The Chase Sequence

[Jon Atreides]

Unpronounceable Wookiee Village, Kashyyyk.​

Jon had barely a moment to react before the slavers were all around them, things happening too quickly for him to get a accurate count on how many there were. All that really mattered was that there were enough to cause some serious damage to the Wookiees. Thankfully the Jedi were here.

But even as the Jedi sprang into action Jon could see some slavers, big old Trandoshans now that he could see them up close, flying off with children tied onto the backs of their speeder bikes. He was about to run when one of the slavers came charging at him, blocking his way.

Knowing that every second mattered, he pushed the slaver away and spotting Venatus nearby, shouting at him while pointing towards the fleeing slavers. "Venatus! Take Aliyah and Marion, save those children. We'll handle this bunch here!"

Six slavers had flown off, with six children. But Jon was sure his friends were more than up to the task of stopping them. This would not end well for the Trandoshans.

@Aurius Pheonix @Autumn's Firefly @TheMorrigan
OOC: Please use dice rolls for opposition.

 

[Venatus Phoenix]

How could it be that Venatus had no forewarning of the impending attack concerned him to no end. Perhaps his scout had died on its way to find the slavers, or maybe their cold-blooded nature made it more difficult for the Vahla Jedi to sense their presence, as he most often relied on heat signatures and heartbeats when dealing with non-force sensitives. His thought process was interrupted as he heard Jon cry over the ensuing chaos towards him, biding him take him and his and reclaim captive children. Six, each taken by what seemed to be elderly trandoshans on speeders, began to power and fly away with them. Venatus' heart immediately began to boil, they had thought to take children as slaves, a crime punishable by death even on his unjust homeworld. They would burn for that. Jutting his hand out to point at the trandoshan farthest behind from his group.

"MARION! BRING HIM DOWN!!"

They needed a speeder to catch them, and that's exactly what Venatus intended to collect. He nodded to Aliyah and engulfed himself completely in the living Force, allowing it to speed up his movements and slow down his surroundings visually. To his fellow Jedi he would appear to be riding a steed of pure fire, jetting forward at alarmingly high speeds. Part of him was tempted to release the woodland's natural defenses; the creatures that resided in the trees, dirt, and air. He was unique in that he chose to use the force through the filter of the four elements. Though he was almost incapable of using telecryosis or manipulating the element of water, he found that the earth and fire were both elements that naturally called to him. Though he was much more skilled as a pyromancer, he had learned many of the druidan ways from scholars and texts he encountered, both on and off Vahla. Though this was not a great time to be testing new techniques.

His current intention was to have Marion kill her target with her crossbow, allowing him and Aliyah to catch up using to it using the Force. Marion would then find her way to them, or wait as they swung back around and took an alternative course to intercept the slavers before they reached their destination. He silently cursed to himself for not thinking to bring a device with which to travel at high speeds, but he had always preferred living creatures over technology. As he approached the speeder that trailed behind, he prepared to spring forward and land on the front of the thing, before spinning off to the side and kicking the pilot from his chair. If he succeeded, he would wrap the young wookie behind him in his cloak, gently whispering that all would be alright. He couldn't just leave the kid with an ambush and battle behind him - he would need to take care of the children while fighting his foes.

 

[Marion Espaa]

It went from calm, peaceful meeting to full out action in a matter of seconds. Marion could hear the whirring of engine, priming of blasters, lightsaber activations... the sounds of all out warfare. Exactly what Aliyah had said to avoid, but it wasn't as though they had much choice; somehow, the slavers had caught them while they were still in the planning process. They were only saved by Tarfful's timely warning, which gave Jon enough time to realize what was going on and muster Marion and her newfound allies to battle. She could see the rest of the assembled Jedi surge forward to defend the village as Jon instructed she, Venatus and Aliyah to stop a group of slavers who fled at top speeds aboard a series of speeders. Cursing under her breath, Marion immediately leveled her crossbow, dropping to one knee to ensure her aim was true. Of course, the Vahla waited absolutely no time, immediately surging forward on his wave of fire, instructing her to take down the one he sought after.

