Ask Kashyyyk Unwelcome Tenants

[Tiberius Fenric]

The Wookie people and the Jedi Order had deep ties that went farther back than most could remember. After being chased off nearly every planet that they had called home the Jedi were offered asylum on the planet Kashyyyk by senator Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl. This offer did not come without conditions though. Complete secrecy regarding the Jedi’s presence on the planet was paramount. Other planets had been invaded simply because the Jedi had a presence there.

Recently, the Wookies has discovered an ancient fortress from the days of the Czerka occupation. This location had been offered to the Jedi to act as their temple with the understanding that the Order would restore and modernize the old fortress. Because of the required secrecy, though, the Wookies would not be helping the Jedi clear out the temple.

Tiberius was one of four Jedi that had been selected for the task of clearing out the temple. He arrived at the coordinates that were provided to him and the other Jedi accompanying him on this mission. The temples existence and location were heavily guarded secrets. Even within the Order few were made privy to the information for the time being.

He approached the location, but it was hard to tell that there was a structure there at all. Having been forgotten for centuries the old fortress was covered in all forms of plant life, and there was no telling what kind of fauna was living inside the derelict building. Tiberius made his way closer to the new temple. He arrive at what used to be the main entrance. The door that had once stood there had long ago been broken down and could be seen just inside the door way. The knight pushed back thick vines and peered into the dark hall way that lead into the bowels of the ancient fortress.

@Sicadorito @Valen Pelora @Charles

 

[Quin Leonkri]

Having been born into the world of politics, Quin didn’t think very highly of most politicians. However, Senator Aezzairrfhowrrhudrrl was one of the few that he liked, having graciously provided the Jedi with a place to build again with the only conditions being that it was to be kept secret and that it was up to the Jedi themselves to clear out the temple. It was extremely generous given the fact that the Jedi had been turned away so many times by other planets, and he was grateful for the chance they had now.

Quin was also honored to have been chosen for the mission to help with the latter. He’d never gone on a mission this important before, and being the only Padawan on the team of four he was determined to be at his best and do what was required of him. Who knew when he would get another opportunity like this to help the Order?

The Padawan focused his thoughts back on the present when Tiberius peered into the hallway that led to the temple. Quin went forward so that he was standing a few steps behind the knight. Was there anything inside? There had to be. He couldn’t help the nagging fear building up in his mind. Kashyyyk, aside from its history and beauty, was also known for its dangerous terrain. There were giant spiders, anakkonas, carnivorous plants in the forest, so many things that could potentially make the mission more difficult for the four who dared to take it up.

But that was only part of what made it more exciting for the Padawan. Sure, it wouldn’t be easy, but Jedi never shied away from doing what needed to be done.

@logn2665 @Valen Pelora @Charles

 

[Ruus’all Solus]

Man. Politics were weird. One day everyone hates you because you've got a killer glow stick, the next people are offering refuge and sanctuary for the exact same thing. Good thing debate wasn't Ruus'all's thing, because he would've gotten the Jedi kicked out of the Senate a long time ago.

Kashyyyk was nice though. So were the people- really friendly and humble. Ruus didn't believe a single story about Wookiees flying into a rage causing arms and heads to fly, too. All the Wookiees he met were pretty cool. Maybe that was because Ruus hadn't had the pleasure of pissing a Wookiee off- something to add to his bucket list for sure!

But the Mando-Jedi wasn't on Kashyyyk to mess with the locals. There was a temple to clear out and if there was one thing Ruus'all was good at, it was clearing out a potential battlefield. Ruus was born into war and he would die in war. Hopefully not today though...there was a girl he needed to take out on another magical date again.

Landing behind the duo with his music playing from his speakers that he had fitted nicely to the sides of his utility belt. It was mainly to help set the mood and keep the tension down. The last thing you needed before fit of combat was tense and edged feels. Luckily for everyone here, Ruus'all was a master in the arts of relaxation and remaining cool and calm under pressure.

