Ask Looking for Trouble

[Ava Xeto]

Kashyyyk

Ava walked slowly through the forest, taking the time to enjoy her surroundings. Yes, she had been given a serious task, but that didn’t mean she had to approach it like some sort of laser-focused machine.

What was the task? There had been unconfirmed reports of Trandoshan slavers setting up camp somewhere in the dense forests of Kashyyyk. She was tasked with investigating and, if the reports were true, driving the Trandoshans off the planet.

Spotting a branch up ahead, she took a run up and leapt towards it. Grasping onto it, she spun around the branch and then propelled herself into the air. Twisting in the air, she positioned her body to land on her feet with a gentle thud. “Not too bad,” she whispered to herself.

Perching on a nearby rock, she took a short rest. She was wearing her regular outfit, her lightsaber clipped to her belt.

She hadn’t found signs of anything yet. This was supposed to be the general area of forest where something could potentially be. As she relaxed, a small brown bird landed on the ground, not too far from where she sat. She smiled. “Hey, Mr bird. How are you doing?” The bird continued to peck at the ground. Leaning forward, Ava rested her chin in her hands.

“Make sure you let me know if you see any Trandoshans around,” she remarked, cheerfully. Standing up, she stretched her arms as she sighed. “See you around.” She waved to the bird, giving it one more smile, before continuing her search through the forest.

@Narzen

 

[Syr Bors]

Where Ava was moving deftly through the forest with all the grace and agility of a loth-cat, speaking to the wildlife and for the most part blending in, Bors was taking a much more straightforward and brutish approach through the forest's of Kashyyk: stomping and pushing through the undergrowth with all the subtlety of a Reek.

"Confound these wild vines!" Bors griped loudly as his large claws tore through a thick conglomeration of verdant wildlife. "Alas, I was not born in a jungle! A pity I don't share my Phata cousin's height. A thousand pities. But this must be a test of the Force no doubt. And I will succeed!"

With a few more swipes, Bors made his way forward, waddling the entire way. He became half tempted to activate his blade and cut through the undergrowth, but using a sacred weapon in such a way felt improper. Not to mention, much more damaging to the wildlife.

"But then again, would you think it is wise to use the blade through this...uh, Ava? Ava?"

Bors looked around, confused.

"Oh confound me! I've lost my trainer and knight! Whatever will I tell my fellow Jedi? Was she taken by trandoshans, or did the wildlife get her when I wasn't looking? Oh, either would be horrible fates! Hmmm, nay. I doubt she would succumb to such things. She is a knight! She must simply be lost, or exploring, yes? Hmmm..."

Bors shrugged and continued onward. He had been assigned to this mission rather last minute. Whether it was because the rest of the Jedi viewed Bors as a worthy asset because of his martial training, or because he needed to get out more and spend time in the wild was unclear. It also may have had something to do with Ava simply just needing a partner and Bors was available, but the Giant Pango doubted that.

"Ava! Ava, can you hear me?" Bors called out as he continued to waddle onwards. He could hear a lot of noises but being untrained in the knowledge of nature, he couldn't tell what was local wildlife, sentients, or the knight. But he could hear a large gathering of noises ahead. Perhaps he had found something after all.

@DMCK

 

[Ava Xeto]

Ava could sometimes get carried away and lose track of exactly what she should be doing. This was one of those times. She had said to Syr that they would take different paths and meet up at a particular point. Stopping at what she thought was the right place, she stood waiting by a tree. What she thought would be a quick wait, turned into a longer on.

“Something’s not right.” Pulling the small holoprojector from her belt, she opened up the map of the area. It was then that she realised she had gone completely off course.

“Oh Ava, you klutz,” she said, gently smacking herself on the forehead. Switching off the holoprojector and tucking it back into her belt, she began tracking back in the direction of where she was supposed to meet Syr. She hoped it wouldn’t take too long. The big fella isn’t too fast.

Eventually, she spotted a familiar sight in the distance. “There he is,” she said to herself, grinning. Getting closer, she ducked behind a tree.

“Hey Syr,” she said cheerfully, popping out from behind the tree. “Sorry, I got a little lost. How’re you doing big guy,” she asked, gently bumping Syr’s arm with her fist.