Her aim rested directly on the back of the Trandoshan's scaly head, intent on striking true and killing the being instantly. Like her companions, she viewed slavers with an immense disdain. But children were innocent, they could not defend themselves, and that made the situation all the more pressing. She held no love or mercy in her heart for these reptilian scum, and would not bother to hesitate taking a lethal shot. Especially with Venatus attempting to jump aboard the speeder, if her aim was off the bolt might hit him instead. Careful to keep her aim true, she loosed the bolt and rose to her feet once more, jogging forward as she placed another bolt and cocked her weapon once more. Looking to the left and raising her eyebrow at the speeder that hovered just a few centimeters from were Venatus had been standing. He probably didn't notice the thing, or was too concentrated on saving the children to care, neither was a bad situation. Climbing on the bike, she started the engine and banked it around low, slowing the accelerator to allow Aliyah time to jump aboard.

"Aliyah! Come on!"

@Autumn's Firefly @Aurius Pheonix ​

 

[Aliyah Phoenix]

Trandoshans. I hate Trandoshans. Bloody slaver scum...

Aliyah meant it, which was the worst part. Their kind was notorious for abusing the slaves they bought, something she had seen happen to people she'd called friend firsthand. The rest of the slavers began to barrel into the village, and she watched with a gentle pang of worry as her friends ignited their sabers and moved forward to defend the town. She went to do the same but turned to see Jon cry out to Venatus to point to a gaggle of masses on speeder take off into the dense forest. She could just barely make out the outline of children, no older than ten or twelve, strapped to the back of the slavers. This fight was very personal to her and made even more personal when they had the nerve to snatch up a batch of wookie children and take off into the forest like a bunch of sniveling cowards. Aliyah couldn't help but wonder if their DNA was similar to that of a snake's, it would certainly explain their actions.

Venatus was gone, immediately bursting into action and shooting across the forest at high speeds on his trademark fire. Aliyah could make out a roar from him, but what he said was lost in the throng of battle as Aliyah activated her blue lightsaber and watched Marion drop to her knee and fire at the speeder closest to them, just as Venatus lept off his steed and hurled through the air downwards and on top of the speeder. A call from Marion broke her reverie, she turned to see the girl hovering on a speeder of her own. She asked Aliyah to hop on, and the Twi'lek didn't argue, ready to catch those fools and end this. The sooner they rescued the children, the sooner they could defeat the slavers and make sure they never came back. No matter how she had to do it, she swore to herself they wouldn't hurt this village again.

 

[Venatus Phoenix]

How As Venatus raced across the dense woodlands, over fallen logs and beneath branches in his bid to reach one of the Trandoshan's aboard their speeders, he heard the whir of yet another behind him. For a moment, he thought he had been lulled into an ambush and almost thought to turn around, but his peripheral vision told him that this was no new enemy; Marion and Aliyah had commandeered a speeder and shot after him at top speeds. Perfect, if he didn't succeed he could simply hop aboard with them and continue the chase. Leaping into the air off of his fiery steed, he landed on the very front of the speeder. Lifting his body up using his arms, he swung both legs across like a battering ram to swipe the slaver off the speeder and into the underbrush below. As he did so, Marion's bolt struck the creature in the forehead, killing him instantly. The move would also swing him directly into the pilot's chair, allowing him to take control of the speeder and pull it into a sideways glide to allow a better angle on his enemies.

"You're alright little buddy, hold on and stay behind my back!"

"Aarrragghuuhw uuh!!!"

