Ask Scrub Squad Strikes Again

[Ezra Thorne]

“This is because we let Dur fly,” Ezra declared in between coughing and sputtering. They were in a janky, low quality ship assigned to them via temple. They were en route to a planet for a mission and they were to meet with their designated knight. Along the way, they were pulled out of hyperspace mysteriously. The droid pilot simply reported errors and failed to stop the ship from hurtling towards the surface of the planet. The boys began to bicker amongst themselves on who could safely land the ship, which erupted into an all out brawl.

Black eyes and bruises later, Ferrin managed to peel himself out of a jumbled mess of arms and legs between the three to shove the droid aside and take control. Unfortunately, this made little difference as they still managed to crash on the surface of the planet. To the Pantoran’s credit, they weren’t entirely flattened, having skidded across the terrain to crash against a tree.

Ezra was lying on the floor, sporting bruises from the scuffle and also bleeding from a cut on his head from the collision. He coughed as he got up, smelling smoke. He could hear the groaning of the protesting metal all around them, a fire erupting. It was only a matter of time before the entire thing exploded.

“We have to get out!” He shouted, grabbing his bag and making for the opening created from the crash. Of course, he was delayed as he stopped to pick up his designer shampoos and soaps. If they were going to be stuck in a forest, he refused to smell. And of course, he had to grab his antibacterial wipes and face moisturizers.

@Zay @Altaris (@Alhon for awareness)

 

[Dash Pavan]

The teaspoon was rattling again.

Dash got up and slammed the thing in a locker, taking a deep breath. He had been trying to meditate for several minutes now, but each time something new broke his concentration. The teaspoon rattling with each movement of the ship was only the latest.

He sat back down on his mat and folded his legs again. The shuttle's passenger hold was a bare, stark environment, but that should have helped, with few distractions in sight. Unfortunately, there were too many in the Rhinnalian's mind. He closed his eyes, trying to see past them.

Ryoone had been a mess. The diplomatic course the Order had sent him on had been rewarding, but incredibly hard work. The planet's six species agreed on little as it was, never mind adding Jedi to the mix. Dash had learnt a lot, but he was also glad it was over. While he was a social butterfly by nature, he increasingly wanted to spend a little time alone with the Force these days. His powers had come on a lot recently and he knew he could tap into them even more if he just opened himself. The journey to Terminus should give him plenty of opportunity.

He felt for the Force again now, reaching out with his mind to connect with the world around him. The bulkheads and circuitry gradually seemed less solid and he felt in touch with the space beyond. Not the cold blackness between the stars, but the hidden lattice of energy beneath. Dash reached along it, back and forth, forming a sense of its rhythm and his place within it.

A sudden tremor rippled across the lattice, like the aftermath of a far off impact. Dash frowned, turning his mind in that direction. He felt a stab of panic, then fear, mortal fear. Then the sensation grabbed his heart so hard he thought it would stop. The fear was Ezra's. His boyfriend was in danger, mortal danger, right now. He knew it to be true.

Dash fell backwards, eyes flashing open as he caught himself, sweat beading on his brow. He had never felt anything like this before, much less so clear. But if there was any chance it was true, there was no time to waste. He sprang up and ran through into the cockpit, shouting hurriedly to the droid pilot as he called up Jedi assignment logs.

What the hell had Ez got himself into now?

* * * *
​

A little while later, Dash's shuttle burst from hyperspace and arced towards Eiram. There was no reason that any Jedi should be here and yet the Rhinnalian knew they had to be. His friends had not made their rendezvous or showed up anywhere else. Their ion trail ended abruptly here.

"Take me down" he instructed the droid, hiding his relief at the lack of debris. If their ship had survived its exit from hyperspace, perhaps it had survived its landing. It could have been hours though and there was no telling what he would find on the ground. He reached out tentatively with the Force, but there was nothing like before.

Dash brought up the climate readings, grimacing at the average temperature planetside and starting to unbuckle his new armour. He had almost got used to the extra weight, but it looked hot and swampy down on Eiram, conditions that called for something lighter. The Jedi only hoped he had something onboard, or he would be riding to the rescue in nothing fit for a Knight.

@Zay @Altaris @Sreeya

 

[Ferrin Sipal]

After their success on Berchest, Ferrin was feeling silently rather enthusiastic to be assigned another mission with Scrub Squad. Nevertheless, none of those feelings were enough to prevent the hiccups that seemingly plagued their group right out of the gate. The first hour had been spent trying to negotiate their janky shuttle with Ezra, who was vehemently against using the aged Jedi vehicle - and was prepared to call one of his own private yachts.

There was still a notably moodiness in the air when said janky shuttle was yanked out of Hyperspace, bickering began, and fists began to fly after a multitude of snarky remarks - coupled with the panic of the situation - was the last straw to break the Eope’s back. At some point amongst the scuffle, Ferrin managed to reach the cockpit to land the ship. He flatly ignored the pilot droid who babbled on about ‘Padawan-Learner Sipal is not authorized to operate flight controls’ and drove them in a near nose-dive towards the marshy landscape below, just barely about to flatten out and skid to a halt. The world briefly went dark as they collided with the damp earth, and Ferrin awoke a few moments later, thrown across the cockpit and half-strewn across the co-pilot’s chair.

Charlie the Pilot Droid, somehow, was still unharmed nearby - magnetic locks keeping the droid fixed to the floor.

