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"This is Chybdu,High Priest of the Golden Sunof Sedri, reaching out to anybody who receives this message. Pirates have invaded our world, looking to enslave my people. Our defenses are falling and we need immediate assistance. Please, if you hear this message, send help."
"We don't have much time left."
A distress call from the Outer Rim has been relayed to the Alliance and its New Jedi Order, requesting their assistance to stop the raid and protect its people against the group of invaders. To do so, special underwater equipment has been made available for those sent into action, but the environment is guaranteed to be challenging, whether you're protecting people in open water, at the coral reefs, or near the underwater cities of Sedri.
But regardless of where you find yourself, the people of Sedri need your help.
Slavers and pirates are moving through the city, prepared with special underwater gear and armored, weaponized vehicles to hunt down and capture as many Sedrians as possible. The natives have set up defensive zones and continue to fight back, but are heavily outgunned by this foe from the Outer Rim. It's up to the Alliance soldiers and Jedi to secure the city and protect its people.
Objective II - Coral Reef
The invaders have positioned themselves within the coral reef of the planet and launched their attacks from there. The Sedrians are preparing a counter-attack and require help, not only to drive the invaders off of their planet, but to also figure out where they came from, and what their plans might be so future raids can be prevented.
The SIA, Jedi, and GADF have all been tasked to cooperate for this part of the mission.
The people of Sedri worship the Golden Sun, a sentient and Force-sensitive communal intelligence made up of coral polyps. While it has been secured within a large dome, the High Priest is worried for an attack against this holy place on the planet. Jedi especially have thus been requested to protect it, and perhaps even commune with it through the Force to experience a journey unlike any they have before.
What will you see?
BYOO If you have other stories to tell on Sedri, go for it!
Foes: Candyass Pirates
Allies: Valery Noble
| GA | NJO |All around good guys and girls
Objective I - Fitsay “Where you live should not determine whether you live or die.” - Bono
It was strange suddenly to be traveling alone, with his Padawans on their own assignments, the big man decided he was going to take “Spectre”, his freighter out for a run through drydock to update the landing port for his X-Wing before heading out fast. There were no issues with the SJC at the moment other than normal dealings, and Chrysothemis, or “Chrysa”, his wife, was busy with outreach for the people of Dorin.
“Roller” was running a diagnostic of the sunlight engines as “BB-55”as well as “Music” were with Chrysa as always.. So, as he ate his meal, Vanagor looked over reports and transmissions that he had access to. This was an old habit of his where the big man “looked for trouble”. He would literally spend his time looking for a fight, all the while justifying it as “defending”. Caltin could look back on those days and laugh, but appreciate them as well as what those days brought helped him evolve. Evolution is important as too many out there refuse to allow themselves to change or grow.
The normal transmissions, the normal calls, all unique but really have nothing to do with him. It looks like the big man was finally going to get a day off! Then the call over the Alliance lines, the New Jedi Order specifically. Sedri, a planet he had not been to since a young Knight was under attack! Ironically going there was his first ever mission with “Conservator” his lightsaber. Funny how the more things change, the more they stay the same?
Pirates? Pirates are attacking the entire planet? This is bad.
“The Golden Sun” was like a deity to the people of the planet. Old feelings of anger started to rise, those feelings that he could control, direct to the right place. If there was a problem, and the Jedi were called, then he was called. Jumping out of his seat and cursing himself for knocking over the remainder of his breakfast, Caltin would clean that up in a minute, he had to get to the cockpit and alter course. Once that was done, all he could do was clean up his mess, get changed and gear up. This was going to be a fight, not a “duel” so maybe this time it would be better to hang up “Conservator” and use “Vanguard.” The secondary weapon was more tuned for this sort of experience.
It took some time but finally the ship dropped out of hyperspace in a brilliant flash of light and into The Periphery sector just outside the Sedri system. “Roller” was done with what he was doing and took control of the ship in sub-light. “He” knew the drill all too well and once they entered the system, took to the entry of the planet’s atmosphere through the Northern pole. Fitsay was where they were headed, but they would not land, this was, as always, a low altitude fly-by. The freighter screamed through the skyline dodging pirates' weapons fire until the massive Jedi Master finally opened up the loading ramp door and jumped out. “Roller” kept the ship well on course with a knowledge of where to be when needed. The droid would never be too far away.
This was not important right now.
What was important was the fact that Vanagor was falling through the skies and landed in front of the huge Audience Hall.
