Mission GREAT HUNT | NJO and Allies

[Formerly Spirit of Valor]

THE GREAT HUNT HAS BEGUN!​

With the SECOND GREAT HYPERSPACE WAR finally drawing to a close, those who remain must now deal with the aftermath. While the Galactic Alliance managed to weather the storm of the Brotherhood of the Maw and come out victorious, the rest of the galaxy has been smothered in the wake of the conflict. In light of the chaos now enveloping the wider galaxy, the New Jedi Order’s council has elected to organize a GREAT HUNT to quell the warbeasts left behind that now ravage the former holdings of the dark superpower. Jedi across Alliance space now rally to lands beyond their borders to lend their blades to the hunt, eager to put the ghosts of the Maw to rest. As the Order’s bravest face down the lingering darkness, a NEW MOVEMENT rises within its ranks to take the first steps towards recovery and reconstruction in a brand new era….
​

​

“The war is over, but the Alliance can only embrace that relief if we make sure that remnants of our enemy don’t strike at defenseless people while we celebrate.”​

- Valery Noble , Sword of the Jedi​

Maw space is burning. The war torn population of Osseriton has sent out a distress signal to the Galactic Alliance, calling for relief from a sithspawn outbreak, released by a rogue band of Mawite Sith as a last ditch effort to stir chaos. With the Brotherhood of the Maw now fallen, Sword of the Jedi Valery Noble leads a team of Jedi into the dark band’s former territory to answer their cry for help. First responders must act fast, as the world is already under siege.​

"Not everything dark was born that way. Sometimes, they just need a hand extended to help. I was the same way."
​

- Kahlil Noble , Shield of the Jedi​

Following the collapse of the Maw, a team of Jedi are dispatched to the terrestrial planet of Ool, led by Shield of the Jedi Kahlil Noble. Their goal: Capture. An outbreak of juvenile sithspawn on the former Maw world has prompted interest in research into the reversion of their corrupted state. The New Jedi Order hopes to find a method of returning these beings to their natural state, making use of Kahlil’s extensive knowledge of sith alchemy. With the cost of the war already great, there is a growing desire to reduce the lives that must be taken.​

​

“We did it. The war is over… but what was it for if we leave the galaxy to rot in its wake? It would be like saving them from a beast only to abandon them, wounded in the cold.”​

- Jasper Kai'el , Sentinel of Harmony​

The Chiss are battered, their home world destroyed and colonies swept up by the Maw. As other task forces move to clean up what the fallen intergalactic terror left behind, Jasper Kai’el, newly appointed Sentinel of Harmony, leads a newly established relief task force to bring aid to the Chiss refugees of Ool. Jedi volunteers have joined up with the NJO Shield Core for its maiden expedition, bringing supplies and top of the line healing equipment to the last holdouts of the world that survived the Maw’s onslaught.

Optional: Raiders have begun swarming former Maw holdings, ambushing wayward vessels for valuables. Jedi volunteers must take to the skies in the Shield Core’s H-99 Headsplitter Patrol Crafts and escort supply shuttles safely to the planet’s atmosphere.​

BYOO​

There is plenty of opportunity to quell the distress left in the wake of the Maw. Chart your own path on Osseriton and Ool to help assist the efforts to push back the darkness in your own way... ​

 

[Valery Noble]

Osseriton

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Maeve Linahan | Open

"You ready?" Valery asked Maeve Linahan after they stepped off their shuttle and glanced around. Other Jedi would hopefully be joining them as well soon enough because they were hunting down a whole pack of Devourers. She had encountered them only once before and knew just how dangerous they could be. The people on Osseriton have suffered for too long because of the Maw already, so she wasn't going to let these creatures wreak more havoc.

"They tend to leave quite a path of death and destruction, so all we need to do is follow our senses."

She closed her eyes, reached out through the Force, and took a deep breath. Despair, pain, anger — she felt all of it everywhere on this planet, but it was strongest where people were in the direst need of help. Where the Devourers were attacking their next targets.

"This way and stay close for now. These beasts are fast and strong and will work together to kill. We can't let them single us out," she warned the Jedi Knight and any others who decided to join her on this Great Hunt to purge former Maw space of lingering Sith activity, as well as their creations.

