Ask The Child Catchers

[Dash Pavan]

GENERIS
10.20am local time​

Generis was going to be hard work, Dash could just tell.

The world was hot and humid and little fresh air blew through the window, even as the wheeled transport shot up the mountainside. He adjusted his tank top in a vain attempt to keep cool, but it was no good.

They had a long trek ahead and Dash had opted for a tank and shorts, good hiking boots and a billed hat to shield him from the sun. His lightsaber hilt was strapped to his waistband and he hopefully had anything else he might need in his pack.

They reached the ridge line and all bailed out of the transport; Dash, Knight Redson and the other Padawan he had not had a chance to speak to yet.

"The kids went missing from that lake down there" he heard the driver say to Redson, pointing to the emerald waters at the foot of the jungled slope. "Local law has combed the area, but we're all running out of hope now. Got most people thinking it must be spirits in the old temple. That's why they called you guys".

Redson assured the man they would do what they could and the driver departed with a wave, hurtling back down the dusty track.

"Half a dozen children missing" Redson confirmed, turning to them and building on the brief intel he had already shared earlier. "Would not normally be a task for Jedi, but on a border world like this we can use any opportunity to build bridges with the locals. We will head down to the lake and then start our search from there - keep your eyes peeled, both of you".

The Knight turned and set off into the heavy jungle, making a path the two Padawans could try their best to follow.

"Guess we better not lose him" Dash said, smiling up at his counterpart. Like a lot of Jedi, the other Padawan was a bit taller than him. "I'm Dash, Dash Pavan".

@LouJoVi

 

[Vandirak Hastakor]

The transport hit something in the road, making Vand jolt and nearly drop his datapad. While it wasn’t the best moment to read a book, with the constant movement making this task difficult, the half-Nagai knew that when he left the vehicle there would be no time for it. Even with him being a bibliophile, he understood that tracking through a forest while reading was to ask to get hurt.

This way he at least wanted to finish this chapter regarding the historical importance of Generis’ ruins. He was amazed by the fact that scholars believed that they could have been built by a civilization that existed even before the Jedi Order existed. He wondered if there would be a chance to see them.

When the transport stopped, Vand sighed. While he had finished the chapter, it only made him more curious to read the rest. Who knows when he would have time to continue doing it, perhaps only after returning to Ithor. Due to that, he still climbed down the vehicle with the datapad at his hands. The half-Nagai could use these last minutes before the track through the forest to read some more.

His attention left his datapad briefly when their driver explained what was happening. The mention of spirits haunting ruins and kidnapping people made Vand discreetly roll his eyes and return to his reading. Superstition was really annoying, because they had no viable clue to start investigating the disappearance of the people. He was sure that these spirits were probably criminals in disguises.

With Knight Redson entering the jungle, this time Vand had no choice but put his datapad inside his bag. The Padawan’s attention would need to be focused on his surroundings. The Jedi that was leading this mission also seemed to not mind leaving someone behind. It was another reason for him to pay attention.

A voice next to him made Vand turn to look at the other Padawan that was going on this mission. Not that he didn’t notice the other when they entered the ship that brought them to Generis. The half-Nagai only had the politics of respecting privacy and avoiding small conversations unless someone else started or it was really necessary.

“I’m Vand Hastakor.” he said, avoiding using his awful full first name. “We need to be careful.” the half-Nagai gestured with his head to the Knight, who was already far away from them. “He wouldn’t notice if one of us disappeared on the trail until it's too late.” at least the trail between them was good enough for the two Padawans to see Redson walking.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

"Well if you can read a book and keep on the trail then you are a lot better than me!" Dash joked, nodding to the datapad Vand had been reluctant to put away until now. "Or were you looking at something naughty?"

In truth, Vand did not look remotely naughty, more bookish. Dash hoped so, maybe the other Padawan would know something useful about this place that might actually help. The jungle they were trudging through seemed pretty huge, he did not hold out much hope for finding half a dozen children by them just wandering aimlessly.

