Caught Red-Handed [Accord Mission]

[DangerousTinkerer]

Entering the atmosphere of Ryloth, three craft could be seen streaking across the sky heading for a local village. With a change in thrust power and vibration upon the craft, their landing sequence had begun causing the passengers within the personnel transport to prep. However, a woman in the forward seat up against the bulkhead hadn't left her seat during the trip. She sat with her eyes close holding her seat restraints while calmly breathing.

"Blast, I hate flying." Val whispered to herself as the craft shook while transferring into vertical movement. She understand that she needs to get to the mission but doesn't have to like it. During the final decent, she had the mission brief running their her mind trying to keep herself calm. Will the sound of the hydraulics activating and the depressurization of the passenger compartment, Val exhaled and released her grip from her restraints. "Ground at last." Val stated before removing her seat restrains and standing up.

Accord soldiers existed the craft and secured the landing zone while the remaining craft landed. Val started stretching her body from the long flight out of habit. As the pilots finished their landing check list, Val finished her stretching before grabbing her blaster rifle from the rack. As she proceeded to the exit ramp, Val paused next to a young man still remaining in his seat.

"I shall let you take point since you seem more prone to working solo. But don't worry, I shall have your back." With a quick smile Val continued out of the craft. The Accord soldiers were unloading a cargo ship with supplies while replacing crates from the encampment. Val stood just off the exit ramp admiring the planet and the nature around them. "Before I leave, I must explore the area and see what is here."

@The Prophet @Outlander

 

[The Prophet]

Aizahk sat patiently aboard the transport, meditating, keen to tackle the mission ahead. It appeared that the turbulence of entry caused a sense of nostalgia to wash over him as the craft penetrated the atmosphere. He opened his eyes and cast his gaze upon his new new comrades and listened to them laugh and banter as he watched them take their seats and buckle themselves in tightly. As much as he lamented many of the things he'd done in the name of the Jedi order, the familiarity of the situation flooded his mind with fond memories; he sneaked a quick smile as they prepared for landing.

He did notice however, that not everyone looked so keen to be on the ship for much longer. In fact, he found his suspicions confirmed as the woman in question made her grievances known. He couldn't really help but chuckle slightly to himself, she looked like death. Although he tended to scoff at many such phobias, he found that fear of flying wasn't something that he couldn't somewhat understand. After all, man wasn't exactly built to fly.

Once they'd touched down on the surface, Aizahk cast his mind back to the matter at hand. The mission. Unfastening his safety belts, he collected himself and looked up to see the fiery-haired woman he'd noticed earlier standing before him; she looked far better now that they'd landed. "Sounds good." He smiled back at her eagerly, with a toothy grin. They'd been assigned to work together on helping to deal with the slaver problem. "Hmm, perhaps I'll join you. It's quite a beautiful place, isn't it?" Aizahk also marveled at the surroundings, before putting his game-face back on and turning to his comrade. "That aside though. First things first, we should probably chat to some of the natives. We need to know how and when the slavers are going to strike next. Oh and, forgive my rudeness, I forgot to properly introduce myself..." He grinned and outstretched his hand, "The name is Aizahk, Aizahk Ah'Riz. Feel free just to call me Zahk."

 

[DangerousTinkerer]

Upon hearing Zahk approach and agree with her, Val turned to face her new companion. Val listen at his proposed plan bouncing ideas of the slavers while listening before releasing she also forgot to introduce herself. Smile back at him she accepted his hand in a secure grip. "Pleasure to meet Za-hack...ZZahk. " Val gently shakes her as she releases her grip. "Did I pronounce that correctly? I feel like I messed that up horrible. Oh yes, my name Val'Tali Kuyon. Val or Tali for short."

With her gaze at Zahk after finishing her introduction that could have gone greatly smoother, Val's eyes started wondering to natural beauty around them. "So I'm hoping you are an proficient in combat since medicine is my specialty." Val smiles before turning towards the direction of the village beginning to walk slowly.

 

[The Prophet]

Aizahk raised an eyebrow and stifled a laugh as she struggled with his name, only to then casually rattle off her own, which he thought would be arguably harder to pronounce for most. "Well it's good to meet you Val'Tali Kuyon." At the mention of her profession, he thought it fitting that he was paired with a medic, and was intrigued to know more. Walking alongside his new partner, as they made their way out of the camp and towards the village, he decided to probe her for a little more information about herself. "A doctor? Interesting. Have you been working with the Accord for very long?"