The look on pretty much everyone around him was priceless. That did not stop the fighting though, it only made things more interesting, at least to him. Pulling “Vanguard” and igniting the “Permafrost” side the weapon drew attention. Telescoping the hilt drew more as the massive Jedi Master did not move, but the elongated weapon tore through the barrel of one of the pirate tanks, shearing it completely off and then cut into the turret. Pulling back, and igniting the purple side did send some pirates running. Those who did not will soon change their minds.
Especially since they are trying to shoot a proponent of Tutaminis.
He felt each and every shot, after all, your are not invincible using the skill, but was more and more aggravated at the persistence. They wanted to do this. They wanted to think that they were going to win the day. That does not work when you do nothing but take. Slowly the big man walked forward, he was drawing more and more attention (at least in the area) away from the Sedrians and onto himself. Then finally he moved.
With a balled up fist into the ground, Vanagor emitted a powerful force wave that knocked down everyone in front of him. He was content to let them retrieve for the moment until he saw what looked to be some kind of truck hit two Sedrian children and pirates getting were trying to grab them. This would not stand. Reaching out to the sky, a very sudden thundercloud formed and emitted a powerful bolt of lightning onto the vehicle. The pirates and children outside were unharmed, but the driver fell out of the newly incapacitated landspeeder. As the truck seemed to collapse in and on itself, the potential captors looked around in confusion for a moment.
Only a moment.
Caltin was on them immediately, lifting one into the air by the shirt and bringing the permafrost blade of his lightsaber to the chest of the other (not touching, but making a point) he looked at them.
I don't care what your motives are. You are done here.
Looking at the kids, his demeanor changed slightly. His facial features becoming more and more welcoming, like a Jedi should be.
Get out of here, get somewhere safe and stay hidden. You're good here.... unless you want to kick'em once?
The smirk on his face... it was something he had done once before with a pirate king. The look on their faces was hilarious, and Caltin nodding in an approving "go ahead" manner was all that either of them needed. Two swift kicks to two agitated pirates and they were off.
Wearing: Underwater operations apparatus
Equipment: Standard Lightsaber
Location: Dome of the Golden Sun
Objective: Golden Sun
Tag: TBA [fyi, Valery Noble
]
"Just a padawan?"
Ignoring the sting of the word 'just', Brandyn lifted his hands. "More will come, I assure you. Just now there are other needs being fulfilled, I am but the first."
The High Priest's whiskers twitched in an apparent show of discontent. Brandyn had already seen this a few times, and could understand the frustration.
"How many do you have in your own protection detail?"
"I have a dozen guards with me, and the temple guards made a total of thirty," came the voice of the High Priest. Brandyn was still struggling to hear him properly, the water being an unfamiliar medium through which to communicate.
Thirty-one Sedrians and a Padawan was not a lot for such a highly prized targets. Hopefully the pirates were more interested in the cities and the infrastructure than the religious locales.
"They currently have formed a perimeter and we have proximity senses out at one league. Depending on what form of transport the pirates take, we should have minutes of warning at minimum."
"Good," Brandyn said, swimming past the High Priest and looking across the Golden Sun beyond. The large creature was under a dome of clear, resilient material, protecting it as well as isolating it.
"Golden Sun is our sacred source of power. It fuels our world, and lights our homes. We thank Sedri for its gift."
"It's alive?" Brandyn said rhetorically. Of course it was alive, he could feel it calling out in the Force. It was in pain.
"No. But many have thought so in the past. Even Jedi have claimed it to be. But no. It is a part of the world, not a sentient being."
Floating there, before the large dome, Brandyn soaked in the light of the creature before him, it's song touching his spirit with grief and pain.
"Don't be distracted, Padawan," came some concentration breaking words, "the fight is out here."
OPERATION 1: Fitsay
Raphael had been drifting for a little bit now. His ship, the Lance, was fast and maneuverable, though not much stronger or more durable than an X-wing and it showed. Yet, for all intents and purposes, it looked like a Y-Wing of old, with one major exception. While it had the wing mounted ion engines, it also had a single rear mounted one for even greater speed. The maneuverability of the craft had taken some work, but she could turn like an interceptor: one a dime, and that had shown more than any weapons or deflector shields. He loved this ship. Yet, at the moment, he really couldn't decide what he wanted to do. He simply…allowed himself to drift while he thought on the conundrum. He had the galaxy at his fingertips, after all.
Maybe he'd fly to Zeltros; he'd heard a lot about the planet from those on the station, after all. But then again, he really wasn't in a "party" kind of mood and those kinds of people always bothered him, just a bit. Zeltrons had this weird, and slightly annoying, habit of reading people and then, least from what he heard about Zeltrons, they would bother people, if they weren't happy enough.
