Ask Caf, Blasters and Sabers

[Lorcan]

Someone was calling his name?

He kind of expected no one to want to talk to him for a few moments at least but hell he wasn't going to complain too loudly. Groaning, he pushed himself up onto his feet. It was a shaky, uncertain, thing but he was up and about and not being scraped off the windscreen so he would call it a win. Lorcan honestly wanted to get the alcohol he had muttered about before but someone had called his name and that meant there was work today. Leaning heavily against the cockpit doorway, he blinked slowly.

"Someone call my name?" he called out, spotting Corran on the ground and immediately deciding that it must have been him, "Kid? You alright?"

Shaking his head, the fuzziness that had infested his mind for a few moments began to clear. Staring at the bug Jedi for a few moments as she spoke, he turned to the human Jedi.

"Is she a special case? Tell me you don't usually accept Jedi this stupid." he demanded with his usual scowl, "We have injured, we have no way of knowing if we are currently safe and we know pirates will be coming after us. But rather than treat the wounded, move to a more secure location or attempt to contact rescue... the grand plan is to wander into the jungle, damn the wounded, and try and find escape pods."

Lorcan smacked a hand against the side of the ship, trying to gather attention as he spoke to everyone on the ship.

"Alright listen up! We need to move the wounded up and out of the ship - we've got no reason to suspect that the engine is still safe. Get them outside a fair distance from the ship and treat them as best you can!" he pointed to Corran and the Jedi, as well as the suspect, "We will scout out the old Mando bunker the ship hit on the way in. It should have supplies and a defensible position for us all; alright people, move what wounded you can and we'll head out."

@Catbert @ModernMarvel @TerranSteel @Reyn

 

[Kel Dryden]

The first thing that Kel noticed in the passenger area was a hole where rows of seats used to be. Where his seat used to be. Of all the coincidences in Kel's life, this one was the most uncanny yet. With a grunt, he rubbed the left side of his chest, where his armor had taken a shot a while prior, during the firefight. That's kriffed up.

The second thing he noticed—no, felt with his gut—were the dead, the wounded, and the stranded. With blood and corpses on the floor, and everything turned upside down (luckily, not literally), the aftermath of a crash looked like a Rancor's doing.

Then Kel saw the junior ranger beckon him. The one that had taken his guns, no less. But this time, with blood on his face, Corran didn't look so high and mighty to Kel. Serves him right. Shaky and stumbling, the officer fell on the ground. It wasn't long before a plan how to distract the ranger and get back the gun and the staff came to Kel's head.

However, the plan was ruined the moment when the bug Jedi got to the ranger first, and Lorcan appeared from the cockpit. Kel was lucky to wear a helmet, or else his expression at this turn of events would've given his intentions away. A Jedi would probably feel something off, if it weren't for the circumstances and the amount of tragedy surrounding them. Either way, Kel had to bide his time.

At least something good came out of all that. The scoundrel had learned that a Gran might have been in one of the escape pods. That was better than nothing. Kel would go straight for the luggage compartment, if it weren't for Lorcan, who seems to have taken charge. The ranger had a point, and Kel smirked quietly under the helmet to his remark about the strange Vratix.

The scoundrel would've preferred to go after Dr. Almir's luggage, now that he knew the name. But there were too many uncertainties. Firstly, the risk of explosion that Lorcan mentioned. Secondly, the lack of evidence that Kel would find anything useful in the luggage as opposed to with the doctor himself. And thirdly, the suspicion he'd get for doing that.

"Does the situation warrant a weapon yet?" the scoundrel addressed the wounded ranger, reminding him of a previous deal. Regardless of the outcome, Kel would follow Lorcan's lead and commands... for the moment.

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri staggered, following the Ranger, and his previously arrested target, out of the cockpit and back into the main compartment of the ship. She felt her mind slowly stop its nausea-causing spinning, gaining a greater understanding of the gravity of the situation in front of her. Metal creaked and groaned, small fires burned through the debris of the ship, and those still surviving were wounded, confused, and in great fear. A large swathe of the ship's side was completely missing, and so were the passengers who had been sitting there. Ones that had smiled and thanked her after she had saved them only a few minutes earlier from the pirates. Conflicting emotions rose within the Jedi. She felt deep sorrow at the needless loss of life, yet knew the peace that the Force provided. Bri closed her eyes and braced an arm on the side paneling, taking a few deep breaths to center her spirit, focusing her mind and body for the next tasks that needed to be done. She could do nothing for the ones who were gone, but could help in healing and helping the survivors.

Izel approached with the younger Ranger, requesting assistance for his injuries in the form of bacta. The Padawan also brought news of the missing escape pods, and the presumed target, the aforementioned Gran scientist, Dr. Amir. While she spoke, Bri approached Corran, and looked him over with an appraising glance of her large blue eyes. His injuries were serious, but could be stabilized with her knowledge and skills in Force healing. She sat him down gently, and looked directly into his eyes, offering a calm, yet forceful sounding, "hold still." Bri placed a hand on the center of his chest, and closed her eyes, breathing in deeply, before a lengthy exhale. The Jedi felt the transfer of the life energy between their two spirits, the Force working to both stabilize and heal the Ranger's wounds. Bleeding stopped, minor scrapes and cuts were mended, and anything life threatening was halted. "That should hold you for a little bit ," Bri offered with a smile, pulling her hand away and rubbing her fingers.

Meanwhile, it was clear that the senior Ranger had become exasperated with Izel's suggestions, addressing Bri to insult her intelligence. The Jedi held her hand up, but didn't express any manipulation of the Force, in an attempt to calm the Ranger down and diffuse the situation. "We have a number of priorities, one of which will eventually be finding this missing scientist," Bri replied, trying to appease both comments. The Knight turned to Izel, "but first we need to make sure that we help the surviving passengers as best we can." She turned back to face the Senior Ranger, listening as he once more offered orders to the group. Despite his inappropriately gruff demeanor, his order of actions were correct. Bri headed further into the ship, seeking out the most seriously wounded to help.

