Log:Starlight Vanguard: Welcome to the Jungle pt 2
The Starlight Vanguard continue into the jungle to locate the CR90 Stellar Windrunner...
OOC Date: April 19, 2023
Location: Xyndarra
Participants: Aria Voss, Saito, Juria Nexum, Nayeesa, Bar'duur, Rieve Selki
THE LANDING SITE
The group descends upon a flat, open expanse of terrain, seemingly out of place amidst the otherwise dense jungle. The landing site is a large rocky ledge, with sturdy ground underfoot and ample space for your ship to settle. A few resilient plants have managed to take root in the crevices of the rocks, adding a touch of green to the otherwise barren landscape.
From this elevated vantage point, you can observe the lush canopy of the jungle stretching out before you, a sea of vibrant greens and occasional bursts of color from exotic flora. The air is thick with the sounds of distant wildlife, and the scent of damp earth and vegetation fills your nostrils.
As you gaze into the depths of the jungle, your eyes are drawn to a vague outline partially obscured by the tangle of trees and vines below. The shape appears to match that of a CR90, with the signature elongated body and engine block of the Corellian Corvette just barely visible. It seems the Stellar Windrunner lies hidden within the jungle's embrace, waiting for you to uncover its secrets.
The path leading down from the ledge is steep and treacherous, with loose rocks and slippery moss threatening to impede your progress.
As the group descends from the rocky ledge into the depths of the Xyndarran jungle, they find themselves enveloped by a thriving, untamed ecosystem. Towering trees with massive trunks and sprawling roots stretch high above, their canopies interlocking to create a natural ceiling that filters the sunlight and casts dappled patterns on the jungle floor.
Vibrant, lush foliage surrounds the group, with ferns, bushes, and colorful flowering plants competing for space in the dense undergrowth. Vines and lianas snake their way up tree trunks, reaching for the light above, while mosses and lichens cling to every available surface, adding to the sense of life teeming all around.
The air is heavy with humidity, carrying the rich, earthy scent of decay and growth, as well as the sweet fragrance of blossoms from exotic plants. The sounds of the jungle are ever-present, with the calls of unseen birds and the distant cries of unfamiliar creatures creating a cacophony of life. Insects buzz and flit through the air, while small, skittish creatures rustle in the underbrush, darting away as the group passes.
The jungle floor is a mix of soft, damp soil, tangled roots, and fallen leaves, making the going slow and challenging. The oppressive heat and humidity, combined with the seemingly endless tangle of vegetation, create an environment that is both breathtakingly beautiful and potentially dangerous.
=
The jungle is an unforgiving place full of dangerous flora /and/ fauna, and once the group had stepped into the thick of it, a lot of things happened at once.
With Juria's shout of warning and Bar'duurs keen survival skills, he'd just managed to stop the group short of tripping into a patch of Stinging Sporecap -- a mushroom that releases a noxious power into the air when its disturbed. He shouted to the group to be careful, that they grow in clusters, and the group was going to have to go around.
At the same time, Juria sensed a flock of Skyleapers swooping in just as Saito was catching up to the back of the group. Bar'duur had shouted that the group needed to stick together, but /just/ as he did, as if sensing the group's plan, four massive flectura beetles rushed out of the underbrush, splitting the group in half. Three of Aria's guards were herded with Bar'duur and Nayeesa, pushed down an unexpectedly steep embankment and chased, while only one guard was left with Juria, Saito, and Aria.
And just like that, it was down to the two Jedi, the socialite, and the guard to contend with two fluctura beetles and three skyleapers, the massive, hard-shelled beetles behaving much like wild pigs with rapidly fluttering wings. The skyleapers were like massive flying squirrel lizards, jumping out of the trees, extending their wings, and soaring downwards with sharp claws.
= Saito cilently moves with the group through the jungle. He offers a cilent nod to Juria and reaches into a pocket, pulling out a sleek, well-crafted metalic cilinder. He raises the lightsaber slightly and presses the weapon's ignition switch, the green blade appearing with a loud *snap ris*. He runs to the front of the group, raising the lightsaber. "Great, flying things," Saito sighs, shaking his head. He closes his eyes and atempts to calm himself. Two of the beetles charge straigth for him. The blade moves in a blur of light. He strikes twice and, with loud screeches, the two beetles fall down, having been decapitated by the Lightsaber. "Are you ok, master?" he asks the other Jedi.