Just like Syr, Ava also heard the sounds ahead of them. “You hear that as well, right?” Not hesitating, she took off running in the direction of the noise. “Let’s check it out.”

@Narzen

 

[Syr Bors]

Bors jumped at the touch of something on his arm. The thoughts of what non-insect creatures inhabited these thick jungles made the Pango nervous, and for one who was already partially concerned that his partner was eaten, he almost swung wildly at the thing that touched him.

Almost.

"Oh my! You bristle my scales fellow friend!" Bors spoke, patting his chest to hide his initial surprise. "I'm so glad you have not fallen yet."

Ava turned his attention back to the noises. Bors nodded in agreement. "Where you lead, I follow knight! For where we go, the light goes with us!"

Ahead, in a small clearing, the two would spot the source of the noise. Two beings, struggling uselessly against a bunch of white material. It was hard to tell at the distance, but by the noises the beings were making, they sounded very lizard-like.

"Aha! Behold, our kidnappers, caught in their own snare! Come Ava, let us apprehend these fiends and find out their camp!"

Without thinking, Bors started his way forward. He was so focused on the two struggling beings that he did not notice the rather large creature watching from above, about to shoot a thick clump of webbing at the two approaching prey.

@DMCK

 

[Ava Xeto]

When Ava reached the clearing, alongside Syr, she spotted the two figures caught in the webbing. Those look like Trandoshans. Before she could reply, Syr had already began ambling towards them. She was just about to follow when she spotted something in the trees above. “Syr, watch out!”

Sprinting forward, as she ignited her lightsaber, she threw her saber towards the large spider. The green blade sliced through the creature’s legs, causing it to fall to the ground. Catching her returning saber, she dashed towards the spider and finished it off with one swift strike.

Up above, the trees began to rustle, and the pitter patter of steps could be heard. “We’re going to have company.”

She glanced at the Trandoshans. “Can you get them Syr? I’ll cover you.” Suddenly, more of the large spiders began to descend. Two dropped to the ground in front of Ava. Moving speedily, she dodged their webbing and then attacked. Within seconds, both spider were cut down.

@Narzen

 

[Syr Bors]

The shock of the surprise attack caught Bors off guard.

"Blast! An ambush of the worst kind! An unexpected one!" Bors exclaimed at the body that fell nearby. "Hmm, but that does look tasty. True, spiders aren't quite insects, or are they? I don't know, but I'm sure its meat would taste..."

Ava made a comment that more spiders were coming.

"Ah, oh course! Leave it to me! Bors the Rescuer is on the task!"

As Ava fought off the creatures, Bors waddled as quickly as his legs would allow him. Coming to the two trapped trandoshans, Bors chortled as he drew his blade out.

"Rejoice foul ones! For the light is here to save you!"

The blade blared to life. The long yellow blade from the heavy handle stretched out. Holding it awkwardly, Bors began to point it down and started to slice the webbing much like one would use a plasma torch on a doorlock.

"Hold still now! Hate for you to lose a leg!"

After a few moments, the two trandoshans were freed...mostly. While loose from the ground, the lizards were still encased in webbing that their limbs were fully restrained. Despite their growlings to be freed, Bors shook his head. Instead, he began to kick and roll them one at a time back towards Ava, keeping his blade at the ready.

"Leave some for me Ava! I'm curious about these spider's taste!" Bors called out. The trandoshans groaned, realizing they were probably doomed.

@DMCK

 

[Ava Xeto]

Ava continued to fight off the creatures as Syr worked on cutting the Trandoshans free. Moving rapidly, she cut a swathe through the advancing arachnids. Her actions bought Syr vital time to slice the Trandoshans from the webbing.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” She wasn’t about to try and get in the way of a Giant Pango and their meal.

Fortunately, most of the creatures, their numbers having been thinned out, began to retreat back to the trees. Four remained, two of them charging towards Syr and the Trandoshans. The other two set upon Ava.

Dashing to the side, a well-placed strike killed one of the spiders before it could attack. Leaping over the other one, she aimed two low swipes, with her blade, at the creature’s back legs. The legs were sliced off below the joints. Jumping over the spider again, before it could respond, she landed in front of it and finished it off with a slash to the head.

