his backchat when Ez announced they would investigate and set off down an adjacent path.

“We will?!” he exclaimed, moodily shuffling after Ezra. It did not seem so long ago that getting Ez to go almost anywhere was like coaxing a stubborn mule across the Rhinnalian ice. Now he was off chasing after some damsel in distress when it could very well take them away from the big picture.

“I reckon we just take a breath” Dash said hurriedly, catching up in the woods and taking Ezra by the hand. “Listen at you getting all prissy about our kind. When did you become all super Jedi?”. Those silver eyes had belonged to a reluctant Jedi for so long, now Dash thought they brimmed with a strange new fire. “You really think this is worth getting snarled up with murderous hooded figures?”.

The smile forming on Dash’s lips vanished in an instant as a leash of some kind wrapped around his leg and pulled him to the ground, a shadowy form dropping from the trees above. It seemed someone or something had stayed behind to clear their tracks and had no intention of letting the two Jedi get any further.

@Sreeya

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra looked over when Dash tugged him by the hand, his face betraying surprise. Since when did Dash not want to help others out? The part Sephi was silent as he stared at his mind. For Ezra to be eager to save this girl was just as bizarre as Dash wanting to punt it off to the authorities. Objectively Dash wasn’t wrong, so why did Ezra rush in like this? He was silent for a few seconds, “Something…something tells me we should do this,” He said simply. It wasn’t complex beyond that and he couldn’t articulate it. Was it that elusive thing called the Will of the Force? It sounded cheesy when said aloud, but there was no other explanation, "What do you mean super Jedi? You used to tell me I wasn't Jedi enough.."

Dash was abruptly dropped to the ground. Ezra reacted swiftly by releasing a concussive blast, which effectively launched the figure back. The bad news was that Dash had been holding Ezra’s hand, which meant that Ezra was also toppled down into the dirt. The part Sephi was scrambling to pick himself to fight the figure when he felt himself get launched to the side. Ezra hit a tree and Dash would likely feel a similar attack.

There were two figures and they had clearly been camping out here. In the distance, amidst the commotion, Ezra’s sharp ears picked up a girl’s scream.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Dash was not expecting an attack and he hit the ground hard. The wind was knocked out of him and he was winded and disorientated, yanked across the ground by his ankle. A sudden wave seemed to stop things dead, but even so Dash froze, gasping for breath. He was too slow to draw his saber and the light blue blade only half ignited before a booted foot kicked the hilt from his hand.

"Get them quick, we can offer him them too!" came a hoarse voice. Dash leapt up, but a strong hand backhanded him across the face. A hooded figure came at him, fingers grasping for his neck as recovered. He grabbed the attacker's wrists, only narrowly escaping his grip and grappling with the man. He kicked out, striking his foe's shin and eliciting a cry of pain, but the man shoved him backwards, back down on the floor again.

"This one's a lively bastard" the voice growled and Dash realised with horror that there were at least two of them, the sounds of another scuffle evident behind him. Ez!

@Sreeya

 

[Ezra Thorne]

He could tell Dash was getting hurt and a spike of rage manifested within him. He knew better than to channel it, but the sense of urgency empowered him. He knew how to wield the Force. He was more powerful in it than most Knights. He knew how to do this. Instead of giving into his anger, Ezra leaned into his strength and tranquility. He found his center and applied the Force from where he was slumped on the ground against the tree.

Without warning, countless vines protruded from the earth, the forest itself working against the attackers. Vines wrapped around both individuals, coiling firmly around their legs, arms and throat to slam them down against the ground. Dash’s attacker was yanked right off, and the cultists were pinned to the ground under the vines.

Ezra slowly got to his feet, first walking over to Dash, “You all right, baby?” He asked urgently. A onceover showed him that Dash wasn’t sporting any critical injuries. Ezra next turned to the two attackers.

“Where is the girl?” He asked icily, unable to mask his irritation.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Shock and surprise had Dash on the back foot, but Ezra at least fared better. The Rhinnalian leapt to his feet in wave of relief as vines and vegetation rolled over their attackers and pulled them into a bind. Dash knew without looking that it was Ezra who had moved them to help, but he looked anyway, glad to see his man unharmed.

Whoever these guys were, it seemed they were not master Sith, or anything capable of fighting back just yet. Dash smiled, almost to himself. He had half forgotten just how strong a team he and Ezra were.

