The Survival Drop

[Cassanova]

This is a training excersise for Juno and five Padawans: Rayla Zerosa (Hannah), Ryloss Narexsus (Ush), Cal-doran Varmesceance (Jaime), Lana Fothe (Justified), Asha Seren (Catharsis). If you have any questions about this RP, please PM me.

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Juno Armstrong had finally decided that now, with the Order reuinited and in a situation that was more stable. Jedi Masters throughout the Jedi Order had been assigned any number of special responsibilties, allowing Juno to focus specifically on her role as Weapons Master, but more pressingly, the matter of training another Padawan. She had put the word out onto the Order's internal database that she was going to host a five participant selection exercise. She had spent days researching and scouting out the planet and the area in which she would put these Padawans to the test. Carefully scouting out things like terrain, weather, local fauna and flora - carefully ensuring that as much of the situation would be a controlled scenario. Even going as far as seeing to it that there was a clearing nearby for the Doaba to set down as the exercise's exit point. After weeks of research, data collection and compilation, Juno finally had it: The great Padawan Hunt.

Now of course, was the drudging, dreary choices involving the actual selection of which five Padawans would join her on the ground for the exercise. Juno had arranged for one of the protocol droids to filter down the applicants to certain pre-requisites, things like age, classes attended, recommendations from other Jedi, or even just observational notes. Something she couldn't have was a completely inexperienced seven year old wandering around in the wilderness of Manpha, utterly ignorant of the potential dangers that were going to befall them. This is why Juno was left with around thirty applicants who met the criteria. She had been sitting on her bed onboard the Doaba as she travelled back towards Anoth, where she would rendezvous with the Light of the Force, and collect her troupe. In the meantime, however, Juno had been slowly working her way through the applicants, highlighting individuals who stood out to her, their records suiting the types of person she felt she would be able to both teach, and work with. Oddly enough, Juno ended up with quite the eclectic mix of potential students. A few subtle swipes of her fingers followed by five gentle beeps brought up five faces to the screen, each shimmering in their gentle blue hue. Five bright, eager up and coming members of the New Jedi Order, with nothing but time to make their mark on the galaxy.

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The Doaba's engines rumbled and crackled over the treetops. Juno stood in the smaller of the two hangar bays and gently nudged a coil of rope along the durasteel floor. The ropes were thick, a little over an inch in diameter - the same kind military groups used in rapid aerial insertions. Juno gave a quick look over her shoulder where a man in a yellow leather duster coat nodded to her, and held up three fingers to her. Taking a deep breath she eyed the group once more before addressing them for the first time since they boarded her craft. "Alright. You've all signed up for this exercise. I will say this once and once only. There are unexpected dangers on this planet. I have taken what precautions I can to ensure your safety, but consider yourself warned."

A curt nod to the man in the duster coat saw him turn and open the ventral doors, wind gusting up into the hangar, bringing the dank, damp, muggy scent of the swamps wofting into their faces. Juno didn't make any visible recoils to the smell, but merely took a moment to tie her jet black hair back into a tight ponytail. Wearing little more than combat pants with a low-slung holster carrying her pistol, a dark brown singlet and her trusty light brown leather jacket - which had a compartment for anywhere up to three lightsabers; only one was occupied at this time. Nonetheless, Juno pointed down the hole as the Doaba settled into a hovering position above a small swampy clearing. Regrettably, Juno had to raise her voice at this point, "Our mission is to make it from this drop point to a rendezvous point with the Doaba approximately seventy kilometers due east of here. That is all the information I'm going to give you until we're on the deck. If you want to withdraw, now is your chance."

Juno's vibrant blue eyes danced expectantly from one applicant to the next until she had set her eyes upon all five, waiting patiently for their willingness to continue, or resignation to withdraw...

 

[Jaime]

As the Doaba hovered over the swampy forest of Manpha, and the sweat trickled down his face, most likely from the humidity, Cal-doran leaned forward to get a better look at the clearing below. The Escaped Jedi was not nervous, it couldn't be; he was never nervous. He had a small lump in his throat that pointed to nervousness, but deep inside he knew it was not that emotion.

Unexpected dangers? He had survived an encounter with an entire pack of garral, with the help of Ryloss, who was in fact in this exercise with him. Cal grinned at him before turning his attention back to Master Juno as she made her final remarks. He frowned at the last part, rubbing his beard, hanging on to the handle above him to help with his balance. He allowed the Force to enter into his mind, closing his eyes, calm. He asked it to guide him through the treacherous forests below him to the rendezvous point in which Juno had told them to meet. He also asked to allow him access to it whenever he needed it, in order to survive. The Force would understand, he knew.

Cal-doran nodded as the Jedi Master finished her speech. "Like my father has always told me: 'Never consider anything unless you intend to see it through to the end.'" He had to yell over the engines of the ship.

 

[Catharsis]

Asha stood straight-backed within the smaller hangar bay, military-like in her stance as ever. The young Epicanthix set her eyes to Juno. How long had it been since she'd seen this particular Jedi? Long enough she thought, before refocusing in on the task at hand. Below them lay a planet thick with swampland, and part of Asha hoped that there would be no deep water involved. All this time, and you've still not undergone lessons for that? Ignoring the voice which rose up in the back of her mind, the young Jedi took onboard everything Master Armstrong was saying, dually noting the warning of danger. It was a concept Asha was all too familiar with, but all the same she would be cautious.

She knew that she would need to be on the surface of the planet in order to calculate East, but all the same she tried to formulate some sort of coherent plan in her mind. In the end, however, she decided that she should trust in her instincts, and progress naturally... After all, she had no idea what awaited her below. Storing the distance in the back of her mind, for near-future reference, she inclined her head in understanding. While the individual to her side, a male she did not know, proclaimed his unwillingness to give up so easily, the young girl merely looked to Juno and nodded once. There was no imminent reason for Asha to leave now, and even if this did not turn out in her favour, even if she did not meet the required criteria in the end, she knew that she would learn a lot from the experience. That was something she looked forward to.