He shook his head, deciding against it. What he really wanted was to land on a planet somewhere and see if he couldn't get information on what, exactly, was going on in the galaxy. He sighed a bit, as his brain turned. If he really wanted, he could always hit up Nar Shaddaa; place was always good for information, even if he had to pay for it, half the time. Maybe he could ply his trade as a slicer, for a little while and hack some terminals for people for some cash. Not like it would be the first time. He used to do that back on the station for the higher ups. Make sure no one grabbed payroll for the month and jacked up the amount they had brought in. He mainly wanted to know the players and who to avoid, though that would depend on who he talked to.
Stories he'd heard from before leaving the station had been something about a war, another force war or some other kind of trivial conflict. In such things the people tended to be ignored and then they suffered more than the soldiers and that was what he couldn't stand or forgive. Still… It was hard to not be able to help people. He didn't really care about this war that he'd heard about; that wasn't his problem. Long as he didn't run into any Galactic Alliance people or sith he'd be fine.
He laughed as he thought about potential meetings. [color=e68149]"The Force this, the Force that."[/color] Leaning back in the chair, he couldn't help but wonder what was next. Where would he find himself?
In the midst of this reverie, he suddenly began picking up a strange signal being broadcast and he tuned in. Distress signal? Pirates and slavers. A heavy sigh escaped him. He disliked pirates and hated slavers. What? Sentient life? Let's put it in a cage and make it entertain us, or make it work for us or whatever kriffing else… He couldn't stand it. But this was a wide range SOS… Frequency was fairly high and wouldn't have been local.
[colorcolor=e68149]"Alright… So let's review the facts…"[/color] he muttered to himself in though. [color=e68149]"Long range distress signal about pirates and slavers. Who is this most likely to attract? Galactic Alliance. Are there any risks with helping with something like this, even if they do show up? No. Risks are overall minimal. The biggest one would be them knowing my face. Is that kind of risk worth taking? Too difficult to tell, at this stage. How would I even fi—!"[/color] He felt something, almost like it was calling to him. He frowned a bit. What was that? He thought and threw his ship into manual mode. He had the faintest idea of where this place was. The hyperdrive roared to life and he launched across the galaxy towards this strange swirling.
His ship rocketed out of hyperspace over a water bound planet and he was so shocked that he could barely think for a few seconds. The sound of explosions not too far shook his revelry. He frowned. This was going to take what little he knew. He would have to fly it in low, program the autopilot to get away from the system and dodge fire. Overall not a huge ask for the Lance. She'd gone up with worse. Asteroids around his station were terrible after all.
Noticing a second ship, he flew in its shadow onto the surface, watched as a powerfully built man leapt from the freighter and then the freighter took off. What in the kriff was that guy??? Punching in a few buttons, the cockpit to his ship opened, he leapt out and then it blasted into the atmosphere and away from the battle until recalled.
Raphael came to a roll as he landed…somewhere. He could still feel that call, but he didn't care too much. Instead he watched, transfixed, as the behemoth of a man with some kinda weird plasma sword, gave the boot to two pirates, as they scurried away. And then he immediately got behind cover and pulled out his blaster. Last thing he needed was for this guy to know he was there. Not that Raphael was an enemy, or anything, but… Well, the less people that he met, right now, the better. For now, his focus needed to be on keeping the pirates away from these people. But...what in the kriff was this guy?!
((I asked if I could join. Not gonna derail it!))
Finding the source of the pirates and whoever else was attacking the Sedrians was crucial. It was also the first time in a while that Dreidi got to work with someone new. She had been alone on Metallos and recent events there and elsewhere in her life meant that she had been pretty worried about her stance not only within the Galactic Alliance but whether or not she was even worthy of being a Jedi. It was true that she could be hot headed, callous and more in the past but that was also just how she viewed things. There was so much that wasn't changing because people weren't fighting, weren't driving for the change to happen with enough aggression. There were so many worlds suffering and Dreidi wanted to be more proactive, fight harder, defend others. It just didn't always work out.
Dreidi was curious to see how things would be on this mission, she had a new lease on life from her encounters with Iris Arani
and wondered what this mission would entail exactly. It involved wearing what could only be described as unflattering dive gear though practical. Not sure how long she could hold her breath under water it seemed the best to just stick with the safer dive gear. The destination was some coral reef in order to find an encampment or location from where these invaders came from but Dreidi wasn't too sure what they would find down there. It seemed curious that there would be such a force for this world, nothing against Sedri itself but the world wasn't exactly crucial from her understanding.
