Who We Are

[Eddard Thul Drast]

​

Bandomeer was an ugly planet as far as Eddard was concerned.

It was a planet with half of it's entire surface covered by some unsightly sea and the rest of the planet was full of large predators and rough people. But it was a good planet for him to be on for a number of reasons. The main two were the reasons why he was actually here.

It was close to Mandalorian space - specifically it was directly to the North of Mandalorian space and if the Empire decided to take it then it would make for a great base from which to keep the Mandalorians flanked on every side.

It was also one of the Galaxy's leading producers of Ionite - the material that was so often used in the construction of deflector shields. Keeping the shields on for the Imperial navy was always going to be a big plus.

And that was why Eddard was now stepping off of his Imperial shuttle into the only spaceport the planet actually had. If he could convince the local companies to at least entertain the true negotiators from the Empire then business could begin.

Once business began?

Then control could be established.

Now the only issue he had was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind, as if the Force was trying to tell him something. Something about someone familiar? Or was it a familiar danger? Either way, the stump his mechanical foot was attached to ached and that just added to his paranoia.

What familiar danger could he possibly find here on this frontier planet?

@Sreeya

 

[Raz Solus]

Raz was not having a good time.

It was soaking wet in the middle of a jungle where she was, the rain pouring above. She was staking out here waiting for an acklay. It was a prized creature that would be worth quite a sum of credits if she brought it back for a rich collector. Now that she was still doing odd jobs here and there to make money, this wasn’t beneath her. How she was going to take on an acklay alone was a strategy she hadn’t thought over yet.

She was a short distance away from the spaceport, and already the weather was vastly different here. Unlike Eddard, she couldn’t sense anything other than impending doom. She was perched up in a tree, but she could have sworn she heard the leaves rustle here and there. Before the rain, it had been hot and muggy, and she was sweating beneath her armor. Raz quietly bided her time, waiting around till something popped out of the leaves. As she looked, it turned out to be nothing more than a squirrel.

With a grunt, she quietly began to make her way down the tree. This place was useless, and she wouldn’t catch anything here. Wiping the rain from her visor, she landed on the ground with a loud squish, grimacing as she plodded through. She had her rifle out, though she doubted it would do much damage to an acklay unless she took absolutely perfect aim.

Before she could take another step, she heard a shrill cry in the distance. Raz paused for a moment, thinking about her options. Birds rapidly fluttered away from an area in the distance, and she knew that was what she was looking for. Without waiting, she began to quickly make her way towards the noise. Mud and swampy slush kicked up as she moved forward, significantly slowed down thanks to the storms.

@Nefieslab

 

[Eddard Thul Drast]

Yep, there it was again... the same sense of familiar danger with a hint of something he couldn't rightly describe.

It was going to bug him until he found out what it was and, knowing his luck, that would likely be when it ended up running into him at full speed. The rain was reducing visibility but Eddard made the mistake of stepping out the spaceport, finding that the jungle was actually an awful lot closer than he thought.

As in literally right in front of the spaceport close.

"Of course."

There was as much sarcasm in those two words as he could manage and it still didn't feel like he had put enough into it to truly encapsulate just how much he disliked this planet already. He heard the cry in the distance... except it actually wasn't that much in the distance. He glanced around, seeing how the locals were already heading inside whatever buildings they could, locking the doors immediately.

They... had they locked him outside while there was a dangerous predatory creature coming closer?

They had.

What the hell kind of backwards culture was this that the naturally response to a predator attacking was to hide indoors rather than kill it? It wasn't even in the streets - if his hearing could be trusted then it was actually off to one side slightly... sighing, Eddard took a local's speeder bike, hot wiring it with the Force and shooting off in the direction of the creature as fast as he could reasonably handle the bike.

He still had to stop soon, pulling to a halt near a Mandalorian in her armour in the swamp... she was in the swamp and he was hovering over it due to the bike.

Advantage him.

He had one of his lightsabers in hand as he ignited it across his body defensively.

"Mandalorian..." he greeted her promptly, looking over her armour for a moment before blinking once, "... Raz."

There was another cry in the distance - getting closer - and Eddard just ignored it for a moment to state a simple truth.

"You know, you never called."

Priorities.

@Sreeya

 

[Raz Solus]

“Kriff! Osik! Haar’chak!”