"Who's ready to boogie down with the beasties? I know I am!"

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[Caris Orlan]

Play nice Caris. The words bounced in his mind. His work was best done alone or with other like him. Unfortunately, his responsibilities as a Knight remained. He could not operate solely from Ifrane. The three additional Jedi assigned were not of Caris’ particular proclivity, so he left the mask and red saber at home. He had misjudged Elidan but not every Padawan possessed the same skills. The fact remained that Caris did not play well with others. He arrived slightly after the rest of the Jedi. The Shadow was greeted by loud music. Caris nearly slapped his head in shock. A flick of the Force crushed the speakers on the side of the belt. “Do you have brain damage?” A Jedi in Mandalorian armor was an uncommon sight…especially given the current alliance.

His frown was very real. “This place has been abandoned for centuries. We have no idea what is inside.” He nodded to Tiberius. After Ithor, he respected the young Jedi. “If you aren’t going to take our responsibility seriously…you should leave.” Caris’ life was devoted to the Order. He gave all of himself to the Light. There was no room for foolishness. Not now, not ever. He pulled his saber from his belt. “The rest of us need to get to work.” Caris stepped over the threshold into the forgotten fortress.

The Force weighed heavy around him. He could feel something, but his senses were not refined enough to determine what. The feeling of being watched pressed around him as he began to walk deeper into the fortress. His eyes narrowed. No…not a feeling. They were being watched.

@logn2665 @Charles @Sicadorito

 

[Tiberius Fenric]

As Tiberius continued staring down the long hallway of the new temple he felt the presence of Quin behind him. Quickly after he heard the sound of music that started off soft but grew steadily louder. He turn and saw that it was Russ’all playing the loud music. Tiberius’ brown furrowed. It was clear that stealth was not Ruus’all’s specialty.

Tiberius lips had barely parted to ask the Mandalorian to turn off his music when the music suddenly stopped. The speakers emitting the “relaxing” music had been crushed. Tiberius looked past Ruus’all and saw Caris, he had been the one to destroy the speaker. While Tiberius knew the Ruus’all had good intentions, he was also grateful that someone had put a stop to the music.

Tiberius returned Caris’ nod. Although the two knights’ interactions had been few they had been bonded by combat during the invasion of Ithor. There was a mutual respect between the two.

Caris took the lead, being the first to set foot in the old fortress. Tiberius followed, venturing deeper into the building. It didn’t take long before they reached a large cavernous room. There was a little light that streamed in from a hole in the ceiling. The light provided just enough illumination to make out the crumbled ruins inside this structure.

He stopped and placed a hand on the hilt of his lightsaber, but did not remove it from his belt. “Do you guys sense that, or is it just me?” he said in a low whisper. There seemed to be another presence in the room with them.

@Sicadorito @Charles @Valen Pelora

 

[Quin Leonkri]

Quin didn’t think it was his place to question the knight when music started to blare out of his speakers, but although well intentioned, it couldn’t have been a good idea if they were surrounded by hostiles. Maybe he should say something? But before he did, he turned around alongside Tiberius and saw the speakers crushed by Caris. That’s rough. But a job was a job, and this one was more important than most so he couldn’t exactly blame him for doing it.

The Padawan gave Ruus’all a sympathetic look before following the other two knights into the fortress. As he stepped inside, the prickling feeling on his skin of being watched returned. When Tiberius’ hand went down to the hilt of his lightsaber, Quin’s instinctively did the same.

“Nope. I sense it too,” he responded as he looked around, trying to pinpoint where the feeling was coming from. When he reached out with the Force, he realized that the creature was a lot closer than he’d thought. He looked up. It was somewhere… there! A flicker of a shadow appeared for a split second where the wall connected with the ceiling, close to where the crack was, then vanished again into the darkness.

“Did you see that?” Quin asked, pointing in the direction where the shadow had been. As he spoke, a few rocks clattered from the ceiling, barely audible as the creature moved— or flew— away. The room fell silent once more, and the Padawan lowered his arm, his heart pounding.