He couldn’t help but sputter and cough, slowly peeling himself off the floor. The Pantoran was bruised from both their brawl and the landing - sporting a fat lip and a cut across his cheek from the landing. His hand instinctively went down to his waist - grasping the saberhilt to make sure the weapon was still on his person. He wore a low-cut tank top and pair of particularly small shorts - anticipating a planet that was known for being humid and awful.

Once he confirmed the saber was still clipped to his belt loop, Ferrin began to stumble out of the cockpit - just in time to hear Ezra mouthing off about their landing. “If Reed was flying, neither of you would be alive to bitch and moan about the landing.” Ferrin hissed telepathically, projected to both Leon and Ezra. Of course, he didn’t sulk for long - smelling the smoke and able to hear the metal groaning all around them, in addition to the sound of water rushing. He only sprinted towards his cabin long enough to snag his nice sunglasses before making for the exit - just a few steps ahead of Ezra and his oversized bag.

The moment he did, it became obvious where the sound of water rushing came from. Their shuttle had landed deep into the Everglades, carving a trench through the soft mud and water that likely saved them from a worse fate. Of course, it meant that their ship was half-buried within the mud and water - and the latter was rapidly flowing back in to fill the crater their landing had made. Dark, foul-smelling water began to pour into the ship from the side of the hull, already to their shins in depth and getting higher. It made trudging forward all the more difficult, and would likely mean pulling themselves out and onto the top of the ship to avoid swimming.

@Alhon @Sreeya @Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

”Ow fuck,” groaned Leon Baudelaire as he struggled to get to his feet. He’d panicked when his stomach decided to uppercut the roof of his mouth when their shuttle gave up the ghost. He was sure why they’d settled on the oldest ship in the yard, but Ezra’s annoyance had been enough for Leon to agree with Ferrin the entire time. Leon rolled over onto his stomach and groaned as his body fought against him.

“If I had a credit for every time a Jedi shuttle crashed while I was in it… Well, I’d have two credits but it’s weird it’s happened that many times, right?” he asked into the cracking darkness of the shuttle. For a heartbeat he feared the worst, and then he heard Ezra barking orders and knew all was right in the galaxy.

“Sir, yes, Sir!” replied Leon with a snappy salute. The smell of burning chemicals encouraged the little smart ass to hop too, and before he made his exit was sure to grab his gear. Per usual he was outfitted for a mission rather than a fashion show. However, there had been a significant upgrade to his arsenal since Berchest. Two lightsabers hung from his utility belt, Alton Vari’s, and the saber he’d found on Christophsis with Dash, Leon had taken to calling the pale yellow blade Daybreak. In his reverse holster sat the heavy blaster he’d stolen from the Sith Master.

“And if Neon had been flying, we wouldn’t have crashed,” he quipped with a chuckle before sauntering toward the ripped opening in the side of the ship and the moistest air he’d ever breathed, “I’m gonna need gills my dudes.”

The brawl earlier left him with a busted lip and the taste of blood in his mouth. Nobody made him bleed his own blood, nobody. Silently he vowed his revenge, before completely dropping the whole thing, they were stranded on a planet and they had no ship or any real support aside from what they carried. Emotions were worthless here and their argument didn’t matter anymore.

Since he trusted Ezra to overprepare, Leon scouted ahead. He let out a low whistle as their predicament sprawled out before him. “I’m going up to get a better look,” he called out to the homies, before hopping up snagging a pipe, and throwing his legs up and over his head, bringing him onto the roof of the ship on his belly. As he got to his feet and he felt the whole ship shift as the soft earth and water sought to consume the vehicle. He popped back down as Ferrin hit the opening, “I gotcha dude,” projected Leon offering the Pantoran a hand up.

Once Ferrin was up he’d lean back over and stick a hand out for Ezra. Who would probably find the shittiest way to climb up because he was pouting. With the homies out, Leon would poke his head down once more and address the pilot droid.

“Charlie, you coming?"
“Affirmative Padawan Baudelaire!” responded the piloting droid before it strolled up to the top of the ship using it’s mag shoes.

“So, we calling for help or are we just gonna waltz right into danger, again?” he pointed toward three dots on the horizon, “What are the chances those are friendly?”

@Alhon @Altaris @Sreeya

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra was motivated to pick up the pace when the disgusting liquid began to flood into the ship. He grabbed most of what he wanted, his designer bag tossed over a shoulder as he used the Force to leap out like he had back on Kashyyyk. Pressing down with his feet against the floor before the leap was enough to send the ship sinking deeper into the muck. Ezra landed next to Leon on somewhat stable ground, his jaw already tightening at the sight of gunk on his shoes.

He was dressed classy as always, and he smelled like a million credits. He even managed to snag his sunglasses. The newest addition to his ensemble was the chrono on his wrist, which was a gift from Dash. His entire wardrobe shifted to conveniently line up colors so the chrono always matched whatever he wore and it never left his wrist.

Ezra, for one, was happy to have a droid joining them, “Where are we?” He asked, his NalPhone out of service. Of course. This was Kashyyyk all over again. Ezra looked up when Leon inquired about the dots approaching. Except Ezra was part Sephi and could see rather clearly.

“Armed people,” He said, “Two of them are pretty hot, so let’s act lost and cute,” Ezra said quickly, putting his hands up, “Charlie stay hidden and let's stash our sabers,” From what he could tell - the weapons they had were primitive and Charlie or their sabers would be a prize.

