The Survival Drop

[Catharsis]

Upon being instructed to go back, the young Jedi frowned. She understood that someone was injured, yet she also knew that she was being seen to. Too many cooks make a very bad meal she thought, rubbing the back of her neck. Asha was more of a solo-person, a lone wolf for lack of a better phrase, which made her naturally adverse to purposely seeking out a group without reason. One injury, being tended to... "Make sure it's not infected, the swamp water, and the air, will be full of toxins that, while allowing the air to still be breathable, could worsen the cuts." This she sent out to Ryloss, before continuing on her way. "If you struggle with it, let me know. I can detoxify her in no time." By offering, and not pressing to do so, she hoped that he would not take offence, nor feel belittled by the Epicanthix. But it also meant that she could press on.

"I'm going to scout ahead" she informed them all, to stop them worrying or slowing down due to her absence. She hadn't quite gotten herself into the mindframe by which she could wander around chatting with the group, adventuring together. It would take a little more time, and she wouldn't force it. Not until I need to, at least. Glancing back to where they were all beginning to gather, Asha frowned. Then she carried on going East, picking up the pace a little. She kept her comm-link open, incase they needed any assistance, and pressed on, heading further ashore and deeper into the swamp itself.

Provided there was no alerts or requirement that she backup and rejoin the group during that time, the Padawan pressed on until the terrain began to shift. At first it was a minor thing, merely the water beginning to ease up, even the air became a little nicer to breathe, but soon it was all the more noticeable. "There's a change ahead, several kilometres from your location. I won't press on any further." Instead she found herself a small vantage point, up one of the trees which still remained, and began to scour the area from a higher-viewpoint.

To the West she tried to check the progress of the others, and in the deathly silent swamp it wasn't so difficult to hear the occasional word, or sloshing of water. It's too quiet for my liking she admitted to herself, and for someone who lived mostly in silence it was an odd observation. "There is no immediate threat to your persons until this point" she comm'd in, but she kept watch all the same. Aside from the snakes she had not come across any of the native fauna, and the only flora she had seen was... Well, the trees, if you can count it as such.

This would be an awful place to be stranded without water and rations she decided, what with the murky water below, and the lack of both plant and animal life. Rubbing the back of her neck, she sent one last comm-call to them, frowning to how frequently she had spoken. This wasn't Asha, this was survival. "Also, to any of you who have begun on provisions, take it easy. As tempting as it may be, we have no fresh water source, and unless you want to go back and find snakes to eat... Well, there's been no signs of flora or fauna."

When they were closer, and by that she meant visible, she would again ask whether anyone was injured, or lost, before pressing on ahead. It was better to have someone know the area, the terrain and where they were headed, than to all walk blindly into effective darkness.

 

[Apollyon]

Lana watched the surface of the brown murky water, the swamp had given life to one danger already and she wouldn’t have it surprise her with yet another swarming mass or a singular living nightmare. Despite the water’s calm and glass-like surface, Lana didn’t trust it she had studied this planet prior to the drop and knew how dangerous it could be, if she was going to survive she would have to keep her senses on full alert and her mind switching tasks between progression and watching her surroundings. Lana decided to focus on the experience she had just endured, something seemed odd about the way those snakes scaled the tree, almost as if they were perfectly aware of where she had placed herself. The young Padawan pondered if there was a secondary force on the planet, something malicious looking to disrupt the exercise they had begun but something about that theory didn’t fit. If there was in fact a secondary malicious force at play here, something such as a dark side practitioner the attack wouldn’t have contained constrictors such as Consilium , instead the snakes would have been purely poisonous and the Padawan’s likely wouldn’t have seen them coming. While Lana doubted the Jedi Master who hosted this exercise would have deliberately placed the Padawan learners she was charged with in harm’s way, she couldn’t help but wonder where Juno was when the snakes made their advance towards the group and how the snakes knew exactly where to go to target the Padawans.

However, Lana’s assessment of situation they had been placed in was brought to a screeching halt as an alien presence brushed her mind without invitation. "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." As soon as the message ended a rather blurry image of a small island appeared in Lana’s mind, with the source sitting on a small hill tending to a wounded Padawan and beckoning them to come to him.

Lana was flabbergasted at the foolishness of it all, they had just been attacked by serpents that emerged from the depths of the Swamp and now a group of her comrades sought refuge in a place surrounded by those same miry waters? Although Lana was incapable of responding through telepathy she had to convey that message to the group that had possibly entrapped themselves on the shores of that tiny island, lest they find themselves in a more grievous situation when the waters sway under the pull of the moons. Lana’s actions were immediate; she traced the message back to roughly its point of origin and gazed out at her peers as they stood at the top of a small hill on the island. She could tell they felt safe due to the elevation of the hill, but Lana also noticed something from the distance, the color of the sands that surrounded the tiny island, they held a darker tint. It occurred to Lana that the Island submerged itself at night as the tide of the swamp rushed in during the pull of Manpha’s moon(s) which would quickly evaporate her comrade’s false sense of security.

However another obstacle presented itself yet again, her inability to captivate their attention through telepathic means. Lana realized she would have to improvise to capture the attention of the other Padawans and she would have to do this quickly. Utilizing a trick her mother taught her before she died which involved the rapid compression of a Force presence and then releasing it to cause fluctuations in the Force, Lana advertised her presence wordlessly. Silently she hoped it would grab the attention of a more senior Padawan and allow her to communicate verbally with him or her and ensure their escape off the tiny island that would damn them all without the information she had uncovered.

 

[Ush]

Ryloss nodded to Cal-doran, ignoring the blood, and listened to the girl on the communicator.
"Good luck."
He listened to all her updates.
"Thanks. I'll be careful, I have two liters of water and I don't intend on putting it to waste."
If the Twi'lek girl showed up, he'd heal her without a word. Then he'd explain to both of them, her and Cal-doran, what he was going to do.
"We've alerted every animal within five miles. We need to get out of here, and it's probably best if we split up to do so. If you get hurt, call for me and I'll come as fast as I can. Until then we'd best split up. Goodbye, and good luck."
With that the Zeltron stood up and took off into the marsh, using the force to sense where to stand to avoid bog holes. He moved quickly. Built like a sprinter, Ryloss used Force Hibernation to slow the amount of energy he used while running. It helped, allowing him not to drink or feel hunger for a long period of time. He could then sprint for long periods of time. Of course, he was bound to make a mistake...