He could see them clearly now, five grizzled trandoshan mercenaries with little wooks strapped to their backs, as though to be used as shields. The thought annoyed him, and perhaps it even went as far as too unbalance him as he felt the speeder began to buck and almost drift out of control, increasing rapidly in speed. He could feel the internal mechanisms of the device beginning to overheat, and placed his palm on the dash of the speeder, focusing on the heat and energy and drawing it into himself instead. He managed to avoid the speeder overheating, but the burst of speed had sent him directly into the middle of all five of his opponents, who glanced towards him as though they couldn't believe he was right beside them. Cocking his head sideways and delivering a mock salute to the leader, he used the heat and energy he had just stored and released it into his speeder. It would cause the lead trandoshan's speeder to stall and careen out of control. He would have to either fix it while moving or stop an attempt to repair the swoop - the latter was the Vahla Jedi's preferred outcome, though he could work with either.

 

[Marion Espaa]

Marion pressed her foot down against the pedals of the speeder as hard as she could while she watched Venatus buck the]trandoshan off the speeder as her bolt struck his neck, causing a series of violent bloody coughs before his body was thrown into a tree and remained deathly still. Continuing to bank around a tree and underneath yet another broken trunk, careful to angle the speeder so as not to hit her or Aliyah's head. She watched Venatus wrap a young[/CENTER]
wook behind him and gently calm the child, only to see one of the trandoshans, with distinctive orange warpaint, turn and draw a makeshift blaster. It twisted in its seat and turned to take aim and Venatus and the party. The assembled trandoshans all began following suit, not willing to just allow their pursuers to give chase freely. Blaster bolts began arcing towards her as she pulled the device into a low bank away from the incoming fire. Turning to Aliyah, who was currently riding on the back of the seat, let go of the controls and began to grab her crossbow.

"Take the controls! They'll incinerate him if I don't fire back!"

Rapidly cranking the rope back into its nocking position and struggling to place a bolt back into the crossbow as Aliyah (hopefully) took control of the speeder and send them speeding towards their opponents. She needed to be closer to get a clear shot, something Marion didn't bother to scream out - she could use the Force to guide the bolts to their target. Placing two more on the belt that fed into the nocking chamber, Marion raised the weapon expertly and fire one directly for Orange War-Paint. Reaching out through the Force, she found the aim of her bolt flying true against the oncoming winds and began to push and guide it forward with the Force. Increasing it's speed and torque passively as she continued to guide it directly forward, intent on hitting the Trandoshan's gun out of his hand. If they killed him while the child was still aboard, the resulting crash could injure if not kill the young wookie. That was a possibility that Marion - a cold-hearted warrior by most standards - would not dare risk.
@Autumn's Firefly @Aurius Pheonix

 

[Aliyah Phoenix]

Venatus was back at it again with his high-flying antics, jumping from his own force apparition onto the enemy's speeder before booting the Trandoshan off entirely. Marion's bolt struck the Trandoshan dead on even before he was thrown from his vehicle, so Aliyah didn't bother to wince for him when the body struck a nearby tree hard. She could hear the crunches, they weren't at all satisfying. Rather, they were absolutely unsettling to her, temporarily distracting her as Marion pulled their speeder closer to Venatus'. Marion began to notice the trandoshan's pulling out blasters and banked away as Aliyah brought her lightsaber forward to deflect. Most of the shots missed them as they flew by, but two stray bolts would have hit their mark had her saber not swatted them out of the way. Turning over as movement startled her, Marion was cocking her crossbow and trying to crawl behind her. Grabbing the speeder controls nervously and deactivating her lightsaber, Aliyah slid into the pilot's chair and kicked the pedal as far down as she could, sending the speeder sailing over a nearby hill and between two trees.

"Don't miss!"

She pulled into another bend as the Trandoshans began to speed up in an effort to leave the Jedi in the dust. Venatus wasn't letting up on the chase and neither was she, banking closer and closer to one of the slavers, passing her father in the process. As Marion continued to fire bolt after bolt to deal with their enemies, Aliyah smashed their speeder into her opponents, trying to knock them off. The trandoshan drew a holdout blaster and tried to fire two bolts into her chest, but her blue lightsaber sprung up in the way to deflect the two, trying to modify the angle of the blade to send the plasma back into the slaver's chest. If she succeeded, she would reach out with the Force and grab the wookie child, bringing it over to their speeder and safety.

