Ask Helping the Lost

[Oren Zapan]

To say public space transportation was a hassle, would be putting it lightly. Oren enjoyed his home with the Jedi, but it was quite a light skip and a jump away from any planet that had a decent sized population. They had to take his own ship to a station outside of Tatooine, parking his old YT-1300 in some force forsaken space port, where the two of them boarded their flight for Utapau.

Oren had gained wind from some Jedi in the area that a child had gone missing, yet with little credits to give, they had no one to help them track down their missing son. Oren knew what had to be done and so he opted to head out. Truth be told he had been hopping from planet to planet on solo missions for a bit of time now, seeing the galaxy at large and learning his place in it. Even though he had his students and his padawan, he found himself to be lonely often. It was hard to get that connection and simple adult conversation when you were surrounded by kids, but sometimes it was just nice to get away.

He had been so impressed with Brienna's skills during their training session and decided that she could be a good fit for the job, and maybe it would be a good way to form up a close relationship with someone that wasn't under the age of twenty. The two of them had been traveling together for a few days now, they sat within a crowded spaceport shuttle, a few hours out from arriving at the planet. Oren watched as children ran between the main aisle and various patrons tried to sleep or dodge the elbows of their neighbor sitting beside them.

Oren was packed tightly beside the fellow Jedi, dressed in a normal synth-hide jacket and his all too familiar captain's trousers which had been tucked into a pair of black polished jack boots. His saber had been hidden away inside of his jacket and to the rest of the galaxy he seemed like some nobody spacer traveling home with his wife. His face markings flashed red at the thought as he tried to push any thought like that out of his head.

He'd turn to Brienna smiling, "You look different," he'd chuckle as he ran a hand through his wavy brown hair, "I think you pull this casual look off," he'd tease as he leaned back in his seat.

tag: @ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Brienna Lanaamer was always impressed at the sheer scope and size of the galaxy. One would assume, obviously, that an entire galaxy is indeed quite a large place, however, it was one thing to look a star chart, or a map, versus visiting a planet, and learning someone's story. Who they were. Where they came from. What they believed in. As the young Jedi Knight graduated from Padawan learning, and moved beyond the introductory Jedi Knight phase of her career, she found that travelling and meeting the different beings of every planet to be a most rewarding experience. Learning new cultures, new beliefs, new languages. The languages was more of a valiant attempt, but she did pick up a few new words here and there.

These thoughts rattled through her mind as she stared out the window of a large transport starship, watching the vibrant blue lines of hyperspace streak past. The starship was en route to Pau City, the Capital on the planet of Utapau, after having taken off a few hours earlier from the desert world of Tatooine. Bri had been invited by Oren Zapan to assist in the searching and locating of a missing child on the Outer-Rim planet. She had made friends with Oren after spending some time with him training Padawans back on Ajan Kloss, and had accepted his request with a nod and friendly smile. Normally a habitual resident of the libraries on the new Jedi homeworld, Bri figured that she could probably use with a little excursion away from the dusty texts and bright datapads.

Their journey had taken a few days to get out to Tatooine, travelling in Oren's YT-1300 ship. It left them with more than enough time to get to know each other a bit better, which Bri had found was going well, with only a few instances of awkward pauses in conversation. The voyage across the galaxy had also left the young Knight plenty of time to meditate, trying to focus her channeling on the purpose of their travel. Sadly, children went missing across the galaxy every day, and Bri wondered why this Pau'an had caught the Jedi's attention. She anticipated that there was more to the story to be found out as they arrived. Bri had never been to Utapau, and was eager to see someplace new.

The Galaxy was becoming more used to having the presence of Jedi return. Sure, it had been over a hundred years since the Skywalker had started the Jedi anew, but the more places Bri went, everyone seemed to have an opinion of their new Order, usually based on their own histories. Many didn't believe in them at all; some were cautious of their control over the Force, and others outright shunned them. Thus, Bri had changed and left her more traditional Jedi garb back on Oren's ship, opting for a more commonplace standard look for a galactic traveler. A bland looking tunic with an open neck-line was covered by a dark-green light jacket that reached down to her thighs. Form fitting dark pants were accompanied by a pair of sturdy hardened leather shoes. She had tied her hair up in a pony tail, and carried a small knapsack, containing some varying supplies. Her lightsaber was stored in a pocket on the interior of her jacket.

