Open Just A Fool's Hope

[Crix Aran]

Obvious Inspiration is Obvious
Randon​

The AMS outbreaks across the Galaxy were getting to be far too much for some of the local governments to handle - Crix himself wasn't a member of any of those governments but even he could see that things were beginning to get out of hand. Without even going to planets within Hutt Space (a very dangerous place to go for him even without the virus in question) there were planets that had numbers far higher than others. One of the planets he had heard about was Randon, a market-place style of planet that got it's credits from being on the edge of corporate, outer rim, mid rim and hutt owned space all at the same time. Randon was the kind of planet where you could find anything for a price.

Unfortunately that meant a high population crammed into a small area and all the right trade links to mean that cases were going to come in from across the Galaxy and there was little that the government could do about it. Even now the local government had set up hard barriers around the spaceports with military and medical support from neighbors. Testing was compulsory and anyone who refused was turned away from the spaceports, away from freedom and the promise of a life away from the plague.

Deeper in the capital city, ships hovered over buildings and laid down withering blasts of suppressing fire into areas they suspected were lost to the infected. Some of those areas were, indeed, devoid of non-infected and others weren't. It didn't matter to them so much as having a clear idea of where was overrun and where wasn't.

Crix took a dim view of this, naturally, and had come to a decision - rather than waiting at Yavin for his Master, he had signed up for a local charity on Randon called Randon Rescues. The entire point was to ride out into the city on speeders and go looking for people, family and friends, who had been lost in certain areas. To bring back those who couldn't be moved by their families, those who would need a speeder or skiff to get them out of the hot zones.

Taking a deep breath in the spaceport, Crix made sure that his rebreather was fully repaired before nodding to a few of the other volunteers as they stepped up to the Bantha-Class cargo skiff that they were licensed to use during their mission runs. Crix took a look at the datapad handed to him, showing a list of thirty sentients they were going looking for in a block radius.

"Control this is Randon Rescues 1 ready for take-off." he called out, using the integrated comlink but making sure to speak up due to the background noise of constant activity around the spaceport, "Randon Rescues 1 ready for take-off. Mission is at X-Com Heights, we'll try not to take too long guys."

His right hand shook ever so slightly but Crix ignored it as he started powering up the skiff. This was what being a Jedi was about - going out and helping people who needed it regardless of how scared you were.

 

[Larana Basai]

The AMS outbreak was out of control and spreading still. Entire planets threatened to be overrun with infected, leaving innocent people to suffer in fear under governments overwhelmed by lack of support and resources. Many had even been separated from loved ones while fleeing hot spots, uncertain if they would make it out alive or be swallowed by hoards of infected. Hope here felt like a smoldering ember, waiting to be extinguished entirely. Of course, it would take far more than one team of volunteers to restore that flame, but perhaps they could encourage others to take action.

Larana felt her fingers tremble also, but took a deep and steadying breath as she powered up the second skiff. The remaining volunteers divided themselves among the two available transports, their expressions all of the same mock bravery. Their fear was to be expected, and anyone who claimed not to be afraid was a fool in her eyes, for fear was a mechanism of self preservation and they all shared the same desire to live.

"Control this is Randon Rescues 2 ready for take-off." Her announcement followed Crix, voice loud over the comlink to combat the activities of the spaceport around them. Larana looked ahead to confirm that everyone was safe on board and awaited the 'okay' from control to leave.

Looking over, she gave Crix a nod to confirm that she was ready to follow close behind him. The two of them had worked together only once in the past, but Larana felt confident that she could trust him in the event thing didn't go as planned.

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

Larana was on the second skiff and they were ready to go, even if them being here was technically against the new rules and regulations of the Order. Padawans were not to go out into the wider Galaxy without the guidance and assistance of a Jedi Knight or Master and yet here they were without either. Crix hadn't told his Master where he was going but his droids back on his ship had instructions to be honest if Hannibal called. If he didn't call? Well this wasn't even the first rescue mission he had run with Randon Rescues so far so he wasn't about to stop unless he was commanded to.

He didn't think Hans would say anything against them being here anyway.

