Ask E-woke Endor

[Jonathen Baize]

Endor​

Lieutenant Baize and his platoon had made moon fall earlier in the day. There were rumors of rebellion on the moon, though it was no surprise to the Imperial soldier. These people had been brought to heel under the threat and abuse of religious fanatics. Now that those fanatics were gone, it was natural for dissidents to push the limits and test the Imperial response.

Whereas in years past, rumors of such rebellions would have earned harsh punishments not only for those involved but all citizens. Today, Baize and his men brought supplies and spent the day handing them out to the local Ewok population. His men had grumbled at the "boring" assignment given to them, but he had quickly squashed such whispers.

Sunset had come, and they were having dinner with the village's chieftain. They were in one of the larger villages, and they needed to keep the support of this chief if they wanted to keep this rebellion from spreading. Jonathen was not one for dinners or anything resembling politics, but these were the orders that had been given him.

He was relieved to hear he would be joined by one of the Imperial Knights. He awaited her arrival outside the group of huts the Imperials were using for housing while here.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

The mission on Endor sounded like it would be of diplomatic nature mostly and from the reported details, Kalique was actually expecting they'd be able to get the situation under control without too many troubles.

Possible complications though? The Natives' previous experiences with the Empire obviously hadn't been the best and while they had been assigned to this mission to fix the Empire's reputation, Kalique calculated the risks. They still had go be careful. The Ewoks were small, but with their numbers possibly feisty and as they wanted to avoid further bloodshed at all cost, they'd need the right sensibility.

While Kalique had recieved extensive education in the diplomatic arts, it wasn't exactly her strong suit. She was more the hands on type, but she'd at least try. She wasn't alone either and was more than happy to be called in by towards a Lieutenant and his platoon who were at her side as well, so whe she descended the ramp of her ship in her red uniform, there was a soft smile on her lips as the nightly breeze of the fresh forest air met her upon arrival.

It was already beyond nightfall and what was still on today's list was apparently a dinner with the village's chieftain. Lieutenant Baize had already spent the day at the village-that was how much she knew of the situation down here-but she was hoping for a quick update before joining dinner. "Lieutenant Baize, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Knight Demici" she introduced herself, offering her hand together with a respectful inclination of her head after having walked up to him.

While not having directly worked with him before, from what she had heard of the recently promoted men, they were sharing not only their absolute loyalty, but also their driven ambitions. "I've heard the supplies are already distributed...have they been received well?". As they were expected at the chieftain's hut, duty called first, so that it wasn't the actual occasion for smalltalk.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

He accepted the handshake and smiled greeting. "The pleasure is mine. I was glad to hear you were in the area to assist," he said, releasing her hand. He motioned down the path towards the large hut at the center of the village where the chief resided before starting to walk.

"Its hard to say," he answered honestly. "There is a great deal of mistrust here. Hopefully, after tonight they will see us in a better light. Regardless, nothing too noteworthy happened." he finished his report.

The night was pleasantly warm, with sporadic fires lighting up the whole area. "As you may be aware, there have been reports of a small group of rebels forming in the nearby mountains. Nothing unmanageable if it comes to that," he said matter of factly. The Eworks could be formidable, but his men would win if it came down to a fight. The rebellion would be quashed, but they would have only sown more distrust. "Hopefully, it doesn't come to that," he said. "This chieftain seemed amenable to having us here," he said as they neared the center of the village.

They approached the hut, and three guards stepped forward. "Greetings," he said. "We were invited to dinner by your chief," he finished, nodding to the interpreter droid. They were ushered inside and shown where to sit, a pile of cushions on the floor around the room serving as chairs. There was a sizeable group inside already. They were announced and ushered forward. "Greetings Leeto. I am Lieutenant Baize, and this is Knight Demici." he introduced them.

The chief spoke for a moment, waving his hands around. The droid finally translated. "Hello to our Imperial Friends. You are welcome here. Please sit down and enjoy yourselves. We have much to discuss after we eat." Jonathen nodded and sat on one of the pillows as fruit was brought out, and a group started performing a dance in the middle of the room.

