Ask Fighting the Jade Company (Cantonica)

[Izel Thral]

Izel raised an arm to shield her face from the raging sandstorm as she slowly made her way down the starship's loading ramp. Cantonica was known for the beautiful city of Canto Bight, people often forgot that most of the rest of the planet was a harsh desert world. Even worse was the mess their quarry had left behind. As she stepped onto the sandy slope she could see before her the remains of a destroyed village, left stripped of anything of value by the marauding Jade Company. It's former inhabitants had long since abandoned the place.

She could feel the fear rising in herself but pushed it back down. Emotion, Yet Peace. She had to get better at controlling herself in situations like these, she had volunteered to come along after all. The Jedi Order had caught wind of the Jade Company's actions on Cantonica and other worlds across the galaxy and knew it was their responsibility to put a stop to it. Although Izel was privately hoping they might be able to recover some of the artifacts the Company had stolen, she quickly shook these selfish thoughts from her mind. They had to find their enemy before anything else could be done. She approached the other Jedi in the group, hoping to take direction from one of her elders.

"So, uh, what's the plan?" She asked nervously. "This is my first time in a warzone. I usually tend to avoid them..." She tried her best to summon some confidence. She had been on enough dangerous missions that she should be better at this by now, and the people of Cantonica clearly had need of people they could depend on in the face of this chaos.

@Minuteman75 @Mr. Teatime @Kestrel @Seafoam

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

Hannibal moved down the ramp just after the younger padawan, leather boots clanking against the well-worn metal. He looked around at the the others, none of whom he had really met before, before looking out into the sandy wastes. He was uncharacteristically dressed in his armored robes, the helmet currently under his left arm and the hood down. A smirk lit up his face, eyes sparkling in stark contrast to the grim environment. The man practically embodied the word 'levity' in all situations, even apparently in the middle of a warzone, though anyone who had met him could probably tell this was a different kind of energy than his usual attitude. He was rather looking forward to sticking it to an organization as horrendous as the Jade Company, though stealing some of their stuff was certainly a bonus.

He hadn't often been in something one could describe as a warzone, and the few times he had his participation was mostly limited to healing or supply runs rather than active combat. On the other hand, he'd been in various kinds of fights often enough to get the general idea. Still, he turned to the padawan who had fielded a question, smirk widening into a confident grin that practically oozed a sense of smugness. "A wise decision in most cases! Jedi are peacekeepers, not soldiers." he replied cheerily, turning to look at her. "But sometimes keeping the peace means fighting for it." Itty bitty lecture aside, he did actually have a plan. "Forces this large can't function without communication and supply, so we're here to disrupt both. Fuel, power packs, communications array, that sort of thing. Maybe sabotage some vehicles while we're here if we happen upon one." He paused for a few seconds, sighing softly into the sandy air. "Focus on the here and now, but don't let it overtake you. Keep your mind focused and your lightsaber in front. I'm sure you'll learn something."

With a wink as full stop, he lifted up his helmet and placed it over his head, sealing it in place and flipping the leather hood over it. He double checked his blaster pistols, his usual modified DL-44 joining an identical one on the left, the same besides the scope's orientation being on the opposite side. His lightsaber was clearly visible on his right hip, ready to be quickly drawn. He engaged the communication and voice functions on his helmet, connecting comms to the rest in the group as well as both amplifying and disguising his voice.

Beneath his helmet, his grin vanished and became stony. "Double check any gear you've brought with you. It will be chaotic enough without random failures."

@Reyn @Minuteman75 @Kestrel @Seafoam

 

[Cavo Bresk]

Cavo waited on the ramp as his companions descended, arms folded over his chest. His gaze was set firmly on the horizon, scanning this way and that with single minded focus. No weapon of any kind dangled from his belt. He wore no armour. Why he was here when he had so little was a mystery. Even his robes seemed thin compared to the dark armour that clanked beside him.

"Tell me where you'd like me and what you'd like me doing and I'll get right to it. Put a blaster in my hand, leave me to deal with wounds, whatever works. I am yours to command."

The desert storm continued to rage before him. In it, he saw spectres of those who had come before, monsters looming out of the twilight with theft, destruction, wealth on their minds. The village was suddenly alive again. He could hear voices, old voices, murmuring about everyday things. Simple affairs of no consequence. Perhaps of infinite consequence; perhaps they are all that matters. Dantooine came close as well. For a moment, the whipping sand gave way to lashing rain, fields of rich harvest, his father's arched back as he worked. This had been like his home. They had struck against his home. He knew why he was here - to be the soldier the battlefield craved.

