A Fire That Can Heal [TJO]

[Cassius Droma]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVgs2wihrM0

**Naver Loran is a NPC specifically for this arc. Feel free to interact with her as you please.**​

The Nu-class shuttle made its slow descent towards the planet Beris below, slowly rolling so as to properly align itself in orbit. The trip through hyperspace had been less than a minute, since it was in the same system as Deneba. From his pilot’s chair in the cockpit, Cassius Droma ran a small diagnostic to make sure nothing was knocked loose in their little trip – standard procedure. Once everything checked out okay, Cassius sat back and took a breath.

Just below him, in the main hold, was the small team of Jedi and militia that had volunteered for the mission. Well over a dozen seats were filled on the craft, and Cassius could feel the growing anticipation from them. While the mission itself was purely humanitarian in nature, those experienced with the Krasgrig knew that they had a tendency to strike at any moment, and without warning. Cassius had experienced a close call himself – actually riding through them on a beast of burden in order to scoop up his master from being trampled.

The one spearheading this operation was Naver Loran, a young Jedi Knight. She was an attractive enough woman, with silky brunette hair and high cheekbones, but what really made her stand out was her tenacity and determination. She was bound to help anyone in need, which was what made her such a good healer. She’d helped Cassius recover from some minor scrapes and bumps after a trip to Vjun, and he never forgot that.

After putting in an auto-pilot course for their descent, Cassius’s pilot seat lowered down into the main hold and spun so he was facing everyone. “We should be touching down in a few minutes,” he said.

Naver looked up and nodded. “Good, thanks,” she said, standing. She turned to face the rest of the group. “I wanted to thank you all for coming with me on this mission. What you’ll see down there could be scary. Some of you know what kind of destruction the Krasgrig leave in their wake. Some don’t. Most importantly, remember that we are here to help people. So – be kind, and let them know if they need anything, we will try to provide.”

Within a matter of minutes, the Nu-class shuttle was slowly landing onto a field outside of a small village. The ramp at the front of the craft opened, and the people inside would be treated to a rather dreary sight. Houses that once stood proud were in shambles and smoking. Natives, with dirt strewn across their face, walked about, trying to salvage what they could. A neat row of bodies covered in dark blankets dotted the outskirts, their friends and family not having time to bury them just yet.

Naver was the first one down the ramp, a large medkit slung over her shoulder. The militia volunteers began to unload various crates of supplies containing foodstuffs, canteens of water, and basic amenities. Cassius decided to wait in the cockpit for everyone to disembark before lowering himself, as he’d be coming down right on top of someone if he did.

 

[Aidan Moonrunner]

Aidan had never been one to associate with Jedi. In his old life, he had avoided them like the plague. He swung his lightsaber, he used the Force, but he did not follow their Code. He did not wish to deal with judgement they may have for him and his roving mercenary lifestyle. That had changed forever on Vullain. He had lost his eye, his friend, and his life. But the Force had given him a second chance, a do-over. He would not waste it, this time. He had sought out the Jedi, to offer his services. Perhaps they would have need of a dead man, perhaps they wouldn't.
It seems there were still things he could do to right his wrongs.

Now he found himself on a shuttle with many other Jedi and militia, to assist locals on a nearby planet. He was no healer, no engineer, no mayor and definitely no leader. But he still had hands and a strong back, not to mention his mastery of the lightsaber. Perhaps he could be of some small assistance to this Jedi Order.

He listened to the woman in charge speak, staying silent. He was a stranger here, it was not his place, as of yet. He had to prove himself, first. And finally, as the ramp opened, he stepped forward, his one eye looking out over the destruction. The Force sang a sour song of fear in this village. He checked to make sure his lightsaber was clipped to his belt as he entered the village, giving his water canteen to a wounded man. This place had been hit, and it had been hit hard. He put himself to work, unloading crates, feeling his back ache, but saying nothing. There was work to be done, and these people had suffered more than he.

But he kept his eye and his senses trained on the outskirts. If these creatures attacked once more, he would be ready. These villages would not suffer more as long as he was here to protect them.

[member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Romi Jade]

The wind kicked up; she cut through it taking what few steps she did to greet the other participants. She'd come ahead of time with the Mercy Corps, helping coordinate until the others would arrive. Naver was the first to exit and both women would greet one another,

"Grand Master"

Romi knew most of the members of the Order personally, but had seen Naver grow into whom she was today, courtesy of her own apprentice. She saw a lot of herself in Naver, albeit not being too much older than her; her attitude was a fresh site.

"Naver, it's always a pleasure to see you." Romi placed a hand on the young womans forearm before pivoting in her stance, "You'll have these volunteers from the Mercy Corps working with us today. I'll trust you to coordinate this mission, whatever you need let me know." Her head beckoned forward, a reassuring smile was to follow before she stepped aside and looked to her own apprentice; she knew he wouldn't be too far behind.

Before she joined the others in unloading she ascended the ramp of the ship, nodding to [member="Aidan Moonrunner"] as he walked pass and just as [member="Cassius Droma"] would be lowering himself. Of course she shot him a playful smirk as she liked to tease...