She rattled off several more curse words, switching on and off between Basic and Mando’a. Raz happened to slip and faceplant directly into a thick goop of mud and swamp water. She had gotten a little too excited about the acklay and didn’t watch her footing, sending her catapulting directly into the mud below. And to add insult to injury, it was right as she heard the revving of engines coming rapidly her way.

By the time the speeder bike pulled up, she was barely peeling herself off the ground. She didn’t even bother wiping off all the mud, barely seeing through her visor. All she needed to see was the ignited saber, and she had her rifle abruptly pointed at the chest of the man. She had her finger ready to press the trigger when she caught who it was. Raz immediately lowered the gun, wiping her helmet off as she looked upon a familiar face.

How they ran into each other again was a mystery, and how he was able to tell it was her was another. She tilted her head quickly to look in the direction of the second cry, turning back to look at Eddard as he mentioned her not calling.

“Are you serious?!” She asked in exasperation as she casually moved towards him and swung a leg over the bike to sit behind him. It was as if he hadn't just pulled up while she was making an ass of herself in the mud and had been there all along, “Start driving! I wanna catch that overgrown bug before it shits on the spaceport!” Raz, being Raz, offered absolutely no explanation or even a real greeting. She paused only to wipe more mud off, glancing up to see trees beginning to part and splinter as the acklay drew closer.

@Nefieslab

 

[Eddard Thul Drast]

Yes, it as definitely Raz.

He had been going off the feeling in the force of familiar danger and the armour but it was nice to have confirmation in the way that she spoke to him. Honestly, most people were either afraid of him or respectful of him and yet she was the only one to immediately rock straight up into demanding things from him... had he been happy or relieved to see her, to know that it was her? Well if he had been, he definitely wasn't anymore.

She was just like he remembered and that was both amusing and a little bit annoying.

And was he serious? Yes, yes he was serious. He couldn't rightly say why it annoyed him that she hadn't called him but it was safe to say that he was, in fact, annoyed about it. That... that would require some thought it had to be said. Rolling his eyes as he trudged her way closer, he shrugged.

"I could leave you to your mud facial treatment if you'd prefer."

Of course he didn't and instead let her clamber onto the back of his stolen bike. He had the urge to tell her off for messing it up before he remembered that it wasn't actually his speeder bike - it belonged to one of the locals who had locked him outside during a predator attack.

"Don't think that'll be too much of an issue!" he called back to her as he gunned the engine, "The locals have all just gone inside and locked the bloody doors!"

Following after the creature, they began to catch glimpses of it through the trees ahead as it headed towards the spaceport, thumping and stomping it's way there. Using the Force, Eddard was able to take turns and predict when trees would be an issue so was weaving in between the trees without too much effort.

It likely wasn't doing Raz's aim any good but hey - he didn't exactly care if the locals got roughed up, they were karkholes.

@Sreeya

 

[Raz Solus]

Thankfully by now all the mud was off. She had her rifle ready to go, though she needed one of her arms to hold on as Eddard began to speed off. As he pointed out he could leave her, she rolled her eyes, “Please, running into me is probably the most exciting thing that happened to you all week,” She growled in response, keeping her gaze trained ahead for movements from the acklay. Raz had come across them before, but she never actively hunted one.

As he mentioned that the locals went inside and locked the doors, Raz shook her head. She couldn’t entirely blame them, but it did make her grin, “Of course, only being locked out would make a Sith spring into action to do something about a local threat,” Then again, if he hadn’t acted, he would also lose his way off the planet with the spaceport destroyed. She trained her focus back on the acklay, aiming with the way he wove in and out of the paths of trees.

She could catch glimpses of it and she fired a shot, the bolt burning into the exoskeleton. There was a loud screech as the acklay turned and reared up. This opened it up to its more vulnerable sides, and she took another shot. It was enough to wound it, but it also made it all the angrier. The acklay slammed one of its pincers against a tree, making it splinter and drop directly in front of their path.

Unfortunately, it happened even too quick for Eddard to react to, and they would be sent crashing directly into the fallen tree. Raz didn’t even get the chance to cry out as she went soaring through the air, clear over the front of the speeder. She landed with a thud on her back after flipping in the air, groaning in pain. As she began to rise up and reach for her rifle, she realized it landed far away from her.

Meanwhile, the acklay spotted her and was making a beeline directly for her...

