In the Marshes [Training Mission] [Republic]

[Miri Shorn]

As everyone began to pair up, it became apparently obvious that Miri was not aware of the program. She simply looked around at everyone else as they seeming went to their respective escape pod. Miri tried her best not show how she was feeling and failing at it miserably as she thought she was going to be left alone on some world. As Miri Shorn was approached by a jedi that clearly was a Knight, and Miri found herself wondering what could she possibly be about to say. Miri was the type to over think everything in a situation before and after acting.

"No. To be honest I don't even know how I ended up here."

 

[Aronis Vilgar]

Aronis climbed in to the escape pod next to Tavjurn Phil. The man was quite a bit older then Aronis and seemed a little bit old fashioned. Other than what he could tell from looks, Aronis knew nothing about the man. Everyone here was a stranger to him, save Vexander, whomhe had encountered before. Aronis had already developed his plan, he just hoped his partner would be reasonable and somewhat on the same page. Assuming he could somewhat control the pods decent, he would, if there was any, attempt to land on a dry spot within the marshes, then search the ruins and mines, were he assumed the holocron would be found.

@[member="Tavjurn Phil"] @[member="Tallia Farn"]

 

[Tavjurn Phil]

A bit older was a good way to put it. Phil Treymore was in his thirties, strong with a few grey hairs, and smiled easily. He rested patiently in the escape pod armchair as Aronis took his seat. Phil was wearing a black Cinnagarian EVA. An, 'old fashioned' space suit. Helm and all. He was chewing on a oral combat stim like it was a piece of gum. Republic Commandos call them 'Sugar Bears'.

"So. You lead. I'll follow."

Phil smirked as he said it. Vilgar looked like he had an idea in mind.

"Oh. And, just call me Phil. No biggie. ...Heh. So. Let's go get that Holocron eh?"

He leaned back in his seat and smiled. This was going to be an adventure. Just like old times.

@[member="Aronis Vilgar"]

 

[Rasu Gan]

Seating herself in the pod that @[member="Tallia Farn"] had allocated for her, Rasu waited patiently, trying to keep her thoughts focused on the mission ahead. It was true, she had been overly excited when she had heard that she'd been partnered with @[member="Vexander Graves"] and she couldn't help but admit to the fact that she did have some feelings for him. But he seemed so distant sometimes, truly focused on the mission at hand. Like I should be, she told herself. Strapping herself in, she studied the limited controls of the escape pod. Jedi Tallia had told them that some of the controls would be non-functional, needing only a few to get them safely to the planet's swampy surface. Discovering that her partner still had not joined her in the pod, she glanced out at the remaining Padawan's finding her team mate. "Hey Vexander, are you getting in or what?" she said jokingly, a smile planted on her face so to show she did not mean any offense.

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

@Valx Raizod @Aronis Vilgar @Tavjurn Phil @Sochi Ru @Nala Tu @Akodya Mune @Vexander Graves @Rasu Gan @Iella E`ron @Jessie Volt @Vulpesen @Cale Gunderson

Iella just sat in her position waiting. She had been taking the time to self training, while waiting. Something a Jedi should always to, so she practiced her saber skills in a new form Ataru she is learning, while she waited. However now it was time to take some refreshments and water, which she did and looked around her surroundings. But she is not alone, beside her a man she has come to know and one she enjoys the company of, or mostly. She turned her head sideways to see him there, and she smiled, as he chuckled to himself. She shook her head and turned her attention back to her food and water.

Once she had finished, the stretched her back against the slight dull ache, a product of her .. waiting. She slumped her shoulders again and brought her knees up to her chest as best should could considering her condition. Something crawling over her knee caught her attention, a small black beetle lost it's way, she considered it for a moment, it reminded her of a miniature version of the beetles on Cathar and so with her index finger primed against her thumb, she flicked it away.

And she waited.......

 

[Valx Raizod]

Valx climbed in to the escape pod and motioned to the seat across from him. @[member="Akodya Mune"] was giving him lip and he didn't like it. He was trying to fix things gradually, but she was making it near impossible. Sometime soon they would need to buck up, grow up, and get over themselves. He ran his fingers across his eye sockets, feeling the constant reminder of pain and suffering. He pulled out his lightaber tonfas and studied them with his hands.