Apparently, tonight would not be a short affair.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

While moving down the path, Kalique's attentive gaze traveled across the various huts before it flicked back up to Baize, listening to his explanations with great interest. "So no open aggressions yet though? That's at least something...I mean, they have all the rights to remain suspicious, but I'm optimistic we can show them that the New Empire is nothing like the one they've been confronted with before". Even if it was an idealistic thought, she was indeed optimistic for now. It was definitely still fear what held them in line, but they would work on cleansing their image right away.

As for the possible revolt though, he had a point. "I believe so, too...I do hope we're early enough to prevent such an escalation". As their subjects, they were obviously expected to behave and if they'd raise their weapons against the Imperials, they had to step in without compromises, but if they could win the chieftain over and gain their trust, no force would be needed. "Thanks for the update. Let's hope we can make the right impression at dinner then", she finished up with a warm smile right as they already reached the chieftain's hut, whose 'guards' gestured for them to get inside.

As she scanned the room, she was already beginning to realize that the Ewoks hadn't just planned an extensive, multi-course dinner, but had even set up an entertainment program for their guests, a fact that made Kalique a little suspicious. Was this an honest attempt to build up a relationship based on mutual support and trust or while they were busy feasting, the little bears were up to something?

Keeping her suspicions for herself for now but deciding to stay alerted, she moved towards the pillow that was assigned to her by the chieftain, between the Lieutenant and a female Ewok adorned in a beige dress ornamented with braids of fur and other fabrics. She politely replied,"Thank you for your kind invitation", relying on the droid for an appropriate translation before starting to observe the Ewoks' dance .

The fruits that were offered to them were strange to the Knight, yet their vibrant colors made her curious. She waited for the chieftain to start eating first out of courtesy, however not knowing a lot about their traditions, so she followed her gut on that. The variety was huge, but after the chieftain happily started munching on a rather triangular, orange fruit, Kalique reached for a smaller one herself. Its meat was juicy and tangy and refreshing, and given the warm atmosphere thus rather pleasant, but something about his unrequited hospitality made her wary. The chieftain made it fairly obvious that he wouldn't spoil the meal with heated debates, so for now they were really just 'enjoying' dinner. "What are those fruits called?" she asked politely after a while, feigning more interest than she actually had, but they had to make conversation somehow.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

Jon sat somewhat awkwardly, glad he had not worn any of his armor to the meeting. There is no way this would have worked. Their droid immediately began answering the Knight's question about the fruit, going into a lengthy explanation of each fruit and where it could be found on the planet. He took one of the fruits up and bit into it as the room started eating. His was a sour thing causing him to fight the urge to twist his face.

It was only then that Jon took any actual notice of the Ewok child sitting next to him. He could feel the child staring at him. The child spoke to him, pointing down at the chrono on his wrist. Their interpreter droid was far too involved in describing a large fruit in the center of the plate before them to even notice the exchange.

The child repeated his words, reaching over and tapping the device. "My chrono? You want to see it?" he asked, confused, before slipping it from his wrist and handing it to the child. He chirped in excitement as he held it up, examining it. "You tell time with it.." Jonathen said, not really knowing how to describe time, especially when they didn't understand each other. Jonathen eventually held out his hand to get the chrono back when the child pulled off a necklace made with various teeth and handed it to him. "Wait..that's not what..." he said as the Ewok child put the watch on.

He let out a long breath. "Great," he said. "Its what I always wanted," he said. The teeth necklace creeped him out a bit. The child jabbed him in the side, motioning to put the necklace around his neck and then pointing to Jon's neck. "Oh yeah, of course," he said, slowly putting the necklace on. The child clapped in excitement as he sighed again.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

After having posed the fruit question, Kalique immediately regretted her decision. She was getting taught about fruits of all kind, but the droid soon moved over to vegetables and other edible plants and crops, thus giving Kalique a whole botanical lecture about everything that was growing in the area and on the Forest Moon in general.