@Nefieslab

 

[Eddard Thul Drast]

Eddard had been doing a few things since he had last seen Raz but the interesting stuff was all incredibly classified so he wasn't actually able to shoot back with the truth. Instead of the truth, while travelling at speed between trees, Eddard fell back to his to his old standby of deadpan delivery instead.

"Indeed." he declared drily, "You're the highlight of every day, week or month you're in. However could you tell that your presence means that much to me?"

He ignored the fact that he had actually gotten quite the kick out of seeing her again - chalked it up to not seeing anyone who wasn't a hick local in far too long. Though she was a Mandalorian... still slightly better than a local hick though. At least she, usually, looked like she bathed.

Not now though.

"Well excuse me for not wanting to run towards a dangerous predator at the drop of a blaster!" he countered with a small smirk, "I don't know - maybe Mandalorians are born without common sense?"

And that last quip would cost him dearly.

In delivering that last line, he was unable to react in time to stop the speeder bike crashing into the downed tree trunk. Both himself and Raz went flying forwards but, unlike Raz, Eddard had the Force as his ally. He curled up into a ball just before he landed and rolled forwards, taking a very harsh bump to his back but otherwise being fine. Rolling out into a kneeling position, he ignited one of his lightsabers instinctively and took stock of the situation...

Well, he would like to say he took stock of the situation.

In reality he noticed that the Acklay had turned it's attentions onto Raz and Raz had dropped her blaster and suddenly he was running forwards in a sprint. The Acklay raised one of it's forearms and thrust at Raz, to find Eddard there instead, catching the thrust with his blade jamming in between the long and short parts of the claw, biting deep into the flesh due to the creature's own momentum.

It reared up on it's hind two legs both in pain and in preparation of using the middle two claws as scythes from each side. As the creature reared up, Eddard called upon the Force and thrust his free palm upwards, projecting a force push into the creature's head that knocked it backwards, causing the scything strikes to miss as it fell backwards before it needed to scramble to put four legs beneath itself again to avoid falling.

Eddard took a deep breath and called his other lightsaber to his free hand, igniting it, not taking his eyes off of the creature as it cautiously glared at him and skittered from one side to the other slightly, trying to get him to commit to a feint.

And all because he ran towards the predator at the drop of a blaster...

Wasn't even his bloody blaster!

@Sreeya

 

[Raz Solus]

Raz had no opportunity to respond to any of his quips as they were launched into the air from the collision. She was bleary eyed, still reeling from the fall and looking up to see the acklay. One of the pincers was coming down directly at her, and she quickly rolled to the side desperately. The slam to the ground never came, and she glanced up in time to see Eddard in the way, standing between her and the acklay.

“EXCUSE ME!” She cried out, “I’M NOT SOME DAMSEL IN- Oh shit!” She watched the acklay rear up, preparing to lunge forward. That was when Eddard did some of his strange magic and sent the creature flying back. Raz took this opportunity to stop idling and dashed to the side to retrieve her blaster. From her vantage point she had a better angle as the acklay continued to focus just on Eddard. Despite digging into the flesh with the saber, he managed to enrage the creature more than anything.

The acklay began to pound and thump the ground, sending mud and swamp splashing everywhere. Eddard and Raz both began to sink into the ground, and she looked over in horror to see their speeder bike already half drowned and ruined. She turned to face the acklay again, firing off a few more shots. It cracked the shell and elicited a screech.

Now the creature was wounded and knew it was losing. Instead of staying to fight, the acklay turned and began to storm through the jungle back the way it came. Raz’s eyes widened, “Wait! No!” She shouted behind it and started to awkwardly give chase through the muck and swamp. To Eddard, this would make absolutely no sense, as the acklay was no longer headed for the spaceport. In his eyes, this job was done, but she was rushing like a maniac deeper into the woods holding her rifle up so it didn’t get covered in muck. It was a wonder weapons were working at all through this pouring rain. It was a matter of moments before she would disappear into the darkness right after the stupid bug, her path cleared by trees splintering and breaking.

@Nefieslab

 

[Eddard Thul Drast]

Really?

He stops a strike that could have done serious harm and the first thing she does is complain about him treating her like a damsel in distress? While he would agree it was a tired old trope, he did not agree that this was the time or place to really voice a complaint against it - there was still a murderous bug after them after all! He didn't respond, instead pulling off his Force push and then it started to back off, leaving the two of them slowly sinking into the swamp.