 

[Corran Velt]

The physical shock of the crash was amplified by the troubling head-wound. Corran felt dizzy and struggled to gulp down air. Was he still moving? An external force lifted him off the debris-strew aisle and hoisted his arm over their shoulder. The Ranger struggled to focus on his first responder, as blood streamed over his left eye. He blinked a few times with his right to steady his sight and that’s when he saw the insect-like face staring back at him.

Primal instinct commanded him to fight or flight. The Ranger tried to struggle and break free, but either the alien was too strong or he far too weak. However, their voice proved their intentions, “Easy, you’re injured.”

The alien wasn’t a predator of the Demon Moon come to feast on the wounded. No, this was the Jedi from earlier. Corran felt embarrassed to have reacted so poorly to an alien who was as sentient and civilized as he was. Above the din, the Ranger could hear his partner Lorcan call out to him, checking on his condition. Corran tried to shout back but the futile attempt only ended in a mild coughing fit. Mercifully, the Vratix force-user… or were they Verpine?... helped the wounded Ranger towards the cockpit and out of immediate danger. Lorcan and the others at least had the courtesy to meet the wounded Corran and his support-crutch halfway.

Lorcan banged his fist against the wall which made the junior Ranger wince. Ignoring the obvious head wound, Lorcan pointed a commanding finger at Corran and ordered him to join a small group to search out some Mandalorian bunker. “Y-yes, sir,” was all the wounded Sector Ranger could get out. Orders were orders and he would crawl if he needed to.

As the others prepared to help the civilians or venture out into the Dxun foliage, Kel Dryden made a point to heckle the wounded law enforcement officer. Corran couldn’t see his face behind the helmet, but he was pretty sure Dryden was mocking him about the Ranger’s wounds when requesting weapons. Through clenched teeth, both out of pain and restrained anger, Corran replied, “The situation warrants a weapon, Dryden, just not one for y--” Another coughing fit interrupted. The junior Ranger’s senses were starting to return to him and his body was saying he was in bad shape. Still, he had to follow Lorcan's orders or the blood running down the side of his face would be the least of present concerns.

That was, until, Bri stood before the wounded Ranger. Her blue eyes seemed to be scanning his condition. Carefully, the human force-user took Corran from the other Jedi and sat him down. Bri’s gleaming eyes stared into the wounded Ranger’s one good eye. Her order to hold still sounded almost angelic. A certainty that everything would be alright.

As the force-user placed a measured hand on his chest, Corran remembered he had experienced this before. Another Jedi, a long time ago on Ryloth, had healed his shattered ribs. A warming feeling that came from the epicenter of Bri’s hand, building up to an energizing crescendo. The experience was no less miraculous. The soreness, pain, bruising - it all faded and vanished. Corran’s breath returned and the man immediately reached to his head and felt whole. The gushing blood had ceased. The junior Ranger wiped the blood off his face with the sleeve of his jacket. Blinking his eyes back to normal vision in full, Corran's returned sight was first greeted by a smiling woman. His cheeks flushed for a moment before he turned his head away quickly, "Thank you, ma'am. I owe you."

Luckily, Brienna was distracted by reprimanding and agreeing with Lorcan. The two Jedi wanted to help the civilians, but the senior Ranger had already given his orders. It was a scenario Corran had grown to dislike; Jedi vigilantes flaunting the authority of the Sector Rangers. There would be a better time and place for the pecking order, however. The junior Ranger rose to his feet and drew the Power 5 from the holster on his hip, "Sir, I'll lead the way."

It was a short hop from the star-liner to the dirt floor of the planetoid. Mostly because the ship had collided with it. Almost jutting into the hull itself was the view-port of an ancient Mandalorian bunker; its forward cannons long removed or rusted away. The crash had been so traumatic that Corran didn't even realize this was what the star-liner had hit and was shocked to see it. Immediately visible though was a set of durasteel double-doors covered in vines. The Ranger advanced on the bunker, aiming down his blaster, and tried to push on the blast doors. They did not yield. A faint, electronic chirp signaled nearby. It took some glancing around, but a rusted and vine-encased console was discovered. Corran pried it open with a grunt and a screen, faded brown with time, blinked in want of a command prompt. But it wasn't written in any Huttese or Basic. "Does anyone speak... uh... Mandalorian?"

 

[Izel Thral]

Corran's reaction to her attempts to help him was about what Izel expected. She had grown accustomed to the typical response humanoids showed her kind and was no longer affected by it. What she wasn't expecting was to be insulted by the senior Ranger. A disagreement would have been one thing. As the rush of the moment wore off and she began to collect herself more the Vratix realized immediately setting out into the jungle to try and track down the rest of the survivors would have left those in the ship vulnerable. The more logical approach would be to secure those they already knew to be alive before searching for people that might be dead. But Lorcan's response was entirely unacceptable. The anger rose in Izel and she was about to snap back at the senior Ranger when Bri intervened.

The elder Jedi's calm demeanor reminded the Padawan to control herself, and she felt a slight twinge of shame for almost letting her emotions overrun her. Ignoring the Ranger's offensive remarks she turned her attention to the Jedi Knight and bowed her head respectfully.

"As you say, Master." She addressed the elder Jedi in a more obedient tone. She followed Bri throughout the cabin, making sure the worst of the injured were in a state to be moved before the volunteers removed them from the ship. Her healing skills were not as proficient as the Knight's, but it was enough to stabilize the victim's of the crash before they were taken away by the others. Once their work was finished and they were on their way to the bunker to scout it she looked at Bri once more. "I've never worked with Sector Rangers before." She admitted to the woman. "Are they all so combative? It seems counterproductive to me..."

