Search and Rescue

[Hugo Ion]

Planet Makeb
Dice​

“Terrible.” Commander Ion muttered, beholding the sight before him. A devasted vessel that smashed upon impact and fires still burning all over. The Duros can only imagine the horrors the passengers must’ve felt. With rifle in hand he stood next to a broken wing impaled the ground, surveying the devastation..

Behind Hugo was a company of eighty rebels who awaited his orders. Quickly he gave it. “First squad set up position on the high grounds and keep watch. Everyone else spilt into two platoons to secure this area and look for survivors. I will be with the second platoon.”

The alliance members complied, the squad of lookouts rushed up a path on a small cliff to maintain observation and rest were committed to as search parties. A part of Hugo wondered if anyone could’ve lived through this calamity. Thinking so as he walked, Ion turned toward Ayasha Waya beside him.

Unlike the rest of the rebels here the human was a Jedi Knight. One trained by Vu in fact. Hugo silently reminded himself. The rebel leader hoped the young knight was up of the task. Because they had their work cut out after all. A minute later he asked.

“Sense anything?”

@Wolf

 

[Ayasha Waya]

The wreckage was terrible. As the smoke cleared and the dust settled, the broken bodies of several ships became visible. Crumpled bits of mangled metal and shattered shards of glass littered the ground as far as the eye could see. Flames licked the sky and the sickening smell of burning flesh filled the nostrils of those aiding in the recovery effort. “Terrible,” the voice of Commander Hugo Ion broke through the silence as he surveyed the sight before him. Ayasha's brows furrowed in grave concern as her golden eyes passed over several splintered vessels.

As the Duros gave orders to the company of rebels behind him, the Jedi Knight wandered away from his side and slowly approached what appeared to be a crushed cockpit. She placed a hand upon her chest and closed her eyes. Pain, anguish and desperation cried out from the depths of the Force. The raven haired woman, being a natural empath, had been facing a near constant onslaught of emotions since arriving on Makeb. The agony of the dying was the worst sensation she had ever experienced and it took a great deal of strength to bear the weight of their suffering.

The Jedi's eyes slowly opened as she felt Hugo approaching. Her arm dropped to her side and she turned to face the Commander. “Sense anything?” he questioned as they began to walk through the devastation. The Knight had to assume that this was why she was here. Her abilities to use the Force would be a great advantage to the recovery effort, especially when it came to saving the lives of the injured lost among the debris.

The caramel skinned woman slowed to a stop and stood completely still as she reached out with the Force. It flowed in and around her, allowing the Jedi to feel her connection to any and all living things. Just then her mind sensed a small voice several meters away. It was not something she could hear with her ears, but she picked up on a cry for help coming from a heap in the distance. “This way!” Ayasha said with urgency in her voice as she took off in a near sprint. Seconds later, the Knight was digging through hunks of durasteel, shattered viewports and other unrecognizable pieces that had at one time, comprised a freighter of sorts.

The woman grunted as she struggled to lift a massive sheet of crumpled metal from the bottom of the pile of rubble. With a boost of strength from the Force, she heaved the heavy piece from its place and gasped quietly at the sight beneath. Surrounded by many maimed bodies, some of which were nearly unidentifiable as humanoid, was a woman of many years. Ayasha's heart ached within her chest as she knelt down and placed a gentle hand upon her bruised and bloodied head. She had suffered a sizeable gash near her hairline and it appeared as though her legs were broken. The Knight poured calming waves of peace and deep healing energy from the Force into the refugee. “Help is coming,” the Jedi whispered and the woman pushed through her pain to smile in return.

“Commander Ion, she needs advanced care immediately,” the Knight turned and said to Hugo before turning back to the scene before her. Clearly there were no other survivors and Ayasha could only assume that if it had not been this woman's position aboard the craft that had spared her, it had been the Force itself. “I don't want to move her until the proper help arrives. Her injuries are critical,” the woman added as she suddenly felt another strand within the Force. The tendrils of another life signature, weak as it was, reached out from within another survivor and called to the Force within the Jedi.