"So how long have you been a Jedi?" he asked Vand "have you been on many assignments?" Dash himself was hoping to be knighted in the next few months and he wondered if the other Padawan had more or less experience. He looked a touch younger, but unlike the Rhinnalian he could be one of those who started as a kid.

Exotic birds chimed above as they strode on. It was a short descent to the lake and they could already see the glittering water beginning to appear between the trees.

@LouJoVi

 

[Vandirak Hastakor]

”No, I was reading about the history of Generis.” Vand said, not having noticed that the other was only messing with him. “I like to gather all the information that I can about the planet.” the pale boy believed that knowing everything that he could about the world where the mission was going to happen increased the chances of it being successful. Looking at something naughty wouldn't help with it.

“For three years.” the half-Nagai said, while he put a hand inside his bag and removed a candy. Even if he had eaten two packs of cake rolls while inside the vehicle, Vand felt that he would need more sugar to reach the lake below. The last thing that he wanted was to have a crisis of hypoglycemia and faint in the middle of this jungle.

Even with the Force helping him hold the effects of his hyperinsulinism for a longer time, the half-Nagai had learned in the worst way that he shouldn’t abuse it. The best that he could do was to eat every three hours and when he was doing much effort, like walking in this trail.

“I had some before.” he put the candy on his mouth, feeling how its sweet taste soon filled it. “I’m still starting with field missions, though. Everything that I know about other planets comes from the books.” Vand said, while pointing at the tree behind Dash. It was full of red flowers, with some green vines hanging from it. “For example, the sweet scent of these flowers attract nectarivorous birds that are eaten by the highly venomous vine vipers. There is one right next to you.”

Before the Rhinnalian could enter in panic, the half-Nagai would calmly pull the other Padawan away from the tree, leaving the viper to continue hunting the birds. “I read it in Chapter XV of the book Fauna and Flora of Generis.” he continued to walk after Redson, who now was more distant from the two.

Believing that Dash could be a bit shaken with the fact that he was close to the viper, Vand decided to continue with their conversation. “And you? How long have you been a Jedi?”

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Vand actually answered the question, Dash realised, finding it both strange and refreshing. So many of his fellow Padawans were full of banter and jibes that he had quite forgotten that some people were still capable of a straightforward conversation.

"That's great!" Dash replied, meaning it. Every good team needed a guy like Vand and Dash had been burned before leaving it entirely to their superiors to know everything needed. Maybe his new friend would be a real asset.

He was still smiling, feeling upbeat, when Vand pointed out the viper. Dash had never moved so quickly, dancing to one side with a muffled shriek even as Vand calmly moved him away from the creature. The other Jedi seemed fearless - at least of what he already knew about - with a confidence that belied his age.

"I've been with the Order about the same" Dash said, once he had calmed down and was breathing again. "Been a fair few places up to now, but never here. Kashyyyyk was pretty similar though, and Thyferra." The emerged onto the lakefront and he was reminded of the cool waters of Thyferra. Cha Lake there had been a dream, but that was because it had been a date, not a mission. This was altogether more serious.

"Now then" said Redson, rounding on them, his back to the lake. "Did either of you see anything of use on our way down, or perhaps on this beach? Or have we been too busy chatting?"

The padawans had little time to answer before he went on. "I thought as much". He strode off to the left suddenly and Dash thought he meant to re-enter the forest, but he stopped at the treeline, gesturing to a large mossy rock. "This rock looks like any other, but if you concentrate on it, you will see it sits differently in the Force. It does not belong".

Dash was not sure if Vand knew what Redson meant, but he cocked his own head, focusing. The rock did increasingly feel off.

Redson suddenly pulled at it with his hands and the rock face came away. Indeed, it was no rock at all, but a high quality camouflage covering of some kind. Beneath it, a set of tightly packed equipment had been stowed securely in the sand.

"My my..." Redson said "why this looks Imperial..."

Then a high pitched chime split the air and the landmine beneath Redson's feet detonated, blasting the Jedi knight sideways with a bloodcurdling scream.

