Open The Master Plan: Part I

[Jade Hart]

A figure in blue kneels in the black mud of Onderon. At the edge of a city. Vehicles and pedestrians pass in the distance. Some may see her and some may not. The beeps and bonks mix with the oohs and aahs of the parrots and monkey-carnations beyond the walls. She looks over her left shoulder. She looks over her right shoulder. Her sea blue robe flutters like a butterfly. A hood covers her face. Tiny bells jingle from the sleeves. Slowly, steadily, Jade Hart the Jedi Exile reaches into her pocket and retrieves a grimy mason jar. An artifact so antique it could have been recovered from the hoardings of a crazy cat lady.

"Master, watch closely."

Jade shakes the jar. A little green seed rattles around. She retrieves a shiny aluminum spade and plunges it into the soil. She digs and she digs. 2 inches. 3 inches. 4 inches deep of red-brown dirt.

"Soon, our goal shall be achieved," she says to no one as if to everyone.

She takes the seed out of the jar and puts it in the hole and covers it with dirt and pours some water on it from a plastic bottle. She pats it, rubs it, purrs to the buried seed in the ground. Stands up. Tugs at her collar bone. Fingernails bruising skin. Her scarfed neck itches.

"The power of the force. They can't keep it from me forever. You are mine and mine alone."

Thunder cracks. Lightning strikes. The sky is silver.

 

[Zerath Eblon]

Although not an official member of the Justicars, Zerath took the wellbeing of the Jedi Order seriously. Like the Justicars, Zerath took on counseling and similar support roles at the temple on Yavin IV; helping mentor and guide other Jedi through the challenges of life in the Order. But his work didn't end with the Jedi on Yavin IV; Zerath also tried to keep tabs on those who were no longer in the Jedi Order.

The normally easygoing Miralukan pulled his outer robe closer around his frame as thunder rumbled in the distance. He'd come to Onderon in search of one of the more well-documented ex-Jedi, a former padawan by the name of Jade Hart. Hart had been at the center of a very public scandal, and her inability- or unwillingness- to take responsibility for her actions had led her to be stripped of the Force by the Council; an extreme measure that Zerath wasn't sure he agreed with. Now, she was on Onderon, kneeling on the ground in the middle of a thunderstorm.

The whipping of the wind made it impossible to fully make out the ex-Jedi's words as Zerath strode closer. Banishing a sudden surge of apprehension that suddenly welled up inside his chest, the Jedi Knight called out to Jade. "Jade! My name is Zerath. You may remember me from Yavin IV? I mean you no harm" he said, holding up his hands to show that he carried no weapons in them.

@Taygood

 

[Jade Hart]

Thunder boomed and lightning lit the sky. A light rain began to fall. Soft and fat drops. The ground slick and slimy. Small puddles. The girl looked up. Her eyes were red and glaring. Her sea blue robe billowing. Brown hair flipped around. Her face, clenched and strained, blood vessels throbbing, all-nighter-pot-smoking-fanatical-zealot look. She yanked on her scarf but on her neck the scarf stayed. Thrusting out her other hand in a five-fingered STOP sign revealed a fingernail oozing with blood. Running down her thumb. Dripping into the dirt.

“Do not interfere! You cannot stop this. It is already too late,” she shouted to the stranger accosting her.

A flock of birds flew overhead. Their shadow passed over Zerath and circled around Jade. Black and yellow feathers. Talons and claws. The birds squawking a hymn, descending and spinning as if in some religious rite. One almost made to land on Jade’s shoulder to offer blessing so low it swooped before flying off. The wet smell in the pancake mud like incense. The birds, the blood, the rain– a great purification. She felt sick.

If she were to vomit it must be done into a receptacle containing sand, and everyone, including Zerath, must vomit, else it would be inauspicious and Zerath must be put to death. His corpse would be prodded with hot pokers in the groin to check for worms and his next of kin allowed to watch. His ashes would be cleansed in a basin with medicinal lotion and deposited in a receptacle. The contents of the receptacle would then be sprinkled as fertilizer on the seed she had planted. The seed and others like it would grow strong in the force. Such was their way.

