And the Wind Began to Howl

[Nuuc Lapt]

Nuuc continued to follow in silence, his mind wandering for a moment back to that job on Kashyyyk. He wasn't a fan of using blaster rifles, preferring to stick to his pistol when fighting at range was necessary, but every member of the Salvation was required to train with one. They used exclusively blasters and armor produced by HK, the same company that made the fighters Nuuc loved so much, and as such it wasn't hard to figure out how to use them.

That time on Kashyyyk was the first time he'd used one outside of training. As much as he disliked them, he found himself an excellent shot with one. Nuuc realized that, much like flying, he could use the Force to influence his control over the rifle. Where most others had to work to control their recoil physically, he could exert a small amount of power downward onto the rifle, keeping it on target much as he exerted the force into heavier swings of his lightsaber. Even so, he found little joy in attacking a target at such ranges, even if they were slavers and raiders. A handgun, on the other hand, allowed for much more closer fighting, and provided a good alternative when his lightsaber was unavailable. Especially as it could be hidden away much better than a lightsaber.

"How much further, Margaret?" he asked, narrowly avoiding a deep pit of mud.

[member="RangerVisoN7"] | [member="Margaret the Grey"]

 

[Margaret the Grey]

"We've still got a ways to go. Damn, I wish we could drive. Haven't hiked this far in ages."

For what seemed like an eternity, they walked.

After the first few miles, they settled into something of a routine. Margaret took point, for the most part, probing ahead with the Force to make sure the trail was safe. There were a few large predators in these jungles, but none that had a taste for human flesh. The biggest problem was the mud. The chemical composition of the soil was unusual. It contained large concentrations of sodium chloride, something that the wildlife had adapted to even if it made things difficult for humans. It wasn't uncommon on a hot, sunny day for a thin crust of what appeared to be sturdy ground to form over puddles or even sinkholes. They might look solid, but one wrong step and you were tumbling down into the muck, some of it deep enough to drown in.

Ordinarily, the afternoon rains would wash away the crust, but clear skies were holding. It was almost as if the sky was saving its fury for the gale that would come later that night.

Finally, a gust of cool wind cut through the thick forest. The Jedi checked her datapad. Sure enough, the storm front was building. They still had a few hours of daylight, but if the storm was as bad as the forecast predicted, it would be dark in less than two.

"This is a good a time as any to make camp. Most days I'd say the personal tents would do the trick, but we're going to want something a little more substantial between us and that wind."

There was a small clearing a little ways off the trail. Margaret led the group there, and dropped her pack.

"Okay, lesson time. We don't have time to do this the old fashioned way, so we're going to do what all good little Jedi do and cheat."

She closed her eyes for a moment and focused on a specific image in her mind. And then, with a little burst of will and intent, she forced it into existence. In the center of the clearing, the image of the shelter she had in mind winked into existence. Illusion wasn't her strong suit, but she knew enough to make simple projections like this.

"We need sturdy and we need it quick, so we're going to go with a log cabin type thing. Nothing huge, just large enough for the three of us to fit inside with room to spread out a little bit. I've got some shelter panels we can use for the roof, and we'll wrap the walls with tarps to make them water tight. The hardest part will be the logs, but we've got lightsabers, so there's that."

Margaret eyed one of the trees at the edge of the clearing. It was tall, about thirty feet from the base of the trunk to where the branches split off to form the canopy, and about a foot thick. In a flash, her saber was out, and severed the trunk neatly at ground level. At quick pull with the Force dropped it to the ground.

In a few moments, the branches were trimmed off, the log was cut into three equal lengths, and notches were cut into the ends where they would mate up. The Force allowed her to levitate the heavy sections of wood into the center of the clearing, where they were fitted together to form three sides of a square. The whole process might have taken five minutes; this was clearly something she had done before.

"I know this seems like a lot, but remember: size only matters if you let it. The Force doesn't care if you're trying to lift a pebble or a boulder, so you shouldn't either. Or, to put it another way, it's all mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter. Let's get to it."