"Alright Larana lets head off." he called out to her over the skiff controls before handing the helm over to one of the other volunteers, "May the Force be with us."

Crix moved to the front of the skiff as it rose, eyes peeled as the skiff started for the tower block they were supposed to be heading toward. As they headed out into the city, above the streets but low enough that they could still see individuals in trouble should they come across them, Crix noticed that the path they were taking was going to take them under a bridge.

A bridge that had been slated for orbital destruction for the high concentration of infected atop of it. The ends had been blockaded so the infected just stood there, milling around unless otherwise disturbed by noise. Such as the noise of the two skiffs making their way underneath the bridge. He pulled out his personal comlink to call Larana, to give her a warning, when the sound of sheering metal above gave him pause.

The edge of the bridge was covered with a half-wall of metal and it had given way. Infected were stumbling off the edge, literally raining down at the skiffs. Cursing loudly, Crix reached out with the Force, batting falling infected aside as they came crashing down. Several wet thuds against the skiff told him that some had gotten through his defense even as the skiff moved quickly on.

A trio of infected had landed on the skiff, one of them cracking it's head open upon landing, another having broken it's spine enough to lay paralyzed on the ground. The third lunged at Crix with one leg trailing, broken, behind it. Ducking out of the way, Crix ignited his lightsaber and stood between the mobile infected and the volunteers who naturally cowered behind him. The infected he... he had been a human but he was neither a 'he' nor a 'human' anymore.

@MatureContentWarningx

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

Randon was a planet Reiel thought she would ever visit, but her reason for being here was more of a rescue than something as harmless as a friendly visit.

It wasn't easy balancing her duties for the clan and her newfound job being the head of Carrick's security detail, but she made it work. Reiel was both resilient and determined, and she could only hope that her sorcerer would forgive her for asking for a week off of her duties, not to visit and spend time with her clan back in their covert but to mount a one-man rescue mission on a planet with AMS outbreaks.

One of the members of Clan Crowholde had sent a distress call to the covert, and with the AMS outbreaks across the galaxy continuing to wreak havoc the Alor had deemed it wise to stop sending more of his kin offworld. Those who were already off of Maldo Kreis were advised to remove themselves from nor go to planets with mounting infection rates. The unfortunate Crowholde member had found himself trapped and in need of a rescue, and who were his clanmates to forsake him to whatever horrible fate that might befall him should they abandon his call?

It was for that very reason why Reiel found herself being assigned to track down Keeth, and her worry and frustration only grew worse the longer her pursuit took. The building where her fellow Mandalorian had been initially hiding in was now completely abandoned, forcing her to set out once more despite the volunteers at Randon Rescues' attempts to dissuade her. Two skiffs have already gone ahead, and the small Mandalorian reigned her temper in at the closest volunteer who neglected to inform her about it. Perhaps the volunteer was simply concerned about her wellbeing, but Reiel did not need that concern at the moment – what she needed was to be on one of those skiffs so she could resume her search and maybe even offer the rescuers her and her kinsman's aid while they were at it!

"Please, Mando, you have to rest! You've been looking for three days–"

"I'll rest when I find my vod," she cut the volunteer off rather dismissively, gearing herself back up and marching straight for one of the parked speeder bikes she had been using for the past three days.

Following the two skiffs' direction, the small Mandalorian could only curse out loud when she caught sight of the commotion on the bridge. She was still a few yards away when the infected began falling from the bridge, and at the familiar sight of a lightsaber being ignited Reiel gunned down on the speeder bike's acceleration and came to a quick stop behind one of the skiffs.

Jedi.

She couldn't see his face yet, but the small Mandalorian knew the telltale signs of hesitation when she saw one. Assuming that the Zabrak was torn between attacking and pondering on the life of the infected before him, Reiel made the decision for himself and fired a single shot on the infected's head with a quick draw of one of her blaster pistols.

The infected went down, half of it's head blown off.

"There's more of them out here, Jedi," she told the Zabrak, tone a little stern but not unkind, as she hurriedly stepped beside him. He was taller, but kark he also looked a few years younger than her. There was no ascertaining yet if the Jedi beside him was a Knight or a Padawan still, but from what she'd learned the latter didn't do these kinds of things, rescue missions and the like, without their Masters.