Pausing, Dreidi looked around to see if she could spot the person she was meant to be working with. A Cora was all she was really told, but that was pretty meaningless unless she held up a sign saying Cora to join her. Which might be a good idea if not a weird, slightly awkward one. Hopefully this other person knew who to look for. And maybe had a better idea on the mission, a water world was surely going to have loads of coral. Miles of the stuff which would take forever to track through in order to find this location. Perhaps the natives could help narrow the search once they got down there?
Dreidi had assumed to meet her fellow teammate above surface before diving down.
"You shouldn't encourage children to kick pirates, Master Vanagor."
She'd watched from a distance, fully intent on helping the big guy handle the pirates and their weapons. And.. Well. She was pretty quickly unneeded in that regard. Course, Iris being Iris, she couldn't bite her tongue at the bit of violence. Kick em while they're down. Not the best lesson for children. Even if it was warranted. She adjusted the helmet, visor, breath mask thing she was wearing.
Felt weird, having to wear a mask just to breathe.
"We'll escort them to the checkpoint." We being her and her own Padawan. There was no denying Zak's natural skill in the water. Didn't mean Iris wanted him out in open combat if she could find something for them to do that avoided it. Jedi or not, he was still very much a child himself.
"Zak? First objective?" Training time. Or at least, asking questions time. Quiz time? She'll figure out this whole master thing eventually.
It had been years since Vaylin had last shown her face publicly. Not since she had quite literally split apart from Darth Moirai, almost dying in the process. After that Vaylin had practically disappeared, finding herself numbed to the Force as a whole. She spent some of those years amongst the Ascendency, specifically their coven of witches known as the Solanaceae.
Vaylin’s time amongst them had slowly helped the Zabrak reconnect with the Force. Along that way she came to a revelation, an understanding. She’d never be a Jedi.
The Zabrak had dived too deeply when she was Sith, making it near impossible to ever fully connect to the Light. Not to mention, the chances of the Jedi arresting her were probably greater than trying to convert her. Although given her history as a Sith Valkyrie, being a convert would be hilariously ironic.
But no, Vaylin would never be a Jedi. That part of her life, along with the Sith Empire, were in the past. Now she was more of…something in the middle. One that didn’t shy away from using either ‘side’ of the Force.
In the wake of the Imperial’s attack on Ilum, Vaylin had been lurking around Galactic Alliance territory. That, or she was keeping an ear to any communication that was passing through their channels. So it hadn’t taken long for her to pick up the distress signal from Sedri. Nor did she hesitate to turn her ship around and immediately head towards the Outer Rim.
By the time Vaylin arrived, it became apparent a number of ships had already arrived at the planet. Whether they were manned or not, the Zabrak didn’t really pay much attention. Instead, she dived her ship down through Sedri’s atmosphere until she arrived above where the distress signal originated. The city couldn’t be seen from above the ocean, but Vaylin trusted the data.
Punching in instructions for the ship to depart after her, Vaylin dashed from the cockpit and grabbed what she needed. Adorned in her ever familiar armour, with a pair of newly crafted lightsabers on her belt. Vaylin had ditched her previous ones that had been with her during her entire tenure as a Sith. Fearing that Moirai might be able to track the crystals down, Vaylin opted to start fresh instead.
And thank god she had the foresight to modify them a bit further than her old ones.
The ship’s ramp lowered as Vaylin stepped down it. She peered over the edge, taking in the waves that were crashing below. The Zabrak took a deep breath, before securing the rebreather around her mouth. It was time to get to work.
A few seconds later, Vaylin dived off the ramp and into the depths below.
Zak and Iris. The dynamic duo. He, the totally cool aquatic. Her, the less cool mouth breather. TOGETHER AGAIN for the, uh... for the first time. Because Zak hadn't really even noticed Iris the first time they'd been on Sedri, with Master Romi Jade
But what made it really cool? MASTER VANAGOR was in the house. It was like a double feature. Water planet and a show, because Master Vanagor was owing the pirates like the star of an action-holovid. And Zak was here for all of it, cheering alongside the kids as the Big Guy laid the smack down quite FLAT.
"You shouldn't encourage children to kick pirates, Master Vanagor."
The boy's head-tails undulated in the water as the boy turned his head to look over at the air breather in the mask. Master Arani looked funny to begin with. The mask was... well, to be honest, kinda an improvement. Lets keep the mask. "What? Why?" the boy asked innocently, tipping one side of the headphones back as he posed the question at Dame Killjoy of the Holy Order of Jedi Boomers.
More pirate kicking! Many lay the smack down! ALL THE BUTT-KICKING!