“What was that?”

@logn2665 @Valen Pelora @Charles

 

[Ruus’all Solus]

One second and Ruus was jammin' out to his calm serenade of reggae, and the next he was being insulted by some stranger Ruus'all had never met before. He stopped to contemplate what just happened, sighing with disdain after he realized his speakers were broken. Good thing they were cheap, or Ruus'all would've made the dick-head buy him new ones. Ruus'all only folded his arms and shook his head like a disappointed parent.

"All you had to do was ask me to turn them off and I would've, Mr. Ass-Hat. And last time I checked, this mission was for Jedi. Not whatever the hell you think you are. Chill out, man." Ruus'all retorted. The speakers were a gift from his master- and again, they were cheap, but still...Whoever this fool was was...well, a fool. Not only was it disrespectful, but totally uncalled for and an absolute dick-move. HIs smack talk about responsibility would've boiled Ruus's blood if he wasn't distracted by the feeling of being watched.

An idea popped into the Mando-Jedi's head. Grabbing both of the crushed speakers in his hands, he turned them on to which they began actually blaring dissonant tones that would've made Ruus'all crush them himself. "I'll play the distraction and see if I can lure it out for you guys to ambush. It already knows we're here so let's show it what we're made of." He threw one of the speakers up into the upper levels of the old ruins and then clipped the other back to his belt delving into the darkness like an acrobat. The Force would be his guide as he could 'see' better with his eyes closed than with them open inside the dark and damp fortress.

The others had grabbed their lightsabers at the first sign of trouble, which made the Mando grin behind his helm. Ruus only used his lightsaber on worthy foes, preferring to rely on his strengths with blasters and martial arts to keep him alive. The thought of the ominous presence being a bunny or something unworthy of so much suspicion made Ruus chuckle. Nonetheless, he was prepared for whatever lurked in the to-be Jedi Temple.

Oh, Zaia...Really wish you were here right now.

@Sicadorito @Valen Pelora @logn2665

 

[Caris Orlan]

The Mandalorian continued to blather on. Caris tuned him out. He was a child playing Jedi and that was a problem for the Council. Caris was a blunt instrument. The finer points of governing the Jedi were not his concern. His immediate focus was on securing the abandoned base as directed. Of course, without thought, the armored man hurled himself forward.

He never should have judged the Padawan. The young man seemed to have all the sense lacking in their armored companion. Caris barely had time to react before the unmistakable clack of claws suddenly filled the air. His lightsaber snapped to life. The telltale snap-hiss echoing in the chamber. Yellow light quickly pooled around them.

Then the Jedi saw their error. Dozens…no hundreds of flashing eyes looked back at them. The walls above, below, behind, and in front were suddenly crawling with the current occupants. They were surrounded The music had drawn them out…with no plan in place. Caris’ voice was a harsh whisper. “Wyyyschokk.” They stared at the small group of Jedi. He locked eyes with the Padawan. “The webs.” That was all he had time to say. The creature’s home had been invaded and this was their home. He had barely another moment to think before the Wyyyschokk attacked.

@Charles @Sicadorito @logn2665

 

[Tiberius Fenric]

The darkness of the large cavernous room was soon lessened as many lightsabers came to life. The familiar snap hiss of the Jedi’s weapons echoed off the walls as the group prepared for the assault. Ruus’all’s plan had worked, he was successful in luring out the beasts, and now Quin no longer had to wonder what was going bump in the dark.

Just about the time Caris exclaimed “Wyyyschokk.” Tiberius recognized the spiders. The Jedi were vastly outnumbered there were hundreds of the small arachnids crawling towards them, behind the small spiders there were bigger ones that had to be 3 meters in size. Tiberius swung his lightsaber making contact with the small bodies, but his attempts to fend off the creatures seemed futile. He was hit with a web and his right foot was stuck to the ground.