 

[DangerousTinkerer]

As they continue on their way, Val turned her head slightly to read Zahk body language trying to determine his intention as he asked about her profession and her time with the Accord. "I just recently joined up with the Accord, but have only been on a few missions. Most of my time has been in the medical ward back at the Void." Val turns a 180 degrees and walks backwards looking at the area behind them while keeping Zahk's face in her view. "But don't worry, I was apart of the planet militia before I left. So I won't be the helpless doctor" A smile crosses her lips from the image she got from her statement. "What about yourself, Zahk? You don't look like a typical soldier but I have a feeling that you are quite capable."

 

[The Prophet]

Hearing that she had a fair amount of martial experience was reassuring to Aizahk, he expected skills of that nature would be necessary whilst on a potentially dangerous mission. "Me? At one time I fought for the Jedi Order. First time I touched down on the battlefield I must have been... what? Fifteen maybe? I grew up believing they were paragons of justice and virtue, held them to a higher standard. But I learned that they were just as bad as those they deemed "Corrupted" or "Evil"; so many were zealots, through and through. Hmph, I was one of them. But, after a while, I realized all that fighting only bred more hate and caused more pain, that they were just as responsible for corrupting the force as the Sith were with their single-minded view... ...so, me and a few others got out of there. Unfortunately we were separated and I've been wandering ever since. "

Aizahk stared ahead quietly, his brow furrowed with concern for those he'd once called brothers; he wondered how many of them were still alive. As he finished his sentence, Aizahk's dour and serious tone suddenly turned more upbeat and optimistic. "So... here I am!" He shrugged, smiling back at Val'Tali. "Looks like we're almost there, let's see what we can find out."

Aizahk quickened his pace from a walk to a long stride as the village slowly came into view. Surrounded by such beautiful surroundings, stuck out like a sore thumb. It wasn't that the buildings themselves weren't appealing, it was the air that surrounded the place, it's inhabitants. A few natives shuffled around the square, looking miserable as sin. Although they held their heads high, many were clearly stressed and didn't look well. "We ought to approach this delicately..." Aizahk murmured to Val'tali, as they stepped into the village.

 

[DangerousTinkerer]

Upon the declaration of Aizahk once being a member of the Jedi Order, Val was caught off guard. Her isolated village from home had never encountered a Jedi and mostly believed the order to be a legend. With curiosity and concern, Val listened as Zahk talked about his time with the order before eventually leaving. When he completed his story Val could see distress in his eyes before he changed his demeanor.

Val turned around to catch up to Zahk as he quickened his pace in response to approaching the village ensuring her rifle was secure on her back. They were here to help and didn't want to cause panic or alarm with the natives. "Delicately sounds good. We should probably head towards the town center or meeting hall to possible find the town leaders. They should have the greatest chance for information. " Val calmly replied towards Zahk as she looked over the few natives walking checking for any signs of injuries left unattended as her companion lead their way further into the town. It hurts Val on the inside to see the spirits within people broken because it is the one injury she will never be able to heal with medical knowledge her mother had given her. After a few more strides into the town, a gathering of natives was spotted ahead. "Zakh, that might be the best place to start and see what is going on." Val whispered while making a slight discrete notion towards the gathering before facing towards Zahk with a friendly grin on her face. "By all means, you first."

 

[The Prophet]

Aizahk rolled his eyes and strode ahead, approaching the group with confidence. A few of the villagers, having become aware of the pair's presence, turned abruptly. Although they were momentarily startled, it seemed that they quickly deduced that Aizahk and Val'Tali weren't there to hurt them. "Sorry if we shocked you, we're here to help. We're looking for your leader?" The group began looking at each-other oddly, before a green Twi'lek, taller than the others, stepped forward. "Very few of us remain... our true leader is not one of them. He was also taken." Aizahk sighed in response. "So you are in charge then?" Aizahk outstretched his hand, "I am Cotan. I am looking after the village for now." The two shook hands. "I suppose that will do for now then."