More and more names were dropped and while she signaled her attention through related nodding and understanding and interesting "Mh"s and "Oh"s, her mind drifted to the conversation right next to her.

It was absolutely adorable to witness the Lieutenant interacting with the curious, little Ewok child, and as there exchange was done, the droid made a pause for now. Right away she turned her head, an amused chuckle immediately escaping her and letting her forget that this was serious business here for a moment.

So far, it seemed like they were doing well and the Knight relaxed a little while snacking on another fruit. "Hey look at that. It suits you perfectly" she quipped amusedly, softening her voice as she waved at the child for a moment before it starting hopping excitedly. It then muttered something in Ewokese and ran off again, making Kalique wonder whether she was also getting decorated soon enough.

"Please please. The Chieftain would be honored of you would join the dance after the first course", the droid's modulated voice translated, gesturing for the approaching dance crew. Participate. Oh damn. While quirking a brow at Jon, the Chieftain was already urging them with gestures from the side. It would be impolite to refuse, yet Kalique had never been urged to dance on a mission to fulfill her duty and also, she wasn't exactly versed in Ewokese dances.

An Ewok lady was already prodding at her side, softly yanking at her, so that Kalique was left with no choice but to shrug and give in. 'Their hospitality is surely something...guess we better pretend we're very pleased by getting invited to a dance as well' she said to Jon, however choosing telepathy as this was nothing for the other's eyes, hoping that the voice inside his head wouldn't bother him too much. With the smirk on her lips broadening, she let the Ewok lady lead her on, which actually felt super awkward, but the Chieftain seemed rather happy with their new found friends...

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

He shot the woman a slight scowl before looking down at it and shrugging. "I'll have to run it up the chain to get this added to the Imperial Dress Code," he said jokingly. Kalique waved to the child, who hurriedly ran off to fetch whatever he thought the woman wanted to trade for. "I really liked that watch, though..." he said, trailing off as the droid translated again.

Jonathen had seen battlefields had seen death, but nothing prepared him for what came next. He paled as the droid conveyed the invitation to dance. He tried to wave off the invitation, but the Ewoks would not have it. Drums started sounding, and music began playing as he was hauled to his feet.

The intrusion of the Force was not something he had ever felt before, sending a chill down his neck. His eyes moved to Kalique, who was grinning mischievously.

Lieutenant Joanthen Baize was good at a lot of things. However, he was not a good dancer. It didn't help when your dance partners were three feet tall. He waved his hands and moved around the circle, trying to mimic whatever the Ewoks were doing. He glanced over to Kalique, shooting her a somewhat desperate look before he had to look back down to avoid tripping over one of the other dancers. An eternity later, the song ended, and the room erupted into laughter and muffled applause.

"We are leaving this out of the report," he said as he sat back. More Ewoks crowded around them now, having earned some points for dancing. The Ewok child ran back in towards Kalique. He carried a slingshot and several other items as he approached the Knight. He pulled on her arm to get her attention, pointed toward one of the lightsabers on her belt, and then held out the slingshot.

Jonathen seeing this, chuckled, "Seems like a fair trade to me!" he said, wondering how she would navigate this.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Jonathen's answers somehow immediately caught her off guard, actually being funnier than expected and not being used to such a very lighthearted mood on a mission. They were admittedly still at the easy part, but it instantly made her chuckle. "I mean it's surely intimidating..." she added amusedly, reaching for it and running her thumb across one of the teeth for a moment. She couldn't exactly tell from which animal they originated, but someone in the tribe must have killed and salvaged it.

"But I'm sorry about the watch...maybe the fascination fades and tomorrow the child wants to trade back" she suggested with a shrug, actually believing it was possible. The Ewok child would show it to the other younglings, but maybe loose interest. Who knew?

They couldn't dwell on it either as they were called to the dance, and mustering all confidence, Kalique tried to understand and mimic the Ewoks' moves as best as she could. The desperate look make it even more comical for her, but she tried to keep it together, swaying her hips as elegantly as possible and to the rhythm of the drums and using the clapping of the little bears as encouragement.

