Log:Lady Floofington's Carniverous Moo-Stash: Pt 1

Lady Floofington's Carniverous Moo-Stash: Pt 1

OOC Date: November 13, 2019 (Optional)
Location: Naboo
Participants: Zonk, Nova Korell, Merek Black, Aryn Cole, Yuun, Kryll

YESTERDAY...

"SSSSNNZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz...."

A bulky, purple Houk sits in the Ops Room on night shift. Empty bean cans litter the floor at his feet and their juices have dried and left crusty trails down his shirtless, leathery chest. The headset has been affixed haphazardly to his oversized head, the screams from the radio falling on mostly deaf, mostly sleeping eardrums.

Mostly.

"Snnnnnzzzzzzz-AACK!"

The Houk wakes with a start, the screaming in his headset intensifying.

"Whoa! Whoa! Hold on a minute! You're screamin' too loud, I can't hear yooze!"

"Whaddaya mean, whose dis? It's ZONK!"

"Hey! Just 'cause yooze is in trouble don't mean I gotta care about none of it... Yeah... Yeah... I'll pass along the message to somebody competent."

"Hey wait a minnit... whaddaya mean, 'somebody competent?' Why I yotta...."

A purple fist slams into the console, and the Houk on night shift radio watch looks for another can of beans.

On his way out the door, he sees Somebody Competent.

"Hey uh... sir, or whatever. We hadda message from some lady. Said she needs help or somethin'. She was screamin' a lot, musta been serious. Think she said her name wuz Lady Floofington..."

TODAY...

"That's it, Cadets, get your backs into it. Those crates aren't going to unload themselves!"

The squat little Major in the immaculate uniform supervises the unloading effort near Lake Paonga. The 'unloading effort' being the the squat little Major's affectionate nickname for Zonk...

Sweating profusely, Zonk carries the last crate out of the unmarked Resistance Freighter, holding it over his shoulder as he trods down the loading ramp with heavy footfalls. He sets it next to the others, while the Major talks with one of the local disreputable types.

"As promised... six crates of prime quality Dianoga Chunks, fresh from Rori. And nno, you do NOT want to hear how I managed to procure them..."

The Major strokes his beard as he talks, regaling the Gungan smugglers with a fictional, less disgusting account of where the meat actually came from...

Sweating profusely behind him, Zonk doesn't argue with the Official Version.

But the Other Cadet interjects.

"Excuse me, Major Tumpkin, but while we're here the rest of us were supposed to go and check out that area where the cadets went missing a few weeks ago..."

The Major turns, looks at the Other Cadet disparagingly, before sighing audibly.

"Very well. Very well! The rest of you can go investigate the area, but be back promptly! We're being visited by Colonel Darzok and I need to polish my buttons!"

Looking very confused, Zonk joins the Other Cadet, and does that thing where he tries to whisper, but does it so loud that everyone hears him anyway.

"Uh... I'm confused. We came from the swamp on Rori, just to come to ANOTHER swamp? What kind of nonsense is that?"

The Other Cadet ignores him, and pulls out his datapad.

"Glad you asked, Zonk! We've received reports of missing persons in an area a few clicks that way..." He points toward the swamp. "... including a few of our own cadets who have never been seen again. And just yesterday we received a distress call from that Very Same Location. Unfortunately, Zonk was unable to provide an accurate copy of that transmission..."

Pulling up the map on the datapad, the Cadet shows everyone the location, and waits for questions.

Well, getting involved in something like this beats waiting for the brass-polishing types to finish complimenting each other on their buttons and assignments and whatever torture they're inflicting most recently on the people who do the real work. Only along because someone had to fly the shuttle, Nova nonetheless scoops up her carbine and comes down the ramp to hear the other cadet's story. "Sounds like something's finding them... and it's not the kind that likes letting anyone leave again," she says. "Granted, it could be the terrain, too. Swamps are easy to get lost in and difficult to go through."

Merek has come to assist in finding cadets, which means he has put on his armor, while he checks his weapons. "Gungans maybe?" he muses, looking to Nova, and to Zonk, while he nods a bit to them both.

"Unlikely," answers the Doctor, who slides off the ramp of the ship to land firmly on the ground. Aryn brushes her cape back, revealing the ornate grey hilt on her hip. "Jar Jar has patrols who often watch over these waters. This is sacred ground. If it were the Gungans, he would've alerted the Jedi out of mutual respect." Aryn activates the MCA personal shield deflector, canvasing herself with extra protection. "It's probably best we follow an experienced pathfinder."