@Narzen

 

[Syr Bors]

The Trandoshans continued to complain and gripe the entire time Bors kicked them over and over. Not that Bors could understand them. Their mouths had been partially webbed over as well, and now was not the time to loose their lips.

"Almost there, almost there, la de da, almost there..." Bors said as he kicked one of the slavers.

Then, the two spiders began to rush Bors.

"Aha, you come for battle? Very well, have at me you bloodthirsty beasts!" Bors proclaimed while waving his blade in a threatening motion.

The left spider and further behind stopped and spat a clump of webbing at the Pango. Thinking fast, Bors tried to swing and deflect the attack. However, he was still new to the blade and the Force, and instead of hitting the webbing with his blade, he got his hands stuck to his handle.

"Blast, such a sticky situation!" Bors commented.

The other spider stopped and leapt at Bors, fangs glisting with poison. Bors fell back on natural instinct and spun around rapidly while raising his tail. The spider, not used to this kind of prey, was unready for the sharpened scales of the Giant Pango, and was sent flying to the side with new gashes on its partially crunched body.

"Ah ha! Take that you scoundrel! And you..." Bors gestured towards the remaining spider. "Perhaps you bit off more than you can chew!"

With this, Bors landed a powerful kick into one of the restrained Trandoshans. The lizard, screaming slightly in pain, was sent flying and crashed into the remaining spider like a sphere in droid ball fighting. The spider was still recovering by the time Bors came up and finished the job with a well placed slice.

"Behold! Victory at hand! The Light protects us yet!" Bors proclaimed before looking back at his hands. "Now, to get my hands free...Uh, Ava, do you have a knife?"

@DMCK

 

[Ava Xeto]

Ava turned around just in time to see Syr swat away one of the spiders with his tail. She wasn’t quite sure how to react to what Syr did next. Faced with another spider, he aimed a kick at one of the Trandoshans and punted it at the spider.

Flying through the air like a lizard shaped ball, the Trandoshan clattered into the creature. Before the spider could recover, Syr promptly finished it off with his saber. While she tended to be quite gung-ho, Syr’s tactic had surprised her. Hopefully the Trandoshan isn’t too badly hurt.

“Wow, you weren’t messing around, were you,” she said, smiling at Syr. She looked at his webbed-up hands when he held them out. “That’s kind of inconvenient, isn’t it. Uhhh, I’ve not got a knife. I could use my lightsaber. But you’ve got to hold really still, ok.”

If Syr agreed to it, Ava would slowly cut away the webbing until Syr’s hands were free. They could then focus on getting the information they needed, from the Trandoshans.

@Narzen

 

[Syr Bors]

"Eeeehhhh..." Bors hesitated. "Oh alright, just be careful please. Careful...careful, Careful! "

Bors practically shouted when he started to feel the heat cut through. He yanked back suddenly as the webbing came apart and his own saber fell to the ground. Bors touched his own hands looking for any burns.

"Ah, your hands are more steady than a rhythmic pylon pusher! You have my thanks great knight!"

The Trandoshan, the one who had not been kicked by Bors into the spider, made some more noises.

"Ah! Of course, we have priorities, do we not? Come! Or rather, go good knight! I've yet to witness the interrogation skills of a Jedi knight. How will you do it? Are you going to mind trick him ? Or perhaps a subtle threat? Ooh ooh ooh, maybe your sheer intimidation after discecting these arachnids will be enough for them to thank you by revealing their secrets?"

Bors practically hopped a bit at how own excitement. It was true he was a young and eager padawan, but no one could fault him for his sheer admiration of the Jedi.

@DMCK

 

[Ava Xeto]

“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.”

Slowly and carefully, Ava cut away the webbing until Syr was able free himself. “Thanks. I mean, I don’t know what a pylon pusher is, but thanks anyway,” she told Syr, giving him a big smile.

She looked down at the groaning Trandoshan, who was clearly in discomfort.

“Don’t get your hopes up too high, Syr. I’ll try my best though.” She laughed, before turning back to the Trandoshan.

“So, are you going to be nice and tell us where your friends are,” she remarked jokingly, as she squatted down in front of the angry reptilian. The question elicited a vicious snarl from it.

“Ok then…” Focusing on the Trandoshan, she held her hand out and attempted to influence its mind. “You will tell me where your camp is.”