The things she did for the Empire...Dancing with Ewoks, check. As the 'song' or rather their performance was finally over, she threw Jon a sympathetic look before breaking into a chuckle again. Despite the awkwardness of the situation, she was glad it was just the two of them. "Absolutely" she agreed without hesitation, taking a sip of the juice that had been prepared for them before realizing how many Ewoks were now piling into the little Hut. It was about to get a little too cozy for her taste, but before she could worry about that, the little Ewok was back, already tugging at her arm.

Her attention immediately flicked down, to where the little bear excitedly offered the sling-shot. Kalique immediately noticed how its huge round eyes were fixed on her lightsaber, and before it could reach for it and accidentally activate, she placed her own hand around it. "This...is very dangerous" she had forgotten the word...damn she had read it earlier, but it was just gone.

"Wait!" she had to appease it somehow...but with what. She gestured for the child to wait and dove into her pockets with her hand, but found nothing feasible. Then she had another idea. The utility belt! Reaching in, she pulled out a simple flashlight, offering it to the child. "That's even cooler than a lightsaber. It doesn't hurt and it can illuminate dark places where ever you are" she explained, now asking the droid for an explanation before demonstrating. The Ewok's eyes widened in excitement, and after giving her the sling-shot, it happily took the flashlight and started playing around with it.

"So I received a weapon, you a necklace. What does that tell us?" she glanced over with a playful smirk, teasing the Lieutenant just a little before course two was already announced and served. A soup. Consisting of something that looked like fish, tree bark and vegetables. It looked...admittedly interesting, but as the Chieftain began babbling something, waiting for the droid to translate, he motioned for them to dig right in.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

"I mean...they don't seem that dangerous." he joked. Jon had never actually had to fight an opponent with a lightsaber. Even before the Imperial split, there hadn't been many Sith. Most of the galaxy's fighting was done with a good ole' blaster.

He watched, amused at the exchange. The small Ewok child was fascinated by the light as it turned on and off. He seized it quickly and ran off the shine it in the face of all his friends.

"Certainly an upgrade for you, in my opinion." he joked. "You give a weapon to a grunt. The Empire does it every day, now a hand-carved trophy? You give that to a leader." he said with a grin.

Dinner came, and while it was not great, he had lived off of much worse in boot camp. The meal was spent with both of them being swarmed by Ewok questions. The translator droid looked like it was about to catch fire from the work it was putting in. Then dinner was over, and the crowd thinned. The chief sat upright.

"You enjoy, yes? See, friends, we are allies of the Empire. We share our food. We have share our homes." he said, looking expectantly at the two of them. There was not a small amount of worry in the chieftain as he prepared to negotiate for his people. The last time these offworlders had come, there was so much death.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

As Jon mentioned how a lightsaber wasn't that dangerous, she just raised a brow at him. They were most deadly, and he knew it too, but she wondered whether he had ever tried fighting with it, but usually, Imperial soldiers hadn't as non force sensitives had a really hard time with it.

His reply immediately drew another chuckle from him though, moving their conversation to another topic. "Cheeky, Lieutenant, but not bad. This point goes to you" she had her voice lowered, as their little banter wasn't involving the others, but it did bring a smirk back to her lips before she focused her attention back towards the meal they had to continue.

All kinds of Ewokse delicacies were brought fought, letting Kalique experience all kinds of new flavors and textures and even if the portions were rather small, the sheer numbers were overwhelming, so that in the end she was merely nibbling at the last courses.
The droid did its best in trying to keep all parties conversational, but the Ewoks had a lot to tell, apparently. And this wasn't even negotiations related...

However, they were soon done and the table was cleared while more and more Ewoks left. The conversations were about to begin and while it had already quite late, their real task here was just about to begin. As Jonathen was not answering right away, Kalique took over for now, having received the orders to assist the negotiations anyway.

"Honorable Chieftain, we thank you kindly for your hospitality, the great food and entertainment, first of all" she began politely, smiling at him warmly in an attempt to ease his worries, but it seemed like the Chieftain didn't feel too comfortable with having them and just abfew guards around.