Finally she cast her gaze across those at her side. They would be her team mates for however long this took. They had to work together, Asha knew that, but it would prove difficult. It wasn't that she didn't want to work with them, to help them - after all they were all fellow Jedi, fellow learners, they were all in this together - she was simply still having issues with communication, largely. And groups still set her on edge. But five isn't too much of a group... She focused on the Force both within and without her, drawing on the Living Force which rose up from the swamp below, and began to calm herself and her mind. She could get through this, it would be invaluable. Not even the stench or the thought of what awaited her down below was enough to put her off.

 

[Ush]

Ryloss was aware he was the eldest in the group. He was also aware he had probably come closer to falling than any of them, even Juno Armstrong herself. So, for the rest of this class, he would try not to tempt the others into following his route of life. That meant trying not to use the Dark Side in any way shape or form. He'd been trying for a while, to be honest, but it was like a vacuum. It sucked you in and it was hard to get back out. Like a good brothel, almost. That reminded Ryloss he hadn't had a strong drink (or anything else a brothel might offer) in nearly two weeks. He swore he was starting to go into alcohol deprivation. Not great, really, when you're about to hurl yourself out of a ship a few hundred meters up off a swamp planet.
When Cal-Doran grinned at him, Ryloss let his eyes widen briefly as a way of greeting. He listened to both Cal-Doran and Juno talk, nodding once when they had finished. He let his teeth flash in a short grin as he thought of something witty to say, but then decided against it. When the human-looking girl looked at him, he allowed a calmer smile for her. She didn't seem too confident. Then again, Cal-Doran looked down-right scared and Ryloss couldn't say he was too comfortable at this height with the wind on his face, either. He looked at what he was wearing. The thick trousers and boots would stop something small and annoying to bite him. His pheromones would keep his upper body, with only the light shirt and the bag he had chosen for this, safe from insects. He simply nodded again to Juno, then began to lean forwards at about seventy degrees, using the Force to stop himself falling until he was told too.

 

[Hannah]

Rayla stood quietly, her arms crossed at her side as she simply stared at the Jedi Master. She was still in shock that she had been chosen for this mission, out of so many Jedi… She was honored to even be graced with the presence of one on the Council. Rayla’s thoughts lingered everywhere. There was something about this mission that made her feel uneasy, as if they were all in a sort of danger, though I guess you could expect that from anywhere in the galaxy by now if you’re a Jedi. A part of Rayla knew she had to take this training seriously, while keeping the up-most respect for her fellow Padawans, and of course the Jedi Master who would be accompanying them on their 70 kilometer journey.

70 kilometers… Wow… Rayla thought silently in her head. It seemed like an overwhelming amount of distance, though the force would guide her through these rough times. It would guide all of the Jedi, as it always had.

Rayla looked to her right, then to her left, simply watching the other Padawans. She wanted to study them, to know their strengths and know their weaknesses so that they could work as a team, with every person covering something they’re good at. It was a team effort, something the Sith always lacked. If even one of them slacked off, it put the rest in severe danger, and Rayla didn’t want to be that slacker, nor did she want anyone to be that slacker.

“I am ready for the mission Master, I won’t back down,” Rayla had said quietly, yet with a stern tone. Rayla was frankly, quite nervous. To be given such a daring assignment is such a risk, yet such an honor as well. So many things could go wrong… But I guess a Jedi learns from rough experiences. Rayla had thought quietly to herself. It was then that she looked up, her lekku's brushing slightly along her backside with every little move of her head. All that was left to do was wait for the assignment to begin.

 

[Apollyon]

Days earlier​

Lana sat in the makeshift archives researching the planet Manpha and what she was expected to endure on the planet’s surface. The planet seemed to be a singular massive swamp which housed the sentient amphibian species known as the Shawda Ubb, which were known for their potent paralytic toxins which seemed to affect any mammalian species within roughly ten to fifteen meters. Lana notated their short and portly bodily features and wrote down the fact that most members of the species lived in a primal and tribal society, which probably meant they were both territorial and possibly aggressive. Lana continued her research of the planet, noting that the planet’s only city was constructed by the more civilized Shawda Ubb on the planet’s surface and that it contained the planet’s only spaceport.

From there the young Mirialan continued her research of the planet, learning non-toxic flora, edible roots and vegetation as well as any predators or animals that could become a threat if approached or drawn in. After countless hours of study Lana downloaded copies of the files she deemed important onto a small data chip to research further and review in the field if need be. Lana tucked the small data chip into one of the pockets on her utility belt and the quietly left the “archives” to continue her task in the solitude of her dorm.

Present day​

Lana sat on a bench surrounded by her peers as they nervously engaged in conversation but Lana wasn’t outwardly nervous. While she wasn’t an expert in the field of survival she had been on training exercises to similar planets with her late Master. She understood that part of ensuring success was not only working together to accomplish a single goal but keeping your cool which would allow for clear decisions to be made. Because of this the young Mirialan twirled hair from one of her bangs around her index finger; she watched as the coils of hair began to bind tightly around her twirling digit, it was soothing.

However, Lana’s attention was pulled from her activity when the woman who was holding the “training exercise” spoke to her prospective Padawans. “Alright. You've all signed up for this exercise. I will say this once and once only. There are unexpected dangers on this planet. I have taken what precautions I can to ensure your safety, but consider yourself warned.” Lana raised an eyebrow at Master Jedi’s words; it seemed as if she was almost trying to dissuade some of her prospective pupils from joining her on the ground, an early elimination process of sorts. Lana’s amethyst eyes scanned over her comrades for signs of indecisiveness, for anyone who would possibly take up the Jedi Master’s offer on waiting aboard the transport as opposed to attempting to prove themselves as capable Jedi hopefuls. However, Lana found nothing of the sort in her comrades, they were each determined to prove themselves as individuals, she was glad to see that at the very least her colleagues wouldn’t buckle under the pressures they would be facing…or at least she hoped they wouldn’t.