The Knight looked down at the woman and gave her a warm smile before pushing off from the heap and making her way to a much larger mass of mangled metal. She began to pull pieces of the wreckage off of the pile as other life signatures became present within the sprawling web of the Force. “There are survivors over here! They are trapped!” the woman called out as she continued working through the mess of durasteel and glass. At one point, a metal shard tore through her forearm but the pain was inconsequential to the mission at hand. Within this heap she sensed eight souls with the will to live. “Hurry, please!” the Knight pleaded gently, though with great urgency.


@Minuteman75

 

[Hugo Ion]

Hugo watched the dark haired human very carefully. From his experience with force users, he knew they will have an answer either way. Suddenly Ayasha pointed to a direction and sprinted toward it. The Duros followed close behind her. Immediately he helped the Jedi pull away pieces of rubble as fast as he can manage. Gritting his teeth from the strain as the red eye alien lifted off chunk of rubble to the side Hugo then behold his ally used the force to clear heavier pile.

The blue humanoid then silently noted in awe. Never gets old. That wonder turned into horror when Hugo saw the numerous bodies revealed underneath. It wasn’t the first time he seen such a terrible sight but his heart sank all the same. However, there was no time to ponder on the state of life or death when Ayasha found an elderly survivor and began comforting her.

When told the old woman needed medical assistance Ion message his team. “We found a survivor in the center of the crash site! Get the medics down here to our location!” Afterward the guardian mentioned they shouldn’t move the old woman for the time being he nodded in understanding. Subsequently the commander ran alongside Ayasha to the next spot.

Already a squad of rebels arrived on the scene, their medic tending to the first survivor while the rest rush for Hugo was. He waved them over just as he was informed there were eight people trapped under a heap. The freedom fighters swarmed alongside the two digging through the shards and pieces of metal, despite cutting themselvesmin the process including Hugo. Within a minute they managed to make an opening!

Smiling Hugo then messaged the sentries through the comms.

”Any sight of trouble lieutenant?”

“No sir, so far so good.”

”Understood keep me posted.” He replied before focusing on helping the newest survivors found.

@Ayasha Waya

 

[Ayasha Waya]

It was a relief to see medics dispersing throughout the wreckage, tending to the first victim and now those that were being uncovered beneath a heap of scrap. A team of soldiers rushed over at Hugo's command and began the recovery effort. Within minutes, the eight survivors that had been buried in a steel grave were being assessed and cared for. Ayasha rose from her crouched position and paused as she wiped the sweat from her brow. Her eyes scanned the scene and the sheer immensity of the crash site held her breath captive momentarily.

The Knight's thoughts were suddenly shattered as a heart wrenching scream pierced her ears and echoed within her soul. “MY BABY! HELP ME FIND MY BABY!” a woman in a tattered dress screamed from the top of a pile of rubble. She collapsed to her knees and wept while clenching her disheveled hair in both hands. “Why? PLEASE!” she screamed at the sky in a primal act of desperation. Ayasha's heart ached for this mother. She did not think twice or say a word to Huge before taking off across the field of crumbled ships and broken dreams.

“I'm here...shhh...” the raven haired woman whispered as she hurried up the side of a mound of scrap and wrapped her arms around the stranger. Ayasha pulled the woman close and slowly began to rock from side to side. In the meantime, the Knight probed her mind and emotions deeply for images of the lost child. Nearly immediately a clear profile of a little girl was visible within the Jedi's mind. She could feel the familiarity within the mother of the child's life signature which would greatly aid Ayasha in her search. “I will look for her and I will find her...I promise,” the Knight said as she pulled the mother away and looked deeply into her eyes. The woman wiped the tears from her dirt streaked face and nodded with a glint of hope behind a halfhearted smile.

Ayasha rose to her feet and slid down the side of the pile as she rushed to the approaching Commander. “We're looking for a little girl, dark hair about this tall,” the Knight motioned to her waist for a height reference. Without further explanation, the Jedi turned and approached the pile that she had encountered the mother at. She closed her eyes and reached out with the Force from her depths. The tendrils of the endless power source reached out through the expanse around her like root tendrils from a growing tree. As the silent search spread further and further, the Knight began to lose hope. Time and again she felt the waning life signatures of those passing from this life into the Force.

