Open Event Mines of Perdition

[Edin Frost]

Edin had to scoff as the Sith boy (@Phoenix ) immediately asked the droid to go inspect, “Guess that creepy mask is just for show, eh?” The Firrerreo quipped with a grin. He also agreed with R5’s suggestion of simply extracting information from the droid that returned.

“If this operation called particularly for Sith and Jedi, not sure why you guys aren’t the ones venturing in first,” He stated flatly, glancing at all the Sith that exchanged formalities and speculated about how the ‘Force felt different’ instead of actually walking in. Not like a droid would be able to explain that. The case would be solved instantly if that were true.

For now, he didn’t do any questioning as the rest of the little cohort covered the main bases.

@Nefieslab

 

[The Gatekeeper]

OOC - First Map Available on Discord​

Ezzo was beginning to look a bit frazzled, the technician trying to see just what was wrong with the droid. Because it was clear, outstandingly so, that the droid was very much acting up and acting out. If he didn't know any better he would claim that the droid had been reprogrammed but every check he was running was coming back clean without any sign of interference from any existing code or new additions to the droid. Checking for updates on the datapad, the Rodian moved closer to the droid as it seemed to mostly ignore him.

"It doesn't transmit right when I ask for a ping back - but everything I can actually access says its fine and there's nothing wrong." he admitted, feeling a little bit nervous now, "Careful R5, they have firewalls built in."

There was also the matter of company policy not to allow strange droids to have access to their work droids but, well, Ezzo wasn't going to be the one to bring that up. R5 had a blaster and he rolled up with the Sith - and Sith were pretty famous for being chill right up until someone stopped being 100% co-operative. He did feel the need to pipe up in the defence of his droids at the ribbing from Kaos, even if it was mostly directed at Lanowen.

"Hey I worked really hard with my droid crew, I'm sure there's a good reason for these malfunctions."

One thing that R5 would notice as he began to comb through the recent data was that the Stevedore had gone rather deep into the planetoid they were standing on. Records indicated that the droid had made it halfway to the centre of the planetoid. What they also told R5 was that, despite its sense of direction remaining intact - the Stevedore's optics had experienced a minor defect on the journey down, breaking down entirely. The service droid was attempting to access its work logs, even now, functionally blind.

Chirzo wanted to sigh in the face of all the talk of droids but she managed to hold back on the urge for the time being. Instead she focused on the questions more directed at her.

"The incident that caused me to put down tools initially and call it in was... well a shiver ran through me and I was able to throw myself and Lanowen out of the way as the ceiling came down on us." she explained with a frown, "But the hallway was secure, there were no issues with the seams in the metal and the stone beyond it was solid. When I looked again, it looked like something had taken out the screws before Pulling the ceiling plate down on us. This would be bad but it was worse because it was exactly what had been happening in a series of nightmares myself and my team were sharing. It was enough to convince me that the various moving tools and mis-placed explosive charges were the work of something else."

She reached into one of her inner pockets and produced a cigara that she quickly cut the tip off before lighting it with a brief use of the Force. The Mirialan took a steadying puff from the cancer-stick.

"We're the only organics and we all had the same dream right before we almost got killed by it coming true. There's another two dozen droids or so as well Champion Atrix - most are the same model as this one." She nodded to Charlotte, or Ren Lavra at least, and Vahliri, "Champons Lavra, Kahtal. We got about halfway to the centre before we called it off. The contract isn't really to mine anything yet - we're doing a prospecting mission to see if the deposits our scanners picked up are rich enough to bother exploiting."

Cost to reward ratios needed to be checked after all. Both Lanowen and Chrizo both kind of paused for a moment in ther conversations as Tahiri brought attention to the fact that John seemed to be 'stealing' rocks and cutting himself. Lanowen scowled a little bit.

"No bleeding on my floor. The droid will write me up to health and safety if you don't slap a bacta patch on that."

Not really but it wasn't too much of an exaggeration.

Lanowen rolled his eyes - it was a bit more expressive than when a human did it due to his species of course - but it carried the universal meaning. He nodded in agreement with Edin but he couldn't help but make a snarky comment to the non-Forcie who had been contracted to help.

"Since when have you known their lot to actually push to the front to help?"