”They mentioned a him” Dash said, leaning over to Ezra. These men had not kidnapped the senator’s niece purely for fun, they seemed to hope to earn favour with someone else. “I suggest you answer him quick” he said loudly, frosting the vines with a curled fist so that they suddenly lost all their flex. Both men groaned in pain.

”Alright alright!” one of them moaned “we have a base out in the rock mesas, but you’re too late. Way too late. She’ll be gone”. Dash let the frost keep going, not caring too much if the grizzled fellow went into a long sleep or worse.

He gave Ezra a reluctant look. “So I guess we are chasing down their camp before they hightail out of here?”.

@Sreeya

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra did something a bit unorthodox. He closed his eyes and just barely touched the perp’s mind. As a result, he was able to confirm that the man wasn’t lying. The part Sephi exhaled, ensuring the vines had a firm hold on them. With that, Ezra commed the local authorities, informing them that the Jedi had left them a nice, bowtied gift in the woods.

“This doesn’t seem like Raze,” He observed as he and Dash broke off towards the rock mesas, “Seems too sloppy and amateur,” Ezra noted. He thought for a moment, “The rock mesas are where I was considering the spot for a Jedi base. Looks like these guys got there first.”

Ezra started quickly making his way, knowing they had precious moments. He spoke while jogging, trying not to trip over an odd root here and there, “If they have a base, they probably have a comms tower. I can take it offline to ruin a coordinated escape.”

He had no idea what they were up against. For all he knew, this could be just a couple of idiots in tents or a full blown base that was allowed to build up in secret.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

“Maybe it’s not Raze“ Dash said, not liking saying the name with everything he knew. “At least, not directly. Maybe these guys are trying to impress him, getting leverage on the senator etc to make a gift to him”. Hard facts about Raze were few, but it seemed from reports that he killed most he came into contact with. Maybe you had to have something to offer him to join his ranks.

Dash pushed through vegetation as the forest slowly began to give way to rocky flats. “Remind you of Kashyyyk at all?” he joked, glad to dispel talk of Raze if only briefly. It was hard to walk through a wood with Ezra without remembering how they met.

After a short while, they crested a ridge and something of their destination came into view. Dash immediately reached for Ezra and tried to pull them down out of sight.

These ‘cultists’ for want of a better word, must have been at this a while. Rather than a makeshift camp, they had graduated to a reasonably solid compound of metal and heavy materials. Dash spied a largely complete perimeter and a couple of watch towers. There was a comma tower of sorts too; Ezra would be chuffed about that given how confident he seemed of disabling it.

”They must have been planning this a while” Dash breathed, noticing at least half a dozen men in sight. It would not be easy to get the jump on them and they could not afford to wait. He could see the wing tips of a shuttle inside and the compound backed onto the edge of the mesa. If they started making off with the girl, they could be in the air before the two Jedi could do anything.

@Sreeya

 

[Ezra Thorne]

The mention of Kashyyk drew out a scoff. Ezra felt like a completely different man these days, “I was a piece of work,” He mused aloud. He still was, in many ways, but the past few years had drastically changed his perspective on things. Ezra cast a sideways glance at his man - even Dash was hardly recognizable both mentally and physically from that fateful day. His thoughts were tossed aside as his man practically shoved him to the side.

He observed the camp for a moment, considering their options, “Okay, I’m going to do something…different,” Ezra said, bidding for Dash to wait for a moment. From there, he purposely rustled some leaves to get the attention of a man standing guard nearby. As soon as the man came over, Ezra stood up from where he was crouching. However, before he could raise an alarm, Ezra waved his hand and planted some ideas into his mind.

With a glazed over look, the man turned and walked back to the patrol group outside. Without warning, he promptly punched one of the other men. This resulted in a scuffle and a brawl as their respective friends joined in.

Meanwhile, Ezra said nothing, giving Dash a sheepish grin before he quickly shifted closer towards the base.

“Go look for the girl and I’ll head for the comms tower,” Even if they secured the girl, the comms had to be cut to ensure these guys couldn’t have any kind of backup. On top of that, the tower would provide vital information on who was the brains of the operation.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

It was only when they hunkered down and had a moment of calm that Dash processed Ezra's words. He actually knew what a dork he'd been back then? Wow, it really had been a while.