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Ool
Tags: Lilise

Dawnbreaker | Shield Core​

The Forested planet of Ool had been through hell, weathering bombardment and occupation by the Maw and the Drengir. Surveying the planet with Alicio Organa had given the young councilmember a good idea of the kind of work that needed to be done. Food, clothing, temporary shelter, medical supplies, emergency treatment, and most notably some force-based cleansing. A good amount of these people were still recoiling from encounters with Sithspawn and the Drengir.

Jasper wouldn't remain on the Dawnbreaker. Iota would handle the operation above atmosphere. He needed to have his boots on the ground. The knight was not a man of words, but his recent elevation to council ship meant that he would be looked to as a source of leadership even more than any point before. If he was going to be a leader, then he would be one of action, not words. Seeing that the suffering people of the galaxy were brought back to their feet was something he intended to do with his own two hands.

That and he wanted to be a good role model for his students. His Padawan would be joining him on this venture, their first official outing as master and student. Jasper was, needless to say, slightly anxious about the whole ordeal, but he was excided to have her join the relief effort. After all, she had said in confidence to him that she wanted to help things regrow. She wasn't a fighter, and frankly Jasper didn't know if he wanted to be a fighter either at this point. Maybe this was best for both of them.

"Alright," Jasper began as he stepped off the transport they had taken to the ground, "We got a lot to do today, and hopefully I can teach you something new as well while we're here."

He turned to his student, giving her a warm smile.

"You ready?"

 

[Ko Vuto]

​

Location: Ool
Objective: Provide Air Support
Tag(s): OPEN

Even with the Maw’s command structure shattered, Ko couldn’t imagine it was easy getting to chiss space. The road to reconstruction was a long and arduous one. Sometimes even harder than the war itself. Fortunately the Kel Dor was no stranger to it. His earlier years after his initiate trials saw him tending to many fields across the galaxy, doing his part to stop or greatly alleviate famines. Ool as a planet was not too dissimilar to agriworlds he’d worked on before. Possibly with a better climate with its many beaches, well, before it had been wounded by the Maw warmachine.

However, Ko had taken to the skies today. Piloting one of the various H-99 Headsplitter Escort Craft. From which to escort supply shuttles and patrol the skies of any raiders still at large on Ool. Descending through the planet’s atmosphere, water and condensation buildup on the cockpit’s transparisteel as Ko’s craft punched through a thick cloud. Currently along with him were some others escorting a shuttle to the surface transporting supplies. Ko was never super fond of piloting though.

Staticky radio chatter came through the comms, mentioning something about the distance and estimated arrival time before the shuttle touched down. Ko hoped there wouldn’t be much trouble, but he knew other Jedi were seeking out danger themselves, even on Ool itself…

 

[Maeve Linahan]

"I'm a Jedi Shadow, Master Noble. When am I not ready?"

Maeve shot her a confident smile and disembarked from the shuttle. Wind lashed at her hair, golden threads in the sunlight, and she looked up and took in a deep breath, smelling smoke on the air. The enemy was close. That much was apparent even without the Force screaming at the back of her mind.

Maeve had prepared for this mission with painstaking care. She'd studied their targets thoroughly—Devourers, they were called, creatures twisted by the Dark Side and turned into unstoppable beasts. Products of Maw alchemy, they were some of the goddamn ugliest things Maeve had ever had the displeasure of laying eyes on. She was certain they'd be worse in person, too, which was why she came with more than just a lightsaber.

Laid in armor and set with more knives than a butcher, she felt pretty assured about her odds. Her last mission with Valery had ended in a resounding success and she had no reason to doubt the same now, even against unknown abominations.

"How far do you think they might be?" Maeve asked, looking over her shoulder, her hand just itching to reach for her lightsaber. "They feel close, but it's hard to pinpoint where." She looked ahead into the settlement they had landed at. Buildings stood empty and bare, and it was like they'd walked into a ghost town. If not for the smell of smoke and blood, she might've thought this colony abandoned.

Valery Noble​

​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"To think this was once a tourist spot."

Kahlil glanced over the beach. Gone were the days anyone came here to relax and enjoy the waves. The Jedi Master let out a heavy sigh before he shouldered his pack. Supplies, tranqs, runic chalk, anything he could think that might help capture the creatures as unharmed as possible. He'd already proven they could be healed, or at least the one he had. Now was a matter of proving it wasn't too high a cost to try.

