Ask What a Homecoming

[Natalie Hope]

Natalie made it to the first gun, bursting through the entrance and igniting her lightsaber. The occupants were... less than excited over the intrusion, but their discontent was short lived as Natalie methodically cut them down one by one. Before the last one had even hit the ground, she was pulling the satchel charge from it's sling, pulling the pin, and placing it on the support column toward the control panels. The explosion would either take the gun down completely, or damage the control to the point of being unusable- not that there was anyone to really use it now, anyway.

The timer was set, and Natalie wasn't planning on sticking around. She booked it out of the gun, lightsaber still ignited in case anyone had come to inspect the noises. She sprinted for the tree line they had crept in just minutes before, if it had even been minutes, making sure her lightsaber was lit for Vanya to follow. They did NOT want to be the trenches when those explosions went off. Natalie had just made it to the tree line, disengaging her lightsaber as she slid behind a stump, when Vanya's AA gun detonated. The initial explosion only lit up the inside, but the secondary explosion ripped through the gun, practically several the turret from the base.

Cries, alarms, and all manner of sounds erupted from the Cartel lines, only to be drowned out by the second AA gun detonating in a similar fashion. Natalie washed as Cartel soldiers from all over the line rushed to assess the damage. The rumble of distance guns thundered. Natalie and Vanya had a front row seat in that tree line as the Mantellian artillery shells screamed in and exploded all around the crews and guards. It was only a start, atmospheric aircraft of all sorts were swarming the Cartel positions within minutes.

Natalie turned her back to the stump, sliding down to a sit against it while she caught her breath. "They'll come running this way," Natalie said, glancing over toward Vanya. There was a weight off Natalie's shoulders, and she couldn't help but smile despite their job very clearly not being done. They'd broken the stalemate.

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Explosions rocked the darkness of night, sending jets of flame and ear-splitting booms throughout the darkness. There was no question everyone was awake now, and Vanya's heart was pounding even harder now.

Artillery fire began to rain down quickly and it was clear they needed to get out of this area before they got smoked by friendly fire.

After the artillery came the ships. First it was bombers ripping apart the landscape, and after that it was dropships and gunships bringing in troops to flood the Cartel position before they could recover.

They had a moment's reprieve as the ships came in and Vanya just watched in awe. She was no stranger to fighting, but sometimes the size of off-world armies and the technology they possessed was still staggering to her.

I think your compatriots will keep them busy, she said. Do you think this will be enough to finally break your people free of this cycle of war? she asked even as she knew she wanted to throw them into another fight.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Natalie Hope]

Natalie took a look behind her at Vanya's words. Where once Cartel mercenaries filled the landscape, now it was Mantellian troops in their olive drab uniforms with olive drab and black blast vests. Squads scrambled around, some taking up positions to fight small pockets of resistance in bunkers, others enveloping a position and escorting the prisoners away. Vanya was right; looked a lot like the Mantellian Defense Corps had the Cartel well under the boot. She sighed and turned back, resting her head back on the splintered tree truck.

"This is enough that the people of Ord Mantell can finally breath easy. Any Cartel left will go into hiding and try to jump ship as soon as possible- Defense Corps will probably hunt them down," Natalie said. She closed her hazel eyes, feeling all the swirling and churning in her gut. Anger for making her live in a war zone her entire life, hatred for killing her brother, sadness for every new generation of Mantellian that had to serve in a draft just so Ord Mantell could survive. And then she let it all out, and go, through quiet tears down her cheeks. She wouldn't sob; she was Mantellian after all. The darkness she had a peek at earlier was washed down her cheeks and wiped away by the back of her wrapped up hand- which only smeared more mud over her face. Screw it, she was well passed the point of looking pretty on this mission any way. She felt an abundance of light now, the weight of her entire life prior to becoming a Jedi lifted and made weightless. Uhg, she felt a good ugly cry coming, but she shoved it down; she'll do that later when she can't tell what's a tear and what's refresher water- not that an ugly cry would make her any less enticing to look at with smeared mud all over her any way.

"There will always be another war to fight," Natalie said after a shaky deep breath. "But this means the generation growing up, and future generations won't have to be drafted for the planet's freedom and survival." She paused for a moment, reopening her eyes and staring at the dead patch of trees that had made up a tree line at some point in history. "Thanks again for doing this."