But he looked too young to be a Knight, kriff's sakes. Who was she to make that judgment, anyway? For all she knew he could be one, and she wouldn't even presume to be an expert on Jedi hierarchies and whatnot.

"This is horrible, I know. Believe me, I do," Reiel tried to advise him. Kark, he probably felt so much worse because of the Force. "But you need to focus, dude. You've got people to help – isn't that why you're here? So don't hesitate or something, even if it feels like total shite in here!"

With that the small Mandalorian focused on the other infected that were beginning to approach, aiming her blaster fire where it would effectively bring them down with a single shot. Fecking stars, she prayed to Kad that it was a mercy than letting them stay as mindless, corrupted meatbags intent on spreading the virus until there's no sign of the living left.

@Nefieslab @MatureContentWarningx

 

[Srucayr]

The Nakadr would blast down towards the surface, over various chatter. He had been tracking Reiel for a few days now as Kiva was worried about the lack of comms. Following Kad's will, the Mandalorian War Priest had headed for the last known planet she was: Randon. Osik'cirnr, his irritable co-pilot, would beep and whirr as it started to ping a speeder that was tailing skiffs.

Eyes narrowed behind the visor. "Jetii.." Reiel was opening fire on one of the skiffs. "Target the skiff.." then he'd see she shot something else, saving the Jedi. He'd curse. "Ohh.. what has she gotten herself into now..." The droid would whirr and his gaze shifted as he saw forms falling from above.

"Osik.. Target the forms on the bridge." would come the order. The Nakadr screamed overhead as the laser cannons opened fire, ripping the infected atop the bridge to shreds. Srucayr would guide the ship around for another pass. "Osik, take the wheel. Land the ship, get her and her friends aboard.. I'll distract the horde."

Osik would beep and whirr, probably something along the lines of pleading with his master to not do it. But Srucayr could care less, haran, he couldn't even speak droid. Sru activated his comm, pinging Reiel. "You're not alone, sister." his steps would come to a stop by the blast door, which opened as he slammed the button.

The Nakadr would bank low, decelerating in speed, skimming at about ten feet above the bridge to allow the War Priest a chance to jump from the craft. And without any hesitation, he did. The ship, however, would skim lower and tag several infected sending matter all over the viewport. Recovering in a roll, Srucayr would roar has his blade came up, severing the head of an infected, before he turned and kicked one with a boot, right off the bridge.

@Forsythe Crowholde @Nefieslab @MatureContentWarningx

 

[Crix Aran]

A Mando, singular, he could deal with.

Mandos, plural? That was much more dangerous territory.

Thankfully for him, the one Mando who had landed on the skiff was willing to stick to blasting at the infected left on the skiff. Rather than trying to stab him for being a Jedi or whatever it was that the old school Mandalorians did to Jedi they encountered – his Jedi history lessons weren’t his focus right now. He grimaced a little bit before stabbing his saber down into the skull of one of the infected that was still ‘alive’ but with broken legs.

Even with broken legs he had seen some of the infected launch themselves at healthy people with enough force that it shattered bones upon landing. He didn’t extinguish his lightsaber but he did take a step slightly away from the Mando woman, lowering his blade from it’s guard position to a more casual stance.

“Thanks for the shot.” He told her with a small, tired, smile, “Don’t worry – I’ve been here long enough to know to put them down without hesitation. Just wanted to see which way they were going to lunge… over-committing yourself here gets you killed quick.”

The two skiffs moved on from under the bridge, still headed for their destination of the habitat tower block just ahead. Crix eyed the ship that seemed to half-crash into some of the infected back atop the bridge. He frowned a little bit, letting out a quiet sigh as the hundreds of massed infected on the bridge started to swarm the ship – from this far away he couldn’t actually see if there was anyone actually on the bridge.

“A friend of yours?” he asked the small Mando with a frown, “Diving into a horde that large without a plan…”

It was kind of cool but mostly dumb as hell – the skiffs had already been passing by underneath the bridge and the bridge was still mostly contained. Attacking the bridge with anything other than ship-based weaponry was a recipe for spending the next few hours being torn limb from limb. Armor was useful but the infected were the side effect of enhancement stims – they didn’t lack strength and they didn’t tire.