"Stay close, stay low. We'll see if we can set up a trap first."

Micah tol Powl | Capris Halcyon | Rhemti Totriddiam | Open

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Tag: Valery Noble | Maeve Linahan
Outfit: Jedi outfit

A call of a great hunt had been called. Teams of Jedi were apparently being split into different roles to handle with the Sithspawn issue. Dreidi was curious to see how it would go and more curious to see how one handled Sithspawn. It was an area of combat that Dreidi was not well versed in and if she planned to ever achieve a Knighthood, she wanted to prove she could handle any threat put in front of her. Leading the mission was Master Noble, something that was not surprising to Dreidi since the Jedi Master was one of the most skilled fighters according to many of Dreidi's fellow Padawans and friends. She personally hadn't seen the Master in action to assess herself.

Perhaps today would be that very chance.

Looking around the ship, Dreidi kept to herself for the most part, listening to the instructions and checking her gear and ensured that her Lightsaber was ready and her clothing was appropriate for the mission. It was a chance for her to impress and demonstrate her skills, as well as to observe and see how the Jedi Knights and Masters handled situations like this.

Stepping off the ship, "Yes Master Noble." Gotta keep close to the group, Dreidi knew she was far from capable to handle a situation like this on her own. No matter how skill she thought she was, there was the fact there were always going to be opponents more skilled than herself. Dreidi looked around curious to see what other Jedi were going to be taking part in this part of the hunt. She assumed there might be another Padawan or two that she might be able to work with if there was a chance.

 

[Micah tol Powl]

[ attire ] [ lightsaber ] [ wristlink ] [ headphones ]
Kahlil Noble Capris Halcyon Rhemti Totriddiam

[ trap by the ocean ]​

"To think this was once a tourist spot."

Zak fidgeted anxiously.

No, not because there was sithspawn. This was a beach. There was an ocean right there. And he was here. Mouth breathing like this old ass human brah that was Shield of the Jedi or whatever.

The smell of the sea salt was driving him nuts for the fact that they weren't in water.

"Stay close, stay low. We'll see if we can set up a trap first."

Just how did one go about trapping Sithspawn? Wait, Zak was worried he'd already seen this holo-horror flick. "I hope this isn't like that time on Tatooine when my master set a trap for a krayt dragon," the Nautolan opined quietly, before adding, "Because I was the bait."

Nope. Not this kid.

It was someone else's turn to ride that ride.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

[OPEN]
Jasper Kai'el | Lilise
​

It was something of a relief to be assigned to…well, relief efforts. Even as the war drew to a close, Cora still found herself reaching for her lightsaber on nearly every mission that took her away from Coruscant.

Caring for those who'd been left in the wake of the Maw's ravaging hold was important work, Jasper and Silas had said. The Alliance had resources to help them. It made sense.

While Jasper and his Padawan ventured from their transport, Cora stood poised at the mouth of another shuttle, datapad in hand.

"Twelve crates of medical supplies including…gauze, disinfectant, sutures…bacta and antibiotics."

She ticked off each item on the screen with a tap of her finger.

"Five boxes of…nutripaste? Good Ashla, haven’t these people suffered enough?” The Padawan's nose crinkled in displeasure.

Nutripaste was filling and "healthy" by the most very technical guidelines, and it had a long shelf life that leant itself well to transport. It was not something one would find served in the aristocratic household from whence she'd come, but it was a good and logical choice for desperate situations before more palatable options could become available.

With a sigh, Cora tucked the datapad back into her satchel and began loading crates onto the hovercart.

"I suppose this will have to…ngh…suffice."

 

[Kadann]

The flames licked at his robes and he ignored them. Physical pain had almost stopped registering for Kadann now. He had become a hollow shell. Emptied out on his quest.

First he had tracked down those members of the One Sith who had driven him from his home. Some had begged for mercy, but they still bore the dark mark of the One Sith Lord and so he had ended them. He then fought the Maw in several places, the destruction of Csilla having been his catalyst to return from hiding. He had even been on Exogol and witnessed their collapse.

It wasn't enough. It was never enough. They would retreat into the shadows and return again.