@LouJoVi

 

[Vandirak Hastakor]

”This is cool." Vand said, after hearing Dash talk about the places that he went since joining the Order. "I like to spend most of my time at the archives, but I went to Batuu recently." the half-Nagai was basically forced by other Knights to participate in field missions. If it wasn't for them, he would be reading and studying all the time. He didn’t mind having all the knowledge that he had about the field coming from books.

Redson's voice made Vand turn to the Knight. They had already arrived at the lake and the man seemed to be impatient. The half-Nagai didn’t react to the obvious scolding, because indeed he didn’t find anything that could help them in this mission. Apparently, the older Jedi also didn’t found, probably because he was too busy mowing down the trees to notice his surroundings. He didn’t even see that the Padawans were being left behind.

However, the Knight did notice something. It was a rock, similar to any other of this jungle. It was covered with moss, giving the impression that it had been lying here for eons, but the appearances were deceptive. Like how Redson said, its presence was strange in the Force. The half-Nagai could feel danger coming from it.

"I don’t think that you should do it." the pale boy said, while Redson approached the stone. Vand sighed for being ignored and turned to Dash. "We should take some steps back." he would leave the other Padawan free to do what he wanted, but the half-Nagai would stay away from the Knight.

Even if most Padawans ignored the classes of Safety at Work, the half-Nagai wasn’t one of them. He still remembered one of the first lessons that said that if there is danger coming through the Force from an object, you should proceed with caution.

Apparently, even Knights were ignoring so basic lessons these days, because the first thing that Redson did was to tear the surface of the rock off, revealing some type of machine. It was no surprise when it exploded and the Jedi was sent flying through the jungle.

While he felt concerned for Redson, Vand couldn’t avoid thinking that he had another example for his thesis that the Jedi Knights these days were acting more and more like inconsequential Padawans.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

It all happened so fast. The strange rock, the twinge of warning in the Force, and the explosion. Redson was catapulted into the treeline with incredible force and Dash and Vand were almost knocked off their feet.

Dash ran towards Redson, reaching the Knight's side to find him slumped against a very real rock this time. His legs were a total mess and not entirely there anymore, his bloodsoaked robes making Dash gulp. No, no surely not.

"Master Redson? Master can you hear me?". The man was not a Master of course, but as a Knight he was master of Dash and Vand, or had been.

The Rhinnalian reached for Redson's neck, trying to find a pulse. Then he realised the back of the Jedi's skull was wet with blood. It had probably cracked open from the impact with the rock.

"He's....dead" Dash confirmed to Vand, his own heart almost stopping. He had never seen a fellow Jedi die and was not sure quite what to do.

Dash tried to think, but all to quickly he became aware of a strange noise getting louder. It sounded like an engine. Glancing back at the Imperial equipment, the Rhinnalian remembered what it meant. They were not alone here. The enemy had got here first and perhaps they knew something had set off the landmine.

He jumped up as the sound grew ever louder, more than one engine now, getting closer. "We need to hide!" he shouted to Vand, grabbing the other Padawan and dragging them both into the bushes.

They were barely out of sight when two speeder bikes emerged further down the treeline, two Imperial troopers racing to see what had disturbed their hidden equipment.

@LouJoVi

 

[Vandirak Hastakor]

Even with him taking some steps back, the explosion was strong enough to make the half-Nagai lose his balance. Feeling a bit dizzy, the Padawan turned to look at where Redson had landed. The man was motionless in the ground and from where he was, the pale boy could see the blood in his clothes.

He never saw so much blood like that.

While Dash called the Knight in a vain attempt to wake him up, Vand had pulled his datapad. The Padawan opened a random article and started to read it, without paying any attention to what the words meant. He was nervous and already knew that Redson wasn’t going to wake up. The device on his hands was the only thing that could maintain him calm and not enter in panic with the fact that the older Jedi was the first dead person that he saw.

When the other Padawan confirmed that Redson was really dead, the half-Nagai strengthened the grip on his datapad. “Then we are alone.” he said, with his voice being a bit shaken. It was the first time since they had arrived in Generis that Vand showed something that wasn’t his neutral expression.