The thing slammed into his back, knocking him down. Ryloss smashed his head against a rock and lay, stunned for a few moments. His aggressor game into view. It was reptilian, with a long snout and tail. It's legs were directly under it's body, and it stood at four feet at the shoulder. Ryloss reckoned it must have gone on two legs to knock him down. It opened it's mouth and roared, showing the long, forked tongue and sharp, serrated teeth. This brown lizard was a killing machine.
Suddenly, it pounced. Ryloss rolled to the side and did a back-flip off the floor, coming up with his lightsaber in hand. When it pounced at him again, it's three inch claws going for his face, he activated the lightsaber, aiming for it's neck. The blade was reflected off it's skin. The shock of the impact caused Ryloss drop his lightsaber. The lizard was knocked aside, but it soon came at him again. This time, Ryloss ducked under the pounce and picked up the lightsaber again. It had fallen in water, useless for about a minute. This fight couldn't last more than ten seconds.
The lizard pounced again. With a roar, Ryloss smashed the end of the lightsaber forcibly off it's snout. The creature's head snapped back and it fell, neck broken. Ryloss watched it spasm until his lightsaber was ready to use and sent the blade into the poor creature's throat via the mouth, killing it instantly. With a sigh, Ryloss stood up. He felt blood begin to drip down his back. It must have nicked him. Closing his eyes, the zeltron began to heal his wound. His shirt was still bloody and ripped, though, and it would take a few hours to fully heal. It would scab over in a few minutes, though.

Ryloss pressed on. About thirty minutes or so later he came to the edge of the rocky area. This would be a lot more treacherous, and he had little dealings in terrain like this, apart from his one-time visit to Korriban. Hopefully he didn't run into what he had run into there...
Ryloss decided against going around. He closed his eyes and stepped forwards, using the Force to guide him. It was about half a kilometer long, this little island of stone. On the other side of it, however, there was just flat land. Slowly the Jedi began to push forwards. Well, slow at first. He picked up momentum and was soon running almost as freely as through the swamp, the thick trousers allowing him to avoid cutting himself. When he was through, Ryloss began to run again. He noticed the hills forming as he ran, growing steeper as he went. He saw the mountains coming, as well as how a valley was forming. After a few moments thought he jumped down into it, the fall not enough to hurt him. There was water down here now. The entire journey had taken him about an hour.
Slowing his pace, Ryloss began to walk. No point in running when you don't have to, after all. The Padawan took out his flask and drank. About one liter and three quarters left. After a five minute break, Ryloss kept going.
The walls were growing steeper. Soon Ryloss wouldn't be able to get out.
The Zeltron pressed forwards, aware of the dangers he might face.

 

[Cassanova]

Juno frowned as she waited patiently, utilising the Force to tell her what was happening. Admittedly she couldn't decipher who was where specifically, her mind was far too divided for that, but she could easily tell that the group had, for the most part, split up. Juno merely frowned and waited. Slowly but surely, her senses alerted her to a Padawan becoming much closer in proximity. By way of deduction, she assumed it to be Ryloss - he was, without a doubt, the most experienced Padawan on the excercise, and in many ways, the one who required the most education. Nonetheless, Juno waited patiently, hidden behind a rocky outcropping.

As the Padawan entered the canyon, Juno quickly but gingerly powered up two of the devices. Their gentle whirr and the rotating action of their eight barrels mounted on a rotating firing chamber, better known as a minigun, caused the dropsheets to flash off them. Naturally, for dramatic effect, Juno let one of these turrets open fire utilising her remote control that she had arranged. The blaster fire wasn't superbly fast, Juno had lowered the rate slightly, but it was still enough to put some skip into someone's step. It took a moment for Juno to discover the system's lag time and response speed, but when she did the mounted blaster quickly was targeted on Ryloss.

Juno took no pleasure in this excercise, and still made certain to ensure that it was as safe as possible. The blaster's power was reduced to a point where it would only stun if it hit one of the students, and not even in the usual sense of rendering someone unconcious. The bolts would sting like hell, rendering the target area numb for at least an hour or two. In essence it was a huge disadvantage if you got hit by one of these blasters.

Then again, if any other Padawans were to try and 'run the gauntlet', Juno had the other two mounted turrets prepared to box them in. The plan was to imitate a special-forces grade ambush. At least a part of it, and how the Padawans would handle it was something of much interest to Juno.

 

[Ush]

Ryloss saw something move up on on the top of the canyon. He froze, trying to pick it out in the backdrop of the sky. Then he saw the blaster bolts connect with the ground inches from his feet.
Ambush...
Then he realized there were two fully automatic weapons firing at him.
AMBUSH!
The Zeltron immediately went down, rolling down the slope and trying to avoid the blaster fire. He could feel the rocks digging into his back, but that was nothing compared to the shock of getting shot.
Why do I know what that feels like?
Now was not the time to think about what had gone wrong in his life, however. He spotted a boulder, about five feet tall and the same wide, a few meters from him. Ryloss dug his feet into the ground and dived towards it. He landed painfully, but immediately pressed his back against the stone. He'd cut himself on the rocks a few times, but he healed them quickly.
He was being shot at. He couldn't see what was shooting at him, but it was doing so quite rapidly and didn't look like easing off. He pulled his legs in close to his body to avoid the second one getting a lucky hit on him.
Ryloss couldn't stay here. He needed a plan. The rock would only hold out like this for so long. It would crack from the head, eventually.
At the bottom of the gorge there was a river. It was little more than a stream, really, but over centuries it had worn this valley away. The little rocks, scree, would have been easily taken away. There would be a riverbed, probably a little drop where the scree had been washed away. Ryloss grinned and pulled the rock against his body. Using the force, he began to push it down the valley, him moving in front of it. It moved faster and faster, and so did Ryloss. Soon he was on two feet, crouched so the rock could cover him, and running towards the river bed.
When he got to the bottom, Ryloss dived forwards. He heard and felt the rock crash behind him and he immediately rolled up against the side of the riverbed. The water looked clean, there was about two feet of sand separating him from it and the river bed was about three feet high. Ryloss began to crawl forwards on his hands and knees, avoiding the turrets.
Master Armstrong hadn't been lying about this thing being difficult. He hadn't used his lightsaber because it would have been useless here. He couldn't hold off two fully firing weapons for more than a few seconds. If he moved fast here, he wouldn't need to worry about them anymore. He did have to move fast, however. If he stayed in one place for too long the side of the river bed would be worn away by the blaster fire.
So Ryloss kept crawling, confident in the fact he hadn't been beaten by this challenge. Eventually, he came out of range of those guns. He sat up and began to run again, trying to get out of the valley. His wound had split open again, unfortunately. As soon as he was sure he was out of range, he healed it again. Now his shirt had a large red splotch surrounding a tear on it. It would be uncomfortable, and he was only too aware it would draw predators. Nothing he could do about that, though.
Sighing, he pressed on.

 

[Apollyon]

Lana watch in horror as a massive aquatic predator leapt forth from the depths in an attempt to rip the older Zeltron Padawan into the deep abyss that had spawned it. However, due to some miscalculation or the Force itself intervening the creature didn’t grab onto the young man with its maw, instead the beast slammed into the Zeltron’s back cause him to fall forward and smash into a underlying rock. Lana cringed as she watched the short struggle for survival carry on between the two, which ended with the predator dead and the Zeltron disappearing into the distance. Lana paused for a moment; she wondered why the Padawan felt he had to destroy the beast, which had done him no wrong other than listen to its instincts that nature had evolved for him to survive. Looking down at the gaping maw of the once powerful beast with its head lying in an awkward position and blood slowly trickling out of its mouth and eyes, Lana felt sick.