“Oh my...” the Knight suddenly whispered to herself as her eyes flashed open. She turned and looked at Hugo before taking off in a brisk walk that slowly turned into a jog which morphed into a sprint. The raven haired woman rushed past the wreckage and the weeping mother. She passed by several other crafts in various degrees of ruin. Moments later, she came upon a small heap. The others were far behind the Jedi as her speed was greatly aided by the Force. She knelt down and pulled several blankets and articles of clothing off of the tiny, broken body of the little girl. Clearly someone had already marked her among the deceased and had attempted to spare others from the sight.

Though her pulse was nearly undetectable and her breaths were shallow and intermittent, she was still alive. “I'm here to help you, Ava...I'm a Jedi Knight...” Ayasha's voice slipped into the mind of the child via telepathy. Though her body was unresponsive, her spirit could hear. Immediately the woman could sense the Force within the child. She had to potential to be a future Jedi...or raise a child of her own that could be a hope for the Light bearers of the future. The Knight knew she needed to save this little one. Ayasha placed her hands upon the child's head as there was bleeding within her skull and swelling of her brain.

The Jedi lowered her face and closed her eyes as if in prayer. She drew deeply upon the Force from all around and it filled her to overflowing. That outpouring coursed through her arms and out from her hands, into the child's head. Ayasha focused on first repairing the area of bleeding. Tiny tendrils of power began to knit damaged patches of the little girl's brain together. Nearly simultaneously, the brain began to slowly reduce in size. The Knight continued expelling her own energy along with the power of the Force as she worked to heal the child to save her life. Several minutes into the effort, the Jedi was unaware if there were others gathered around her, but what she did know was that the child's heart had begun to beat stronger and more regularly. Her breathing had returned to a regular rhythm and her cardiopulmonary response was gaining strength and stride.

Just then Ayasha sat back, exhausted and sweating. Her body ached as she had exerted a great deal of her own energy and strength into the effort to save little Ava. The Knight drew in a deep breath through her nose and exhaled through her mouth as she leaned in and took the child's hand in her own. “Wake up, little one...” the woman gently whispered. At this point, the Jedi realized that there was a small crowd gathered, including Hugo and the girl's mother. The woman's dirty hands covered her mouth as she stood nearly holding her breath in anticipation. Suddenly, a small sound broke the silence as the child's lips parted and her eyes slowly fluttered open.

“Mama...” she cried out in a weak squeak as a tear fell down her dust covered cheek. The child's mother screamed a mix of delight and agony as she was thankful her child's life had been restored though she could not dismiss how close she had been to losing her. “How can I thank you? Oh my baby! I can never repay you!” the woman shouted as she reached out toward the little girl. Ayasha shook her head and smiled warmly while struggling to stand to her feet. “She needs advanced medical care yet. She will heal but she needs to do so in a hospital,” the Knight added in quiet tones.

The Jedi drew in a deep breath and pulled from the power of the Force to regain her strength lost from the intensity of the healing. Her golden eyes studied the mother and child, both elated at their reunion. A team of medics moved in swiftly to tend to the little girl and render the help that would allow her to return to the care of her family in a short time. The raven haired woman's gaze shifted to Hugo as she motioned for him to join her in stepping away from the group. “Among those six wrecks...” the Knight gestured toward the better portion of the smoldering field behind them. “...there are no survivors,” the woman said in somber tones with sadness in her eyes.

She looked past where Ava was being tended and pointed out the next batch of broken ships. “There are more ahead however, that need our help. I imagine it will not be long before we are met with those that have a far more nefarious purpose here as opposed to our humanitarian efforts,” the Jedi's face adopted a sober appearance as her mind moved to Imperial agents rounding up these injured people to fill their labor camps. Images from within the labor camp upon Nar Shaddaa briefly graced the space behind the woman's golden orbs. She shook her head of the memories and offered a weak smile to the Commander. “With all due respect, Commander...we need to hurry,” the Knight said gently before heading off in the direction of the wreckage ahead.