The pale boy was going to say that they needed to bury Redson when the sound in the distance alerted them. He turned to the direction from where the sound was coming, but soon felt Dash drag him toward the bushes. The half-Nagai hoped that the other Padawan would ignore the fact that he had nearly dropped his datapad when he felt being touched. The sight of the dead Knight had scared him deeply.

There was so much blood.

The Padawans soon discovered the cause of the sounds when two speeder bikes appeared. By the uniform of the pilots, Vand recognized them as Imperial soldiers. They stopped in front of the rock that had exploded and left the vehicles. “You are right. The mine was really activated.” one of them said, before turning to where Redson’s body was. “Look at that.” he ran toward the dead Knight. “Shit! It’s a Jedi!”

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Dash and Vand watched the two troopers warily from their hiding spot in the bushes.

The Rhinnalian thought furiously. There was no record of the Empire being here, but the two men were definitely Imperial soldiers. He supposed Generis was a border world after all; Imperial territory was not actually that far away. Could these men have anything to do with the missing children?

"Jedi?!" one exclaimed "Must have been poking around after them damn kids. I knew it was a mistake when the Commander said to take them - must have made the fracking locals call this guy in".

"I thought Jedi were hardcore" the other replied "must have been pretty thick to step on the mine. Most of the signalling gear is no good now either, we'll have to use the spare back at camp. Best get back and tell the Commander anyway. Might be we need to bug out".

The men were rifling through Redson's robes, but would be on their way any minute. Dash had a sickening feeling in his gut. If the troopers carried the news back to their camp, the Imps could be out of here long before the Jedi could learn what they were up to. They might even take the children with them.

"We have to stop them leaving" he whispered to Vand "otherwise we might lose the kids, and any chance of finding out what they were doing here. It could be a lot bigger than we realise". He gave the other Padawan a hard look, hoping he was up to helping take the men down. Dash supposed he might be the senior by experience, but it hardly mattered. They were in this together.

He quietly got to his feet and stepped slowly towards the troopers, rolling his feet on the soft sand of the beach. They had their backs to the two Jedi and were not expecting an attack. With any luck, he and Vand could strike before they knew what hit them.

Drawing his saber, Dash gritted his teeth and leapt towards the closest man, igniting his blue blade and praying Vand was behind him.

@LouJoVi

 

[Vandirak Hastakor]

After he recovered from the shock of seeing so much blood, the first thing that crossed Vand’s mind was the reason why Imperials were in Generis. It could be close to the space controlled by the Empire, but there must be a reason for that. There were also the children that disappeared. Were they also behind it?

The answer for this question came when one of the soldiers mentioned the children. Vand wondered if kidnapping children was a plan of the Sith. It still doesn't make any sense though.

Vand frowned when the Imperials started to search through Redson’s robes. The Knight was already dead, they should leave him in peace. The half-Nagai became even more disgusted when he saw one of the soldiers pulling the lightsaber out of the man’s belt. They even wanted to steal from the dead!

The half-Nagai nodded in agreement when Dash said that they should stop the Imperials from leaving. “We should make them say what is happening.” he whispered back to the older Padawan, while removing his lightsaber from his belt. The presence of the weapon at his hand always felt strange.

Perhaps it was the fact that he didn’t have much experience using it. He always preferred the datapads to the lightsabers. Vand wondered if he should have said that to Dash before jumping after him. At least they have caught the Imperials by surprise.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Remarkably, it worked.

Dash was on the first man before the soldier even knew he was there. Small and light on his feet, the Rhinnalian leapt with little more than the sound of the wind, plunging his blue blade straight through the trooper's back. The point of his saber pierced the standard armour easily and he went down instantly, skewered through the heart.

The second man whirled, drawing a blaster pistol, but Vand was coming at him and he had to choose between two targets. In the time it took him to react, Dash was already moving, pulling his saber free and throwing a blast of the Force at the soldier. He had not had time to concentrate it, but it was enough to knock the Imperial off balance and send the blaster tumbling from his grip.