"I mean, I can see the outline of objects, but I can't see color, markings, writings, or anything like that," Valx answered her politely

Valx sat in the pod and waited for Akodya. He could hear several other padawans conversing, namely @[member="Nala Tu"] and @[member="Sochi Ru"]. The blind man pulled out a long, thin roll of fabric and began wrapping his wrists and the palms of his hands to brace them. He could sense another Knight approaching the pod bay and his master was talking to him...

 

[Tallia Farn]

"Well, this will complicate things" Tallia thought to herself. There was no way she was letting this girl go alone. She peeked into @[member="Tavjurn Phil"] and @[member="Aronis Vilgar"]'s pod. "Would you guys mind some company?" She asked them, while motioning for @[member="Miri Shorn"] to step forward. "This is padawan Miri Shorn. She needs a group, so I'm putting her with you two." She looked to Miri and said "Good luck out there."

She then moved over to the escape pod console, locking the doors behind the padawans. She broadcast herself over the pods radio. "May the force be with you." She told them, and ejected their pods into space.

 

[Vexander Graves]

Vexander looked at @[member="Rasu Gan"] as she asked the questions to you young man. She seemed to be really excited and eager to get the things going. Once again, the observation skills of the young man served him well, when the young girl asked if he was nervous she inmediately commented on their respective skills and that they would performed well during the "test"; but he couldn't help to notice that she was shaking...

At that time, the young corellian had a hard time reading he thoughts and the reason why she was shaking, so normally, he assumed she was nervous. This had to be her first mission or something similar, and it was up to him to calm her in any possible way. He had to find a way eventhough he was not the talkative type of man. "No Rasu, I am not nervous, but I am curious..." for a moment he looked to the front where the rest of the Padawans were and then at Rasu once again "...use the Force to ease your mind, it'll help you to stay focused." the reply of a Master... and it feels weird using it... it was more easily said than done, but eventually; a padawan would learn to do that without a problem.

The Knights provided the teams with the steps to follow in order to land with their escape pods into the planet below. Rasu went to the pod faster than Vex, and he didn't actually mind, such move would allow him to cover the rear for the team as he was used to do. But a voice from inside the pod called for his attention. At the female's words, Vex couldn't help but to smirk briefly and then nod "On it Rasu."

Vexander stepped inside the pod and strapped himself in to the seat next to the female Padawan. He always did, he had been in quite a few missions where he had to drop to planetside inside one of those, and he learned to strap himself in the hard way.

The pod hatch closed completely and the voice of @[member="Tallia Farn"] could be heard through the radio inside the pod... the Force had to be with them in this one. Get an holocron with just a general area as reference that could be miles away from their starting location... it was going to be a fun hike. The young corellian smiled, briefly; he was a sniper, trained to scout, spot and shoot, although they would go "blind" in the atmosphere, he had the skills to track that holocron... and Vex knew that Rasu would help a lot too, afterall; she was a Jedi and was inside the pod for a reason.

Vexander looked once again at the girl and tried to make sure that she wasn't nervous or anything, still, he usually found that doing jokes helped to ease the tension and take the mind away... "This will be a bumpy ride. You know... like one of those atractions in an amuzement park..." but he was not really good at them, feeling slightly ackward at his own comment, he decided to just stick to his normal self and to remain almost quiet with little to no comments "...just take deep breaths, and allow the Force to fill you with each one of them... i'll be over before you know it"

 

[Cale Gunderson]

Standing behind @[member="Tallia Farn"], Cale was utterly silent, he saw no reason to speak as of yet. He simply stood there in his robes, which strangely resembled his sorta ancestor Kento Marek's robes at the time of his death. On either shoulder rested the hilt of one of his single bladed sabers. To be frank he was a little hazy at the moment, he had been asleep most of the trip as per his usual routine

 

[Cortana Jade]

Sochi had been awaiting for her fellow @[member="Nala Tu"] to board the escape pod, and once she had been within she stated how she'd love to see the vacations Jedi would take. Oh how wonderful a vacation sounded at the moment. It was always training with Sochi, and most likely with the others as well. This was their life, "Ahh hahaha yes, oh how much I could use one right now." She said in response. Once they were ll set, Ru strapped herself into the seat, and proceeded to focus herself, this was the type of mission one had to be physically, and mentally prepared for. No telling what could be down their on the surface, or let alone where they would land. She was pretty sure all the pods had been boarded by now, she could hear conversations going on, but could quite make them out. "We'll Nala dear, let the games begin" she said smiling. Ru began taking deep breaths, she wasn't gonna deny the fact that she too was quite nervous, as anyone would be if they were participating in a event such as this. She needed to look forward to the knowledge, and experience she'd gain after this was over, and after they retrieved that holocron.