There were two women that approached- one with two blades out and one with a bow. The third was a gruff male that looked as if someone just took a dump in his breakfast.

“Yao!” One of the women snapped, glaring at the three Padawans. She motioned with her bow for them all to kneel. Even if the other dudes did as asked, Ezra hesitated for a moment. An arrow shot past him, just lightly grazing a bicep.

“Ugh,” Ezra grumbled as he knelt, “This is a Visachi..” He mumbled under his breath as he looked at the torn fabric of his blazer.

The three strangers spoke to one another in some other language, clearly discussing what to do. Ezra looked up at them.

“Speak…basic?”


@Zay @Altaris @Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

The T-6 banked low over rolling green swamps, rising clouds of moisture making it difficult to get a clear view of the ground from above. The shuttle's sensors were pretty standard and were picking up nothing of use yet. The outside was too wet and damp and the ground below too teeming with life.

Dash brushed shoulders with the silent pilot droid, trying to feel Ezra and the others through the Force again. But they eluded him. If he felt anything at all, it was a weak pull to head on, to keep going. Like the horizon would eventually give him something if he stuck at it. It was not enough to make him feel better.

He had already made too many assumptions. There was no guarantee his friends had even landed here, they could have been taken by hostiles in space. But he had to believe. Berchest might have showed them all they were not invincible, but it also proved they were rather lucky.

The sensors eventually chimed encouragingly, having picked up items of metal debris among the foliage. They certainly seemed to be following the same trail as a downed ship, even if it was not in sight yet. Dash's heart was in his mouth.

Something hit the canopy hard, making the Jedi flinch. "What was that?"

"Unidentified" the droid responded. It was not programmed with any flair or flourish.

Dash leant over the console, looking out through the cockpit glass. Two more objects shot past the window, one of them bouncing violently off the hull. It looked like a crossbow bolt. Someone was shooting at them.

"Land now" he said hurriedly. He had read about the natives; if they were close then they might know something about his friends, or worse intend them harm. He would have to find out fast.

The shuttle dropped low, setting down on some abandoned flats between clumps of trees. Dash clipped his belt around the sleeveless flightsuit he had found in store. It would not offer much protection, but stomping around in armour here would only end in heat exhaustion. He checked his saber, comlink and few pouches of supplies before jumping down onto the moist ground.

He just hoped he could find his boyfriend and co before anything else did. When an Ezra fell in the forest, everyone heard it.

@Zay @Altaris @Sreeya

 

[Ferrin Sipal]

Ferrin couldn’t help but exhale sharply through his nostrils - expression knitting up with disgust. Even though it wasn’t high enough to touch his clothes, he could feel the swamp water that soaked through his socks and filled his shoes with muck. It was wildly uncomfortable, and meant that every step forward was accompanied by a wet, squishing sound. Anyone who’d been forced to walk around in wet socks would immediately understand the Pantoran’s suffering and reason for his sour look.

Summoning the Force into himself, Ferrin jumped up from the ground - seizing hold of Leon’s hand. He pulled himself up onto the top of the ship with his fellow Padawan’s help, offering his friend a smile and pat on the shoulder once there. His golden eyes flicked down, rolling ever-so-slightly when Charlie decided to join them. Charlie had done fuck-all to prevent them crashing and was probably going to slow them down, considering he was a bucket of bolts trying to maneuver through a literal swamp.

He didn’t even bother checking his commlink for signal, merely watching as Ezra found little success with his NalPhone. Instead, his gaze flicked out over the horizon - watching as those little dots approached and gradually took the form of three, not-entirely-nice looking people. He squinted, glancing between Leon and Ezra. “Waltzing into bullshit it is,” He projected telepathically, subtly handing off his lightsaber to Charlie - who promptly waddled his way behind some trees and bushes.

Ferrin put on the kindest smile he could manage - offering a wave of his hand when the trio of strangers approached. Even without his voice, the Pantoran attempted a charismatic and friendly appearance. Which was promptly ignored as the lady with a bow urged them to kneel. Ferrin hesitated for only a moment - long enough for Sword-Lady to take a single step towards him.

The Pantoran’s hands went up as he dropped down to a knee in front of the group. He.. Resisted the urge to make a comment, both due to being held at blade-point and because telepathic messages were likely to freak out their captors. He blinked a few times - watching as Ezra attempted to converse with them in Galactic Basic. Figuring that wasn’t going to work, the Pantoran tried a different approach all together.

He waved his arms to get their attention, and promptly began making hand gestures at the trio of tribesmembers. He angled his arm and hand downward and started gliding it towards the ground - attempting to make reference to their ship being yanked out of hyperspace and crashing. He spread his hands to indicate their ship exploding behind them, and then walked his fingers across his hand, pointing to himself and the others, attempting to explain they were lost.

Ferrin was entirely confident in his little display - maintaining a smile all the while. When it was over, the three stranger’s glanced between themselves, silent for a moment. After a brief pause, the gruff looking back walked up to the Pantoran with a completely blank expression. Without a word, he yanked a bundle of rope from his belt, prepared to tie the Pantoran up like the captives the clearly were.

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Leon watched as the three beings drew closer. He sighed at Ferrian’s message, “Wouldn’t be a Scrub Sqad adventure if we didn’t…”

Ezra’s super sight gave them the first good news of the day. ”Lost and cute is my natural state of being,” chuckled Leon as he handed over his weapons to Charlie.