Aizahk walked to the center of the gathering and began to pace, tightly grasping the lapels of his coat. "Villagers. My name is Aizahk Aulus Ah'Riz and this is my comrade, Val'Tali Kuyon. Let me tell you this... What has happened to you, and to your people, is unacceptable. These slavers are cowards, that hide in the shadows and prey on the weak. We will not stand for this. Now, make no mistake, it is likely that some of your friends and family have been sold already; this is the reality. However, there is still time for those who haven't. And whilst I cannot ensure that we will save all of those who have been taken from you, there is one thing I can assure you of..." Embroiled in the moment, Aizahk's voice rose and thundered across the village."...that together, we will purge this slaver filth from the face of this planet and bring them to justice for their crimes!" The villagers around him were riled, roused by his words; a few nodded approvingly. Noticing the rage that filled their eyes, Aizahk slowed himself for a moment and lowered his voice once again, lest they become hard to control. "Before that can happen, we must work as a team to stop these attacks from continuing. We accomplish nothing by moping around the place and continuing as though there is nothing we can do. So, shall we do this?" Cotan looked to the some of the others and they looked back harshly. It was clear that they were tired of doing nothing. "Yes." Aizahk smiled in response. "Then let's get started."

The group made their way to longhouse of sorts, where Aizahk, Val'Tali and Cotan sat in a circle, along with a few other villagers in order to formulate a plan.

 

[DangerousTinkerer]

As the group sat, Val removed the rifle from her back to allow her to sit within the circle more comfortable. The rifle laid on its side behind her with the barrel facing away from the group for safety while maintaining the grip within her arm reach upon twisting around. They were her to help these people but the slavers were an unknown element and she wanted to still be prepared to protect them. Looking around the group, everyone looked ready to begin formulating the plan but Val interrupted. "Before we begin, I would like to ask if there is anyone within the village that is need of medical attention." Val looked back around the group a second time to inspect everyone's reactions. After a short quiet pause, Cotan replied. "No, but thank you."

"Alright. Down to business." Val stated before pausing as her intercom beeped. She silenced and ignored the intercom before continuing. "What kind of information does anyone have regarding the slavers? Is there a map of the area where we can identify the locations of the recent attacks have taken place? We may be able to trace their movements to their hideout." Val calmly but directly spoke before her intercom beeped again. Letting a quiet exhale due to frustration and rudeness of the intercom echoing during the meeting Val turned towards Zahk, "Would you please take over while I see why I am being paged by the Accord workers at the encampment." Val whispered before standing up as her intercom beeped again. "Excuse me everybody." she stated as she grabbed her rifle and stepped outside.

"This is Val'Tali, what can I do for you." She asked as she took a fast pace back towards the landing zone. "We have reports of another members landing who has been assigned to join you and Zakh on this mission." A male soldier reported.

"Copy that. I am on my way to your location." Val replied before disconnecting the communication. As she arrived back at the Accord outpost staging area, a ship was finishing it landing procedures. Val thanked the soldier for the information and apologized for the delay in response. She stood her place as the gentleman exited and looked around the place.

"Come with me. My partner is talking with the natives gathering information before I left. We must rejoin him." Val shouted over the new arrival as she jerked her hand to indicated towards her before turning and beginning her way back to town figuring he would catch up. Jedi or not, Val never enjoyed leaving a fellow comrade alone and wanted to rejoin him quickly.



[OCC: @Bambi you can either replying now or wait until @The Prophet replies since we will probably all be back together at that point.

 

[Jaxob Shad]

Jaxob hadn't been to Ryloth in years, he never did enjoy the planet although his expertise had been greatly appreciated during his time there. He maneuvered his ship as close to the Accord base camp as he possibly could. The landing didn't take to long and Jaxob could quickly gear up before leaving. He put his gun belt on and holstered his Sunspear heavy blaster despite his preference for non-lethal weapons. He took each half of his Kagebo staff and put attached them to each leg for easy access. After that he grabbed his FRAB rifle and slung it over his shoulder. He looked over at his Astromech "Pie, prep the Drone, I want it ready for field work within the hour, I want the Medical supplies attached properly this time" His voice colder than usual. M5-P13 beeped in response as Jaxob turned to leave. Just before he went out the ramp the droid beeped again this time to itself "I heard that" He called back as he exited his ship.