However, curiosity captured Lana as she approached the fresh killed lizard, why hadn’t it bitten the young man? Surely if it had been hunting the Zeltron, he wouldn’t have stood a chance; the powerful mouth of the beast would have ripped him off his feet and into the murky depths below. Lana began to wonder if perhaps the attack wasn’t to feed on the Padawan but to defend something, territory or a nest perhaps. This thought pushed Lana to investigate further, her search was short as it only took a few seconds to find what the reptilian beast had been safeguarding. Across the river on the opposite bank, sat a single nest made from foliage and mud, inside was what Lana assumed would be a clutch of eggs that would never survive without the protection and care their mother offered until they had grown large enough to survive on their own. Lana’s purple eyes fell once more towards the colossal beast and under her breath Lana whispered an excerpt from the Jedi code, “Jedi respect all life in the galaxy, in any form it may take.” With that Lana laid a single mournful hand on the creatures hide and forced herself to turn her back on the eggs and the deceased mother, nature would have to run its course unspoiled by her hand.

Despite his brash action Lana continued to follow the other Padawan form a distance, partially because she had pegged him as the most experienced of the team that had been dropped but also because he was the only one that moved at her pace. However, she didn’t forget her fellows, making sure to mark the trunks of every five trees with her utility knife with an arrow symbol which pointed in the direction they were headed in so the others could easily find their way through what had proved to be a harsh and dangerous world. From her treetop vantage point Lana could see the danger that lurked at the edge of the tree line, turrets that had been set at the entrance to a small valley, Lana attempted to reach out with the Force to warn the young Zeltron but he had gone far beyond her limits by the time she recognized the danger. All Lana could do was watch onward helplessly as he darted directly into harm’s way, her stomach twisting into a solid knot as the turrets slowly turned to target the Zeltron.

Much to her relief the young man found cover and managed to escape the turrets through an ingenious ploy. However, he left the turrets intact which meant they were still a threat to the other Padawans who would come following her trail and stumble right into their fire, possibly cutting them down and ending their lives. Lana quickly took in her surroundings, looking for a way she could stage some form of an attack on the death machines without revealing her position to them. After a few seconds her eyes spotted the exact thing she sought, the walls of the valley that surrounded the turrets would allow for her to drop down onto the turrets and eliminate them before they could jeopardize the rest of the Padawan team but Lana would have to move quickly and silently to the valley walls to even be able to stage such an assault.

Lana called on the aid of the Force to increase her speed as she made her move towards the canyon walls, silently hoping that her movements wouldn’t be detected by the turrets if they were automated. However, much to Lana’s surprise the turrets continued to fire in the direction the Zeltron man had disappeared in, allowing her to make it to her staging point with little or no danger. Lana looked up at the canyon wall, she would have to climb at least fifty feet to reach an optimal point and remain out of the turrets targeting range. As Lana grasped the wall and began to pull herself upwards she let out a small sigh, not one born out of the situation she was placed in, but one created from the magnitude of what she was about to do in effort to protect the others.

Slowly Lana made her way up the valley’s steep walls and slowly shimmied her way to a point that overlooked the turrets directly. As Lana gazed downwards she felt terror grip her heart, the height at which she would have to drop caused nausea to well up in her gut as self-consciousness began to set in, she wasn’t sure if she could pull this off or even if she would survive should these turrets use live fire. Lana’s grip tightened on the rocks that she clung to as she faced the turrets, she closed her eyes as a strong gust of wind blew through the canyon grasping her long ponytail and causing it to whip wildly around in the wind. Suddenly everything grew silent as Lana recalled the moment she and the other Padawans set forth on this journey, she recalled the image of her mother’s form and the words of encouragement she offered Lana, “You can do this Lana, believe in yourself, and trust in the Force.”

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Lana’s purple eyes reopened with a sense of purpose, she no longer doubted her abilities and knew what she had to do, she had to trust in the Force and allow it to guide her next actions. Lana surrendered herself to the gentle current of the Force as she relinquished her grip on the rocks and leapt downwards towards the closest turret. As she fell Lana allowed the Force to protect her muscular and skeletal structure as it does when a being called upon it to increase their leaping capacity, she would land with no damage to her feet or legs. As she touched the ground she instantly reached out with the Force, grasping the eight barrels of the first turret and with some effort bent them upwards to ensure they wouldn’t be able to fire and cause her any damage. After this Lana rolled behind a small rock to her left that provided her with shelter and protection from the rain of blaster fire that erupted suddenly.

Lana’s next target was the turret that was lined up a few dozen meters behind the turret she had just disabled, she listened to their firing patterns and paid attention to the time it took for the turrets to track her movements. Lana accessed her situation and came to the conclusion that she would have a few seconds to move from cover to cover and disable the turrets before they caught up to her, that was IF she called upon the Force to constantly increase her Speed. Lana took a moment to calm herself and lower her pulse before making the next move, she had to have a clear head and a strong center to be able to accomplish this task. Less than a second after Lana found tranquility she made her move, leaping above the suppressive fire that the turrets had laid down she darted towards the next bit of cover, blaster fire nipping at her heels as she ran.

Upon reaching safety she slammed her back against the slightly larger rock and peeked around the edge of the stone to gauge the distance between the turret and her position. Her purple eyes gazed at the turret just a mere few meters away, Lana slid back to safety and closed her eyes to focus on the Force and draw it to her call. Lana’s hand reached out towards the wall of the canyon and gripped the stone chunks, they cracked beneath the power of the Force and a large mass of granite was ripped from the outcropping. Lana used this large chunk of stone to rip through not only the turret closest to her but it’s opposite as well, crushing them beneath its weight. Once this was accomplished, Lana felt a sudden drain on her body, she realized that she had in fact overextended herself with her last feat and would be incapable of drawing on the Force to move to the next bit of cover and disable the last turret. Lana was left with a final course of action, she had to step out of cover to take out the final obstacle and embrace the hail of potentially lethal fire to protect the others.

As this realization set in Lana felt no fear of death, an overwhelming sense of peace set in upon her young frame. Lana took one final deep gasp before emerging from her cover and calling on the Force, she targeting two of the legs of the turret’s tripod and focused on causing them to buckle under the sheer pressure she exerted. The turret’s blaster fire rained down on her like hail, connecting with her chest, left shoulder, and both her legs just below the knees; however Lana ignored the stings of the blaster fire even as she dropped to her knees and continued to channel her efforts into the legs of the turret. There was a horrendous screeching as the metal bent and the turret collapsed, its muzzle buried in the ground effectively neutralizing it as a threat. As the sound reached Lana she let out a sigh of relief before exhaustion caused her to collapse onto the ground unconscious.