As they reached the bunker Izel did not speak up. She didn't know Mandalorian, and had little experience with electronics that weren't farming equipment. Instead she walked along the wall of the ancient fortification, brushing her hand against the duracrete and reaching out with her Force sense to try and get a better feel for the place. There was something distinctly dangerous inside. She doubted any sentient beings still occupied the structure. More likely it was traps, still functioning defense droids... Or native fauna had taken up residence. The thought of facing any more maalraas made the Padawan shiver, and rub her scarred arm instinctively. Suddenly very aware that she had wandered a good thirty meters from the group she quickly turned and made her way back to the door, reporting what her senses had warned her of inside.

@Nefieslab @Catbert @ModernMarvel @TerranSteel

 

[Lorcan]

Tension were high and Lorcan knew he was the cause of at least some of them but he wasn't able to really help it. Despite some exceptions, Lorcan hated the Jedi. He hated Force Users in general but the Jedi were the worst in his opinion; any group that could stand outside the laws and rules of the Galaxy and think to stand with upon the moral highground was irksome and that was basically the Jedi Order's entire deal.

They had power, they answered to no one but themselves and they were far too self-assured in those two things. Insisting that the rest of the Galaxy follow their lead when they bothered to actually interact with the rest of the Galaxy as a whole. Jedi didn't care about the day-to-day running of the Galaxy or it's security but as soon as something interested them they took the reigns as though it was their right by birth.

He nodded to Corran but he kept an eye on him even as he handed the suspect his own blaster pistol - but not before switching the weapon to stun mode before breaking the switch so it couldn't be moved back. Lorcan wasn't a trusting guy but he wasn't going to turn down a friendly gun in unfriendly places just because of that. But he was also not a bloody idiot.

They made their way over to the bunker and he spoke up, having overheard the Jedi talking about him.

"No, just me." he answered the Padawan's question, "I'm a blunt kind of guy; and I hate your Order. The attitude is mostly the bluntness though don't worry, I'm not going full space-racist on you."

Reaching the bunker door he paused for a minute and placed a hand on Corran's shoulder. He spoke quietly so that only he could hear him.

"If you need some time just say." he urged the other Ranger, "I'm not going to hold it against you if you need some time to convalesce."

Staring at the screen for a moment or two, he reached out and tapped away at the screen for a few seconds until the door ground open with a groan at not being used correctly in centuries. He shrugged slightly.

"Guess the Mandos have stock passwords too."

@Reyn @Catbert @ModernMarvel @TerranSteel

 

[Kel Dryden]

What a waste of a blaster. Despite the handicap of the weapon, Kel knew better than to look a gifted fathier in the mouth. The pistol could be repaired in the future. There and then, something was better than nothing. If a stun bolt could get someone out of Kel's way just as good as a normal bolt would, was there any difference?

A short walk toward the bunker was just what Kel needed to get back into shape. The scoundrel wasn't involved in the conversation between the rangers and the Jedi. Instead, he checked his suit's life-support box—still transmitting—and occasionally shrugged with his left shoulder. The shot from the firefight aboard the liner was still making its presence felt, but that was bearable.

The scoundrel smirked under the helmet as Lorcan just guessed the password. "Pure Pazaak, huh?" he replied with some distortion as he stepped into the damp, semi-dark bunker. The flora of Dxun had definitely made its way into it over the years. Not a good sign. The scoudrel readied his "stun" blaster.

He made a few steps down the corridor, when it was taking a sharp turn, leaving the area too dark to continue. "Awfully quiet..." his remark was interrupted by two embers in the dark, and a pounce that pinned him to the ground before he could react. A couple of tails landed in quick succession where Kel's helmeted head had been moments before.

The second slap made a loud thump on the helmet's duraplast, dazing the scoundrel momentarily. It was dark, and the helmet didn't offer the best view. However, Kel did see the rows of white teeth as the creature's open maw approached his face. A beastly roar followed... and then two blaster shots.

After that, things went quiet all of a sudden... Except for Kel's exerted breathing under the creature's body. A curious beast to look at, the creature had two tails and a mixture of feline and reptilian traits. "Kriff..." Kel grumbled angrily through the helmet, as he tried to push the knocked-out beast off of him. It was going a bit slower than he'd like, but he'd get there in a couple of seconds. "...I hope... there ain't more of those... sleemos out there."

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri furrowed her brow in concentration for a moment, hoping that the Padawan did not view her agreement with the Sector Ranger as condescending in any way. The Jedi Knight hoped that Izel could read that she was attempting to be as diplomatic as possible in hopes of mollifying the rather distasteful attitude of the lead Ranger. It was evident to Bri that anything they had to say would not change the solidly negative attitude of the Ranger.

Returning back to the problem at hand, the Jedi had helped and healed as many passengers as she could, returning grateful thanks with a smile and murmured message of, ‘just doing whatever could be done to help.’ Some had minor scrapes and bruises, while others were in drastically worse or life-threatening shape. Bri worried for the most serious condition if they did not get a rescue soon. After standing up from healing a Twi'lek with a cut up arm, Bri felt her efforts began to take a toll on her stamina. The extended use of Force healing abilities had left her feeling somewhat lightheaded and weakened; taking a deep breath, she attempted to re-calibrate her core.

Leaning against the severely compromised side of the ship, Bri looked up to see Izel approach, and thanked her for the help in healing the passengers. The Vratix was still a Padawan, but had acted with compassion and kindness in assisting as best as possible. Many would be in much worse shape had she not been present to help the Knight heal and mend the injuries. Taking a moment to compose herself before setting off for the entrance of the old Mandalorian bunker, the Knight looked up as the Padawan approached and spoke in the hushed tones of a private conversation, the subject being the rather obnoxious Ranger. Before Bri had a chance to respond, the aforementioned Ranger had obviously overheard the Padwan's question, and took the liberty to provide his thoughts as he strode past them. The Knight bit her tongue and waited until he was out of earshot before replying to Izel.