He hadn’t realized how much of his confidence clung to those weapons until they were gone. He brushed the place where his holster had been on his thigh then turned around to watch the three natives come in. Leon cocked an eyebrow at the trio noting that Ezra had been correct, two of them were super hot. Then the weapons came out and Leon experienced a series of embarrassing and complicated feelings he’d no doubt need to work through at some point.

As the woman with bow yelled at Ezra to kneel ole hottie two swords turned her attention to Leon and he knelt without further encouragement. It was clear they were keen to keep the Padawans alive, at least until they were marched back to whatever pre-historic village these natives came from. So, Leon relaxed. And she tied him up.

Once bound the Padawans would be heard into a single file line. The gruff guy wove their binds together at the wrists connecting the three Padawans. Then Two Swords took point, Bowmaiden took the rear and Gruffy strolled alongside them.

@Alhon @Altaris @Sreeya

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra was silent as they were tied up and hoisted up to their feet. He purposely kept his arms tensed and slightly apart so when the tying was done and he relaxed, there was a gap that would allow him to break free. Not that he intended to do that right now.

Thankfully, Leon kept his mouth shut as the part Sephi rapidly thought of what to do next. They were Jedi, but he hardly thought killing everyone here was the Jedi way. And if he was ever going to become a Knight, he couldn’t keep calling on his Master for help. Not that he had any service anyway…

He walked behind them wherever they were being led, glancing over to see if Leon or Ferrin were about to do something stupid. His gaze fixed on the giant bag of his that one of the warriors was walking with. He applied the Force gently, making it tilt so one of his antibacterial containers discreetly fell on the ground. If anyone was sent out looking for him, or knew him, they would recognize it immediately as an ISC brand and, more importantly, his initials written on the bottle. He was insufferable about sharing his belongings and it had its upsides.

“So this is a nice tour,” He said loudly, looking around as he walked behind them, “What’re we seeing next?”

Two Swords growled and jammed the hilt of her blade back at his torso. To her surprise, Ezra jerked his hands up, catching the hilt and yanking her towards himself. She was nudged closer to him, eyes flying open in surprise. For a moment, their eyes met, a playful grin on Ezra’s face. No one would suspect it, but the boys would sense the subtlest use of the Force.

“Careful, don’t want you falling,” Ezra said quietly, his face still leaned in close to hers. Piercing, silver eyes met hazel. He could see beyond her, deep into her thoughts, stories and chapters unraveling before him. It was a world different than his own, but the humanity was the same, the fundamental emotions were the same. A million things happened at once. None of which would be realized just yet. Two Swords yanked her blade back and quickened her pace when Grump and Bowmaiden prepared to jump in.

Ezra kept walking behind her, that smug grin still on his face. He kept his gaze on the back of her head as they walked as a group. Just as he expected, she turned her head to look at him again, a slightly glazed over look in her eyes. The seeds had been planted.

The group arrived near what appeared to be a makeshift, rundown camp. It was clear this was an auxiliary camp and not the main one. There were a few more armed tribal warrirors there, all of them speaking with one another to determine what to do. Through it all, Two Swords kept glancing his way, and he looked right back.

@Alhon @Zay @Altaris

 

[Ferrin Sipal]

Ferrin couldn’t help but grimace - golden eyes narrowing into daggers upon the trio of strangers. As if crashing on some unknown planet wasn’t a bad enough way to start theri mission, they were now the captives of.. Whatever tribe or clan was living within that swamp. The Pantoran was half-convinced they were going to be sacrificed to a Sun-god or roasted over a giant bonfire by a cabal of cannibals. Though he couldn’t vocalize his displeasure, one look at Ferrin’s expression would reveal just how unhappy he was with the situation.

Of course, the Pantoran didn’t miss the faint manipulation of the Force - watching the scene between Ezra and Swordmaiden play out. Though he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what Ezra was doing, the mental manipulation was clear from the glazed over look in the woman’s eyes. He couldn’t help but raise a brow in surprise, clearly not expecting the technique.

Recognizing what Ezra was likely attempting to do, Ferrin focused back on the rest of the tribe - hoping to distract them away from the prison area. He spotted several armed men, alongside an older woman in some traditional garb - likely an elder of some variety. Reaching out with the Force, Ferrin began to send telepathic messages into their minds - manifesting as faint whispers and the sound of something breathing down the back of their neck. Several of the warriors snapped around in search of the sound, confusion and worry lacing their expressions. Another flick of the Force caused the flap of a nearby tent to flutter open. Ferrin hoped it would prompt at least some of them to go investigate.

What Ferrin didn’t anticipate, however, was the elder woman that stepped forward - pointing towards the group of Padawan captives. She yelled out in their native tongue, gathering the attention of the men and women who started to investigate the strange occurrences with the tent. Though none of the Padawans would understand it, the Elder loudly accused the Padawans of being outsiders and angering the native spirits of Eiram - bringing down some haunting upon the camp.

Where they had only been discussing what to do before, it was clear now that the warriors were agitated, gripping the hilts of their weapons and shouting - spears and bows pointed in their direction. The only one who didn’t, however, was Swordmaiden - who seemed to argue back against the Elder and the accusations that the group of Padawans brought evil spirits with them.

Before long, the entire group seemed to be caught up in the argument.

@Sreeya @Alhon @Zay

Roll: 2/20 to distract the tribe..