A sudden roar of wind ripped through the transport as the loading bay opened up, allowing the young Jedi to catch the first glimpse of the planet’s surface. Lana’s hair blew back wildly as she gazed down at the endless swamp that lay before her. “So this Manpha huh?” She thought as her purple eyes drew in every detail she could make out of the planet. Lana looked up at their rugged leader, a blaster on her side and loose fitting robes on her body she seemed less a Jedi and more an adventurer or treasure hunter. Lana on the other hand was wearing her typical light weight Padawan garments without the cloak that would normally hand over her shoulder. For a weapon she had a training saber in leather sheathe that was slung over her right shoulder which allowed for her to draw the weapon with relative ease. On her waist sat a utility belt with three pockets across its surface, each one held a different tool that could help with survival in an environment such as this, a small knife sat in one, a line for fishing as well as the data chip sat in another, and in the final one sat some antibiotic wipes to treat small injuries. Lana was prepared to be an asset to the group instead of a straggler, while she didn’t know everything about survival, she had gained access to the information that would help her better understand her environment.

"Our mission is to make it from this drop point to a rendezvous point with the Doaba approximately seventy kilometers due east of here. That is all the information I'm going to give you until we're on the deck. If you want to withdraw, now is your chance." Jedi Master Juno Armstrong continued offering a final way out for anyone that was unsure if they were prepared or not.

Lana simply stared at the Jedi Weapon Master, her gaze was steely as she prepared to speak. “I didn’t come this far to go home, I don’t know about the rest of my fellow Padawans, but I am ready when you are Master Armstrong.”Lana shouted above the winds to her prospective Master. Once she had conveyed her thoughts on the matter Lana stood to her feet, grasping a small handle on the ceiling of the transport to ensure she had a stable footing, soon the real test would begin and Lana was prepared for it.

 

[Cassanova]

Juno nodded, satisfied with the commitment of the students. She motioned to two other large ropes coiled infront of Lana and Ryloss as the Weapons Master bent gown, gripping a large clip attached to the rope and promptly hooked it to a fixing point that sat above the open hangar door. "Alright. Don't grip the rope, hook your legs around and your forearms. Let gravity do the work for you. See to it that when you get down there, you take the time to ensure you are not injured."

Juno kicked the rope into the gusty cavity, the coil billowing in the downdraft of the Doaba's massive engines and thrusters. A sweeping gesture to Lana and Ryloss suggested they do the same. "When you get down, don't waste time. Get to high ground, or up a tree or something. Meet up once the Doaba has left the droppoff position, and plan your movement from there!" Juno nodded to the group, a her eyes capable of instilling confidence in the tiniest mouse, "I'll be right behind you. Time to move!"

The Weapons Master watched with terse eyes as each of the five Padawans slid down the ropes. Inside, however, she was concerned as a mother with a child at a playground. Never having had the pleasure of bearing her own children, Juno had become a 'tough-love' mother to nearly every Padawan, Initiate and Jedi Youngling that crossed her path - despite her wishing she could dote upon her students as though hey were her own flesh and blood. The state of the galaxy, of course, wouldn't allow for such coddling or careless frivolity. It had its uses and times, but this was a training excercise - training wheels and bubble-wrap were not an option.

Once all five Padawans were safely in the 'muck' down on the planet, Juno eyed to the man standing at the blast door, "Drop two and three!" Juno flinched as the ropes disconnected from the Doaba, flopping into the muck, splashing about. "See you tomorrow afternoon, Mark!" Mark, of course being Juno's head of security onboard the ship and was responsible for anyone boarding or leaving the craft at any particular point in time. He took sick pleasure in dumping Juno off in a swamp.

Reaching forward, Juno wrapped a leg around the rope and one arm. Pushing off from the durasteel floor, Juno began gently spiralling down the rope, carefully surveying the lay of the land, refreshing her memory from her previous scouting trips. Moments before flopping chest-deep into swamp water, Juno clamped her legs effortlessly together on the rope, acting as a brake. A gentle, force-assisted jump saw Juno soar from the rope into a tree where she balanced on a leg-width tree. A gentle tap of her commlink saw Mark drop the third rope, and the Doaba head due east, where it would be waiting for Juno and her student body.

Juno merely stood quietly in the tree, waiting, watching, and listening. Assessing the actions the Padawans would now take. The excercise had begun...

 

[Jaime]

Cal-doran immediately took action, acting on instinct and letting the Living Force guide him. Before making his way to the ropes, he turned to the other student's and sign-ups, all waiting for their turn to leave the ship and descend down into the murky and stinking bog below. He examined each of them, holding them in the same regard he held for all Jedi, as equals, as friends, as family. He had always considered the Jedi, since day one of his brief time on Coruscant and in the Temple, as a part of his life and an official part of his family. He considered them the best thing he had.

"I don't know how many of you have been in this sort of environment. How many of you who have survived in it, respected it, read up on it, or have lived in it. I have only had to live through this sort of situation one occasion, just a couple months ago, with my fellow Jedi Ryloss, just behind you. He had saved me from a group of garral on the planet of Zeltros. It's a long story, ask me later." He looked below grasping onto the rope now. He then turned back to the group, nodding to Master Armstrong as well. "Once you get down there, I suggest you meet up with me or any other Jedi close enough to you. We should all rendezvous as soon as possible."

Cal then, abruptly, jumped onto the rope, allowing the Force to slide him down at a slightly faster rate.

As he slid down, accelerating faster and faster, holding on with his forearms and his legs as Master Armstrong advised, he yelled out "SEE YOU ON GROUND ZERO!"

He let the Force flow into him, guide him, and then used it to Leap into the small clearing on top of a smooth rock that jutted out from the bog. He then waited patiently on the rock he had landed on, in a cross-legged form, eyes closed, emptying his mind. He allowed the Force to enter him once again, soothing his tense muscles.