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Lana stood in the center of a bright room, the echoes of battle surrounding her despite the inability to see anything. Images suddenly flashed from battles she hadn’t seen but had been taught of during her training in the Coruscanti temples as a young girl. She watched as ancient Jedi battled long dead Sith Lords and their cohorts, she watched as dozens of noble soldiers gave their lives to uphold their beliefs and protect the innocent. As she watched thousands of battles two silhouettes began to materialize in the distance and approach her, Lana felt a sense of familiarity when she gazed onward at their ever clearing forms. After a few moments Lana found herself standing before the forms of her mother and father, their faces filled with pride for their daughter and what she had just done.

“You have done so well Lana; you are shaping into a wonderful young Jedi.” Her mother whispered as she continued to approach her.

“A-a-am I dead?” Lana asked both her parents.

“No, you are simply unconscious; you overextended yourself during that skirmish with the turrets Lana…” Her father’s strong voice echoed throughout her mind. “…you have to be mindful of your limits Lana; you aren’t as strong as you would like to believe.” He continued with a small chuckle.

Lana felt her eyes begin to tear up as she stared onward at her mother and father, the emptiness she felt in her chest that was comprised of their loss beginning to become more apparent. There wasn’t a day that passed by that Lana didn’t miss her parents, she hadn’t forgotten their deaths in a decade and the wound hadn’t even begun to heal in that time. As Lana closed her eyes and began to weep softly she felt the warm, soft palms of her mother’s loving touch brush the tears from her eyes and encompass her face.

“Lana don’t cry, you are never alone and we are always watching you. Lana when your father and I passed on we became one with the Force, we are part of the strength you draw on in moments of need, part of the strength all Jedi call on when they need us the most. Lana your father and I are at peace in the Force but that doesn’t mean we have lost ourselves, we still love you and we are still proud of our daughter…” Lana’s mother cooed into her ear, causing Lana to weep even more bitterly. “…but we don’t have much more time Lana, you MUST wake up, your journey here hasn’t come to an end yet. You have to press forward Lana. I know it isn’t easy, I know it is hard, but we Jedi never live easy lives, you will experience more than your father and I experienced during our service to the Galaxy. Lana you must become a beacon of hope and strength for the Galaxy, you must find your place as a Jedi.” Lana’s mother instructed.

As Lana’s mother finished with her words of wisdom she felt her presence suddenly begin to wane and vanish. Lana felt anxiousness creep in as those familiar and comforting presences completely vanished from her mind. Lana’s body shot straight up as her eyes parted, her parched lips peeled apart as she cried out for her mother and father but found no answers to her disparate pleas. For a moment Lana sat completely still as loneliness set in on her once more but those feelings were cast into oblivion as she recalled her mother and father’s words and instructions, she was never alone. Lana looked about her and noticed the encroaching shadows that surrounded her, she couldn’t help but wonder how long she had been out and why she was seeing her parents all around her. Lana shoved those thoughts aside for now; they would be questions she asked Master Armstrong once the exercise was complete for now she had a goal to reach. Despite the dull ache that crept throughout her body Lana rose to her feet and slowly made her way through the canyon which she had cleared out for the rest of the Padawans that would follow her, Lana made her way east and towards whatever other dangers Manpha had to offer her.

 

[Marf]

The cool wind rushed in between her lekku and on her bare torso as Kiyoha held on atop the shuttle ramp as it moved towards the planet's surface. She was Padawan number 6, and had been called in as a replacement after two others had withdrawn from the tournament. The shuttle roared as it lowered into the growth, Kiyoha waited until the ramp was several inches from the ground, and jumped off.

She waved her escort goodbye and set off on foot. She made her way through the jungle, and it wasn't long before the sound of turret fire reached her ears. Her eyes widened and her lekku twitched, she sensed some Force users near by. Though one was distanced from the other. Following the noise into a clearing, she came to a large swamp, lying on the bank was a dead reptile, its neck apparently broken.

"That poor, poor lizard!"

Her attention was caught again by the sound of the turrets. Her fellow Padawans sounded like they were in difficulty, she would have to come back to bury the lizard later on. Brushing back the leaves and stepping through an assortment of undergrowth, she came to her destination, but the sound of the turrets had stopped. She stood between two trees with her hands resting against the bark. In front of her were the now-disabled turrets, and another Padawan. She was a Mirialan, and had the same skin colour as Kiyoha.

"Nice work here, nice to see another Padawan around."

 

[Cassanova]

Juno, of course had been informed of this late entrant to the activity. It had come to her attention that Rayla, Cal and Asha had deviated from the excercise, and opted to withdraw. Their reasons were their own and Juno held no ill will towards any of them. Perhaps Juno had pushed too far? No one had been hurt in any serious manner, so Juno was confident that her excercise was successful. At the end of the day; these scenarios were all things that Juno had faced herself in the past.

Nonetheless, once all the turrets had been disabled, Juno set about working her way to the other end of the mountainous valley, where there was a vast, open salt pan that eventually would lead to the Doaba and the extraction point. Utilising what skills the Master possessed, Juno had made her way to the other side of the mountain range by the cunning use of a swoop bike. Utilising the bike it took a fraction of an hour to cover the distance.

When she arrived, she was greeted by Deck Sergeant Mark Westos, who was responsible for the security teams aboard the Doaba. With a silent smile and gracious nod, she handed over the control chip to the swoop to the Sergeant. "Dinner and breakfast is in the crate, water is in the cannister next to it - and there are a few bed rolls there too. Are you sure about tomorrow?"

Juno merely smiled, "Don't make me remind you about ten-eleven, Mark. we handled it then, and these guys will be fine today. Just make sure the pilot's are loaded with the sonics, not the incindiaries. The last thing I need is a barbeque."
Mark merely laughed and sped off in the distance towards the Doaba to relay the final orders and ensure that the next day's challenges were prepared.

Gently moving over towards the campsite, Juno rolled a rock onto its side and utilised it as a stool, and absentmindedly waited for the Padwans to walk through this area where they would all, no doubt see her. At the end of the day, she needed them to be well-rested and prepared for the trials of the salt pan that extended out between them and the Doaba.