 

[Venatus Phoenix]

Every trandoshan in the group began to draw blasters as their leader began to swerve and lose control of his vehicle. A few of them began to fire backward on Marion and Aliyah, who had begun to catch up with the group. Venatus could hear the sound of a crossbow bolt firing in response behind him as the speeder zipped out of the way of oncoming fire, leaving only him and the child wookie in their midsts. Blaster barrels began to turn on him as energy jolted forward, but from the skies above his newfound ally protected him. The Kroyie had returned, squawking in anger at the slavers who would hurt the Jedi. It's massive wings outstretched and unleashed a gentle gust of wind that distracted the slavers and caused them to open fire on the avian creature. Roaring at it to flee, Venatus once again leaped from his speeder, simultaneously carrying the wookie child with him.

Landing on the leader's speeder as he set the engine right, the trandoshan would turn and find a white saber sparking through his skull, before being thrown from the bike and at yet another slaver nearby. Now, he had two children aboard to worry about - and a speeder he himself had damaged. Deflecting another blast with his outstretched weapon, he could hear the speeders increasing in speed. Suddenly, Aliyah and Marion burst through a barrier between two trees, with his adoptive daughter now at the controls. Aliyah sent her speeder smashing into one of the slavers who had tried to attack Ven from behind and immediately engaged him. Marion, red hair flowing in the breeze, fired her bolts with outstanding precision. This chase was nearing its end already, and it had only just begun. What the slavers had been thinking was beyond Venatus, none of them was a match for Jedi. The slavers seemed to realize this and punched the controls as hard as they could, dropping as much off their speeders as possible and leaving a trail of debris to navigate. One even threw a wookie child, but Venatus had been right behind the scum, the kid wasn't harmed whatsoever.

He was severely running out of room, however. Banking closer to his allies, close enough for the young to hop between them.

"Marion! Get them aboard and collect the rest of the children. I'll take the runner."

 

[Marion Espaa]

The bolt struck true and the trandoshan was disarmed as Aliyah smashed their speeder into the side of his, attempting and succeeding at throwing the slaver mercilessly from his bike and into the dense underbrush below. They had two wookies now, even as children they possessed a decent size and neither speeder could hold three of them and one grown adult, let alone two. Marion realized they were running out of options if they kept destroying the speeders, and decided to leap off and land on the speeder Aliyah had attacked. Now, they both had vehicles, and Marion could take the children with her, freeing Aliyah to do what the Jedi did best; eliminating enemy targets. If she could get the children out and returned to the village safely, or maybe even some nook in the woods nearby, she could return and actually fight without abandon. Marion doubted she would get the opportunity, all in all, the slavers had proved less than stellar in their attempts to abduct. Nonetheless, she was surprised when they started to throw everything that wasn't tied down to their speeders over the side in a ditch attempt to escape justice.

Only two trandoshans remained, and the varite battle maiden wanted nothing more than to charge full throttle and take them both down. Until Venatus pulled his speeder up alongside hers, dangerously close to the side of her vehicle, before shouting at her to take the children. It seems she was not the only one who had realized their present situation was growing increasingly risky.

"Oh, I see, I watch the kids now? Ven... be careful."

She gently reached out and grabbed one wook, then another, and finally the third until her speeder was almost overwhelmed by the weight. She wanted to fight, to do something more useful than just hover around, but she recognized that off them all Venatus was the most skilled in combat. If anyone of them could catch up to those runners and take them down, it was he and Aliyah, something Marion knew well. Her own Jedi training had only just begun, she was not yet a fully trained Knight of the Order, but this pair was. Besides, the slavers had come expecting to find easy to capture targets, and knight of the Jedi Order. She could find no reason not to give them exactly what they came for.