Alas, Babylon: Countermeasures (Republic/Jedi)

[Jorga the Hutt]

Circarpous V, also known as Mimban, was an insignificant swamp world. Like any insignificant swamp world, of course, it had a secret or two. One of them had served the ancient Empire well, before being co-opted by Rel Connory, Bard of the Hyperlanes, on a contract from Silk Holdings.

The Lightbringer Sensor Node was his own design, chock full of thaissen crystals in total darkness, with ultrasensitive lightmeters attached, all pointed inward at the crystals. In a handheld short-range Force detector, the crystals glowed blue for Lightsiders, red for Darksiders. But a Lightbringer could do much, much more. He'd used his twice, to pick up Force use in the Senate chambers, but a Lightbringer was only unidirectional.

For comprehensive protection, as desired by more than a few senators of his acquaintance, he needed triangulation. And, for that, he needed more crystals. He only had access to one Lightbringer; the others were in Levantine space.

In the aftermath of Daella Apparine's stunning defection and the loss of Coruscant, the Senate cried out for safety, and Rel intended to deliver. Even if it meant wading through swamps and cracking open ancient stone temples and evading furious natives and not getting eaten by worms the size of capital ships.

The Liberty's Veil landed in the middle of nowhere. He'd jury-rigged some sensors from an old Koensayr mapping skiff in order to better find stygium crystals in the Aeten Nebula, and some new calibrations had given him a decent idea of how and where to find thaissen crystals. Or he could just have some Jedi use the Force an awful lot in various areas, and hope something glowed blue.

 

[Antares]

In clothes that he had deemed would be worthy of such a situation, Antares accompanied the Senator of Eshan. The both of them and the rest of their associates were upon a mission on the planet Mimban to find thaissien crystals. It was a mission to better secure the Senate Chambers, in a way to counteract another Daella Apparine.

The best mission for the Jedi Order in their current situation.

"Point me to where you need me, Senator."

[member="Bard of the Hyperlanes"]

 

[Jorga the Hutt]

[member="Antares Windu"]

"Well," said Rel, examining his sensor readouts -- he'd piggybacked his ship's jury-rigged crystallography sensors to his datapad -- "it seems like there's a decent read on crystals just over this rise."

The jungle parted to reveal an ancient temple, old enough that trees grew in the dirt that had accumulated on the terraced walls.

"We make it to the top, you start meditating up there, really projecting yourself in the Force, hopefully it'll set some crystals glowing and not attract anything nasty."

 

[Antares]

When the jungle parted his eyes set upon the old temple and he wondered if it would truly be as simple as the Senator said to find what they were looking for.

Good thing I meditate everyday. He thought to himself. It was a sarcastic remark.

"How will we get to the top? We find a way to the top on the inside, or shall I just find a way to top from the outside?" He didn't really know what to do evidently. He was only here to do his part of the Republic. No matter what he had to do.

Before they had gone to the planet, he found references to a species known as Coways. He was certain if they encountered them they'd be more inclined to kill the duo than leave them alone. Hopefully they didn't have to encounter a problem such as that, being killed by a primitive race.

[member="Bard of the Hyperlanes"]

 

[Jsc]

A Malos-Class Gunship arrived in-system and began a descent planetside. Moments later Captain Roberts leapt from the back of the Gunship and out into the open sky. It was an effortless fall. She land near and away from Bard's ship and smiled. She loved doing that.

~ "Senator Connory. This is Captain Roberts of the Titan Corellia. Coms check. You wearing an ear out here? I'm on Channel Five. Link me on coms and I'll catch up. Updating my map now." ~

The helmed and armored woman tapped her wrist. God she hated swamps.

 

[Jorga the Hutt]

[member="Antares Windu"]
"The outside looks like a shallow enough slope to climb, and all those tree roots can't hurt." He pondered. "Much. Oh, hold on-"

The voice of [member="Karen Roberts"] came through.

"Captain Roberts, this is the senator. Comcheck is green. Sending coordinates for a temple -- we're bound for the top, external climb."