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Leon opened himself to the force, during their forced march. If there was a way out of this situation it would be through the force. In uncharacteristic fashion he played it cool. He helped cover Ezra’s trail of wipes by faking a sneeze as the package hit the ground.

Leon frowned as Ez started talking. Two Blades approached, and something weird happened. She moved to jam the hilt of her weapon into Ez, but from Leon’s perspective he could only see the bigger dude react. There was a small ripple in the force. Like a drop of water landing in a pool. Leon’s open connection to the force sent a cold chill down his spine. The exact opposite sensation he got when he felt the light. Confusion colored his frown, but before he could dwell on it further, it was past. Two Blades was back in her position and they were moving again.

The remainder of the march was relatively mundane. The camp they arrived at was pretty much what Leon expected. Three scouts had been sent to investigate their arrival and now they were back with the rest of the three’s crew. An older woman, who was clearly in charge, eyed them with conspiratorial suspicion. Leon watched he mouth something to a burly warrior with a two hand sword nearly as long as he was tall. The big dude grunted and began to trot off away from them.

Ferrin’s attempt to distract them pissed them off, and Leon used the failed distraction to swat a torch to the ground. The burning wick licked the dried and trampled grass. He spotted another and did the same. Pointed edges were drawing near, regardless of Two Blades protestations. The older woman dismissed her with a jut of her chin.

Just behind where the two woman stood was a cookfire. A pot was being warmed. Leon focused on the coals in the fire. He took a deep breath and then let it out. The fire popped and crackled, the pot shivered then began to rise. Once it was about two meters in the air he released his hold and left the pot crash down onto the fire sending a shower of embers cascading across any nearby.

That’s when everything devolved into chaos.

11/20
@Alhon @Altaris @Sreeya

 

[Dash Pavan]

Dash made his way across the swamps surprisingly quickly, jumping lightly across the channels of dirty water and padding softly across solid ground. Blue eyes scanned his surroundings and he reached out continuously with the Force, a freshness and anxious desire to find his friends fuelling his senses.

If the natives were nearby they kept out of sight. No crossbow bolts came his way and there was no sign of people or habitation. He remained on the alert regardless, no longer naïve enough to think danger would not come his way. He had told the pilot droid to keep the shuttle locked and take off and circle back at the first sign of trouble.

He picked up his pace when he came across a wide channel in the earth, following it over a ridge to find the wreckage of a Jedi ship smouldering and sinking. It was their ship alright.

Dash scurried close, trying to glimpse inside even as the craft sank into the mud. He felt a chaotic mix of emotions; elation at being a step closer to his friends, but fear at what might have befallen them. He was not prepared to even think about the worst.

The ship had a hole blown in its side, plenty wide enough for the group to have escaped. That was good. He forced himself to do a rather morbid survey of the banks and the swamp water, but there was no sign of any of the three anywhere. Pausing to consider which way to go next, he cocked his head at a curious echo in the trees.

The Rhinnalian crept towards the treeline, one hand on his hilt and the other already weaving the Force. He did not want to find himself in a fight here, but he was ready for anything, sensing the moist air would respond well to his particular brand of magic.

Slipping between the trees, he realised the echo was not an echo at all, but a mechanical voice sounding in repeat.

"Please desist. Please desist".

A pilot droid not unlike his own was squatting in the shallows between two enormous tree roots. It was kicking out feebly at a saber cat clawing at its frame, its spindly mechanised leg doing little to keep the creature at bay. It had to be the droid from the Padawans' ship.

Dash stepped out into the shadows, calling the Force and loosing a firm push in the saber cat's direction. The beast was knocked into the bank and rounded on him, sniffing warily. He held his stance and pushed again, a little stronger. The cat bristled and snapped at him, before turning tail and fleeing into the woods.

"Knight Pavan, thank you for dealing with hostile" the droid chimed. "This unit is pilot droid Charlie. Have you brought rescue?"

"I am the rescue" Dash replied, wading through the shallows but freezing when he saw the multitude of Jedi weapons on Charlie's back. "Where are my friends?"

Rolled 15/20 for saber cat defeat

@Sreeya @Altaris @Zay

 

[Ezra Thorne]

It wasn’t until it was too late that Ezra realized he should have spelled out his plans to his dipshit friends. He had planted the perfect seeds for a slow escape, but all of that went out the window when Ferrin decided to turn things into a scene from Abnormal Activity 4. Ezra’s face remained impassive, though he was fuming on the inside. He turned to look at Leon, preparing to warn him. But he also made things worse by setting a small fire. Both of them revealed their Force tricks.

Two Swords gasped and turned to look at Ezra, a betrayed expression on her face. He feigned a surprised expression, but he knew the jig was up.

“SHAITAAAAN!” The old woman screeched, pointing a spear at the trio. By now Ezra had wiggled out of his binds. Some of the warriors from the main camp arrived, their enemies suddenly tripling in numbers. Ezra raised his palms and unleashed a powerful Force push, a move far beyond the capabilities of a padawan, to send a huge group flying back.

“Run!” He hissed to his idiot companions as he sprang to his feet and bolted. He didn’t care about directions, rushing deeper into the jungle. The tribal warriors gave chase. The padawans were forced to navigate through terrain they had idea about. Ezra leapt over a low log, almost tripping a few times. Flowers and plants got caught on his ears and hair, but he didn’t care, his heart was pounding. He didn’t dare glance over his shoulder, a spear whizzing by an inch from his ear and embedding into a tree.