There was an undeniable touch of bitterness to the Gran's voice as he spoke of the Sith that he did absolutely nothing to hide. Instead of lingering, however, the Gran marched over to the doorway that now stood open and seemed intent on marching right into the mines that their droids had built. However, upon stepping past the threshold, the Gran stopped dead in his tracks.

In the main junction of their exploratory mine, before it branched away, three of the droids they had brought with them could be seen. One, closest to him, appeared to have had its entire torso torn open, with wires and circuits exposed and sparking. The other two seemed to be working away calmly, one taking rock samples from a wall and another checking stocks in some crates.

No, what caught Lanowen's eye and made him seize up was the sight of a young, human, child at the edge of one of the tunnels. The kid had bright blonde hair and pale white skin - which just meant that the angry red scars across his face stood out all the more. As Lanowen stared in surprise, the child just smiled and sat down amidst the dust and rocks, his sitting not disturbing anything at all.

"Finally decided you want to play my games?"

Spoiler: Known Details

• Banvhar Combine - The Company sponsoring the prospecting mission and a mining corporation well-known throughout the Galaxy. They are not the largest but they are successful.
• Location - The planetoid is currently listed as Object N51920. It is without a sector of the Outer Rim largely unknown to the Galaxy and can be reached only through the assistance of Banvhar Combine due to the only safe routes through hyperspace to Object N51920 being charted by their Prospecting teams.
• Prospecting Team - Lanowen the Gran Surveyor, Ezzo Skeck the Rodian droid technician and Chirzo the Mirialan Force 'Expert'.
• The Call for Help - While investigating the planetoid and beginning probing mining operations, Chirzo reported back to Banvhar Combine that there is a strong presence in the Force that seemed wild and unpredictable. The reports grew more urgent as the team dug deeper until the team has refused to dig further until the company hires actual Jedi/Sith to investigate further. Chirzo believes that the presence she is feeling is incredibly powerful but also unstable.

@Killa Ree @Wit
@Charles @Sreeya @Versok
@Altaris @Fantasy Liver @Phoenix @Valen Pelora @Taygood

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn didn't speak droidspeak, but even he got the impression of what R5 was saying to him. Fluffy hair seemed to voice the same opinion and Varyn shrugged.

If it affects organics but not droids, it seems like it'd make sense to have a droid take a look, he said. As R5 went over to plug into the rogue droid and pulled a blaster out to hold in one of its arms, Varyn snickered slightly but let him go about his business, instead returning his attention to what the former-acolyte and the others had to say.

He pointedly tried to ignore the rock-smearing guy because... that was a little weird. He gave a nod toward the other Champion he hadn't met before, but that wasn't really saying much.

Things only got more unsettling the more he heard of what she had experienced. So sabotage? he asked, eyes flicking once again to the droid across the room.

He continued to let his gaze sweep over the room until they settled on the Gran who seemed to be wildly distressed about... something. It pulled Varyn's attention and he moved over toward it, looking down the hallway to see the child there. His eyes went wide and his mouth hung open slightly and he gained the distinct impression that something about this kid also was entirely not right.

He fought off the urge for his hand to drift closer to his saber, but he was suddenly quite closely aware of their positions on his belt.

Spoiler: TL;DR

Varyn gets sus of the droid and the other people as he assumes there was sabotage. He senses distress and goes to check out what's going on and spots the creepy kid.

 

[Lebowski]

"Yeah, but I also know how dangerous they are when they're mad." Lebowski would add after Lanowen's comment. "And with quips like that, I'd keep an eye over your shoulder." The Enforcer would pat the Gran on the shoulder as he made his way past towards the group discussing why these guys were even here in the first place.

"Hey, uh, not to burst anyone's bubble, but, uh, if this is already proving to be too much trouble than it's worth, then why have you stayed?" Leave it to the thief to make a call about high-risk and high-reward. That was why he did anything anyways, but his hypocrisy wouldn't be in vain. Dash was to be paid for a job well done and he was gonna see it through that it was done well.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, the freelancer noticed the Gran stop abruptly before the entrance to another chamber. Behind his helm, Dash raised an eyebrow out of suspicion and followed next to one of the Sith Lanowen had spoken ill of. The Enforcer gulped as he caught a glimpse of what the other two most likely saw. That little boy made Lebowski want to crawl inside himself and hide away from those devilish eyes forever.