@Reyn @Minuteman75 @Kestrel @Mr. Teatime​

 

[Pidge Batana]

Pidge followed the rest of the crew off the ship. The flight over had been very long. First she had to take a commercial liner from Coruscant to a port on Kashyyyk, where she transferred ships. Eventually, she had joined the Jedi party to fly to Cantonica. When they had landed, the sandstorm was already raging and the sand was hitting and whirling around the ship so hard, it was almost a rose golden rain. Pidge had decided it would be best to leave R4-T6 inside. The sand would clog his gears faster than she could say bantha. She pulled her mask over her face and checked that all her equipment was sealed. It would not due to have all of her tech become sand logged, especially on such an important mission

As she walked along, she considered her purpose with the Jedi. She practically spent more time with Jedi than she did her own faction. Not that she disliked the Jedi, but she had frequently gotten the impression they were rather distant and serious. She had been assigned to this group as a medic and tech support, or atleast that was the information she had received over her com the previous day. Pidge was frequently contacted for her skills as a one time team member. I should really get a team of my own sometime, she thought, but she couldn’t refuse jobs that brought in a few credits. She noted the others seemed reluctant to fight and she knew she could barely hold a blaster straight. Yet the job had called for a medic, so there was presumably some risk.

Calling herself back to the present, Pidge followed her group into the brutal dessert.

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel listened closely to Hannibal's words, glad that there was an experienced Knight with them to take the initiative. When he mentioned lightsabers though she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.

"I... Actually have yet to construct my lightsaber..." She replied honestly as she gripped her staff tightly. "I'm not a bad fighter though, well, not terrible anyway." The Padawan lowered her head and focused her mind as Hannibal suggested. She reached out with the Force, her senses radiating outwards and encompassing a large area around them. She could feel the lingering emotions of the village's former inhabitants, the fear and dread they had felt. The pain of loss, and the anger and lust for revenge. They had scattered throughout the region though. Their target, the Jade Company, had remained in good formation as they moved through, even in their ruthless slaughter. She could feel them now, some miles away, marching eastward. There was likely another city or village in their sights, soon to meet the same fate.

Returning her focus to the group she looked up at her comrades. "I believe they went that way." She said as she pointed to the east through the storm. "They'll probably have to make camp and rest before they attack their next target. We can strike them then." She looked to the Jedi Knight for a response, ready to follow his lead. The storm was not letting up, and they had a lot of ground to cover if they wanted to intercept the Jade Company before any more innocents were harmed.

@Mr. Teatime @Kestrel @Seafoam

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

Pausing in his preparations, the Jedi Knight swept his gaze over the other three members of his team after two of them essentially announced they are, functionally, unarmed. The nervous one brought a stick, at least. A stick, for kark's sake. Plus, he was getting some overly-personal vibes from the one who looked like a farm boy. Why in the name of all that is good did the Council let two unarmed padawans join, much less with Hannibal? Is this some test? Clearing his mind of his judgy, judgy thoughts he wordlessly stepped back up the ramp to the ship, re-emerging shortly with a small pile of things for each padawan. Into each pair of limbs he bundled a sheathed vibro-dagger and a somewhat worn DL-44, complete with two spare power packs each, as well as a pair of simple adjustable sand goggles.

"If you know how to shoot, do so. If you don't, do so anyway and learn as we go. Keep your lightsaber in front of you. That is to say, keep me in front of you. Stick to cover, remain calm, and mostly importantly..." He paused for a moment, looking once at each of them. "You will do as I say when I tell you. Is that very clear?" he said, his tone becoming very serious very quickly, the severity of it emphasized by the altered sound through the mask. Hannibal was no soldier, but he at least knew how to sneak, fight, and cause problems for people. When it came to telling other people what to do he found it was easier to just imitate his mother than think about it to hard, thus the change in attitude.

Following his little lecture he stood back up to full height. Following where the insectile padawan had pointed he narrowed his eyes behind his helmet, reaching out through the Force. Yes, he was getting the feeling he should walk that way. He turned back again, briefly looking over the Twi'lek he had been at some point informed of was a member of the Syndicate. "I assume you know how to use your blaster, so I'd appreciate it if you also did as I asked, if you wouldn't mind." This was all he said before he started walking east, waving his hand vaguely in that direction. "Buckle your stuff and let's go."

@Reyn @Kestrel @Seafoam

 

[Cavo Bresk]

[MUSIC]

Cavo checked his weapon quickly and efficiently. One might even say expertly. Thumbing screws to check their tightness, polishing places where the grime might come away, peering down the barrel and cleaning it out with the tip of his newly acquired vibro-knife. The weapon passed his inspection. Not that that he was going to turn a weapon down. Even if he discovered it was not fit to be fired, it might be a useful tool to make himself look a little more threatening; and out here in the merciless desert, he'd take all the help he could get.