 

[Ush]

Ryloss' gait was beginning to slow. He slowly came to a standstill. The zeltron could see something slightly out in the distance. Ever so slightly. A camp of some sort... And if he was not mistaken, Jedi Weaponsmaster Juno Armstrong. Grinning, Ryloss began to jog over to her. As he was doing so, he looked over the massive salt pan. After the valley, he didn't trust it. He really was getting paranoid...
Soon, though, he was at the camp. He took special care not to bend his back too much with the curt bow he gave her.
"Master."
He said the word with slight, unintended sarcasm and sat on a rock similar to Juno's.
"Forgive me for not bowing deeper and sounding less than happy with how my day's gone so far."
He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly.
"Those snakes weren't much of a problem. A bit of energy, nothing more. Then the running. Again, not a problem. The only thing about that was that something attacked me. A lizard, went on all fours, sharp teeth and claws. Clawed my back open. I snapped it's neck before it could do further damage, though."
He turned, showing her the wound. It had heavily scabbed over in most parts at this point, but the places where his acrobatics had split it open. It reached from just under his right shoulder all the way down to the connection between his ribs and spine.
"So I'd appreciate it if you had something for that, yes?"
He was aware how the back of his shirt was covered in blood, dried to a near brown color by this point.
"It's not infected, I've checked."
And while he was doing this, he pulled out his flask and drained the entire thing in one go. She'd have water, he hoped to any and all gods above. But he'd never needed a drink so badly in his entire life.

 

[Apollyon]

"Nice work here, nice to see another Padawan around." A cheerful voice called out to Lana.

At first Lana thought she was about to experience another vivid vision through the Force of some poor being’s cruel demise at the hands of an out of control taint. Lana’s eyes clenched tightly together in defiance of what she had been experiencing, she wasn’t sure if the Force was trying to communicate to her or if she was simply losing her mind and that thought terrified her to the core. However, the sound of footsteps approaching signified some semblance of reality, so Lana allowed her eyelids to peel apart as she cast a glance over her left shoulder to see who it was that was approaching her.

Much to Lana’s surprise a young Twi’lek girl was approaching but not the young woman she had seen earlier on the vessel, had more than one group been brought in? Was this some form of test Master Juno had up her sleeve? Despite all the questions that suddenly formed in her mind Lana found solace in one thing, her efforts here had protected at least one other being and that made the sting of the blaster fire completely worth it. Lana allowed a weak smile to appear on her ragged face before her now numbed and weakened knees collapsed underneath her.

It was only in that moment that Lana realized how far she had pushed past her limits in the now finished short skirmish against the turrets. Lana held her exhausted body up with her right arm, her palm firmly planted on the ground in refusal to collapse, to give in to the ever growing weakness that flooded her body as the adrenaline evaporated from her veins. Underneath her breath Lana chanted her mother’s words when she first started on this journey, she couldn’t allow herself to collapse here, she had to persevere.

As Lana sat there supporting her constantly increasing dead weight with a single arm her mind pulled her back to a moment early in her training. She saw herself as a young girl standing behind her mother as she shyly clung tightly to the hind portions of her mother’s robe. She remembered how scared she felt as she watched all the being walking around the Temple grounds, the multitudes of alien life that occasionally gave her a compassionate glance. Despite this they all seemed like monsters from her worst nightmares to Lana, she had never seen so many strange creatures in a single area before, she had never seen such variety of life.

Then Lana remembered words that would affect her mentality for the rest of her days, her mother carefully put her arm on young Lana’s shoulder and gently pulled Lana in front of her. Lana remembered the sensation of her mother’s other hand lightly being placed on her other shoulder before she spoke to her young and scared daughter. “Lana every being you see here is a Jedi or hope to become a Jedi one day. This is our extended family Lana, we are all bound together by a single purpose and we are all of one accord, to protect the Peace our ancestors fought and died for. You have nothing to fear here, every face would give their lives to protect you, they would drop everything to save you…and one day you will be willing to do the same for them.” Her mother said in a calm yet comforting voice.

As the memory faded Lana gave the young Twi’lek girl another glance, it was clear that at this point she couldn’t continue on their own, she needed this young woman’s help. Despite the need for her aid, Lana felt her pride injured for her inability to press forward on her own, for her sudden reliance on this young woman. A single tear rolled down Lana’s green cheek as she balled her hand into a small fist and prepared to address the young Twi’lek.

“I-I-I need you help…I can’t walk on my own anymore. I think I pushed myself too far, I am too tired and my body is slowly going numb.” Lana cried out as she gazed at the young woman, her purple eyes matching her plea.

Should the young woman approach to aid Lana in continuing on her journey, she would notice how frayed and tattered Lana’s uniform was from where Lana fought against the turrets. She would be able to see exactly where each bold struck her body, if the turrets had been using live fire Lana wouldn’t be considered among the living that much would be perfectly clear. Lana would wrap her right arm over the young woman’s neck to use as a support so she could hobble onwards with the young woman towards their mutual destination.

“Thanks, my name is Lana…” Lana muttered as the pair continued on their journey.

 

[Marf]

The smile on Kiyoha's face turned to a pained expression as the Mirialan girl feel to her knees in exhaustion. Taking her hands off the two trees, she rushed forward to aid her fellow student. From a young age, Kiyoha had learned to approach every kind of person as a potential friend. She that her selflessness in that regard would always be rewarded. With a gasp, she exclaimed.

"Are you ok!?"

Night was falling and the bright green colours of the jungle had began to turn a murky black. Bending down beside the Mirialan, Kiyoha noticed her tightly clutched arm and the tear on her cheek. The girl was tattered and covered in dirt and scars. She could sense the obvious pain within her, but could not understand the source. Had Master Juno really pushed her that hard?

"Don't be upset! You did a wonderful job with those turrents that Master Juno is sure to notice! Come on, it's getting dark, I'll help you walk to the campsite, it isn't far from here. Master Juno should be waiting for us there."

Kiyoha understood that there must have been some deep-rooted turmoil within the girl, but she until she had any idea what, she could only make guesses from her eyes told her. Although she felt rather helpless and ignorant, she could not, and would not offer the girl her assistance. Kiyoha put her arm underneath the other girl's, so that she could wrap hers around Kiyoha's neck and lean on her shoulder.

"Well hello there Lana, my name is Kee-yoha. Kiyoha Pamyu from Chandrila! I'm here to replace the other two Padawans who dropped out."

She spoke with a smile, trying to make Lana feel as secure as possible.

 

[Apollyon]

"Well hello there Lana, my name is Kee-yoha. Kiyoha Pamyu from Chandrila! I'm here to replace the other two Padawans who dropped out." The Twi’lek explained, introducing herself to Lana.

“So the others dropped out of the exercise huh? I wonder why.” Lana couldn’t help but ponder as she placed some of her weight across Kiyoha’s shoulders.

“Master Armstrong didn’t place me in this condition…I opted to take on those turrets. I could have slipped past them from my position on the valley walls…” Lana explained pausing for a moment to point up at where she had dropped down on the turrets. “…but there was a younger Twi’lek girl who had been injured apparently and I wasn’t sure if the turrets had been set here by Master Armstrong or another source. If they had been using live fire…I doubt she would have made it through the valley. So I took it upon myself to clear her and the other Padawans a safe route to the next area, but perhaps I should have been more patient and waited for back up to come along.” Lana explained, her voice holding a slight tremble from the amount of effort it took to continue moving forward and not collapse once more.