 

[Ush]

Ryloss listened to her instructions, meeting her eyes. He had the distinct urge to lower his gaze and say 'yes, mother'. Not that he did. It would have been insulting. Ryloss instead nodded and picked up the rope, going to attach it. It had been a long time since he'd worked with Jedi. He felt an immature feeling of importance at being given a task. He tied his near to himself and Cal-Doran, giving them both easy access to it. He reached out with his mind to Cal-Doran.
"When we're down there, try to step where I step. I'll be sensing to check for bog pits and traps. If you go down, I'll pick you up but you'll be filthy and be leaving a bad impression."
Apart from that, he offered no council, nor did he react to Cal-Doran in any other way.
Ryloss grabbed the rope, barely touching it. He simply used it as guidance as he dropped, making sure to use the Force to not give himself rope burn and stay on track. He also observed the area. Fifty meters east of the landing zone was a small hill. He would run to that, probably. There was a small clearing on the top of it, too.
He dropped quickly and soundlessly, the first to do so in that way. The moment he landed he sprinted towards the hill, taking care not to step in anything and slow enough for Cal-Doran to follow but fast enough that he made the distance in less than fifteen seconds. He drew his lightsaber and crouched on one knee, the unlit weapon sitting on his lap. He should have brought a blaster. He watched the Doaba fly off to the EZ. On his own, Ryloss would probably have made the journey in less than a day. With a group, he would say he needed at least thirty six hours, less if they chose to walk through the night.
The hill wasn't wet, with grass growing. It was hard stuff that looked like it would burn well. Ryloss plucked out a handful of it and put it inside a pocket in case they needed kindling later. After that, he waited on the other to make some sort of contact.

 

[Apollyon]

"Alright. Don't grip the rope, hook your legs around and your forearms. Let gravity do the work for you. See to it that when you get down there, you take the time to ensure you are not injured."

Lana nodded at Juno’s instructions as she carefully situated herself on the rope; she gazed down at the swamp and listened to the roar of the transports engines. Suddenly the swamp transformed to the burning wreckage of Coruscant and Juno’s image transformed into that of her mothers, behind her calm exterior shock gripped the young Mirialan. Her mother’s ghost leaned forward and touched her daughter’s face as the memory of some of the woman’s final words bubbled forth like a fount. “You can do this Lana, trust in the Force, and believe in yourself.”

Lana blinked rapidly as prepared to take the plunge of a life time; in her eyes she saw thousands of TIE Fighters swarming the burning wreckage that was once Coruscant. The young woman swallowed the fear and anxiety that she felt building in the back of her throat and gazed once more up at Juno, who had taken the form of her deceased mother, and gave a single nod. Lana slid down the rope, her eyes gazing in wonder as Jedi and Sith tirelessly dueled in a phantom city, fighters engaged in dog fights as they weaved in-between non-existent skyscrapers, and foot soldiers opened fire in bitter battles to defend or take various strategic positions. But one moment caught the young Padawan’s eyes the most, a Mirialan woman wielding a brilliant purple lightsaber and staving off dozens of Imperial Stormtroopers as younglings and the injured soldiers were loaded onto the last of the transports.

Lana watched in shock as the first blaster bolt connected with her mother’s left shoulder, the second with her right leg, and right before Lana witnessed the end she was ripped from her vision by the sickening sound of her feet planting in the soft bog of the planet. Lana stood completely still for a moment, partially in shock from what she had just experienced, was it a hallucination or a vision granted to her by the Force? The young Mirialan had no idea how to answer the thousands of questions that began to rapidly form in her mind, however her mother had given her a final set of instructions, she had to accomplish this task to honor her memory she wasn’t sure how or why but the young Jedi understood that message conveyed to her.

Lana’s eyes scanned the bog for a moment, it didn’t take a genius to realize she wouldn’t be safe here long and remaining too close to the ground was an unnecessary risk; there were too many terrestrial predators to contend with. Lana called upon the Force and made a single leap to the nearest tree, she aimed her trajectory to ensure she landed on the lowest laying sturdy branch. Once her feet connected she began to climb, she needed to get a lay of the land and know what challenges laid roughly ahead of her and her fellow initiates.

As Lana climbed she stuffed one of her utility belt pockets full with dried and dying leaves and twigs, they would make decent tender for fires at night should the group require it. Once Lana reached the top of the tree she would gaze out at the land, surveying exactly what laid ahead of them and watching as their transport disappeared into the distance. Lana made a mental note of which direction the ship went and then climbed back down to the middle branches of the tree to await movement from Juno Armstrong and the rest of her fellow initiates.

“Don’t worry mother, I will succeed for you, for Papa, and for everyone else who fell on that day.” She thought as she gazed out onto the swamp, her spirit rekindled by a new flame, determination reborn.

 

[Hannah]

Rayla watched as the first three Padawans drop into the swampy mush below. She simply stared down, observing them as they landed in or around what looked to be very active mud clots. Rayla was slightly taken back by this at first, not because she was afraid of getting dirty, but because she was afraid of anything that might endanger her or her fellow students down there- though she tried to hold in her fear, for she didn’t want to have the Jedi Master consider her a burden, which she already feared that she did.

Nevertheless, Rayla would have to conquer her fears at some point throughout this journey, and considering that she was about to slide down a rope to vastly unexplored swampy regions made her consider that that time may be now.

With a slight grunt, Rayla gave a silent nod of recognition to the last Jedi Padawan still in the ship that hadn’t slid down yet besides herself, and a respectful nod the Jedi Master. She had the upmost respect to the whole lot of them.

Holding onto the rope as the Jedi Master had carefully instructed her to, swinging her legs, then her arms onto the rope, and letting gravity fo the work. Just let gravity do the work… Rayla repeated what the master had said in her mind multiple times. What was really ten seconds seemed like an eternity. On her way down, Rayla’s mind began to ponder off. She began to think about how all of those around her were the future of the Jedi, and how they simply could not fail.

Just as Rayla was approaching the bottom, she slid one of her feet out to brace her impact- though the mud did everything for her. Fortunately, she had only landed in a knee-deep area of the mud, so it was rather easy for her to climb out and pull herself out of the sticky liquid. Was it even a liquid? Rayla thought to herself as she observed her now mud-covered pants. The twi'lek proceeded in climbing up a tree to wait for the others to get down, simply observing as two of the other Padawans that had now safely made it down run off to the hill. At first Rayla had considered going off to join them, though she didn’t want to be a nuisance, so she left them alone for the time being, waiting patiently for the Doaba to leave so that she may meet up with the others like the Jedi Master had instructed.

Once the ship had left the atmosphere, (at least from Rayla's point of view,) she slid gracefully down her tree, observing as the Jedi Master landed a few hundred feet away, making her way to the meeting point just as Rayla should be doing right now.