Natalie got to her feet, holstering her lightsaber back in it's place at the small of her back. "We should head back to the Colonel, might be a good idea to talk to the President too. We helped break the stalemate, now we have to make sure they're ready to be in the Army of Light." She shot Vanya a shit-eating grin, the seriousness from before gone in an instant. "A shower wouldn't hurt either."

Natalie started making her way down the craters trail they had come up the ridge through. It looked completely different when standing, and with Mantellian troops pouring up it. All of the danger from just hours before was gone, as every Cartel position along the trail had been dismantled with the generous help of atmospheric strike craft.

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Vanya watched a moment as tears started to well in Natalie's eyes. The two women had become close over the last several months from Killik fights to monstrous Dark Side entities, and now to here: Natalie's home.

She moved over and threw her arms around the other woman, giving her a hug of reassurance and smiling. She knew the feeling... at least somewhat. She had freed her people of the yoke of their Dark Side Queen and former-galactic Empress. The Singing Mountain now lived unafraid of another genocide against their people.

She released Natalie after a few moments and gave her a smile.

Vanya gave a nod as she talked about meeting with the higher ups and getting a shower. The shower in particular sounded nice if only for some warm water to push back the cold, wet, muddiness.

I'll let you handle that meeting. I'm not much use for diplomacy and it's your planet, she said.

But it would be nice to set up a base here for sure, she said, her mind already turning toward the activity of leading a war. She knew how to fight, but how to command armies and be a military leader? Less so. A diplomat? Even less so.

The Jedi have sure fallen a long way, haven't they? she mused quietly.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Natalie Hope]

Natalie's eyes grew like saucers when Vanya threw her arms around her. There was only a moment of hesitation before Natalie embraced her friend back, burying her eyes in Vanya's shoulder. It was a small gesture compared to what they had just done, but it was a gesture that Natalie would cherish. Wasn't every day your friends were willing to help put an end to a planet's centuries long war for you, after all. Natalie could count on one whole finger the amount of times it's happened for her!

"Uhg, I hate diplomacy," Natalie said at Vanya's mention of it being her planet. It felt weird to say something like that as a Jedi. Ord Mantell was her home planet, but it had never really been hers. Now? An argument could definitely be made that she had some staying power; at least when she was done talking to the president. That would come later- first would be the colonel, then some much needed rest and relaxation. "A base here puts us in a pretty good position- just on the edge of the core. "

"Guess being a fighter and strategist is gonna work out for me," Natalie quipped, giving Vayna another of her infamous shit-eating grins. Eventually their walk down the path they had painstakingly ascended earlier brought them to the trenches again, and then the bunker. Colonel Jasker was in the same position he had been in when they had first arrived on the scene, except this time a small smirk curved his lips. It was faint, but Natalie could spot it from a mile away.

"Looks like Ord Mantell owes you two a great deal," he said, erecting himself from the table and turning toward them. Natalie shook her head.

"No, it owes the Jedi Crusaders a great deal," she said. Her hazel eyes met Vanya, shifting back to the Colonel after a moment. "How long until you can win the war?" It took more than a modicum of restraint to keep from being giddy at those words. Natalie wanted to scream, cry, and jump around the bunker in celebration. It was a question that no Mantellian had ever thought they'd hear.

"Given how successful the offensive has been after you destroyed the AA batteries, a month. With their reinforcements and supplies cut off, and a lack of any stable structures to keep us out, it's a matter of how fast our troops can move," the Colonel said. Natalie nodded, looking at movements happening at a rapid pace on the holo-map.

"Can you set up a meeting for me with the President? Senator too," Natalie asked. Colonel Jasker nodded.

"Consider it done."

"And a ride back to the capital would pretty great too," she added. The Colonel motioned toward the bunker door where a shuttle was already landing for the two Jedi. Natalie smiled at the Colonel and nodded. "Thanks!" When they were on the shuttle and heading back to the capital, Natalie sat in one of the chairs picking clumps of mud off of herself. Every couple of clumps she'd look over at Vanya. "Have you ever had irling legs?"