She didn't like to admit the Ranger was right, but in this instance he was, "a lot of the Rangers that I've met are certainly wary of the Jedi, but never as openly hostile as he is," she gestured with a tilt of her head to the party in question. "You're definitely right about it being counter productive. Though there can be a struggle of authority, I think for the majority of times, the goals of the Jedi and the Rangers are often aligned." Bri paused for a brief moment before adding, "greater cooperation is almost always better than not. I wonder if he had some negative experience in his past with a Jedi that has soured his opinion so much." Indeed, the Knight recognized where Jedi and Rangers had been in minor conflict in the past, yet it was nothing so worthy as to cause feelings of hate for any Sector Rangers in her own opinion.

Bri left her last statement hang as the group reached the bunker entrance, which opened with an almighty groan. It did not take a Jedi to sense that the local flora and fauna had taken over the man-made structure, with a distinct lack of evidence of any sentient being present in quite a long time. Upon entering the bunker, Bri immediately smelled a musty odor, usually present within buildings or structures long left abandoned. Metal was rusted, and the sound of water droplets seemed to echo in the quiet dark. Some vegetation had found its way inside, yet the Knight also felt the same disturbance that Izel had warned them about just a few minutes earlier. Before any were able to offer a semblance of a warning, a large, intimidating looking gharzr pounced on the criminal. Luckily he was able to fend it off, firing two stun bolts into the creature's midsection.

It took a few moments, but eventually the criminal was free of the large paralyzed weight laying on top of him. Bri approached and reached down to the floor on one knee, attempting to sense for any more other potentially hazardous animals in their vicinity. She thought she felt something, but the strain of healing many of the passengers was still weighing upon her. She looked back up at the group and reported, "I think there are others in here, but I can't get a read of how many, or where they might be," a serious sounding tone in her voice. "Who knew we'd get the chance to survive two life threatening encounters in one day?" she joked morosely to the others, offering an attempt at gallows humor.

 

[Corran Velt]

Corran was almost certain he still had a lingering brain injury when Lorcan placed a hand on his shoulder and let him know to take it easy, if needed. In all their missions together, it wasn't like the gruff Ranger to get supportive or... downright nice. Lorcan seemed more like the 'throw some dirt on it' type of guy. Still, the senior Ranger was right. "I'll need some time, sir. Just not now. When we've got a safe bunker between us and the wilderness," Corran replied in a low voice.

Dryden passed by not soon after the exchange and found himself in the maw of a horrific beast. Its tails lashed out with protruding stingers and only the scoundrel's quick thinking and survival suit kept him among the living. The Demon Moon did not wait long to reveal its fangs. Between the two Jedi sensing nebulous life-forms inside the bunker and Kel Dryden being literally ambushed by one, it was pretty apparent that the Bunker needed to be cleared out or the surviving passengers were not going to survive, much less rescue a downed scientist elsewhere.

"I think if we only end up with two life-threatening encounters today, Dxun is being merciful," Corran retorted to Bri as he checked his blaster pistol and advanced carefully down the corridor into the bunker. As the junior Ranger stared down the iron-sights of his weapon, he got the sinking feeling that it may not be enough. The Rangers had come equipped to arrest one man, much less survive a moon notorious for its natural predators. They would need more. On the left, Corran approached a door half-ajar and nearly thrown off its track. If they were to secure this fortification for temporary shelter, all rooms needed to be searched.

Man-handling the door open with a minor screech of the metal, the junior Ranger stared into a room that looked like a barracks? Or some sort of armory? Perhaps a mix of both, given the architects of this place. Along the wall were lockers. Some looked sealed tight; others were open and barren. One by one, Corran pulled on the handles and some opened up to reveal their treasures.

"We've got supplies here! Weapons and armor!" The Ranger called out over his shoulder. Said weaponry and armor could be expected to be rusted out, decayed, or reclaimed by nature after so many centuries. However, the supplies here were stored in a cast-plast material that kept the elements at bay. Say what you will about Mandalorians, but weapons are their religion and they keep those sacred relics well kept.

Most of the obvious weaponry were rifles - powerful and most useful than a pistol. The armor wasn't beskar, not that Corran would know anyway, but still offered chestplates, shin and fore-arm guards, and the occasional helmet. In the last locker was a boxed stash of headsets and some with holo-screen that would appear over the right eye. The Ranger was already helping himself to armor, headset, and rifle before the others arrived.

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel chittered a bit in annoyance as Lorcan gave his unrequested answer to her question. She was very quickly coming to the conclusion that she did not care for the senior Ranger at all. Although Bri's measured response was enough to make her a little more sympathetic. The Jedi Knight was right, she didn't know him. Perhaps he had some negative experiences with the Order. The Padawan considered it her duty then to provide a better example.

She jumped in surprise as the gharzr pounced on the fugitive, igniting her lightsaber reflexively and preparing to strike. Luckily the criminal was able to stun the beast without much difficulty. As the man struggled to push the unconscious beast off of himself the Vratix walked forward and offered him a hand up. "Trust me," She said in reply to his thought. "There's much worse. So best not to wander too far from the group." It was a legitimate warning, Izel wasn't lying about the dangers of Dxun. She knew them firsthand. But she made sure to put a certain intonation in her voice to get across her message to the fugitive. Don't get any ideas. Izel didn't know what the criminal might be planning to do, but she didn't trust him one iota.

As everyone started fanning out to search the bunker Izel noticed Bri was having some trouble sensing other lifeforms inside the building, likely because of the fatigue of all the healing. Izel's own Force sense was very finely attuned, probably the strongest of her abilities, so she reached out herself. She could sense that this wasn't just a stray gharzr that they found, the entire bunker was their den. The Vratix was immediately on edge upon realizing this, igniting her lightsaber once more and holding it out to illuminate the darkened corners of the room she was in.