While Lana hated relying so heavily on the girl she knew it was outside of her capabilities to reach their mutual destination alone, she needed Kiyoha to reach her resting point. As the pair slowly made their way to the camp they undoubtedly conversed, Lana talked about various things that didn’t reveal overly too much about her past and what caused her such deep emotional agony. After what seemed like a mere few hours the pair would arrive at the camp and Lana’s injured body would be matched only by her wounded pride as she limped into the camp using Kiyoha as a crutch.

Lana wouldn’t speak, she could feel her cheeks flushing with frustration at herself and at the situation she was in. Unlike the other Padawan who joined this exercise at the same time she did, Lana couldn’t even manage to enter the camp on her own two feet; she required the help of another to cross one of the final marks. Lana’s purple eyes locked themselves on the salt ground beneath her as opposed to meeting Juno’s gaze should she cast it her way; in that moment her shame wouldn’t allow her to meet her potential master’s eyes, Lana felt as if she had already failed.

Instead of sitting up and socializing with the rest of the group Lana unwrapped her arm from Kiyoha’s neck and slowly made her way towards one of the several sleeping bags that lay in the camp. Lana did not even bother to crawl inside the sleeping bag after managing to unroll it, she simply gave into her exhaustion and collapsed on top of it. As Lana let her mind drift away she came to a single conclusion, tomorrow she would have to prove herself, perhaps not to Juno or the others, but to herself. Lana would have to overcome whatever lay before them to show herself that she wasn’t weak or frail, that she could overcome the day without ending it with aid from another. With that vow in mind, Lana’s eyes closed and she drifted into a much needed sleep.

 

[Cassanova]

Juno had set to work quickly on cleaning and doing some field first aide on Ryloss' back. She was, by no means, a Healer in any sense, but she had enough accidents in the field to warrant a steady hand and a knowledge of the proper procedure of cleaning a wound and ensuring it wouldn't bother anyone afterwards. She had set herself to the task of cleaning it with tactless efficiency, disinfecting it with little concern for Ryloss' grimaces and the stinging sensation that would sear across his back. Considering the nature of their task, and Juno's challenges for the day following this, she knew better than to actually give the Padawan stitches, instead opting for a polymer glue that remained plyable but covered and protected a wound. squeezing nearly two tubes of the sticky substance into the sizeable gash, Juno then placed nine small white 'bridge' strips across the wound, holding it in place while the glue bonded to Ryloss' flesh, allowing him to move without risk of further opening the wound, or the dusty, sandy particles getting into it and making matters worse.

The Weapons Master smiled and passed a ration bar to Ryloss as she finished her work, her gentle fingers trailing down the wound once more checking that her work was up to par, "That'll heal better once we get some more appropriate dressings on it, just avoid large critters again, alrigh --" Juno was interrutped by the scound of scuffling feet, and the idle chatter of Kiyoha and Lana and watched carefully as Lana settled into bed, and drifted into a deep, exhausted sleep. Juno knew that Lana would struggle the next day unless she managed to eat something before the morning, and made a mental note to check on her throughout the night.

As Kiyoha settle down next to the group, Juno offered some of the high-quality, low-taste ration bars that would comprise their dinner - breakfast would be slightly better, though. "We're only around fifteen kilometers from the pick-up point - it's just this salt pan between us and the ship. Warm showers, real food, and safety." Juno smiled around the group, and realised that they were all run pretty ragged, even Kiyoha who had only experienced the tail end of one of the challenges. "Are there any questions about today, or tomorrow?"

 

[Ush]

Ryloss endured the treatment with minimal hissing, paranoia telling him he shouldn't tempt her. She worked fast enough, and he hoped she didn't make a complete hash of it. She didn't stitch it, thank the gods. That would have been agony, and would have split over the salt pane. He had a great view of it as she stitched over his back. He thought about the local people here, how they sold exports off world.
"'Surprised that thing hasn't been industrialized yet. A small gold mine right there. To be honest, I'm glad I didn't encounter any here. They'd wipe the floor with me in the swamps. I imagine that plays a part on why this hasn't been touched, they tend to... Ah, burst, in drier conditions."
He tapped the stone he was sitting on in a slow beat, dun duh-duh, dun duh-duh. Right hand and then left, waiting for her to finish.
When she gave him the ration bar he smiled back, producing pheromones that made the people around him feel content. He tore the wrapper off and ate it slowly. He knew that he'd get sick if he ate it too fast.
When she spoke, he nodded and looked to where she was. Two females, a twi'lek and a mirilian, stumbled towards them. Ryloss looked at the girl that crawled into bed and then at the twi'lek. He hadn't seen her show up. Frowning, he listened to Master Armstrong speak patiently and then spoke up. He was in the best shape of the three padawans, he'd probably make it through the salt pane easily. But she'd have something extra out there. Oh, he knew she would. But he wouldn't ask. Not until tomorrow. He had another question, though.
"How long until sunrise here?"
It was coolest at night.
"Oh, and do you have any light cloth here?"
He'd seen this done once. Hopefully it would help when the sun came up. His dark hair would be a pain out there. If he had a knife, razor or sickle-like blade he'd shave it before heading out. As it was, he'd cover it.

 

[Apollyon]

Music invaded Lana’s slumbering mind, a song that held perfect pitch and tone. The very rhythm of the song caused Lana’s soul to fill with warmth and mirth as she began to dip to the melody that entranced her so deeply. Sounds of stringed, keyed, and wind instruments guided her on a journey she couldn’t quite fathom before a choir of ethereal beings emerged from nothingness before her. Lana gazed in awe at their sheer beauty and the voices that emerged from their shining bodies, so much so she hardly noticed as the music slowly began to fade into a brief interlude. As the music faded so did the singing from the elegant creatures that stood before her, soon Lana found herself standing in the midst of a silent room, one that was filled with strange beings that she had never laid eyes upon before. Instead of continuing their joyous symphony the creatures simply gazed at Lana, almost if they could see through her very being and witness what sat inside her core. Their unwavering gaze caused Lana to feel as if she was nude before them; however her pride didn’t allow her gaze to break from their own. Instead the young girl simply returned an unbreaking stare and soon a new tune began to emerge from the band behind her.

Unlike the upbeat fantasia that the ensemble had carried out before, this song held a darker and drearier rhythm, one that caused a cold chill to climb up Lana’s spine. Lana listened as the choir began to sing in a more base pitch, slowly escalating as the music’s pitch rose and fell. A feeling of dread and despair filled Lana’s soul as both the orchestra and choir picked up strength and their haunting aria continued to flow effortlessly throughout the atmosphere that surrounded Lana. Slowly, the ethereal beings took on a darker form; the once luminous light that radiated from their bodies vanished as an infectious darkness overtook them. Their once beautiful and graceful voices fell out of tone and pitch, causing what had once been beautiful to take the form of a screech and scream, the orchestra began to chaotically strum their instruments, randomly hit keys, and blow open or seal notes. Lana’s hands found themselves clamped to her ears as chaotic noise overtook what was once beautiful and perfectly in tune with one another, then everything fell silent.