Bri turned away from the window as Oren addressed her. "Oh?" she smiled with a slight laugh, "well, thanks. I figured casual was best. Glad to know it works for me" Before adding slightly quieter, "hopefully we don't seem too conspicuous. "

@TWD26

 

[Oren Zapan]

Oren could feel a few eyes peering over towards the two of them, some of them innocent others with some concern. Maybe it was strange that a human and a near human would be together, a few ideas ran through his head. He had read the stories about everything that had happened, the galaxy was often at war due in part of his brothers in the past and their battle against the dark side that often reared itself to everyone and everything. I hope that doesn't occur again.

With little thought, he'd quickly place his tan hand against Brienna's, his fingers sliding and interlocking with her own. As the facial markings formed a red hue over his face, "No..no, I think that they'll be happy for us," he'd add some emphasis to the words, "I'm sure my parents will love finding out that we married," he'd say in a soft tone and a wink. Sorry about that, hopefully you don't take it the wrong way.

He could feel some of their eyes drift away from them, "I think we're getting closer," he whispered into her ear, "My friend, should be waiting for us at the hangar," his eyes would shift over towards a group of Trandoshans who even with the two holding and embracing, still kept their eyes on the pair, "Watch out for them, something doesn't feel right."

tag: @ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri watched and noticed as Oren seemed to peer around at their nearby traveling companions, possessing a glance of relative unease. Taking a moment to have a brief look at the close surroundings, the young Jedi did not immediately notice anything that struck her attention. For the most part, everyone on board seemed content to keep to themselves passing the time of the journey in a different variety of means. Reading, sleeping, watching a holovid, quiet conversations. It was, however, possible that Oren had noticed of felt something that she had not.

She was still looking around when she felt Oren reach down and touch her hand, attempting to interlock his fingers with her. Bri’s first response was to reactively pull her hand away but stopped herself when realizing that Oren had created a role for the two of them to play in an attempt to help them fit in a little bit better, and reduce the possibility of any curious glances in their direction. However until she clued on to what Oren was attempting to do, Bri’s face remained a humorous combination of both shock and embarrassment, her large blue eyes wide with confusion.

Acting was never an area where Bri excelled, and she ended up sounding rather stiff in responding to Oren, “Oh. Umm, yes, I definitely hope they will.” Still blushing, she knew Oren was just trying to put those around them at ease, but couldn’t help still feeling embarrassed. Bri noticeably relaxed as Oren moved the conversation back to business as he explained their movements upon arrival and offered a short, quick warning about a group of Trandoshans who were seated behind Her.

Trying to nonchalantly take a look behind, Bri attempted to use all of her senses, including her connection to the Force, to try and provide additional information.

@TWD26

 

[Oren Zapan]

The face markings on the Jedi began to glow bright red out of awkwardness. He should have expected Bri to nearly flinch, but to see her confusion was enough to make the Knight want to die inside. Sorry about that, he'd think to himself, hoping that she could read minds. Something in the force felt strange, the trandoshans had boarded the ship with them back on Tatooine. If the stories about his Master's old ship were true, then he had no doubt it was most likely because of that.

He could feel the tension in the crowd picking up as the ship began to slow and he could feel a descent planetside. The bell would ding above their seats, motioning for everyone to remain seated. Oren would quickly pull his hand away from his fellow Jedi, reaching down to pick up their bags. As soon as they landed and the doors to the shuttle were open, Oren would quickly take Bri's hand again, pulling her close and in front of him as they molded into the single file tight line. "Keep your head low," he'd whisper towards her as they slowly shuffled towards the door.

He could see the trandoshans looking around, but it seemed that they had hid themselves low enough and soon enough they were out into the wide open expanse of the spaceport. Oren would peer out towards the massive sunken sinkhole that they were currently standing in, not realizing that his hand still gripped Bri's. He'd peer down, awkwardly laughing as he pulled his hand away, his cheeks flushed with red, "Hah...sorry about that," he'd say with a nervous grin. "Ah...I don't see our contact, can you sense him through the force?"

OOC: Rolled an 83 on a clean get away from the Trando gangsters, you can roll to see if we find our contact or get completely lost.

tag: @ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

The ships intercom provided a pleasing sound followed by a voice announcing their arrival at Utapau. The message was then repeated several times in varying languages. Trying to maintain close watch at their surroundings Bri was also curious to see the planet, and turned her attention to the window, spotting large swaths of green-brown plains with cavernous holes in the ground dotting they landscape. The Jedi understood that the cities of Utapau were located in these depressions, and while wary of maintain her focus on their mission, was excited to see them first hand.