=
Juria is now in an epic battle with a Skyleaper. "BA-BUP-BUH-BUH-BUH-BUH-BUH-BUH! BUPA-BUH BUH... LELELELLEELE AHHHHH LELELELELE AH!" Her blade erupts out from the end of her saber hilt, squaring off with it held in both hands as it swoops down towards her... it comes over in a single downward slash that sizzles through leathery flesh, then a cross slash.. It did not escape without leaving tales of it's approach with claws racking across her abdomen.
Pushing her back, sliding in the dirty. "LALALALALLA AHHHHH..!"
The blade hums and worbles!
Truly, this is a battle for the ages.
=
"BAR'DUUR!"
Aria's voice raises in concern through the jungle, even as she's driven back with Juria, Saito, and her remaining guard by the rushing beetles. Her hand gropes for her blaster pistol, sliding it smoothly out of its holster even as lightsabers ignite and flash around her.
She'd never seen anything like it before. The motions were so fast that she couldn't even get the barrel of her weapon up before the Jedi had already taken down their foes.
Well, most of them.
Both Aria's guard and Aria herself raise the barrels of their weapons towards the remaining skyleaper, firing just as the winged lizard creature hits a tree and then scurries back up into the branches. Apparently undeterred by the loss of its comrades, it leaps again, stretching out leathery wings as it lunches for Juria.
=
So there Juria was, engaged in epic battle with a Skyleaper when her Padawan pulled it away from her. So that's not at all embarrassing. Thankfully she doesn't get as easily frustrated as the person playing her.
Her lightsaber, which is largely decorative anyways, swings around in the air making a lot of noise, but not doing a lot of damage. Unless these things cause environmental damage. There has to have been some kind of study done on that right? The effects of lightsabers on the ecology of a planet?
Food for thought.
=
"Master!" Saito calls out as he sees the Skyleaper preparing to attack. Thinking quickly, he quickly raises his hand. The flying creature is flung back, away from the Corellian. Saito moves quickly, swinging his lightsaber at the creature but he misses, leaving him with a very pissed Skyleaper infront of him. He manages to jump out of the way of the winged creature, raising his lightsaber for one more attack.
=
Aria let out a grunt of frustration when the thing jumped out of the tree again, neither she nor her guard seeming to be very good at picking the little creature off with their blasters before it lunged down at the Jedi Woman again, wings outstretched and claws first.
The Zeltron's eyes go wide with surprise when the thing gets suddenly /ripped/ out of the air mid-flight and flung towards Saito. The green glow of the lightsabers slash and the quick little creature bobs and weaves, enraged and, apparently, quite a bit more agile than its two fallen comrades.
"Kill it!" Aria screams at her guard. Both of them fire, but to no avail. And once more, the little creature climbs up the tree, preparing for its next attack.
=
WHO'S SAVING WHO NOW BUDDY
The Skyleaper does not respect the rules of the Amok and it's going to pay for it. Juria swings her blade around her hand, whirly worbly wooshy, and advances at it's right flank as it leaps towards Saito. Reversing her grip in mid-swing, she she brings the emerald green tip up through the center of the leathery winged creature, severing one of it's legs..
Then dances around it with the glowing tip pointed right at the beaklike maw... Circling to keep beady eyes focused on her as she passes infront of her Padawan. "I know you probably don't understand what I'm saying, so I'm going to use a universal form of communication that transfers across the species barrier." She lances her blade out and leaves a long black gash in the hard surface of its beak.
"Go." Another gash. "Go'on giet..."
Minus one leg, with two scars that hopefully get it lots of cloaca later.. It takes flight all wobbly with it's tattered leathery wings. Her blade lowers, sliding up into the hilt, though still held in her hand.
=
"Thanks, master," Saito offers a smile to the Corellian, lowering his lightsaber slightly. "Nice.. Youu didn't kill it and it went away," he sighs, seeming sad about the fact that he had to kill the beetles. He looks forward and moves to stand witht he group. "Everyone ok?" he asks.