Kadann looked around the crashed shuttle. In the distance he could hear the Devourers. He could sense the Light too. Kadann had been here before the Alliance, tracking the Sith. They had, for the most part, already left. Just one shuttle left. He had brought it down and now walked through the ruin.

"Please..."

The pilot was dead, but the other passenger was alive. A young acolyte, perhaps twenty.

"The sith who released the spawn. Where are they going?" Kadann asked.

The young man as trying to free himself from the harness that had probably saved his life in the crash.

"I don't know...I don't please help me out..."

Kadann sighed. He believed the Acolyte.

Snap-hiss

Kadann made it quick. His blade ran through the acolyte's heart in a single stroke.

One acolyte and one pilot. The sithspawn had already been unleashed and the sith behind it had already fled.

The work would never be done.

 

[Lilise]

Jasper Kai'el

"You ready?"

The Sylphe nodded a little in response, chewing on the inside of her cheek all the while. She was nervous. She'd never taken part in a mission of this scale before. Jasper's presence certainly eased her anxiety a little, and the sight of her friend and fellow Padawan Corazona von Ascania helped all the more.

Lilise made sure to say hi to Cora on the way by; she'd have to see about making time to catch up with the other padawan later.

"I'm r...ready...... Master... where d...do we start...?" Lilise found herself stumbling over her words as usual, but somehow that seemed to be the only hindrance she felt. Somehow, she thought, being there to help others allowed her a slight sense of calm.

The only other tell that she was nervous, other than the stutter, was that the flowers in her hair weren't blooming quite yet.

 

[Rhemti Totriddiam]

Micah tol Powl | Kahlil Noble | Capris Halcyon

"I hope this isn't like that time on Tatooine when my master set a trap for a krayt dragon," the Nautolan opined quietly, before adding, "Because I was the bait."

"No way. If anything I'll probably leap in without thinking too much, eheh." Rhemti flashed that goofball grin at Zak, keeping close behind his master.

"Want me to put out some feelers and warn you if we have any unwanted guests, Boss?" The red skinned Nautolan kept his voice low. Despite his jovial attitude, Rhemti had become a little more experienced at dealing with and sensing wild, and sometimes corrupted, fauna.

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Ool
Tags: Lilise

​

Jasper gave a quick dip of his head to Corazona von Ascania in acknowledgement before his attention shifted back to his student.

"I'm r...ready...... Master... where d...do we start...?"

"Don't worry," he assured her with a warm smile. "I'm right here with you, okay?"

He was certain that his presence did calm her nerves, but he liked to be vocal. It at least told Lilise that he was paying attention. Now it was time for them to begin.

"Well be starting by helping get our medical equipment staged," Jasper explained. "There aren't too many extreme cases that I surveyed when we initially scouted the area, but some people are going to need more drastic treatment. From there we'll just be overseeing the handing out of supplies. It may seem tedious, and maybe a little daunting... but a lot changes when the help you receive has a face."

The medical transport had arrived quickly, the supplies within primed to haul out and stage so that treatment could begin in earnest. Jasper walked calmly, but with purpose. He wanted to make sure that he remained approachable throughout this entire mission. He couldn't have people afraid to reach out for help.

"But I don't wanna make every decision for what we do today," the young councilmember added as they approached the transport, "I want to know what you want to do. You don't have to answer that now, but maybe give it some thought."

The equipment within the transports set on repulsorlift carts, ready to be pushed out by the hands of eager volunteers. Jasper grabbed hold of the handles of a larger one before turning back to his padawan.

"Any questions so far?"

 

[Formerly Spirit of Valor]

Ool, Side Objective
Tags: Ko Vuto , OPEN

Everything was proceeding as Iota had expected. Transports were already on route to the surface of Ool, with the first wave of ships beginning their initial drop off. No damages reported, no in-transit malfunctions... Nothing. Everything was crystal clear.

The AI's holographic figure stood on the holodeck of the bridge, gazing out at the forested planet that had been ravaged by the Maw. A beautiful sight, even with the damage that had been left behind. Perhaps in her spare time she would study up on the world's history. She was plenty capable of multitasking, and such research could prove greatly valuable for future deployments. Already she was getting word that the first medical shipment had landed. Everything seemed to be-

Hyperspace signatures. Smaller, very likely starfighters. They had come in from just around the curve of Ool and begun entering the planet's atmosphere. Their identification codes were mismatched, making IDing difficult. Not an issue, of course. Iota simply stitched together the scrambled codes and managed to identify what it was she was working with.