Arriving at the star port was fairly smooth, which was then followed by the bustle of everyone trying to get off, seemingly as quick as possible. The two Jedi grabbed their bags and filed into the rivers of beings exiting the ship, Bri maintaining close contact with Oren, as he had taken her hand once more. Something she felt was probably not entirely necessary. Bri nodded in comprehension as he had told her to keep her head low in the crowds. Looking up, it seemed as though the Trandoshans were trying to locate the two Jedi, eager faces making quick glances through the masses. An unmistakable sign of searching. Fortunately, Oren and Bri had managed to dodge their would be pursuers and found themselves in a more secluded area of the port.

The brief break in action provided Bri the opportunity to look around, marveling with a smile at the impressive architecture and complexities of the bustling city around them. Feeling slightly ignorant for not knowing why the pau’an’s had built their cities in the large holes, she resolved to look it up back at the library on Ajan Kloss. Bri returned her attention to Oren as he sheepishly apologized for holding her hand. Trying to sound reassuring, Bri replied with a friendly sounding, “No worries,” although with a slight blush.

Bri’s golden colored ponytail flipped side to side as she quickly turned her head in hopes of feeling or spotting the contact that they were supposed to be meeting. Something, no doubt the Force, told her to take a left from where they were standing, and after a few moments of walking she spotted a cloaked figure standing near an arched column. Looking back to Oren she said quietly, “I think that’s them,” gesturing to the figure.

(OOC: Rolled a 97 for successful location. @TWD26 )

 

[Oren Zapan]

Oren caught a glimpse as her face flushed slightly red. His own markings pulsed slightly and he tried to take a few deep breaths to get it under control, but it seemed his nerves were slightly shot. Yeah, yeah, we get it, she's good looking and you're a total klutz. But, really holding her hand twice, come on man play it cool. He was totally playing through the scene in his head over and over.

It was not forbidden to love in their order, one only couldn't get possessive or controlling, but now wasn't really the time to be considering dating prospects. They were here on a mission and this family's child was relying on them to help find their child. It seemed Bri was on the trail and quickly off in search of their target.

He trailed behind her as they took a left, quickly spotting the robbed figure. "This must be Ju'gasta," he'd say as he stepped forward towards the short man who quickly peered up towards them. Half of his face was burned and he was clearly missing an eye. My master knew this guy? Hmm, and he said he was always so squeaky clean.

"You must be Du'kara's student," the man said in a nasaly voice as, his wrinkled old hands reached out to grip Oren's own, "I'm so sorry, the way your master fought..to see him go, it had to be.."

Oren's face flushed bright red at the thought of his master's sickness, "It's alright.." He'd bark, the wound was clearly visible after all these years. "My master said you and him were good friends, so we're here...how can we help?"

A group of Pau'an's emerged from behind the pillar, blasters drawn. Ju'gasta looked towards the two of them, "I'm sorry it had to be like this, but please come with us, the Dryze Syndicate needs your help." He'd say in a low tone.

Oren took a step back, his eyes shifting back to Bri before turning back to the gangsters, "No, you said we were here to help find a boy, we're not helping with this." He'd point, his voice falling into a growl.

The man would grunt, "The boy will be returned home once you complete our job, I assure you..Please, we need your help, if this breaks out, this whole city is in danger."

tag: @ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri and Oren approached the cloaked figure after a few moments of walking. Bri suppressed an external grimace as she got a good look at his face, which had evidently been involved in some sort of catastrophic incident. They had medical droids that could fix or repair the damage, and she wondered why this man had not done so. Bri followed the interaction between Oren and Ju’gasta, notably observing Oren’s change of emotion when the contact brought up his old Master. She personally didn’t know that much about his history, other than their brief conversations while traveling, but it seemed to be a difficult subject for Oren to talk about. Perhaps he might feel like sharing later, she pondered to herself.

As Oren attempted to get the subject back on track to their mission at hand, a group of local Pau’ans appeared from behind a few nearby columns, all brandishing blasters. Groaning internally, Bri cursed herself for letting them walk right into a trap. Trying her best not to become frustrated with the situation, she wondered once more where exactly Oren had gotten his information from. At the moment, it seemed like they were about to be blackmailed into helping a few gangsters with a most likely nefarious task in exchange for freeing a kidnapped child. Not exactly the Jedi way.