"There are definitely more here, a lot more." She agreed with the elder Knight. "This isn't a good place to keep the passengers... Best we get what we can and search elsewhere." With that she moved on to another room in the structure, quickly searching to find anything of use. She was surprised by how well preserved the supplies were. It really spoke to the Mandalorians' reputation as the galactic conquerers of old. What she found wasn't boxes of bacta but kolto! This place was very old indeed. Unfortunately while the Padawan was inspecting the supplies she was ambushed by another of the gharzr pack. The creature fell upon the unsuspecting Vratix, managing to sting her twice with its tails before she ran it through with her lightsaber. As she struggled to her feet Izel was already starting to feel a bit woozy. "Oh... That's not good..." She murmured under her breath. She was starting to think she should have just turned around and walked away the moment she sensed the creatures inside.

@Nefieslab @Catbert @ModernMarvel @TerranSteel

 

[Lorcan]

He nodded in understanding to Corran and patted him once more on the back before leaving it alone.

"Just keep me in the loop if you need it."

Fantastic, the local beasts had managed to make their way into the damned bunker and the beasts of Dxun were nothing to sniff at. No weak little creatures here unfortunately, they were the type that could tear through durasteel when they were hungry and most of them were always hungry.

Giving the suspect his stun blaster was a good idea as it turned out as the man was able to subdue one of the local creatures. He helped the young padawan pull the creature from the man but unlike either of them he finished the job. Using his vibroknife he cut the throat of the creature, ending it's life quickly and mercifully but also making sure it wouldn't wake up and bite them in the arse.

Weapons?

Oh and suddenly this place wasn't as bad! Reaching the same room as Corran he searched around, taking more ammo for his rifle but no other weapon. He did, however, grab a couple of frag grenades because they needed to get rid of the creatures here.

Even if there were creatures here, the bunker was still infinitely easier to defend than the half a ship they'd managed to land in. Following the sound of combat he stepped into the same area as the bug Jedi. He could see that she had taken some damage and even he could tell that the pack were closing in. Reaching out with one hand, he wrapped it around her waist to steady her with one hand as he drew a grenade with the other.

"Fire downrange!"

With the warning out, he threw the frag grenade into the midst of the pack of Nine that had turned the corner. The pack were angry and they knew they were here but a grenade was distracting - it killed on instantly and clipped another's twin tails to remove them entirely.

"Time to fall back." he urged the insect Jedi as he pulled out his rifle, "Come on then doggy, let's see if your bark is worse or your bite!"

Spoiler: Dice

Attack Successful? Yes. Attack Sneaky? God no.

@TerranSteel @Reyn @Catbert @ModernMarvel

 

[Kel Dryden]

–"Who knew we'd get the chance to survive two life threatening encounters in one day?"
–"Speak for yourself... I've counted four... so far."

The scoundrel grunted as he tried to push the stunned hulking creature off his body. Before the creature, there was Lorcan's landing, pirate attack, and sector rangers coming after him in the first place. And think of the devil. Lorcan and the insectoid Jedi approached Kel. While the human ranger was finishing off the beast, the insect warned the still-shaken Kel not to wander far from the group. The young man had to look up to meet the bug's eyes through his helmet. Yeah, right, prejudice straight off the bat.

While the Jedi searched the area, on the edge and preparing for battle, Kel heard a shout from Corran. Weapons and armor? Should come in handy. The scoundrel walked into the barracks/armory to see what the rangers had found. A part of him wished to take a rifle, but he knew that the uptight junior ranger wouldn't let it slide. What Kel could use, however, was a chestplate replacement—his own had been damaged in the fight above Dxun. The headset was a good idea too. The scoundrel holstered his "stun" pistol and proceeded with preparations.

Kel had just secured the life-support box on the chestplate, and the helmet over the headset. That's when the noise and commotion started outside. If those were the same pouncing things as before, a stun pistol or even a rifle wouldn't quite cut it. Aiming at those fast beasts would be hard, especially in the darkness. The scoundrel looked around while the ranger was getting geared up... There! Just what I need.

While the ranger was hopefully still distracted with gearing up, Kel quickly reached for Corran's belt to try and snatch his own electrostaff. It had been split into 2 batons and remained with the ranger throughout the whole ordeal. And now it was a saving grace—a "pouncer" would have a hard time closing the distance. "I'll need this!" the scoundrel added quickly, as he was about to rush out of the room. His gambit relied on the fact that the ranger was still dizzy and distracted.

That's when the explosion shook the bunker. "Kriff!" Kel cursed, rushing towards the action. Not that he wanted to, but there wasn't much choice. As he saw the ranger and the Jedi retreating, followed by a pack of angry and hungry beasts, Kel didn't think long. He ignited both batons and approached the couple from behind...

The first "pouncer" that jumped at the ranger and the Jedi went lump mid-air and ended on the cold wet floor upon contact with the electrified rod. Distracted and oblivious, Kel had left his electrostaff on stun. It didn't matter though, as long as the beast was down. Kel angled his either baton into the passage... to momentarily have another roaring gharzr pounce at it. The creature was stunned too, but its body knocked the young man down by inertia.

With a brief screech muffled by the helmet, the scoundrel fell on the floor, barely holding to the stun batons. Aiming one of them at the incoming pack, he'd crawl backwards while trying to regain his footing...

Spoiler: OOC and dice

Stunning a couple of beasts (Kel forgot to set the staff to kill), getting knocked down.
If there's any problem with Kel snatching the weapon like that, please let me know. I'll rewrite it using the stun blaster then.
But yeah, some cover would be nice.