“Kark – pilot, can we swing back?”

The pilot looked over his shoulder at the bridge and grimaced.

“… our mission is to rescue the survivors holed up in the X-Com tower block. If we turn back we’re risking the lives of two dozen people.”

Kaaaaaaark.

Crix wasn’t the kind of person to make these kinds of plays – he just wanted to focus on the rescue. He turned back to the Mando.

“Can you contact them? If they can get clear I think we can move the skiff up so they can board.”

Risking the lives of the entire rescue team and those survivors in the tower counting on them, all for one person. But Crix was a firm believer that saving one person was always worth it.

@MatureContentWarningx @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Larana Basai]

Just beyond the spaceport laid a world reminiscent of a horror story. Buildings in ruins, the doors kicked in and looted, others already smoldering embers. The smoke that filled the air made it difficult to breathe and, in some areas, near impossible. The paved streets crumbled and cracked, but nothing dared to grow between them. Infected roamed the streets, drawn by any sound or sudden movement, some were alone while others gathered in large hoards.

Larana wasn’t sure what she had expected to find here, but it wasn’t this… no, this was far worse than anything she could have imagined.

She looked ahead as the first skiff, barely visible, passed beneath the bridge just as its barriers gave way, raining infected from above. In her approach, she could see that the vessel had picked up a handful of unwanted passengers and, while most had been rendered paralyzed by the fall, one of them hadn’t – it lunged at Crix.

Surrendering the helm to another volunteer, Larana pushed her way to the front and reached for her lightsaber, prepared to jump the distance between the two ships. Crix seemed to hesitate, but before she could make a decision for him, a speeder pulled up behind them and a single bolt extinguished the threat.

They were about to press on when another approaching ship caught her attention, startling her as it fired upon the bridge and plowed over dozens of Infected. It wasn’t a wise move as dozens more now moved to swarm him, but Crix was right; they couldn’t leave anyone behind to be killed or worse.

“This entire mission is a risk, but we all agreed to be here knowing that. I’m not prepared to leave anyone behind.” Larana moved closer to the edge, running her fingers through her hair and sighed in frustration. Her obligations weren’t only to those listed, but to anyone they might come across who could be helped, no matter their affiliations.

@Nefieslab @Forsythe Crowholde @Rhogar

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

Now that she was aboard the Zabrak Jedi's skiff, Reiel continued to fire at any infected that launched themselves on the craft. She watched from the corner of her eye as he disposed of another, and her response to his words was a simple nod. It did not escape her notice how he put a little distance between them, but Reiel would not blame him. Jedi and Mandalorians usually did not mix, but when a former had managed to befriend another? That would be a bit of a surprise for the young lightsaber-toting dude over here.

A shadow passed overhead, and Reiel instantly recognized the ship before she heard Srucayr's voice over her comm. "Ori'vod!" she exclaimed, watching wide-eyed as the War Priest descended from the Nakadr and onto the bridge. Concern filled her, however, at Srucayr's actions. What was he thinking, launching himself onto a hoard of the infected on the bridge?

"Ori'vod, get the hell out of there!" she'd yell at him over the comm as the Jedi asked her his question. Glancing at him, she'd nod again before giving a more verbal response. "An older brother. He thinks before he acts, but that–?"

She gestured at the bridge.

"What the hells was that?"

It wasn't much of a question so she really did not expect an answer. She was here to rescue one of her clanmates, and Srucayr's actions seemed to just add him to the list of people that needed rescuing. Heeding the Zabrak Jedi's request, the older Mando would hear Reiel's worried voice over his comm.

"Ori'vod, you need to get off the bridge right now. You can't fight off a hoard of the infected alone – I'm afraid they might overwhelm you. They will overwhelm you, and I can't have you getting infected or else Kiva will have my helmet. Get off the bridge, we'll make room for you in one of these skiffs."

While she waited for him to reply, her helmeted gaze would shift back at the young Jedi.