But this may not be necessary. The last time she had vomited it was when the Jedi Order stripped the force from her for saving the Wookiees. She had vomited all over Master Silex.

But she had a new master now.

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Zerath Eblon]

Scarf? Check. Confidence well beyond her years? Check. In over her head, most likely? Check.

Yep, this was Jade Hart.

Alarm bells were ringing loudly inside Zerath's mind as he began connecting the sudden change in weather, the appearance of a flock of birds swarming around the ex-Padawan, the girl's insistence that he not "interfere", and the strange look in Jade's eyes that appeared to be looking straight past him; not at a spot, but at an outcome.

Whatever Jade was mixed up in, it probably wasn't good. Few, if any, Jedi rituals involved birds or blood, and a shiver went down Zerath's spine as he realized what losing the Force had done to Jade; it had, in all likelihood, driven her insane. The Jedi Knight did his best to project a calm demeanor, but found that he had to raise his voice to be heard over the gathering storm.

"It's never too late to make a different choice, Jade. This isn't safe! Don't throw away your future because you can't let go of the past!" In truth, Zerath had no idea exactly what he was dealing with here, so he did his best to guess. Genuine concern for Jade's wellbeing colored the Miralukan's voice; although he hadn't known the former Padawan well, Zerath felt a kinship to all members of the Order.

Gathering the Force inside of him, Zerath focused. He blocked out the storm, the cawing of the birds, and the growing feeling of dread deep inside of him. Mental manipulation was his specialty, a focus he had taken an enhanced interest in after hearing of the horrors suffered by the Jedi defenders on Dantooine. Unlike the Dark Side's tendency to blast through mental defenses, Zerath projected feelings of peace, security, and calm that would gently bump against Jade's consciousness like a rubber life raft; present for her to inspect and grab onto. "You're not alone, Jade. And there are other paths you can walk instead of this one. I will help you in that."

Maybe, just maybe, she would hear the truth in his words.

@Taygood

 

[Jade Hart]

Zerath’s feelings of calmness and security slipped off her like rain hitting an umbrella. The birds broke formation and flew off. The winds slowed for a moment. Even the vehicles a way off thinned. She stared at the trespasser.

They were standing on red clayish dirt and brown mud, still some ways apart. The roads and speeders whining in the distance. Closer, behind Jade, stood a wall about two stories high. Keeping out all the jungle things. Other than that there wasn’t much near. Just Jade’s hole.

“Alexandria Voran took away my force power for saving the Wookiees. But that’s okay, because I have discovered a new path. Who the hell are you anyway?” she asked.

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Zerath Eblon]

Whether or not the ex-Padawan had accepted his attempts to reach her was unclear, but the immediate area calmed somewhat. The birds departed, and the wind slowed from a violent rushing to more of a stiff breeze. Zerath listened and acknowledged the three parts of Jade's response with a simple incline of his head that betrayed none of the thoughts whirling inside of his mind.

It seemed that Jade harbored no small amount bitterness about the past, which in the eyes of many Jedi was most un-Jedilike. Zerath, however, had not sought Jade out to condemn the young girl for her past mistakes; the galaxy had already done that. He was here to check in on her, though, so her next comment worried him. Zerath wasn't sure he liked the sound of this "new path". Jade was clearly looking ahead to something, but that something seemed to have been born out of her obsession with the past.

"My name is Zerath Eblon" the Jedi Knight replied calmly to Jade's question, ignoring the profanity directed his way. The Jedi Knight sat on a nearby boulder that jutted out of the earth as if in opposition to the hole Jade had dug. "What is this 'new path' that you speak of? I'm curious."

@Taygood

 

[Jade Hart]

Who this guy was still mystified the young Jedi. The rains slacked as the winds breezed by, but blew everything in the same southern direction. Jade took in the man's words, including all his questions, which never seemed to cease.