 

[Antares]

"Very well." He replied and began walking before he turned around and looked to the Senator and asked, "is there anything else before I go?" And he waited. He knew it was going to be a short climb to the top with the use of the Force, but who knew if it was actually stable to use whatever ledges there were to jump off of?

[member="Bard of the Hyperlanes"]

 

[Jorga the Hutt]

[member="Antares Windu"]

The Bard glanced over Windu's shoulder, and his eyes went wide. "Yes. Speed. Speed is a thing."

Mimban's swamps were home to voracious worms the size of capital ships. The temple was bigger, but not by much. And judging by the swamp's approaching turmoil...

He took off up the wall of the temple as fast as a non-Force-sped-up Senator could go.

"Captain Roberts, this is the senator. We've got company."

 

[Jsc]

She nodded as [member="Bard of the Hyperlanes"] confirmed,

"Good send. I have the mark. Moving to you now. Eta in three. Roberts out."

Equipped like a Mando, Karen began her march towards the Temple. The terrain was marsh, thermal imaging was fuzzy at best, and her motion tracker was picking up a good deal of swamp activity. Like a professional soldier she pushed forward. She just hoped her outfit didn't smell like food to the locals. With any luck she'd reach Connory's Temple very soon.

Well? As long as that company Connory mentioned was going to play nice?

 

[Antares]

He didn't even take a moment to look behind him as he summoned the Force to him and just leapt straight up the wall. The Force carried him past the Senator and when he reached the first ledge he good get to, he pulled himself up with enough strength so that he actually teetered on the edge of the ledge on his toes, and leapt straight up to the closest tree, and he turned around to look down at the Senator.

"I can pull you up." He said in a way that wasn't necessarily speaking of his actual hands. He doubted the Senator would enjoy it if he did agree.

[member="Bard of the Hyperlanes"]

 

[Jorga the Hutt]

[member="Karen Roberts"] [member="Antares Windu"]

Still clambering up through trees, the Bard glanced over his shoulder and rather quickly wished he hadn't. The worm reared out of the swamp with a mindboggling belch of hunger. "If you can do it, fething do it!"

He scrambled to rework his sonic servodriver's settings as the worm reared up over him.

 

[Antares]

He leaned downwards out of the tree, wrapping his feet around one of the sturdier branches, and he felt the Force rush through him as he cast it straight towards [member="Bard of the Hyperlanes"] and began pulling him up. It wasn't everyday that he used the Force to help someone scale a wall, but just from raw power, he pulled Rel Connory up until he grabbed his hand. He held him with one hand while he tried to pull himself more onto the tree.

He only let go of the Senator when his arms were at least over the side of the branch and he was pulling himself up without a problem. Though Antares did look down to the large worm, and stood up himself. "Climb."

[member="Bard of the Hyperlanes"]

 

[Jsc]

Roberts jetpacked through the air and landed upon a black ruin that jutted out from the marshlands. She grimaced at the sight of the worm near the temple. They certainly made them suckers big on this planet, didn't they.

"Looks like you boys are busy making friends? Interesting planet you picked Senator. Not sure I like the place just yet."

She unslinged her SR4 blaster platform and readied herself against the recoil. This would be a distraction at best. The armored woman unloaded her weapon into the creatures broadside. Unarmored the beast began to smoke and char from the blaster rounds. She was good at making every bolt count.

Sadly, a single gun just wasn't going to bring this baby down. No matter how many rounds she used or how deep they penetrated. I think she was just making it angry.

[member="Antares Windu"] [member="Bard of the Hyperlanes"]

 

[Jorga the Hutt]

[member="Karen Roberts"] [member="Antares Windu"]

The worm sought for altitude, and that meant climbing. One rotund, scabrous, sopping flank splintered trees just below the place where Windu had dragged Rel. He twisted a last couple of knobs, stumbling against one of the trees, and raised the sonic servodriver high. An ultrasonic whine assailed the worm's inner ears, and it reared back, spraying swamp things everywhere as Roberts' blasterfire scorched its flank. Holding the wailing machine above his head, Rel clambered toward the summit of the temple.