=
As soon as the flying-lizard-thing is scurrying off, Aria shoves her pistol back into its holster and bustles through the undergrowth of the jungle, looking between the two. Her guard, rifle still held at the ready, keeps an eye on the trees for more of the creatures.
It's Saito she goes to first, her hand raising to his shoulder. "Hey," she says gently, pushing a bit of warmth through their telepathic connection to counter the pain she'd felt, her smile gentle, "it's okay. You did what you had to do. Those things were /not/ happy..." Her violet eyes cut over to the side once and a shiver runs down her spine. "Or friendly."
Then her attention is on Juria, though, lowering her hand from Saito and moving closer. "Are you hurt, Juria? I saw it hit you. We have medkits. Skeet knows how to apply a bandage.."
=
Juria hooks her lightsaber back on her belt, rather than sliding it into the sheath inside her vest. Easier access.. turning to Saito with an easy smile, "Yes, you did good." Kneeling beside the cracked shell of one of the Flectura Beetles, peering inside.. "You think we can eat these?" She wonders, grabbing her datapad to see if there's a signal strong enough to check the holonet.
Not that she's ignoring inquires of her health. A pair of claw marks are visible down her back. They don't look very deep, but are definitely angry, red, and probably painful. "Oh, sure! Skeet, want to take a look at these?" She wonders, still peering at the screen of her datapad to see if they can eat these beetles. "Noxious gas... nhn... nnn... hrm.." Scroll up, scroll back down. One brow raised. "How has nobody ever tried to eat one?"
A spear is quite a nice weapon to have, all things considered, when fighting beasts and the like, there is a reason why putting a pointy thing on the end of a stick has been so successful, across the history of so many worlds and systems. Bar'duur manages to poke one beatle right in it's mouth between the mandables, and he drives the obsidian sharpness deep, stomping on the creature with an armored boot in the process and releasing a nice roar of excitement. Once Nayeesa and the guards have the other kritters taken care of, the group is free to make their way back up and find the rest.
Saito continues to walk alongsidee Aria and their small group. He reataches his lightsaber to his belt, having deactivated the weapon when there was no more imediate danger. He turns to Juria and offers her a playful wink, not unlike someone that has just saved the life of his master. "Well, thanks, master," he says politely, humor gleaming in his eyes as they continue to walk through the forests of Xyndarra. He slows his passe for a moment and closes his eyes, reaching out into the force to sense any danger that might be a head of the group. "Well, things should be good for a while," he says after a moment, reopening his eyes, moving to walk beside Aria and Juria.
Rieve had heard of an expedition and was curious to say the least, it was 'technically' on the way home from the fleet, and Rieve's A-Wing would make short work of the journey. Landing at the coordinates given, Rieve offered the waiting guards a nod, though his usual charismatic flare was hidden beneath his sealed scout's armour as he hopped to the ground, and introduced himself and offered his credentials. His voice modulated, given a faint artificial tremor to ensure that Hapan accent was distorted slightly. A notably decorated vibroblade at his hip, and a relic of a Bryar pistol holstered against the other, the 'scout' moved with a nimble grace as he was escorted through to those who had come before him. Raising his hand by way of greeting upon the approach, the 'scout' offered up an easy, if tremoring and artificial. "I h-heard you folks were out h-here, h-hope you don't mind some company?"
When a new toy is given, it get to be played with! The spiffy new gun (well new to Nayeesa) is used! Red bolts fly from her blaster as she sides up behind Bar'duur, essentially watching his back. One giant beetle manages to scurry up close to Nayeesa and she shoots it, the thing exploding in a blast of gelatinous goop. The most horrified and disgusted look crosses her face and her head tails just shiver in horror. Goo drips off her helmet and armor in a slurpy mess. An oversized leaf is used to wipe her visor clean with only minimal smearing. "That was gross." She murmurs to Bar as they make their way to reunite with the group.
It was likely that that wasn't the /only/ time the new toy was going to get played with, either, given how many of the different critters had come out at one time. Aria, in contrast to Nayeesa, seemed significantly /less/ thrilled to be playing with her blaster. It had since been shoved into her holster for safe keeping, since she'd hit exactly 0 things with it.