"We also appreciate the housing options" she added, knowing that the huts were comically small for some soldiers, but the Ewoks had made it easier for them to set up camp as they simply needed less logistics. She hadn't seen her own assigned hut yet and didn't know how many would squeeze into the little room with her, but as a solider she was fine with whatever.

"I believe you already know why we've come here..." she let that linger for a moment, until seeing him nod, even if he was still rather hesitant. He was probably expecting that rumors off a possible revolt wouldn't add to their attempt to build up mutual trust. "The Empire is not what it had been not long ago. The tyranny is over, but we are terribly sorry for the losses the Sith have caused". The slaughter off tne village was terrible, but unfortunately a very typical Sith thing. "The mountains...something is brooding over there and while we want to avoid any possible bloodshed, we assume that with your help we could achieve that and reach an understanding we could all agree with. You would help us with sharing any information you might have". Kalique was choosing her words carefully, obviously phrasing everything very sensitively, but not making false promises either. Trust was always mutual, so there was no point in lying.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

The chieftain puffed up slightly at the compliments. He was proud of his village and what it had to offer. He nodded excitedly. " Yes, and we thank you for the supplies," he said. "Food that will feed in the winter, tools to replace broken ones. Very helpful!" he said, clapping.

His face turned more serious when she moved to the real reason they were here. He lowered his head and stared at the floor as the droid relayed the words. "Yes. The wars of the past have brought much sadness. Much loss." he spoke quietly, pausing to let the droid translate.

"Yes! There are some led by Neelo! He husband of slain chief. Very angry. He say things to people and they follow." he said pausing. "We show you where but..." he said, hesitating as he worked up the courage. "..but show mercy to them. If you bring Neelo alive, we punish and people no follow anymore," he said, looking at both of the Imperials.

"No more bloodshed, yes?" he asked.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Kalique was positively surprised as she realized his gratitude was actually genuine and once the conversation had finally started, his excitement seemed to fade slowly. "Of course. The Empire ensures that the Imperial planets have everything they need while keeping them safe and protected", she kept explaining, her eyes flicking over to Jonathen for a moment as the Imperial troops were obviously enforcing law on a regular base, but were also the ones jumping into action if any citizen were endangered.

Obviously the wars had caused losses on all sides, but unfortunately that was the nature of war, but after having offered her condolences for the massacre at the river not so long ago, she still listened to him with a sympathetic expression in her features.

While his plea sounded agreeable, it still wasn't that easy because did he really have an insurance for that? "We understand your concern". The Ewok chieftain didn't have an easy time trying to share his request for mercy, but Kalique knew had to find a peaceful way to solve this to gain the trust they needed.

"Thank you. It would be most kind of you to show us where we would find them" she told him, "As for the bloodshed, yes. I can promise you we will try to talk to him. If talking wouldn't prove effective, we will follow your suggestion to bring him in unharmed and let you deal with him", she assured him, still taking one mental note though: As subjects of the Empire, they had to abide by Imperial law and rules, but a transitional period would probably be fine and also, if it was merely a minor conflict, it could also be solved on a regional base.

"If they were to attack us, we might have to defend ourselves. That is something you'd have to consider. But I give you my word that we will try to avoid letting it come to that at all cost". While Kalique was usually someone who stayed true to her words, the safety of the Imperials was the top priority. If Neelo was already too pressed on trying to kill them, they'd have to act accordingly. That was not negotiable. She had a lot to discuss with the Lieutenant after this conversation with the Chieftain, but already had plenty of ideas in mind.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

The Ewok Chief thought momentarily, processing the Knight's words. The Ewoks were a simpler people, but they had intelligence. After a moment of thought, he nodded. "This is agreeable," he said as he stood.

He took a moment to exchange pleasantries again, and the dinner was over. Jon walked around with the Imperial Knight but waited until they were not in earshot of any of the Ewoks before beginning. "So what do you think?" he asked, genuinely curious. Jonathen knew the tension between the different armed branches and the Imperial Knights. Others would likely have dismissed the Imperial Knight altogether. He wasn't sure he trusted any of these Force users, but he trusted that the Empire vetted her. He would give her the benefit of the doubt.