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Vanya let Natalie do the talking, feeling a wave of relief washing over her as she realized it was done. Another mission she had survived. She wondered how many it would end up being. How many missions like this would she go on before her number eventually came up? It was inevitable, wasn't it?

She kept her morbid thoughts to herself as Natalie spoke, deciding not to let those thoughts overshadow a joyful moment. A moment of victory.

Natalie bartered a ride back to the capital for them, and Vanya finally let the muscles in her neck relax, rolling her head from side to side.

I think I need a glass of wine and a hot bath, she said. That was hilarious coming from someone like her, but she had decided that some of the fringe benefits of the rest of the galaxy were nice.

Had what? she asked with a puzzled look on her face.

 

[Natalie Hope]

"Wine does sound really good right now," Natalie agreed. It had been a long time since she had the stuff, but with a scraped raw left hand, mud in places she really wish it wasn't, and her home planet on the verge of freedom because of what the Jedi duo had just accomplished, wine sounded exactly like what Natalie needed. And she happened to know a place- if it was still y'know, intact. She'd have to check once she was clean and presentable.

"Irling legs!" Natalie repeated herself, a grin spreading across her lips. She sat up excitedly. "Okay, so Ord Mantell is home to some non-sentient bugs. Biiiiiiig guys- like six or seven feet tall. They're nocturnal and are aggrivated with sound, so we naturally have a tradition called irling fishing where we lower a flashlight and speaker into a hive and rile them up. When they come out into the daylight they're stunned and confused and then the hunting party gets as many as they can." Through out the explanation, Natalie excitedly used her hands to "show" Vanya in as descriptive a way her interpretive hand signals could be.

"They're really high in protein. Add in some of the peppers Mantellians grow here in the hotter climate zones with some cooked up irling legs and it's just sooooooo good," Natalie said, leaning back into the seat as she remembered the taste. One might not like the idea of eating a bug, especially after what they'd both been through with the Killiks, but irlings were different and definitely tasty.

The shuttle didn't take long to reach the capital, and when it landed they were greeted by a representative of the president who gave them vouchers for a hotel. Discussion wasn't necessary at all as they ended up in a two bedroom suite with all the room service they could want or need. Natalie let Vanya do her thing for a bit, running back to their ship to grab a change of clothes for the pair. When she returned she took a shower of her own, changed into a new pair of jeans and a button up plaid flannel and waited for Vanya to emerge.

"There's a place a few miles from here that has a great balcony view and even better food, if you wanna go. I think it's still there, anyway," Natalie said, checking on her EZPhone to see if it was still operational. "Might as well see the planet you just helped save, right?"

Spoiler: OOC

Irling Write-up

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

They sounded like something she'd find on Dathomir, and while those bugs weren't generally considered "good" eating, she was at least willing to give this a shot.

Vanya, likewise, cleaned herself up and got new clothes, patching up what scrapes and bruises she needed to before heading out to meet with Natalie again.

As she did all of that, her mind once again turned over everything that had happened and all that would happen in the coming days. This central clearing of the galaxy was the piece she was carving out for herself, and she hoped it would become a haven of Light and safety for people.

And yet, she knew that sooner or later, the darkness would come knocking, and she wasn't sure she was strong enough to keep it out. Her faith in the galaxy and the Jedi was... shaken.

But then, she had friends like Natalie. People who were there in the literal trenches fighting alongside her, and she had to believe that it wasn't all for nothing. She had to believe that they could pull through this and turn the galaxy around again.

When she finally came out, Vanya was wearing... pretty much the same thing she always wore. As it turned out, she was a pretty simple and practical dresser and pretty much always looked like precisely what she was: a Nightsister Jedi.

Let's do it, she said with a smile, heading out into the cool night air. And then I want to flop into bed and sleep for ten straight hours, she said with a snicker.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Natalie Hope]

Natalie gave Vanya a shit-eating grin. "Only ten?" she quipped. A week felt like too little at the moment for Natalie. Anything over eight though and her back started hurting. Why did the galaxy always have to curse the best things with down sides? The best tasting food is bad for your health. Sleep starts to hurt after too many hours. And worst of all fun was fun until you got bored. Truly, the philosophical questions of their age. If good things were so bad, why good shaped?