X-Ceptors, fifteen based upon initial detection, but likely more on the way.

<Attention Escort Detail. Be advised, fifteen ugly starfighters from an unknown location have jumped in and entered the planet's atmosphere. Point of entrance has been transmitted to your Navigational Computers. Reroute to investigate. Assume contacts are hostile. Over.>

There was a situation to monitor now. This required Iota's undivided attention. Her research could wait.

 

[Ko Vuto]

Location: Ool
(Side)Objective: Provide Air Support/Engage Bandits
Tag(s): OPEN

Ko was idly flying above, looking out the side of the transparasteel cockpit to the ground below. Regularly checking his scanners of any possible distress signals. Things seemed to be going smoothly enough. However, he and the other escort fighters were contacted by Iota, the flash ship’s droid brain coordinator. Informing the squadron of some bogeys flying into the atmosphere near their position.

Following this Ko’s squad leader’s voice spoke through the comms. Letting them know to form up and intercept the potential hostiles. Ko was no engineer and didn’t know all the terms, so he found it a little rude to call them “ugly” starfighters. Not understanding it was referring to their construction. “Copy that. Over” Ko replied before flying alongside the rest of the squadron. Quickly making their way to confront the mysterious group of “uglies” from where Iota said their point of entry was.

After making a visual contract with the group of bogeys, his squad leader asked what their business was. But right after they did they answered with shots from their blaster cannons. Red plasma bolts rapidly passed by as Ko and his squadron scrambled to avoid the enemy fire. They were outnumbered but 3, but given the nature of the vessels it lessened the concern of the numerical advantage.

With a tight grip on the centre stick Ko pulled it back, flying his starfighter out of the line of fire. Whizzing past him was one of the X-Ceptors, it giving off a strange howling noise, an uncanny mixture of both an X-Wing and Tie craft, yet distinct enough to be almost unique from either. Yanking the stick back to case the “ugly”. Feeling his body turn heavy under the G-force for a moment before he straightened his trajectory behind the bandit craft. Trying to good and clean line of fire. His comms flaring up with verbal information as the situation rapidly became hectic.

 

[Hana Celeste]

[OPEN]
Corazona von Ascania
Jasper Kai'el Lilise​

Hana stepped off the loading ramp, blinking in the dappled sunlight, the light breeze so fresh after hours confined in the stale space of the ship. Overwhelmed, she stood shyly for a few moments, watching the flurry of activity as the crew unpacked. It was unreal that after years of begging she was finally here. This was her test, Hana was sure of it. If she got this right, she would be accepted into the Temple for certain. She would finally be a padawan.

Problem was, Hana never got anything right.

Hana caught sight of a young Jedi unloading the shuttle, crossing off items as they came out. Hana scampered down the ramp as enthusiastically as she could muster and stood beside the young woman expectantly. Princess, her droid, floated lazily out of the shuttle behind her, settling just above her shoulder.

'Would you like any help with that?' Hana signed politely. Then her gaze fell upon the crate the young woman was unloading. Nutripaste? Hana's grimaced with disgust at the memory of the emergency ration's jelly-like texture and gritty particles. She'd had her share of Nutripaste before, plenty of it, with nothing but water to wash it down. It wasn't an experience she had relished.

'Disgusting, isn't it?'

Hana looked up at the woman, who appeared equally dismayed at the state of the food supplies. As she did, her brow creased in sudden recognition. A distant memory tugged at her mind

'Oh I know you, but I don't know where from!?'

Why did she tell her that? By the stars she was so stupid sometimes. She didn't even know this girl's name. She breathed in deeply, painfully aware her cheeks must be flushing scarlet.

'What I mean is, my name is Hana, I think I've seen you around somewhere before.'

She took in a deep breath. Unbelievable.

 

[Valery Noble]

Osseriton

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Maeve Linahan Dreidi Xeraic | Open

"They are very close," Valery assured the others, as her fiery gaze turned to the settlement up ahead. She could feel that many had lost their lives there, and the despair that lingered made it clear that the attack was still ongoing. People were hiding, hoping, and perhaps praying that something or someone would answer their call for help. Very few things were able to stop a pack of Sithspawn like this, but the Jedi certainly could.