@Zay @Alhon @Altaris

 

[Ferrin Sipal]

Whatever his intentions of being subtle, Ferrin immediately knew that his plan had horribly and spectacularly failed. The Pantoran squirmed a bit as spears and weapons were pointed in their direction. In truth, he was expecting Leon to deescalate the situation - maybe bust out a sexy dance move to distract the tribal elder.

Instead, he watched as Leon started flinging embers wildly - setting fire to the camp, and thus making the suspicion of them being wizards/attracting bad spirits all the worse.

Even with his bindings, Ferrin wasprepared to get up and bolt when Ezra unleashed that blast of the Force. Not one to waste time, he immediately sprang to his feet - starting to sprint towards the jungle. He only paused upon spotting Ezra’s heavy and ridiculously oversized bag - eyes narrowing at once. Ferrin was prepared to leave the damn thing, and promptly remembered that it likely contained all of their food, medical supplies and spare underwear. Glaring, he briefly veered to the left to snag the heavy bag - just narrowly dodging a thrown spear that grazed his arm.

“WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS,” Ferrin hissed telepathically upon picking up the bag. Of course, his hands were bound behind his back, which meant having to effectively haul the shit behind him awkwardly while following Leon and Ezra. He didn’t dare look back or slow down - already trailing the other two by a few paces. He leapt over a few bulging roots and narrowly avoided colliding with a low-hanging branch square on the forehead. There was dirt and leaves in his now-frizzy hair, he smelt like swamp water, and he definitely swallowed a bug along the way.

But somehow they managed to maneuver just a hair faster than the tribe.

Through the murk and vegetation, all three of them would be able to vaguely make out the frame of a structure in the distance - kept hidden by the trees and natural landscape. What looked like a spire rose up above the trees, while an arched entrance leapt deeper into whatever.. Cavern or structure it was. There was no telling what was inside, but all those present would hear the tribe members screaming and yelling louder as they got closer.

—​

Meanwhile, Dash would be privy to none of it. Instead, Charlie the Pilot Droid turned to Dash and lifted his arms. “This unit is pleased to see you, Knight Pavan. You have its gratitude for bringing rescue.” Charlie stared blankly back at Dash. “This unit was instructed to stay hidden and momentarily store weapons for Padawan’s Thorne, Baudelaire and Sipal. They were taken by natives deeper into the jungle, heading due—“

“YAOOOOOOO!”

A scream tore through the jungle, followed by a primitive axe being hurled through the trees. It was enough to remove Charlie’s head from the rest of his body, photoreceptors snapping around wildly as his head fell into the muck. “Oh dear.” He said into the dirt, while the lower three-forths of his body slumped over. The attack was quickly followed by one of the female tribal warriors leaping from a tree - two blades in hand. She’d already seen the others escape, and had just located another one of their kind. Without much hesitation, she rushed right towards Dash.

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

The scream that ripped from the older woman’s voice was full of furious prejudice as she sicced her tribe on them. Leon couldn’t help but notice the confusion and hurt on Two Blade’s face. He glanced at Ezra and saw his attempt at feigned surprise, what had he done to her? Unfortunately, Leon didn’t have time to contemplate the scene as the enraged warriors pressed in on them. Ezra’s force blast knocked a hole into the incoming and Leon sprag to his feet. His hands were still tied in front of him and he looked around for a way to get them off.

Luckily, the force provided a way out in the form of Scruff Mcgruff, the grizzled dude from earlier. While Ferrin was busy gathering the bag with all their underwear, Leon faced off against the beefy warrior. Baudelaire’s mischievous little smirk sent the guy into a rage, the spear in his hand shot forward, once, then twice, finally as it came in for the final time, Leon threw his hands into the blades path. The crude weapon sliced through the rope with surprising ease and Leon fired off a half cocked force push, knocking the guy on his ass and giving him the chance to get the hell out of there.

His luck wouldn’t hold out entirely unfortunately, as he furiously pumped his arms and legs for freedom he felt something bite deeply into the fleshiest part… of his ass.

“Why!” he asked the universe in general, as the wound in his posterior peaked his adrenal response and sent him galloping in the direction of his friends. For force sake, he was never going to hear the end of this.

The surrounding swamp was a nightmare to traverse, but no worse than the never ending storm that had covered Ellora, so there was that. Leon needed to get the arrow out of his ass. As they ran he could feel the initial adrenaline dump of combat subsiding and the very real pain in his ass switch places.

In the distance he could just make out the visage of a spire. Echos in the force slammed into him. Pain, confusion, anger, and loss, slammed into his consciousness as he struggled to keep up with Ezra and Ferrin. Leon was forced to close himself off to the force until he could process the lingering emotions haunting their vicinity.

A spear slammed into a tree to his right and Leon swore with the proficiency of a Adumari dock worker, he vaulted a log and winced as he landed poorly on his wounded leg, managing to stay upright through sheer tenacity alone.

“Straight ahead, ominous spire thing! Maybe we can find cover!”

He didn’t have time to convey his religious experience with what very well might have been the dead, but he was sure Ferrin and Ezra would be able to feel the pressure of the lost. Somehow Leon wound up in the front, bursting from the foliage like a stampeding Eopie. He moved as quickly as he could, practically diving into the open archway and taking cover behind the wall, pulling the force to him in desperation, preparing to defend from the incoming horde.