"Is that more of that Jedi magic?" the pink-skinned woman asks, a grin tugging at her lips. She hung close to Saito -- not least of which because he was a Jedi -- but because that's where she seemed the most comfortable.
Then Juria's leaving at the same time Rieve is arriving and the others are rejoining, and instead of it just being Aria, Saito, and her single guard, it was /thankfully/ the rest of the team /and/ backup to help them make it the rest of the way.
"You guys are sure a sight for sore eyes," she says. She raises a hand towards Rieve to turn his wave, her rebreather pulled down against her neck so that her face was clearly visible, though her hair had been pulled up behind her into a Rylothian braid (a /Rylothian/ braid, you ask? I don't know.. don't ask me..). She wouldn't recognize him from their Tarisian hotel encounter, given his current garb, but he could easily recognize her -- even if he hadn't figured out who she was before he'd decided to come.
"Welcome to the fun," she tells him. "Apparently there are flying clawed lizards, beetles the size of small speeders, and mushrooms that release poisonous spores. So, we're just having a great time. Juria just went to go get bandaged." That last part is said to the group, since there's no way to know if he knows who Juria is.
"Bar, Nayeesa, are you guys okay to continue? If so, Bar, you've got the lead again."
And at her words, the guards move out to the sides again, two of them moving up next to Bar with their blades, ready to help clear the path.
Bar'duur is glad to have someone he trusts and knows at his back, it perhaps drives him to enjoy the action a bit more than he normally would. As they walk back to meet up with the others once more, he can't help but grin at Nayeesa. "A good bit of fun, too bad we didn't slay anything we could eat tonight." He says and gives the Neutolan a playful little nudge on the side, holding his spear tip pointed up as they backpeddle from whence they came. "Did someone say Bread-eye-jackets?" Asks the horned man, looking to Aria with a mild tilt of his head, before his attention turns to Rieve. "Oh hey.. when did you drop in?" He asks curiously. "Sure, off we go.." He stops, looking around to get a good bead on who's still there. "Noone injured? Let someone know if you're injured at any time in the jungle." He calls out a bit more loudly. Then the Zabrak turns and points his spear downward, prodding along the brush as they continue along, and he makes a course /around/ the stinging mushroom traps..
"Its not magic, Aria.. Its the force," Saito replies to the Zeltron, mirroring her playful smile for a moment before he would wink to her. "But yes, it is," he finally says. He smiles when he sees the others arriving. "I'm happy that you are all alive and well.. Now this party can continue properly, hopefully with no deaths." he looks to Rieve for a moment but merely offers a friendly nod to the new arrival, smilling to him in a friendly way. There'll be time to talk later, hopefully.
The description of the local fauna has Rieve grin beneath his helm, the filtered air his suit was blessed with would ensure five hours of sweet toxin-free supply if needed, though for now he endured the local air. "Oh a few moments back, h-heard back on the H-hope... you folks were out h-here h-having all the fun." Rieve's head tilted to the side as his modulated voice rang out, the very words spoken as he fluidly drew his rather blue and decorated vibroblade from its scabbard at his side. "... as detours g-go, you picked a f-fine planet. I am at your c-command." A somewhat formal offering as the scout-clad male readies his blade, his other hand idly resting against his holstered pistol for the sake of somewhere to put said hand as he follows in the wake of the intrepid adventurers.
Nayeesa gives a sharp double take at Saito. "Why you have to go and jinx us like that? You never mention the word death on an adventure. It curses you." Superstitious much. But she gives a playful smile to Saito. Quietly, she uses a gloved hand to scoop a good chunk of goop from the front of her armor. "Here." It is offered to Bar'duur. "Who knows? It could be packed with protein! I hear that you can eat anything at least once.." From underneath the visor of her helmet, there is a rather wide grin of mischief upon those dark purple lips. The handful of goop is tossed into the bushes nearby, though making sure not to disturb the shrooms.
"I'm with Nayeesa on this one, sweetheart," Aria chides, making a little 'wrap it up' circle gesture with her finger. "I appreciate the sentiment, but let's not evoke the specter of death until /after/ we're all safely back at the ships. Or /farther/ , even." Those violet eyes dance with mirth, though, as she nudges him playfully with her shoulder.