This Zerath was likely affiliated with the Jedi. It also seemed like he had a vested interest in what she was doing here on Onderon. She wouldn’t put it past the Order to send out spies to watch her; especially after what she had done. But Jade was here partly to make amends, after all, for the Jedi Order itself. They had, by and large, ignored the plight of the Wookiee people after Kashyyyk’s bombardment. But not her.

“I have planted a seed from the Wroshyr tree,” replied Jade to Zerath’s question. Jade looked down into the hole she had dug, at her face reflected in the rainwater. “A new home for me and the Wookiees.”

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Zerath Eblon]

Zerath's eyebrows raised in surprise at the mention of the Wroshyr tree seed; evidently, Jade had acquired one of the pinecones from Kashyyyk and intended to plant it here. He'd been to Kashyyyk after the assault, and had seen the aftermath of the Sith's massacre. Wroshyr trees were hardy, and in the areas not hit by the massive Onagers, plenty had even survived; their foliage burned away but the trunks- slow to burn and resistant to turbrolasers- still standing amidst the charred undergrowth to push forth new buds. The trees of Kashyyyk, like their people, were resilient; but Jade's explanation brought with it more questions than answers.

"The Wroshyr trees of Kashyyyk are legendary" Zerath admitted, "although the ones you see there that can serve as communities for the Wookiees have been growing for several hundred years. You and I will be long gone by the time this one has reached maturity" Zerath said, gently. The Knight didn't voice his other main concern; that the Onderon government would not approve of this project. It was always tricky introducing flora or fauna into new environments, and there were dozens of cautionary tails of invasive species threatening ecosystems in non-native planets.

"But" he continued, "on the subject of home, the Wookiees that were evacuated have mostly returned to Kashyyyk; to their home. What about you, Jade? Is this--" Zerath gestured at the planet Onderon around them "--what you consider home?"

@Taygood

 

[Jade Hart]

She gave him a sharp look. Jedi were such buzzkills. “I don’t believe you. The Wookiee home planet was firebombed or something gross. The way the idiots talk about it- my actions on the ground indirectly killed more Wookiees than the Sith from orbit. My advice to you, friend- get better PR people on the Jedi payroll to spin shit like that.”

She snickered and threw a hand in the air while another covered her mouth. “Oh my god, oh my god- she’s killing children- stop her! Oh heavens no! A few dozen people have never died before in the galaxy’s history!” Jade shouted in a falsetto voice, giggling as she lost her footing and tumbled into the mud. While down there, she pulled out a primal cloth doll from her robe pocket- a six-inch, bendable-limbed, ratty-looking Wookiee with brown dog hair running from scalp to sole. She put a hand to her mouth to stymie her laughter.

“Look Mr. Zerath, I found you a maiden. This gal’s named Ms. Darlene.” She wiggled the doll’s arm- H A L L O- went Jade in a deep baritone voice, miming Darlene. “Ms. Darlene’s sister was orphaned by the Sith attack on Kashyyyk. She gave me this doll to remember her by. I like to think the departed's soul resides in this here doll.” The figure’s black, beady eyes glowed pale in the cloudy sun. The squishy thing lay limp in Jade’s hand.

Jade sneered. “You are all hypocrites. The Sith herd you into your special Jedi zones like you are livestock. You can't protect shit. Kicked out of your planets, your homes.” She pointed at the seeded hole. "That and others like it are my home. You may be gone, baby bird, but I will live to see it."

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Zerath Eblon]

Just when Zerath thought that he and Jade had returned to a more normal conversation, things went off the deep end. Even with all his experience keeping a neutral face, the Jedi Knight's mask slipped slightly- jaw dropping a half inch in shock- when Jade started talking about departed souls inhabiting Wookiee dolls. Quickly composing himself, the Jedi Knight allowed Jade to finish her rant while he composed his thoughts; starting with What the Force did I just hear? and progressing on from there.