Yuun has been doing a lot of contimplating and also just training and focusing on himself a lot lately. HIs last few missions haven't gone so well. Still it doesn't stop him from joining the others and helping looking for the missing cadets. Walking off the shuttle with Aryn and the others. He is quiet for the time being.

Cadet Radar volunteers to go along as well. "I'm pretty good with navigational charts, can I tag along and help look for the others?" the cadet runs up after overhearing of the talk of going to look for the others. "I'd like to help!" yes, he has glasses, yes, he seems very newish as a cadet.

"Um... exSQUEEEEZE me... meesa couldn't help but hearin' that yoosa be goins out into the Mooey Icky Grosso!" One of the Gungan Smugglers pipes up, sidling next to the Other Cadet.

The Other Cadet looks at the Gungan, wondering just how much he should divulge.

"Meesa only aksking because there's a terrible... TERR-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-IBLE buncho creepy nasties in the swamp. Yoosa shouldn't be going there! No sir! Never! Issa fully to the tippy top with bugsies, but the worstest thing in All the Swamp? Issa full of SCARY WITCHES!"

The rest of the group is SURELY a little rattled now.

Zonk is busy applying some sort of grease to his shirtless body. It has a particularly pungent odor to it.

"Witches? HA! Lemme tell YOOZE somethin', brother! We got so many witches..." Zonk looks around at those gathered, as if suddenly unsure if he should be telling a Random Gungan Smuggler about all the 'witches' in the Resistance.

Suddenly, Zonk recognizes who the Gungan is!

"Hold on a minute! Kwonzo Zooks! That IS you, ain't it!?" He pats the Gungan on the back heartily. "How's yer mudder? Did she like the crabs I gave her?"

The Gungan beams brightly. "Oho! Issa Bombad ZONKO! Yes, meesa mommy made a BIG STEW with the crustaceans yoosa give her, we had a big MONJO MUNCHO at our family reunion."

The Gungan pauses, looking out toward the swamps.

"Say... since issa yoosa... maybe I'll go with yoosa? Kwonzo Zooks knows de SAFEST PATH to the creepy witch temple!"

Zonk shrugs, and looks at the rest of the group. "Prolly a good idea, but I ain't in charge of nothin'... whadda you guys think?"

Nova takes a quick look around... and sees two Jedi, a Corporal, a Cadet, and Zonk.

She's highest ranked. Damn...

She takes a deep breath and bows her head to the Gungan. "We'll need all the help we can get, and a good guide is better than gold in a place like this. Welcome to the team, Kwonzo Zooks."

Merek looks between the Gungan and also the team that is with them. He doesn't speak while he takes a moment to unholster his pistol, and nods a bit to the others, lifting that up while he begins to take formation.

Ignored, the young noble grows quiet. Sometimes, she forgets her place among the soldiers, and the lines between New Alderaan and this militia blur. Taking a step back, she bumps into the much larger and more intimidating of the two Jedi, Yuun. She glances back to see him, then moves to allow him by. "Pardon me, sorry." Aryn manages a small, sheepish smile, then pulls her hood up. Time to let the soldiers be soldiers. Aryn just pulled her medical satchel over her hilt and stayed behind Yuun for protection. She trusted the Jedi, and it showed.

Walking up beside Aryn, he stops. He did hear her but doesn't know if the others paid attention. "How're you Aryn?" he asks as the otehrs speak. He isn't close so that he doesn't bump her shield. He stretches out a little and looks in Nova's direction as she speaks with the Gungans for the moment.

Radar grabs a map from nearby and hustles up to stay with the group, he looks at Merek as he draws his blaster. Radar pushes his glasses back up on his nose and asks, "Uhh, is the swamp that dangerous that you're already getting your blaster out?" he looks around, then moves slowly behind Merek, totally not a shield. "Mines, should walk in a line for mines." he steps where Merek steps, just to be safe, and from time to time leans out to look ahead past Merek.

"Hooray! Meesa charge nothing for meesa services! Just so long as Zonko brings meesa mommy some more crabbos in time for meesa birthday!"

The Gungan looks almost suspiciously ecstatic to be going into a swamp he tried to warn them all away from. But... he's a smuggler, probably just doing some Light Hustling.