"oOoh!" Lebowski's voice cracked, and so he cleared his voice. "That's why..."

Spoiler: TL/DR

Lebowski asks why these guys are still using this particular mine instead of starting a new one elsewhere. Then he follows Varyn, following Lanowen, and catches a glimpse of spooky phantom boy.

 

[Indy Sati]

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

Yet, who was more the fool? The miners, who couldn't leave, or the ones in charge far away from this nonsense?

No, it was her, standing here, and others that accepted this mission. She almost felt like she was in a sorority or something; any minute now one of them was going to start painting their nails. Still, when the Gran froze, it arrested her attention. She took a few steps closer, just to the left of the Sith that also seemed to move forward.

"So you see them too."

Her voice rasped dryly, and yellow eyes slid to glance at him a moment. He seemed to have the right idea; she would be braced in preparation if anything suddenly went sideways, but she wouldn't reach for her sabers just yet. Still, she moved until she was just behind and to the left of the Gran, lightly tapping his shoulder. However, if necessary, she was close enough to the doors that she could easily jump back if they closed or something else strange happened from the Gran or others. Perhaps they were especially suspect to the whims of this entity, exposed as they were.

"Might not want to keep moving forward."

There was a risk he could be possessed, or hell, any of the droids could be, but her eyes settled on the sitting child, not staring directly, but close to where their chest was. Might as well be direct, while others were silent. Besides, some entities in the Force wanted to talk. Besides, the droids doing their normal thing calmly was very much odd; especially since one of them looked practically flayed apart. Perhaps the R5 would have some luck with the droids; she knew enough droidspeak to get by, but that was about it. But she had only one question for the manifestation that took on the form of a child.

"What are you?"

@Nefieslab

Spoiler: TL;DR

Innana is bemused at the crowd of Sith not moving forward. She warns Lanowen not to progress further, and like Varyn, is hella sus of others and of creepy kid; asks creepy kid what they are. Hopes R5 will pick up on something while they do their thing. She's readying herself in case shenanigans start from things around them.

 

[Charlotte Le'Anna]

Charlotte was momentarily distracted by the man wiping blood all over the place. Right…that was why she kept away all these years. That was all too commonplace among the rank and file Sith. Charlotte had seen her fair share of Darkside practices. A hundred different ways to command the Darkness...many of them terrifying…many of them exactly what she saw. Ill-conceived. The Lords of the Sith wielded tremendous power but too many commoners tried to replicate that power with foolishness. She could not help but shake her head. A small frown forming under her mask.

The explanations were entirely unsatisfying. Nothing was making sense. Sabotage? Prophetic dreams? She hated the taste of it. Of course, the moment that thought crossed her mind, everything got worse.

Charlotte followed Varyn. Her eyes tracking to the visibly distressed Gran. Then she saw it. The child. Every cell in her body shook. That was not normal. She itched for her saber or blaster. A chill racing unwanted up her spine. Charlette's head swung around. She didn’t know these people and likely did not all share their morals. Charlotte would kill a creeping child. Most in the galaxy didn’t feel the same. She stepped forward, prepared to walk into the mine. “Well, I’m sure we can all agree that is not normal.” The Darkness was suddenly flowing through her. Fuck it. The Gun of Command sprung into her hand, aiming at the kid. “And what do you want.” That was the more important question.

Spoiler: Charlotte's Actions

Looks at the creepy kid, asks it that question, and pulls her gun on it.

@Nefieslab

 

[R5 9A]

Hmm...no optics. Well, that was something that R5 had considered statistically unlikely but not impossible, so he resorted to his Plan B and began combing through the stevedore droid's audio receptor logs instead, trying to see if there was anything it might have heard while it was down there. He also tried to a quick diagnosis on the droid's photoreceptors to see if he couldn't repair the droid's vision while he was here.

"Accumulating some relevant information. This unit went down to approximately halfway to the center of this planetoid before experiencing some kind of malfunction with its optics. Attempting to diagnose and repair now."

"Also, I don't know this child but my probability calculations are that strange children emerging from minds, speaking of playing games tend to be either dangerous or insane. This unit recommends restraining it until tests can be run."