Resolving not to act rashly, Bri instinctively took a step back and looked at Oren, shrugging, though with her brows furrowed in concentration. They could probably take the gangsters, but that might just end up making the situation worse. Bri’s analytical mind resolved that the best course to proceed was to acquire more information, and it seemed like the best way to do that was to go with Pau’ans. Of course it was also possible the gangsters could just take them and kill them later. Bri hoped for the former.

@TWD26

 

[Oren Zapan]

Oren would raise his hands towards the group, "Hey now, you sought me out, saying you were friends with my master." He'd growl, "And you're using us for some syndicate business? How did you know him, was he involved in this?" His brows furrowed in anger as his eyes narrowed. There's no way he was rubbing elbows with these men, he was always so cranky. Though a lingering doubt filled his mind, his master found him in the spice mines, during the riots--why was he there?

The disfigured man peered towards his thugs, "Your master worked with us, long ago...but some woman and some pilot from Kijimi, they came and asked him to join them." The man would sigh, "Your master was always close to us, we may be criminals, but we never hurt anyone, we were looking out for our city..." The man's shriveled face would sneer, "You didn't know..?"

Oren's hand would clench into a fist, Emotion yet peace...Emotion, yet peace...Emotion, Yet Peace. He'd take a deep breath as he turned towards Bri with a frown, "I'm..." His voice would crack, "I'm sorry, I didn't know it was going to be this way," his face flushed red, "We should lea..."

Images of the boy flashed through his head, he was still missing and his master's old friends still had them. "It was a bad batch, it got the people sick in the lower quarters..They said the spice was too strong, but we didn't expect it to be this way..they're growing sick and attacking each other...We need your help please."

Oren would turn towards the man, "We're doing this for the boy, and for these people." His voice would fall neutral, "After this, you leave the city."

The man raised his voice, "Look..."

"The Sector Rangers will be breathing down this whole sector looking for you...I mean it," he'd say in a serious tone.

Ju'gasta would huff before turning towards his men, "Prepare your things, the locals will catch on to what has happened here and they will come for us." He'd turn back towards the Jedi, "I hope you're happy...take care of the mess and the boy will be freed before we leave."

Oren turned back towards Bri, motioning towards the public elevator that seemed to lead to the lower quarters. "I can't believe my master was involved in this, I feel so ashamed."

OOC: Rolled a 71 to convince them to leave the sector.
tag: @ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri hesitated while Oren conversed with Ju’gasta. She was doing her best at hiding her frustration at the situation that they found themselves in. Oren had been the one to bring her along based on his intelligence about the problem, yet she could feel his emotions flare in confusion and anger as he learned that his former Master may have been involved with the criminal group previously. Listening further, Bri was a little confused by Ju’gasta’s statement that the gangsters in front of her were criminals, but they didn’t hurt anyone. She pondered internally what exactly that was supposed to mean. Were the blasters currently pointed at her chest just for show?

“It’s alright, you didn’t know.” Bri patted Oren’s shoulder, and tried to sound reassuring as her partner apologized, his voice breaking with emotion. She tried to look at the problem from multiple angles, in order to determine how best they could proceed. Fight their way out was one option, but that was the scenario Bri wanted to take the least. Far too much collateral damage. There was still a child that needed to be rescued, but could the gangsters be trusted in any capacity to tell the truth? They mentioned something about bad spice, but what exactly were the Jedi supposed to do about that?

What Oren said was true, the Sector Rangers would be shutting down the area as soon as the Jedi reported what was going on. Ju’gasta and his cohorts prepared to depart and offered one last message of information to save the kidnapped child. Bri turned back to Oren, “It’s ok,” she paused, again trying to sound comforting. “I get the feeling that there is more to this story. What do you think we should do? We can’t just leave this kidnapped child” Bri added, sounding determined.

@TWD26

 

[Oren Zapan]

Oren would smile softly as he felt Bri's hand against his shoulder. He'd take a deep breath, centering himself and clearing his emotions. She was correct in her assessment that he had not known what his master was doing. Giving a gentle nod, "I know, you're right..It's just terrible, my master always had weird connections. He kept his past a secret from even me his student." He'd sigh as he slowly walked towards the elevator.

"We will find the child," he'd say in a serious tone, meaning every word he said towards Bri, "We need to look into what this 'dangerous' spice is, and see what's going on down below. If it's as bad as they say, then there will be a bigger problem on these people hands than just one missing child.

