A Strange People[Naboo]

[Sal Katarn]

"How long have you been with the Protectorate?" asked Shikar as he steered the land speeder laden with medical supplies across the green field.

"About six years now. Nothin' fancy, but it pays the bills," replied Rags.

Shikar nodded. Suddenly, the land speeder lurched.

Rags leaned forward in his seat. "Woah, why are we slowing down?"

"I don't know. Let's check it out."

They shut off the heavy speeder and hopped out, skirting the vehicle until Rags decided to check underneath.

"Oh man. That'll do it."

"What is it?"

"We got a fluid leak. Must not have caught it in the pre-flight before we came here."

"Sounds like we need to take it back to the freighter. Don't want these supplies going up in flames. Gungans out there need them."

"Aye. Plus they are stupid expensive. Boss'd have our hides."

Moments later, they were headed back to the freighters for a quick repair. Rags seemed concerned that it might be a larger issue with the speeder's internal mechanism integrity, but Shikar merely squinted into the distance and nodded as he drove. Rags called it in to the main party, letting them know they would be along in a little while, depending on how long repairs took.

[member="Nyos Val"]

 

[Cira]

“Still do.” the former Lady Protector would quip back. Were he to see her, her eyes would give off a faint golden glow. One of the two lasting reminders of Zhaera Shai.

“Well, who is it then?” she would ask again, referencing Aela Talith. Along with who else was around them that she should have some measure of intel on.

[member="Sarge Potteiger"]

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

Sarge turned his head again, nodding at [member="Cira"], finally picking up on her query. "One of the Jedi Marshals. Basically a Council Member, if you're going for an equivalent." He frowned, "Can't say I know anything about her. I orbit the periphery. They bring me along if they need me, otherwise I'm not involved."

 

[Nyos Val]

[member="Cultist"]

Nyos was working in his third patient when a call came in that one of his cargo speeders was having a mechanical issue.

"Take it to freighter Three. The mechanic will look into it. I'll grab another from here and pick you guys up."

"MD-13, take over. I'm heading to the ships."

Nyos hopped in one of the cargo speeders and made for the ships. He'd be there in a few minutes.

"Alpha-3, this is HQ. You've got a cargo on the way back with a need for some work. I'm on my way to pick up the crew and its supplies. Have the pilot droids help unload and the mechanic on standby. Since you two are all that's left, you'll need to be the cargo crew. Over."

 

[Sal Katarn]

Three minutes before [member="Nyos Val"]'s arrival.

Rags' severed head stared up at the ceiling, smoking curling from the charred flesh of the neck.

Other corpses lay scattered throughout the cargo hold of the freighter, bodies brutally butchered. Arms, legs and hands scattered like decayed leaves. The smell of burnt meat lingered in the air, mixing with the growing stench of feces. A single land speeder remained, packed to the brim with medical supplies once destined for the needy Gungans.

No longer.

The man who had called himself Shikar sighed contentedly as he deactivated his lightsaber. That was the last of them. Too bad they'd closed the freighter's doors. Nobody from the other freighters had heard their screams. Now he could work in blessed silence, without the need for pathetic small talk.

Smiling beneath the balaclava, the acolyte adjusted his gloves, then made his way to the cockpit. He shoved the pilot's corpse out of the seat and strapped himself in. He removed a flat, thin item from inside the canteen he'd shown Rags earlier. Gloved fingers slid the chip into the universal port. The jammer would disable any slave circuits, or other nasty surprises the Protectorate had installed in case of hijacking.

He gripped the canteen and twisted. It came apart, revealing a transponder. The acolyte slapped the device onto the dash. What had once been a Protectorate flagged IFF was now broadcasting that of a Techno Union merchant vessel.

One minute before Nyos Val's arrival.

The sublight engines roared to life. Confused transmissions came over the comm. The cultist's smile grew wider. He gripped the controls and peeled the freighter off the ground. His fingers found the weapons systems. He armed them, fired.

Concussion missiles shrieked from their tubes and fell on the grounded, helpless freighters like thunderbolts from on high. Flames erupted and the air choked with thick clouds of black smoke. The tall grass on the ancient battlefield caught fire. The Cultist wished he could watch it burn.

Sadly, he had other places to be. Pushing the nose toward the sky, Cultist throttled forward and launched the freighter bearing a precious cargo of medical supplies up into orbit.