The boy's high level of energy seemed to make him a target for some obligatory adulting from the air-breathing peanuts gallery. "Zak? First objective?"
"Ready! Set! GET WET!" the Nautolan boasted, as air bubbles drifted out of his mouth as he gave a childish laugh that probably sounded a little strange underwater.
Flipping around so that he was hovering upside down, his head hovering near Iris', the boy had a large smile on his face as he tried to be serious a moment and offered, "Uh, keep the Sedrians safe?"
That was probably her number one.
Zak's number one was kicking pirate butt. But he could lie on this one. For one, it was a pop quiz. And, two, keeping aquatics safe was always a close second to kicking pirate butt.
...well, maybe a distant third. A close second would be getting his hands on the new Gunganlicious album when it dropped, because the single from the album was already out and it was HOT.
Karkosuchus had been hired as extra muscle for a slaving and pirate expedition launched against the Capital City of Fitsay. However by the sound of fighting all across the water it would seem that the Sedrians were putting up quite a vicious fight to defend their home. He had been informed over the com systems from the Coral Reef Operations Base that the Galactic Alliance was interfering in an attempt to drive the pirates back to where they came.
Swishing his massive tail behind him like a paddle and his limbs providing him extra support in navigating the waterways, Karkosuchus would smell the water as his snout picked up the scents of the Sedrians and provided him directions. Swimming through the rushing currents like a torpedo into the thick of the fighting between the Pirates and the Alliance. Soldiers and Slaver's engaged blow after blow along with the valiant support of the Sedrians who fought as vicious as wookiees defending Kashyyyk.
His large maw opened and his jagged teeth struck deep into the thick tail of a Sedrian Warrior. Thrashing him around in a death spiral as his tail was ripped off from his flesh and his blood flooded the water. Casting the fallen warrior who died of blood loss into another sedrian who moved to engage him with a pointed trident. His prong slammed deep into his iron shell armor as Karkosuchus brought his brass knuckles forward right into the face of the Sedrian who was pushed back. Allowing the crocodilian to sink his jagged teeth deep into his shoulder.
He roared as the Sedrian died with his bite, it echoing through the water.
"Hello there!" Waving enthusiastically, Cora jogged towards the end of the dock where Dreidi was waiting, presumably for her. The Padawan was already fully kitted in the wetsuit gear provided, save for the rebreather. Which meant that she awkwardly ambled her way to her new mission partner, fins slapping noisily against the duracrete of the temporary mooring. They were positioned just above the sea, a short swim away from the coral reef where pirates and others of their ilk were mounting an assault on Sedri. Alliance intelligence had managed to pinpoint this particular area as a blind spot, making it the ideal place to launch a counter-offensive.
"You must be Dreidi, correct? I am Corazona von Ascania; however, you may call me Cora. I look forward to working with you!" While putting up her hair, Cora gave the young woman a once over, if only to ensure that she had the right person—there weren't many others around with white blonde hair and heavy eyeliner. She seemed a bit sullen too, but Cora had figured out that was par for the course when it came to Jedi.
Fitting the rebreather onto her face, she turned to face the expanse of water that stretched in all directions. "Come, Dreidi, let us vanquish these pirates and slavers for the sake of the Sedrian people! I do hope that your makeup is waterproof."
Jasper spoke this into the intercom of his face mask, which had a rebreather allowing him to breath underwater. Intending to head of to aid in the defense of Fitsay, he wound up following a platoon of Sedrians, naturally assuming that they would lead him to the right place. Instead, he wound up joining their counterattack offensive. Pyf, his mechanical companion, was briefing him from the Lonestar 1, where he was nice and dry.
<< Without a doubt you are. You would have been at Fitsay by now. In your wisdom, you've wound up off to the nearby reef. Fortunately, radio chatter seems to indicate that it's a contested zone. Looks like you'll have plenty to do. I'll update the council on your whereabouts. In the meantime, there should be some other Jedi on sight that you can regroup with. >>
"Thanks, lightbulb," Jasper responded.
<< If I had arms I would flip you off. Try not to die. >>
"Jeez, no pressure," he shrugged with a sigh.
The padawan turned and looked up just in time to see a distant figure jump into the water. The Jedi assigned to aid the reef, he assumed. Jasper determined that the best course of action was to wait for them to get to his location, mostly because it seemed redundant to swim up and then back to the reef. So, he did just that.