Off to his left, a few meters away, Tiberius noticed a patch of foliage that had taken root in the cracks of the stone floor. The knight was reminded of the fear that many creatures had of fire. He extended his hand towards the foliage and using the force caused the leaves to combust. He continued using the force to now manipulate the flame, causing the fire to streak in front of the Jedi and create a wall of fire, hopefully creating a sort of barrier that the Wyyyschokk wouldn’t want to cross.

 

[Quin Leonkri]

“Master Sol- Wait! What if it’s something dangerous?” But by the time the words had escaped Quin’s mouth, the Mando-Jedi had already vanished into the shadows, unintelligible sounds coming out of his broken speakers. Concerned for the Jedi knight, Quin only hoped that the creature he thought he saw really was just him being jumpy.

Suddenly Caris ignited his lightsaber, and the Padawan’s heart dropped like a stone when he saw what the light revealed. They were surrounded by hundreds of eyes, but now the only ones he could focus on were Caris’s. Wyyyschokk. The webs. He barely had time to make sense of the knight’s words before the spiders rushed at them.

Without thinking, Quin ignited his own saber and swung it at the incoming wave of spiders. He managed to hit a couple of them, but many, many more took their place. He backed toward the center of the group, fending off the spiders as best he could. But there were simply too many. It was only when he stepped onto a web and spent a few precious seconds yanking his foot off of it when he fully realized what Caris had been trying to warn him about. Just as Quin thought he was going to be dead for sure, he suddenly heard the roar of flames. He looked to his side to see Tiberius with his hand extended, creating a wall of fire to separate them from the spiders. Whoa. I wish I could do that.

But even if he couldn’t create a barrier of fire, he could get rid of the few spiders that had managed to slip past it. He reached out with his hand, focusing on feeling their scuttling presence in the Force before he pushed them back into the smoldering flame.

Spoiler

Rolled a 20 for the Force push

@Charles @Valen Pelora @logn2665

 

[Ruus’all Solus]

Ruus'all could sense the growing annoyance in the creatures around him which almost made Ruus feel bad about what he was going to do next. Using the Force to give him strength beyond that of just a normal human, the Mando-Jedi was able to almost literally punch his way through some of the juvenile arachnids and squish the younger ones. It was the adults he would have to get crafty with.

The first one to pick a fight with Ruus lunged at the Jedi while he was in the air, knocking him into a wall. The Mando-Jedi got back to his feet and readied himself, dodging just in time to get out of the way of the monster pincers that gnashed and clawed at him. In one motion, he dodged another lunging attack and threw a left hook that nailed the spider straight through one if it's eyes, through it's carapace, and into it's head, killing the beast almost instantly.

"Woo-hoo! That was...hm..." Ruus'all stopped celebrating after he found it to be extremely difficult to free his hand from the dead spider's head. "Come...on!" He began pulling but to no avail.

A thump from behind, followed by an eerie chitter-click, grabbed the Mando's attention. Another adult was about to make an easy meal out of the accidentally self-trapped Knight.

"Oh my Kad, oh my Kad, oh my Kad, oh my Kad, oh my Kad..." Ruus'all began swearing as he began pulling vigorously to free himself. The spider began scurrying it's way over, pincer's outstretched and it's mandibles chittering hungerly. "No! No, no, nonononononononononononono!"

Then, a wall of fire flared in the corner of Ruus'all's eye and an overwhelming sense of relief filled the man before he pulled the fire with the Force, weaving a funnel that winded it's way over to the Mandalorian like a hungry snake until it hurled itself into the native spider that was just inches from Ruus'all. The fire enveloped the now screaming beast, giving Ruus'all just enough time to free his hand, which was covered in green guts.

Yeah, I really wish you were here, Zaia.