He decided not to press the point about the Wookiees returning to Kashyyyk, even though the species' loyalty to their home planet and communities was legendary. Showing Jade that Kashyyyk was not as damaged as the initial reports had stated was also out of the question; still clearly traumatized by the events of that day, returning her to the site of the bombardment threatened what sanity she had left.

Instead, Zerath decided to focus on what had gotten Jade kicked out of the Order and stripped of the Force in the first place. On some level, he agreed that the incredibly public backlash that Jade, a 15-year old, had received, was completely out of proportion compared to the millions killed by the Sith's bombardment... but Jade's apparent lack of remorse was what alarmed him the most. Rather than argue with the girl, he decided to cut to the chase.

"I had hoped that some time and distance might provide you with a better understanding of why the Council saw fit to strip the Force from you. I understand your frustration with the way you were treated by the media" the Knight continued, "but it is part of the burden we bear as Jedi to be accountable for our actions; especially our mistakes. So far I've heard no remorse from you about the way your actions led to the deaths of those Wookiees." Privately, Zerath wondered if he was being too harsh- Jade was only 15, and had every right to be frustrated with the adults she'd trusted to advocate for her- but a path to redemption was impossible if she did not admit to her mistakes.


@Taygood

 

[Hauron Solus]

The jungle foliage parted as the Mandalorian pushed through the heavy undergrowth. He was almost back to the city after another day's excursion. Hauron was not sure what he would have expected while out in the dangerous jungle but it was another day without much to show for it.

He knew it was dangerous to traverse the wilds alone. But he was confident in his own prowess and subtlety. Apparently the rumored covert he was searching for, was even more secretive. There was little to no sign of their presence on the planet.

The thrusters of his jetpack ignited bringing him into the cloud wracked sky as droplets of rain began to pour down. The rivulets streams off his black and red painted armor before being whisked away as his velocity kept them from sticking to him. Coming over the apex of the wall, his visor tilted to look down at the informal landing area. But the helmeted Mikkian was not expecting to see a pair of individuals in the open space between the walls and the city structures.

Combat boots squelched as they met dampened mud. A blue robbed woman, playing with a toy and addressing a blind man was a curious sight, causing Hauron to cock his helmet to the side. He began to walk towards the city but would come closer to the pair before eventually passing them if he continued to walk.

The storm thundered overhead and the sky darkened. The cry of birds and the howl of the jungle lessened, though the young Mandalorian knew he had chanced upon something peculiar and could not help but wonder what it was. He caught something with his ears "...death of those wookiees." garnering only more curiosity.

The Tor'la Akaan'ade, his buir's battlegroup had freed many slaves from the Zyggerian Slave Empire before returning them to their homeworld. A young Hauron had once been trafficked and saved by the Mandalorians as well, allowing him to adopt the warrior culture and be raised to be the young man he was today. Word had reached the Mikkian of a Sith attack on the world of Kashyyyk. But he did not know the specifics and his focus was on the current planet he was visiting.

He awkwardly kept his visor centered on the man sitting on the boulder before glancing back at the playful lady. His father had told him to be wary of strangers, but to project confidence and strength even when cautious. It was not the same as fear. Fear was fine, as long as you did not let it control you. "Hello." He said and stopped while , trying to announce his presence given his otherwise unnoticed arrival. The scatterweave coating to his armor and light footed steps may have allowed him to get close without the stranger's noticing. But Hauron continued. "You would not happen to be locals would you?" His tone indicated his skepticism in the question. One of them looked somewhat like a Jedi but the Mikkian had never met one in person before.

@Taygood @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Romeo Solus]

.

Romeo hadn't visited Onderan often, a few times when he was in his teens and then once in his twenties. But being a member of the FWA, it would be garnering more attention and interest from the rebellion loyalist. His reason for being here was that he had recently brokered a small arms deal with a private vendor a few miles south of the city, only now returning back into the perimeter of the crowded capital. The echoing noise of his jetpack could be heard in the distance, its whistling growing louder as he neared. Through the corner of his eye, Romeo noticed one of his clan members.