 

[Tahiri]

Tahiri, unlike Varyn, was not as restrained in her threat response, and her hand went straight to one of her blades, though she did not pull it off the clip or activate it. It just seemed comforting to have it in her grip, because the child was giving her major heebie-jeebies.

She had followed after the Sith when they moved towards the mine, and as more than one question was shot towards the child, she didn't really feel the need to add anything. Rather she waited, and watched. Her eyes on the child, wondering what had happened to him.

Spoiler: tl;dr

Tahiri followed Varyn and Charlotte and observes as they question the child.

@Nefieslab

 

[Kaos Tyr]

Kaos decided to stay where he was and keep the droid safe as it worked, knowing full well that the droid probably wouldn't get anything since this was related to the force, but it never hurt to try and he still didn't trust any of the returning droids at all, they could attack at any given moment.

...Specially when the cause of it all probably appeared in front of him. The "vision" of a Miralukan was quite different to that of a normal human and so, when he caught a glimpse of the child, the hardened warrior couldn't help but feel chills down his spine, even if he didn't show it. For now, Kaos kept silent, letting the others ask the question while he became even more vigilant than before.

Spoiler: TLDR

Still bodyguarding R5

@Nefieslab

 

[John Q]

John walked over to Enzo, both hands in his pockets.
"Could you give me a map of the mines? Also, I need to know the composition of this asteroid. Clays and silicates, or mostly metal? Should I worry about cave-ins? We're going to need bottled water too."

Spoiler

John walks over to Enzo and asks some questions.

 

[Darth Tempest]

Vahliri kept her arms crossed over her chest, listening for a while as Chirzo gave her accounting of previous events. Though she said nothing at first, she couldn’t help but arch a brow when thr Mirialan began to describe visions that the team had been received - and how they seemed to line up with events that had taken place shortly thereafter. The half-Annfyn was silent for a moment or two before finally speaking up, jutting her chin towards the woman in question.

“These visions you’ve been having - these dreams? Perhaps they are linked to whatever presence in the Force lingers in this place.” She gestured a hand. “It would explain why every organic has been affected by it.” After dealing with the ghost alongside Arla, the half-Annfyn wouldn’t have been surprised that whatever lurked within the caverns was responsible for playing with their minds.

The question, of course, was why?

While she spoke, Vahliri didn’t miss some of the other comments being made - amber eyes flicking to stare through the Gran. She could clearly pick up the vitriol in his words, and made a mental note to keep her eyes on the man a bit closer than before. Until they knew what was going on for sure, she trusted nothing and no one.

As the group began to delve further into the mines, Vahliri followed close behind - hand instinctively lingering close to her belt and near the saber she carried. The first thing she noticed, stepping through the door, was the broken and damaged droid, and immediately began to gravitate in that direction. It wasn’t until she caught sight of the child she paused, keeping her body turned so the droid was in her peripheral, while her attention flicked onto the child.

There was no masking the scowl that appeared on her features. While the rest proceeded to ask questions of the creepy child, Vahliri remained silence - instead allowing the Force to expand through her. She attempted to probe the child’s own presence within the Force, in hopes of determining if he was something more than he appeared.

Spoiler: TLDR

Vahliri talked with Chorizo, and then starts following into the mines. She attempts to use the Force to glean anything about the child.

@Nefieslab

 

[Edin Frost]

Edin was the last to step into the room, but he spotted the child as well. After hearing and seeing what he did, the assassin had no reason to take any chances with some creepy ass kid that had no business being here. Without waiting around, he leveled his blaster set to heavy stun and shot towards the little shit, aiming for the chest. If he was wrong, then he’d get a few glares and oh well, they’d find out what was going on while the kid was passed out since he knew Sith could do mind shit. If he was right, well at least he’d get the jump on whatever shitshow this was about to become.

Edin had no moral compass when it came to stunning or offing anyone that seemed, well, off and this wouldn’t make him lose any sleep.