The reptilian shook its head, trying to resist. “I will tell you where my…no I won’t,” it growled. Just when it seemed that she had successfully swayed its mind, it resisted.

Ava stood up, scratching her head. Wait a minute, I know.

“Hmmm, Syr you think you maybe persuade them to talk.” The Trandoshan’s eyes shot towards the Giant Pango, the concern clear, having witnessed the way Syr treated the other Trandoshan.

(OOC: 5/20. Failed dice roll for mind trick success.)

@Narzen

 

[Syr Bors]

It took Bors a solid few seconds of silence to realize what Ava was implying. During those seconds, one could see the gears turn inside his head. After all, he was a padawan, definitely not one trained well in the fine subtle arts of diplomacy, and not the brightest of the group here. Heck, even the trandoshans were probably smarter than Bors.

"Oh! Right, yes the patented Pango interrogation procedure! Yes, uh, um..."

Bors looked around. His stomach growled once. "One moment..."

A few moments later, Bors had dragged one of the dead spiders towards the group. Laying it on the ground, Bors began to pull apart the spider's legs and exoskeleton. The stench that erupted from the body was pungent, and not in any pleasant sort of way. Bors however, didn't seem to mind, as he stuck his nose into the parts and his long tongue began to scrounge around inside.

"Now, ok, you see, my fellow knight and I are guardians of the light" Bors started talking between gulps "and, see, we really need to know where your partners are so we can, um, liberate them from the darkness of your actions and....man this stuff is good, you want some Ava? Ah I mean, if we found you like this with spiders, don't you think your friends might need some....oh my gosh this is good, we have got to bring one of these back with us..."

Bors was easily distracted by his stomach and it showed. His original intended goal in appearing like one of those grizzled detectives in a holovid who ate food in front of prisoners backfired spectacularly. Not to mention, his point of argument was flimsy at best, so it was no surprise that the Trandoshan's eyes turned from concern to annoyance. He was clearly dealing with idiots.

(OOC: Roll 3/20)

@DMCK

 

[Ava Xeto]

It took a few seconds for Syr to clock on to what Ava wanted. “That’s right,” she confirmed to the Giant Pango, smiling at him.

Much to her confusion, Syr set about dragging one of the dead creatures over, rather than interrogating the Trandoshan. Maybe he’s got a plan.

Ava quickly realised that Syr was more interested in having lunch, than trying to obtain any information. Right, time to take a different approach.

“We know there’s a Trandoshan slaver camp around here somewhere, and I think you know where it is. Tell us,” Ava stated firmly, to the Trandoshan.

The reptilian began to chuckle. “What are you going to do? I’m not telling you…” Before the Trandoshan could finish its sentence, Ava reached out and used the force to fling them into a nearby tree trunk. There was a heavy thud when they hit the tree, before landing on the ground. She was on them before they could react, dashing over, igniting her lightsaber and pointing it at their neck.

“Don’t mess around. Where is it,” she demanded. The green blade of her lightsaber moved slightly closer to the Trandoshan’s neck. “Ok! Ok! This isn’t worth the hassle. You’re both crazy. I’ll take you to it.”

“Great.” She turned back to Syr. “We’re going to move out. Grab the other Trandoshan, they’re coming with us. Make sure they’re gagged though.”

Ava carefully sliced away the webbing from the Trandoshan at her feet. “Ok, you lead the way. Don’t try anything though.”

@Narzen

 

[Syr Bors]

Bors watched in admiration as Ava took over the interrogation. A pang of guilt washed over him when he realized he had failed in procuring information, but it was washed away by the taste of spider innards in his mouth.

"Yes sir!" Bors excitedly replied at the command. Dropping the remains of his meal, he quickly (a relative term) grabbed the remaining trandoshan and, after checking over the mouth section, threw him over his shoulder.

"Heh, just be happy the stuff aint still sticky..." Bors commented to the lizard. "If it was then you'd be stuck on my....uh oh"

Bors' eyes widened in cold realization of the predicament. True, it didn't intervene in his duties in anyway. He already was a slow sort of being, and the added weight wasn't that much problem. But the look of a trandoshan semi-stuck stuck on the Pango's back wasn't the most dignifying look for a eager up and coming Jedi Crusader.