 

[Nala Tu]

The ride down to the planet was a bumpy one to say the least. Nala, strapped in next to @[member="Sochi Ru"], didn't exactly like the idea of being stuffed into a small metal box just to be tossed down to a planet. If they had more proper controls like a star fighter or something she'd feel much more at home, she even commented by saying to herself "Of all the times I wish these things had controls." As they were coming closer and closer to the planet Nala just hoped that the mission itself would be much more smoother.

 

[Akodya Mune]

"Alright, so will you be able to tell of the ground you are about to step on is marsh or am I going to play scout?" She said, thinking about how that was going to work.

Akodya climbed into the pod and sat herself down in the seat @[member="Valx Raizod"] had gestured to. Adjusting her belt and making herself comfortable Akodya stared down at were the control panels should have been. The pod looked like it had been completely gutted, the only thing that was left was the rough and worn steering equipment. Great. They really were flying blind. Studying the beckon that marked the general area of their holocron, they were pretty far west of were the ship was stationed. She probably be able to get them there without to much trouble, although they might need to trek a bit before the could start hunting.

Peering over her shoulder Akodya watched Valx wrap his wrists in a thing strip of fabric, carefully coiling it up his arm. She wondered how much of his action he was really seeing if he couldn't see details like color or markings. Could he even make out the texture on the material? It suddenly hit her that he probably couldn't see people all that well. Was she and her fellow padawans aboard the ship just some hazy outline that may resemble a person? when he glared Akodya was he actually seeing her at all? Turning back to the beckon she curled her fingers around the handlebars.

"Get your belt on. I'm deploying us in five."

 

[Valx Raizod]

Valx nodded, buckled his belt and held on to the hand grip. He was quite anxious about the mission and he fully intended to win. But to win he'd need them to work as a team.

"Land us in the swamp. It'll be enough of a cushion to keep us from shattering when we hit the ground," Valx said calmly.

He didn't like being cooped up in this escape pod. He could hardly see anything. But he trusted he was in good hands. These were also the "good hands" that put him in the hospital for a month.

"And in reply to your question, yes and no--I can see the surface of the water and the shape of the trees and rocks and land formations, but like I said, I can't see details." He replied politely.

@[member="Akodya Mune"]

 

[Rasu Gan]

Rasu was relieved that @[member="Vexander Graves"] had taken her comment as a joke, and his attempt at humour seemed to ease the nerves that were causing her such anxiety. She chuckled a bit, and then, taking his advice she began to focus on her breathing. This was her second mission as a Padawan, and to perform it without a Knight being present did alarm her just a bit, but she was confident in Vexander's abilities and she was confident in her own. That's why we'll succeed, she told herself. With her nerves under control, she brought up a map of the planet on her datapad, gazing over the terrain, searching for a decent landing zone. The marshes seemed a reasonable spot to land, but then they'd be heading straight into the thick of the planets hostile wildlife. Deciding that she would have to consult her team mate, she turned around to face the young man. "Hey Vexander, where do you think we should aim to land this thing? I was thinking the marshes so to soften our descent but then we'd be in hostile territory as soon as we leave the pod."

 

[Akodya Mune]

"A swamp? The marsh wouldn't support the pod's weight. We'd sink instantly. Not to mention the native population is is most dense there." She stated in a matter of fact voice. Studying the young man's mannerisms, she could tell he was nervous. His back was tense and he was clinging to the hand grip so furiously Akodya thought it would break off. Maybe he wasn't to fond of flying? or rather, in there case, falling. She was getting used to seeing @[member="Valx Raizod"] in vulnerable states, as the only times the pair had really made contact was when he was either blacking out every five minutes or he was pretty messed up. She recalled the times she had to get up late at night to change bandages or bring water...memories of the medibay were avoided for reasons she hadn't told anyone. Turning away from Valx, she wondered if he even remembered what he had done, because he hadn't mentioned the incident since then. Or maybe he was avoiding it too.