The Zeltron's eyes turn back to Rieve, however, and she smiles. "It's good to have you. I'm technically responsible for all this, but I've put Bar'duur in charge of keeping us safe in the jungle. In a pinch, after him, the Jedi are in charge." Her eyes flick back towards the ships at the top of the trail and then back to Saito. "The /singular/ Jedi, at this point. I hope Juria's okay."
Aria was just looking back to the path, still lingering beside Saito, when there was a sudden flurry of movement. A large, bulbous pitcher plant with a head large enough to at least begin to swallow a humanoid, reaches out of the bushes and takes a sudden snap at Nayeesa, missing her by inches. Then there's a rustle from the bushes as a Screech Viper and a Venomspike Lizard come rushing out towards Bar'duur, a wild dog not far behind them. Fortunately, with his keen sight, he's able to spot them before they get to him.
Bar'duur chuckles at Nayeesa's play. "You laugh but I have had to eat bugs, I don't recommend them unless you have to though." It happens in an instant as they're moving along the path of their own creation, with sword and spear and such, they carve a path forward. Bar'duur is mostly on the look-out for beasts, and as creatures begin to spring forth he's jabbing them with his obsidian spear. "Watch out!" He shouts, and turns back to check on the rest of the group, not noticing the wild dog at first.
"Seriously, Nay.. Even you?" Saito asks the Nautolan, chuckling and shaking his head. "Death isn't something to be feared.. And she'll be f9ine, don't worry.. She's a great master, way wiser than I'll ever be," he's about to say more but then the group is attacked. He calmly detaches the metalic cilinder from his belt. He raises the lightsaber and presses the ignition switch, the green blade of energy coming to life with a loud *snap ris*. "Nay, watch out!" he says before he jumps infront of the plant. He quickly swings the lightsaber twice but the plant manages to move its leaves out of thee way of the blade. He continues to swing the blade, trying to keep the plant's atention on him, not on the Nautolan.
Rieve takes little time in stepping forward with his vibrosword, an ideal weapon for this particular clime it seems. A fluid slash one way, and then a deft turn of the blade and that flickering, humming blade slices cleanly through the snapjaw with ease. Back and forth, crisp and swift, the 'scout' certainly seems adept with close-quarters. After two swift cuts, the hungering plant falls still and slumps, now feed for the surrounding plants. The blade continues to hum as he holds it to his side, the weapon pointing off to the ground safely as he eyes the remaining foes. "I do hope we're close..."
"What.." It is the only word that escapes Nayeesa as suddenly there are plant bits showering her as a vibro blade is slicing up the bulbous pitcher plant thingie that she SOMEHOW DIDNT SEE! I mean, it's a /jungle/ . There are LOTS of things to see. Truthfully, she had been super distracted by the things that are attacking Bar! She spies the dog that is charging, snarling. Being a woman of nature, she immediately recognizes that it is either sick or just plain hungry. With a flick of her thumb, the setting is switched to stun and she raises that blaster to fire! The red bolt flies past the dog and into the brush beyond, sending a shower of plant debris in the air.
The wild dog snarls and snaps viciously, teeth bared, slavering and drool flung from its jaws as it paces and lunges, before finally seeking to pounce and snap its jaws about an unsuspecting victim. Likewise the lizard hisses and dig its claws into the soft undergrowth, it is annoyed, angry, for the intruders simply don't smell right. They smell alien. They smell... wrong. They do however smell like food. Sure it can eat the other lizard later...
The dog snaps and snarls as it lunges and rakes at Nayeesa as it scampers wildly, fur bristling, while the lizard fails to do anything but harry Aria's guard Prado! The undergrowth a rustling, the flurry of wild activity no doubt making much noise!
Bar'duur notices the dog just after he's already focused his malice on Nayeesa. "Hey! Down dog!" Growls the Zabrak, and instead of stabbing, he swings his spear down with two hands, *WHACK* emits as he strikes the creature with the flatt-er side of the obsidian spear, downing the beast, before he draws the spear backk for a lunch for that lizard. "I have /never/ seen beasts act like this!"