@Alhon @Altaris @Sreeya

 

[Dash Pavan]

Dash began to smile as Charlie explained. He had been told to hide, by Ezra, Leon and Ferrin. They were alive! He actually felt his eyes water, pent up anxiety and fear receding. The droid could not possibly understand how much it meant to Dash to hear the news, or why he hastily wiped at his eye with his sleeve.

The taken by natives part was less encouraging and his frown was back, urging Charlie on to tell him the rest quickly. The sudden scream made him whirl, in time to feel the axe fly past his head and hear it slam into the droid. He saw Charlie go down, heard his final faltering words, but he was already turning to face the threat.

The woman who leapt from the tree looked armed to the teeth, though what she had against Dash he had no idea. She came at him fast, a long blade glinting in each hand. But the scream and the axe had given him warning and she had underestimated her foe.

Dash's wrist flicked, arm thrusting forward and hand splayed as if throwing a bowling ball. Ice raced across the patch of ground between them, the moist air and muddy pools freezing as one into a smooth surface. The warrior's green eyes went wide and she lost her footing, sliding and skittering before falling on her backside. He reached out as she slipped beneath him grabbing one wrist and pressing his foot on the other.

"Stop, please!" Dash said, hoping to persuade her he meant no harm. "I don't want to fight you".

"Yao!" she hissed back, straining against his hold. Her eyes went to the conjured ice already steaming on the ground, a sudden look of terror falling over her face.

"I won't hurt you" he said, trying to speak slower and in a gentle tone. Maybe the woman did not understand Basic. He had purposely tried to trip her up rather than do her any lasting damage, but she could not have looked more terrified if he had pulled out a cleaver.

Suddenly, she brought a knee up hard. Pinning her down as he was, Dash had nowhere to go and her knee slammed into his chest. The flight suit barely cushioned the blow and he was knocked back, winded, his old Berchest injury groaning. He lost his grip on her wrists and staggered back, drawing his saber instinctively.

But she was up and gone, running into the trees like her life depended on it. What was she so frightened of?

Distant shouts and cries echoed deeper in the forest. The roving raucous of a hunt. Dash knew his friends were out there somewhere.

He bent down and quickly gathered up Charlie's pack. The pilot droid was lost to them, his head completely severed from his body, and failing to save him weighed more heavily on Dash than it should. He turned away, trying to tell himself it did not matter and hurried into the trees.

@Sreeya @Altaris @Zay

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra was completely out of breath. Despite his father constantly reminding him that his cardio was abysmal, he continued to neglect that part of training. He still had the endurance of a chainsmoking grandma, and this was a struggle. It was a wonder he didn’t collapse and get trampled by the warriors.

He followed Leon, but not before hitting his forehead against the entrance meant for much shorter people. Groaning and rubbing the redness on his head, he ducked inside. He also called the Force to himself, preparing to defend. He exhaled in relief, “Okay, they’re not following…” He said in between panting breaths. Ezra stared at them,"This reminds me of the Salooni," The entire horde was menacingly shaking their spears and stamping their feet, but they refused to come any closer, “...Why aren’t they following?” Ezra asked, almost dreading the question. He should thank his stars, but something felt very uncomfortable.

He looked over to say something to Leon when he finally noticed the arrow in his ass, “Seriously?” He asked, exasperated. He should have been surprised, but he honestly wasn’t. Ezra looked at Ferrin, “Can we pull it out? Will he bleed to death or get tetanus?” He asked matter-of-factly, before looking back at the angry warriors that still weirdly kept their distance. Two Swords was practically in tears, wildly gesturing for him to go towards her. All of this only made Ezra more uneasy…

@Zay @Altaris @Alhon

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Once in the cave the only thing Leon could think about was the stinging burning pain in his ass. “Shit, fuck, someone get this thing out of me. Owowowowowowow!”

He hobbled around finally managing to ease himself onto his knees. He kept trying to look at it, but everytime he’d turn to look the arrow would drift out of view, “Dammit!” he hissed. “C’mon, someone pull it out, I can close the wound.”

Ezra mentioned the Sashimi warriors and Leon chuckled, “We’re like angry mob magnets.”

Then Ezra commented with that little exasperated tone, “Yes, seriously! GET. IT. OUT.”

By the stars this was gonna hurt. Baudelaire assumed the position and waited for someone to pull the arrow out of his ass. This wouldn’t have happened if Dash was here. An ice wall would have been perfect back there. He sighed, bitching wasn’t going to help. He just needed to be better. He couldn’t screw up like he had on Berchest. Alton Vari’s lightsaber glimmered in the dim light of the cave a stark reminder of his mistake.

Leon frowned, the ground under his palms trembled slightly...

“Hey, you guys feel that?” he asked.

@Sreeya @Alhon @Altaris

 

[Ferrin Sipal]

By the time they reached the mysterious spire, Ferrin was gasping to catch his breath - sweat pouring from his brow. Even with Padawan training and rigorous cardio routine, sprinting several miles in muggy weather was the Pantoran’s own definition of hell. He made a promise to himself to spend the next week on some frigid planet to make up for it - but for the moment, was entirely focused on his surroundings. He skidded to a halt once they reached the inside of the spire, glancing over his shoulder. Like the others, he clearly noticed that the warriors didn’t want to follow them inside. Rather than process why at that moment,

Ferrin flashed a smug grin, and proceeded to make a juvenile gesture at the group.