It was official - today sucked.

And, to prove that it never rained but it poured, Raz was wading on after the beast after it had decided to beat a hasty retreat. Gods be good but this woman was determined... now if only she could turn her determination to something that wasn't a fool's errand then she might have an admirable quality! But instead she was marching off to fight a giant bug in the swamp.

"Chasing after a giant bug that has no trouble navigating while we are stuck in swamp water... I have to say Raz that this is truly an all-star in the department of stupid ideas!"

And yet he was wading on after her... What did that say about him? Probably that at least being as deranged as Raz wasn't boring and it beat anything he would otherwise be doing.

That being said...

"You're paying for the hotel room so we can take a bath after this." He declared as he waded after her, lightsabers held above his head but deactivated for now as he instead used the Force to pull some of the downed tree trunks closer for them to climb up on them to walk on steadier ground, "Raz... I've had a thought."

He didn't like the thought.

"Do acklays have packs?"

@Sreeya

 

[Raz Solus]

Raz almost faceplanted yet again, but she managed to stay on her feet as she plodded through the mud and swamp. She was up to her knees in the goop and was not having a good time. To add to her annoyance, she heard Eddard pipe up behind her. Raz paused to look back, “'We?' Why do you inject a ‘we’ into everything? You’re more than welcome to march your ass back to the spaceport and fry little children or whatever weird shit Sith do for fun…” She turned back to look ahead, almost running into a tree since she wasn’t watching where she was going.

“Kriff this day,” She grumbled, “Stuck on this planet wading through Andraste’s bathwater,” Raz turned to look at Eddard as he mentioned something about paying for a hotel room, “You’ve got some nerve. It takes a lot more than a nice face to get me to take a guy to a hotel,” She scoffed, rolling her eyes as she continued moving. She paused as he used his magic to adjust the trunks, not even phased by the display anymore. She couldn’t deny she was still suspicious of it, but she’d never admit how useful it was.

As he asked if they had packs, she chewed on her lip, “Um…” She wasn’t given the chance to answer as the wounded acklay’s screech erupted again. Raz picked up the pace and heard a large thud as the bug fell. Its earlier injuries finally caught up to it and it died. Raz grinned widely, approaching it as she took out a knife to cut out the organ beneath its chin, the prize her collector wanted. She looked at her knife, and then looked over at Eddard, and then back at the knife, “Yo, can I borrow your glowstick?”

She barely managed to get the question out before there was a shrill chorus of the same screech followed by a loud stampede. Raz froze in place, her eyes wide, “….I think that answers your pack question..”

@Nefieslab

 

[Eddard Thul Drast]

Fry little children?

For fun.

Eddard had been all for firing a shot back at her before that little remark. Instead his humour dried up near instantly and he paused for a moment in mid step. For a moment, just for a moment, he thought about how easy it would be to push her head down into the swamp water and drown her in the mud and filth.

Just for a moment.

If anyone could know why he didn't appreciate such a comment, such a flippant dismissal of what he had struggled to bring himself to do in the past, it was her. She had been there with him. But of course she thought nothing of it. Of course she didn't care that she had dealt a low blow. So he didn't say anything. His jaw set and he had his moment, his private homicide, before he moved past it, move on.

Because he wasn't entire sure that this acklay was going to let him have a moment. Instead he breathed out and did his best to pretend like it hadn't happened, to pretend that she hadn't found a chink in his armour, so she wouldn't be able to use it in the future.

"And here I thought indoor plumbing would impress a mando girl." he remarked, perhaps a tad dryer than usual, "Just remember though - it isn't magic, even if you can't see how it works."

The acklay was dead and he was happy about that though - meant that he could move the hell on. He wouldn't bother with a trophy like Raz though, he would simply enjoy the fact that it was dead and that meant that shops might actually open again. Strange concept, having shops open in the middle of the day apparently.

She asked for his lightsaber.

"Sure - just as soon as you fit me for some nice beskar armour." he shot back, igniting his lightsaber all the same, "Tell me what you want and I'll cut."

He took a single step closer before closing his eyes slightly for just a second.

"We can't fight them when our footing isn't worth kark and they can still dash in - climb one of the thicker trees, now!" he pressed her, making a few quick cuts into the downed acklay before tossing the rather roughly trophy for Raz to catch. Gathering the Force, he leapt up to a tree of his own, grabbing hold tightly, "Let's hope they eat their dead."