@ModernMarvel, @TerranSteel, @Reyn

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri smiled wryly at the others who corrected her on the amount of life-threatening encounters that they either had, or will have, experienced. The situation that they had found themselves in was almost comically bad. Attacked by pirates on a simple starliner, surviving the crash of the aforementioned ship, and now faced with the vicious fauna of Dxun. To say they were experiencing a bad day was a bit of an understatement. Oh well, the Jedi pondered to herself, getting up off the ground, you can't have good days without the bad. The criminal, who's name was still unknown to Bri, perhaps had a different counter than the rest of the group, if he was including the fact that he had been arrested in the same day. The Knight felt confident in placing her trust in Padawan Izel, and to a certain extent the two Rangers, should the situation require, but did not feel the same way towards the criminal. Bri had no idea what he had done to warrant an arrest, and couldn't get a good read on him with the helmet covering his face. She resolved to keep a watchful eye as the day progressed.

"We've got supplies here! Weapons and armor!" came a call, as Bri turned her head and followed the sound of the voice to find the younger Ranger, Corran, in a room with various armor pieces and blasters. Not knowing what future dangers may be confronted later, the Knight crouched down and picked up a few pieces of shielding for her arms, as well as a small chest piece that ended up being slightly too tight. "Not really a time to be picky..." she muttered, grabbing a small blaster pistol, which she tucked into the belt on her trousers.

The Knight heard a commotion coming from an adjoining room, followed by a large explosion which rattled and reverberated in the small metal corridors of the bunker. Bri's ears were still ringing as she peered her head around the corner of the doorway to see the senior of the two Rangers helping Izel out of another room, looking rather worse for the wear. As they hobbled past Bri, the Knight tried to offer a Forceful message of calming to the Vratix, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Easy there, its going to be alright." Bri tried to sound reassuring, but muttered to herself afterwards, I hope. These gharzr were vicious, and while Bri would have preferred to try and calm them down by connecting with the force, the urgency of the situation did, unfortunately, not allow for such a peaceful resolution.

Two beasts pounced in quick succession on the criminal, which he managed to stun successfully. The latter of the two had kept its momentum and ended up flying like a heavy, unconscious missile, right into him, knocking his balance. "Hold on!" Bri called in support of the criminal, pulling her lightsaber out of her jacket pocket, and igniting it, casting the hallway in a pleasant blue glow. Six other creatures remained; two raced towards the Jedi at speed, and were promptly met by a push from the Force, sending them flying backwards. Having bought herself some time, Bri took up a defensive position of protection in front of the criminal, allowing two more beasts to run and lunge. The Knight quickly dodged a flying claw-strike, countering with a stab from her saber right into the creatures mid-section. The beast dropped to the floor with a heavy sounding thud. The second gharzr slowed somewhat upon seeing the demise of its partner. Bri quickly withdrew her saber from the carcass, and feigned an attack forward, which lured the beast to attempt a jumping bite attack. Once more the Jedi quickly dodged the assault, and sliced upwards, opening a deep wound into the creatures neck. It too fell to the floor in defeat.

Four gharzr were left, including the two that had previously been pushed away. Three jostled with each other in the tight space of the hallway, eager to engage the Knight which had just terminated two of their pack. Bri read the angle of attack, and took the opportunity to lunge forward herself, using a double slice to the right and left to dispatch the first two in quick succession. The third backed up slowly to the other that had stayed behind, growling loudly at the Jedi. Bri looked up and pulled a loose piece of metal down from the ceiling with the Force, landing with a loud crash and stunning one of the two remaining gharzr. With a brief respite in the action, the Knight turned around and offered a hand to help the criminal get up off the ground. "You alright?" she asked, sounding slightly out of breath.

 

[Corran Velt]

Several of the group had made their rounds through the barracks-armory, gathering weapons, armor, or ammunition. There was something reassuring about everyone taking this seriously. Though, Corran was struggling to put on his own scavenged armor. He did everything precisely and as by-the-book as possible, but there wasn't a manual or how-to guide to properly adorn Mandalorian gear that outlasted the empire that forged them. Twice he took off the shin-guards and attempted to put them on right. That's when a faint tug occurred on the Ranger's belt. Corran glanced over his shoulder to see Kel Dryden racing his way to the door, rods in hand.

The junior Ranger patted his back where the rods had been and that's when he finally realized he'd been robbed. "Hey, wait!" Corran called out after the suspect as he turned around to give chase. The unfastened shin-guards proved an obstacle, however. The Ranger tripped and sprawled on the floor; ancient rifle skittering a few paces across the floor. As Kel vanished out of sight, a large boom followed down the corridor. "He's going get himself killed," Corran groaned to himself about the scoundrel as he struggled to get off the floor and snap his armor on, rifle in hand.

The engagement in the corridor flashed by. By the time the junior Ranger made it to doorway, the only thing he witnessed was Bri slice and crush several of the creatures. By the looks of it, many of the others had fended off quite a few. The force-user, however, had left two standing. Instinctively, Corran raised the Mandalorian rifle to his shoulder. The scope lit up with various settings queries. With a quick grunt, the Ranger shifted to eye-balling it with the iron-sights. The bolts would need to thread the needle, miss all the friendlies, and hit the dexterous wild animals. No pressure.

Red light up the area as bolts zipped through the air. The stunned gharzr went down first - a circular burn drilled into its head. The second met a similar fate, taking two bolts to the chest before toppling over. Wordlessly, Corran advanced past the rest of the group and double-tapped all the monsters in the vicinity - except the one clearly toasted by a grenade. Resolutely, the Ranger turned and said, "Area clear."

 

[Izel Thral]

Right before her senses left her Izel mused that gharzr venom worked remarkably quickly. Before she knew it her head was swimming, everything falling out of focus as she struggled to maintain her balance. A fuzzy humanoid shape grabbed hold of her and spoke in a distant, unintelligible voice.

"What?" She clicked in Vratix, already forgetting where she was and what was happening. Then things became quite chaotic. There was a bright light and the whole building shook. Every noise was amplified to a deafening degree. Her antennae twitched frantically from the sensory overload, and she shook her head in irritation as she raised her hands to cover her face. At some point the human shape released her and she began to wander in a zigzag motion down the hall.