Dash gritted his teeth and closed on the man, holding his saber up defensively even as Vand joined the fray.

@LouJoVi

 

[Vandirak Hastakor]

While Dash was graceful in his attacks, Vand moved like a limping duck. His height already made him gangly, the fact that he had few combat practices only made the situation even worse. It was by sheer luck that the half-Nagai was able to move through the forest ground without tripping and falling with his face on the floor.

It had gone against his percentages, since he had thought that there was 98% of him falling.

Even if he was able to run without making a fool of himself, now there was the problem of needing to fight against the soldiers. He started to think how he should approach them, trying to pull from deep in his mind the memories of combat lessons. Unfortunately his photographic memory wasn’t interested in helping with it, because he was only remembering the history behind the creation of the lightsaber forms.

He should have paid more attention in these classes.

Thankfully, his fellow Padawan was able to kill the first Imperial soldier without much effort. Dash also sent the other flying with a Force blast. Vand saw that it was an opening for him to help. Since the enemy had landed below a tree, the half-Nagai had the bright idea of throwing his lightsaber to cut a tree branch and make it fall over the guy to knock him out. This way, they would have someone to tell them what was happening.

Unfortunately, such a technique needed much training. Vand had noticed too late that he had put little strength in the throw and the soldier had already raised. The result was that his lightsaber somehow ended up embedded in the man’s chest. “Uh.” he said, while watching the body falling on the floor.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Vand did not do bad in the end. Dash worried at one point the guy was going to trip over the bushes before he got close enough to be any help with the trooper, but the other Padawan fortunately kept his footing.

The soldier grabbed his weapon off the floor before Dash could stop him, but that was when Vand threw - not swung, threw - his saber at the trooper, his blue blade lodging in the man's chest and taking him down.

"Well done buddy" Dash said with half-baked enthusiasm, gingerly stepping toward the trooper to see if they might still learn anything from him. But he was dead, the light leaving his eyes. The Rhinnalian found himself looking at the two speederbikes instead, a plan forming in his mind.

"Looks like we might have to go find this camp of theirs ourselves" he suggested, walking around to examine one of the bike displays. It still displayed a simple nav route, showing the way the two troopers had come. "Come on".

Dash dragged the two bodies into the undergrowth and hooked his leg over one of the bikes. He was not a natural speed freak like his boyfriend, but he had ridden enough speeder bikes now to know the ropes. If they took it steady and followed the route, they could pull in and get off just before they reached the camp, creeping the rest of the way on foot.

Crouching low and pulling his cap around to shield his eyes, Dash kicked off, trusting Vand to be close behind him. They had to find out what was going on here and fast.

@LouJoVi

 

[Vandirak Hastakor]

Vand frowned, while looking at the dead soldier. “Praise isn’t necessary. I know that I messed up.” the half-Nagai didn’t know why Dash was saying that he did well since they had planned to make one of the Imperials to talk about what was happening. He could have eliminated the danger, but it also destroyed any chance that they had of knowing their plans.

“I need to practice more of it.” the half-Nagai whispered, before following Dash toward the speeder bikes. At least piloting one wasn’t a problem for him. Since his mission in Batuu, the pale boy had practiced more with his own bike. He couldn’t avoid thinking how these were in a better condition than the one that he had.

When he returned to the Temple his bike would be upgraded and reformed.

While he helped Dash drag the bodies out of sight, Vand had an idea. “Do you think that others would come to see what happened with these two when they don’t return?” he asked, before covering the soldier that he killed with leaves. “Maybe we could make an ambush to take them. Hopefully alive this time.”

If Dash didn’t consider this idea good, Vand would jump in the other bike. However, before doing it, the half-Nagai would also hide Redson’s body with leaves. Then, he would follow the other Padawan through the path that the soldiers used to arrive at this place.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Dash had considered Vand's suggestion of lying in wait for more troopers. But they had no way of knowing how long that might be and any that did come would probably be far more on their guard than the last. The two Jedi had not done half bad, including Vand who was too hard on himself, but it was too risky to invite an open fight.

