Ask Kashyyyk There's Always a Bigger...

[Crix Aran]

After the attempted invasion of Yavin, Crix was on Kashyyyk.

No one said that he had basically been sent away so that he couldn’t interact with The Eternal due to the anger he had displayed during his fight with the creature and its minions. No one said that he should leave the Temple while they debated what, precisely, they should do with the foul thing. No one said that they didn’t trust his temper around the thing that had tortured his mother.

No one said anything.

They’d just watched him with that mixture of pity and distrust that had his gut squirming because he couldn’t say they were wrong precisely. If given half the chance, Crix would have lopped the creature’s head clean off with one swing of his blade and thought it a chance for the Galaxy to breathe easy.

But a Jedi did not execute defenceless prisoners… and the fact that he had considered it was telling.

So when someone had mentioned Kashyyyk as an expedition, Crix ignored his track record with jungles and signed himself up immediately. Those same people watching him with those damned looks seemed to think it was a good decision – and by saying it they all but said that which no one had actually said. By omission they agreed with the sentiment he could feel under the surface of all of their interactions.

They didn’t trust him at Yavin while The Eternal was there but they were fine for him to venture out into the Galaxy for the Order. Coming to a stop on the speeder bike he had rented for the mission, Crix climbed off and sat himself down at the base of Temple that the tribes were granting the Jedi Order. What he was waiting for were the other Jedi who had signed up for this particular mission.

The hunting of some unnamed predator that had even the Wookiees of Kashyyyk scared… what could possibly go wrong?

“I’ve got a great feeling about this.”

@LouJoVi @Jayda Ekkreth @christhebetrayer

 

[Elidan]

The Sith had attacked Yavin IV. Elidan still couldn’t believe that it had happened. He should have been prepared for that. After they massacred the Order on Ajan Kloss, it was obvious that the Darksiders would target the other Temples. Even then, the Padawan was surprised when it happened. He had a panic attack, needing to be carried away by some Knights that were helping to move Younglings to a safe place. At least this time he didn’t become in shock, without reacting to anyone around him.

In an attempt to distract himself after these events, the Padawan volunteered to join a small group of Jedi that were going to investigate an unknown predator that was terrorizing the Wookies on Kashyyyk. He was also a bit curious to know which animal it could be, with the fauna of the planet being so diverse, the creature could be even something new.

He arrived on the planet with a shuttle of the Jedi Order. Due to his mutism, Elidan ended up needing to use his Datapad to write what he wanted to say to the Wookies. At least he could understand what they could say. He was right in having classes of Shyriiwook, it would be very useful on this mission.

After some time, he was able to convince one of the Wookies to give him a ride to the place where the predator was living. From what he had heard, the place was donated by the tribes to the Jedi Order to use as a future Temple. The Padawan wondered if they also did it expecting that the Jedi would kill off the creature.

When he arrived at the place, Elidan saw that another Jedi had already arrived. He recognized him as Jedi Knight Crix Aran, Clove’s Master. The Padawan never interacted with him before, so he was a bit unsure of what to expect of the Zabrak. This way, he prepared a message on his Datapad. “Hello! I’m Padawan Elidan and I have mutism.”

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[Anig'zagut]

Ani remembered the attack on Yavin well. She hadn't participated in the battle, but she had helped get the younglings to safety and had helped her father heal the wounded in the aftermath. The Twi'lek had learned about the missions to Kashyyyk, and curious as ever, had signed up for it.

Now planetside, Ani made her way over to the Knight and her fellow Padawan, reading the datapad Elidan showed them. "I'm Padawan Anig'zagut, but I'm usually called Ani. It's nice to meet you, Elidan, Master." She said with a nod to Crix.

 

[Crix Aran]

They were missing someone according to the official roster list for the mission but Crix wasn’t sure what to make of it – the roster lists weren’t as complete as they should be in most situations. Instead he would just have to act like he was the only Knight in charge of the two Padawans. It wasn’t unheard of but he was going to have to keep a close eye on them.

Padawans had a dangerous habit of self-yeeting themselves into oblivion, blinded to dangers by their insistence that they were somehow invulnerable.

Ah the Padawans were here so it was time to Put On A Happy Face. He stood up from where he had been resting and clapped his hands together, doing his best to ignore how the burns along his arm hurt with the motion.

“Elidan and Ani! Nice to meet you guys – I’m Crix.”