Zonk is still busy rubbing some kind of grease all over his body. It's very thick, almost like lard, but it smells waaaaay stronger. Even his friend the Gungan doesn't want to get too close.

Looking around at the assembled people, Zonk offers the can of grease to the rest of his comrades, almost sheepishly, as if it was rude to not offer it sooner.

"Battle Grease, anyone? It's good for keepin' yer hide strong and supple, and it keeps the bugs off."

The Gungan points toward the swamp.

"Okeeday! Yoosa be following meesa! Try to keep up!"

And with that, the Gungan starts walking toward the swamp on his extremely long legs.

Zonk tries to keep up, his hide glistening as much from the humidity as the Battle Grease. "Hold up! I gotta chest wound!"

Nova accepts the can of grease, applying a little to her wrists and neck where they're exposed to the air before she offers it to the next person. Her armor covers the rest of her, and her helmet just as much. "Stay close, folks. It'd be easy to get separated from each other in this kind of terrain." She moves to follow Kwonzo. "Can you slow down a little, Kwonzo? You've got longer legs than the rest of us."

Merek takes up that grease so he can place it on himself, then he nods a bit, before he's offering that to the next person, his armor still covering a lot of him, blending into terrain while he takes a moment to drink from the canteen with him.

"I'm fine, Mr. Yuun. Eyes would serve us best on the mission, sir. Your senses are far more attuned than my own." Aryn takes the rear most position of the team, declining the grease. She did not have a hide; her body was covered with a protective shield deflector.

As they walked, Aryn turned her gaze out toward their surroundings as time allowed. A senses become interfaced with the force, and her perceptions expand to include their present surroundings. When things move, when they breathed.. she could feel it. A honed sense of preservation that is tied to this innate ability grants her insight that stutters her steps. She keys her comms. "Something is off here. Something is not right. Make ready your weapons. I fear we may need them at a moment's call."

Yuun nods his head, "Well we both will keep our senses up as best as we can." he says to her. He smiles to Aryn as she stays behind him and he moves forward, as they walk he too notices something is off. He doesn't reach for his weapon, he does have on a pair of fighting gloves. Once Aryn gives out a warning, he keeps his position in the group, "Stay frosty and alert." he chimes in. Yuun begins casting out his senses to see if he can sense if anthing is moving in on them.

Radar takes the grease in his hands, very carefully handing it to the person behind him, "Uhh no thank you, I've seen them cook with this stuff on base, I'm not getting baked today." once the grease is handed off. He eyes look all about, wondering how big the bugs are and his hands are up to swat if necessary. He turns his head back to look at Aryn, "Wait, did she say weapons?" he checks all his pockets, "I didn't bring weapons, I brought a map! Oh boy." he quicksteps a bit to get a little closer to Merek, and does a little less peeking around him.

"No thanks, Zonko! Meesa no needing any stinky slimy! The bugs don't bother meesa very much-o!" Kwonzo slows his roll just a bit, partially because Nova told him to, and partially because the swamp makes it impossible to go too fast anyway. But he keeps looking back every minute or so to make sure that nobody is getting left behind, and adjusts his pace to match.

Two Hours Later...

There's been plenty of time for everyone to talk, quietly, and some people have abused that privilege by complaining nonstop.

Which is why Zonk has been told to play the Quiet Game.

Zonk swats wearily at the trees, doing his best to clear a path for the others. It's his turn to be up front, and beat the bush, though he's still taking directions from Kwonzo.

"Dangit!" He finally breaks, unable to go without complaining any longer. "Ain't NONE of you brought nothin' we can chop these vines with? I can't believe that DIS is the day I forgit to bring my vibro-ax..."

The swamp has an eery vibe to it, especially the deeper the party gets. Zonk didn't bring a weapon with him, because he's basically Zonk, but he's regretting the lack of a vibro-ax for more than just the foliage...

The Gungan puts a finger on Zonk's lips, looking around a bit nervously.

"Dissa heer issa where the storytimes tells us the Witches live... They say if yoosa be verrrrrrrry quiet, you can hear the witches whisperings strange stories in yoosa head!"

Kwonzo says this juuuust loudly enough for the group to hear.

"But they say iffa yoosa hearing them SING, yoosa needs to plug your earsy holes double quick! Or yoosa gonna end up in the Witchy Pot!"