He was not expecting the greeting he got, neither a hello nor an introduction. The woman standing before him looked younger than he expected from a leading member of a mission. He simply nodded. He pinned the middle of his duster together, covering his holstered weapons and moved on hand to his rifles' strap, holding it in place. Jaxob's face had as neutral of an expression as he could. This was his first mission with the Accord, an organization he joined practically by accident.

 

[The Prophet]

Hands clasped behind his back like an old drill sergeant, Aizahk paced up and down the room as he and the Twi'leks discussed a course of action. He chose to listen for a while, choosing to pitch his idea once Val'Tali had returned with support. Many of the villagers had made it abundantly clear that they wanted to hunt the slavers down and attack them at the source but, preferring a more nuanced and far less dangerous strategy, Aizahk finally spoke up, strongly advising against attacking them head on.

Movement at the door. "Ah, good timing..." Turning around to face the entrance, Aizahk began to head towards Val'Tali and their new comrade. Naturally, seeing another man walk through the door, Aizahk sized him up a little as he approached, making a quick visual analysis. In sharp contrast to the pretty and fresh-faced Val'Tali, this man, although somewhat slick and refined in his appearance, appeared to be slightly rougher around the edges. Reaching the two, Aizahk outstretched his hand to greet him. "Nice to meet you, Aizahk Ah'Riz. I expect that you and Val'Tali have gotten acquainted on the way here. You're just in time. I was just about to make a suggestion..." He walked away and went back to pacing. "I was thinking perhaps we go down the route of an ambush. Coax the slavers onto our turf and make it crystal clear that this village is not to be trifled with..." He raised his hand in the direction of the others. "What do you think?"

 

[DangerousTinkerer]

Val stood between Zahk and their new companion shifting on her left leg to twist and face Zahk. "Ambush sounds like the best course of action to evaluate the slavers while reducing the threat to ourselves." Val replied before turning and approaching the new member of the group.

"I apologize for the rudeness of your arrival. My intention was no ill will towards you, but in returning to our companion back in the village." Val calmly stated while looking over Jaxob's face and expressions. "My name is Val'Tali Kuyon. I'm a combat medic for the Accord. It is a pleasure to meet you and to have you with us." She spoke presenting a gentle smile on her lips as she finished. The ambush scenario ran through Val's mind causing her to step back our of Jaxob's direct vision.

 

[Bambi]

An interesting group, the leading pair were both about a decade younger than he. *Are all of them so young* The man introducing himself was an oddity, he carried himself like a soldier but he was still so young. Golden eyes and ear piercings, Jaxob never quite understood the point but he admitted to himself that it gave Ah'Riz a very appealing look. In fact the pair besides him were both quite appealing to look at *Interesting* He shook the man's hand, his grip not too weak but not too strong. He listened to him explain his plan and the girls response. It was a start "No need to worry about that, there are more pressing matters" His face stayed as expressionless as when they first met. "Mine is Jaxob Shad, I do not have a set position with the Accord but I am a Doctor" He looked at his rifle "Guess you can say I will be over-watch for this mission" His tone was cold and lacking emotion, but very polite. He finally raised his voice "We will need to find a suitable location before planning an ambush"

 

[The Prophet]

"Straight to business Jaxob, I like it." Jaxob's no nonsense attitude was welcome to Aizahk. "Now, Cotan." Aizahk clapped his hands, as if to jolt him into action. "We need you to give us a proper rundown of the surrounding area. We're also going to need to know exactly where the slavers usually make their approach from. Remember that time is not our friend here. If they strike before we've prepared, we could have problems." Cotan stood from his seat and nodded. He scurried over to the corner of the room and began rummaging inside of a chest. Aizahk watched on as Cotan did so, eventually grinning as Cotan revealed a large scroll. "Perfect..." Cotan strolled back and laid the scroll out in the center of the group's circle. A map.