He didn’t bother with the title – they knew, he knew and so everybody important knew so they was no reason to labour it – and gestured for them to follow him with his left hand. Crix turned to face the jungle that surrounded them.

“Elidan – can you connect to others via telepathy?” he asked, deliberately turned away from the mute Padawan to try and push him into using it, to get a feel for his level of control of the technique, “And do either of you know much about jungles? Kashyyyk in particular of course. Ever visited the planet before?”

@Jayda Ekkreth @LouJoVi @christhebetrayer

 

[Felix]

Felix was running late, to say the least, that his converted civilian u-wing was a bit unreliable at times was an under state, it was prone to breaking down but parts weren't cheap and he didn't always have to time to do regular maintenance the ship needed, but that is why he was late.

pulling up on a speeder bike just outside the temple and walked the rest of the way in

"I'm sorry I'm la-te," he paused for a second at seeing Crix, "I didn't realise you had been assigned to this mission too" Crix and Felix last encounter many years ago didn't exactly end pleasantly they had had a fight, a punch was thrown and a brow was headbutted, they were lucky it didn't exactly further. hopefully, now that they were both knights they could mend that bridge between them.

"I've visited here before, Kashyyyk is full of nasty critter willing to eat us, but I don't want could have the wookies scared" even they didn't build a bridge over what happened he would at least try to be helpful and complete the mission.
@Jayda Ekkreth @LouJoVi @Nefieslab

 

[Elidan]

While he showed his message to Crix, another of the participants of this mission arrived. Ari was a Padawan like him, but Elidan never interacted with her before. He waved at her and showed the text on his Datapad, informing her his name and his condition as a mute.

When Knight Aran greeted them, Elidan felt that there was something wrong about him. The Zabrak seemed to be in a bad mood, with his happy face don’t reaching his eyes. The boy also noticed that the older Jedi avoided moving one of his arms. He had heard that the Zabrak had participated in the defense of Yavin IV, perhaps he could have gotten hurt during it.

The half-Sephi wondered if Crix should be there. Being wounded in a mission was something dangerous. Elida decided that he was going to watch the Zabrak, taking care for him to not get even more hurt. After all, the Jedi were his family, and members of a family help each other.

Nodding at Criss, Elidan prepared to establish a telepathic connection between them. However, before he could do it, another Jedi had arrived. The boy recognized him as Felix. They had met each other during the beach party in Chandrila. At the time he was still a padawan, but recently he had become a Knight.

He noticed how Felix reacted to Crix's presence, showing that they knew each other. Probably they participated in other missions together. Elidan thought that this familiarity between the two Knights could help their mission.

With the arrival of the last member of their group, Elidan prepared to establish a telepathic bond between them. The Padawan would open his mind and reach the others with Force. They would feel the boy’s presence brushing against their minds, as if asking permission to establish the connection. Once they allowed it, they would hear his voice. “Did it work? Is everyone connected?”

Then, he would answer Crix question. "I explored the jungle of Myrkr with my Master, but never visited Kashyyyk." Elidan wasn't an expert in surviving on a forest, but he knew enough to not die. He was also becoming good with climbing, having started to practice it after his training with Haldir.

@Nefieslab @Jayda Ekkreth @christhebetrayer

 

[Anig'zagut]

Ani thought for a moment at Crix's question before Felix arrived. Sending Elidan's presence brushing against her own, the Twi'lek opened her mind, welcoming the connection. "I hear you, Eli," she said, already giving him a nickname, "and yes, I've been to Kashyyyk a few times. My mother was studying a few things and brought me along for the ride. Sometimes I was with Wookiees and sometimes I'd be with her. I'm no expert, though," she said with a smile.


@Nefieslab @LouJoVi @christhebetrayer

 

[Crix Aran]

Ah.

The late-comer was Felix... another Jedi Knight was typically a good thing when it came to wrangling multiple Padawans. Though neither of them had great experiences in the same group when it came to Jungles. He raised an eye-ridge at the other Knight before nodding in agreement - he didn't know that Felix had been assigned to the mission either.

Hopefully it would turn out better than their last shared mission.

"I was a late addition." he admitted before grinning that same false grin as before, "The defence of Yavin took its toll on me. Was suggested that hunting down unspeakable horrors in the jungle would be better than hanging around Yavin... Eternally."