"How was the flight?"

 

[Rozalyne Kurganova]

Not long after the Nu-class shuttle's reversion into the system, an Eidolon stealth shuttle (image) appeared, transporting Rozalyne and a small party of Rangers and contractors (primarily medics and Berserkers). The Deputy Director of the SSC had been in the neighborhood touring the CSA and the Deneba Enclave when news of the crisis on Beris broke, deciding then to lend a helping hand to the Jedi Order.

"Land us near the Jedi shuttle," she instructed the pilot as the shuttle broke through the atmosphere. "Then after we unload our supplies, get back into the air to provide overwatch."

Closer to the surface, and Rozalyne could make out tall black plumes of smoke from the village that was supposed to be their first destination. That all too familiar sign of destruction.

A few minutes later, the black shuttle landed right beside the Nu-class shuttle. Rozalyne and her party were quick to disembark from the shuttle and begin the process of unloading pallets of supplies secured to repulsor beds.

She was dressed for the task, her usual garb of well tailored dresses and suits replaced by rugged casual wear more appropriate for field work, shattergun strapped to her right hip for personal defense. She and the medical team looked tiny in comparison to the towering Berserkers moving about, all giant Valkyri looking even larger in their gleaming power armor.

After helping to personally remove the first few beds, she finally made her approach to the Jedi of the other party. Most of them were strangers to her, but she did know that Cassius was supposed to be among them.

When she didn't see him outside, she entered the Jedi shuttle to eventually find him within the cockpit.

"Mister Droma, there you are." She offered a hand for a polite shake. "I'm afraid to say that I didn't bring too much on this first run - mostly basic supplies and medical equipment - but I hope after speaking with the local administration that SSC can get a better idea of what all these people need for a full deployment."

[member="Cassius Droma"] [member="Aidan Moonrunner"] [member="Romi Jade"]

 

[Karrin Winters]

Occupying one of the seats onboard the Eidolon Stealth shuttle was a fairly attractive purple haired female mercenary. She was keeping to herself and tinkering with her StarAnvil Heavy Blaster Rifle. The female mercenary wasn't very social with others and barely talked to anyone, as she wasn't used to being around other people. Winters was a contracted mercenary who was working with the Antarian Rangers, a military branch of the Silver Jedi Order.

The Jedi... she felt uneasy around the Silvers. Especially around the Rangers. If they found out that she was a clone of a dangerously powerful Sith Lord, who knows what they were going to do to her. Even with her enhancements, she might not be able to go toe to toe with a bunch of Berserkers. Maybe if she picked them off from a distance....no. She was working with them. Even though it was for the money only, they were allies now. She wasn't about to kill any of them if they looked at her the wrong way. Karrin still didn't feel safe. She clutched her weapon tightly looking at the other soldiers with suspicion. The voices started up again. Soft whispering that she could barely make out, but instinctively knew what they were trying to say. They were urging her to kill everyone.

Karrin put her forehead against the wall next to her and closed her eyes. The voices kept urging her to do the deed. She forced them away with some effort. It was somewhat quiet, although at that point the stealth shuttle was nearing the planet's surface. After the Deputy Director gave the order to land the ship, the voices started up again. They seemed to hate the woman A LOT, which was a cause of worry. Karrin didn't want to lose control and end up notching the mission because she couldn't keep her sanity. At least she wasn't seeing fucked up shit that looked frighteningly real. Yet anyway.

The vessel landed and Karrin picked up her heavy blaster rifle and slung it over her shoulder. She picked up the bag that carried extra energy packs, grenades, medical equipment, and a bunch of other stuff like her hacking gear and slung it over her left shoulder. Karrin walked out of the shuttle with the other members of the party and went to help unloading the pallets of supplies secured to repulsor beds.

Karrin Winter's choice of combat gear is to say....strange. It didn't seem to be practical at all and revealed more skin than covered it. The outfit she wore caused most of the male Rangers to stare at her more than they should have. To be honest, she didn't know why she chose the outfit. It must have been the original Karrin Winter's preference. That woman liked to show off more skin than necessary. After finishing the unloading, she approached the Jedi party with questions running through his mind. What would the Jedi Loran think of her? Would the Jedi know about her secret? The voices kept whispering in her ears but Karrin did her best to ignore them.

[member="Rozalyne Kurganova"] [member="Romi Jade"] [member="Aidan Moonrunner"] [member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

In the co-pilot’s chair of the Eidolon Stealth Shuttle, Faye took a small glance at the image taped to her side of the console. A cheeky smile grew on her face, but dropped away the moment she noticed that her pilot was watching. But though the smile was gone, a small blush might have been left in its wake. The young Kiribian woman returned to her duties, monitoring their course and speed. They were close to their destination, Beris, a planet that Faye knew little about.

As the shuttle broke atmo, her fingers drifted back from the controls to let the Pilot take over. Looking sideways at the much older man, she silently wished that she was in his place. Well, ok… maybe he wasn’t that old. But Faye wasn’t even in her twenties yet, and she guessed that the pilot was nearing the end of his.