Zonk's forehead looks even more crinkled than usual, but he'd never admit to fear. He seems to be listening hard, as if he thinks he can hear witchy voices on the wind.

"So whispering's okay, but don't be an audience," Nova says, careful to keep her voice down. It's been a long walk for her, too, but the former Sergeant hasn't lost her trail-toughness, even it it's a lot less help in swamp travel. She's been careful to keep quiet, except to keep the group together. She pauses in midstep, blinking, and kneels to take a look at something on the ground. "Shh!" she hisses, gesturing for silence. "Stay low, stay quiet. We're close."

When she stands up, she's holding a Resistance-issue ration bar, still in the wrapper. "They got this far, at least," she says, turning to Kwonzo. "Do you know where these witches are supposed to live? It can't be that far from here..."

Nodding enthusiastically, but keeping his voice down to a sharp whisper, Kwonzo points ahead.

Then he changes his mind, and points slightly to the left instead.

"Issa... It's... uh.... Issa hidden in the boggiest woggiest part of the swamp! An old temple all covered up in vinesies and FULL of bugsies!"

He starts to quiver. "There's uh.... no way meesa going all the way there..."

Zonk is still listening, reaching out in front of him as if he's trying to catch a firefly. There's an especially stupid grin on his face.

Still trying to catch fireflies, Zonk smiles, perhaps for the very first time that anyone here can ever recall...

"It's... beautiful. It sounds like... the song my grandma usedta sing when she was churnin' battle grease..."

And slowly, Zonk meanders over toward Merek, following him in the general direction of the song.

And then... Kwonzo gets in line behind them as well, an idiotic grin on his face.

Merek looks to the vines while he takes a moment to then take his sword, beginning to slash through the vines. A quiet weapon, it is useful to keep with you. He's spinning that about while he begins to shift forward. He frowns a bit, "Do you all hear all the singing?" he asks. Doing his best to try and keep focused upon the task, even though this is making him look to the direction it's from. He nods also to Radar when he comes where he is, "Alright."

"Interesting." Aryn says softly, straightening as she unclips the hilt from her hip and brushes her cape back over her shoulder. Aryn makes no obvious statement, but she speculates that this must be the culprit behind their missing personnel. She falls in line behind the others that pursue the song. Best to play the part as a means of surprise if this turned out to be harmful.

Yuun stops as he unclips his lightsaber from his belt. He shakes his head and brings his hand to his head, "I hear them in my head." he glances to Aryn, "Keep me covered, I will try...." he faces forward and begins following Merek and the others.

Radar watches people take out guns and sabers and everything else, he pulls out a map and stares intently at it while making sure to stay behind merek. "You guys have this, I'll try and locate where we are, since our guide is out for bugs."

An Hour Later...

"Of course I'll help, grandma... you know I love to help churn the grease...."

Zonk's physical actions are getting more frantic, as he basically tries to flail through the thick foliage, occasionally trying to get around the guy with the sword. This doesn't work out well for him, but it's clear that he wants to get there FIRST. Wherever 'there' is...

Kwonzo also seems to be trying to jockey for position, though he also didn't bring anything to cut the foliage with himself, so he has to follow behind Merek. They seem to be making a beeline straight for SOMETHING, and the closer it gets the more excited they're starting to look.

But when Kwonzo gets too close to Zonk, his Gungan snout suddenly wrinkles.

"PEEEEE YOOOOOOOO! Yoosa smell like a mooey bombad cheese a stinkin'!"

The pungent odor seems to pull Kwonzo out of the song, at least temporarily, and he looks around, suddenly very afraid.

"Oh nooooo! Weesa gotta get outta here! The Temple is..."

His voice drops to a cold whisper.

"... less than a kilometer from here..."

Behind him, Zonk suddenly bellows out so loudly that it's definitely going to give away their position.

"HEY! WHICH ONE A YOOZE CRUMMY TURDS TURNED OFF MY GRANDMA'S GREASE-MAKIN' MUSIC!!!?"

"I don't hear anything," Nova hisses, puzzled, looking at Zonk and Kwonzo like they're delusional... for a moment, anyway. Then her eyes widen behind her faceplate. "Oh, no."

Which is about when Kwonzo calls Zonk stinky, and then comes The Moment The Music Died. The soldier cringes as Zonk bellows loud enough to send swamp avians clattering from their perches on all sides. "Congratulations," she says to the Houk drily. "If the Swamp Witches didn't know we were here before, they certainly do now, and where." She points in the direction the Gungan and the Houk have been leading them. "I suggest we fan out and come in from off that vector. Witches or no Witches, we need to know what's taking our people."