"Uhhhh, i mean, no problem here! Hehe, nope!" Bors laughed it off. If Ava looked at him, he would simply wave it off and pretend he was carrying the Trandoshan easily.

"So, knight Ava..." Bors asked a little later as the group marched on. "Have you dealt with slavers much? I hardly leave the temple so this is a first for me. Are they usually hard to capture? Oooh, and um, do we turn them over to the trandoshan government or the wookies? Or um, ach, wait, lost my train of thought....oh ya! Have you done a lot of these missions?"

@DMCK

 

[Ava Xeto]

“Is there something wrong, Syr,” Ava asked her fellow Jedi. She thought she had heard an uh oh, from the Giant Pango. She was glad to hear that there wasn’t a problem. “That’s good,” she replied, giving Syr a smile.

The silence of the trek though the forest was broken by a question from Syr. Ava was happy to be able to chat. She was usually more talkative, but had been too focused on keeping an eye on the Trandoshan prisoner leading them.

“To be honest, I’ve not dealt with slavers much. Just a few times, when I went on missions with my master. I was a padawan back then. I doubt we’ll capture many. They’ll probably see it as a fight to the death. But if we do catch anyone, we can hand them over to the Wookies.”

After a long walk through the forest, the Trandoshan eventually raised its hand, gesturing for them to stop. “The camp is up ahead.”

The Trandoshan turned to Ava, looming over her. “You know you don’t have a chance. You’re outnumbered, outgunned…” Ava interrupted by raising a hand and tapping the reptilian’s forehead with her left hand, using the force to dull its senses. Briefly staggering around, the Trandoshan then collapsed to the ground.

“I think you can leave the Trandoshan you’ve been carrying, here with their friend. Let’s scout ahead and see what we’re up against,” she told Syr.

@Narzen

 

[Syr Bors]

"Oh my, a fight to the death? How exciting!" Bors exclaimed.

At the Trandoshan's word and then it being dulled into unconsciousness (to which Bors secretly watched in awe), Bors nodded excitedly. However, at the command of leaving the lizard on his back, he looked a bit worried.

"Uh, um, give me one moment..."

It took some maneuvering. Bors had to get on all fours and start rolling into a ball to stretch the webbing enough that the lizard fell off with a thud onto the ground, but eventually Bors figured it out. Still, despite the obvious embarrassment, Bors tried to wave it off like it was nothing.

"Yes, let us search!"

The Trandoshan wasn't lying. From their hiding places, the slavers camp was before them. A small group of 3 Trandoshans, were busy working. One was cooking over an open fire, taking a break from work, while the others were busy working a pair of wookies younglings into a cage after fastening collars onto them. At the center of the camp, a medical droid was working on one unconscious adult Wookie, inserting tracker chips under the skin while keeping it sedated.

"You know, I never understood slavery." Bors whispered, his bulky form barely hidden by a tree. "I mean, we have droids, right? I think it would be cheaper to use them than go through all this mess..."

Bors silenced himself at the sound of an approaching vehicle and a mass of hooting an hollering. The other trandoshans looked up and raised their arms in cheer as a modified troop transport weaved its way through the trees. Four other Trandoshans exited the vehicle as they brought out their prizes: an entire family of wookies, cuffed and bound. With zap sticks and gun hilts, the lizards began to force the captives towards the droid at the center of the camp to be tagged.

"By the light, do these fiends have no respect?" Bors whispered, almost growling. His large hand gripped the hilt of his blade tightly, itching to activate it. "Let's see... 7 slavers...plus the two we caught..." Bors counted out loud. "Certainly outnumbered... but I could take them I bet."

@DMCK

 

[Ava Xeto]

Ava suppressed a smile as Syr awkwardly tried to manoeuvre the Trandoshan from his back. Eventually, he managed to shake them loose. “Ready to go,” she asked, giving Syr a thumbs up gesture.

It didn’t take very long to find the camp. Crouched behind a tree, she observed the mistreatment of the Wookies by the Trandoshans. “Those poor Wookies.”

There was sense in what Syr said. “They’re just sadists. They get a kick out of this,” she said, with venom in her voice.

A transport soon arrived, with more Trandoshans and Wookie prisoners. She felt anger bubbling up inside. “We’re going to take them,” she replied to Syr, making a slight correction to what he said.