He'd step into the elevator with Bri, his eyes shifting over towards her and taking a good look at her. She was beautiful, he thought to himself, but kept the words to himself. Instead, he shifted his thoughts towards the idea of rabid citizens, was such a thing even possible?

As the doors opened, he would find a score of citizens laying about on the streets, groaning and pale skinned. It seemed something in the spice had made the whole lower level sick. "Did it get in the water supply?" He'd say in a low tone, his hand reaching into his jacket as he saw two shuffling people turn towards them.

They weren't dead, but it seemed whatever was in their system had turned them rabid and insane. The shuffling citizens would turn towards the two Jedi, screeching towards them with arms open wide, maybe six to seven in count. Oren would reluctantly start up his blade, turning towards Bri, "Are we sure about this?"

tag: @ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri replied to Oren as they walked, holding her hands out in explanation, “everyone has their own story and motivations. You don’t know to what extent your Master may have interacted with those guys,” she gestured behind her. It was evident that this new revelation seemed to have rattled Oren, and as much as Bri felt badly for him, she sensed that the future dangers would require both of their full concentrations. They couldn’t afford for any distractions. But, trying to practice her empathy, Bri imagined herself in Oren’s place, getting a better understanding of his emotions.

Nodding in affirmation of their continued mission to find the kidnapped child, Bri pondered aloud about the so called, ‘bad spice.’ “It could be, but what exactly are two Jedi supposed to do about it?” Her own healing abilities were mediocre at best, but she wondered if, perhaps, Oren had a plan for what awaited them below. The two Jedi boarded the elevator down to the lower levels as they stood in silence. Bri chewed on her bottom lip and furrowed her brows in concentration, running through scenarios in her mind.

The elevator arrived at it’s destination a few moments later, as Bri felt a slight lurch in her stomach with the lift slowing to a halt. She followed behind Oren as they exited, this lower level of the city slightly darker than the upper. It seemed less clean, and had an almost hazy atmosphere. Bri first noticed the people laying in the streets, obviously incapacitated, the Jedi feeling that they weren’t dead. “Whatever it is, it’s made them sick,” she replied to Oren, walking forward briefly to get a better look at one.

Bri immediately stepped back, as a group of people under the influence of the aforementioned narcotic began to shuffle towards the two Jedi, screeching as if they wanted to attack. Bri looked at Oren with concern and waveringly replied, “No, we’re definitely not sure about this,” emphasizing her sentence. She watched Oren pull out his lightsaber, and was about to do the same before stopping, “Wait. Hold on, we can’t just kill them,” pulling her sack in front of her, Bri reached in and rummaged briefly, before retrieving her blaster and setting it to stun. “How about this?” she added, looking back at Oren, and preparing to point and shoot.

@TWD26

 

[Oren Zapan]

Watching as a group of spice induced maniacs sprinting towards him left him with little confidence. "Well, I'm glad you feel as good about this as I do," he'd smile as he quickly placed his lightsaber back into his jacket. Bri was right in this situation, these people needed their help, they could be saved. "Good idea," he'd say with a gentle smile towards Bri before turning back towards the group.

He would step forward, raising both of his hands as he called out towards the force. He could see their faces, the women and men, but it was the small child that got to him. Something about their bloodshot eyes and foaming mouth stung at his core, causing him to lose focus. He tried to call out with the force in an attempt to push them away, but nothing happened.

Quickly within moments the score of enraged and sickened citizens were on him. He felt them wrapping around his right arm, latching onto it and biting into it, their teeth tearing at the flesh. Extreme pain shot through his arm as he felt it fall numb, the tendons began to tear and he slowly felt the citizens begin to strip his lower forearm , wrist and hand from his body. He fell back, a hand slashing across his left cheek as he fell, tearing into his face and leaving several streaking wounds that lead up his cheek.

"Gah," he called out in pain as he felt the blood pouring from the wound. This was really bad, and he needed help as soon as possible, they needed to stop the bleeding. But, this wasn't the way of the Jedi. He'd slowly pull himself up onto his butt, watching as they continued to chase him, "Go..leave me, tell the rangers what happened here!"