"We could go in with only a couple, sneak in, and snatch this Neelo." he said before pausing. "Or we could bring all of my men and crush this rebellion. It would be quick and clean." he finished giving the second option.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

Kalique was quite pleased with how the meeting had gone and it seemed like everything was discussed for now, so they soon wrapped the meeting up and said their goodbyes. She was glad it was over after not having had the chance to get settled earlier. It was past midnight, she assumed, and so they walker into the fresher night air, Kalique still processing a few thoughts in her mind.

Jonathen waited until they had brought a little distance between them and the hut before asking for her thoughts and she was happy to share and discuss them. "Hmm"she began, directing her gaze at the starry night sky for a moment before the green eyes flicked back to him. "To be honest, this unbound hospitality made me wonder whether this wasn't a distraction, but if your men are fine, my mistrust might be misplaced" she admitted, strolling alongside him.

"We're dealing with Ewoks...their technologies aren't advanced, but they come in numbers. I would suggest you ask your men to set all Blasters to stun once we move in...This way we could avoid casualties while still getting them under control within minutes" she shared her thoughts, genuinely curious about whether he liked the idea or not.

He was the soldier after all and he'd call the shots. She was there for support. Still, the question about their overall approach was also on her mind. "To be fair, I was wondering whether I couldn't just sneak in myself. I'm hard to spot and can take him out peaceful within a split-second". Perks of being a force user, dulling senses was a helpful little trick.

"It would raise less attention and I'm sure we could handle them...I wouldn't have any objections in giving it a try with a small elite troup". She stopped, looking at him, not wanting to get to close to the other huts either. "We can make it work regardless of the approach. I'll follow your command". It was actually quite a beautiful night and the tranquility of the forest moon was relaxing, yet tomorrow's day would look differently for sure.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

Jonathen appreciated the cynicism. He nodded with her suspicions. “Its certainly possible.” he thought out loud. Though he wasn't familiar with these people, he didn’t get any hints of betrayal in the Ewoks. Perhaps their behavior was out of the ordinary. Regardless, he wasn’t about to let his guard down.

A warm breeze moved through the forest, distorting the flames on the torch-lit path. He nodded at her second suggestion. “I was thinking the same thing myself. This is most of my soldier’s first deployment. I believe in them, but we don’t want someone to get jumpy and make things worse.

The next idea was rougher to swallow. He had heard the Imperial Knights were incredibly capable, their powers making them deadly even when outnumbered. Even with that being true, he didn’t like the idea of sending anyone in alone.

He stopped alongside and faced her. “And let you have all the fun,” he said with a smirk, shadows from passing torches dancing across his face. “Doesn’t seem fair to me,” he said with a shrug. “How about we leave the platoon a click or two out? That way, they are still in a position to assist. You and I sneak in and find this Neelo.” he said. “Besides, I have wanted to see an Imperial Knight in action, and now that you have a proper weapon...” he said, nodding to the slingshot, “...You won’t slow me down,” he said, finally.

With that, the plan was settled. “We can leave at dawn,” he said. “I need to check on the platoon,” he said, pausing slightly. “Make sure they didn’t do anything too idiotic.” he finished with an exhale.

“Good Night, Knight Demici,” he said before making his way to the makeshift barracks his soldiers were staying in.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

There were actually a few things still on Kalique's mind and she ran through different plans mentally, trying to anticipate different outcomes each time. What were the chances? They hadn't crossed them yet and she was assuming the Ewok's tribal culture didn't exactly raise them to be the most cunning, double-crossing individuals, so maybe the chieftain's intentions were at least honest.

As for the rebels though, this remained to be seen. As he replied, a smirk crossed her lips and from the outside it would seem like she was just amused, but from the inside she was actually contemplating whether he was possibly worried about her well-being or not trusting her to go alone.