Throwing up his hood, he marched a little further into the storm, squinting through the yellow haze. He rested a hand on his blaster. The cold steel beneath his fingers managed to be both reassuring and alarming. He hadn't picked up a blaster since he'd been on Dantooine. Cantonica was going to be a first in more ways than one.​

 

[Pidge Batana]

Pidge nodded at the Jedi’s commands. She was trying to place his name... she wanted to say... Hannibal? She had never been properly introduced, so she decided to take it upon herself. Besides, some conversation would ease the tension they all felt walking blindly into a storm. “I’m Pidge. It probably said Pidgelle Batana when you hired me, but I like to be called Pidge. Atleast, I hope you hired me. Otherwise, someone else is also running a mission on this gritty hellscape of a planet.“ She paused, hoping someone would respond. She liked to keep her one-sided conversations to a minimum.

Pidge held up her blaster casually yet cautiously. Shooting in this visibility would be about as easy as trying to win an arm wrestle with a Wookiee. She was glad the Jedi could sense where they were needed, because she had lost any semblance of direction. Pidge was shielding her eyes, trudging forward, when her foot ran into a piece of metal. At first it looked like scrap, but it had to be recently dropped to not already be buried in the sea of sand. Barely avoiding an embarrassing fall from her trip, Pidge lifted the metal. It was some sort of armor plating, a bit scratched up, but fairly newly painted. It looked as if it might fit a humanoid’s chest.

“Um... Excuse me,” Pidge said to Hannibal, “But I don’t think we are the only passerbys”

 

[Izel Thral]

Izel inspected the weapons handed to her with a degree of unease, although she did her best to hide it. Blasters weren't exactly her strong suit either, and she was beginning to wonder if she had any particularly strong talents that would be of use here. Trying her best to ignore these uncertain thoughts she nodded firmly as Hannibal took the lead.

"Yes Master." She replied dutifully, and promptly fell in behind him and the others. "Izel Thral," She introduced herself politely to Pidge as they walked, although she had to raise her voice almost to a shout to be heard over the raging sandstorm. "Glad to meet you! Although... I suppose the circumstances could be better." The middle of a storm didn't seem the best place for a friendly conversation. But it wasn't long before the Twi'lek drew her attention again after stumbling over something in the sand. As she picked up the piece of metal the Padawan tilted her head curiously and leaned forward, antennae twitching inquisitively as she reached out to brush her fingers over it.

"I doubt it belongs to a member of the Jade Company," She piped up after Pidge, also turning to face Hannibal. "They only use stormtrooper armor. This is of a different style. Perhaps it belonged to one of the locals? They may be putting up some resistance to the invaders. If we find them they may be able to help us." She paused to ponder for a moment. "Well… If they don't start shooting at us as well that is. I can't imagine they're in a very sociable mood right now." She fell silent again, waiting for the senior Jedi to make the call on what to do.

@Mr. Teatime @Kestrel @Seafoam

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

Hannibal grimaced beneath his helmet, feeling his skin crawl at being referred to as a Master. He certainly didn't consider himself one, he just happened to be in charge here because no one else was. "Hannibal Grayza, Jedi Knight. A pleasure." A simple introduction would do. It would do for the situation. Today was going to be a stressful day, but he was in serious work mode and would handle the stress part later. Warzones were no joke, and while he'd prefer not to have Padawans doing this sort of work before they'd even made their lightsabers, what's done is done. He'd just have to yell at the Council after he'd gotten them back to the temple in one piece.

The talk about a bit of armor drew his attention and his marching stopped. He turned around, walking over to Pidge and the bit of metal. He reached out his left hand, brushing his fingertips across the metal, allowing the echoes in the Force it contained to reach through him, his figure briefly stiffening. They were mostly flashes and emotions, blaster fire and explosions and the like, but it should be enough to identify something useful. Or at least, he was hoping. After a few moments his fingers swiftly left the metal plate, almost as if it had burned him. "Syndicate mercenary, a deserter I suspect. I don't think their group will be of any help to us." This last assertion was mostly supported by the image of their group collapsing under overwhelming fire supported by assault walkers, which he kept to himself. He was hoping not to have to deal with anything like that. This was not the group for heavy work.

"We need to keep moving. They may have patrols, and we should avoid being spotted until we get to where we need to go." He turned back around, resuming the march. Based on scanner maps and his general intuition, he was hoping to move the group towards the side of the general warzone area, avoiding the bulk of Jade forces and patrols and get to the objectives with as little issue as possible. The Jade Company was well armed, but spread a little thin over this planet in their insistence in using old Imperial tactics. If this little rag-tag group took their flank and started disrupting them, the collapse in communication could be a large factor in their loss of the planet.

Besides, maybe they'd get to steal an AT-ST or something.

@Reyn @Kestrel @Seafoam