In the Marshes [Training Mission] [Republic]

[Vexander Graves]

Vexander flexed his legs a bit and placed both of his hands in his knees while he was bend down a bit... like gasping air. He began to take deep breaths to regain his composition. The swimming had been quite an unexpected thing and he had to receive some assistance, he could have done it himself but he didn't want to be rude by denying the help.

@[member="Rasu Gan"] lied on the ground and attempted to regain the air as Vex did, but she took her time to actually look at the sky and enjoy the view around them. Within a moment, she outlined another idea for the plan, she was extremely smart and knowledgeable, an awesome combination for a Jedi. The young man was about to reply at her, with a grin in his face at the heard of Vex... no one used that diminutive with him except Rasu... "Well... I think..." when suddenly, a voice in the swamp caught his attention

"You should be careful, there's lots of...strange things in the swamps here."

The young padawan inmediately opened his senses and began to feel the surroundings with the Force. His Master taught him to feel everything, to feel the presences around him... he extended his perception to another whole level. The presence he felt... was familiar... perhaps not that common but he has felt that person before... he has shared a past in one way or another, to a small or a great degree, he couldn't tell.

Inmediately, his military logic jumped at his mind, with a small signal at Rasu, he let her know to remain silent... It was really weird, if the enemy wanted to see them dead, he would have tried to attack them by now. Sneak attacks 101, do not announce yourself at your enemy.

The voice of the sentient that could be heard wanted something else. He was not going for the kill. Still, preventive measures had to be taken. Placing his hand in his hip and close to his lightsaber, but without touching it to avoid any unexpected or hostile move from the other person, he prepared just in case.

"Would you consider yourself one of those strange things?" said trying to take out the intentions of the person while he probed through the Force at the location of the man "What is your business with us?" Vexander waited for a reply, still trying to pin point the unknown man, trying to determine the signature that every being had through the Force and to remember where he had felt it... only then would he had a bigger idea of the known feeling that was brought to him in the Force.

@[member="Roland"]

 

[Akodya Mune]

"There is no need to scream, think." she replied calmly.

Judging by the reaction the beast had to @[member="Valx Raizod"] previous attacks she came to the conclusion that trying to the pierce the hide isn't going to work. She needed to cause it some internal damage instead of external. The creature leaned down and hissed at Valx before letting out a cry of pain and frustration, it's roar echoing through the dense forest. Furrowing her eyebrows at her teammate she cursed under her breath.

"Valx, get back! NOW! you aren't going to get anywhere with that! Let me handle this..." She yelled back at him before turning her attention to the abandoned pod. That should do it. Raising her free hand at it, she directed her focus and concentration at the object. Slowing forming a fist, the pod was lifted into the air, Akodya just managing to move it. Waiting for the perfect moment, Akodya swung the pod full force at the side of the monster's head. Along with the pod the beast went flying into the near by trees, slamming hard against the solid trunks before the body slid limply to the earth once again. Letting her free hand go lame at her side she took in a sharp breath of air...she was exhausted. She didn't think she had moved something so heavy so quickly before...or with such aggressiveness. What the hell was up with her lately?

 

[Cortana Jade]

The walk would definitely take longer than normal seeing as everything was marshy. Some parts of the ground were solid enough for consistent travel, but others were mushy, and allowed the feet to sink into it. Sochi was happy she wore her boots this day. She had to pull, and force her long robes to move through the mud that surrounded them. Nala seemed to be doing the same thing getting to the point where she decided to take it off completely. Sochi smiled, as it was frustrating. Ru nodded in agreement, "I would never understand why we can't visit a pleasant planet like that, and the objective could be to relax." But that wasn't the life of a Jedi. Sochi examined the area that surrounded them. Many trees, and vines. The sound of wildlife echoing throughout the entire area. One could never be to sure, they could become prey at any moment. Ru had did some research on the planet, but hadn't found any information about the wildlife that made this place their home. She kept her wits about her, anything could happen. When she looked up to get a visible glimpse of the sky, it was mostly covered by the swampy trees. Though she could see other pods coming in for landing. They were quite a distance from them though.