Objective I - Fitsay “Where you live should not determine whether you live or die.” - Bono
Her disrespectful assertion was attributed to her lack of experience in her position, so Caltin did not chide Iris Arani
for telling him what he should and should not do. She was also “not wrong” so after he internally debated on how to “diplomatically” tell her the proper way to address another, he smiled broadly. The smile was not resplendent, but it was not one that was forced either, she was just an idealistic kid who looked at what he did from a different perspective.
You’re absolutely right. However, what I was teaching those kids is that they can stand up to bullies and that they do not have to live their lives in fear. Remember, this is “every day” for us, this is a traumatic experience for them.
Turning his attention to the young Nautolan brought a bigger smile to his face. Zak Dymo was a “Silver” and a really annoying (when he wants to be) kid, but he was good overall. To be frank, the big man did not expect to see him here, sure, it is a “water world” but Caltin had figured he would be back at the Silver Rest playing in the new “Room of a thousand speakers.”
WHAT’S UP ZAK? How’s that fighter working for you?
The boy was the first Jedi that he met after coming out of the ice (outside of the healers) and being able to help him fix a recreation of an old ETA Actis 22 was fun and enlightening. While he didn’t go anywhere, Caltin could sense something, or someone behind him. He knew this because he was getting used to manipulating this new way of connecting to the Force into determining who was who. It was still a learning process, after all, the “classic” way was simple enough and this is too, just… different.
It was another kid who rolled into the water. He was dripping with energy but did not seem to realize, or if he did, he did not seem to be affected.
Hey kid, are you here to help? We need to get these innocents out of here.
Quickly slipping into one of the nearly collapsed buildings to look for survivors, the big man found two. They were overwhelmed by what was happening to them and their planet but all he could do was tell them that things would be alright but they had to get to safety and to do so now. The young's "foot" was trapped underneath some kind of debris that neither of them could move. It was a simple "Force Pull" but his "Electro-Force" as he calls it seemed to be a detriment under water if he was not wearing the right things. The effects drove the massive Jedi Master into a bit of electric shock. His mask and rebreather almost electrocuted him. Okay not really, but it hurt, so he took them off, as well as his hood and cloak (which he really did not need under water anyway) for the moment and went to work.
Soon with the thankful Sedrian couple on their way out and to relative safety, Caltin put his rebreather and mask on and made his way back out where the others were. That is when he saw what he did not want to, but was half expecting to see. A monstrous deity that just (almost) bit a Sedrian in half. Electric eyes were on him hard and would not lose where he was swimming off to, right now though, the needed to organize. They could not stay here, especially with the violence escalating everywhere. There was no way to do this spread out, so it was time to do something he had not done in awhile.
Organize.
Let’s do this Sector by Sector. Take each one off the board. Together.
Iris was trying to quiz the Padawan, he got that and normally would happily approve, but this was not the time for it.
"Alright Commander, let's get moving," Valery told the Sedrian officer who was leading his forces at the front. They were all gathered now for the first wave against the enemy position at the great coral reef. She knew it would be a tough fight because of their advantageous positions, but that's why she was joining the Sedrians at the front. Even just a single Jedi could shield so many allies, and every life saved counted in these battles.
"Very well, Master Noble," the proud warrior said before he gave the signal to his troops.
They moved away from their cover, Valery included, and began the charge toward the enemy. Valery had instructed them to spread out enough to avoid becoming a huge target, and it quickly paid off as the pirates opened up with heavy assault rifles. With two of her lightsabers ignited, Valery did her best to provide as much cover as she possibly could, but the losses were still going to be substantial.
Underwater, it was simply much harder to create enough cover. Especially when your troops were forced to pass through fairly open waters. "We're breaching through their defenses on the eastern flank!"
Wearing: Underwater operations apparatus
Equipment: Standard Lightsaber
Location: Dome of the Golden Sun
Objective: Golden Sun
Tag: My NPC hommies
"Keep your eyes open," Brandyn barked at a couple of guards that had taken to communicating from afar with hand gestures. It was clear to him that it was unnecessary, when they both started laughing, their bodies convulsing in the water with each chuckle.
The two Sedrian's threw the Padawan an scurrilous glance, and then accepted their correction. Brandyn could feel the subtle undercurrent of disdain from each of guards. His rank was not enough to pull respect, despite it managing to garner some degree of obedience.
Nothing much had happened yet, a few explosions had been reported, but nothing nearby. Brandyn started to wonder if the Golden Sun was just too great an asset to any would be conqueror to try attacking. It wasn't like the Sedrians could just build elsewhere and plug into the power source. They would come soon enough though, but only if the other Jedi and Sedrian allies failed in their primary roles.