@Valen Pelora @Sicadorito @logn2665 [/COLOR][/COLOR]

 

[Caris Orlan]

Skittering legs and clacking mandible filled the air. The Force gathered and burst from Caris’ left hand, sending a few of the smaller creatures sliding backward. He bought himself enough space to set his feet and swing his blade. Caris was a finely tuned instrument. A weapon of war. But his skills were that of a Shadow. He was not a blunt instrument. For every Wyyyschokk that fell, another took its place. They were worse the impossibly dangerous cousin of a common spider. The Jedi had invaded their home and would become a meal. Caris could not swing his saber fast enough. He barely managed to bat aside the acidic webs.

Thankfully, Tiberius had a strong head on his shoulders. A wall of flame erupted to separate the Jedi from the monsters. Caris stepped close and added his strength to the flames. The Jedi were quickly enveloped in the flames, but the toll was obvious. They could not hold the barrier for long. He thought back to his lessons and briefing on Kashyyyk. There would be a queen. If they killed her then the spiders would scatter. He raised his voice so the others good hear. He had to speak over the roar of the flames and screaming Mandaloiran. Not for the first time, Caris reminded himself to report to Sevrin and the First Shadow.

“They have a Queen…it controls the hive somehow?” How did it work? He couldn’t remember. “If we can find it, the rest should scatter.” At least he hoped that would work. They did not exactly have any better plans. “Or we get eaten.” Caris was realist and the squad had very few options.

@Charles @Sicadorito @logn2665

 

[Tiberius Fenric]

Things were not looking good for the Jedi. Currently they were surrounded by spiders of unusual size. Luckily they were separated from the beast by a wall of flame that encircles the group. However, the barrier could not be held forever. The Wyyyschokk continued to try and breach the barrier but would retreat when the heat became too intense for them.

“Sounds like we don’t have much of a choice, do we?” Tiberius said in response to Caris’ observation. The thought of being eaten alive was an unsettling one. Finding the queen, though, was easier said than done. Tiberius guessed that she was probably deeper in the ruins of the old fortress, which right now might as well be on another planet. They needed to find a way to drive back these arachnids.

A moment passed as Tiberius stared through the flames at the menacing mandibles illuminated by the fire light. “Alright, I have an idea.” Tiberius began still keeping his eyes on the Wyyyschokk. “If we combined our powers I think we can send out a wave of fire that will drive back the Wyyyschokk.” Of course Tiberius didn’t know if his plan would actually work, but it was better than keeping of this wall of fire in definitely. “On the count of three then?” He hoped that the other Jedi would join in, but only time would tell. “1, 2,3…”

@Charles @Sicadorito @Valen Pelora

 

[Quin Leonkri]

As the Wyyyschokk repeatedly approached the flame and then backed off, Quin wondered how much longer they could hold out for. Are we really going to get eaten? It was a morbid thought, but one that he couldn’t get out of his head. Fortunately, Caris seemed to have some type of plan, mentioning a queen. If they managed to take her out, then maybe…

“Any suggestions for how we can get to her?” he asked, tossing another small spider back with the Force and poking at another bigger one with his lightsaber. That nearly earned him a web getting spat at him, but fortunately, the fire stopped the spider from getting any closer. They would definitely have to find a way to break out of the corner they were in, and Tiberius seemed to have an idea as to how they could do it. Anything was better than being stuck here, so the Padawan decided that he would join in.

Quin counted down in his head along with the Jedi knight. One… two… three… And then he did what he could with the Force to help Tiberius raise the wave of fire to engulf the hostile bugs surrounding them. He could only hope that it would be enough.

@Charles @Valen Pelora @logn2665

 

[Caris Orlan]

Caris strained as the Force rippled through his mind. The Wyyschokk screeched on the other side. His face was a grimace of concentration. “Not much!” Ruus’all was stunningly quiet which lets the remaining Jedi to search for a solution. Luckily, Tiberius found one. Caris focused and joined his strength on the third count. The Jedi shoved outward, and the wall of flame rapidly expanded. Heat pushed aside cool air to rapidly fill the cavern. The Wyyyschokk went screaming backward. As the flames died down, the hall was clear. Caris finally let out a long breath.