@Nefieslab

 

[The Gatekeeper]

OOC - First Map Available on Discord

With Ezzo Skeck
@R5 9A @Kaos Tyr @John Q
​

Ezzo continued to poke and prod at the worker droid through the datapad interface he had already had set up in the past. It was working though it had to be said that R5 9A, with his hard connection, seemed to be doing a better job at accessing the information than he was. With a disgruntled noise, the Rodian technician nodded in agreement with R5's assessment of the damage to the worker droid and to its suggested idea of fixing the issues with the optics.

"Yes, some of the work droids we've been using have been experiencing some malfunctions. We thought, at first, that it might just be isolated incidents but its beginning to look more and more like we're being deliberately messed with." he muttered, wringing his hands together slightly, "I don't mind telling you that my blaster pistol is mostly for show - I take jobs like this to get away from war and battles..."

After all, how could someone better avoid the war overtaking the Galaxy than by skirting the edge of the Galaxy where no one seemed to care? As it ran through its diagnostic checks, R5 9A would be able to tell that the malfunction appeared to be a hardware issue - specifically in that something had managed to pull some of the internal wiring loose without opening the chasis at all. He was, perhaps, a little bit more on edge than typical since Kaos Tyr seemed content to loom over him nearby... and John Q came over and asked a very technical question, specifically part of Lanowen's domain but he could answer well enough.

"We have some rough outlines from data collected by the droids for the deeper areas but we have explored some of the mine well enough to map it out - it's on my datapad." he explained to the Sith before touching on the more geological matters, "According to Lanowen, it's very secure when its not falling due to sabotage... mostly rare metals, we've found, though their do appear to be veins of silicates and some biological matter we've not identified yet. The water is in the first area of the mine, in some cargo crates."

With Chirzo
@Vahliri Kahtal @Varyn Atrix
​

The Mirialan "Force Expert" seemed to sag ever so slightly when both Vahliri Kahtal and Varyn Atrix seemed content to steer the conversation. Both of the Sith would be paying enough attention to catch the look of relief that seemed to cross over her face - as though she was happy that someone else was looking to take the lead in this situation. It was clear that she hadn't been able to make the mark and graduate to Acolyte status and she was beginning to buckle under the pressure; under a carefully maintained facade of course.

"I fear it may be sabotage but not by any one person - even with my level of Force skills, I would be able to sense someone acting directly against me. Instead I feel the Force almost saturate the area where I sleep and I felt it again when the ceiling collapsed."

It clearly stung her pride to admit that she didn't know what she was doing - especially to the two Sith. However, both of them would also note that she seemed to be labouring under the misconception that she would have been able to sense and locate someone using the Force against her. Both Sith Champions would know that, provided suitable training and skill, Force Users could indeed act against their enemies in such a way - the Force couldn't be used like sonar to track back to them after all.

"Yes, I fear whatever is beneath our feet has designs on our minds." she agreed with Vahliri, "But it feels almost... unintelligent for lack of a better word. If it could affect our minds and it wanted us out - why not simply push the idea into our minds and have it take root?"

Again, her lack of formal training was beginning to show but she still raised a point that they might be able to appreciate. Still, as the group moved up to the entrance to the mines, she too spotted the child before freezing up at the very sight of the young man - as if she had seen him before.

Playing with Kids in abandoned mines
@Indy Sati @Varyn Atrix @Charlotte Le'Anna @Edin Frost @Vahliri Kahtal @Tahiri @Lebowski​

Lanowen might have given Lebowski's warning about antagonising Force Sensitives a bit more merit but the Gran had been shooting such shots at the green Forcie for months and she hadn't done anything. If she hadn't managed to get to the point of violence or threats, then he didn't think the Sith would do so any quicker. Though he did kind of bristle slightly at the suggestion that this wasn't worth the effort.

"The metals here are rare as rocking bantha poodoo - the finders' fees alone will let me retire!"

Of course that was when he spotted the kid in the mines.

The kid who should absolutely not be in the mines because there were no other entrances that they knew of. No other organics around for literal parsecs and yet this thing was here? And yeah, Lanowen was going to call the kid a "thing" because there was no freaking way that this thing was a child!

Said child just smiled at the group as they all filtered to the entrance of the mine and gave them a little wave. Vahliri, and any other Force User reaching out to try and sense the child, would find that reaching out prompted a sensation akin to static coming down the line. Whereas the others would feel only the static, Vahliri would be able to feel something, hear something, through the 'static' in the connection as she focused on investigating it more.