OOC: Rolled a 3, so now I'm in terrible shape and gonna need some serious help haha. We might need to kill these zombies and high tail it out of here.

tag: @ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri watched anxiously as Oren attempted to reach out with the Force to stop the zombie-like beings from completely swarming them. She felt her heart start to race faster and her breathing rapidly increase with each passing moment, struggling to remain calm and keep her emotions in check. Eventually she couldn’t wait for Oren to act and started zapping the pau’ans with her blaster, the gun offering a slight kickback and mechanical hum every time she fired. The stunning shots had their intended effect, knocking down someone every time Bri connected.

Her blaster rifle was able to hold off the swarm attempting to attack her, but she had forgotten about Oren in the chaos and looked over to see the zombies already starting to attack with voracious ferocity. “No, no, no, no, Oren!” she called out, after hearing her partner cry out in pain. Bri could barely see what was happening through the crowd, and immediately silenced her mind and recoiled her arms, preparing to call the Force. With a sharp exhale, and an athletic sounding grunt, the Jedi Knight thrust her arms forward, straight out, as a powerful push of energy emanated from her hands, connecting with the crowd of zombies, sending them careening and flying in all directions.

Bri could feel herself losing control of her emotions, and instead focused on what needed to be done, the discipline of her own mind keeping her clear, focused and alert. “Not going to happen” she replied flatly to Oren, getting a first glimpse of his sustained wounds; scrapes and slashes on his face, his lower arm missing. It was a gruesome sight, and Bri concentrated on how she could help, blocking out the severity of the injuries. She picked Oren up from underneath his arms, hobbling the short distance to the elevator behind them. Hearing the zombies slowly start to recover from her attack, Bri repeatedly smashed the call button, feeling every second waiting for the doors to open as an eternity.

Mercifully, the elevator doors opened with a soft whir, and Bri dragged Oren in, leaning him against the metallic wall. She looked down once more at his arm and realized the first priority would be to stop the bleeding. Quickly taking off her jacket, she wrapped it tightly around his arm. Hoping that her calm demeanor would keep Oren from freaking out, Bri quietly said, “hold still,” hoping to keep Oren’s attention at her large, blue eyes, not his suffered wounds. She placed her right hand on Oren’s upper arm, slowly breathing in and out. In and out. Connecting with the Force. Willing her energy into Oren.

Bri was not even remotely skilled enough to completely heal Oren’s arm, but, she hoped that she might be able to stabilize his wound, and minimize the bleeding for a long enough time that they could seek better medical care. Bri closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, remarkably finding her own inner calm despite the events of the previous few minutes. She only hoped it would be enough, and Oren was strong enough to make it. “We’re almost there. Hold on,” she added quietly, eyes, still closed in concentration.

@TWD26 OOC: Rolled a 71 for successful escape.

 

[Oren Zapan]

Everything seemed to happen so fast and in flashes. He could feel the blood pouring from his arm, everything felt light and cloudy. His eyes would flutter as he was on the ground as the sick citizens climbed on top of him. There is no death, only the force. It seemed as if he was losing himself at that moment, had he accepted his inevitable death? This is strange, it feels peaceful.

Flashes of Byron, Nara, his master, the temple, and of Bri flashed through his mind, never really sticking to one memory at a time. I'm sorry Byron, he thought to himself and his first student, the one he had failed a decade prior. He thought of his own time as a child with his master, the same memories that he had begun to build with Nara, she was practically a daughter to the Jedi--he only hoped that she wouldn't take his loss too hard. His mind thought of the river on Ajan Kloss, and Bri's punch to his face, which caused him to nearly break his nose. Though this seemed a bit worse now, I think this one hurts a little more.

His eyes shut and he barely felt the rush of the force that sent the bodies flying back off of him. His focus would weave in and out as he fought. He could feel his body being carried away, was it to be with the force or was it the real world? He wasn't quite sure at the time. He felt a cooling sensation against the remains of his arm, his eyes would slowly open to connect with her own deep blue pupils. Everything hurt so bad, but he felt at peace.

"Tell me," he'd cough and wince, "Do you think I can pull off the cybernetic arm look?" A faint smile would form on his lips before he closed his eyes, his head falling back as he tried to conserve his energy.

tag: @ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri laughed softly with a smile as Oren joked with her. She felt relieved that he seemed well enough to offer a jest about the cybernetics in his future. Replying, Bri offered, “I think you can, now stay still,” smiling. The elevator provided a soft ‘ding’ as its movement stabilized and the two Jedi arrived back on the upper level. As the doors opened, Bri managed to get Oren out of the elevator, and call over one of the attendants from the nearby star port to message for medical assistance. The pau’an looked on in confusion and fear as Bri energetically gesticulated and explained what had happened. Eventually her powers of persuasion worked and a medical shuttle could be heard in the distance.