Another shape touched her shoulder and spoke indecipherable words. Reflexively the Vratix reached out and touched the figure in return, trying to get a feel for what it was. But then it was gone as well. There was so much noise and chaos going on Izel could barely keep track of it. A small part of her realizing she was in danger and needed to get help she took a deep breath and tried to summon the Force.

The venom made it very difficult to focus, but the Jedi eventually managed to block out the mayhem enough to become vaguely aware of what was going on. They were on Dxun... They were fighting something... Knowing she'd be of no use in her current state the Vratix struggled to make it back to the chamber with the medical supplies. Despite her head pounding she rifled through the boxes littered around the room. What... What is it...? She thought to herself. Eventually she found the cure, or what she thought was the cure. This could get much worse if it wasn't.

Izel injected herself with the syringe with a grunt, and backed into a wall before sliding to the floor. Her senses became unfocused and overwhelmed again, but things were starting to get better. The noises were dying down, and after a few painfully long minutes everything returned to normal. Slowly getting back to her feet Izel made her way out into the hall, only to find a large pack of gharzrs had been completely wiped out by the party.

"Oh... I suppose I stand corrected..." She said idly. She wasn't sensing anymore beasts in the bunker at the moment, at least not ones big enough to try and eat them. She looked at Lorcan, antennae twitching slightly. "Thank you for... helping me? I think?" She shook her head again, still having difficulty recalling what had just happened. "At any rate, the supplies here should be enough to take care of the rest of the passengers. We can arm the rest of the volunteers and..." She caught herself. And go find the other survivors. She wanted to say. Every second they wasted was a second Dr. Almir and the others could be getting torn apart by vicious beasts, or a second the pirates could be drawing closer to them for that matter. Her Jedi instincts were telling her everyone needed to be found and brought to safety, but she wasn't sure if the clearly more pragmatic rangers would approve. They were still in a very precarious situation after all.

@Nefieslab @Catbert @ModernMarvel @TerranSteel

 

[Lorcan]

Well that was a rather good showing from the peanut gallery he had to admit; they kept this up and Lorcan might not find the very idea of working with Jedi quite so abhorrent. The insect girl even (kind of) thanked him for helping her though even that sounded like she didn't believe he was worth thanking. Probably thought the Force had saved her or that he'd only dragged her arse out of there because he wanted to try and eat her later or some such rot.

Good thing he didn't give a damn what the Jedi wanted to do or say.

"Good job people." he congratulated them simply and to the point, "The base is about as secure as it's going to get so we should focus on getting the people inside. At the same time..."

He gestured around at the bunker around them.

"This place is a decent size - there's probably some form of transport in here and even if it's just a speeder sled we might need to be bringing back injured people quick so that'd be a good deal." he paused, "Anyone with medical training help bring in the first lot, the rest search I say. Objections?"

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[Kel Dryden]

–"You alright?"
–"Yeah... I think..."

The scoundrel accepted the Jedi's hand just as the junior ranger proceeded with "insurance" shots. Any expression of awe and gratitude was hidden underneath the helmet. But now that the situation settled down, Kel did give Bri a long look through the lenses of the helmet, but only said one word: "Thanks."

He was unsure what to make of his companions. Kel's gut screamed that most of them were prejudiced against him, without even knowing him. Yet the human Jedi (whose name Kel didn't even know) had stepped in and took one for the team when Kel needed help the most. It wasn't something that he was accustomed to—Nar Shaddaa had taught him that people would always prioritize their own survival.

But there she was—a living exception to the rule learned the hard way. The way she had stepped in, and the blue blade danced in the corridor... Focus, Kel! Lorcan was talking, and the scoundrel had caught himself slipping off to other thoughts. Speaking of Lorcan, he seemed ok too, and even had taken a shot for Kel back at the liner. He'd be on the same level as the human Jedi, if it weren't for the whole arrest thing... And if he were a female.

Right, back to business. Medical training? Not about Kel. Searching for speeder sled or any transport? That seemed more like a job for him. With a curt "On it" the scoundrel headed off farther into the facility, using a half of his electrostaff like an impromptu glowrod. However, after taking a few turns and walking a good 30 meters, he ended up in front of a large sealed blast door. Taking the staff to the console, Kel found it fried. Apparently, it had taken a blaster shot ages ago.

The door could lead to the hangar, and the hangar could have a vehicle. But Kel had no means to open it. For starters, he tried to prod the damaged console with the energized rod. But alas, what worked in the holovids didn't work here. The door remained shut and powerless. Kel tried to pry it open, first with his arms, and then using the staff as leverage. However, all he achieved was the pain burning the skin on his chest (a consequence of the recent shootout), and one half of his electrostaff getting broken. Now the scoundrel had only one of the two batons in working order.

"Kriff," he mumbled to himself, biting his lip and turning back. The burn on the chest from the liner shootout kept reminding about itself. Previously, it had been more of an irritant than anything else. But it was time to sort it out once and for all. Unless followed and interrupted, Kel would end up in the medical room. Armor plates and helmet on the chair, and the torso part of the flight suit removed, so that he could apply a healing stim without damaging the suit.

Spoiler: OOC and dice

The dice has decided that Kel should be more of a burden than help. Again. But I'm ok with that.

@ModernMarvel, @TerranSteel, @Reyn, @Nefieslab

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri exhaled a heavy sigh as she slowly began to catch her breath. Following the exertions of healing the wounded passengers after the crash, and then fighting the attacking creatures, she felt like taking an extended break from any further exertions. Doing one last look around to make sure they were not in any immediate danger, she extinguished her lightsaber, replacing the hilt back inside her jacket pocket. "You're welcome," Bri turned and addressed the criminal with a grin, her face reading an expression of, 'just doing what needed to be done.' It was once again hard to read any emotions through the masked helmet, but he seemed sincere enough. She patted him on the shoulder, walking past to regroup with the others.