"Thanks for the help," Saito offers a friendly smile to the Appan, lowering his lightsaber, the green blade iluminating the forest's floor. "Are you all ok?" he asks the group, offering a nod to Nay as he watches her stunning the wild dog. "Very good, Nay." he winces as he sees the dog that she just stunned pouncing on the Nautolan. He mutters a curse under his breath as he sees one of the guards being attacked by the lizard. He quickly runs, raising his lightsaber. He swings the weapon, decapitating the lizard in one clean strike of the energy blade. He nods to the Zabrak. "Well, they probably see us as invaders," he muses.
Rieve rather admires the efficiency of the group, witnessing Bar'duur deal with the canine conundrum, and Saito swiftly dispatch the lizard liability. Having dealt with the plant, he simply flicks a button on his blade and the vibrating parts still and cease their gentle thrum. Rieve for his part simply... waits and takes up his position at the rear.
"AAAA! AAA! IT'S EATING ME! AAA!" The wild dog manages to latch onto her foot and does that head shake thing when a canine is trying to cause maximum damage. "NO!" She tries to hit it with her gun, but to no avail. It switches from her well-protected boot and latches onto her arm, tugging at her with it's surprisingly powerful body and teeth! But then, with a loud yelp! The doggo is put down by Bar. "This place is mean!" She laments, inspecting her wound now. "Ouch.." She winces and straightens back up. "Welp. I guess I make good bait. Sorry to be.. umm. Unhelpful there.."
"Are you alright?" Bar'duur asks of Nayeesa, looking to her eye-area, concealed by her visor, down to her leg. "We better take a look at that first, I think the beasts here might be poisoned or something, animals don't usually act like that without some other influence.." He looks from Nayeesa to Rieve as he says this, then over to the lightsaber-wielding member of the party. "Is there some kind of sorcery going on?" He asks with a frown from behind the transparent part of his visor.
The plus side? After that particular encounter... it seems as if the local fauna and flora have decided to lay low for a moment or two. There's scurrying in the undergrowth, the sound of rustling, why there's eyes upon each and everyone. Hungering eyes. Drooling teeth? Oh most likely. There's a desire within these critters, a desire to feast upon each and all! A few shrill noises erupt, a scattering of birds of various sizes. Yet nothing seems intent on lunging for anyone at the moment. Though the press of the surrounding flora does mean that it is hard going, very hard going... an effort is required to push forward into the clinging and cloying vines and undergrowth, as buzzing insects flit and sway and dance on the stifled breeze.
"You too, Bar? This isn't-" Saito's about to continue but then he pauses and shakes his head, slowly walking to where Nay is, lightsaber being held at his side casually, the green light of the weapon lighting the surrounding forest. "Are you ok, Nay?" he asks the Nautolan. He closes his eyes for a moment and slowly opens them. "We are.. Being watched by the forest," he tells the group. "They aren't close, they are just.. Waiting and watching.." he deactivaters his lightsaber as he and the group continue to move towards their final destiantion.
Bar'duur will make sure everyone's ready to travel without issue before they push on again, and the horned man pays more attention to clearing the area of active threats while those with the swords clear the brush. He pushes a larger log out of the way with a power armored foreleg, swinging his spear to slice at the lighter brush, that obsidian blade is fairly long and exceedingly sharp indeed..
Saito follows the Zabrak. He jestures with his hand at the vegetation infront of the group. Stumps and vines start to floate in the air, clearing part of the path for the group to walk through. As soon as they do, Saito would lower his hand, the vegetation falling back to its original place.
Rieve flicks on his vibrosword as he passes through Saito's glorious arch of telekinetically hefted vegetation, cutting at a few pieces here and there as he drifts on by with a most languid saunter, the 'scout' nods at Saito. "Aaah, h-how you say? Th-thank you! G-good show there." A nod of that helmet-coverd head is offered as the armoured interloper follows in the wake. With Nayeesa no doubt close by to attract the attention of all manner of hungry wild doggos if the need arises. Boots crunch and squish undergrowth underfoot, moving slowly and carefully, blade flicked off once more and yet held ready. Held so ready.
The jungle is a truly unforgiving place. The travel is slow through the dense undergrowth. Full of tangles vines, poisonous spores, and carnivorous pitcher plants, there's trouble waiting around every turn!
The group manages another approximate eternity of arduous hacking and slashing, pushing ever closer to where they know the CR-90 slumbers, /almost/ visible in the distance... or /is it/ visible? Is that a bulkhead? Or is that just a plant? It's hard to tell from this distance.