With that, Rayla began to run off to gather up with the others.

 

[Catharsis]

She slipped her gaze down through the opening when the ropes were kicked down, and allowed the wind to whip at her hair, frowning ever so slightly to herself. For whatever reason, it did not worry her to be standing on such a sudden drop, knowing that the closest surface was far below. Then she stepped back, and waited patiently for everyone to pass down the rope, watching for any signs of difficulty. Not for her own sake, but so she could see to anyone who suffered due to miscalculation, and the likes, when she landed down on the planet herself.

When it was just Asha and Juno left in the hangar bay the young Jedi inclined her head, respectfully. Without word she moved towards the rope which had been kicked out to the planet below, and encircled an arm and a leg around it, as she allowed gravity to pull her right down to the surface... And into Asha's worst nightmare. Water. And not even the clean kind which someone who couldn't swim wouldn't mind being dunked in. Kriff she thought, until she found her feet and realised it was only chest-height, one of the perks to being an Epicanthix was that Asha was naturally tall. Perhaps that would come in handy.

Grateful that she had decided to wear her survival gear, and not anything which would be difficult to replace, the Padawan began to make her way through the bog to the edge of the water, pulling herself up through the aid of a low-hanging branch. When she was finally on dry land she slipped the backpack off her shoulders and quickly checked that everything within was still okay after it's dunk... And luckily the material had protected the contents. One less thing to worry about she decided, as she shook some of the gunk off her shoes and turned her sight to the skies. East... East...

Using the sun, what little of it came through the trees and the hazy atmosphere, she set off in the direction of their meeting point... But not before glancing around. She made a visual, to count each member of the group and ensured that no one was injured or missing, and that every one seemed to have their bearings right. Only if they did, would Asha continue on.

 

[Cassanova]

Juno watched, not with her eyes, but with the Force. A skill she had nearly perfected over the years - oddly enough one which she learned from her first Padawan, Holiday Nordin. A Miralukan by birth, Nordin's perception of the world came only in the form of using Force Sense, a skill which came more naturally to her, than breathing did to Juno. After years of practice, training, and discussion, Juno had finally achieved what she could only assume was a Miralukan understanding of the ability. In situations such as this, it gave Juno an almost birds-eye, free-roaming view of the immediate area, and more importantly, her five accompanying Padawans.

She watched each of them with keen interest, and counted herself among the group, attemping to stay in the middle of them as often as possible. She did, however, have to remind herself that she was here to observe and challenge these Padawans. How they handled the situations would be entirely their own choices. Then again, its not unlike Juno to simply let five Padawans take a liesurely stroll through a swamp for two days. This was a training excersise.

Having found a suitably comfortable branch, Juno settled herself down onto it and quickly checked a satchel on the small of her back, ensuring that the medical supplies she had gathered before the exercise still contained what she needed. Juno set about crossing her legs and adopting a meditative position - meditation, however, was not her goal. These swamps were home to three various type of sea-snake, more commonly referred to as swamp-snakes, simply due to their choice in home. Of those three types there were two that were dangerously similar in colouring and marking. One of them was deadly poisonous. The doppleganger to the venomous reptile was like the third variety, utterly harmless. Once she had discovered the snakes, who numbered well into the dozens in the immedate area, Juno allowed herself to be enveloped by the Force, and set about dividing her attention. Half her mind set about focusing on her students, watching them, observing their reactions. The other half, however, set about utilising a skill that Juno had gently worked on over the years.

An eerie silence overcame the swamp, the wind seemed to settle, and whatever avian life was about seemed to silence themselves in anticipation. Only the most subtle of sounds could be heard. The gentle swoosh of the swamp-snakes re-entering their aquatic environment with the five distinct targets; The Padawans.

As though magnetically drawn to them, the snakes seemed to form circles around the students, and gradually moved closer and closer until the smaller and faster (albeit non-venemous) snakes were swarming between each of the Padawans legs, nipping whatever resembled flesh, or thin clothing. It was now only a matter of seconds until the venomous ones arrived and began to deliver more serious bites to the Padawans.

 

[Jaime]

Cal-doran's eyes snapped open as the swamp, seemingly out of nowhere, went absolutely silent. He could not hear frogs croaking, the various inhabitants of the wild sounding off warning signals toward the padawans, telling them to not enter their territory. The Force that had gathered in and around Cal told him of a disturbance, another being using the Force to cause whatever was going on. He closed his eyes to pinpoint where the source was, but as a padawan barely trained in the arts of the Force as is, he could not find the user of such a power. He remained cross-legged on the rock, eyes closed, calm, centering himself and opening his mind to the Force, breathing in and out steadily.

Cal could feel himself immersing his body into the environment in which he was in, could feel it flowing through him, guiding him. The Living Force began to whisper to him it seemed, warning him of something coming closer and closer, and then Cal realized it wasn't the Force telling him that, but his Sense. He could Sense something coming.

Something deadly.

His eyes shot open again, just in time to see the swarm of attempting to slither up the steep sides of the rock on which he now sat. He started to chuckle at the little guys' failed attempts but then realized that they were now up the slope, and that close to nipping at his heels and legs and robes. Cal called upon the Force and set it into his right palm and spun up in a 360 degree angle, slamming it into the rock, skyrocketing him up around 35-40 feet in the air. He then braced himself for impact onto destroyed, moss covered tree that jutted into the air a good 30 feet. He landed on the top with ease on both feet, perfectly balanced.

Cal centered himself once again, calming his mind and body, and then called upon his eternal ally the Force to give him a burst of Speed toward the same rock in which he had just leaped off of. He landed on the rock to the surprise and fury of the snakes that had gathered there. They reared back a bit with their spine-less backs and hissed at him. Before doing anything else he examined the snakes; there were only three here that were actually poisonous, he could tell: they had slightly larger fangs than the non-poisonous swamp-snakes present. He set about taking care of the poisonous ones first.

He lifted them with the remaining Force energy that was left to him, brought out his home-made shiv from Raxus Prime, which he always carried with him, brought them closer and then sliced each of their three heads off in a single sideways slice.