Leading Vanya to a shuttle, it was a short flight over to a rather extravagant landing pad atop a mesa. The landing pad turned into a dustless, duracrete walk way with murals of flowers and flutterplumes. Natalie smirked at the sight as they walked over them. They made the large, four legged birds with rainbow feathers look small and harmless, despite them being carnivorous. How many dead soldiers from both Ord Mantell and the Cartel had been "scavenged" by the beautiful, but deadly birds? Vanya would see soon enough though.

"This restaurant sits just under some air currents that come from the Scraplands in the south," Natalie said as they neared the large building. It was clearly a restaurant and hotel, but they would only be staying for some dinner and maybe a show and then heading back to their own suite. All kidding aside, bed was definitely calling Natalie's name; not enough to skip out on some irling legs and nature watching though. "It's famous for being able to watch flutterplumes migrating north."

Entering the restaurant, they'd find everyone dressed in extravagant suits and dresses. Natalie and Vanya were terribly under dressed, but the fact they had vouchers from the president made things smooth over and they were seated on the balcony. Looking over the transparasteel railing, a vast, savanah stretched until the next mountain range more than a few kilometers away. Herds of gapillian grazerswandered around the dry grass, lit only by small lights placed in the trees by the restaurant staff. Several razoronn stalked in the shadows, but were still relatively visible from their perch atop the mesa.

Natalie ordered for them, choosing a platter of irling legs and a bottle of wine. The wine came out first, of course. Natalie kept her eyes to the sky, even as she sipped on a glass, looking out for the rainbow creatures. "Welcome to the peaceful side of Ord Mantell," she said, glancing at Vanya for a moment. "With a little bit of clean up, the whole planet could be like this." Natalie paused, then turned her attention fully to Vanya. "So... this teleport thing. Is it like a nightsister only thing?"

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Vanya immediately felt underdressed as they arrived at the restaurant, though the lightsaber hanging from her belt seemed to draw even more attention than her Jedi robes. People gaped and gawked whenever they saw it, and the vouchers seemed to really seal the deal, fortunately.

The view was... extraordinary. In fact, as Vanya looked down at the various animals below, she almost felt like she was home for a moment. Of course, this was nothing like home, but the faintest memories pulled at her mind, and that faint homesickness arose.

It's beautiful. I imagine you missed it, she said. Although with how wartorn it had been, perhaps not quite as much. Still, she had no doubt the catharsis was powerful.

And then came the teleporting question out of the blue again, and Vanya laughed a bit.

I think so, she said before pausing and reconsidering. Or, I don't know, maybe not. I think some other sects have been rumored to learn it before, but the way that I do it can only be done by members of the Clans, she said with a shrug. It was a gift of the Twin Spirits to her people.

It's tied to our magick, she said with a shrug.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Natalie Hope]

"More than I'd like to admit, yeah," Natalie said, looking out at the animals grazing, hunting, doing animaly things. She stole a glance at Vanya and grinned. Seeing the view reflected in her expression and features felt nice. Natalie hadn't been able to share her home with anybody before, and Vanya had now seen the good and the bad of it- and of Natalie herself. "We used to run out this way as kids after giving the Cartel the slip and try to ride the grazers. Liam tried it once during mating season and got chased all the way back to Hegal by an angry male thinking he was stealing a mate." Natalie laughed at the memory of her brother.

Natalie shook the thoughts away, refocusing on Vanya as she explained teleporting. A super secret teleport technique tied to magick like an offshoot of the Force? Galaxy was anything but a simple place, so Natalie accepted it at face value. Sure sounded way cooler than anything the Jedi taught her to do. The best she got was blowing sunshine up abominations' asses from Mr. Jawline after he'd yeeted one with the power of a proverbial sun. There were all the different kinesis too, but Natalie didn't much care about using any of them. Fireballs took up concentration, thermal detonators with some Force behind them didn't take nearly as much. That much she learned from taking on the Killiks.

"Well it sounds cool as hell," Natalie said. The waiter came around with a platter of irling leg segments, steaming and spiced to perfection. Natalie grabbed one and tipped it over onto her plate. The inner meat slid out as if it had never been attached in the first place. Just the way they should be. She took a bite of the buttery, spiced meat with a fork and savored every second it stayed in her mouth and on her taste buds.