He looked on uncertainly as Ez set out his 'something different'. There were already more enemies than Dash had hoped and he was not sure about taking any risks, but his man just seemed to strike out now. The Rhinnalian had to follow unless he wanted open warfare, which he didn't in truth. Dash wanted things to be ok again too much.

Still, he yelped a little when Ezra started shaking the leaves so obviously, but watched in awe as the Thorne manipulated the guard, triggering the chaos in the camp. Dash had never explored that side of the Force much and it was clear Ezra had learnt a lot in their time apart. The ease with which he did it made Dash half wonder if he'd ever been the target of these suggestions himself.

"Ok, well I hope you gave him a real deep grievance. We need this fight to carry on for a good while". Dash leapt over their cover and crept down toward the camp. It made good sense to split up, but it still made him a little anxious.

He spied a small group by the landing pad between the buildings, half a dozen guards jostling around a young girl. As he waited, they began to peel off towards the sounds of the brawl over the far side. One, two, then three had gone to help. The girl was also trying to do her part, pulling and kicking at the three captors that remained.

Dash crouched low and ran around the perimeter, his small size helping him stay hidden. Coming around the back of the three, he ignited his saber and slashed violently at the first, then the second, sending them both down. The third had to let go of the girl to bring his weapon up and the few seconds gave Dash time to throw him against the wall with the Force. He slumped to the floor with a groan.

"Who are you?!" the girl demanded, grabbing the slumped guard's gun and aiming it at Dash.

"Woah, woah, chill out miss, I'm a Jedi. We're here to rescue you". It sounded like a movie.

The comms tower loomed over her left shoulder. He could really do with a second helpful Jedi to point to right about now.

@Sreeya

 

[Ezra Thorne]

While Dash went to deal with the girl, Ezra rushed towards the comms tower. He arrived at the base of the tower only to spot a lone soldier there. The man looked terrified to begin with so Ezra used the Force to lift a few rocks nearby for dramatic effect. The intent was successful as the man practically squeaked and ran in the opposite direction.

Ezra was able to cut through the door with a saber, using the Force to yank it off before he bolted inside. His height allowed him to coast up the stairs easily, leaping up to the higher levels progressively till he reached the top. He blasted the second door open, hearing a series of surprised yells. Most of them were operatives that had no combat experience. However, Ezra yanked them back with the Force before they could do anything with the comms terminal.

“Go!” He barked at them, letting them scramble out. The comms tower takeover was easy. Too easy. Ezra quickly worked to take everything offline, but he couldn’t help but feel a nagging sensation that they had missed something. Why were the local authorities so unwilling to touch this? They could have easily stormed this encampment.

That was when his sensitive ears picked up the telltale sound of a saber igniting even after he thought Dash had done his part. The part Sephi stepped out onto the tower balcony and spotted several red sabers below surrounding Dash and what appeared to be the girl.

Without any hesitation, Ezra leapt right off the edge, channeling the Force to himself to cushion the fall. He landed with a heavy thud, the impact causing a slight ripple in the ground. He landed just as the robed Sith - as they appeared- began to launch their attacks at Dash.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

The girl was not easily convinced it seemed and her brown eyes regarded him narrowly. Dash remembered he perhaps didn't look as friendly these days with his silver hair, but he could never believe he looked frightening.

"My name's Dash, Dash Pavan" he explained, trying to reassure her with a soft tone. He thought he saw a flicker of recognition on her face and remembered she was a senator's daughter. She probably read all the tabloids.

"Oh my god" she said slowly "are you, are you here with him?!". Her face glowed.

"You bet" Dash answered, pulling her to him and trying not to roll his eyes. They had to get out of here and they had no time for her ogling of her celebrity rescuer.

He tried to lead her back the way he had come, between the two buildings, but two black-cloaked figures stepped out ahead of them. Crimson sabers flared to life in their hands.

Dash was quicker this time, quicker than he had been in the forest. Pushing the girl behind him, he drew both hands up, drawing the Force up through the ground and raising a wall of ice across the passage, completely blocking the two men's approach.

He whirled and took the girl by the arm, running now towards the open center of the compound. These men were definitely not simple fans of Raze. They were either serious cultists or full blown Sith. Either way, they were far more dangerous than expected.

Ezra landed like a bolt from heaven up ahead, but they would never reach him. Other enemies were closing from both sides. Dash drew his saber and went to meet them, warning the girl to stay back and out of the way.

15/20 defense success.

@Sreeya