@Sreeya

 

[Raz Solus]

Raz noticed the silence after her quip. She kept squelching through the mud, pausing as she turned to glance back at him. She saw his expression was rigid, and he was clearly uncomfortable. It took her a moment to remember the incident a while back, back when they first met. He had the same look on his face after he came out of that house. Raz bit her lip, realizing what she had done with her offhanded remark. Nevertheless, she was too proud to say anything on it, and she moved on as if she never made the connection.

She scoffed at his indoor plumbing comment, “Why? When I can be out here under the stars and with the warm mud? Really exfoliates the skin,” She muttered as she kept walking. He had moved on from the topic earlier, and she was glad to do the same. After her little quip asking for his saber, she wasn’t surprised when he shot back with one of his own. She rolled her eyes, “I’m afraid I can’t find a T visor helmet to fit that ginormous head,” She cut back, glad to see him at least still willing to help cut the organ out.

Raz didn’t need telling twice as he suggested getting on some trees. She looked over right as he tossed the organ, the thing splattering against her chest with a sick squelch. She grimaced and grabbed it, grumbling to herself as she rushed towards a tall tree. Raz began to climb rapidly, half slipping and struggling through the rain. It took a while to make her way up, but she finally found a thick branch to sit on.

This was timed right as when the other acklay rushed in, stampeding through the jungle. They paused to survey the dead acklay before they began to circle the area. From what she could tell, they didn’t really have the best sense of smell. Raz made sure to stay quiet, perched up on the branch and hoping they wouldn’t be spotted. There was no telling how long they were stuck up here. If a single one looked up, all it would take would be several swipes with their forearms and the tree would be down.

“Just my luck..” She whispered under her breath, staring gloomily down at the grotesque ‘trophy’ she collected from the acklay.

@Nefieslab

 

[Eddard Thul Drast]

And, of course, they not only didn't eat their own dead but they seemed to be downright angry to have found their pack-mate was dead. Knowing their luck they'd probably killed the grandmother of the rest of them - so it was slower, weaker and yet all of the rest of them probably loved her to pieces and it had taken a combine effort and luck to kill just that one.

Today was just not going his way at all.

Holding himself up in the tree he was in, Eddard knew that, with the Force, he could jump to the next tree sturdy enough to hold his weight with little difficulty. It wouldn't be too loud either and he could likely jump between the trees easily enough to make it back to town in less than five minutes. It would be rather easy but it did have one flaw as a plan that was only a flaw because he was too damned nice for his own good he swore.

It left Raz high and dry.

Why the hells did he even care if she fell to the creatures below? Shouldn't he just freaking push her?

That was something to think about later.

"Raz..." he whispered out to her across the distance, loud enough for her to hear but the Acklay were still stomping around and didn't hear him, "Do you have a grenade? If you do - throw it as hard as you can in that direction -"

He pointed to the opposite direction to the town.

"- and we can move to the town." he paused before admitting the next stage of his plan, "Jump towards the next thick tree - you won't make it but I'll catch you with the Force and use it to carry you the rest of the way. Or..."

He shrugged and gestured down.

"Or we can hope the element of surprise means we can take the whole group."

His face showed her how much he believed that was possible.

"Raz... jump and I'll catch you."

This was probably a bad idea but it beat trying to fight them or hoping them could wade through the mud faster than they could check out the noise of a grenade and then come back.

@Sreeya

 

[Raz Solus]

Raz was banking on simply staying here for the rest of the night. She had trained as a sharpshooter, and she was used to long stakeouts to snipe someone. This wouldn’t faze her in the least, and she wiggling around to get comfortable. The biggest issue here was the rain, and it only made things that much worse. Raz was about to zone out when she heard Eddard whispering to her. She looked at him suspiciously as he suggested her throwing a grenade. She didn’t even get to give him her opinion on the stupid idea before it got even more bizarre.

“Catch me with the Force?” She hissed back angrily, “How hard did you hit your head?” Raz scowled at him through her helmet, “I’m staying right here,” She crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. She couldn’t believe this idiot! His ideas were always ridiculous, and that was saying something coming from a risk taker like her. Raz pointedly looked in the other direction, not wanting to entertain his antics.