They had taken the speeder bikes instead, following the auto route on their navcomputers right back to the Imperial camp. When they got close, Dash motioned for them to pull up and stash the speeders in the trees, creeping close the rest of the way.

"With any luck we can stay out of sight and see enough to work out what's going on here" he whispered to Vand. They crept up a ridge and peered over.

An old ruin of some kind sat in the centre of a natural clearing in jungle. The huge structure was lopsided, as if it had partially sunk into the earth. There was a door and a couple of small window-like openings on the front facade, but most were partially collapsed or half buried.

The Imperials had set down in front of the ruin. Dash counted eight troopers milling about down below. Their camp was little more than a unit of equipment in the centre surrounded by bed rolls and a cooking area. There was clearly a corner set aside for weapons and there, on the far side, were the children. Dash could not count their numbers, but there were a few, trapped in a crude cage of wooden branches and tie wraps.

"There, look" Dash pointed discreetly the Vand. They had found the kids at least, but they still had no idea what was going on here.

As if in answer, one of the soldiers shouted from over by the ruin. After a few moments, a dust covered child crawled out of one of the openings, hastily handing a small sack to the Imperials. One of them pilfered through the bag eagerly, while another grabbed the kid by the arm and led him back to the cage.

"They are using them as gravediggers" Dash said, for want of a better word. The children were small and nimble and could no doubt slip into the ruin and get deep into its passages. It had to be dangerous though and gruelling work for kids.

"Do you know what that might be?" he whispered to Vand, gesturing at the stone ruin. The other Padawan seemed to know a lot, maybe he could shed some light.

@LouJoVi

 

[Vandirak Hastakor]

In the end, Dash decided that they should proceed and not wait for other soldiers to appear. They took the bikes and traveled to the coordinates displayed in the nav system. Their trip toward it was uneventful and no Imperial appeared. This showed that they had no idea that the others had died.

After hiding the bike, Vand followed Dash through the rest of the way by foot. “Yes, the sound of the bikes would have alerted them to our approach.” the pale boy agreed with the older Padawan. If they wanted to discover what was happening, discretion would be necessary.

When they finally reached the place, Vand was totally without words. In front of them was one of the ancient ruins left in Generis by the civilization that dominated most of the Galaxy before the formation of the Republic. The pale boy knew about their existence, but he didn’t think that he would have an opportunity to visit them.

He would cautiously approach the ruins, being able to see that the Empire had built a camp in front of them. Vand turned to the direction that Dash pointed and saw the missing children. Some were imprisoned inside cages, while others seemed to be working under the watch of soldiers.

“They are being used as slaves.” Vand couldn’t believe that the Imperials were that dumb. If they wanted to pillage that ruins in secret, they should have used droids. Kidnapping children and slaving them would only attract attention. “We need to find a way to free them.”

The half-Nagai nodded, after hearing the older Padawan’s question. “These are ruins left by the Rakata’s Empire. There are several legends about them, some say that they sacrificed people to fuel their technology. What science knows is that they had dominated nearly the entire Galaxy centuries before the Republic was ever formed. They can be even older than the Jedi Order. I don't know what the Empire would want with it.”

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Dash laid flat on the ridge, chin pressed against the grass beneath as he listened carefully to Vand's explanation. He had read about the Rakata once or twice he thought, though he would be lying if he said he remembered any of it. He could certainly imagine that the Empire might want ancient secrets or long lost technology, but it was hard to imagine anything of use could survive all this time in a half-buried ruin.

"Whatever it is, they must think it's worth something to risk taking the kids and the attention it would bring" he whispered, thinking aloud. "We could try to double back and get help, but they might be gone by the time the Order gets here". He tried to think, blue eyes scanning the camp. They needed to defeat or drive off the Imperials, free the kids and ideally find out what the hell they were scouring the ruin for.

"We can't fight eight men" Dash said, confident they could have a good go but persuaded at least that the risk was too great. If they could just even the odds a little.