Brandyn acknowledged the boredom that was starting to creep in amongst the small party of defenders though. He felt it too. As the boredom increased, the tug at his mind began to become stronger. Not more than once had he drifted past the glass dome, and run his hand across it. The Golden Sun seemed to speak in that moment, imparting an intense resigned somberness. A deep sadness akin to a prisoner wrongfully accused.
"Padawan Sal-Soren, I have seen you touching the dome, please cease this at once," came the voice of the High Priest.
"Apologies...its just...I swear that I can feel its pain," Brandyn said, removing his hand from the dome.
"It is your mind playing tricks on you, Padawan. Keep your hands and your ideas to yourself. Sedri needs none of your meddling beyond a moment of protection."
Brandyn felt his body stiffen with the way he used his rank as an insult.
"High Priest! Someone is coming!"
Kicking off, Brandyn turned to swim away from the Golden Sun when his foot brushed against the dome.
<Release me.>
The Padawan's head glanced back at the glowing mollusk, convinced that it had just spoken to him.
"Padawan! Pirates approach!"
Shaking himself from the moment, Brandyn turned to swim away from the Golden Sun. His saber ignited, sending air bubbles off to the surface in a constant stream, and he moved to intercept the would be attackers.
Raphael blinked as someone called out to him, and the realization that he'd been felt or acknowledged by the big man struck a nerve. Stealth was apparently not something that his wierd feelings granted him, not that it really mattered. The jedi, at least he was going to assume that these crazy people were jedi, was asking whether or not he was going to help and by all that was good, he was going to. Still, he had to take precautions of his own. Despite his age, he would have to do his best to make sure that he spoke as little as possible in front of them. Moving his head forward to leave his cover, he blinked as the ocean seemed to pull him back just as a blaster bolt flew past him, an inch from his nose. He thanked his luck as it missed. Long as the jedi didn't get any kind of hint on what he could do, he was happy.
He swam out right as th eman moved into a crumbling building, there was an odd feeling the seemed to leak out and then a Sedrian couple swam away. Mind racing, Raphael realized that he must've felt the man using the Force just now. The fact that he could feel the pulse didn't make him happy. It made him rethink the hypotheses that he'd been going with up until now and often refused to face. Whether his hypothesis was right or not, though, didn't change anything. He made sure that his face didn't betray the shock of the feeling, much as his mind might've raced. These beings woul dbe too busy trying to save the Sedrians to notice shock regardless. Everything was proceeding according to his observations.
The female jedi seemed to say something to the nautolon, though he didn't pay it any mind; it wasn't his problem what they were doing. With a light flick of his wrist, the blaster powered on. Thank the gods for waterproofing. What was the true reason behind what was going on here? Pirates wouldn't just do something this idiotic, unless they thought no one would be coming... Was the city a secondary objective? And why were the pirates so organized? It was so strange.
Then there were the jedi. Why did they care? Why did the Galactic Alliance care about the Sedrians? Too many questions. He blinked and balled himself up for a second as another blaster bolt grazed through his hair and then uncurled, firing at the pirate that had shot at him. Whatever the jedi did wasn't going to be his problem. The only thing he needed to focus on was saving the Sedrians and follow Orders. It was the simplest part of this job. Well, the simplest part of this voluneer work.
The mention of organization made him nod, as he checked on the power cell gauge before looking back to the man and nodding showing his, wordless, readiness.
Friends: Caltin VanagorIris AraniZak Dymo
Foes: Karkosuchus
Iris let out a sigh, almost frowned. Almost. So much for trying to make it a teaching moment. Then again, probably shouldn't try to make it out of another Jedi's actions. Her own lesson learned. At least she smiled. Dipped her head. "It is good to see you, Master Vanagor." She paused, glancing over towards Zak as he floated around her. Laughing and smiling. It was good to see him in such high spirits.
Something she'd like to keep him in, if she had the choice.
Not that Caltin thought the same it seemed. She blinked, knowing immediately that Zak was going to jump onto that order like a fly on honey. She bit back the words that came to mind.
".. Very well. Zak, you stay by me."
And the other. She cast a glance to the man with a blaster. More people getting roped into this? Not even those working in the Alliance, at least by the guys appearance. Not a soldier, not a Jedi.
Just a passerby. Great.
She moved, her blade flicking to life in an instant as she caught another shot. Caught, literally. The void blade she had absorbed the shot on contact. Nothing to deflect back, or accidentally into another. Pirates.
Her other hand came up, pulling on the colors around the one shooting. Tugging them right to her and to her blade. Which passed harmlessly through them, leaving them unconscious.