"Hmm, looks like others are coming in for their landings, may the force be with them. I wonder what we'll encounter in the ruins, I'm sure we can expect traps." She said softly to Nala.

@[member="Nala Tu"]

 

[Valx Raizod]

"Holy--" Valx's words were cut off as the beast flew through the air.

Valx dashed over to the fallen beast who was struggling to get up, and with one fell swoop, cut through the animals neck. That was the first thing he'd killed. Ever. It took a while for that to set in, but he turned to @[member="Akodya Mune"] who was standing in amazement at what she just did. Valx walked over to her and embraced her. He could have been killed. For her saving him he owed his gratitude.

"A-Akodya..." He was trembling now, "Thank you..."

Valx hugged her and stepped back, still in shock. Now was just the beginning of the tough trials they had to face ahead. But he was confident that they would make it out alive and with the holocron.

 

[Nala Tu]

Seeing as they came closer to the ruins and hearing Sochi's suggestion of traps Nala said "Then will need to keep on our toes while we're in their." For now let's just worry about actually getting there." As she'd said this her foot sank into a muddy part of the ground. She rolled her eyes and held back a groan as she pulled it out and shook off what muck she could. A deep breath to keep calm escaped Nala as she continued on with Sochi. Eventually they'd reached the ruins, Nala looking for an entrance inside. What she found was a doorway blocked by fallen rubble.

"Help me with this." she said to Sochi as she began to focus the force through her into moving the rubble away.

@[member="Sochi Ru"]

 

[Rasu Gan]

"You should be careful, there's lots of...strange things in the swamps here." Rasu had to restrain herself from jumping in alarm. The voice had come out of nowhere and had taken both Padawans by surprise. Her hand flew to the hilt of her lightsaber, as she stretched out her awareness in the Force, attempting to locate the speaker. Making eye contact with her team mate she began to say "Vex where...." however stopped herself, understanding his hand gestures. The only way they were going to find this newcomer was to remain silent and allow them to speak and give away their position. Rasu had no idea if this was another test put in place by the Masters or if this guy had just come to Obredaan at the wrong place and the wrong time, but she wasn't going to allow anything to stop her and @[member="Vexander Graves"] from completing their mission. The stranger had gone silent, so Vexander spoke in an attempt to lure him out. I'll let you take the lead on this one Vex, she thought trying to telepathically send him the message so he would understand, I'll just back you up.


@[member="Roland"]

 

[Akodya Mune]

"Yes yes, you're welcome...now please let go of me." She said hastily, awkwardly patting @[member="Valx Raizod"] on the back as he embraced her. Men were confusing. As he let go, she felt her knees grow weak, and it was NOT from the hug. The darkness she had sensed when stepping off the pod had returned and this time it was even stronger. It was as if an invisible force was slowly crushing her, every bone felt like it was snapping or cracking. The feeling was painful, cold, and oddly intimate. As if she'd known the feeling all her life. Her lightsaber fell from her fingers as she collapsed to her knees and bit down hard on her lower lip, the metallic taste of her own blood just gracing her tongue.

She stayed her with her knees in the damp soil and her arms hugging herself until the feeling past. Letting out a trembling sigh she looked up at her teammate.

"There is something unnatural about this place..." She murmured weakly.

 

[Valx Raizod]

Valx looked confused as she slumped to her knees. This troubled him. He put his lightsabers on his belt and hefted her into his arms. She was light compared to him. That, or he was just getting stronger. He cautiously sensed around to see if there was anything amiss, before trekking into the swamp.