While doing this, however, the other non-poisonous snakes took advantage of Cal's ignorance of the fact they had even existed, biting at his legs. The Jedi grimaced in pain, then set about stomping each and every one of their skulls or slicing them with his shiv until all of them were done away with. He was breathing heavily by the time he was done, but he quickly regained his composure, calming himself and allowing the Force to flow through him once again. He looked down to his own wounds. They were not grievous in nature, or wounds at all really, maybe a couple scars, but nothing really deadly.

Cal looked around, searching for Master Armstrong; he had not seen her come down, as he was the first/second one out. Had she not come? No, that couldn't be. He started moving toward the clearing that most of the other padawans had landed near, the hill right ahead of him, leaping from rock to rock. He stopped at the bottom of the hill, searching.

"Fellow Jedi," he yelled out into the swamp around him. "Come to the sound of my voice! Are any of you wounded?!" He waited for an answer.

 

[Hannah]

Rayla used the force to guide her through the muck that she stood ankle-deep in. With every step she took, it stuck to her, clung to her as if clinging for life- and then, just when she pulled her thigh up to her kneecap, there was a noise as if a vaccum had been turned on, then a quick pop, and the muck was slammed back down into the ground, giving up on trying to hang on to the poor Jedi.

Rayla’s lekku swayed along with the wind, and the breeze was rather relaxing considering that it was hot and humid on the planet they were stowed away on. The wind left her skin with goose bumps do to its comforting state. Rayla had yet to meet up with any of the other Padawans, but she hoped she would come across their paths soon.

At first, Rayla considered calling out for the other Padawans, or Master Armstrong, but after thinking about it for a moment, Rayla had decided that it wasn’t such a good idea. It could alert any other prescense that was on the planet with them that they were here. The Jedi Master had warned them all prior to this that she couldn’t guarantee their safety, and she didn’t want to put herself or the others at risk. It was best for her to just meet up with the others when she got to the hill.

As Rayla trudged along, she began to notice her lekku’s had stopped swaying in the breeze, for there was no breeze. She also noticed various animals begin to go silent. She couldn’t hear anything. It was as if everything had just… stopped.

Sssssssssss... Rayla placed her head in her palm, as if a snake had slithered into her mind and proceeded to hiss in her ear. Her mind echoed within itself, as if it was about to collapse. Instinctively, the Padawan had swatted at her ears, as if trying to get a bug away from her that was causing her to be distracted by her own thoughts.

Sssssssssss… Rayla had heard it again, though this time it hadn’t sounded as distant. It sounded as if whatever was making the noise was inching up behind her. As if something had taken control of her mind.

Sssssssssssssssssssssssssssss... This time, it sounded as if the noise was originating from something right on top of her. As if a snake was slithering along Rayla’s body… As if it was waiting for the perfect moment to strike, and then slice it’s teeth into Rayla. As if at any moment, Rayla could be bitten.

“Ahhh!” Rayla let out a screech, though she immediately wished that she hadn’t, for it had alerted everything that was in the swamp, (including the other Jedi and whatever else was beyond…) as to where her position was. Acting on instinct, Rayla reached her arm out, extending it to the back of her neck, yanking the slithering creature off of her skin, its fangs, (which had already sunk into the back of Rayla’s neck) taking a chunk of her flesh with it as she threw it on the ground. The snake backed up before slithering its way into a bush.

The woman let out a groan of discomfort as she went to go feel the spot on her neck in which the snake had struck. She could feel the warm blood oozing from her body and into her hand, coating it in blood. Just when Rayla thought that she could make it to the meet up point without any more troubles, the intolerable hissing had returned. Even after just seconds of listening to it in short intervals, it was already beginning to annoy Rayla.

“I cannot get angry, for it is not the Jedi way,” Rayla had to remind herself. As one of the last of the Jedi Order, it was her job to hold truer to the code than ever, for it may be her who is helping to build the Order back up again, and her training is an essential part of her path as a guardian of peace.

Rayla noticed several snakes slithering in her directions, and she attempted to intimidate them off by activating her lightsaber, the common weapon of the Jedi. She hoped that even non-sentient beings such as snakes would be intimidated by her majestic weapon, though the snakes refused to back down.

It was then that Rayla tried to use the force to drill into their minds in an attempt to get them to leave. As she attempted to clear a path into their deluded minds, however, she was driven out by such a strong presence in the force, almost causing Rayla herself to fall backwards.

Cornered with little options left, Rayla decided to do whatever she could think of- she began to swing her lightsaber against the ground in a rapid motion, trying once more to scare the little creatures off. At first, the snakes seemed to be blinded by the absolute brightness of Rayla’s lightsaber, but after a moment’s notice, they seemed almost intimidated by it. The Padawan continued to swing her lightsaber against the ground in a vast circular motion, causing dirt to fly everywhere in large clumps. The snakes seemed genuinely startled, as if afraid they were going to be hit by the lightsaber! The snakes slowly began to back up, slinking back into the bushes in which they originated from.

Turning on her heel, Rayla began to sprint back towards the hill, Rayla began to make her way towards the others.

 

[Apollyon]

Lana watched as the ship disappeared into the horizon of the quagmire world known as Manpha, she squinted as she attempted to gain just one last look at the ghost of her mother’s memory but it was to no avail. The roar of the transport’s engines carried the memory of her mother far away from Lana, towards its destination, the dock it would be waiting for her at. The young Mirialan felt her heart sink into her chest as the tiny dot that was the transport finally blinked out of existence, her purple eyes dropped from the blue sky and back onto the grim miry world below. Part of Lana wished she had died with her mother on Coruscant, that she was in the afterlife with them at that moment, that she was able to embrace her for the eternity, but most importantly so she would never have to understand the true meaning of loss and suffering.

A scream pulled Lana from wallowing in self-pity, it had come from the marsh far below. Lana immediately pushed aside the brush to gaze down at what was occurring to her comrades what she saw caused a cold chill to crawl up her spine and nausea to grip her stomach. Snakes, dozens of snakes swarmed her comrades as they waded through the ever thickening and ever deepening fen while this alarmed Lana it was the next noise that caused panic to well up in her throat once more. The subtle warning hiss of one of the marsh snakes a few branches below her, her eyes stared down at the swarm the somehow slithered up the branches, their eyes locked onto Lana as if they were mesmerized by an unseen force and inexplicably drawn to her. As the sound of a dozen hisses grew closer Lana’s eyes darted towards the next tree and a branch a bit lower than the perch she sat on.