A lofted brow peaked with interest as he swept downwards, hovering for a few moments before landing several meters away from the other Solus. Attention shifted upon the perched Jedi as well as the playful, young girl. There was nothing immediately threatening about this situation and so he saw no need in drawing any of his weapons. Regardless, the dual pistols were holstered and in visible sight at his waist. Romeo tilted his head into a curious angle as he spoke.

"Hauron? What you doing out here?" He asked. Romeo wondered if the man was also joining him on this small deal or perhaps he was out here on other personal affairs. Not that Romeo really cared either way, the badger was mostly just curious and somewhat bored than anything.

@Darasuum @SlagathorTheUnknown @Taygood

 

[Zerath Eblon]

Zerath managed to keep his composure this time as a pair of Mandalorians approached, although internally he was on high alert... and frustrated at the interruption. The Jedi Knight stood as the second Mandalorian (@Faded) swooped in with his jetpack, a couple measured steps casually placing himself between the armored warriors and Jade, although the movement could also be interpreted as moving a couple steps closer for conversation.

A simple shake of his head answered the first Mandalorian's (@Darasuum) question. "I'm afraid not." His lightsaber hung on his belt, just out of sight of the two warriors but ready to be drawn at a moment's notice if needed. "What are you looking for?" Exactly what Mandalorians were doing on Onderon, he did not know.

 

[Jade Hart]

“Not even a shower can wash all the grime of Kashyyyk off me,” said Jade, throwing her unbraided hair back with a head jerk. She put the doll away and spoke to Zerath. “Why have remorse when you saved lives? Had I not tried to airlift the Wookiees in my part of the forest they all would have burned to death. This is like basic logic that the Jedi ignored because they needed a scapegoat. Ask Master Silex. You’ve obviously never had a Wookiee friend in your life, much less saved one.”

“Oh, fresh meat,” nodding to the Mandalorians now. “Say, you two aren’t in the bounty hunting business are you? I just so happen to have a bounty needing a hunter, if you are interested.”

The ground was saturated to such a state that it seemed it would never again hold anything but water. It was as if the land had been slapped into a drooling stupor by some itinerant, drunken thundergod. Humid pools seeped out of the soil and began incarnating into wheeling dreams of steam. Low-lying jungle clouds out a postcard rolled on over to join them. The seedling would not lack for nourishment.

Rollicking in the mud, Jade laughed. Rather than brush it off, she swiped the red-brown mud under her eyes in lines like military camouflage. From the nearby pools uplifted thick, sticky mists, twisting and contorting like upstart force ghosts. “Go back!” Zerath may cry, but go they would not. Does one scream at the sand to flee the beach? The steamy forms washed over Jade’s skin in perspiring beads of sweat. For a moment, Jade Hart the Jedi Exile was lost in the miasma. Those looking at her from the outside would see a fist of mist close around her, the jungle’s own breath. The form of a girl extinguished. Her scarf a phosphorescent turquoise.

And then the dream lifted. The fever broke. Jade was Jade again. The young girl exhaled, got up, and held her normal-ish neck.

@Faded @Darasuum @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Hauron Solus]

At the familiar sound of jetpack thrusters, Hauron turned his helmet towards the cloudy sky momentarily and see a new Mandalorian arrive in the same manner as he did. He took a moment to recognize his fellow dark armored clan member who greeted him with a question. Rather than explain himself before outsiders, the Mikkian decided to greet his comrade with a traditional Mandalorian hello and nod of respect. "Su cuy'gar, Romeo." His tone indicating he was genuinely happy to see the man. The young Mandalorian would not admit it, but he liked being among his family especially after being alone for many cycles.