"Really? I don't sense anything out of place... maybe you're just paranoid," Valx smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

It wasn't too long before he became bogged down in the marshy water. It was difficult to continue with him holding her, and it seemed they had been going in a circle for the past hour. The wildlife, namely the birds and insects, messed with his hearing too. But he pressed on. Valx came across a patch of land and slogged over to it. He gently set her down and collapsed on all fours, coughing and trying to catch his breath. The air was thick and dank. There was some sort of spore or toxin in the air.

"Akodya, are you okay," Valx asked quietly, "You're worrying me."

@[member="Akodya Mune"]

 

[Cortana Jade]

Sochi slowly came to a stop and looked back as Nala's foot got stuck again. Sochi's eyes widened as she could clearly tell she was frustrated by the marshy lands. After she was ok, they continued only to come to many steps that would lead to an ancient door. She slowly walked up the steps, and the door was blocked off by rocks, and rubble. They would both need to work together to clear the door way. Sochi went to one side, and call upon the force. They both took their times in removing the obstacles. Lots of dust and dirt kicked up as some rocks fell out of place. What seemed like a long time, was complete with a manner of 5 minutes tops. She rans her hands down her skirt to straighten it out, and looked straight ahead into the dark ruins. It was murky, and smelled old. Small rocks, and dust fell from the ceiling. The walls had markings, and drawing upon them. She placed her hand on one wall that was the entrance and placed her head inside slightly. There was complete silence, and the darkness further enhanced its creepiness. She turned to look at Nala, "Well I guess we should go" she said taking a couple of steps in.

@[member="Nala Tu"]

 

[Nala Tu]

Nala recoiled her head for a moment from the stink from the ruins. Something was certainly waiting down inside, possibly traps, some horrible creature. Anything dangerous. But this was the one time in her life that Nala kept those ideas to herself. Hearing Sochi sound ready to enter Nala nodded before taking the lead. Each step she took was as careful as when they were outside. Any possibility of trap panels on the floor or anything of the like and they would likely be dead in a minute. The further they went in the harder it became to see. Nala thought quickly and used her lightsaber to lighten the area, eventually lighting up the room they'd both come to. A large ruined room with columns collapsed all about while others were barley holding everything up around them. Rotting statues carved long ago. few cracks here-and-there where insects and other smaller animals scurried in and out. All the while Nala looked about trying to find a way forward before seeing another passage way. "This way." she said, pointing it out to Sochi. As she walked forward she suddenly stopped herself and said "Sochi....there's a trip wire right there." she pointed it out to her, and it was right in front of the passage. Looking to her she nodded before carefully stepping over.

@[member="Sochi Ru"]

 

[Akodya Mune]

"Put me down now..." She said meekly, feeling drained. As @[member="Valx Raizod"] carried her she deliberately wriggled and squirmed in his grasp, willing to be free. She wanted to walk on her own two feet, but he held her firmly, ignoring her attempts to fall on the ground. They seemed to be moving aimlessly for hours, but in reality it had only been 30 minutes max. As her strength slowly returned, Valx's seemed to leave him. The air around them began to grow thick and bad tasting, and soon enough Valx and placed her on the ground while he collapsed next to her, coughing and spluttering.

"You...shouldn't...worry about me." She said in between choking. "W-We need to get...out of this area. The forest is sick..." She said, staggering over to the blind padawan, shaking his shoulders, willing him to stand up. "Come on! we stay here, w-we die! I can walk, there...is no need to carry me...get up!" she struggled.

 

[Valx Raizod]

Valx stood to his feet, wobbling around. He retrieved a small flask of water from a pouch on his side, took a sip and then handed it to @[member="Akodya Mune"]. Valx trudged forward, slogging through the mud and muck. When all seemed to be lost, a shimmer of hope appeared. Up ahead, a clearing in the marsh. He grabbed Akodya's hand and ran forward, determined to escape this hell hole.

"Come on... Akodya, just... a little further," Valx said, exhausted.

Valx slogged through, when finally, they emerged from the swamp. The air was crisp and refreshing. He slumped to his knees and laid on the ground, breathing in the air. It was such a relief to be out of that hazy swamp. They were finally on dry land again. "Now," Valx thought, "time to find that holocron."

