Coruscant was the bustling jewel of the galaxy, the grand center of all civilization... or so it was said. The Jedi Knight Mako Krim wasn't so sure about that. He had never before been to the ecumenopolis of course, never seen it at the height of it's glory. It's current state wasn't much to brag about.
The Jedi had come to the planet discretely, a single vessel that snuck in under the current chaos that gripped the space lanes by the throat. A huge center of commerce, during the best of times, thousands... if not hundreds of thousands of ships bustled among the skies and stars, coming and going daily from the grand jewel. It took a bureaucracy of millions to keep order of the trillions that lived, worked, and travelled the planet. That order had come crashing down overnight.
More ships were on their way out than in, though there were still plenty of arrivals. Streams of refugees attempting to flee the chaos on the surface competed with inbound shipments that were stuck with nowhere else to make their deliveries. A hungry populace that still needed supplying. Pockets that still needed to be lined. And in it all a lone shuttle piloted by a Pyke went completely unnoticed.
The surface was no better off as Mako piloted the ship through the hazardous sky lanes. The semblance of orderly travel and traffic enforcement had been abandoned and it was with a wince and a grimace that Mako witnessed a mid-air collision unfold in front of him, juking the ship around the twisted clump of what were once two airspeeders as they began their hazardous plummet to the ground. The meteoric mass careened off a walking bridge, the occupants of it traveling at more of a panicked run as something stalked behind them. A squinted gaze revealed a smattering of small forms that lay crumpled on the ground behind the thing's wake.
Terror was the pervading aura that filled the air as heavily as the smoke of burning skyscrapers. Three that Mako could spot in the distance ahead. He had seen many more burning from orbit, like small flickering candlelight's amid the intermittently powered city. He imagined that in normal times the entire planet shone like a beacon from space, but their approach had revealed a hodgepodge of blackened and lit areas. The lights still buzzed in the sector they currently flew through, but for how long.
"It's like something out of a nightmare." Mako whispered as he flew the ship steady, steering slightly to dodge a swerving swoop bike that roared on past. "Or worse." He said nervously. The city smog that hung in the air held the ominous red hue of flames and darkness. It was difficult to make out the silhouette of the Grand Medical Facility coming up in the distance. Eventually it came into view though and Mako handed the control off to the R6 droid that he had brought along, freshly memory wiped with a blank navicomputer, just like the ship.
"Bring us in low and fast on the medical facility." Mako told the droid, pointing out their insertion point. The building stood out like a sore thumb among the other more blocky skyscrapers. It seemed like as good of a first stop as any on the massive planet. It was Mako's hope that they could get in, find whatever they might need, and then get out quickly to move on to the larger scope of the massive undertaking that was Coruscant. The Jedi had contacted the GHO and ISCRA, who were waiting in the wings for an opportunity to aid, should the Jedi create one. Despite that, the job that lay ahead was absolutely daunting, but Mako felt that he was in the right place. That this was where he was supposed to be.
Whatever the force that meant.
"Once you drop us off, keep to the air, stay in contact. We'll signal you for pickup." The Jedi patted the droid gently on the dome before checking his comlink. Satisfied, he turned to the other Jedi who had come along.
"Well... This is it. Last stop, Coruscant." He said with a toothy and yet somehow sheepish grin. It was a nervous habit, cracking a joke when the air was thick with tension. He shook his head at himself as he headed towards the door. The shuttle rocked slightly as it approached it's destination.
@ThatDudeMike @Volene ? @others ?
The Jedi had come to the planet discretely, a single vessel that snuck in under the current chaos that gripped the space lanes by the throat. A huge center of commerce, during the best of times, thousands... if not hundreds of thousands of ships bustled among the skies and stars, coming and going daily from the grand jewel. It took a bureaucracy of millions to keep order of the trillions that lived, worked, and travelled the planet. That order had come crashing down overnight.
More ships were on their way out than in, though there were still plenty of arrivals. Streams of refugees attempting to flee the chaos on the surface competed with inbound shipments that were stuck with nowhere else to make their deliveries. A hungry populace that still needed supplying. Pockets that still needed to be lined. And in it all a lone shuttle piloted by a Pyke went completely unnoticed.
The surface was no better off as Mako piloted the ship through the hazardous sky lanes. The semblance of orderly travel and traffic enforcement had been abandoned and it was with a wince and a grimace that Mako witnessed a mid-air collision unfold in front of him, juking the ship around the twisted clump of what were once two airspeeders as they began their hazardous plummet to the ground. The meteoric mass careened off a walking bridge, the occupants of it traveling at more of a panicked run as something stalked behind them. A squinted gaze revealed a smattering of small forms that lay crumpled on the ground behind the thing's wake.
Terror was the pervading aura that filled the air as heavily as the smoke of burning skyscrapers. Three that Mako could spot in the distance ahead. He had seen many more burning from orbit, like small flickering candlelight's amid the intermittently powered city. He imagined that in normal times the entire planet shone like a beacon from space, but their approach had revealed a hodgepodge of blackened and lit areas. The lights still buzzed in the sector they currently flew through, but for how long.
"It's like something out of a nightmare." Mako whispered as he flew the ship steady, steering slightly to dodge a swerving swoop bike that roared on past. "Or worse." He said nervously. The city smog that hung in the air held the ominous red hue of flames and darkness. It was difficult to make out the silhouette of the Grand Medical Facility coming up in the distance. Eventually it came into view though and Mako handed the control off to the R6 droid that he had brought along, freshly memory wiped with a blank navicomputer, just like the ship.
"Bring us in low and fast on the medical facility." Mako told the droid, pointing out their insertion point. The building stood out like a sore thumb among the other more blocky skyscrapers. It seemed like as good of a first stop as any on the massive planet. It was Mako's hope that they could get in, find whatever they might need, and then get out quickly to move on to the larger scope of the massive undertaking that was Coruscant. The Jedi had contacted the GHO and ISCRA, who were waiting in the wings for an opportunity to aid, should the Jedi create one. Despite that, the job that lay ahead was absolutely daunting, but Mako felt that he was in the right place. That this was where he was supposed to be.
Whatever the force that meant.
"Once you drop us off, keep to the air, stay in contact. We'll signal you for pickup." The Jedi patted the droid gently on the dome before checking his comlink. Satisfied, he turned to the other Jedi who had come along.
"Well... This is it. Last stop, Coruscant." He said with a toothy and yet somehow sheepish grin. It was a nervous habit, cracking a joke when the air was thick with tension. He shook his head at himself as he headed towards the door. The shuttle rocked slightly as it approached it's destination.
@ThatDudeMike @Volene ? @others ?
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