For now though, she gave him the benefit of the doubt and rolled her eyes dramatically before she quipped, "So you're making me babysit, Lieutenant?" that was followed by a wink. She was usually not that playful if she didn't know the other well, but their rather lighthearted night had already mellowed the mood enough for her to be a little humorous.

His remark about the newly required weapon was just as cheeky and she couldn't help but to pull at the sling-sho's string a little as if trying to get a feeling for it, "Don't worry. I won't miss a single target with that". He then wrapped up the plan and said his goodbyes, prompting a warm "Good night, Lieutenant Baize" from her before she set off with a soft smile.

---

Kalique's hut was small, basically like every other spare hut they'd been offered but she was short enough to sleep comfortably in the little bed. She rose while it was still relatively dark, which gave her enough time to prepare for their secret endeavor appropriately before she headed out to meet Jon in front of his temporary quarters.

As they had to travel lightly and blend in with their environment, she was obviously not wearing the signature armor of the Knights of the New Order, but had sticked with a plain, tight fitting dark leggins and a dark green top. Especially at dawn her colors would blend in perfectly, but obviously it meant less protection. She still had both lightsabers and her blaster with her, as her lightsabers also possessed a stun function, yet she was dearly hoping they wouldn't need any of it.

While waiting for Jonathen outside, Kalique breathed slowly and centered herself within the Force, a light meditative technique that always helped her focus. Endor was humming with life, but she wasn't entirely sure whether all casualties could be avoided today. "Good morning" she'd greet him curtly once he'd appear from his hut, hoping that he was ready to go as well. If they'd move quickly, they even had the chance to break into their camp before they'd all be ready for the day. "I'm all set".

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

He checked in on the several huts they used for makeshift barracks and checked in with the night watches before finally looking over maps. He finally fell into his cot a couple of hours later and slept soundly until his XO popped his head in. "Hey, LT. You up?" he asked. "Hrm? Yeah." Jon responded. He made it a point always to be the first person up. "What the hell happened to my ala.." he thought, cutting himself off as he looked down at his watchless wrist.

He rose and geared up, taking only a moment before stepping out. "Good Morning," he replied to the Knight as he pulled on his helmet. They were not wearing full assault gear, opting for lighter, more tactical armor. He wore black BDUs and an open helmet. All of his soldiers wore the same, their blaster rifles set to stun.

"We are ready," he said, nodding to Kalique.

The next several hours were spent marching towards the mountains where the rebels had set camp. Two Ewok guides led them into the forest. It was a cool, damp morning. The group was quiet as they marched, The Lieutenant not wanting to trust the guides fully. They were heading towards the mountains, so at least that checked out with their intel.

When they reached the point that they would leave the platoon, he gave final orders for them to spread out defensively, and they went over the plan one time further. They were pointed in the right direction and set out towards the rebel camp. He let the Knight take point; she was likely the stealthier of the two, and maybe her powers would sense out a trap before he could see it.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

If it weren't for Kalique's enhanced senses, she might have missed that Jonathen seemed at least a tiny bit off track, but she fully kept it to herself as just a few moments later he seemed fine again. It still drew a faint smirk from her lips before they already set themselves and the troops into motion.

"Do you feel well rested after that short night?" she curiosly asked him, knowing that he wasn't capable of using the Force to draw some additional strength. They had quite a walk ahead of them and the short Ewok's legs were not really meant for marching, so they weren't as fast as Kalique had hoped, but once they did finally arrive, she thanked them kindly.

The platoon was getting ready to stay in position unless needed and Jon and Kalique were soon on their way to accomplish their little secret mission. Before leaving, both had obviously taken another sip of water they had drawn from the nearby crystal clear river as they didn't know how long they'd be out before achieving their goal. Little did they know though that this detail would destroy all of their plans...

Kalique, who had taken the lead and scanned the path up ahead for any living beings through the Force was suddenly starting to feel a little dizzy while her vision was also turning blurry. While she tried to blink it away at first, she suddenly missteped and began to stagger as she tried to climb up a little but steep slope.