The map was clearly quite old, but it was surprisingly detailed. It even went so far as to have symbols and a legend explaining most of them. It was a local map, covering most of the surrounding area; Cotan explained that he had maps that encompassed more of the area, but they weren't half as detailed. "The treeline is thick, but three passages are kept clear." Cotan pointed to the pathways and continued. "There is the southern route, which is where you all came from; there is the northeastern one, which leads quite far out into the jungle; then there is the mountain path to the east. They've come mainly from the north side of the village, so we believe that they might be operating from that direction." The mountains covered quite a considerable part of the eastern side of the map, though a strange writing was dotted about across the peaks. Noticing this, Aizahk furrowed his brow and gestured towards the glyphs. "What does that mean? Across the mountains there." Cotan sighed. "Those marks are a warning; the mountains are cursed. It warns that the caves are not to be traversed without tragedy befalling all who go there." Aizahk smirked in response, perhaps a little insensitively. "Is that so? You'll find I'm not particularly susceptible to curses." He grinned. "I'm not much of a gambler but, if they know your people steer clear of that zone, I'd wager they're holed up somewhere in that area."

 

[DangerousTinkerer]

With the statement of Cotan saying the mountains were forbidden to the locals, Val had to agree with Zahk assumption regarding the slavers. "Any approach to the mountains in a group will be easily spotted." Val stated as she approached the unrolled man by Zahk. Pondering the details of the map, Val thought back to her days back home exploring the mountains and the numerous places that one could hide. It will be a challenge to get them out of the mountains.

"We will need to survey the area leading from their position in the mountains to find an optimal position for the ambush. However, a group may cause the slavers to get suspicious." Val commented as she shifted her weight onto her left leg as continued to look over the map. "Is that a river that crossed the path leading from the mountain? That could be a point where the slavers get forced into a small path that we could the advantage of." Val stated as she stepped forward to pointed on the map.

 

[Jaxob Shad]

Jaxob took a moment to carefully study the map "The best way to deal with this is to send a small group, I'd suggest the three of us with a single local tracker familiar with the area. We bring a Droid that scans the area and gives us a proper map to plan" He scratched his chin "Of course there is the question of how to lure the Slavers in" He was already formulating a plan, but from what information he gathered about the pair with him he decided against suggesting it. At least for now.

 

[The Prophet]

"Yes, that will be key..." Aizahk looked across the room at the villagers, then to his comrades, before turning his gaze back towards the map. He folded his arms and scanned it again. "I'm assume you all understand that, whatever course of action we take, it's highly likely we'll have to put some of you in danger, in order to coax these rats out of their hole." He gestured towards Cotan and his fellows, who mostly nodded in response. "You mentioned the river Val'Tali. I suppose we could, utilize it. What exactly did you have in mind?"

 

[DangerousTinkerer]

Val thought about the Zahk's statement regarding the villagers. She knew it was how they would have to get the slavers out but didn't like they would have to endanger them. Val snapped back out of her thought upon being addressed.

"As the slavers cross the bridge, we ambush them with a crossfire from both sides of the river focused upon the bridge. This would give the slavers limited cover, trapping them in a narrow area with us on both flanks." Val replied to the inquiry before continuing her train of thought for a quick moment of silence. "The only concern would be for anyone on the far side of the bridge. If more slavers arrive, it will be difficult for anyone to cross the bridge to assist or retreat."

With her initial thoughts regarding the utilizing the bridge, Val stepped back from the map trying to take in everyone's reactions of her thoughts. It would be risky for the people on the far side of the bridge, but would allow for angle focused fire on the slavers.

 

[Jaxob Shad]

Jaxob crossed his hands as he studied the bridge Val mentioned "Yes this would make an excellent killzone. He said coldly "perhaps we could line the surrounding with remote explosives He looked up, perhaps this was not the crowd for this sort of ruthlessness, he for certain did not enjoy it. "I think we will need to examine the bridge at least, we can't properly plan an ambush with only this primitive map as a guideline"

 

[The Prophet]

"Chokepoints, crossfires and killzones. It's all sounding good so far. Remote explosives could be the way to go..." Aizahk thought for a moment. "Although, know I think about it, I might have some issues with this approach. I'm not entirely sold on the fact that blowing them all to smithereens is going to solve our problem. Our mission here is twofold. We want to send the slavers a proper message, that will hold them off at least for a while and we want to find out where they are truly based. Information is key here and I'm sure that ideally we want to nip their entire operation in the bud. Blowing them all up is most likely going make it clear that the village has been provided assistance. At that point it devolves into a fully fledged attack, or they might even just pack up and leave. I, for one, know that I want them gone for good and not troubling anyone else. Who knows? This operation might go deeper than just an independent group of slavers."