However, that was when she realized that the acklays were continuing to scurry around. One of them plodded over towards the tree they were in. Raz grew nervous, watching as the stupid bug slowly began to tilt its head upwards, “Damn it all,” She sighed, reaching for a grenade and cooking it. She lobbed it in the other direction right as the acklay fully tilted its head. The explosion went off too fast for the thing to register what it saw.

At once, the creatures scurried towards or away from the noise, dividing away from the cluster they were before. Raz turned towards the next tree and gritted her teeth, “Ugh, here goes nothing…Don't you dare catch me in your arms like some stupid Holomovie hero, I swear to Ha'rangir,” She knew this wasn’t going to work, but they had no real choice. She got up on the branch and rushed towards the edge of it before leaping from it. Naturally, she slipped thanks to the rain and was suddenly tumbling down. Raz waved her arms frantically, surprisingly keeping herself from screaming out. She was entirely too proud to scream as she fell to certain death, squeezing her eyes shut as she waited for the painful crash to come. She was even too proud to let go of that obnoxious acklay organ.

@Nefieslab

 

[Eddard Thul Drast]

If he was being honest with himself, the answering hiss he got back from his Mandalorian partner was exactly what he had expected - it was a combination of her not trusting him, not trusting the Force and, likely, thinking that she had a better idea. Granted, it wouldn't be hard to have a better idea because he knew the idea was a bit... a bit crazy if he was being honest with himself, but crazy and stupid was better than nothing at all.

Especially when nothing at all meant they would be needing to either try and wait these creatures out or fight them. Considering one of them had been strong enough to knock down smaller trees, Eddard had no doubt that the pack could bring down even these sturdier tress if given incentive like, say, finding that they were up the trees?

"If you've got a better plan for leaving this area I'd like to hear it." he shot back, "Because staying doesn't sound like a good idea to me - it sounds like we're gonna be stuck here all day and night."

Which was not high on his to-do list but it turned out they wouldn't need to because she was going with his plan. Letting out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, he took a deep breath and readied himself with the Force. As soon as they had scurried away he leapt through the air, landing in another sturdy tree, closer to civilisation with Raz still in sight. He turned back to her and nodded along, barely keeping from rolling his eyes.

"I imagine you would shoot me again if I did." he retorted with just a faint smirk, "Now are you going to jump or am I going to need to come back over there and carry you on my back?"

It... might work?

He wasn't entirely sure how heavy she was - she looked kind of heavy. Well... the armour looked kind of heavy. She looked like she probably weighed about half of him, soaking wet. But thinking about the Mandalorian stuck up a tree soaking wet was a distraction so he ignored it in favour of readying the Force.

She looked set to jump... and then she slipped.

Eyes widening, Eddard desperately reached out with the Force and caught one of her boots in his grasp, leaving her dangling in the air by one of her feet. Grunting, he used the hold he did have to swing Raz before releasing her boot on the upswing and grabbing her body in the Force before she could fall. Gritting his teeth, he pulled her towards the tree he was in, grabbing her forearm to keep her in the tree as he released the grip he had on her in the Force.

He pulled her up into the tree by her forearm, bringing her closer to him.

It might have been romantic... except...

"By the balls of Evandrus... I said jump, woman, not attempt to mate with the swamp head-first!"

Except that.

@Sreeya

 

[Raz Solus]

Raz felt him grab her foot, and it caused her to bodily lurch uncomfortably to the side. She felt like a rag doll, and this was the most undignified thing to happen to her in some time. To add insult to injury, he actually began to swing her as if she were a rag doll. Her voice faded in and then out as she passed him on the upswing, “ASSSSSSHooooooooooooole!”

Next thing she knew, she was flying through the air again, scrambling to reorient herself. There was a strange force that captured a hold of her, and it took her a moment to realize what it was. The rain raged on and she couldn’t make heads or tails of her environment. She was beyond angry, except she could do nothing about it. Raz felt herself grabbed out of the air again, this time pulled directly into Eddard. She took a moment to glare at him through her helmet.

As he began his quip, she reared her head up. She remembered she didn’t exactly hate him and didn’t want to cause actual harm. Instead, she slammed her forehead directly into the top of his chest to cut him off and send a dull ache through him. If he had been wearing a helmet, it would have been a slam against his face directly. Satisfied with her retaliation, she drew back at last, yanking her arm out of his grip, “Maybe if your idea weren’t so shitty to begin with!”