A young boy's voice cutting through the static to plead.

Spoiler: Static Noises for Vahliri

Mommy, Daddy, why does it hurt so much? It burns my face... I've got blood all over me, Mommy! Mommy why am I bleeding?! Mommy, Daddy, please! Stop me bleeding! It hurts! It huuuuurts! What did I do wrong? Why would Zoe hurt me like this?

But in reality the child just sat there smiling as the group questioned it. Of course he didn't actually get a chance to answer any of the questions as Edin acted on instinct and drew on him, firing off a stun-bolt with pinpoint accuracy. The bolt hit the kid exactly as intended but the white-blue energy seemed to crackle as it struck the kid - before passing through him.

"... that wasn't very nice, Mister. You and Blue Lady - shooting and calling me a 'what'. Asking questions like you're angry, like Gun Lady. Really hurting my feelings... I hate it here!"

Some of the assembled party would be able to properly identify the current situation; the beginnings of a child throwing a tantrum. Were that all it was, perhaps it might have been funny or adorable. But when the tiny little child stamped his feet, the ground shook and the droids seemed to turn, as one, to regard those he was shouting at.

However, as it was speaking, the kid seemed to start to become transparent until, after only a few seconds, it seemed to fade away. While this was happening, Chirzo let out a choked noise and made an aborted attempt to rush after him before forcibly stopping herself as the first chamber of the mine was once again devoid of life aside from the party.

Throughout this phasing out, the droids turned to continue their work, as though nothing had happened - one unloading a crate of water rations for the party while the other seemed content to mine away at a wall.

Spoiler: Known Details

• Banvhar Combine - The Company sponsoring the prospecting mission and a mining corporation well-known throughout the Galaxy. They are not the largest but they are successful.
• Location - The planetoid is currently listed as Object N51920. It is without a sector of the Outer Rim largely unknown to the Galaxy and can be reached only through the assistance of Banvhar Combine due to the only safe routes through hyperspace to Object N51920 being charted by their Prospecting teams.
• Prospecting Team - Lanowen the Gran Surveyor, Ezzo Skeck the Rodian droid technician and Chirzo the Mirialan Force 'Expert'.
• The Call for Help - While investigating the planetoid and beginning probing mining operations, Chirzo reported back to Banvhar Combine that there is a strong presence in the Force that seemed wild and unpredictable. The reports grew more urgent as the team dug deeper until the team has refused to dig further until the company hires actual Jedi/Sith to investigate further. Chirzo believes that the presence she is feeling is incredibly powerful but also unstable.

@Killa Ree @Wit
@Charles @Sreeya @Versok
@Altaris @Fantasy Liver @Phoenix @Valen Pelora @Taygood

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Despite being the first over to see the child, others reacted more aggressively. Honestly, Varyn couldn't really blame or fault them. This kid was giving off all kind of bad juju, and if they wanted to stun him out that didn't seem unreasonable. If he was normal - ha, that was a good one - he'd recover.

The bolt seemed to do nothing except make the "kid" angry. As Varyn reached out to get any sort of a sense of what he was, he got... obscurity. It was not unlike trying to read the mind of someone who was intentionally trying to conceal themselves from you, but Varyn didn't get the impression this kid was doing this on purpose. Right?

He tried to process what was going on and make sense of it, but to be frank, he really didn't have a clue. Clearly there was some manifestation of the Force at work here, but that could mean almost anything. There were corners of the galaxy that people never touched and where the Force worked in mysterious ways.

As the tantrum began, the entire stone began to shake around them, giving off an impression that the whole mine was going to collapse around them. Whatever was going on here, it was definitely Force-related and definitely wasn't natural.

He hadn't even noticed that his lightsaber was now in his hand.

Kriff, he swore quietly. Okay, focus up, he told himself. So there's some sort of Force-history here, he thought to himself. What was this rock they were on anyway?

What is the history of this place? How was it discovered? he asked of the Mirialan. He was sure some of this fell under "trade secrets" but from his guess, this place had some sort of unknown history, and any clues or pieces they might be able to find to discover what that was, the better.