"The name's Reiel, by the way. Can I at least know the name of the guy who's willing to help that suddenly foolhardy brother of mine?"

@Rhogar @Nefieslab @MatureContentWarningx

 

[Crix Aran]

To save a life, almost any risk was acceptable.

Crix honestly did believe it and it was the reason why he extinguished his lightsaber and attached it back to his belt without a word. Mandalorians might be terrifying to the young Force User in some ways but he wasn’t going to let one of them die just because they wouldn’t do the same for him. His mom had taught him, and Hannibal had reinforced in him, the belief that he was responsible for his own actions, not the actions of others.

It didn’t matter that the Mandalorian might not lift a finger to save him if their situations were reversed because he wasn’t the Mando – he was Crix Aran and he was going to save a man even if he got cursed out for it.

“Crix Aran.” He introduced himself to Reiel with a nod as he moved to the nose of the skiff, “I’m going to Pull him onto the skiff with the Force so we don’t need to get too close – tell him so he doesn’t try and cut me for it.”

The skiff rose to the edge of the bridge, with a narrow gap between the nose of the skiff and the bridge itself. Crix took a deep breath and centered himself. He would be relying on Lorana and Reiel to keep him from being targeted as he stood there but he was willing to trust them. Reaching out with the Force, he would focus on Srucayr before Pulling at him hard with the Force – Pulling him out of the crowd of infected and onto the skiff.

It likely wouldn’t be a gentle landing but it had fewer people trying to eat him so Crix was going to call it a win. He felt the fatigue from using the Force on such a heavy person and turned to the pilot almost immediately.

“Go go go!” he called out as the Skiff backed away from the bridge, “We need to get the hell out of here…”

@Rhogar @MatureContentWarningx @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Srucayr]

Battle. The truest calling of the Children of Kad. Srucayr had reveled in it. Teeth gnawed on the beskar chainlinks and broke and the frustration for the mindless beasts had become some sort of amusement to him. Bracing his blade with both hands, he'd force several of the infected over the ledge, with three more clinging to his back and biting foolishly at the shiny bits, the beskar. Turning, one gauntlet would lift to pull an infected free of his back and launch it at a few more that were advancing. His arm lifted and he fired a wrist rocket, the resulting blast ripping several to shreds.

"Too long in a cockpit searching for you, Rei'ika. Needed to stretch the legs." Srucayr mused over comms. There were still two clinging to him, but their teeth had long since shattered on the beskar and they just gummed away on the metal. That's when he felt it, a tug. Force Osik. The blade would flick around in his hand as he flung backwards.

Hitting the deck of the skiff, he thankfully had the cushion of two infected. The blade would come down, piercing one in the head, and he rolled, his free hand launching the second over the skiff and down below. His visor would shift to the young Jedi and the blade would sing outward before flicking back into his scabbard. "Save your energy, kid. Kad preserves those who do his will. The day of my death has already been decided, and it's not today." His visor then shifted to Reiel. "You need to communicate more with your Clan. They already preparing for transport to the Yaim. Your silence has left them worried."

Osik would fly the Nakadr in another strafing run of the bridge, sending building debris and infected flying from the blast.

@Nefieslab @Forsythe Crowholde @MatureContentWarningx

 

[Larana Basai]

Stood on the edge of the second skiff, Larana watched in silence as the events unfolded. This was an absolute mess, but still she remained ready to step in if necessary. It wasn't really what she had signed up for, but it wasn't like she could turn away and walked back to the spaceport through crowds of Infected with a clear conscience. No, that wasn't an option..

Whomever this 'brother' was, he sure wasn't one for subtle entrances and there was a part of her that now worried he was going to get them all killed. Each blast would draw the attention of more and more Infected, but still he continued, putting their entire mission at risk even after Crix had pulled him on board the first skiff. His ship passed over the bridge again, sending debris and bodies in all directions. Larana dodged a dismembered limb, huffing in frustration. If it were her decision, they'd drop this fool off at the nearest safe zone before continuing.

"It's not just your life that's at risk here." She interjected, lips pressed into a bit of a frown. "Can we continue, or are there more things that need to be blown up first?"