The Senior Ranger was once again providing instructions to the others, which seemed to be an accurate and methodical order of what needed to be done to help the stranded passengers. The top priority was getting them safe from any danger. As perilous as the creatures in the bunker were, Bri did not even want to guess the variety of ways to be killed back out in the jungle. Figuring that she qualified as someone 'with medical training,' she nodded in response to the Rangers orders, offering no objection.

Starting her walk back out to the crash site, Bri was relieved to see that Izel had found some sort of antidote to her wounds, and was operating back in what appeared to be good condition. The Knight could sense what was left unsaid in her unfinished sentence and took a moment to speak with the Padawan, gesturing her to follow to assist in helping the wounded back to the bunker. "As soon as we can ensure the relative safety of the passengers back here, we'll formulate a plan to track down those who might've risked a trip into the jungle," Bri said, looking out into the menacing surroundings. She paused before adding, "I realize the urgency, so let's try and be quick about it."

 

[Corran Velt]

"Yes, sir." Corran replied to the Senior Ranger's orders. With the pair of Force-users looking like they were heading to the entry of the bunker to escort the wounded and other survivors and Dryden heading deeper into the facility by himself, it made the most sense to help look for transport. A good set of speeders could make traversing the jungle that much easier. Maybe even enough to make it to a bigger base - if there was one. Did the Onderonians have outposts here?

Going down the same pathway, Corran stumbled upon Kel using a staff as leverage to pry open a door. One that led to a hangar, if he had to guess. The staff snapped and the scoundrel had no progress to show for it. In any other situation, one would find a quip at the trials of a criminal to be in order. But the situation wasn't one for jest. Everything that wasn't trying to rend your flesh from the bone and devour you whole was a necessary ally while they were all stranded here. As the suspect walked by, the junior Ranger offered a greeting nod. Whatever the faults, Dryden was trying to help - even for his own selfish reasons. That wouldn't get him out of hand-cuffs when this is over, in Corran's opinion.

Adjacent to the imposing blast doors Kel had failed to open was a smaller door. Perhaps a non-vehicle entrance? It was dusty and covered in greenery. Pulling off some moss-like organic material, a dimly-lit pad revealed itself. The door weakly opened and the room was not an entry into the hangar, but some sort of communications suite. Of course! The Mandalorians would never leave any of their bases isolated. Perhaps it had a tracking beacon for vehicles nearby? Maybe it even could send an emergency may-day signal beyond the moon.

Corran sat firmly in the dusty chair and fiddled his fingers across the ancient controls; looking for a power button. "I'll just take my best guess here," He reassured himself. The Ranger pressed a faded-red button and the whole system began to hum. A feeling of confidence was soon dashed as the console began to spark. A last minute dive from the faded seat spared Corran from taking shrapnel to the face as the whole communications suite shuddered and popped circuits. A whole panel erupted and clanged against the far wall. The power surge ended as quickly as it began. There would be no locating of vehicles or sending a signal out that way.

"Lorcan, this is Corran," The junior Ranger spoke through his headset, still laying on the floor, "No current access to vehicles in the bunker or any trackable by electronic means. Also... uh, the communications are down. We're on our own. Over."

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel held her head as she and Bri made their way back towards the wreck, still a bit woozy from the gharzr venom. She nodded wearily at the Knight's words. "The sooner the better." She agreed. "It's hard to put into words how much I hate this place..." She raised her head, antennae twitching as she reached out with her senses, feeling the world around them. "There's something wrong with this moon. More than the creatures. It's as if the Force itself is making it wild, destroying any kind of civilization that tries to take root." She thought back to the bunker. The Mandalorians weren't the only ones to have tried to make a home here. Many had come to the Demon Moon over the millennia of Onderon's history. If they were lucky they escaped with their lives.

As they continued their trek the Padawan's senses picked up something dreadfully familiar, causing her to stop dead in her tracks. "Oh no.." She muttered, and started skittering forward as fast as she could move. This was exactly what she was afraid of. Igniting her lightsaber once more and slicing her way through the last bit of brush she found herself looking over the crashed starship. Everything seemed quiet enough for a moment, the passengers cooped up in the remains of the ship while the volunteers patrolled the area around it. Then one of the guards suddenly collapsed to the ground for no reason. As he was being torn apart the creature uncloaked, revealing itself as a maalraas.

The crowd fell into panic immediately. As civilians were randomly attacked the mass of them fled, going in all separate directions. The majority of them had the good sense to flee in the direction of the bunker, but others in their frenzied state simply ran deeper into the jungle, likely to their deaths. "Stop!" Izel shouted as she pushed through the crowd. "Stay together! If you slit up-" Nobody was listening. There was no time for it, the Padawan had to focus on removing the main threat first. Doing her best to calm her mind she sensed four of the predators rampaging about, feasting on the defenseless passengers. Fixing her sights on one of them the Vratix sprung forward, trying to skewer it with her pike.

The creature leapt out of the way of her strike and cloaked, disappearing from view. Izel fell back into a defensive stance and began looking around. Using the lessons she had learned from her last visit to Dxun she reached out with the Force as well as her natural senses, taking in every tiny detail of the environment around her. She noticed a movement in the leaves of a bush to her right, and spun to face the maalraas as it pounced towards her. Although it was cloaked, the Padawan could sense it's presence, and stepped out of the way while simultaneously delivering a strike to it's back. The creature hit the ground and uncloaked, still alive. The hide of a maalraas was tough, resistant even to a lightsaber. But not impervious. Izel didn't give the beast a chance to recover, stabbing it again and again until she managed to get through it's armor, killing it. She remained on alert as she looked around through the chaotic fleeing passengers, three more to go.

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