She was fast and she had the element of surprise. That was enough for her. Without any warning to Syr, she broke out into a sprint and ignited her lightsaber. Bursting from the tree line and towards the camp, she hurled her lightsaber at the closest Trandoshan, who was sat by the open fire. The green blade moved in a blur, slicing through the reptilian, before returning to Ava’s hand. The Trandoshan’s head dropped to the ground and rolled away, before the rest of the body lurched forward.

Lightsaber back in hand, she charged at the four Trandoshans who had emerged from the transport.

@Narzen

 

[Syr Bors]

Syr was already out and fighting before Bors could make himself known. Surprisingly, due to her ferocity and his slowness, he wasn't fully noticed until he got close to the medical droid operating on the unconscious wookie.

"Lay ye hand and face righteous fury!" Bors declared as his free hand grabbed the droid by the neck and picked it up. The droid helplessly squirmed and fought against being manhandled, but it's movements became still once Bors turned and utilized the droid like a shield against the incoming blaster bolts.

"Fear the light and repent!" Bors shouted as he stepped forward towards the remaining trandoshans near the cages. With blade in hand and holding the non-functioning droid in the other, Bors moved slowly but surely, a unslowing titan in his own right with a goal in mind. The two who were using pistols aimed wildly, trying to keep their charges restrained with stun batons while holding off the attacker.

Once close enough, Bors swung both ragdoll droid and blade. Clonking one lizard unconscious and decapitating the other, Bors glared as the smell of sizzling flesh hit his nostrils.

"Though art been judged!" Bors declared as the opponents fell.

The wookie younglings cried in both fright and gratefulness. While Bors didn't fully understand what they were saying, he recognised the tears.

"Stay behind me. It is the safest place around." The Giant Pango commanded as he turned towards the transport where Ava was busy. Bors eyes caught one of the lizards on the edge pulling a grenade out.

"Friend! Duck!" Bors shouted a warning before hurling the mostly destroyed medical droid with all the power he could conjure.

@DMCK

 

[Ava Xeto]

Ava accelerated towards the four Trandoshans who backed away from the Wookies as they fired on her.

Rapidly moving her lightsaber to block the shots, she ducked under one shot and unleashed a vicious horizontal slash, which carved through the chest of the closest Trandoshan.

Instinctively ducking under another shot, she batted the next shot back at one of the other Trandoshans. The blaster bolt exploded through their head, before their body slumped to the ground, Ava dashed towards the next reptilian slaver and quickly finished them with a saber swipe across the torso.

The last Trandoshan of the four tried to shoot Ava down, to no avail. Leaping over its head, before it could properly turn and adjust, she then attacked with three swift strikes. The first cut through its blaster, and the second two cut through its chest. The scorch marks formed a cross shape on the dead slaver’s chest.

Turning towards Syr, she barely had time to react to the flying droid. She dived to the ground, as the droid flew over her head. It crashed into another slaver that had remained hidden before. As the Trandoshan was knocked over, the grenade fell to the ground.

“Get back!”

Quickly getting to her feet, she began to run and then leapt away as the grenade exploded.

Dragging herself up, she looked around. “Everyone ok?”

@Narzen

 

[Syr Bors]

Bors held a hand over his eyes as the grenade exploded. The shrapnel it sent pelted his scaled arms harmlessly, but the noise still disturbed his sensative ears.

"I believe so knight Ava." Bors commented. "Are you al-" Bors started, but stopped as he turned around slightly to address the wookie younglings behind him. However, following his command at staying behind him, they proceeded to follow his tail and out of his sight.

"Oh no! The younglings! I have lost them! The spiders must have gotten them as revenge!" Bors declared in a panic as he began to spin around more looking in fright. It wasn't until the older wookies who recovered and watching made some chuckles did Bors realize what was happening.

"Oh, I mean...um....Oh no! Whatever shall I do? The younglings are missing and it is my fault!" Bors played along being a joke for the others. No doubt everyone here had a stressful time, and some buffoonery was welcomed. Bors continued to rotate slowly, pretending to look for the younglings, who continued to run around him as part of some game.

While Bors playing around did seem to lift everyone's spirits, the wookies still looked uncomfortable. No one seemed to notice the one Trandoshan Bors had bonked over the head with the droid was stirring.

@DMCK