Pain shot up Lana’s leg as one of the smaller snakes buried it’s fangless maw into the skin through the fabric of her pant leg before wrapping is thin yet muscular body around the small of her foreleg in an attempt to constrict and suffocate its prey that was several times its own size. Ignoring her serpentine passenger Lana called on the Force once more and leapt from her perch into the next tree. Behind her she heard the angry hisses of a dozen hungry serpents; the noise caused the land to shift once more taking the form of Coruscant in its final moments. The branch she landed on slowly changed into the ledge of a rafter on a crumbling building, imaginary mortars rained down whistling and hissing as they crashed down onto the collapsing ceiling.

Panic gripped Lana’s heart as she leapt again towards the next ledge in attempt to escape certain death. Her breath grew ragged and held a deeper tone to it almost as if it belonged to another person. Lana glanced down and to her left, she stared onwards in horror as dozens of people vanished in the blast of an artillery strike on the streets far below. Lana felt her heart rate pick up rapidly as she continued running across rooftops, leaping from ledge to ledge in an attempt to escape the unrelenting chaos and death that surrounded her but it didn’t matter how fast her feet carried her death caught up with her as it did with everyone stranded on the planet’s face.

The branch Lana landed on was too weak to hold her weight it shook violently beneath her feet before giving way under the weight of her body. In Lana’s mind her eyes looked down as the rooftop she had just landed on shook it’s foundations giving out as the planet reeled in its death throes. “Oh Gods no!” she cried out in a masculine voice as the integrity of building collapsed causing her to fall into the black pit of the Coruscanti underbelly. But something grabbed Lana, she watched as the man she had “been” fell downwards, his body shifting and turning to face her before disappearing forever. Lana recognized his face, she gazed on helplessly as the man she once called “father” vanished, claimed by the infinite cruelty of the Sith and their destructive tendencies.

Lana was instantly ripped from her vision as her limp body collided with the miry depths below; she gazed around in the dark water’s before surfacing for air. The realization of what had occurred slowly set in as she slowly swam towards the shore, with no snakes in sight save for the little constrictor that clung onto her leg desperately attempting to bring down its oversized meal by tensing it’s coils as tight as possible. Once Lana made it ashore she gazed down at the little serpent that barely wrapped around her leg and chuckled, it was an easy creature to remove from her leg and it was determined to bring her down, just as she was determined to prove herself on this exercise perhaps not to Juno Armstrong but to herself.

“I think I will call you…Consilium.” Lana whispered as she gazed at the small serpent that hissed angrily at her before placing him in one of her utility pouches.

Once she was sure her new pet couldn’t escape his temporary confines she made her way up to the largest tree on the bank, she touched her hand to the tree’s bark in an apologetic manner before pulling the utility knife from her pocket. Lana began carving a large arrow pointing in the direction the ship had gone to, an arrow pointed east for the others to follow should they find themselves lost or stranded. After she finished marking the tree Lana continued onward leaping up into the low laying branches and headed in the direction of their ticket home, pondering over the strange set of visions she had been subject to and what they meant.

 

[Catharsis]

Asha continued to press on after making it out of the water, checking back over her shoulder every so often in order to make sure her peers were all okay, that no one was lost or injured. This was a team effort, and while she was most likely one of the least-social Jedi here, she would still do her best to work with them, rather than against them. Around the third time she glanced back, however, Asha noticed something odd. The water was moving, rippling, without a source. She herself had ceased walking through it, in favour of the high ground, and her fellow Padawans, and even Master Juno, were too far away for their ripples to effect the expanse of water beside her.

Overcoming her initial curiosity, the young Jedi carried on in the direction of their assembly point, that was until she heard the sound of raised voices, akin to screams or shouts. Preparing to double back on herself, and ensure everyone was okay, the Padawan ventured back down into the water... Before realising what it was that had been causing the water to become unsettled. Snakes slithered and disturbed the water, some closer than others, all encircling her and pressing nearer with each moment. Those closer to her, she realised, were far more vocal, far more angry than the others, and it made her wonder. That which barks the loudest oft' has the weaker bite. They were overcompensating for something... But for what, Asha did not know.

Instead of attacking the creatures, which to her would be wrong without reason, she began to focus in on the Force, even when the first wave of snakes began to bite at her unexposed legs. Not wanting to find out the reason why the others seemed so placid in comparison, the young Jedi began to exert the Force out from herself in soothing, calming waves, hoping to quell their anger. However, it was a very small gesture, one which would not inhibit the snake's nature in any way, except to show that she was harmless. At least to them. Perhaps I ran into their nest, or upset their habitat... That was never something the Padawan would or had wanted to do, and why should their life be forfeit just because she hadn't watched where she was going?

When the snakes began to ease up on their biting, and before those who were ever so slightly further away reached her, the Padawan exerted the Force through her body while making a large, arced leap up to the tree which was overhanging the water. Managing to grasp onto the branch she pulled herself up, testing the strength of the branch warily. If she fell on the snakes now, then it would ruin their presently placid nature. Luckily the branch did not snap, and Asha was able to lower herself back to the high ground. Tapping into her wrist-comm-device she spoke thusly to those on the team; 'Is everyone alright? No injuries? I heard screaming.'

Thankfully, Asha had brought with her one of her med-kits, so her training could be put to good use should anything happen. She waited for a moment and, provided no one comm'd back with any injuries, or having gotten lost, she proceeded to press on towards the East, heading back to the ship as was the plan. Extending her senses out, she began to ensure that she no longer disturbed the habitat of any other snakes... Or whatever else the swamp had to offer in terms of native, or non-native, fauna.