Help had arrived.

"I sense a smaller group at the east side of town, so let's hit those first and thin their numbers." Valery briefly looked over her shoulder, and once she was certain the others were ready, she began to move. Already, she was drawing on the Force and readying herself for the upcoming clash. Her husband, Kahlil Noble was out there on a mission to rescue those that could be healed, but that was not the case for her.

There was only one possible end for this.

As soon as the Jedi reached their destination, they'd spot a pair of Devourers ripping apart what was left of a civilian down the street. Others had run into a building with no way out, so it was only a matter of time until they were all dead.

"Maeve, lead the charge forward. Dreidi, can you back her up?" Valery asked while she instead allowed the Force to flourish through her core. "I'm going to weaken them for you." With that said, she waited for the two Jedi to engage, and supported them from a small distance, as a wave of Force Light released from the palm of her hand.

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"That'd be great, Rhemti. And, no. No one is being made bait, short of me if we need it." He chuckled a little, glancing over towards Zak with a raised brow. An interesting choice to turn him into bait, especially on a world like Tatooine. But, it must have worked. At least that's what he'd assume given the Padawan was still here.

"They frequent the shores, so they're aquatic. We'll make the trap here. Should be easy enough." Kahlil rolled up his sleeves, reached into his pocket for some of his chalk, then went to actually write out the runes he hand in mind. Not that he did. He paused, blinking as the sand shifted.

"Hey, why do animals usually frequent the shores again?" The reason why? Eggs. Lots of them. The moment Rhemti went to feel around the area he'd feel all the eggs of the creatures beneath.

Micah tol Powl | Rhemti Totriddiam

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

OBJ: Headcount
Hana Celeste
[OPEN]

"Oph,"

Cora grunted as she placed a box onto the sled of the hovercart. Pausing to wipe her forehead with the back of her hand—perhaps prematurely, as she'd yet to work up an actual sweat—the Padawan gave a big grin and a wave to Lilise and Jasper Kai'el as they passed by.

It had been a while since she'd seen the Sylphe, but Jasper's gentle guidance seemed to be just what the anxious plant girl needed to grow.

Bending down, Cora began grappling with another box when a voice drifted to her. Heaving the weight of the container into both arms as she stood, the blonde found herself face to face with a girl and a small droid hovering over shoulder. With a head cocked to the side, she watched the girl's hands move for a few long moments.

Blue eyes tracked back to the bot as a gentle, feminine voice drifted from its speech processor.

'Disgusting, isn't it?'

A beat passed. Cora shifted the box in her arms, readjusting the distribution of weight. Then her eyes flared in realization.

"Oh!"

Her exclamation was followed with a wide, sheepish smile as she hefted her box atop the cart. The Ukatian didn't understand sign language, and it had taken a few seconds for her to piece together what was happening.

"Yes, I find it quite unpalatable. But this'll have to do until we can get something more permanent set up."

A spark of familiarity seemed to light between the two. Resting her elbow against the stack of crates, Cora looked to the girl with a searching gaze.

Hana? That does sound f-

"Oh! You're sandwich girl, aren't you?" The Padawan snapped her fingers and grinned broadly. "I met you and your friend during the Day of Remembrance, right?"

Leaning back, she looked at Hana in a new light. The girl she'd met that day had been shy and withdrawn—now she seemed bubbly and emotive.

"My name is Cora, and it's good to meet you again, Hana." Her grin dimmed into a warm smile as she patted one of the boxes that had been loaded atop the cart.

"I'll certainly be taking you up on your offer. With two pairs of hands, this job is sure to go quickly!"

 

[Micah tol Powl]

Kahlil Noble Rhemti Totriddiam
[ attire ] [ lightsaber ] [ wristlink ] [ headphones ]

No bait, but Zak was with adults. And adults were sus AF. He had his eyes on these two.

Though, now that he knew that these sithspit that they were hunting were aquatic, it made sense why the old Jedi brah would bring Nautolans with him.

"Hey, why do animals usually frequent the shores again?"

"I dunno," the boy answered, oblivious to the answer around him. "Ice cream works to get me out of the water."

Lots of things were better in the water. Ice cream was not one of those things.

Or cake for that matter, but between ice cream and cake, Zak was going with ice cream.