Lana’s eyes slowly open and her hands fell to their sides as she looked around her, she gazed at the once heavenly being that stood before her, now they had taken on the forms of twisted and grotesque beasts. Each creature swayed aimlessly as if captivated by an individual tone that differed from creature to creature, never unifying one to another, keeping all of them separated. It was then that the two orchestras collided, the perfection of before raged against the twisted screech that overwhelmed Lana earlier. The music rose with each crescendo, causing the music to cultivate such a chaotic atmosphere that Lana shuddered before its sheer might and awe inspiring power. Suddenly as flat note occurred and the melody vanished without warning, the bands evaporated, and the choirs dissipated, leaving Lana alone in an empty room or so she thought.

“Chaos erupts from all corners, nothing is in perfection anymore.” A deep voice declared.

Lana turned to face the source of the voice but found nothing to be there. She suddenly felt as if something was watching her, not something sinister but it certainly didn’t have the most pure of natures. The presence of whatever was inside her dream caused Lana’s skin to both crawl and her mind to fall into a peaceful state.

“Life and death are the keys in which we play, one never overtaking another, both working together in perfect unity. However, now they seek to overthrow the preset patterns, they quarrel endlessly when equivalence is required.” The voice continued.

“What are you? Where am I?” Lana called out into the perpetual emptiness.

“We are everything and we are nothing, we are life and we are death, we are both powerful and meek.” The voice cryptically replied.

“That doesn’t answer the question…” Lana muttered.

“The hymn must be finished, our measure cannot be undone, this silence cannot remain.” The voice explained before slowly fading into oblivion and releasing Lana from her infinite dream.

Lana’s eyes snapped open, before she drew in breath sharply startled by what she had just witnessed. While Lana had doubted the things she had once seen earlier, something lingered about this dream, this nightmare; it felt tangible and real as opposed to a figment. As Lana slowly rose from her sleeping bag she made her way towards a small crate which had a single cup of cool water and ration bar lying atop it. Despite her body still clinging to a slight soreness, Lana knelt and partook of the refreshing liquid and nourishing rations, blissfully unaware of whether her companions were still awake or had entered a restful sleep. Lana’s mind returned to what she had just witnessed as she hungrily devoured what had been left out for her, she was both nervous and curious about the dream’s meaning and the visions she had experienced throughout the day. Lana would meditate on those visions and her dream until the sun rose and her companions would wake up, she sought to solve the mystery that Manpha had indirectly presented her with.

 

[Marf]

Kiyoha moved her lekku out of the way so that Lana could wrap her arm around the other's neck. She let the head-tails gently rest on her fellow's appendage as they set out for the campsite. The sounds of the insects and rushing of the swamps and streams echoed throughout the night as the two girls chatted and stumbled through the dense jungle.

"If I had gotten there earlier I would have helped you, you needn't have exhausted yourself. But you were successful all the same!"

She paused for a moment, sensing Lana's conflict.

"There's no shame in needing help, you know. We all tire out from time to time, even the strongest Jedi can push themselves too far."

Kiyoha always kept a positive attitude, it was essential to embracing the power of the Light Side. Even in the direst of times, the power of hope and of a smile should never be underestimated. Lana's own emotional distress was obvious and Kiyoha could sense it right away. Though there was something very intriguing about the shy Mirialan. There was only one event in Kiyoha's life that had could really be called traumatic, and she wasn't about to bring up the story of the Sith boy.

Kiyoha and Lana stumbled into the campsite where they met Master Juno the Zeltron named Ryloss. Kiyoha watched with concern as her new friend, without a word, walked over to one of the sleeping bags, lay down and feel asleep, she must have been truly exhausted. Kiyoha turned her attention to Juno and Ryloss and greeted them with a smile and a wave.

"We made it, Master, good to see you both in one peice. Well almost..." She said, noticing the large scar across Ryloss' back.

She sat down next to the two Jedi and accepted the ration bar from Master Juno. She took a bite and made a slight face, it didn't taste the best but it would sate her hunger where necessary.

"Are there any questions about today, or tomorrow?"

Kiyoha shook her head with a full mouth, she was just excited to see what tomorrow would have in store for her.

 

[Cassanova]

Juno silently nodded to the group, "Then it is my strong suggestion that you eat something and get to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a hard day." Admittedly Juno knew exactly what was going to happen, and her job would be to keep the Padawans safe during the next challenge. Juno quickly set herself to tidying the campsite, packing up all the gear, and spreading out the fire so that it would still radiate some heat, but not set anyone on fire, or burn down what little vegetation there was in the immediate vicinity.

Taking a few moments to check her own person for the usual equipment, blaster, ligthsaber - commlink; Force forbid Juno had to use it in the morning...

The next morning came a little too soon for anyone who enjoyed their rest. Juno sat on a rock, her bedroll already rolled up. Occasionally glancing at her chrono, it would be obvious to anyone that had awoken also that she was waiting for something. Giving up on relying on her chrono to bring about the day's challenge, Juno turned to enjoy the scenery. Despite being a relatively bland, boring salt pan, Juno was able to find the beauty in its simplicity. How that, despite being so barren, so lifeless, the Force still managed to dominate it's vast, unhindered landscape.

As her eyes no longer showed her the truth of the landscape, the Force offering a differing view instead, Juno found herself mesmorised by the Force flowing in the wind, around the pebbles, and under the grains of sand and salt that spread out across the vast nothingness. The Force gave her a unique, all-encompassing view of the pan, pointing out its divets, its weak points to the sub-terranean caverns beneath it, the few rocky crags that provided something resembling a shelter from the unending flat of the pan itself. At the moment, this information seemed truly pointless, but Juno had learned in the past that no fact was too irrelevant, too unusable to be ignored entirely.

A gentle whine broke Juno from her meditative trance. A flicker of her eyelids saw Juno's eyes focus on three small specks in the skyline stretching before them. Tersing her lips and teeth, Juno let our an ear-shattering whistle. "Up! Let's go! Air raid!"

Three small fighters flew through at break-neck speed, barely leaving enough time for a Jedi to register a visual confirmation. Then again, Juno knew exactly what these craft were; two A-Wings and a J-12 Aethersprite. When the bombs began dropping, however, it wasn't the usual pop-fizzle of incindiary bombs - Juno quietly thanked the Force that the payloads had been correctly loaded - but the dull hum of concussive charges, designed to disable personnel without casualties. If one of the Jedi were close enough to a detonated charge, they'd be hurled several dozen meters, wake up with excessive bruising and maybe a broken rib or two.

Juno bellowed, "Get moving!"

 

[Ush]

Ryloss shrugged and crawled into one of the sleeping bags, furthest from the fire. He ate another two of the ration bars, more than he needed but exactly what he wanted, and lay back to sleep.
________________________________________

He swore he was over the nightmares. Every night, he wondered what new horror his mind would bring to the surface. This time, it was Curoscant. While he hadn't been hurt physically, it was the first time he'd seen death close hand. The fact it had been a Jedi Master hadn't helped.