Off in the not so very distant distance, the outline of a crumbling, dilapidated structure can be seen. Probably made by whoever was on the planet thousands of years ago, but mostly overtaken by vines, shrubbery, and some of the biggest trees in the entire swamp.

There doesn't seem to be anyone active around the temple, and it also doesn't look like the kind of place that most sentient creatures would be able to live. At least not without extreme difficulty.

But there's something eerie about it. It might have been a temple a thousand years ago.

But now, it's just a giant tomb.

Merek looks then as Zonk speaks, then he takes a moment to switch along to his pistol when he sees that the place is coming into view. He nods a bit, looking to see if the singers are about.

The dark side of the force had a very distinct feeling to it. It began in the stomach, twisting like it was upset, but the discourse spread to the rest of the body, feeling wretched and overpowering. Its will was easy to fold to because the knees suddenly felt weak. Resisting the call, resisting the urge to submit was like standing against a current of raging rapids, yet Aryn stopped out right and took a deep breath, clearly repulsed by the overwhelming feeling. It takes several moments just centering herself, staying her mind, and finding her flow again. She spoke nothing to the sensations, her warnings had not been heeded prior to this. A knowing look is paid to Yuun, and her gloved thumb lightly brushes over the activation stud of her lightsaber, but she did not activate it yet. Instead, she moves to investigate this disturbance, this.. energy.

The song has Yuun barely, urging him to listen, and follow it to it's destination. Outwardly he followed, inwardly Yuun battled. He could feel the coldness surrounding him, moving through him as he followed the others who were now enthralled. He could feel the darkside tempting him to obey and continue onwards. This feeling disgusted him, why is he following it? NO! says inwardly to himself and he suddenly stops in front of Aryn. Taking a deep calming breath and closing his eyes to focus.

Pulling from his past failures and some of his over eagerness, Yuun stands up straight, his breathing calming as he begins to resist, and after a long moment, he shakes himself. "No." he says says calmly as he pushes the song and the darkness from him. He looks to Aryn as she has her weapon in her hand, "I'm sorry." he says to her and he looks to the others as he feels the voices calling to him. "I know of the entrance. Everyone stop if you can." he says out to the others.

Walking through the swamp, maybe shaking a little bit now that everyone has weapons out; Radar keeps looking at the map, "I /think/ there is an abandoned structue nearby, but;" he turns around, "With all the trees and such, I am not sure exactly where we are." and then Zonk is yelling, and Radar la tches onto Merek in front of him. "uhh, You looked like you were falling." he lets go suddenly, "You seem stable now, all good." he spreads out the map again and goes back to figuring it out.

As the Force-sensitive man pulls himself free from the grip of the song, the voices stop altogether. It's almost as if the feedback from it caused some amount of pain to... whoever was singing into their brains.

The entrances to the temple all seem to be blocked off by fallen rubble and boulders. Probably the result of decay, or possibly placed there to keep something out. Or in.

It would take a lot of effort to lift most of them, unless someone was able to lift heavy objects with the Force.

Or unless someone knows where they can find a Houk...

Nova hastily motions for a halt, pulling out her electrobinoculars for a look. She doesn't have to look long. "We need to leave," she says quickly. "We'll come back with support. That place is too big to inventigate with only us few. The only thing in our favor is that we're not being controlled by the song." She sighs quietly, thinking of the cadets. "Maybe we can at least keep more people from being swallowed up by this swamp..."

Merek looks then to Nova, and nods a bit, "Alright," he says, then he's shifting back, taking his sword to assist people through, with a nod to Radar, Yuun, and Aryn, as well as to Zonk.

Yuun looks around for the moment, "That may be wise." he says to Nova. "We already know that thier song can enrapture us." he says as he looks to the others. "I would suggest we use our trackers to mark this place, having our people enthralled is not good." he says to Nova. "We know where the entrnace is, so hopefully the cadets can hold out a bit longer."

People are discussing if they should go into the ruins or not, seems like a logical thing to do, unless you are Radar. Who is already splashing and sloshing his way out of the swamp back the way they came, map flailing behind him, "I'll go back for help! Don't you worry!" the branches smacking him all over as he hustles back out of this mess.