 

[Antares]

Once they were all safe and sound Antares continued upwards with several quick leaps with the aid of the Force until he got to the plateau at the top of the temple. It was a flat surface, and he looked back down for the other force user's jetpack, and to reach down and grab [member="Bard of the Hyperlanes"] hand when it came up.

In the end, he wasn't looking forward to the meditation thing.

[member="Karen Roberts"]

 

[Jsc]

Karen wasn't sure what the Senator just did. But she liked it. She liked it a lot.

"Gunfire ineffective. Moving up the food chain."

She switched her com channel.

"Terry you there? Gonna need a carpet bombing on my mark. Danger close. Offset by,.. Nevermind. Just bring the pain. Yes I'm serious! Just do it!"

~ "Roger that. Carpet Bombing on your mark. Danger close." ~

The cloudy mist rattled and thundered as the Malos-Class Gunship drew near. Karen tore off her com and chucked the small meter at the beast. The gunship blew overhead and rained the bombardment right onto her target. Flame-carpet Warheads. Even from the top of that temple, the flare and destruction would have been spectacular. Might even get a little hot up there too. She didn't wait around to watch. Karen was already diving underwater.

Suck it squid.

[member="Antares Windu"] [member="Bard of the Hyperlanes"]

 

[Jorga the Hutt]

[member="Antares Windu"] [member="Karen Roberts"]

A Malos - designed, or so Rel had heard, to make large elements of unwanted plant life go away; pure coincidence that the mythical herb moly had been derived from the root word malos - unleashed its flame carpet on the critter, and massive winds roared around the temple. The atmosphere sought to fill the void of fire; the maelstrom almost dragged Rel from his perch. When it faded, one grievously toasted worm was already half-buried in swamp, on its way elsewhere. He turned off the sonic servodriver.

"Thanks kid." He slapped his comm. "Captain Roberts, we could use a hand at the summit. Time to meditate, folks. Let's see what we can't get glowing blue."

 

[Antares]

Once [member="Bard of the Hyperlanes"] had gotten to the top, he had gone to what he had deemed the centre of the plateau and sat down there. His legs crossed over, and he laid his hands down upon his knees, palms up and he closed his eyes. He was already trying to focus and gather the Force to his body and submerge into his meditation.

It was obvious from the beginning that he never liked it, nor did he enjoy it, but he had to admit that it did clear the mind which was nice. Still didn't like it however. To all outwards appearances, it would have at least seemed like he was meditating...

[member="Karen Roberts"]

 

[Jsc]

Roberts breached the surface of the marsh and looked around with pride. Gods, did she love the military.

She swam to the shore and trekked up to the temple. The local wildlife was probably still sweating the barrage. Nothing appeared out from the wetlands to inhibit her movements. Gratefully, she jetpacked up to the summit. She smelled like burning seaweed as she approached.

"My guns full of swamp crud and my com is now liquid squid food. Sorry about the fire Senator but I've officially decided I dislike this planet. ...So? Why are we here and, um, ...why is he meditating?"

Karen popped her helm so they could see her face. Her smile was as fake as they come but her questions sounded genuine. She must have missed the briefing.

[member="Bard of the Hyperlanes"]

 

[Jorga the Hutt]

[member="Antares Windu"] [member="Karen Roberts"]

"For his complexion. Mimban swamp mud plus meditation equals unparalleled exfoliant. Or, in your case, defoliant." He shot a glance at the meditating Knight and took a few steps away, quieting down some. "This region has thaissen crystals -- they'll glow blue in the presence of the Light Side. That's what we're here to get. Sunset's coming soon, and my hope is that, with you two meditating or otherwise influencing the Force, we'll start seeing some glowy blue from here. It'd be faint, the effect is short-range, but slap one in an ultrasensitive lightmeter and you've got a Force detector with a little range."