The Jedi kept her focus on Oren, maintaining her connection with his arm to try and keep both his emotions and wound stabilized. As her adrenaline began to wear off, Bri felt herself start to weaken, having expended a large amount of force ability when she saved Oren down below, and now trying to keep him stabilized. The shuttle arrived only a few moments later, and Bri helped to load her fellow Jedi on board, the medical droid quickly hooking him up to the necessary equipment. Bri then collapsed into an empty seat with a sigh, feeling exhausted.

@TWD26

 

[Oren Zapan]

In and out, the light around him seemed to fade. He could see glimpses of Bri here and there, movement towards a platform, the faces of shocked citizens. "Get..the rangers," he'd mumble out loud, though he wasn't quite sure if he even said the words or if they were all in his head. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion.

He could feel Bri beside him, tiring slowly as she tried her best. As the Medical shuttle would arrive, he would be forced onto the ship, a group of medical droids and workers would quickly begin to stabilize and monitor Oren's vitals. His brown eyes shifted as he sat on the board, watching as Bri slumped into the seat. His lone arm would reach out, placing his hand on her knee. Coughing as he spoke, "I can't thank you enough." He would need to find a way to help her. "I'm sorry...we..we failed that kid." His eyes would clench closed as he felt the droids begin to prod and poke at the meaty exposed flesh of his right arm.

tag: @ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Of course. How could I forget about the missing child? Bri punished herself internally about completely losing sight of what had brought the two Jedi to Utapau in the first place. With the chaos of being practically eaten by zombies, Bri had focused her mind onto one track of saving Oren and getting him help. Opening her eyes as she felt a hand on her knee, Bri nodded silently to Oren replying with a half smile, “you would have done the same.” After composing herself for a few moments she added, “we haven’t failed yet,” and got up out of her seat to have a word with the pilot.

What Oren and Bri had experienced on the lower level of the Pau City was far beyond the scope of responsibility for only two Jedi. The Pau’ans needed to designate the whole level of the city as a health emergency and actively quarantine vast areas of the lower levels. Bri was trying to explain as much to the pilot of the medical shuttle, who only looked on in confusion as the Jedi became more animated. Eventually giving up, he handed her control of the shuttles communicator to contact the local authorities, whereupon Bri began her story once more.

Bri could tell the pau’an on the other end of her call was skeptical, and probably assumed the Jedi to be delusional or maybe even on spice herself, trying to tell a story about zombified people. But, after being transferred to various authorities in the local government, Bri was able to end the call knowing that she had done all that was possible for the moment. As for the missing child, well, she wouldn’t let a few missing limbs or zombies stop her yet. She returned to her seat back near Oren with a sigh and a rub of her face in fatigue.

@TWD26

 

[Oren Zapan]

Oren's eyes would slowly drift closed as he felt the droids working away towards his arm. Their binary chattering signaled that it was bad, but he would make it. He could feel the cool freeze of bacta pouring against his face and against his arms, as small pricks and needles poked about. The Jedi didn't dare look down at his wounds, it's only a flesh wound he thought to himself as he watched Bri work.

The way she commanded herself, she was strong and skilled, a perfect Jedi to lead operations on the field. He could see the pain and stress killing her inside. "Don't work yourself too hard," he'd sigh as he pulled himself slightly up, wincing in pain. "You're right we haven't failed..once they treat my arm, we'll hunt down this gang and find this child."

He would smile as his own eyes peered towards her own, "And I would love for you to join me." He wasn't sure why, but there was something about her that he was drawn to.

OOC: Feel free to put your response if you'd like to do a follow up thread to this or decline and then /END Thread! I loved this and can't wait to see what happens between the two of them in the future.

tag: @ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri laughed for herself as Oren asked her not to worry. What he may not have known about her, was that Bri practically worries about everything, struggling to keep incomplete tasks out her mind. Nevertheless, she appreciated his attempted to cheer her up, replying with a nod and a smile.

“Of course I’ll join” Bri replied, sounding determined. “We’ve already come this far,” she added, though that sentiment might have more meaning for the one who had lost an appendage. “We’ll find him,” she said, almost to herself, looking out the suttle window.

END/

OOC: Yeah, was fun