Spoiler: TLDR

Varyn starts trying to figure out what this place is and what's going on, recognizing the obscuring around the child. He asks about this place's history to try to discover any clues of the origin of the weirdness

 

[Lebowski]

"Whatthefuuuuck..." Dash muttered to himself after witnessing the whole ordeal of people threatening the ghost child that phased into nothing after Edin pelted it with a stun bolt. This was so friggin out of place and Lebowski felt like he was missing a lot of the story going on here. Someone had to know something about the boy- besides the fact that it wanted to be treated normally, which Dash made sure to make note of.

"Alrighty, fellas... What the hell was that?!" He turned to face the others. "Like, yeah, a ghost would make sense- but also...WHY THE FUCK DID Y'ALL PULL A GUN ON HIM?" There were enough ghost stories that Dash had heard where once the spirit was offended, you were cursed or some shit like that. "Really subtle, guys...Holy shit..." Lebowski cursed and began pacing back and forth, thinking of some sort of plan to figure this out. Could Dash try and talk to the spirit? He hadn't done anything to piss it off as far as he was concerned. It probably didn't like a droids, so he'd have to be careful with his cybernetic arm.

Maybe Dash should just go by himself? Was that smart? That kid really gave him the creeps, and he shuddered just thinking about him. Okay, so he definitely wasn't going by himself, but he wasn't going with the idiots who pissed the poor dude off. What happened to him? What was his story? Did someone here know?

"Anyone got any ideas who the little guy was?"

@Nefieslab

Spoiler: TL/DR

Lebowski tries not to provoke the ghost, flips out after everyone goes Rambo on the ghost, and asks if anyone might have any clue as to who the child might be.

 

[Edin Frost]

Edin got all the proof he needed when the bolt did something he had never seen before and seemingly went right through the kid. This was followed by the spooky dude outright disappearing. The Firrerreo grimaced at the sight, but he felt entirely validated in his decision. When the other non Force user started screeching, Edin slowly turned to look at him. The blaster in his hand instead turned to level at the man’s head, the assassin’s icy gaze on him. There was a distinct click as the blaster switched from stun to lethal.

“Keep talking, fucker,” Edin stated flatly. If the man made any threatening moves or actually kept blabbing, the Firrerreo wouldn’t hesitate to put a bolt between his eyes. As a man that specialized in shooting, Edin's target would hit the ground before he moved a muscle.

Granted that the Enforcer didn’t do anything astonishingly stupid and posed no counter threat, Edin glanced towards Johnny Q, “Bring that map over, would you?”

The Firrerreo glanced over at Lebowski again, gun still leveled, “Daycare Nanny here is going to lead the way deeper into the mines. You wanna play ghost whisperer? Be our fucking guest.”

@Charles @Taygood @Nefieslab

 

[Indy Sati]

She didn't know why the Fallen Blade was suddenly in her palm, but she clenched it a moment, bracing her other arm when the child-looking thing began to throw what seemed to be a tantrum. Now, Indy liked some kids, but overall, she wasn't the fondest of them. That was Arctus' sphere.

So when the mineshaft shook, she tensed, preparing to either defend or attack, but just as suddenly, the being disappeared when one of the two non-Force sensitives landed a stun bolt that seemed... really meticulously placed. She frowned behind the mask when he continued holding up his blaster, seeming to threaten the other one, that seemed to panic.

Still... Blue Lady? Really? The Indy of the past might have given a chuckle over that, but now, a prickle of irritation ghosted down her neck. Still, she didn't put the blade away but merely glanced at @John Q when the guy with the blaster asked for a map. Better to know where they were going, at least. Still, she was surprised the Sith weren't barreling down the mineshaft like they typically did for the rest of the galaxy.

"I'd like to see this map as well. Need to know where I'm going." Her voice still rasped dryly, glancing at @Edin Frost, who was still pointing his blaster. "I will take point if necessary." Going off alone wasn't very smart, but still, standing here waiting wouldn't alleviate the problem. Still, when she was trying to feel out where the illusion had been, it felt... off. Like a cut-off comm signal.

Moving out of the way of the guy with his blaster and the other who seemed to be panicking, she took the first steps forward after she would get a quick glimpse of the map, and begin moving further down, keeping a wary eye on the droids that seemed to be calmly continuing their work, and the downed one opposite, in case of anything would suddenly change.