“That will only buy us time.” Burned corpses were littered around them. “There will be more and they will be hungry.” He kept a tight grip on his saber. “I’m a little rusty on Wyyyschokk hunting…” He continued to scan the back and forth. “You’re still in the classroom, aren’t you kid?” Frankly, he had no idea if Padawans were still required to attend lecture. He certainly had been. “Doesn’t the queen typically in some deep dark place that’s hard to get to?” That sure sounded right. “Something like the center of this facility?” That unfortunately sounded perfectly correct.

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[Tiberius Fenric]

The cavernous room that the Jedi were in was now filled with the smell of burning bio-matter. With the blast of flames aided by the force the Wyyyschokk had either fled or had shriveled up from the heat. It was Caris who spoke first after driving off the spiders. He was right, the wyyyschokk would be back, and Tiberius wasn’t sure they would be able to survive another attack.

Tiberius turned his gaze to Quin, the youngest of the group, to see if he had an answer for Caris. After hearing the padawan’s response Tiberius spoke up. “Well, we better get going then.” The knight’s tone was one with a slight inflection of defeat. He had hoped this would be an easy mission and maybe the old fort would be abandoned. Looks like he wasn’t going to get that lucky.

Tiberius turned to face the long dark hallway that would lead the group deeper into the infested building. The darkness of the hall seemed to go on forever. Tiberius took one set forward and then another. Eventually he was walking down the hallway. The path started to descend slightly, leading Tiberius deeper into the new temple. He wondered if it was worth it. Couldn’t the Jedi just stay on Yavin and be content?

Tiberius reached out with the force, sensing his surroundings. He was trying to be aware of any giant spiders that might want to make a meal of him.

@Sicadorito @Valen Pelora @Charles

 

[Quin Leonkri]

Tiberius’ plan had worked! The Wyyyschokk had been driven off by the fire, and the Jedi were once again alone in the dark. Never had Quin been so relieved to be in that kind of environment, yet here he was.

At Caris’ question, Quin’s initial reaction was wishing that he’d been paying more attention during class.

“I… think so. It would make sense,” he said, nodding along to the knight’s reasoning. “The center would be safest for her and her babies.” He lowered his lightsaber and extinguished it, though he didn’t put it back on his belt just yet. He would then follow Tiberius as he carefully made his way down the hallway, and Quin tried not to step on the slimy-looking webs splattered on the ground.

It was becoming harder to see the deeper they went, but the air seemed to be getting warmer. Soon, Quin caught sight of a stone arch over their heads, vines tangled all over it. He squinted to try and make out the letters behind it, but it was too dark to see clearly.

Suddenly, a rapid clicking noise that reminded the Padawan all too much of mandibles echoed through the hall, coming from straight ahead. This creature sounded much larger than the others, and Quin gulped.

“I think we found our queen.”

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[Ruus’all Solus]

Ruus'all was a little slow on the count to push the spiders back due to the skirmish with multiple spiders he was having. After finishing the rest of them off so his partners didn't have to worry about any more arachnid activity, he decided to bring up the rear of the group. Someone mentioned something about queens and darkness and an idea popped into the Mando-Jedi's head.
"Spiders also like things that are loud and obnoxious- and guess what?" Ruus'all chuckled. "We're in luck, 'cause I'm about as loud and obnoxious as they come!"

"If you would all kindly allow me to become bait, I can draw out this big momma of yours." Ruus'all explained. "I'll see if we can pin it up into a corner. Then, you guys do what you do best and hack the sucker's legs first." Hopefully, everyone else would dig with the idea of not becoming the giant spider's entre. Ruus didn't want to be spider bait either, but one of the very reasons why Ruus joined the Order was because he knew he had to do what others wouldn't.

"Hey, if I die, I just want to know how much I love you all." Ruus chuckled again before nudging Caris. "Even you, you big lug."

(OOC: Guess who's back?)

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