She glanced down and realized that the acklay were beginning to come back towards them. They had a small window to quickly hop from tree to tree or get stuck. If the acklays began to take down the trees, they were goners. Raz gritted her teeth and looked back at Eddard, “I… ...you better never kriffing mention this ever again,” She didn’t say anything else as she angrily wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him the go ahead to start jumping. They had no option but to do this with him carrying her. Her ego was clawing and screaming at her, and she had to ignore it. She made a huge point to look away from Eddard, fuming beneath her helmet, “My ancestors would roll over in their graves if they knew about this..” She muttered unhappily under her breath.

 

[Eddard Thul Drast]

Getting headbutted in the sternum was new.

New enough that he damn near fell backwards out of the tree from the attack. Thankfully he had a good grip on the tree so he didn't go anywhere but that just meant he took the full brunt of the hit to his chest. Hissing in pain, he glared at the Mandalorian for a minute before just kind of thinking about it for a second.

He had been all fire and brimstone a second ago but upon reflection...?

"... I may have deserved that."

In hindsight, swinging the Mandalorian woman around like that was a bad idea and a bit of a kark move. It still hurt his chest but he wasn't above accepting it when he had done something stupid. Still, that was no reason for her to start bad mouthing the plan! The plan was the only reason they were still alive and not falling out of a tree and then being overwhelmed by the pack.

"Hey - my shitty plan is the reason we're not already trying to fight off giant bugs again." he shot back, "Besides, you've had a free shot for the throwing thing and that's it."

He blinked.

Her arms were around his neck.

She was close to him, her front pressed against his own. Her armour was hard but she looked soft between the plates... he swallowed thickly. This was hardly the time or the place - it was time to get out of here. She accepted that being carried might very well be the best option right now. He could worry about why he was distracted by her being this close to him later. Later, when they weren't being hunted by giant bugs.

"Grip with your legs - I need my hands free." he told her simply, grabbing her by her hips and lifting her slightly, waiting for her to wrap her legs around him before he bent his knees, "Try not to cry out."

With that final warning, Eddard jumped, the Force meaning his jump carried the two of them far further than any natural jump. With her latched onto him by her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, he was free to be more mobile. Rather than landing in another tree, he would landed partially against it, one foot and one hand, before pushing off again, bouncing between trees as he sped them across the distance back towards the town.

A final jump and they flew through the air once again.

Landing atop one of the many buildings, he staggered slightly, ruining his landing with poor footing before he slipped and fell flat on his back, landed with a heavy grunt as Raz was carried down on top of him. He was rather tired after that display. Looking up at Raz for a moment, he felt an urge to use his grip on her hips to hold her to him...

"... can we get that room with the shower now please?"

Then he used it to push her off of him so that he could sit up.

@Sreeya

 

[Raz Solus]

She expected him to carry her stupidly like in the movies, as that made sense, right? Even if she hated it, it seemed like the way to do it. When he suggested using her legs, she did a double take, “Wait what?” She was flustered now, her face heating up, “What the hell do you mean? In that case, let me get on your bac-“ Too late, he was already moving, the acklay were moving closer and they had no time. She rattled off a stream of Mando’a curse words as she felt him jump off and lose her grip. Raz instinctively held on, now with her legs as well. She was beyond embarrassed and uncomfortable, and she doubted he was faring much better.

Raz looked over his shoulder, spotting one of the acklay coming directly after them. This one had broken off from the group and was chasing them. Forgetting the earlier embarrassment, she drew out her blaster and aimed over his shoulder in between him jumping from tree to tree. Raz took her time to carefully line up the shot before she finally took it as the acklay opened its mouth. The bolt drove home and the beast thudded around in pain. As it reared up, Raz fired off a few more shots, hitting that same vulnerable organ underneath and downing the beast.

She focused back on the matter at hand, remaining quiet as they finally burst out of the insufferable forest. He soared through the air and landed atop a building and immediately lost his footing. Raz grunted in pain as he landed on the ground, and she plopped right atop him. She was preparing to roll off when he made the comment about a room. Raz immediately glared, “You look like you can afford a hotel for yourself, princess,” She grumbled right before he unceremoniously tossed her off him.