The Pantoran only had a moment or two to process his ‘victory’ before his attention was drawn to the latest pain in their ass. Or well, Leon’s specifically. “Oh for fuck sake..” He projected, glancing around to look at the arrow poking out of the fellow Padawan’s rear. He stared for a moment, watching as Leon assumed the position and Ezra proceeded to ask him questions about bleeding to death and tetanus.

“Okay, okay, just relax..” The Pantoran projected to both of them, exhaling a breath through his nostrils. Since Ezra didn’t exactly volunteer to do the dirty work, Ferrin crouched down behind Leon - inspecting the entry wound. He glanced up when Leon once again reiterated to pull it out. There was definitely a joke to be made, but for the moment the Pantoran resisted the urge - instead grimacing down at the wound. “It’s a bodkin tip.. I can pull it straight out, but it’s going to hurt like a bitch.” He glanced up. “Bite down on something or hit Ezra.” He advised.

He gripped the shaft of the arrow closest to where it penetrated the flesh, exhaling a single breath. “Alright, on three.” Ferrin warned, waiting until Leon nodded in acknowledgement before he began. “One.. Two..” He didn’t wait to get to three, and promptly pulled the arrow free from the Padawan’s rear - keeping it as straight as possible. The projectile was covered in blood, and the wound immediately began gushing now that the arrow was free. Without giving it much thought, Ferrin placed both hands against the injury - closing his eyes for a moment. “Don’t move!” He projected through the Force, already knowing the Padawan would be squirming in pain after having the arrow removed.

Ferrin opened himself up to the Force - reaching out into the current of energy that surged all around them and connected all life. It flowed through the Pantoran, building in strength and channeling through his palms. For a few moments, there would only be the somewhat awkward image of the Pantoran applying pressure to Leon’s rear. Slowly but surely, however, a golden glow began to illuminate from within the center of his palms - glowing between his fingers and against the injury. Leon would be able to feel a warm, comfortable sensation as the pain began to fade. The Force worked to speed up the natural process of healing, flowing into his cells and helping to clot the blood that flowed.

It only lasted a moment or two before Ferrin’s hands began to tremble - that same glow dimming until it was completely gone. By the time the Pantoran sat back, the arrow wound was only partially healed - closed enough to ensure he wasn’t about to bleed out. “I’m pretty sure Pary Moppin’s over here had disinfectant patches in his bag..” He said through the Force. Ferrin couldn’t believe that his rudimentary attempt at healing actually worked, and immediate felt the pangs of exhaustion that washed over him as a result. He braced against the ground behind them, breathing heavily.

Which, unfortunately, none of them had. Within moments, all of them would start to get a feeling of why the tribe wasn’t willing to enter the spire. Creaking and bangs echoed through the metallic hallways that stretched into the darkness, with strange vines and flora that had started to overtake the interior of the structure. A series of horrible clicking, followed by a scream from somewhere further inside, was cause to make the tribe outside back up several meters from the entrance, shouting and screaming in a foreign language.

The trembling on the ground only got louder.

They would see nothing down any of the many hallways or turns, indicating which direction to go. What they might notice, however, was the faded symbol that was painted against one of the spire walls.

@Sreeya @Alhon @Zay

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra stared at Leon as he frantically complained about someone yanking the arrow out. The part Sephi began to dig through his bag, taking out and neatly placing medical supplies in a row. He was just in the process of pulling out a pair of tweezers when Ferrin went to do it himself. At the suggestion of punching Ezra, the tall Jedi gave Leon a severe look that loudly challenged ‘boy I wish you would’.

As Ferrin yanked the arrow out, Ezra slapped Leon in the face. The shock and abruptness of the slap would likely startle Leon enough to distract from the serious pain in his rear. While the others were panicking and Leon was likely in tears, Ezra gathered up the supplies he laid out, handing things for Ferrin to apply on his ass. He handed over antiseptics, bandages and bacta patches to quickly treat the wound, “Be sure to pack his ass, Dur,” He said to the Pantoran, his delivery as dry as always.

Ezra didn’t miss Ferrin’s success with healing. It was a trick that Ezra simply couldn’t perform well, and it was always a sore spot for him. His Master specialized in it, and he always had a blocker whenever he attempted. Everything he read suggested that only a lingering darkness could prevent a Jedi from becoming proficient at healing. It was a thought he tried to ignore, though it came up now and then when he used the Force.

The Samosa warriors were still standing far in the distance, waving their weapons around. Two Swords was held back by one of her comrades as she tried to get to Ezra. The part Sephi was in the process of packing his things when he heard the rumble. He heard it before the others, his head whipping around.

The vines and floras streaked across and completely blocked the entrance. The noise loomed all around them and it was impossible to pinpoint direction. Ezra felt a sense of doom, a chill down his spine. He gestured for the others to be quiet, especially Leon who was likely sobbing. Ezra saw the symbol, but didn’t recognize it.

There was something dark here, something evil. However, it was difficult to tell whether it was a manifestation of the Force. It felt almost otherworldly and ancient and Ezra didn’t recognize it. They were thrown into pitch darkness and there was no way to see anything. He could barely make out faint outlines and he had to rely almost entirely on his hearing. Ezra reached back and grasped Ferrin by the wrist.

Stick together, He communicated to them one by one through the Force, navigating through the dark. The clicking sound was coming from a particular direction, and he slowly tried to lead the others the opposite way. Every now and then, there was a high pitched shriek from the creature and scurrying and scratching.

They were being hunted.

@Zay @Alhon @Altaris