"Let's go. We need to move." Valx said, his breath returning.

 

[Aronis Vilgar]

@[member="Tavjurn Phil"] @[member="Miri Shorn"]

Aronis jumped to the ground, ignoring Phil's comments. They were on a small patch of land, to go anywhere meant traveling through the murky waters.

"Well, we need to figure out our general location first." Aronis replied. "Then we head for the nearest ruins and preferrably out of the swamps. The swamps could go on, well, forever really, depending on our landing spot. So our best option is to keep moving for now, who knows what we might find."

Aronis surveyed the surrounding land, all he could see was the swamp extending in every direction. They would just have to pick a direction and go.

 

[Alan]

@[member="Vexander Graves"] @[member="Rasu Gan"]


"I should be asking you, you're in my swamp, Jedi."He had to stifle back a laugh as he moved from tree to tree. He was wearing the phantom armor, making him very, very quiet. He was a great climber, being able to swing between the narrow edges and sharpened edges of the decaying limbs of older trees with relative ease. Eventually, he was on a branch between the two Jedi, and stuck his feet together. It was an old trick, swinging his legs downward to hold up his body, hanging upside down. He silently released the combat knife, tapping Vex on the shoulder. He smiled at him for a moment, before reeling himself back up, and jumping from tree-to-tree again. He eventually got lower, to where the fog would hide him. A Jedi's senses at this age were not that acute, he'd be a large blip on a very small radar due to all the lifeforms around here. Roland smiled, waiting to see if they reacted the way that he wanted.

 

[Akodya Mune]

Akodya was less then pleased when @[member="Valx Raizod"] stole her hand hand pulled her along, but at least they were out of that suffocating air. You would've thought he'd figured out by now that she didn't like unnecessary psychical contact. It made her uncomfortable for many reasons, but mostly because she didn't know how to react when it happened. Once the two arrived at the clearing the padawan snatched her hand back quickly as he fell to the ground in relief, eyes wide with confused look on her face. Why does he keep doing things like that? grabbing her hand and hugging her...Akodya swallowed hard when she thought back the incident in the medbay. The worse part was he never gave any explanation for it, or show any sign of why he did anything. He never actually talked to her at all.

Ignoring her statement about the holocron, Akodya stared at him.

"Why do you do that?" She blurted out, her frustration getting the better of her.

 

[Vexander Graves]

Whoever that person or sentient was, he consider himself a resident of the swamp... something quite odd because usually those residents would be creatures that wouldn't have the chance to talk to them... or to even have an impression of what could be dangerous for a pair of Jedi.

Vexander raised his eyebrow, the man seemed to be playing with them... look at @[member="Rasu Gan"] , he attempted to get her reaction and to know if something she could come up with something. However, a touch in his shoulder made him turn around to face the front again and that is when he saw it: the grin of a man that was mocking at him.

"What the...?" said the man as the human disappeared from view back to the trees. Vexander was now in full alert and this time reached at his lightsaber, but didn't actually ignite it... the man had a clear chance to just cut him and he wasted it? Not likely...

"I know you..." said Vex, still without being able to pinpoint the exact man or the location... his Force senses were helping him but there was something odd, telepathically, the corellian had a link with Rasu, and he had to exploit it Stay on your toes, he is taunting me and will try once again... intercept him but without dead blows

Vexander looked up to where he disappeared... but he remember the basic principle of any sniper... you take a shot and move to another unexpected location so that you do not give up your presence... perhaps the man knew a bit about him but didn't know his full military background before joining the Order, afterall, he didn't join as a youngling.

The face was something that intrigued him, he didn't managed to know who he was with the first look at it due to the head gear... but after placing his mind into it a bit, he remember who he was: the man who he was chasing at Valen, the one that fought with him and with the darksider before getting the horrible lightsaber blow that cut his left foot... he was the one that shot the darksider in the first place.