It probably wasn't the introduction Scrucayr had hoped for, but she had little patience for recklessness when their lingering position kept them open and vulnerable. She waited impatiently for his response, crossing her arms over her chest.

@Rhogar @Forsythe Crowholde @Nefieslab

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

Crix Aran. The name rang a bell, and it reminded her of a press conference over the holonet about Sullust, the Jedi and the Sith, and a ranger lieutenant. Reiel had seen the news in passing but the Zabrak's name and his appearance – now that she's gotten a good look at him – had her thoughts flashing back to that day she saw that particular broadcast.

The small Mandalorian took a step back to give him room to use the Force in getting Srucayr to safety. "You're saving him, dude. If he tries to gut you for it, he'd have to walk past me first."

...it wasn't much of an assurance because Reiel was largely aware that the War Priest could easily kick her shebs, but an assurance nonetheless.

Srucayr came flying before Reiel could comm him. She figured her focus was more required in shooting the infected that threatened to approach the kid, and that was what she did. Blaster bolts came flying at any infected that decided to throw itself at the skiff, one headshot to the next swiftly taking them down. The small Mandalorian glanced at her ori'vod when he finally addressed her.

"I know," she replied. "But the Alor insisted that I only contact him and no one else. Not even Dad. I'm here at his behest, and only if I'm successful with my mission am I allowed to comm anyone else in the clan other than him."

The skiff moved and backed away from the bridge while the Nakadr continued to wreak havoc on the infected. Reiel tracked the ship with her gaze before her visor shifted to the woman – most likely another Jedi – on the second skiff. The small Mandalorian nodded in agreement with her words.

"She's right. Cease fire, ori'vod. The Nakadr's assault is calling the attention of the infected, and we can't have them congregating 'round here."

@MatureContentWarningx @Rhogar @Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

Mandos… well he wasn’t going to complain aloud because there were things to do, a mission that needed to be accomplished, and they wouldn’t do that sitting around talking about their past confusion. He nodded to the pilot of the skiff and they were back on the mission again rather than lingering around the bridge. The ship was pounding away at the bridge but if it collapsed the damned thing it was just going to cause the contained infected to swarm down toward the spaceport.

He hoped that Reiel, the other Mando, was able to convince him not to keep firing away at the bridge but Crix couldn’t really afford to care much about the byplay.

“Make for the tower – now!” he barked at the pilot, who gunned the engines in response, “Someone com the spaceport and tell them that the bridge containment zone might be compromised.”

They might not be able to deviate from their mission too much but he wasn’t going to be letting them face the unknown without a warning. In the middle distance he could see the tower they were aiming for and he could see why they wanted rescue now rather than holding in place for much longer. One of the lower floors had a fire that he could see even from a few streets away and there seemed to be a constant stream of infected people heading into the building.

Infected likely didn't give a shrak about fire either, what with being so hopped up on the stims that made the infection in the first place.

As the skiff approached the roof of the tower, Crix could see people waving frantically. He eyed the roof below them before nodding to the Mandos and the rest of the rescue crew.

"Larana and I are going down." he told them, gathering the Force, "Welcome to join!"

He leapt from the skiff, landing with barely a sound despite the distance and the height through using the Force to cushion his landing. A dozen people flinched away from him upon his landing but he held out a hand.

"Randon Rescues, here for pick up back to the spaceport - form up a line by the edge of the roof and we'll bring the skiffs down for boarding. You WILL be searched for bites!" he warned them before turning to Larana, "See if you can find someone in charge here... gotta see if this is everyone or not."

@MatureContentWarningx @Rhogar @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Srucayr]

Srucayr seemingly ignored the two young Padawans, not out of spite, but more for his attention being fixed on the younger Mandalorian. "Next time, alert the others that you're safe. I do not like being pulled from Malinkar to deal with this." He'd activate his comm. "Osik, bug out until I send for you."

The sound of a droid chirping would sound over comms before the Nakadr altered it's course and angled away from the bridge.