[member="Nadstic Sunshu"] | [member="Nuuc Lapt"]

 

[RangerVisoN7]

Nadstic stepped inside and was surprised at how comfortable it was. It wasn't a luquiry suite, but it had a cozy feeling. She went to a corner and sat on the floor watching the storm close in. She wished she had brought some other clothes. Thinking about what she should have done she remembered why they even came to the planet.

"That's funny. We come to get the "Tea from Eden" and now we find ourselves in the middle of a storm preparing to fight a warlord." She did a small chuckle, "I guess we can thank the Force for that."

As the storm flew overhead Nadstic tried to catch some winks.

[member="Nuuc Lapt"] | [member="Margaret the Grey"]

 

[Nuuc Lapt]

"At least the tea is good," he replied, finding himself back in a meditative sitting position after the shelter was built. The sound of the rain around them made it much easier to focus, and he could feel himself connecting to the force around them in a much wider area than he had before. He took Margaret's lesson to heart, about the force not caring for limits, and how you shouldn't either. He could feel the rain even though he wasn't wet, he could see the trees even though his eyes were closed, he could hear things moving in the jungle even though he didn't know what they were.

He opened his eyes, looking over to Margaret. "Do you think this warlord and his people will be taking shelter tonight as well?"

[member="Nadstic Sunshu"] | [member="Margaret the Grey"]

 

[Margaret the Grey]

"If I had to guess, they made it back to their base of operations by now, probably partying it up. According to the Captain, they've got some sort of transport that'll get them through the mud. They drive partway to the target, then cover the rest of the way on foot."

She sighed, wishing she could smoke. If she was alone, it wouldn't be an issue, but as abrasive as she was, Margaret wasn't the type to force anyone to deal with her nicotine habit in close quarters. Stepping outside would require the use of the Force to shield from the torrential rain and howling wind, and a good half her attention was focused on holding the shelter together.

"The good news is, the peacekeepers know to be on the lookout, now. There'll be a few probe droids watching the target village all sneaky-like for the next few days. If they can track them back to the vehicles after we get done with them, they're finished. Speaking of-"

She rolled over and propped herself up on one elbow.

"How good are you with a lightsaber? I suspect having the old glowsticks handy will make for a heavy psychological advantage, if push comes to shove. Even if you can't do more than wave one around menacingly, it should scare the crap out of the bandits."

[member="Nadstic Sunshu"] | [member="Nuuc Lapt"]

 

[RangerVisoN7]

"Yeah waving it is definitely the tactic I use," Nadstic said becoming interested in the conversation. "I haven't even used it because, well, I don't know how. " Nadstic pulled out the lightsaber Drax had given her when she was younger. He only said that it was from a good friend of his and nothing else. She didn't trust herself with it and relied on her staff, but it would seem that it was necessary now.

"let's hope they come with the minimal amount to raid a village."

[member="Nuuc Lapt"] | [member="Margaret the Grey"]

 

[Nuuc Lapt]

"I can handle myself," he replied, unhooking his saber from its belt loop. He held it out, balanced on his palm at the center where both hilts interlocked into a single elongated weapon. "My old master taught me in all but Juyo. She said there would be no need for it. I focused more on Shien and Djem So before I was expelled from the order."

He paused, setting the hilt on the ground beside him. "That being said, leaving the order didn't exactly allow me to finish my training. Master Vhi Dral outclassed me easily, so I'd expect someone of equal skill to be a challenge. Not that I'm averse to a challenge, of course."

[member="Margaret the Grey"] | [member="Nadstic Sunshu"]

 

[Margaret the Grey]

"If we get out of this alive, I'll show you a challenge, alright," Margaret said with a laugh. "Mind, that first part's not set in stone. I've got the makings of a plan that'll even the odds a bit, but that'll depend on what we find when we get there."

The wind had started to slack off a bit, which was nice. Hopefully, she'd be able to get some sleep soon.

"You know, as far as apprenticeships go, this is shaping up to be much more exciting than mine. For the first month, my master had me doing stuff like moving rocks with my feet or filling a tub full of holes with water. The idea was to frustrate me to the point where I began to rely on the Force reflexively in moments of stress. He said it wasn't enough to be able to use it when your mind was calm, or you were at peace. You had to be able to call upon it when everything was going to hell in a handbasket and you didn't have time for meditation. Useful instruction, but I've never been more ready to beat someone to death in my life."