Spoiler: TL;DR

Indy's got her blade hilt out and seems braced to react to any more spooky shenanigans, but is now very leery of the two non-FS that seem to be at odds, and wants a map of the place so she can take point to move further down the tunnel. Trying to reach out and feel through the Force, she senses the static and is very unhappy with the situation. She takes the first few steps forward.

@Nefieslab

 

[Charlotte Le'Anna]

Shit, she was getting soft. Another pal took the step Charlotte had resisted and put a bolt into the center of the kid. It did not have the intended affect. She should not have been surprised but it would have been impossible to predict what came next. The child had what could only be described as a freak out, coupled with the earth shaking, before he suddenly disappeared. If there was any doubt remaining that dark forces were at play, it was gone. Something unnatural was making a home in the mines. Charlotte shook her head slowly. She kept a grip on the Gun of Command. Her saber hilt flipping into her other hand. She would not be undefended.

The one who had shot the creepy apparition seemed to have the right again. “What he said.” Her grip on her weapons tightened. “The only answers we are going to find are deeper in the mine.” Charlotte took a deep calming breath. “Standing out here won’t do us any good.” She started to walk towards the entrance. Keeping an eye on those droids and her own ‘allies.’

Spoiler: Charlotte's Actions

Charlotte gets more spooked and starts to head further into the mine.

@Nefieslab

 

[Kaos Tyr]

Kaos Tyr decided that the astromech had it covered, the Miralukan warrior walking towards the mine just in time to witness someone shoot the strange force ghost child, see another one lose it and probably witness them blow each other's brains. By the fucking force, five minutes in and some people were already on the verge of losing it and threatening each other, they were off to a good start.

"No need, as fun as it would be to use him as bait, leave leading the front to those that are better at it, you blaster wielders stay in the back and do your part" Kaos flatly stated, would be a waste of a death if the panicking guy was picked apart in melee combat, probably could do something with his weapons at least "...And be careful yourself, if I was a supernatural kid that was just shot, I know who I would try to target first" The Matukai warned the old acquaintance he didn't recognize before walking past both of them.

Kaos stopped besides Indy, giving her a nod as to let her know that she would not walk alone, even if they were all going to go the same way, it was probably for the best that none of them isolated themselves from the others, no matter how "close" they thought they were from the others...She also wasn't sith, so better her than a good half of the people that were here at the moment.

Spoiler: TLDR

Kaos talks a bit and takes the lead alongside Indy because you can't punch ghosts from the back.

@Nefieslab

 

[Darth Tempest]

Drawing upon the Force, Vahliri paid little mind to her immediate surroundings - her attention strictly focused onto the creepy-ass child sitting in the mineshaft. As a result, she didn’t hardly notice Edin until the Firrereo began to line up the barrel of his blaster - using her shoulder to level his weapon. Before she could even blink, a bolt of blue stun streaked through the air and struck.. Nothing. Even still, it caused the ghost-child to vanish from sight, and Vahliri couldn’t deny that the Firrerreo’s maneuver was smooth as hell.

“Nice shot,” She glanced back towards Edin with a smirk, meeting his gaze for a moment.

That was, of course, until Lebowski started talking.

At once, the half-Annfyn’s fluted ears flicked and flattened against the sides of her skull, beyond irritated with his constant whining and loudass tendencies. The Force flowed silently between the half-Annfyn’s fingertips as Edin leveled his own blaster, quite literally prepared to throw the Enforcer down the tunnel he didn’t start to move his ass. She had no qualms whatsoever with popping the man if he got out of line, or otherwise using him as a meatshield to explore the tunnel further. He gaze narrowed ever-so-slightly as the Jedi began to charge ahead as well. Oh well.

If the ‘vanguard’ wanted to forge ahead and walk into the next round of bullshit, Vahliri certainly wasn’t going to stop then. Instead, she stuck towards the middle back of the group, hand hovering a few inches from her saber. Her gaze flicked to Chorizo.

“The name Zoe,” She began, “Does it mean anything to you?”

@Sreeya @Nefieslab @Charles

Spoiler: TLDR

Sticking to the back, Vahliri allows the others to start forging ahead, while keeping cautioosu of her surroundings.