Regardless, things seemed quiet. Too quiet.
But that's probably just because skyleapers don't make any noise while they're gliding, claws out.
Bar'duur manages to duck and not get clawed by random flying creatures, fortunately his team were all skilled professionals, even if they each had different things to offer. He looks to Nayeesa often, just to make sure she's alright, offering a smile before his attention returns to his search. "We are?" He asks with a little grin, excitement audible through his helmet. "Alright keep alert, who knows /what/ might be using this hulk for a home!" He calls out to the group before moving forward, stabbing with his spear here and there..
- Clunk*
The spear hits something definately not of natural composite..
Just above, the looming fines and brush hanging block out the light, but you can start to make it out, much of it covered in living plant growth..
At first, Saito doesn't notice the nasty scratch. Only when his adrenaline lowers he feels the pain. He winces as drops of blood start to drip from the wound. "Sorry to disappoint you, Nay but these aree very individual weapons," he explainss in a pained tone. "Ask Aria.. She helped me with mine." he points to the Zeltron, offering a smile at the fact that they should be arriving soon. He sighs, deactivating the green-bladed lightsaber and attaching the weapon to his belt once again.
Rieve draws up alongside the others, sword held at his side, pointing down towards the ground. "Well isn't sh-sh-she a b-beauty?" The very words uttered, even despite the condition of the poor vessel lain stricken within this jungle. "She is g-going to take s-some work." That said, he eyes the bulkhead thoughtfully, shifting his weight a little as if making ready to follow. "If there is trouble within? There's probably some measure of damage to the hull and such... but if most of the sytems are intact or recoverable? Quite the f-find."
A soft, incredulous laugh actually bubbles up from Aria's lips after Saito's word. "I didn't..."
But her voice trails off when her violet eyes turn back from the path to find him again. She hadn't /helped him/ build his lightsaber..... had she? But she /had/ been there with him. They'd done at least for part of it together. She could still remember the crystal turning green in his hand, the way his calm had been all-encompassing.. flooding even her own Zeltron empathy with it.
Did he carry part of /her/ around with him everywhere he went, now? Was her energy in there, too? Even if it was just in /memory/ ... she hadn't really thought about it like that, before.
"You're hurt," she says instead, her eyes refocusing on his wound. She unzips a pouch on her belt and pulls out a, premade bandage. Ripping off one side to expose the bacta, she leans up up tip-toe and presses it to the bleeding wound. "You're going to need a real medic, but this will keep it from getting infected," she says. A quick kiss, then, is placed on the Jedi's cheek.
And just as she's leaning away from him, there's a loud scraping of metal and a thundering of feet, two big, red arms grasping at the top of the partially leaning ship hoisting a slumbering Gundark up. As it stands up to its full height, all four arms stretch out, and it growls down at the group, its jaws open in a snarl to reveal sharp, massive teeth.
Bar'duur looks more concerned as he notices Saito's injury. "Is anyone else hurt? Trust me the last thing you want is an open wound in the jungle, there are all kinds of nasty things that can get into your wounds." Says Bar'duur, speaking to the whole group.
Then the horned man is spinning about as a large beast suddenly appears! He's more than a bit concerned so decides, suprise is the best option. He leans forward toward the appearing creature and fires a missile from his jetpack.
"Oh yes.. If everything works out well, we are planing to use htis ship as the base for this cell," Saito informs the Appan, aparently starting to get used to the pain that the scratch is causing. He allows Aria to approach and bandage the wound, offering her a smile. "Thanks," he kisses her cheek in return. "I appreciate it-" he's about to say more but then the whole CR-90 is shaking. Saito winces when he sees the Gundark. "Seriously? Give me a break.. And look, it has four arms!" he closes his eyes and once again, raises his hand. But instead, this timee things odn't simply floate. Vines, three stumps and panels of the CR-90 all are flung at the Gundark in a large conflagration of Telekinesis, the forest being filled with the sounds of the wood and metal hitting the creature, a large stump hitting it on the head.