@Minuteman75

 

[H5PAD]

Galactic Alliance Rendezvous Zone LZ-433K
Makeb

H5PAD had worked with Commander Ion before and it was the droid’s second operation to Makeb. With his current contract, Hale was augmenting the Galactic Alliance troops due to his experience on that planet. Experience on a Hutt-ruled, Imperial planet was in short supply among the Galactic Republic. One of the communications officers was talking quickly with urgency on his radio. He looked over at Commander Ion and there were words exchanged. The duros looked over at the Jedi Knight and quickly explained that he had to take his men on a mission critical operation right this moment. He said he had faith in the Jedi and left her with H5PAD. As the Galactic Alliance soldiers made haste to their dropships, the assassin droid and the Jedi Knight were left to see to the crash survivors. H5PAD looked over at Ayasha, “H5PAD will help you with your retrieval of survivors. H5PAD will keep up with your progress through the swamp…”

It didn’t look like that would be the case. The droid had its SB-3 sniper rifle slung over its right shoulder accompanied by a quartet of grenades strapped to the belt at the small of its back. A heavy blaster pistol hung at the ready off its right hip and a DH-7 blaster pistol hung on the left. Its black armor plates were interspersed keeping its innards protected.

It picked up the pace as it endeavored to keep up with the Jedi Knight…

@Wolf
OOC/Dice Thread

 

[Ayasha Waya]

Before Ayasha could comprehend what was happening, Commander Ion was informing her that he had to immediately embark on another operation pertinent to the mission. The Jedi Knight nodded absently as she watched the duros hurry in the opposite direction with a group of soldiers, leaving the woman with a very intimidating assassin droid. He turned and looked at the woman while speaking. “H5PAD will help you with your retrieval of survivors,” he said before adding that he would keep up.

The Jedi rubbed the back of her neck as she inconspicuously glanced around the area for any other help. The woman was not opposed to the droid's assistance, but his appearance was...unsettling. As Hugo was leaving, he had mentioned the name 'Hale' and Ayasha could only assume that he had been speaking about her new robotic companion.

“Okay...Hale?” she said with a hint of upward inflection in her voice. “We must hurry,” the Jedi said before taking off in the direction of the next group of crashed ships. The droid was correct in his assessment that he would be able to keep up. Ayasha was surprised as she turned her head and noticed the machine man keeping stride with her. The pair began to slow as they neared the broken body of the first craft. “Hey, stop right there!” a steely voice called out as a group of five Imperial agents appeared from the opposite side of the ship.

Ayasha did not hesitate as she drew her blaster pistol and leveled it at one of the five. She fired off several shots which connected with the man's head, blowing it apart seconds after contact. Blood and brain matter splattered across the remainder of the group as his body dropped to the ground in a heap. Her weapon moved to the next in the group and he raised his weapon in return, but the Knight was faster. She fired off a few more rounds which slammed into the agent's body. He dropped his weapon before falling to his knees and then collapsing on the ground in a limp pile on top of his deceased comrade.

The Jedi continued her assualt, leveling her blaster at a third agent and firing off several rounds in his direction. Though he pulled his weapon and moved it into position, Ayasha was faster and the rounds from her pistol made contact with the man's neck. As he grabbed for his throat, one of the remaining two men sent a storm of bolts in the woman's direction. Though she dove for cover behind a large wing of the massive craft, one of the shots connected with her armored shoulder, jolting her blaster from her hand. The weapon hit the ground, temporarily ending her run as she bent to retrieve the wayward pistol.

“Hale! Two more!” the Knight called to the droid as she took possession of her weapon once again and rose to full height, her eyes scanning the immediate area for any other agents.

@Mithias

 

[H5PAD]

Galactic Alliance Rendezvous Zone LZ-433K
Makeb

The pair were making good progress. Unfortunately, a patrol of five Imperials made their afternoon jog come to an end.

“Hey, stop right there!”

The rebel known as Ayasha sprang into action quickly clearing her blaster pistol and shooting the first sentry. Seeing her firing solution and choice of target, H5PAD quickly drew his heavy pistol and blaster pistol from his hip. Seeing the guard staying to the rear with the light repeater as the biggest threat, H5PAD quickly leveled his DL-7 and fired a pair of shots, slamming into the Imperials shoulder and neck area.

“Hale! Two more!”