"So..." said Vex now looking at all places around him in the dense fog and ocassionally to the trees "...you didn't feel comfortable in Valen and took a swamp around here? That doesn't seem wise" Vexander tightened the grip to his lightsaber "You didn't even say good bye back then..." true, Vex was unconcious after the fight with the darksider, but he thought that he could get more information out of the man in that way.

@[member="Roland"]

 

[Rasu Gan]

Rasu's body tensed as a man appeared out of the treetops, tapping @[member="Vexander Graves"] on the shoulder and then disappeared back into the trees. Unclipping her lightsaber from her belt, she held onto it tightly, the cool metal easing her panic slightly. Searching through the leaves and branches of the native flora, Rasu tried to catch another glimpse of the man, but stopped briefly when she received a telepathic message from Vexander. Nodding her head in his direction, to show she understood, she continued her search, extending her Force awareness around the current area in an attempt to locate him that way. There were too many life-forms to distinguish each species individually, however as a Shi'ido, Rasu was able to identify different species by their bone structures and average body heat, as she had to understand them if she was to skin shift into that species. As human's were very common throughout the galaxy, the Padawan could easily identify the average body temperature of any human, making finding their stalker that much easier for Rasu. Switching to a Trandoshan, she used the infrared vision that the species was gifted with to find the yellow, orange outline that was common with warm-blooded species such as humans. Sorting through the colours that surrounded the swamp she was able to eventually identify a figure that resembled that of a human up in the tree's directly to the left of the two Padawan's. Getting Vexander's attention through the Force, she sent him the whereabouts of where she suspected the man to be present, allowing him to make the first move.


@[member="Roland"]

 

[Miri Shorn]

The flight down was horrible for the Miri Shorn, and the fact that she was trapped in a small space with boys as she freaked out. She never allowed herself to look flustered in front of boys before and here she was freaking out of her mind. She remained a tight grip on the railing inside the escape pod until finally they handed landed. The more verbal boy who had yet to tell her his name peaked his head out before dropping below, Miri took a deep breath before dropping/falling out of the escape out.

"What is our mission here?[/color]"

@Tavjurn Phil @[member="Aronis Vilgar"]

 

[Tavjurn Phil]

Team 4
@[member="Miri Shorn"] @[member="Aronis Vilgar"]

Aronis was ready to get moving. That was good. Miri seemed a bit flustered, but focused. Phil smiled underneath his helm and replied to her question,

"This is a Padawan Training Exercise. Our mission is to traverse this planet in search of a Force Holocron hidden nearby. Our weapons, and the local animals, are deadly and real. However, I sense that the Temple has sent us with safeguards. Perhaps even Jedi Knights themselves."

Phil smirked and tapped his faceplate,

"Still. Best to be prepared. Haha."

The dark-haired man rested his hands on his hips and looked to Aronis,

"Good thinking. We should get moving. It's important to remember that we can use the Force to pull us in the right direction too. When you feel you know what direction you want us all to travel? Lead on. Miri and I will be right behind you."

 

[Valx Raizod]

Valx was a very touchy-feely kind of guy, he could sense that she didn't like when he touched her, but @[member="Akodya Mune"] just didn't understand. Since he lost his sight, everything was based on touch, smell, and hearing. He couldn't help it, it was force of habit, that's not to say that he didn't love having his hands on her.

"Because Akodya...I-I," Valx stammered, "love you..."

Valx turned away, feeling his face get red. Sure he was embarrassed, knowing that she didn't reciprocate the feelings. He stood up and continued walking away from the swamp. They seriously needed to find this holocron and fast. He lifted his hood up, keeping the sunlight off of him. His white cloak shone in the bright sunlight. He could be spotted a mile away if there were actually civilized life on this planet. Valx took a bite of some jerky he had in his pouch. Sustenance was important on a barren planet such as this, where you don't know whether the flora and fauna are edible.

"Let's go," Valx said, embarrassed.