Rieve moves to take some measure of protection against the side of the vessel as various sorts open up on the lumbering beast up above. He could draw his pistol, but instead the scout takes advantage of the barrage to search the bulkhead for an opening. No doubt hoping there's nothing within that seeks to cause any such problems for the team as they focus up above. Sword clutched as ever within his grip, Rieve's armoured form remains close to the bulkhead as red bolts zip upwards against their looming target.
There's another loud bellow from the massive, bearded red beast that stands at least twice the height of an average human. As all of the debris flies up and begins pelting him, he starts to lose his balance, but he throws up two massive arms to shield himself, one massive log that strikes him in the head making him growl out in vicious agony.
He leans to the side, shifting out of the way of the rocket the flies towards him, and then makes a massive leap to the ground. He takes one big sniff and turns his eyes on Aria, who's already scurrying towards the back of the group. Blaster bolts lance out from the guards, striking him hard in his flank and his thing, making him stumble and roar again, fury filling his gaze. Then he charges, headed right for the Zeltron and her unfortunate pheromones.
It helps having a jetpack at times, but Bar relies on his speed and strength to get him where he needs to go. It's toward the gundark who is threatening 'Arie'.
Getting up close he jumps up, right foot on the tail, left on the lower back of the creature. As he leaps up he brings his obsidian spear up, and drives the black blade down into the creature's back.
A roaring can be heard as Bar'duur drives his spear as deep as he can, ending the creature with a second jab to the back of his skull.
"Aria, get out of the way!" Saito calls out in desperation as he sees the large creaturee carging towards the Zeltron. Cursed hormones! He lowers his hand as exaustion finally catches up with him. He's been fighting for hours, after all, not to mention the tool that using the Force for long periods of time can cause. He sighs in relief when Bar jumps on the creature's back and slayss it with his spear. "Are you ok?" he asks Aria, before he starts to walk with the others. Its time, to, finally, take a look at the CR-90
"NO!!" Aria's squeal is a pathetic attempt at best at yelling at the beast while she's running as fast as she can away from it, scurrying back towards the jungle.
But there was no way she was going to be able to outrun it. Not through all of the vines and undergrowth. Not, probably, even on completely flat ground.
And so she'd tried to command it, to scream at it, but that wasn't helping either. It was getting closer. Aria trips over a vine, hitting the ground and turning around to see the massive jaws that were going to consume her..
Right up until Bar literally climbs the beast and sinks his spear into its skull. It collapses onto the ground, not even a sound made except for the dull thud of its sudden stop. Right at Aria's feet.
"I'm fine," she answers breathlessly, not moving until she seems sure the thing is actually dead, and then she's getting slowly to her feet. Her eyes turn to the Zabrak, still wide with fear. "Thanks, Bar."
Bar'duur is breathing heavily, panting for breath actually, trying to catch it, so it can't be heard when he speaks, but it can, along with the grin of excitement. "Whoo! I mean.. I'm glad you're alright Arie." This as he's moving off to the beasts side, jumping the short distance to the jungle floor and chuckling, then clearing his throat agian. Professiona, Bar, you're supposed to be a professional. "Is everyone alright? Any more injuries?" He asks, looking around."
"Well, my scratch will need some treatment, but I'll be fine," Saito offers a nod and a grateful smile to the Zabrak, eyes next going between Aria and the large CR-90 thats infront of them. "By the force.. We really made it." he sighs with relief, his shoulders slumping as he, for the first time, allows himself to relax.
Aria laughs a little as she watches Bar'duur after his kill, untangling the vine from around her ankle, she gets back to her feet.
Whoo, for sure.
She brushes herself off as she moves up to stand next to Saito. "We really made it," she repeats, the words blown past her lips in a stressed breath. Her eyes scan across the parts of the bulkhead she could see through the vines. "Now we just have to find a way in."
Searching along the hull of the CR-90, its massive bulk so overgrown with vegetation that it was nearly consumed by the jungle itself, the group finds an airlock hatch standing open. There are vines and spiderwebs growing across it, but they look easy enough to contend with. Much more difficult is sure to be the pitch darkness beyond. Just beyond that airlock, there are no lights except for what filters in from the sun, slicing a narrow wedge into the corridor. Beyond, it's impossible to tell what lurks inside. But from the sounds of the chittering noises, there's sure to be something.
....TO BE CONTINUED