Romeo was his elder and while he was curious as to Hauron's presence, it was a mutual curiosity he had towards the kinsman. Perhaps he knew more about Onderon and could provide information on where the rumored sect of Mandalorians were located. One Mandalorian was a force to be reckoned with and together they could cover more ground while watching each other's backs.

Hauron imagined seeing a warrior bedecked in weapons and armor would be a concerning sight to some, let alone two. That was why he was not surprised or offended by the cautious approach of the Mirulakan man. His visor returned to centering on the stranger, hiding Hauron's eyes scrutinizing the man and his cohort. The woman in blue robes had dirt and mud caked on her that said she was digging in the earth. Though it seemed to be a curious place to do any excavation or gardening.

Words continued to be issued forth from the lips of the woman. Her tone told Hauron he had come upon a heated discussion while her words indicated she had been on Kashyyyk during the recent Sith attack and had some relation with the Jedi Order. His eyes flicked between the two of them again while his exterior visage remained passive. The only indication of him hearing her words was the slight adjustment of his helmet. Everyone assumed what a Mandalorian was directly facing was what he was looking at. "If the pay is good and the prey is worthy, I might consider it." He of course, did not have a legitimate bounty hunting license, yet. But something about the way the dirtied woman spoke unnerved the young warrior. He knew to trust his instincts and listen to them when his conscious mind was uncertain.

The deluge continued in the space between them and the ground changed from having sporadic puddles to becoming almost a shallow rice paddy. It was only the start of the storm but Hauron could see the water level rise a few more inches above the toes of his boots if they stayed outside. If it had not been for his resplendent armor, the Mandalorian would have sought shelter from the storm.

The woman seemed to be playing in the mud and Hauron wondered if she had all her faculties. Then in an almost mystical presentation, the mists seemed to form around her. It was the Mandalorian's turn to be wary, as the strange display would have given a superstitious man pause. The once-foundling became aware of his twin blasters on either hip but his hands did not touch the grips. Then as quickly as it had come, the mists returned, leaving the stranger still before them.

Hauron would speak again, this time answering each of the questions directed at him in a calm tone. "I'm here looking for more of our kind, other Mandalorians." His head turned, emphasizing his words and giving the two likely Jedi another chance to look over the two warriors. But Hauron's focus never left the two strangers. "Please share any information if you have any." He waited to see how they would respond before daring to ask them any more questions about who they were or what they were doing in this place.

The lush forests of Onderon were known to be a thriving environment of various species of flora and fauna. The capbilities of these plants brought the attention of many great minds to study. Hauron's secondary objective was to find terraformers, scientists and other specialists that could help renew life on damaged planets. There were places the Tor'la Akaan'ade visited that could make good homes for farmers but for now he kept his other intentions to himself. Sharing too much with the strangers this early could lead to their enemies finding out about it and making moves to hinder or prevent their success.

@Taygood @SlagathorTheUnknown @Faded

 

[Zerath Eblon]

"You did save lives, Jade, and your actions doomed others. Both of those are true" Zerath said, but the ex-Jedi's frenetic attention had shifted to the Mandalorians. Zerath felt the sense of dread from earlier returning at the girl's next words. What kind of 15-year old had a bounty to put out?

By now, the Jedi Knight was on high alert. "Something is not right here" he warned the Mandalorians, refusing to be captivated by Jade's antics with the mud. Zerath opened himself up to the Force and looked deeper than he had before, eventually sensing the disturbance that held Jade tightly in its grasp. Carefully, Zerath constructed a defense for the girl's psyche, providing a mental shield from her against whatever was assaulting her mind. Once he had safely surrounded her consciousness, he focused on slowly expanding the shield, pushing out and against against the influence and attempting to force it to release her from its grasp.

Sweat mixed with condensation as Zerath concentrated, straining against the unknown entity. He'd never contended with anything as powerful as this before, and even after it released Jade from its hold he knew that it had only done so because it wanted to. Exhausted, Zerath stumbled slightly as he rushed over to where Jade was standing up. "Jade! Are you all right?"