She sighed, and relaxed her hold on the shelter. It groaned ominously for a moment, but held.

"Might as well get some shut eye. We leave out at dawn."

[member="Nadstic Sunshu"] | [member="Nuuc Lapt"]

 

[RangerVisoN7]

Nadstic turned and rested her head on the wooden wall. Tomorrow was going to be a difficult day. She hoped that she was ready. After everything she's done in her life, she was going to be tested like never before.

She fell asleep with dreams of suffering.

[member="Nuuc Lapt"] | [member="Margaret the Grey"]

 

[Nuuc Lapt]

Nuuc found sleep easily, though his dreams were plagued with visions of his past. The cave-in that claimed the life of his mother and a dozen others. The corpses left in the wake of the quelled slave revolt that took his father. Even more corpses that littered the ground when his liberators had some to Mygeeto, slaughtering the slave master and his men in a quick and professional fashion. Well, for the guards it was quick. Most found their end on the wrong side of blaster fire. The master himself was taken captive, and as they often did with slave owners that were captured during their raids, hanged from the rafters of the very barracks where Nuuc and his fellow slaves were kept. Though he was yet a child, and lacked any knowledge of the meaning of vengeance, he could still recall the faces of the grown men and women around him, and the glee they held when life faded from his eyes and the kicking ceased.

Those visions were brief, however, and quickly replaced by more recent ones. A mission that had brought him back to Mygeeto, though chasing pirates this time rather than slavers. It was his first combat mission in an MRF-1, under the command of their prior squadron leader Triss. Nuuc had been the only one in the squadron to keep on the tail of their quarry through one of the denser sectors of Zuborte Ma, and his fighter that disabled the craft, forcing them to abandon ship and allow capture. That was when he knew what he was truly meant to do.

When morning came, Nuuc welcomed it. The quicker they could deal with this threat, the quicker he could finish his training with Margaret and return to his ship. To his crew.

[member="Nadstic Sunshu"] | [member="Margaret the Grey"]

 

[Margaret the Grey]

They arrived at the village the next day, soaked, cold, and exhausted.

The worst of the storm had passed them already, but if the gust front had been monstrously powerful, the rest of the bloody thing was merely horrendous. The wind-whipped rain had turned the already muddy trails into soup. They had to abandon them altogether at points, relying on Margaret's datapad to guide them.

Worst of all, it was damn near impossible to light a cigarette.

It was a little after noon when they arrived, and it was safe to say that the Jedi Master was in an excessively foul mood.

There were no guards posted, despite the fact that they had to know by now what happened to their neighbors. With the exception of a few who were too old or infirm to brave the weather, everyone was taking shelter in the central hall that served as their communal meeting place. They'd taken advantage of the storm to have a little get-together, it seemed.

Margaret tested one of the doors. It wasn't even locked.

Rather than opening it like a civilized person, she took a step back and launched her boot into the thing, just to the side of the latch. It slammed open with a tremendous BANG that echoed through the hall.

Three hundred eyes turned to look at her, some curious, some angry, some fearful.

"Lovely weather we're having," she growled, stepping in out of the wind and immediately fishing a cigarette out of the waterproof case she kept them in.

"Excuse me, miss, you can't smoke in here." The speaker was a burly young man, about 20 or so, with the sort of arms and shoulders only professional weightlifters and farmers seemed to have.

She glared at him, and slowly, deliberately, put the cigarette in her mouth and touched the tip with a lighter.

The young man glared, and took a step towards her, either to take the smoke or eject her out into the rain. Either was a mistake. Margaret had no intentions of killing the boy, but she had no problem humiliating him.

"Easy, Jeremiah," came a raspy old voice from the front of the hall. An ancient little man, walking with the assistance of a cane, hobbled towards them. "If you can't tell by the lightsaber on her hip, our guest is the Jedi sent to aid us in these dark times. I'd want a smoke too if I had to hike all the way here in that squall."