Raz landed with a thud on his side, scowling up at the skies above. She shook her head and rose to sit up. She finally took her helmet off, her hair matted and her face sweaty. Raz did not at all look like she did that evening when she was in the fancy dress, and this was definitely more of who she was. She wiped her face off with her glove, looking down at the organ that she collected. Raz slowly rose to stand, walking over to look over the edge of the roof. She would have to find a way to get down, entirely too proud to ask him for help. She turned to face him, eyeing him for a moment, “Uh… thanks. For your help…earlier..” It was clear she didn’t do this very often and was extremely awkward about it.

 

[Eddard Thul Drast]

She hadn't been very enthused with the journey or the way in which she had to spend it wrapped around his front. He couldn't really blame her - it probably hadn't been the most comfortable of trips. She had still managed to shoot one of the damned things dead while being carried like that and he was rather impressed with that he wasn't going to lie. But now they were back on solid ground and the two of them could have a bit of a breather.

He chuckled a bit.

Eddard didn't usually laugh or smile when not around family members he actually liked so it was strange. It probably sounded like he didn't chuckle often too but hey, it was the truth. He was sat up and she was laying there beside him on the rooftop of some gods-forsaken building on some backwater planet. He glanced at her.

"I've actually already got one." he admitted, running a hand through his hair, "Someone booked me one for my stay here."

Someone being someone from Imperial Intelligence - someone from Imperial Intelligence being some poor kid working as a penniless intern. Pulling himself to his feet with a bit of a groan, he moved casually over to the edge of the roof to stand by Raz. She looked over the edge and then looked back up, awkward, unsure of herself. Her helmet was off and the light caught her.

It looked like...

"You look like you're glowing." he said, before blinking, annoyed at himself for actually saying it aloud before nodding, "I... it's fine. Happy to help and... um... thanks for your shooting back there. You saved us too."

He coughed once before taking a step closer to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Before she could, likely, punch him or something, he used the Force, jumping with both of them. They didn't go up very far - he jumped to the side, taking her with him, and slowed their descent so that they landed on the street lightly.

Eddard removed his arms from her and took a step back.

"The hotel reservation was made under the name Cregan - they'll let you have it." he told her quietly before giving her a small frown, "I think I've seen enough of this planet but no use wasting credits. Maybe..."

He looked at her for a moment, head tilted to one side slightly.

"Maybe I'll see you again, Raz. Take care of yourself."

As he turned and made his way back to his ship, and it's small shower, Eddard made sure to keep his wits about him and his senses up. He wanted to just leave her without any trouble but the last time he'd turned to leave her, she'd shot him. Still... he couldn't help but think that it would be a damn shame if anything happened to Raz Solus before he met her again.

She always made his day come alive it seemed.

/End?
@Sreeya

 

[Raz Solus]

As he chuckled, she had to eye him suspiciously. She had an eyebrow quirked as she looked at him, finding it strange to see him laughing. Normally, despite their numerous misadventures, he had made a point of not really smiling or laughing. As he admitted that he had a hotel booked and that someone had done it for him, she had to roll her eyes. Of course, this probably also meant he was higher up in the chain of command and directly involved in things that led to the deaths of her people. A streak of anger flashed through her, but she rapidly quelled it. It wasn’t as if she hadn't begun the attack on his people as well. Her clan was at the forefront of the assaults on the Imperials.

Her train of thoughts came to an abrupt crash at his next comment. She simply looked at him, surprise betrayed on her face. Glowing? She blinked at him stupidly for a moment before he abruptly moved on and thanked her for her role. Raz opened and closed her mouth as if to say something, but she was still caught off guard. In the end, she simply cleared her throat and extended her hand out to shake his and cordially say goodbye. Naturally, he gave no kriffs about this and has ideas of his own.

“Hey!” She cried out as he casually slinked his arm around her waist. He really was taking some damn liberties in terms of pushing right into her personal bubble. Even in the quick seconds it took him to jump down, she managed one good thwack on his face with the organ she took from the acklay. Naturally, she felt sheepish as soon as he landed and she realized he was only helping her. Raz shifted uncomfortably, reaching a hand over to wipe some of the slime off his face without a word.

When he mentioned about the hotel, she was surprised once again. She opened her mouth to protest, but she knew he would have none of it. Raz remained standing where she was, lighting a cigarra and drawing it in as she turned to look the other way. As she did so, she rattled off the numbers to contact her, ending with a gruff 'for business only'. It was up to him whether he committed it to memory or not, but she was already out of sight by then.

/NOW End