Dual blades piercing the old man's body. Falling, dieing... Leaving Ryloss alone. Yuunda was hurt, possibly dead. The other one had betrayed them. So now there was only a Grey Jedi against the Sith and Mandalorians. Attempting to be cocky, attempting to by those inside time. But all who remained were dead. All hope was lost, wasn't it? No point to fighting... No point to this...

That was the first time he awoke, his breath catching. No, not again. He never learned that master's name. Just another nameless face in the dozens, the only significance being he was the first ally in a battle and the first who's name Ryloss had never known. Eventually, the zeltron got back to sleep

It burned. The ropes around his hands were burning on his skin. Reaching into that void of hate... Reaching for freedom and salvation. Then the slaughter. Then the killings as a dozen of the Empire's men were slaughtered by a monster who had nearly forgotten what it was like to be sane...

The first true act of cruelty, and hopefully the last. Very few had needed to die. Very, very few. Yet Ryloss slaughtered them all, one by one by one...
_______________________________________

Dawn came, eventually. Not a moment too soon. Ryloss watched the sun rise. Among the Jedi, the dreams weren't so bad. But even Armstrong's presence wasn't enough to shield him from the darkness constantly threatening to engulf the galaxy. Constantly there. The rising sun dispelled the dreams, but a new set of horrors would meet Ryloss out there. He knew it. He wasn't even surprised when he saw the three dots moving towards him, fast. Ships. He prepared to jump. Armstrong's whistle forced him to his feet, shockingly fast. He saw them get closer, readying himself. The first blasts stung his ears. Shit, not these things...
"RUN!"
He'd been hit by a concussive before. Those things hurt like hell. He assumed that the twi'lek would be ready, although he made sure to give her a soft kick as he passed her. The other was already up. He also, out of pure habit, shattered the embers of the fire with his foot.
And then he was running again. A grike in the salt was about two hundred yards ahead. Rest point, possible. Ryloss charged for it, covering the distance in moments. He heard the first blasts of the concussives. Oh no. No no no. Not again.
One detonated quite close to him. Not close enough to hurt, but close enough to deafen him. Oh wow that hurt. He nearly collapsed into the crack in the rocks, holding himself up as the first blasts went off. He could taste salt in his mouth. No water. Dammit. Immediately the Padawan jumped out of the crack, directly vertically and began to run. He pulled fine salt around him, shielding his eyes and obscuring the pilot's view of him. He would just run from here to the extraction point if he could.

 

[Apollyon]

Lana sat silently attempting to find her center through meditation striving to discover the message behind the strange visions and dreams she had experienced. However, a combination of her youth and the terror these sights had caused her prevented Lana from finding the peace she strived for. Slowly, the inability to find serenity caused frustration to well up within Lana’s core; to express this Lana let a disgruntled sigh silently escape her lips. Lana attempted to find solace in the Force for what seemed like hours but the memory of her parent’s last moments continued to hinder the process if not ceasing it all together.

The infuriating process that Lana forced herself to undergo was eventually shattered by a familiar sound, the distant howling of engines. Lana’s eyes shot open as her ears tracked the direction the fighters were coming from and instinctively she gazed towards the horizon where the noise was fast approaching. “I wonder…” Lana thought as she mulled over the possibilities of the source. While Lana was no expert on star fighter engines, she knew these ships were not imperial; they lacked the tall tale whinny of the iconic TIE Fighter. However solving that piece of the puzzle caused another spark of curiosity to spawn inside Lana, if they weren’t imperial, then whose were they?

Lana’s answer came in the form of an elongated blast from Master Juno’s whistle and a single set of commands “Up! Let’s Go! Air Raid!” Lana rose a single eyebrow at Juno’s command, how could she possibly know what was about to occur before the bombs had even dropped? Lana’s eyes slipped from the three dots on the horizon that made up the apparent threat of Star Fighters to Juno’s face, suspicion was clearly written on Lana’s face. The young Padawan was slowly piecing together who was responsible for everything she endured, the snakes, the turrets, and now a simulated air raid.

Lana then came to a single conclusion based upon the turrets she had faced in the valley, these star fighters wouldn’t be using live fire, and they would drop nonlethal yet punishing ammunition on the group. The fact that Lana had solved a piece to the puzzle brought solace to the young Mirialan, the fact that despite the situation they had been placed in they were completely safe brought her some form of comfort. However, these things did not mean Lana would drop her guard or lag behind, just because whatever these star fighters held in their missile pods weren’t lethal didn’t mean they wouldn’t hurt, the turrets taught Lana that lesson. Thus Lana didn’t hesitate when Juno demanded her to move, despite her still slightly weakened and exhausted state Lana called upon the Force to grant her the strength and speed to outrun the fighters that cut off her route off Manpha.

As the group approached the fighters Lana broke off from the main pack, figuring the fighters would target a condensed group as opposed to individuals. “Don’t stick close together, we will become easy targets, split up and force them to chase individuals! The chances of them scoring a hit with their bombs will decrease significantly!” Lana shouted out to the rest of the group as she broke away. While what Lana said was mathematically true, she also understood the plan was dual edged should these pilots be Aces she would have no one to watch her back but she would take her chances with running from a single ship as opposed to fending off three.

“Please be with me…” Lana thought as she forced her body to move as fast as it could possibly go even with the aid of the Force.

 

[Marf]

Kiyoha slowly opened her eyes as the morning glared down from the blue sky. Looking around, she saw that Ryloss was awake, while Master Juno and Lana were meditating. A gentle breath of wind soared across the flat land. With a hearty yawn and scratch of her lekku, Kiyoha climbed out of her sleeping bag and pulled on her boots and utility belt and gloves. By the time she had finished putting her clothes inorder, the silence of the morning was broken by Master Juno's shrill whistle and the sound of fighter jets.

"No breakfast?" Thought Kiyoha as she scurried out of the bush to meet up with her companions.

Kiyoha knew very little about ships and aircraft, but she was comforted knowing that Master Juno wouldn't actually let any of the Padawans get seriously hurt. As she made her way in Lana's direction, she heard the Mirialans words. The girl didn't talk much, but she was smart. Kiyoha gave a small nod before looking out for a different destination. Aided by Force speed, she ran out into the salt pan, listening out for the explosions behind her.

The whistle of a falling bomb came spiralling down beside Kiyoha's ear. In the second before it hit the ground, Kiyoha turned to the side and used the Force to propel herself off the ground and into an impressive somersault. She landed with her hands onto the ground, then pushed herself off again, this time landing on her feet. Moving carefully, but quickly, she listened intently for the sound of the jets. Another one dropped again beside her, but it was far enough away that she could simply shield herself from the explosion with a strong Force push.