 

[Ush]

Ryloss waited for someone to make contact with him. He looked out, waiting for them. The first thing he heard was Cal-doran. Immediately, he sent out a mental message probably audible to the other padawans as well.
"SHUT UP!"
The two words were loud and would broadcast to any sentient in the area. It was faster and easier than setting it to just one person.
"I don't know what else is living in this swamp, if a large predator hears you, and they all have great hearing, it'll run straight at you, understand?"
He noticed the absolute silence a moment later. Ryloss was glad there were no trees for twenty feet around them, he saw the snakes coming towards him. After a second, confirming they were after him, he pushed them back with the force. It was an extremely weak repulse, basically. The snakes should have been warded off. Instead, they kept coming. Sensing there was something behind them, he reached into ones mind. He'd only twice done this in the past, both with sentients. He followed the trace left by them and found where Master Juno was. Grinning to himself, he prepared to run. Then someone screamed. Ryloss stopped, listening for another. None came. Not good, not good at all. He reached towards the center of the sound, ignoring the snakes. He found the Twi'Lek girl. Bleeding, but alive. And running his way. The Zeltron snapped back to his own situation. The snakes had started to bite his ankles. But he was wearing boots and they were out of their element. Ryloss began to toss them a great distance away with the Force, one by one by one. He picked up one of the last and examined it. Edible? No, probably not. He brought his arm back and tossed it. He could feel his scars grinding against each other as he did so.
Then, Ryloss reached out to the padawan that screamed. He'd been sure not to send any of the little snakes her way. Opening a mental connection, he spoke with her.
"I'm on top of that hill. I don't think the majority of these things were poisonous, but I'm not certain. Come here, I can clean out the wound."
He knew how to heal her. No use in having her lag behind, after all. When another Jedi spoke to him through the communicator, he replied with telepathy.
"Not me. I'll take care of the Twi'Lek, she's the one that screamed."
Finally, he made another broadcast too everyone, especially Cal-doran.
"We are in the middle of a swamp on an unfriendly world. Don't shout, dammit! Everyone, there is a hill less than a hundred meters away from any of you. We can see anything coming from nearly twenty feet in all directions. This would be the safest place to get our bearings, I feel. I'll send you an idea of the general direction, in case you can't see it. If you have med-kits or bacta, I highly recommend you save them. I can heal a bite from these things. If we run into something worse, we'll need them."
He sent everyone an image of it from the air, as he remembered it. He made the hill seem slightly more noticeable. He then marked where everyone was, highlighting it with an idea rather than a physical marker, and showed them where they were in relation to it. He also found where Master Armstrong was. He opened a private link to her.
"Please tell me if I messed that image up, I've only rarely done it before."
Finally, he stood up from his crouch and walked into the dead-center of the small plateau. The grass formed something similar to a mattress. That may end badly, especially with lightsabers present. He'd mention it when they got here, though.

 

[Cassanova]

Juno carefully watched, through the Force the students responses to her snakes, taking mental notes of how each Padawan handled the situation. Needless to say, none of them provided an ideal response to the snakes' advances. Making the concious decision to release her hold on the snakes, who seemed confused for a few moments, then quickly dispersed into the swampy murk. Slowly, but surely the gentle breeze returned, the birds seemed to finally take a breath and began to cheerily chirp amongst the branches. Taking in the serenity (despite the smell) for just one more moment, Juno quickly gathered herself together and launched from her treebranch, landing on a craggy rock protruding from the water's surface. It was now time for Juno to disappear and move ahead to the next obstacle in their journey.

---

Nearly ten kilometers further east of the swamps, where the ground had become more fertile and stable, with the terrain changing ever so gradually. The rocky outcroppings became hills, then mountains, then eventually plateaus with ravines. Those ten kilometers normally would have taken a skilled and fit runner around an hour and a half to un. Juno, with the assistance of the Force, made te trip in less than a third of that. She had taken great care to do what she could to mask her presence in the Force, unfortunately she was, by no means, a Master in the ability, but what she did know she assumed would suffice to keep a group of Padawan's oblivious to her intentions.

Perched atop a small, washed out canyon at who's trough lay a dried up riverbed, Juno approached one of four identical structures. Small, boxlike structures around a meter tall, held off the ground by a wide-footed tripod. Two were set up either side of the ravine, and Juno had taken special care to set them up carefully, but was re-checking them again nonetheless. Certain she was out of sight of the riverbed, Juno opened a small datapad, and connected it to the tripod-mounted device, which activated a link to all four. Once the connection established, Juno set about configuring the devices to provide the next challenge. It was key that these devices were to be not harmful, but also important that they would get the message across; Danger was still present.

Once the configuration was prepared, Juno merely sat back against a rock, allowing the Force to alert her to when the Padawans began to draw near to the only thoroughfare through the mountainous range, where they would face the next obstacle in the training excercise.

 

[Jaime]

Cal chuckled at the message Ryloss sent to him through the Force. He was getting aggravated over nothing; if the predators wanted to attack the prey that was so out in the open already, that had already shown themselves and their location by way of the Doaba's engines roiling out into the swampy terrain all around them, then they would have come by now. The snakes were sent by something else in origin, as Cal had felt through the Force, a disturbance. Most likely the first test; the snakes would not have been in such numbers and in a common cause like that if they weren't under the control of some sort of larger entity.

Nevertheless, the Padawan began to set one foot in front of the other up the slope of the hill Ryloss had told them to meet him at. He suspected the other padawan's would be there as well, since he seemed to be addressing the rest of them. He would at least get to work with other members of the Order on this mission if he did not get chosen for the apprenticeship. He needed more acquaintances than just a Zeltron with anger problems and a knack to assert authority. Most of the others that had signed up for this were young women; attractive young women.

Cal laughed openly as he reached the top of the hill; he loved life outside the prison. He knew he would.

As he got to Ryloss, he waved to him mockingly, shiv in hand. He was wiping the snake blood off it with his dirty and unwashed robe he had since he had escaped from Raxus Prime. The custodians and other personnel on the Light of the Force had practically begged him to get a new clean set of clothes and a practical Jedi robe. He didn't want to ruin the new and shiny robe that was now sitting in his quarters, safely aboard the ship.

He twirled the make-shift weapon in his right hand, rubbing his beard with the other. "You're not bit are you? Don't want to do what you did to me on Zeltros. Oh wait." He laughed then looked around for the others. "You haven't gotten a response from them yet? I haven't seen any of them. Nor sensed their presence."