“Roger,” Faye responded to Deputy Director Kurganova’s instructions.

And once the shuttle had touched down on the surface, Faye snatched up the image she’d set on the console and slid it gently into the pocket of her flight suit.

“Who’s picture is that?” The pilot asked, a touch of curiosity in his tone.

“It’s Ricky Lee,” Faye said, giving him a look a narrow-eyed look, as if he should already know. “He’s a Seoulian HoloFilm star.”

The man appeared to be suppressing a roll of his eyes, but nodded once or twice. Faye listened patiently as he instructed her to monitor the cargo being emptied from the hold. And once the shuttle had been cleared of all cargo and personnel that were to remain on the surface, he would take the shuttle back up – and Faye would stay with the others. While she was training to be a pilot, her time with the Order of the Silver Jedi was to include a wide variety of tasks. Today she was to assist the Deputy Director. Needless to say, it wasn’t exactly glamorous shuttling a princess around… but at least it did count as flying.

Moving down the ramp, the young woman paused midway. The devastation here was unreal. Having lived a fairly sheltered life on Kiribi, she’d seen little of the galaxy. And here, there were shabby structures and people that were truly suffering. Dark eyes went wide.

It was quite a wake-up call, for sure.

[member="Karrin Winters"], [member="Rozalyne Kurganova"], [member="Romi Jade"], [member="Aidan Moonrunner"], [member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

Naver gave Master Jade a warm smile as she stepped down the ramp, her robes starting to billow in the breeze. She mirrored the woman’s touch, trying to send as many reassuring vibes as she could to the Grandmaster. The younger woman had taken on a large task by leading this humanitarian effort, and the fact that someone as important as the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order was involved in helping her certainly went a long way.

“Thank you, Master Jade,” her sweet voice carried over the wind. “The people of Beris will be forever grateful to us.” She hesitated to say anything else. A part of her wanted to ask about them facing the threat of the Krasgrig head-on, but now was not the time or the place. She had healing to do. So, with a smile and a nod, she passed the Grandmaster and approached the village to get to work.

She ordered the Mercy Corps to keep administering medications and bacta, and for anyone carrying supplies to set them up in a certain area that would be used as a makeshift distribution center.

Cassius Droma lowered himself from the cockpit, the servo of the chair whining as it came down. He raised an eyebrow as he saw his master, trying to act coy as always. “Oh, you know, same as always. Quick and quiet.” He unclipped his crash webbing and stood, stretching out his shoulders a little bit. “I know Naver appreciates you being here. Helps her to know she’s not alone when it comes to this.”

Just then, Rozalyne Kurganova stepped up the ramp and greeted him. Cassius stood and shook her hand, nodding to her. “Good to have you here regardless, Kurganova,” he said, part of him dropping back into the military mannerisms he picked up as a patrol pilot. When their comm message had come to him due to his connection to the Silvers, he picked up on it immediately. Any help was good help, as far as he was concerned.

“I was thinking your people could establish a perimeter,” Cassius said. “If we can lock down this area, it would save us having to move them, and these people wouldn’t have to be relocated.” The village itself was small, and the remaining survivors numbered in the dozens, so it wouldn’t be too difficult to move them all, but he knew that these people were probably very attached to their area.

Naver was letting Cassius take care a lot of the logistics when it came to coordinating forces and ships – the younger Jedi wasn’t much of a healer anyways. Stepping down the ramp, Cassius put his hands on his hips and sighed. The devastation was truly heartbreaking, but the fact that they were already here to help was somewhat comforting. Naver was already at the triage area, her hands glowing a light blue as she put her abilities to work.

[SIZE=11pt][member="Aidan Moonrunner"] | [member="Romi Jade"] | [member="Rozalyne Kurganova"] | [member="Karrin Winters"] | [member="Faye Demos"][/SIZE]

 

[Aidan Moonrunner]

It was heartening to see so many come down to assist those in need. As Aidan moved crates where the Jedi in charge directed, he felt tired back ache. It was a sign: he was getting old. A devastating realization, but not an unfamiliar one. He was no demigod, no immortal; simply a man. Still, not everyone could say they made it to forty seven in his line of work. Most didn't.
Neither did you. His inner voices of doubt whispered in his mental ear as he worked. You died in the snow on Vullain. Your pride and vanity killed you, and it killed your best friend to bring you back.

It was a familiar line of thought. Every hour of every day, he asked himself the same question: Why me? Why had the Force chosen him of all people? There were those that fought harder for their lives, cared more for it, deserved it more. Yet, here he was.

He grunted as he set the crate down where he had been directed, feeling his bones ache and protest. He took a moment to run his hand through his hair, and set himself on the ground, drinking deeply from his canteen. He needed a moment to rest. Or perhaps a few moments, or a minute or two.

[member="Cassius Droma"], [member="Romi Jade"], [member="Faye Demos"], [member="Karrin Winters"], [member="Rozalyne Kurganova"]