@Taygood @Darasuum @Faded

 

[Thayd Karkoza]

They had come to watch, and They had chosen a seat with a view. A high wall of whitewashed stone ringed the perimeter of this city, and it kept out the jungle, but it could not keep them out, though it was from the jungle that They’d come. See them now, mounted atop the wall, crouched beneath the canopy of the trees that reached over the wall’s height and leaned into the city as far as their limbs would allow. By now the day had burned down to a dim twilight, and in the dark and haze of rain this figure on the wall seemed a bursting multitude of forms, a smoking flux threatening to spill apart and vanish altogether in the stormwinds.

Shifting, bristling, slithering, skulking. They gathered closer to the edge. Among this hive of rippling motion could be glimpsed wings, feathers, talons, and if the idea were not so absurd it could be taken as a swarm of blackbirds collected around the shape of a man.

Throughout this writhing mass blinked eyes in multiple sets, swimming freely in the silhouette and glinting like lit shards chiseled loose from the moon. It was an inscrutable sight. A vast, eclipsed medusa. As a mist enveloped the girl below, a jolt of recognition struck them. Perhaps this moment took them by surprise, or perhaps it occurred entirely according to their expectation. They stood and the whole body rose like a shivering, glitched ovation. How long had They been waiting there?

Their attention seemed almost entirely focused on the Jedi Knight and the girl, though the arrival of the other two, in Mandalorian armor, had been noted. With an unnatural silence They slid over the edge of the wall and seemed to glide down its surface like a pure liquid. In the midst of this slow and frictionless descent They came apart. With a great billow of wind a torrent of black wings uncoiled from around a central core and whirled off upward and gone. What remained in their wake, now firmly on the ground, was a man, or what looked like a man.

Swathed in black, he was not unlike a noble priest in the dignity of his countenance and bearing, and might have looked the part but for his ornaments. On his head he wore a wide conical hat of tan straw, and the rain chased it from the crown to the brim where it fell. His hair was long and dark, his face lost in shadow. On his body he wore glass vessels, a menagerie of variously sized jars and jugs, full of... something... and corked shut. Some hung from his belt, others were worn at his chest or his legs in some kind of custom holster. Secured by a strap over his shoulder, there was upon his back a heap of mass, wrapped up in rough fabric or plastic. It looked to be folded in half, and though it was bound in this position with cables it did not seem to want to remain this way, parts of it bulging awkwardly in places, dangling loose in others. If cut free, and laid flat, it might measure six feet long, two feet across. But even bundled up as it was it made for strange, difficult cargo.

The figure stepped forward in the direction of Zerath and Jade. A slant of light caught his face for a moment and then he passed through it. This was Jedi Knight Thayd Karkoza, and he was already in the middle of something. He looked to Jade Hart as she seemed to stir from the calming daze imposed on her. “Do you not understand the meaning of the phrase 'lay low', Jade?”

@Taygood @Darasuum @Faded @SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Jade Hart]

Zerath’s psychic force was like a thick leather glove closing, gripping, squeezing. Jade’s eyes rolled. Blood dripped down her nose. She began to choke. Seeing stars.

Jadey, if you don’t leave now you’ll be late for school…
Let’s make chocolate cupcakes for your birthday…
High up there in the stars, that’s us Jade. Me and you…

As Jade descended into a psychic oblivion, she got a visitor. A black crow darted out of the writhing swarm of birds around Thayd, landing on her head. It took a few steps with its black bird feet in her brown hair tufts; pecking a few loose strands and gobbling them like worms down its gullet. Then it halted, faced Mr. Zerath, peered into Mr. Zerath, and cawed.

Some believe crows help shepherd lost souls to the next world. Others believe crows are symbols of doom and death, messengers of the gods. All Jade knew was that she felt a presence. A presence yanking her out of the heavens and flying her back, back and away on feather-tipped wings to the concrete city of the jungle world of Onderon.