 

[Nyos Val]

Nyos heard calls coming in about one of the freighters going dark. As he neared the site, he could see that one of his freighters was taking off. Confused, Nyos approached the field where it had once held a landed cargo freighter.

"This is HQ, Alpha 3 do you copy. You do not have permission to take off. Damn..." As he saw the body of one of his crew laying headless in the unscorched grass.

Whomever hijacked his freighter had clearly not checked it was an unarmed vessel. Bora class freighters were pure cargo transport vessels and that's it. With that knowledge, it would leave each of his other ships without damage. Even though the ship was pinging now as a Techno Union vessel, the logo of Nyos' company was emblazoned on the side hull. Easily spotted was the Fiery Fox of the company.

"Get the tracking numbers from that ship and send word to Command to blow that ship out of the sky."



[member="Cultist"] [member="Sarge Potteiger"] [member="Cira"]

 

[Aela Talith]

Naboo-Southern Swamp
[member="Isha"]

Aela smiled down at the little Yodaling, though for a moment she didn't reply to her. Instead she watched the ambling Jedi for a moment, looking at them as they moved around the three stealth ships that the New Jedi Order had used to come here in secret. The swamps hid them well, and the only people who really knew how to get around here were the Gungans. Aela herself felt somewhat lost within the dense foliage, being reminded of the first time she had explored her parents Island.

"I'm not sure, Isha." Aela said quietly.

She hoped that it would bring some stability to the Gungans, some growth. She wasn't sure if that was actually possibly after the devastation that they had undergone, but she hoped that at the very least the supplies that she and the others had brought would be enough to aid the city beneath the waters. The Gungans themselves would come to meet them here, the coordinates having been discussed a bit earlier between herself and the head of this particular city. "I hope it helps them, though."

"A lot of people, the Gungans included, have been seeing the worst side of galactic governments lately." She frowned slightly, remembering Lujo. "I want to show them some of the good."

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Aela Talith"] [member="Isha"] [member="Sarge Potteiger"] [member="Loske Matson"] [member="HK-51"] [member="Cira"]

He could sense them now. Not because they were close, but because of the strength of their emotions. Some way in the distance ahead of them, still well out of sight, a group of the Gungans had gathered. They were nervous and had every right to be. Outsiders for the most part had slaughtered their armies and oppressed their people.

Jacen turned to the assassin droid at its question. "The world is in the grip of the Techno Union, if we get into serious trouble you have permission to fire on their battle droids. If things don't go well with the Gungans you are not to use arms unless directly instructed. Is that clear?"

The Marshall turned to regard to walking tank. It appeared to be quietly conversing with its two fellow tin cans. He idly wondered if they would be going for a walk through the swamps. He hoped not; he didn't much fancy trying to haul that thing out of the mud when it inevitably sank.

 

[DHK-51]

"Declaration: Directive given and understood." HK-51 responded, its weapon still on its back. It then turned its attention to the tank that the others were occupied with. "Statement: If it sinks, it shall dent our efforts, that outcome is not wanted."

[member="Aela Talith"] [member="Isha"] [member="Sarge Potteiger"] [member="Loske Matson"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

 

[Sarge Potteiger]

Sarge could feel the eyes of someone on his back and turned, cold blue gaze regarding [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]. "I take it it's almost time to begin?" The harsh words grated from the squat helmet set between shoulderguards the size of most people's torsos. Overkill? Assuredly. Unlike Jacen, however, Sarge had no means of sensing emotion - his ability to sense anything was nonexistent, and so he relied on gut and experience to tell him what was going on.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that an air of unease had settled over the man before him, likely because the Gungans were somewhere nearby. Heavy footfalls carried him towards both Voidstalker and [member="HK-51"], each boot sinking several inches into the swamp ground with every step; though he appeared to have no trouble pulling out despite the suction.

There was a blatant [member="Cira"] joke in there, too, but we won't cross that line.

 

[DHK-51]

The hulking form of [member="Sarge Potteiger"] made its way towards HK-51 and [member="Jacen Voidstalker"], and if HK-51 could feel fear, he probably would right now. However, being a droid meant that feelings in general weren't often seen. "Mocking Statement: Please be careful Master, you might collapse the ground beneath us." HK-51 said, before moving slightly backwards.