Hale was already moving. The droid did not need to wait for confirmation. As soon as the Galtean woman cleared her weapon, H5PAD was right behind her…

Not stopping to check the condition of his foe, the assassin droid then leveled the Lullaby Heavy pistol at the guard closest to him. The Imperial was quick on the draw, but not quite quick enough for the droid. The heavy blaster pistol shot a large bolt, slamming into the guard’s light armor, penetrating straight through the armor and forcing the guard down the ground in a heap. The engagement was brutal and fast…most close range combats were just so. An eerie calm and quiet overcame the area. H5PAD calculated that the encounter could have gone very differently if the Empire had not hailed them. The assassin droid calculated the percentage chance of them not shooting first next time was very low…

@Wolf
OOC/Dice Thread

 

[Ayasha Waya]

The Knight breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the sheer precision and accuracy with which the droid neutralized the two remaining threats. She wasted no time and emerged from behind the fallen wing before taking off in the direction of the next heap of durasteel and glass. This ship was in far better shape than any of the previous and within the wreckage, the Jedi sensed the life signatures of twenty-two souls. How all of them had fit in the cramped quarters of this craft was beyond her, but Ayasha could only think of one thing at this moment: rescue.

“Hale!” the woman turned and called behind her, only to be staring directly at the droid's face. “Sorry...” she said quietly before flagging down several rebels that were searching through the wreckage nearby. The group dropped what they were doing and slid down the heap of mangled ship parts before sprinting into action at Ayasha's side.

The group began to pull large sheets of steel from the pile as they gave a solid effort to reach the survivors. After a bit of digging as well as acquiring a few new cuts and scrapes, the Jedi's golden eyes came to rest upon the first faces within. “I'm going to get you out...” she said calmly as she placed a hand upon the shoulder of the woman staring back at her. Wave after wave of peace emanated from the empath and the survivor smiled and nodded as tears of gratitude filled her eyes.

The group continued removing pieces of the wreckage until there was a gap large enough that the craft's passengers were able to begin making their way onto solid ground. Every one of them were able to escape on their own volition save for one young boy that had sustained a broken leg in the crash. “Medics!” Ayasha called out from within the heap as her eyes searched for the medical team. While waiting on the medical team, the Knight placed her hands upon the boy's leg and began to work the power of the Force around and within the break. The child's eyes grew wide as he watched her work and felt a relief from the intense pain.

“You're a Jedi!” the little boy exclaimed loudly to which Ayasha glanced around and then turned back to the child with a finger over her lips. He beamed a wide smile as the woman continued to bind the fractured bone together. “You are a Jedi! I knew it!” he leaned forward and whispered. The Knight did not say a word but instead gave a wink and a warm smile to the boy who was comforted by the empath's presence. Just then, two medics hopped down into the small space and Ayasha climbed out. “He has a broken leg...if I had to guess, I would say it's a compound fracture,” there was no guessing as the woman had been able to see the damage within her mind.

She shot the boy one final wink before turning and leaping down to the ground below. The survivors were gathering under the leadership of one of the rebels just beside the wreckage. “I will take them to a transport and the injured will be reunited with the group at a rendezvous point,” the soldier said to which Ayasha nodded and continued on toward the few remaining crash sites. As the Knight hurried ahead, she turned to look for Hale, surprised to see him nearly beside her. The droid had proved to be quite an asset to the search and rescue effort already, and the Jedi was thankful to be working with him to save the refugees.


@Mithias

 

[H5PAD]

Galactic Alliance Rendezvous Zone LZ-433K
Makeb

The assassin droid stood impassively as the survivors were being gathered and ushered towards the landing zone. Its head scanned the area, more on the lookout for opposition than survivors. It quickly catalogued and tagged all the sentients in the area as “friendlies”. As Ayasha was finishing up with the boy, the rebel non-commissioned officer had the group organized and ready to leave. He communicated as much to Ayasha and the survivors began trudging along the route with the medical team and the skeleton crew of rebel soldiers.