Jade awoke– free of Zerath’s influence– not responding to his question. Now with a nasty headache, she looked around. Clearly, in the face of this mystical force majeure event the others had been stripped of their will to act. The Mandalorians: fearsome warriors who studied the blade, or sidelined buttsitters merely consulted to write action scenes for holodramas? She looked up. More crows descended, squatting in the midst of the puddles like a small squadron of ungainly infantry. The crow atop her head bent down and took a bow.

Finally there was Thayd. She breathed in and out her nose and mouth like Master Silex had taught her. But this man changed the circulation of her very air. Thayd: a mechanical clock whose face reflected more the digits of pi than the ways of the Jedi. She clutched her aching forehead.
The plan, the plan, she thought, trying to piece it back together.
The plan won’t work without you. Now where is Silex? Where is K2-39?

Jade sighed. She slapped herself hard on the cheek. Wiped the mud off her sleeves. Spit blood. Turned to the Mandalorians. Turned to Thayd. “This man–” she pointed at Zerath–”threatened my life. Though he will surely deny it, he stalked me to this remote planet, tracked me to this exact location, and for what? To kill me. To kill me to satisfy a blood debt made on Kashyyyk. Based on a lie. He almost succeeded just now with his psychic attack.” Jade spoke fast and poised and sure, though at several points her voice broke. She stood upright on her plot of arable land, mud-blue robes squishy as sardines, her body long-waisted and elegant like a chameleon. Though her face was drained of blood, she forced a weak smile and nodded at Zerath like she now understood the secrets of the universe. “And so it is actually true. The Jedi really are obsessed with me.” Jade cleared her throat, intending to shout over anyone who would interrupt her. “I, Jade Hart, place a bounty on this assassin– he who calls himself Zerath– 10,000 credits on his life.” She looked at Hauron, Romeo, and Thayd, and pointed a long witchy finger at the marked man. “Kill him right now, please. Kill him and that amount, plus his ship and whatever he carries– it is all yours.”

@Darasuum @Faded @SlagathorTheUnknown @Evan

 

[Zerath Eblon]

This had to be the most unpredictable mission that Zerath had ever been on; and not in a good way. Another man showed up, who seemed to know Jade on a first-name basis, further complicating an already confusing picture. Having just strained himself fighting against the entity that was seemingly attacking Jade's mind, the Mirulakan had to hope that whoever this was also had Jade's best interests in mind; he was in no shape to defend the girl from any other threats.

Then things took a turn for the surreal. Zerath's head swung in disbelief over towards the two Mandalorians, as if to make sure that he'd heard the Jade correctly. She was placing a bounty- of 10,000 credits, no less- on him.

Weakened as he was by his previous actions, Zerath decided that the best way to handle this situation was with his words. "Jade, murder is not the Jedi way. I was not the one hurting you; I was trying to protect you. Something was attacking your mind, but it wasn't me. I was trying to shield your mind from it... you say my actions were causing you pain?" The picture grew more confusing with every passing moment. Zerath had no idea what he was contending with here.

His blindfolded gaze swung over towards the two Mandalorians and the new arrival, forcing himself to not show his nervousness at the predicament that he was in. No sudden movements, no reaching for his lightsaber... "Do any of you know what is going on?" Zerath wanted to listen to Jade, but the conversation hadn't exactly taught him to trust her perception of things.

@Taygood @Darasuum @Faded @Evan

 

[Silex Tan]

Silex was beginning to realize that she was following Jade around. First the wedding, and now this? Well, she had done her part. Then why did she have a bad feeling?

She walked through the rain, her long, dark hair plastered to her neck and back. She could see a group of people standing in the distance, their figures blurred by the rain. She stopped a few feet away from them. “Jade!” She shouted over the rain and thunder. She had no idea what had happened but it couldn’t be good. Her presence had been duly announced.

@Taygood
@Darasuum
@Faded
@Evan
@SlagathorTheUnknown