"If you are anxious, don't worry. My piloting skills are adequate enough for landing this thing." she said as she began to turn the pod on.

 

[Tallia Farn]

Tallia turned from the viewport she had been looking out of as the last of the pods jetted toward Obredaan. She and her fellow jedi knights had much to do to prepare for their own excusion into the marshes. She quickly headed down a narrow corridor that lead to a storage room. Opening the security chest with her name on it, she drew out a midnight black, tattered robe that looked like it had come straight out of a horror holo. She grinned as she held it up in front of herself in a reflective viewscreen. It was time for the knights to now play their part.

Unbeknownst to the padawans, Tallia had brought other jedi along with her so that they could administer a new kind of test, and heighten the stakes. It did seem a bit like the knights were simply pranking the padawans though. She next pulled a long, double-edged vibrosword from the bottom of the container. If it came to fighting, Tallia didnt want to be seen using her easily recognizable lightsaber and give her disguise away. As a final touch she applied a layer of makeup to drain the color from her face, and put contacts in her eyes that gave them an unnerving yellow glow. She walked back into the main hold to show the rest of the knights. "What do you think?" She asked aloud, wondering what they had prepared for their outfits.

@[member="Cale Gunderson"] @[member="Jessie Volt"] @[member="Vulpesen"] @[member="Iella E`ron"]

 

[Valx Raizod]

"Flying is for droids @[member="Akodya Mune"]." Valx stated as they entered the atmosphere, "And yes, I am anxious."

He sat in his seat, gripping the support bar till his knuckles turned white. The descent became more rocky as he could feel the heat from the reentry. He hadn't forgotten what had happened that night in the medbay, and he avoided confrontation with Akodya whenever possible. But then his master noticed and thought this would be a good time to mend our relationship. @[member="Tallia Farn"] would have killed him if she knew what he did.

"I sense something bad is going to happen to us..." Valx proclaimed, growing increasingly worried.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen grinned at @[member="Tallia Farn"]'s costume. "From the depths of hell." He reached behind his seat and pulled out a similarly tattered robe and two vibroswords with the blade's painted red. From his jacket he pulled a snarling wolf mask which he placed on his eyes after a pair of red contacts. Over his head, he flipped up a dark hood, shadowing the silver mask.

He was glad that he had recently been promoted, otherwise he would be on the receiving end of the fun that was about to take place. "So, any specific teams we have to play with, or is it whoever we find?" Vulpesen wasn't a malicious person by nature, but he was mischievous, so though these padawans may not be in any real danger, Vulpesen would give them the time of their lives while having the time of his own.

@[member="Jessie Volt"]
@[member="Cale Gunderson"]
@Iella E'ron

 

[Serenna]

@[member="Vulpesen"]
@Cale Gunderson
@[member="Iella E`ron"]
@[member="Tallia Farn"]

Jessie looked at the group and smirked at the idea. He saw the swords and spoke making sure he was smirking having the small drawl to his voice. "Whoa there just want to scare them to much. Bad enough we're planning to big out of the swamp." His hands pulled his hair back into a ponytail while he secured a rubber band to it. Then looked at Tallia dressing up. "Well now I'd still say you look prettier without it but if your plan is to dress up we can make a play date of it. I'll be waiting for them." He looked at the other at Cale and iella while offering some words to Cale. "Sky High club rides again eh boss?"

 

[Vexander Graves]

The young girl seemed to be following Vex's comments and advice, and that was really something that pleased him. She seemed very capable, just nervous and eager... although it could be seen as anxiety as well.

By the time she asked for the young man recomendations, he promptly reply at what he thought would be more appropiate. He touched his beard with his left hand and caress it a bit before replying, like if he was thinking. The chance to get into enemy territory was not really that bad, they could go undercover and avoid engaging enemies, but they had to be shadows... it was like one of those covert operations he used to handle as a sniper operative.

On the other hand, he didn't know how good @[member="Rasu Gan"] was with the whole: keep a low profile and remain as hidden as possible. Looking at the young girl straight into her eyes, he raised an eyebrow "Are you up for the challenge? We can go with your plan and remain hidden, move silently and with stealth..." Vex smirked a bit "...what do you think?"