"I do not know how this infection works.. but.. if they're here.. we may have to burn them here. Can't risk infecting the Clan." Srucayr would advise. His gaze then shifted to Crix, the name meaning nothing to him as he had little care for most of the Holonews. Most of it was pure poppycock to him. "I am Srucayr. If we are here to get survivors out, we will need to make vast noise elsewhere to distract the beasts. If it comes to that, I will do it."

Once the skiffs reached the tower, Srucayr would stand at one of the railings of the skiff, his visor panning the surface below for any sign of infected.

@Forsythe Crowholde @Nefieslab @MatureContentWarningx

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

It was either he captured the gist of what she had just said or not. Zero contact with the Clan except for the Alor was needed in case her mission went south, and while she understood and agreed with Srucayr's sentiment it also meant crossing the line of breaking the clan head's command. As much as Reiel wanted to contact others (especially her father), she wasn't stupid enough to directly defy her grandfather's words.

As for who contacted Srucayr to come looking for her, Reiel had an inkling on who it might be. Buir was a stickler for his own dad's rules, and more so the other older Crowholdes. Dell was offworld, keeping to the Alor's command of staying away from Maldo Kries unless he wasn't infected. The younger clan members were the same as the older ones with regards to following the Alor's command, so that left her with Kiva.

Reiel didn't follow the Alor, her grandfather's strict orders to the T just to be scolded by her ori'vod.

She frowned as a spike of irritation flared in her mind, but she accepted the rebuke with quiet grace. Instead she shifted her focus outwards, her visored helm finding Crix as the young Jedi leapt from the skiff and onto the roof of the building below where those who were to be rescued gathered. Reiel made for the edge of the skiff beside Srucayr, skimming the group for someone armored but could only clench her jaw when she found none.

Damn it, Keeth, where are you?

Reiel herself was prepared to jump to the roof as the skiff descended, but not before throwing Srucayr a look.

"That could work," she commented, referring to his plan. "Just don't get bitten. Or have Osik blast away at the bridge again. They're keeping the swarm contained in there, and if the bridge is compromised we'd have a swarm of infected overrunning the spaceport." She resisted giving his knee a reassuring pat, and said instead, "Kad be with you, Srucayr."

With that Reiel leapt off the skiff as it hovered a few feet away from the rooftop still, landing roughly and noisily unlike her fellow Jedi rescuer. She ignored the wary looks some of the people threw her way as she made her way towards Crix, lowering her voice to a whisper as she said, "Don't mean to sound bossy or something, but please make sure no one lies about being bitten. Thank you."

A small, gloved hand would pat the Zabrak on the shoulder rather unconsciously and Reiel was off, unholstering her blasters and would cautiously head towards the roof access doors in case there were still people on the floor below. Or worse, infected who could blast their way through the door and onto the roof.

@Rhogar @Nefieslab @MatureContentWarningx

 

[Larana Basai]

It wasn't surprising that he chose to ignore her comment, but Larana could still feel her patience wearing thin. This rescue mission might have been completed by now, had it not been turned into the galaxy's most inconvenient and destructive family reunion. The Mandalorian woman, Reiel, seemed to have a head on her shoulders at least, but Srucayr must have been the most imprudent man she had ever met. Regardless of the fact that he believed his death to have already been decided, there would still be consequences to his actions. Despite nearly destroying an entire barricade and potentially compromising the spaceport as a safe zone, he still seemed eager to drop more bombs on the place.

Larana needed to take a deep breath in and hold it, to avoid saying something she might live regret. It wouldn't be worth putting their entire mission at risk once again.

Her attentions turned to Crix as the approached their target, smoke rising from the bottom floor of the building. There were already people gathered on the roof waving them down, but their numbers were few, leading her to wonder if there were more people inside or if they had been too delayed by the incident back at the bridge. The list they had been given at the start named thirty sentients, but she only counted twelve.

With little hesitation, she leapt from the edge of the transport, using the Force to lessen her landing.

"Don't worry, I'll see what I can find. Just start loading them on the transports." She nodded to Crix before following Reiel to the roof access doors. They didn't seem to be locked, but she was wary to open them in case there happened to be Infected on the other side. Looking through the windows didn't provide much reassurance as smoke had risen from the fire on the main floor and clung to the glass, making it near impossible to see inside.