He gave a certain amount of pressure on the last part of the sentence to give Felix an idea as to why he was here. Why he wasn't supposed to be around Yavin at the time. What the Eternal had done to his mother was well-known amongst the Jedi Order's Knights and Masters as something of a berserk-button for Crix in his younger years.

"We are connected? Good - lets get going then!" he announced, clapping his hands together with the same static grin, "Lets see if we can't track ourselves a beast!"

Making his way deeper into the jungle, Crix looked around, finding certain things out of place - broken wood on trees and some light tracks in the mud. Of course, one thing he could also feel... was the sense of being watched. It wasn't a signal from the Force so much as the instinctive evolutionary feeling that so many sentients were accustomed to, having evolved being hunted.

"... good." he smiled a little bit less falsely but rather viciously, "Seems we're the prey. Everyone ready up. Stick close to me and Felix, Padawans... if we say run - don't look back."

@LouJoVi @christhebetrayer @Jayda Ekkreth

 

[Felix]

Felix would nod in confirmation about Crix's reason for being assigned to his mission, his past with the Eternal was a bad one, to say the least, and something these padawans didn't need to know about.

Felix would follow Crix deeper into the jungle taking the back of the pack keeping the padawans wedge between the two of them to better protect them. in a jungle like this, you couldn't help but have the feeling you're being watched, there were probably several predators watching them right now just had to figure which one was the one they were looking for.

Felix would keep lookout whilst Crix tracked the creature, opening his senses to the force he feel the world around them, he didn't detect anything out of ordinary for Kashyyyk, either this creature was native to the planet or it it could hides it's presence within the force and if it could do that it was a cause for concern.

yes, keep between us.

@Jayda Ekkreth @LouJoVi @Nefieslab

 

[Elidan]

While Crix and Felix were talking with each other, Elidan felt that there was some tense atmosphere between the two. While at first he thought that the two Knights were friends with each other, now the Padawan wasn’t certain anymore. Even if they had their problems, the half-Sephi believed that it would not be a problem.

After all, they were the adults there. Fighting and arguing would be something childish and not something that the Jedi would do.

Once the Padawan had established the telepathic connection between them, the group started to move deeper in the jungle. The place wasn’t so different from what he saw in Myrkr. It was full of life, with him being able to feel it through the Force. While he knew through the Force that there were animals in this place, everything seemed to be so quiet. It was as if the creatures were afraid and hiding.

Since his training in Myrkr with Haldir, Elidan had learned more about following tracks. Looking around, he was able to see that something beyond them was using this trail, and it was big. There were several broken branches, some high enough on the trees that only a large creature could have done it.

When Crix warned the Padawans that they should stay close, Elidan continued following him as if nothing had happened. If the predator was really hunting them, entering in panic would only make the creature attack the Jedi. The half-Sephi remained calm, but prepared for the case of needing to flee.

@Nefieslab @Jayda Ekkreth @christhebetrayer

 

[Anig'zagut]

If we say run—don't look back. Well, that was reassuring. Ani only nodded, following the Knight. She looked around, feeling the life around her, and the Force flowing through it. It was beautiful, even with the feeling of being watched. The Twi'lek was calm, not afraid of a predator...alright, maybe she was a little on edge. But who could blame her? This is one of the first times she's been off Yavin without either of her parents.

@LouJoVi @Nefieslab @christhebetrayer

 

[Crix Aran]

It came from the trees with brutality and a suddenness that Crix hadn't been expecting even with knowing that it had begun to follow them. Trees exploded in the direction of Crix and Elidan - the wood of their trunks turning to shrapnel they were so sharp and had so much speed. Cursing, Crix thrust his hand out and, with the Force, brought the debris to a halt before it could impact him or Elidan.

The creature, however, was nowhere to be seen... he looked down at the tendril that had snuck up through the undergrowth and wrapped tightly around his ankle.

"Ah... kark."

As if aware that he had figured it would, the tendril tightened it's grip on his ankle and he was suddenly moving, being dragged along the ground. His lightsaber wouldn't help him here - he was just as likely to cut his own leg off than to cut the tendril with how it was shaking him. With a lurch, Crix found that he was no longer being dragged - because he was now airborne as the tendril had sent him flying through the air.

Looking around, Crix tensed himself and strengthened his body with the Force to help minimise the impact... it didn't help much. He smashed through several branches, some rather thick, before slamming into the ground some distance from the main group. He groaned and made to push himself up slowly.

"Jungles hate me..."