He noticed how three of the troopers were resting to one side, sat on rocks polishing boots and cleaning mess tins. They had their backs to a large rocky outcropping that stretched up level to the ridge where the Padawans hid. The top of the rock jutted out at an angle.

"If we could dislodge a chunk of rock, bring it down on them" he breathed, motioning to the three men "it might take a few out and cause a big enough distraction to give us a chance?". He offered a hand to Vand. He didn't know how good the guy was with the Force, but if they channelled their combined strength from their hiding place maybe they could pull a section of the rock free.

@LouJoVi

 

[Vandirak Hastakor]

Vand nodded in agreement, while fishing a lollipop out from his pocket. “We should do something ourselves. They can’t continue exploiting the children this way.” the pale boy knew that their priority was the children’s safety, but he was also concerned with what the Empire could be seeking in the ruins. Without any doubt it wasn’t something good.

Before he could put the sweet inside his mouth, the half-Nagai pulled another from his pocket and offered it to Dash. If the other Padawan refused, he would put it back. He needed to agree with him. The two alone wouldn’t be able to fight against these well trained soldiers without having a Knight to help.

This was why he thought that the idea of causing a distraction was excellent. “It can work. We also have the chance of taking out three of our enemies.” Vand said, after having removed the lollipop from his mouth. “Once we do it, we can sneak inside the camp and take out those that remain here before releasing the children.”

With that settled, Vand accepted Dash’s hand. The lollipop was back on his mouth and now he would need the sugar more than ever. Using the Force always made his glucose go down faster. He would focus on the rocks and wait for the other Padawan to do the same.

Together, their abilities would enough to make the rocks collapse over the three soldiers and cause panic among the Imperials.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Vand seemed up for trying Dash's plan, though the lollipop was an unexpected distraction. The Rhinnalian still had not got used to how often the other Padawan magically produced a sugary snack and he had not had a lollipop in years. He accepted it in spite of himself, sucking on the sweet candy there in the middle of a danger zone. It would have been funny, even inexplicably sexual, if he was not so focused on the enemies below.

"My thoughts exactly" he said, agreeing with Vand's planned follow up if this worked. The three troopers sat close together would hopefully go down as one, but they would have to move against the others quickly to best use the element of surprise.

Dash took Vand's hand and stretched out his other toward the large rock. He concentrated, his brow furrowing as he tried to draw the Force around the outcropping, building pressure around the rock and intently seeking out a seam where it could be prized from its perch.

It was not the sort of Force technique that came naturally to Dash, he had always excelled in more tactile arts and his increasingly infamous frost always worked by touch. Being further away from the rock made it much harder to work the Force on it.

Fortunately, Dash could feel Vand's strength buttressing his own and vice versa. Slowly, surely, the tiniest bits of rock dust began to emanate around the base as they focused, a thin crack soundlessly beginning to stretch across the surface.

"Get ready" Dash breathed, hoping Vand would be ready to spring. He gripped the other Padawan's hand and shoved with his mind. The top of the rock shook and began to slide, slipping away from its moorings and tumbling over the edge down toward the three men.

@LouJoVi

 

[Vandirak Hastakor]

Vand nodded, before stretching his hand toward the pile of rocks. He never used the Force to move something heavy like that before. The heaviest thing that the half-Nagai ever lifted was a simple pile of books. It was good that Dash was there, the pale boy wasn’t sure if he would be able to do that alone.

He focused on the rocks and felt them slowly start to shake. Soon several cracks would spread across it, showing that the pressure of the Force over it was getting stronger every second. Meanwhile, the Imperials below were totally oblivious to the fact that it was soon going to collapse over them.

Then, the rocks and dirt broke away and slipped over the three Imperials. They noticed only too late the debris falling over them. There were screams that were soon silenced by the sound of rocks hitting their bodies and the ground. A cloud of dust raised, but soon disappeared and revealed the buried imperials.

This small chaos had attracted the attention of the other soldiers, who rushed toward their fallen comrades. “I think that it is our moment to act.” Vand said, after removing his lollipop of the mouth. “We can walk around and release the children.”

@Alhon