"I would get into so much trouble if I could teleport," Natalie said, taking another bite of the irling meat. What essentially amounted to bugs really had no right being that delicious. "Every day would be spooky Nat-day in the temples. You thought you saw me walk down that corridor, but did you really? Maybe I've been behind you the whole time." Natalie laughed at the thought.

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Vanya gave a smile as she listened to Natalie's story and even more than the story itself, she enjoyed the feelings that it brought up in Natalie. Positive memories were a warm blanket in the Force.

It was soothing and peaceful even for Vanya who hadn't experienced the moment.

She laughed as Natalie talked about all the uses she would find for teleportation. Well it sounds like you would be quite the terror, she said, rolling her eyes.

A moment of silence lingered, and as it always did, Vanya's mind turned back to the huge task at hand.

I'm glad we were able to free your world, she said. She knew there were those in the galaxy that thought the Jedi should go to war with the Cartel next, but... the list of people that the Jedi were "supposed to fight" was growing so long and... their numbers were growing thin.

What do you think of the Empire going to war with the Cartel? she asked.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Natalie Hope]

"More terrifying than that goat-man-thing?" Natalie asked, more hopeful than fearful at the memory. That swamp did end up having some good food, all things considered. And if she could out spook a goat-man-thing summoning a shadow demon, well, Spooky-Nat day would be a hit! Could even have a scariest costume contest, until some numb-nuts actually turned into an eldritch horror and started eating Padawans. If there was one thing Natalie learned in her time with the Jedi, it was that they were their own worst enemies.

"I'm glad too," she said, leaning back in the chair just as a small flock of four flutterplumes passed overhead. The massive, four legged birds with rainbow feathers craned their buzzard like necks to look at the food on the tables, but decided against stealing any and continued their journey north. "It's been a long time since the civilians were able to breath easy. I'll make sure everything gets cleaned up. Lady Hope sounds a bit too pretentious, but I'm liking the sound of Warden." She gave Vanya her infamous shit-eating grin.

Natalie shrugged when Vanya asked about the Empire and Cartel. "Stick two assholes in a bar, eventually they're going to duke it out." She thought about it for a moment. It was no secret at this point that Natalie held no love for the Cartel, but the Empire had done their fair share of shit too. Continuing a dumb war against a bunch of peacekeepers being one. "The more they're distracted on each other, the better off we are. We can gather resources and supplies while they waste theirs. If I was the Empire though, I'd be sending agents and special forces to try to keep the fringe territories from being completely surrounded." Natalie's grin had faded when she turned to Vanya. "We'll need to be prepared for that, or for worse."

"Which I guess leads me to big question: what's next?" Natalie asked.

After dinner, the conversation, and one great night of sleep, Natalie would approach the President of Ord Mantell alone. The Jedi had won the planet over, and news was already spreading that "a new sheriff was in town." Natalie Hope, Warden of Ord Mantell. Who'd of thunk.

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Ah yes, the goat-man. Vanya thought about that entity-monster they had prevented from being summoned and wondered what it would have been. Records in the village had identified it as "the Sculptor" and most of what Vanya had read about it from the books and journals recovered was pretty much horrifying.

But that seemed to be par for the course. Vanya was basically a little walking ball of trauma when you really started to look at it.

Definitely, she said with a joking snort as Natalie asked if she was worse than the goat man because of course Vanya was going to say that she was.

"Lady Hope?" Yeah, wow, that's a lot, she said, making a motion with her eyes and eyebrows that emphasized the fact.

The battle with the Empire and Cartel would have to come another day. The fact was that Altair Din was right: the Jedi were the best equipped people to chase down the Sith and their abominations. It was time for the Crusaders to step up and do what the Jedi Order never did.

Next... she said, pressing her lips together and knowing Natalie was going to hate what was next.

I think the best place to start a Jedi Protectorate is right around here: Inner Rim and Colonies, and right on the other side of Jedi space is a planet that's known for producing top tier battle droids. Colla IV, she said, giving a meek smile that said she knew Natalie was going to hate it. It would be an uphill battle, but if they could bring the other bug hive into their ranks, that would be a gamechanger for building - literally - an army.

//Thread