Margaret nodded thankfully, the tension and a great deal of her frustration flushed from her system and replaced by the sweet embrace of nicotine.

"Apologies for the entry. Wasn't going to take a chance on the door being locked," she said, lying through her teeth. She knew full well it wasn't. "After the day we've had thus far, the quicker we can get out of the damned rain, the better. I'm Margaret, and these are my students, Nadstic and Nuuc."

She gestured towards the young human and Sullustian.

[member="Nadstic Sunshu"] | [member="Nuuc Lapt"]

 

[Nuuc Lapt]

Nuuc gives them a nod, folding his arms in front of him and watching the crowd. The elder seemed to be some sort of leader in their community, with the way he easily convinced the younger and larger one to stand down. Still, the size and likely strength of this Jeremiah could likely be something they could put to use when the warlord's men came. As a last resort, of course, Nuuc wouldn't want to put any of them in harm's way. After all, being in harm's way was what the three of them were here for.

[member="Margaret the Grey"] | [member="Nadstic Sunshu"]

 

[RangerVisoN7]

She looked around at the people. They were scared of her. Not a surprise, but it still was a reminder of what they faced. She steeled herself. She needed to be ready to face the warlord.

[member="Margaret the Grey"] | [member="Nuuc Lapt"]

 

[Margaret the Grey]

The elder bowed as deeply as he could, given his age and declining health.

"These are dark times we live in, and I and humbled and grateful that the Jedi would see it fit to assist my people in our time of need. Come! We're about to eat, and I'm sure you could use the rest after your journey."

Margaret inclined her head to the old man, feeling decidedly uncomfortable. She wasn't used to this sort of gratitude. Most of the time, people were either too afraid to be grateful, or angry that only a single (or occasionally a handful) of Jedi bothered to show up. They generally changed their tune after they saw what a single Jedi could do to a bunch of poorly trained and poorly armed thugs, but not so much that Margaret was willing to forget their past impertinence.

"We'd love to," she said. "But first, do you have anyone watching in case the bad guys decide to show up early?"

The elder shook his head.

"In this storm, we didn't see much of a point. Their travel is as restricted as ours, and anyway, we wouldn't know anything until they were right on top of us."

The Jedi sighed.

"That's what I was afraid of."

She killed off the rest of her cigarette in three long drags.

"You two go eat," she said to her students. "Mingle, make friends, that sort of thing. Send someone out to relieve me in a couple of hours, and for the Force's sake, save me a plate."

And with that, she vanished into the howling wind and rain.

[member="Nuuc Lapt"] [member="Nadstic Sunshu"]

 

[Nuuc Lapt]

Nuuc didn't require instructions to eat, only the invitation. The villagers seemed friendly enough, and were happy to offer food to them. He helped himself, filling a plate which would soon be in his stomach, as his last real meal had been some time ago. Travelling didn't exactly make for good culinary opportunities.

The lightsaber hung heavy on his side when he noticed some of the gathered villagers eyeing it. He wondered if some of them had seen one before, or if this was the first they'd ever laid eyes on. Of course there was also the possibility that they had never seen a Sullustan, which was equally awkward for him. Nuuc was used to space-going folk, those who'd seen just about every race there was to see in hyperlane stops and trade depots. And, of course, the slaves that the Salvation would rescue from their chains, who often were forced into close quarters with those taken from all corners of the galaxy.

These people, though, weren't slaves. And he would make sure it stayed that way.

[member="Nadstic Sunshu"] | [member="Margaret the Grey"]

 

[RangerVisoN7]

Nadstic went over to a corner trying not to take up much space. She sat down grabbing a bowel and watched the others. The people were worried, not just from the warlord but because of them as well. She wasn't too surprised. She had been all over, and most hate the laser sword wielders. It still hurt though, she looked down into her bowel and was saddened that they had not much to eat. It must have been a bad harvest for them. She saw a child sitting next to her mother, Nadstic stood up and gave the girl her bowel. The girl smiled and took the bowel, but the mother looked worried so Nadstic left before there was trouble. She went to her corner and waited for her master to return.

[member="Margaret the Grey"] | [member="Nuuc Lapt"]