 

[Elaine Thul]

Force Light had been fed into the weapon, creating an aura around it that repelled Dark Siders by causing their nerve endings to light afire. Some liked pain, but this was a special kind of pain. The sort of pain that said everything about your existence was an affront to the universe - he'd yet to meet a Sith who could stand near it without wanting to retreat to a safer distance.

After she unloaded her weapons, and got her people to set off to see where they where needed. She began to feel a migraine coming on, it got more and more intense, as she stayed around the camp site. She could not work out why, she was in pain, she only knew she was. She head out to camp to empty her stomach from the wrong orifice, which was her mouth. As she got to edge of the camp, she began to feel better, though that did not stop her emptying the contents of her stomach behind a tree. She could not work out what had come over her, she was well this morning. Something tingled in back her mind not to go back into the camp, so she stayed out for know, she figured she would head back in when she felt better.

 

[Marcello Matteo]

Location: Royal Palace, Theed

"You are certain there is nothing we can do to assist, Lord Matteo?"

Marcello exhaled heavily as his glacier-blue eyes shot a warning glare at the Governor of Naboo. "Governor, I cannot possibly make it any clearer how little I appreciate being addressed as such."

"It is your birthright. Nay, if we're being technical, you should be Duke Veruna. But you seem to be too righte---"

"Being born gives only the right to life, nothing more, Governor. I stand only on what I have earned and achieved by my own doing...not those that went centuries before me." Though Marcello had abruptly interrupted the Governor, his voice remained even and calm. "I digress. You have all done enough, suffered enough. Allow the Galactic Alliance to shoulder this burden for the time being. We appreciate you at least notifying the Gungan leadership of our desire to assist prior to our arrival. Should Marshal [member="Aela Talith"] require further, I'm sure she will make it known."

"As you wish, Master Jedi."

Marcello offered the elderly man a subtle nod of the head as he walked towards the large bank of windows overlooking the Theed Waterfall and the wilderness beyond. He never really realized how much he missed his home planet until he was back here, staring at its inherent tranquility and beauty. Despite his reserved, calm appearance, Marcello was certainly bothered by instances that had recently befallen the world. Moreover...he hated being here, liaising with the Queen, [member="Andromeda Versai"], and the Governor instead of assisting on the battlefield.

The Rogue Jedi Master's thoughts were interrupted by the resurfacing of a familiar presence, one he'd initially sensed on Sullust in a young blonde girl. The familiar sensation of longing, familiarity, and completion touched the Rogue Jedi Master's soul as he allowed his eyelids to slide closed over his blue orbs. He really needed to speak with [member="Kiskla Grayson"] at his earliest opportunity, but she was off...tending to that which required her presence.

It was a reality that they had both accepted, but that didn't make it easy.

 

[Sal Katarn]

Th thrusters burned as his freighter pushed through the upper stratosphere before breaking gravity's surly bonds.

He began punching in hyperspace coordinates unworried about possible pursuit. While the vessel might have Protectorate markings on the hull, few people, much less governments, would use line of sight to verify the authenticity of a ship whose transponder codes were not in question.

As for the rest of the Galactic Alliance, well, he wasn't concerned by them. Their mission had been clandestine in nature, since Naboo and all surrounding space was controlled by the Techno Union. Any of G.A. ships that elected to try and fire on him would be starting an intergalactic crisis, seeing as how his own transponder codes were broadcasting that of a small time Techno Union merchant.

So, he hit the hyperdrive and sped off into the blue-lined whorl, carrying with him a cargo hold full of expensive medical supplies that would fetch a fine price on the black-market on some back water world.

[member="Nyos Val"]

Exeunt​

 

[Cira]

[member="Sarge Potteiger"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"] [member="HK-51"]

They bring me along if they need me, otherwise I'm not involved.

A rare show of dry humor would drift towards the former Lord Protector just as he made headway.

"Habits, no?"

She kept her cover, maintaining the use of bent-light over her form. As a specialist in the art, it would be difficult for any to discern her, save for the obvious weaknesses of bent-light itself. Upon gazing at the weathered visage of the Jedi Master before them, Cira would curiously cant her head to the right.

He was familiar.

I've seen his face before.

Her ember eyes would narrow, searching her mind for the memory.