Karkosuchus had dealt another blow to a Sedrian coming towards his direction and a single strike of his massive claws struck deep into the armor of a Galactic Alliance Soldier. His tail and limbs switched directions and propelled him downwards to the ocean floor for just a few moments as his clawed feet touched the floor before propelling himself straight upwards with considerable speed given his size.
Two pirates were engaging Iris Arani
but were quickly defeated by the lightsaber wielding jedi along with another person standing behind them in the form of Zak Dymo. If Karkosuchus had to guess it was a Jedi Knight along with their padawan which would make for quite a tasty treat to devour. Grabbing the Swamp Vanquisher behind his back, and wielding it within his left hand as his massive jaws opened up and prepared to snap down on her form from down below.
The heavy ripples of the water would provide enough of a warning if the jedi's force sense didn't discover him first.
Sedri's Coral Reef had been made the Operational HQ for the Slavers and Pirates currently attacking the planet due to its defensive position. The Iktotchi Bounty Hunter known as Maizz Moett had been hired as a Field Commander for the Raiding Expedition due to his experience and from what he could tell they needed his help more than ever at this present time. Organizing such a large task force had been impossible without starting from the bottom and each crew had both slavers and pirates mixed together for better overall cooperation. Each crew also had a designated officer which would report in every half hour and those that failed to respond would be presumed dead and crossed off the holographic projections of the battlefield.
The blue glow of the hologram brought a grimace to his face underneath his black vizor. It would seem that the Eastern Flank would be breached as blue dots representing the Galactic Alliance and green dots representing the native species concentrated heavily in that area. "Team 56 and Team 66, Reinforce our Position on the Eastern Flank. Team's 67 through 89 will cover the command station." He said into the headset provided. It was going to be a tough battle but he was confident that they could still win should the alliance not send additional reinforcements.
"I want a full tactical scan of the area around the reef without delay. We can ill afford any additional surprises."
Maizz said with a wave of his hand towards the command staff as they went to work conducting the scan.
It was a sensation that bothered him, but he couldn't place a finger on just what it was. He'd been out of the water for a long time. He was out of touch with his aquatic senses.
And having Master Vanagor there provided a distraction.
The boy turned his head, having glanced down into the depths beneath them, even though he wasn't sure why. "Uh... Great!" the Nautolan tossed back.
Master Arani was saying something, but the boy rotated himself around so that he was oriented upright again. The head-tails fanned out, undulating in the water as the boy continued to try and make sense of what it was he could feel.
Several pirates fired at Master Arani, the noise and energy from the shots momentarily blinded the Nautolan's senses. Was it just nerves? Was it just the pirates?
...no, there it was again.
Something large. Like when he'd been on Arkas. But this didn't move like a krakana.
Realization hit, as the boy's eyes snapped open. There was a sound like a roar in the water, as the lightsaber ignited in the child's grip. Unlike his master's lightsaber, Zak's was powered by a krayt dragon pearl. It resonated with all the power of a predator.
"COMING UP FROM BELOW!"the boy shouted the warning to his master.
It didn't seem like long to wait till Cora arrived. Dreidi was surprised, it was someone around her own age, she had expected someone older or at least less high in energy. A lot of the people she had interacted with tended to be stoic, serious, no nonsense types but this genuinely seemed like someone that Dreidi could definitely vibe well with. It was just figuring out who would take the lead in their group then since there would be a large area to cover from the debrief that Dreidi vaguely paid attention to. As much as she was trying to drop the manic, chaotic reputation she held, it was still there under the surface. "Hey, yup, I'm Dreidi." She offered a small smile and slight wave.
"Pleasure to meet you Cora. Got any ideas on how you want to approach this? Stick together, split up?" Dreidi asked as she shifted to the edge of the hangar and looked to the water below them. Cora mentioned rushing off to vanquish the pirates like they were some classical holofilm heroes before hoping Dreidi's make-up was waterproof and diving into the water. Dreidi was completely stunned by the turn of events, everything happened so quickly, her mind barely knew what to take in. One moment she was ready to say it was waterproof and the next she wanted to tackle Cora to stop her rushing off without figuring something out.
That was what every other Jedi in the New Jedi Order had been lecturing about, form a plan, work in a team, don't think you can be incredible heroes just because you have a Lightsaber and the Force. A lot of lecturing. And now, it seemed that the problem was really that she was forced to hang out with the wrong type of Jedi. This was someone very much more her speed but she was a bit cautious about this all, could still go all wrong if she slipped up. Breathing out slowly, Dreidi dove into the water and chased after Cora to figure out where they were searching to.