Ayasha and Hale made good progress quickly traversing to the last downed ship. The smoke could be seen billowing over the dismal trees, guiding their path to the wreckage. The ship was halfway submerged in the swamp when they got there. The murky water came to the pair’s knees. As they approached the ship, it seemed too quiet. Just as Ayasha warned H5PAD about an impending attack, an imperial soldier swung a vibroblade from around the corner of the downed ship. The blade sheered off half of the assassin droid’s DL-7. Thinking he had H5PAD at an advantage due to the heavy pistol not being in a position to get a good shot on the ambushing soldier, he pressed the attack. Unfortunately for the Imperial, he did not know much about the modifications made to the droid. With a left haymaker, H5PAD activated its pneumatic fist and swung on the Imperial soldier. A tremendous CRACK! Reverberated through the forest, shattering the helmet and crushing the poor man’s skull. He dropped in a heap. A trio of other soldiers came out of their spots. The next one closest to H5PAD leveled his carbine and sheered part of the droid’s armor. Redirecting his heavy pistol, the droid’s weapon bucked twice and the shots slammed into the chest of the second Imperial, taking him to the ground.

Two more ambushers were ready to take the deadly droid down…

@Wolf
OOC/Dice Thread

 

[Ayasha Waya]

Ayasha's eyes widened as she watched Hale slam his pneumatic fist into the Imperial. The blow crushed the man's skull and he dropped to the ground in a bloody heap. The assassin droid continued his assault as he planted two shots into the chest of a second soldier and the man joined his comrade at their feet.

As the remaining two ambushers raised their weapons in the pair's direction, Ayasha quickly lifted her blaster and fired off several shots at the first of the couple. The bolts slammed into the soldier's face and did unspeakable damage that rendered the man instantly deceased.

The remaining solder fired off several rounds just as the Knight was shifting her attention in his direction. One of the bolts grazed the left side of her neck and she winced in pain. The woman immediately lifted her blaster and sent a barrage of bolts into the soldier's chest, tearing through his light armor and cooking him from the inside out. The man fell to his knees and quickly toppled over.

The Jedi placed her hand over the burn on her neck and shut her eyes tightly as the pain registered in her mind. She shoved her blaster pistol back into the holster upon her thigh and rushed toward the downed ship. It had sustained far less damage than many of the others as its pilot had managed to take it down in a swamp. The craft was now half submerged but an access door on the side of the body allowed the woman quick access from above.

Ayasha hopped up onto the wreckage and pulled on the latch to the door. She was thankful that it opened wide with ease. Upon looking down into the semi submerged craft, the Knight quickly counted ten refugees. “There is a transport waiting to get you out of here but we have to move fast!” she called down to the group as they began to stand. Hope filled their eyes as they exchanged excited whispers.

“Here, take my hand. I need someone strong to give each of you a boost up and then at the end, a few of us will pull you through,” the woman instructed. A young adolescent male raised his hand and volunteered to help the others escape. Ayasha smiled at his willingness and immediately went to work to pull each of the survivors from the wreckage.

The Jedi knelt at the opening and reached down taking the hand of the first refugee. She easily pulled her up with the aid of the young man lifting her. Once they established a rhythm, the first nine survivors were out of the craft within a matter of minutes. The young man was last and with help from another passenger, he too was lifted from the ship. Ayasha received several hugs and praises of thanks but she simply waved her hand and smiled.

“We need to get all of you out of here and onto the transport. This way!” the woman said with urgency as she glanced toward Hale and then motioned in the direction of the transport rendezvous point.


@Mithias

 

[H5PAD]

Galactic Alliance Rendezvous Zone LZ-433K
Makeb

With the combat over, Aysaha saw to the task of freeing the occupants of the downed spacecraft. Though there seemed little in the way of danger, H5PAD continued to scan the area for anything that would be considered opposition. The victims of the crash continued piling out of the ship and into the murky swamp. With the last of them out, H5PAD went to the front of the group and led the band through the swamp. It took some time making their way through the swampy terrain of Makeb, but they made the trek without further opposition.

H5PAD stopped at the edge of the landing zone as the survivors made their way to the clearing. In the open area, a contingent of Galactic Alliance dropships continued to take on survivors of the ships that went down. The assassin droid continued scanning and would do so until all of the dropships were off the ground. It wasn’t until then that its contract would be considered as “filled”. One by one the ships began to lift off from the clearing as they filled up. Ayasha gave the assassin droid a nod and boarded her own vessel in the clearing. With a flurry of activity and sentients everywhere, the landing area became silent. Sending a communique to its ship, the Amalgama would send its completion of contract to the Galactic Alliance for another mission completion.

THE END
​

@Wolf
OOC/Dice Thread