Tumbling backwards, she even had to grab Jonathen for support as she was completely losing balance while her stomach was starting to feel funny as well. If Jon didn't catch her or wasn't even stable himself, they'd both slip and land on the rocky grass floor while they'd slowly lose control over their nerves.

"I've...I feel...strange" she declared as a subtle hint of panic set in and he'd feel it too. Maybe it was just beginning, or maybe he was even worse already, but slowly and steadily they'd both start to lose their consciousness. After feeling dazed, the vision would slowly blacken before they'd both just faint. Perhaps it was even quick enough to take them out before even getting the chance to reach for the comms and they'd switch to complete unconsciousness without anyone knowing for now. Unbeknownst to them, the rebelling Ewoks upstream had steadily poured squashed juice of forest berries known for their strong sedative components while they had worked on their own cunning plan with the Imperials long before they had tried to reach their camp.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

The soldiers dug in, and two set out towards the camp. They briefly stopped by a stream to re-fill the water before making their approach to the camp. The sedative was subtle as it worked its way through his body. His feet grew increasingly heavy to lift, like his whole body was moving through mud.

His mind struggled to comprehend what was happening as it grew difficult to breathe. "..huh?" he said, noticing Kalique saying something before she started to fall backward. He weakly tried to grab ahold of her as she fell. They ended up sliding down a small incline in a tangled mess as unconsciousness gripped them.

Too weak to stand or even reach for his comm, he vaguely heard singing in the forest before his world went black.

---

Flashes of images hit Jonathen as they were captured, but his mind couldn't comprehend any of them. Sometime later, he would slowly start to come to. His head pounded, mouth dry as the effects of the sedative had worn off.

His hands and feet were tied, and they were swinging in a cage hoisted off the ground. There were platforms around the clearing where the cage hung, Ewoks with bows stationed on them to keep a lookout.

Jonathen groaned slightly as he blinked his eyes open. They had been unconscious for hours. Kalique had been placed in the same cage, also bound. The cage swung slightly as he nudged the Imperial Knight. "Kalique, are you hurt?" he asked in a hushed tone.

What had happened to them? He tried to play the events over in his head as he struggled to shrug off the sedative's effects.

@LadyRen

 

[Kalique Baize]

As soon as she began to realize that she was losing control over her body, she desperately tried to summon the Force and speed up the process of getting the toxins or whatever it was out of her body, but she simply couldn't grasp any of it.

Also, as soon as she made contact with Jonathen, the pair just tumbled down the slope rather entangled with both trying their best to move any muscles to cushion the quick descent, yet the sedatives had already slowed down any possible reaction times and weakened the muscles so that mere twitches were the only movement still noticeable before the pair just started their long, involuntary nap...

---

Kalique was just knocked out solidly and her mind absolutely absent as she had taken in a relatively high dose of the sedatives. The Ewoks had apparently just waited for them to approach as the Lieutenant and the Knight found themselves in a cage when they finally woke up with the sun already way past its peak.

It was fairly obvious that they had been out for hours and Kalique only woke when Jonathen nudged her from the side, letting the dazed Knight raise her heavy head. "Wh...what. Who-" Kalique blinked repeatedly until the blurry vision revealed who was pressed in the tight cage with her while more memories kept fading in.

She was still disoriented, yet she began to understand how they were dangling above the ground with their cage slightly swinging between two tall trees. "I...I'm fine" she replied quietly, purposely choosing to keep her voice lowered, yet she wasn't entirely sure whether she was fine.

Her shoulder was hurting and it wasn't hard to tell that the uncushioned fall was to blame, especially because she wasn't wearing any armor. "Oh no...the weapons". As she tried to move her body slowly, she already felt how her lightsabers were missing and well, she wasn't even surprised.

"How are you?". She grimaced from both, the pain and the exhaustion as she tried to push herself up into a seated position, but her strength was still lacking behind and so she remained laying on her side for now. "I need to...metabolize it. I'll get us out somehow". While it was an optimistic thought, she herself doubted how realistic it was, given their state, but well, they were at least not dead yet, so the Ewoks had any kind of a plan.

@Raydo