Back with the main group themselves, the ground rose up around them as dozens of tendrils burst out of the ground to try grasping and choking their throats. Other tendrils would seek any place they could on them as well. From the shadows of the trees, the main bulk of the creature appeared, salviating at the thought of its latest meal.

Spoiler: Creature

@LouJoVi @christhebetrayer @Jayda Ekkreth

 

[Felix]

Things had already gone tits up, Felix didn't see what caused the trees to exploded into shrapnel, he did notice the tendril but before he could say thing it wrapped itself around Crix's foot and pulled. he would tried to pull to crix back to the group but other tendrils that arose an started their assault.

"Form a circle!" he would bark at the two padawans as he pulled his sabers to his hands, putting them in a reverse grip and began slicing of tendrils that tried to grab at his body. A circle was the best option since an attack could come from any direction. then he noticed the shadow approach them out from underbrush.

we need to get into the trees was his first though, take away it's advantage of the tendrils and have the high ground. "Into the trees. now!" he would shout taking up more of defence from the tendrils to give the padawans a chance to run. once they were away, Felix tried to follow after them but a tendril grab his his ankle began to drag him to the creature.

@Jayda Ekkreth @LouJoVi @Nefieslab

 

[Elidan]

Suddenly, their stalker decided to act. The trees burst, spreading pieces of wood from several sizes. Elidan watched large fragments fly toward him, but they would soon be stopped by Knight Aran’s use of the Force. The half-Annfyn was going to thank the Zabrak, but before he could do it the Jedi was being dragged away while the Padawan watched wide eyed.

The Padawan was already prepared to go after Crix, but stopped when he heard Knight Felix ordering him and Ani to form a circle. Without thinking twice, Elidan joined the other two Jedi in a circle. By this point he was already holding his lightsaber and using it to cut off the tendrils that were appearing from the ground.

Then, the creature that was attacking them appeared from the underbrush. Its appearance surprised Elidan, he had no idea about what this thing was. He wasn’t a specialist in xenobiology, but before coming to Kashyyyk the half-Annfyn had read some books about the fauna and flora of the planet. However, none of them mentioned such being. He wondered if it could be a new species.

Elidan ran toward the trees as Felix had asked. While he ran among them, the Padawan turned briefly to see if the creature was still coming. To his horror, the half-Annfyn saw the Knight being dragged away. Rather than continuing to flee, the auburn-haired boy used the Force to enhance his movements and ran back after Felix.

Once he was close to Felix, Elidan moved his lightsaber and cut off the tendril that was holding the man’s ankle. His action made the creature make a sound that he would describe as something like a scream mixed with a howl. It seemed to be furious and was now coming toward him. Strengthening his grip on his saber’s hilt, the half-Annfyn braced himself for what was going to happen.

@Nefieslab @christhebetrayer @Jayda Ekkreth

 

[Crix Aran]

Although the tendrils of the creature were strong enough to throw a fully adult Zabrak, and were resistant to even bowcaster bolts, even they relented and recoiled whenever struck with a lightsaber. They were not easy to cut through but with each block and swipe they were injured and they snapped back and away from the Jedi in question. It would be clear to the Jedi in the clearing straight away that the creature retained fully control and feeling in all of the tendrils at the same time.

It had grabbed Felix, just as it had grabbed Crix, but Elidan was quick enough with the use of the Force to make it back to Felix and cut at the creature's tendril before it could fling him or do anything but drag him backward slightly.

Further from the clearing, Crix groaned once in pain - a second to feel sorry for himself - before he kipped up to his feet and he was in motion again. As he ran through the jungle he would begin moulding and shaping the Force under his control. Even as he was moving closer, however, he projected his thoughts into the minds of his fellow Jedi.

Hold out for a little bit longer - but hit the ground when I give the warning.

@LouJoVi @christhebetrayer @Jayda Ekkreth

 

[Felix]

Felix was about to turn cut the tendril when another blade slashed at forcing the creature to let go, quickly standing he gave a nod in thanks to the padawan. he was about to continue running but he noticed that Elidan wasn't moving but instead standing his ground. Padawans never change was the prevailing though in his head.

Felix would stand beside him ready for the charging beast. as it leapt at the two of them he rolled out of the way striking at the side of the creature he roared in pain as a tendril struck him knock him into a tree with an audible thud, Felix groan from the pain as he picked him from floor.

@Jayda Ekkreth @LouJoVi @Nefieslab