"We don't have a choice except to go in." She looked to Reiel, resting her hand on the hilt of her lightsaber, still clipped to her belt. "Can you hear anything on the other side?"

@Nefieslab @Rhogar @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Crix Aran]

The rooftop was getting gradually more full of people, but their numbers were still not what had been discussed before. He remembered the initial briefing and there had been talk of far more people than this... kark they were going to have to go into the building itself weren't they? There was a twisting, sinking, feeling in his gut and he had come to recognize it as the Force telling him an inconvenient truth.

He nodded to both Reiel and Larana as they seemed to volunteer themselves to check further down in the building. Crix would have gone after them but he needed to make sure that the people being loaded on were clean. Running a hand over the tips of his horns, he grunted and gave a brief nod.

"Be careful, both of you." he told them, nodding to Larana with a sudden, cheeky, grin, "Get back to the skiff in one piece otherwise I'm gonna need to take back your overdue library texts... and no one wants me in the library again."

A distraction was a good idea to try and draw some of the infected away. Transferring people over to the skiffs would take time and they needed to try and buy themselves that. Crix pointed down to the bottom of the building.

"Mando... Srucayr? You got any explosives?" he asked, feeling like he was asking if water was wet, "If you blast the hell out of the ground floor outside the building, you should draw infected from the lower levels outside and keep others from going inside by keeping it up."

Looking back to the crowd, Crix decided that he was going to... cheat a little bit. Reaching out with a hand, he dug deep into the Force before waving his hand.

"You want to tell me the truth about if you have been bitten."

A weak mind-trick but it wasn't meant to be powerful - anyone not wanting to tell the truth would be able to break out of it with some effort.... which was how he noticed one man with a hand inside a pocket shaking his head rapidly rather than answering like everyone else. Crix Pushed him out of the crowd, standing between the man and the others, his lightsaber out but not ignited.

"Sir... how fresh is the bite on your hand?"

If it was fresh? Losing an arm would be enough. If it wasn't? Well, he wasn't going to risk the lives of dozens of others, at least, because one scientist (who should have known better!) was trying to hide it.

@MatureContentWarningx @Rhogar @Forsythe Crowholde

 

[Reiel Mal Crowholde]

The small Mandalorian looked at the female Jedi over her shoulder before letting out a quiet sigh. It seemed that there really was no other option but to get in. And while her original intent for even being here was to look for her missing kin, Reiel felt obliged to help with the current rescue op she found herself in. If she was being honest, she would still help – regardless if she found Keeth in here or not. Perhaps her tendency to lean towards the heroics, buried like most of her childhood memories, never truly waned with the passing of time.

Would it be considered a weakness, a shortcoming? Reiel mentally shook the thought off and focused on the present.

"Only way to check for survivors, really," she muttered in agreement, adjusting her helmet's audio receptors to try to glean any unnatural noises coming from behind the access doors. Reiel waited, trying to pick up any sounds other than those she could hear a few steps away from them as Crix scanned the group of survivors for anyone who might have possibly been bitten or infected. Fifteen seconds passed, then thirty, until a full minute was spent trying to detect anything from an otherwise seemingly quiet side of the access doors, but Reiel still had to make sure.

She could really use that hunter's paranoia she seemed to share with her father.

"Nothing," she finally answered Larana's question. Reiel reached out a gloved hand towards the panel after holstering one of her blasters, still cautious. "I'll go first, though. Precautionary measures and all."

The access doors slid open and the small Mandalorian stepped inside, blaster raised and finger poised on the trigger in case an infected suddenly jumped at her. Nothing of the sort occurred, and the stairwell that greeted her was devoid of life. But it was no cause for celebration or relief just yet – this felt like a prelude to trouble, a lull before the storm, and she hated it.

Maker, I hope you're in here somewhere, Keeth, she thought to herself as she silently gestured for the female Jedi to follow. Reiel slowly made her way towards the stairs, ever alert for any sudden presences that might appear from below. We could really use an additional firepower for this stint.

@MatureContentWarningx @Nefieslab @Rhogar