Mission [NJO Padawans] - A Cold Warning

[Sōla Taan]

Sola watched, utterly flabbergasted and a touch horrified, as Jasper Kai'el kicked at the unstable ground to open a wider hole to slip through.

“Wait, wha- stop!” Was he out of his mind?! They were just in an earthquake!

But the boy didn’t stop. He didn’t even think about it- he kicked away at the edges of the small gap and dove in.

More than just Thalia and fallen beneath the earth during the quake. Everyone else seemed to be of a mind to attempt to rescue their fellow padawans then and there. Sola was of a different mind. It wasn’t that she didn’t care- the Jedi were her family, and strange or not, these padawans were Jedi, so that made them family as well- but they were Jedi. With the Force as an ally, with a clear mind and a pure heart, surviving the caves of Ilum was no tall task. No taller than surviving the surface. Was it that they doubted their fellow’s ability to persevere, or did they fear losing them?

Corin Trenor approached the hole that Jasper had kicked open. At the very least, he seemed to be taking his responsibilities seriously- maybe too seriously. “Everyone, we’ll have to tie the rope from the climbing gear together. Either enough to get them up, or us down.”

Iris Arani ordered a couple padawans to secure any wounded and attempted telepathic contact with Kai, something Jasper might’ve been wise to try with Thalia before he threw himself into the unknown. The boy was certainly brave, and his heart had been in the right place, but Sola, in her great wisdom, would never call him wise.

One by one, the padawans took Corin their climbing gear.

"Anyone here besides me know Force jump?" the Spaz asked. "I mean all we gotta do is jump down and jump back up. You know... the whole... trust the Force padawan and all that stuff?"

Sola scowled at Justice Lesan , brows drawn tight, and folded her arms across her chest, tiny floating form radiating disapproval. She wasn't angry- more like appalled. "Trust the Force, eh? Is that what you were doing when he ran away during that terrorist attack?"

“Trenor,” Kara Jade began, “did Master Kaze mention how much time there is between quakes?”

The ground rumbled again as if in answer to her question, and the small chasm widened.

“Watch out!” Sola yelled.

If Corin and the others around him didn’t act fast, they’d be joining the others in the tunnels beneath the ground.

​

 

[Arlo Renard]

"Get out of my head Sithspawn."

Kai ignored Thalia’s comments. She was a hypocrite and misinformed to boot. Until she realized both of those facts, any retort he shot her way would be in one ear, out the other.

Iris’ voice filled his mind next, bringing with it a sense of relief. <I’m fine, what about you?>

<Thalia, Jasper, and… another kid are down here with me. There are some roots in this cavern, but otherwise nothing else to report.>

He detected a flurry of activity from above as the other Padawans rushed to rescue them. Unfortunately, some of the roots had been cut by Jasper on his way down, which was apparently the only thing keeping the ice in place. Kai leaped to his feet, running away from the resulting avalanche alongside the others. (Provided the vicious Thalia didn’t try to trip him, that is.) Rocks closed into the gap, sealing it off.

Despite how dire their situation had become, Kai’s first thought was still to warn Iris and the others of possible danger. <The roots, or vines—whatever they are, they’re alive,> he said. <Be careful. I don’t like the look of this…>

Silas Westgard Cailen Corso Valery Noble Dagon Kaze Iris Arani Hollis Orenn Inyak Yash Justice Lesan Corin Trenor Jem Fossk Gabriel Pryce Thalia Senn Sōla Taan Ichika Masudo Kara Jade Jasper Kai'el​

 

[Jem Fossk]

Jem's hand lashed out and grabbed Corin's sleeve, preventing another body from falling in. She said nothing, just raised a brow at the chaos and looked helplessly over the cavern edge.

"... grab my ankle," she sighed, as she lowered herself onto her stomach and lowered a hand down. "...Kai? See my orb? Jump up and grab my hand. Use the walls if you have to."

Corin better not let her fall in.

(I misread events, just leave me here to dangle in my misery)

 

[Iris Arani]

Living roots?

In a place this cold?

Iris's eyes widened in a form of fear. It couldn't be, right? She didn't feel any of the colors those brought, right? She stumbled back a step. Took a couple heaving breaths to get the panic welling inside under control. No, it didn't make sense. Those things didn't like the cold. Or the heat. .. Right? Pushing away the self doubt in her mind she glanced again towards Corin and Jem.

Another collapse. And a third likely on the horizon.

"Everybody back! The four below are okay, but this place is still giving out. Keep moving, find safer ground. Those who can, feel. The Force will guide us to safety. Or at least give us insight to where there might be another crack. No more having people fall in!"

Arlo Renard | Silas Westgard | Jem Fossk | Corin Trenor | Cailen Corso | Hollis Orenn | Justice Lesan | Inyak Yash | Gabriel Pryce | Jasper Kai'el | Thalia Senn | Sōla Taan | Ichika Masudo | Kara Jade | Dagon Kaze | Valery Noble | @Plsnomoretags

 

[Gabriel Pryce]

Padawan Horde: Corin Trenor | Iris Arani | Jasper Kai'el | Arlo Renard | Silas Westgard | Hollis Orenn | Justice Lesan | Jem Fossk
Knights and Masters: Dagon Kaze | Valery Noble

(I misread events, just leave me here to dangle in my misery)

The pain was clear int he Force, even to Gabe. The feeling of failure, the sudden loss of people who could have been friends. Despite what Iris said, he wondered how anyone could really survive a cave-in that bad. Gabe grimaced and pulled from Corin's death leash glare and walked over to Jem, a sympathetic look on her face as she stared out over the pit of boulders and ice. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"C'mon. We've got to keep moving," he paused. "I'm sure like Iris said they're fine...They'll find their way back to us. I'm sure the Force will bring them back to us." He tried his best to smile and offered her a hand to bring her back to the group.

Three quakes in this quick succession was not good. There was more than a disturbance in the Force going on here.

 

[Arlo Renard]

Against his better judgment, Kai actually did reach for Jem's ankle. Alas, the cave-in prevented him.

<Crap.>

appreciate it tho Jem Fossk​

 

[Corin Trenor]

That was that, then.

He started to stuff the lines back in, all with minimal effort made to ensure there was a neat order to them. Jem had since been raised out of the small crevice, off of the snow, even if an earlier version of himself would have preferred to see her fall in head first. But, that was then. This was now. Thrust into this role, tasked to force the decisions no one wanted to hear. Hell, Iris softened the blow somewhat. Better to let him be their villain than her, ultimately.

"If nothing else, we mark the coordinates and send a team in later." His voice called out for all of them to hear and marched forwards to the front once more, a hand settled over the shoulder of Gabe in order to force the teen to move beside him. Tried to run off once, that warranted extra concern. "For now, let's move on."

"Should be there soon, if there's no more delays." He commented to himself more so than anyone else, yet Gabriel could no doubt hear him.

Gabriel Pryce Iris Arani Silas Westgard Jem Fossk Justice Lesan Hollis Orenn Ariana Du Couteau Sōla Taan Inyak Yash Ichika Masudo Kara Jade

 

[Hollis Orenn]

M I S S I O N

Crevasse crew: Arlo Renard , Jasper Kai'el , Thalia Senn
Paddy Pack: Jem Fossk , Iris Arani , Silas Westgard , Corin Trenor , Kara Jade , Sōla Taan , Ichika Masudo Inyak Yash , Gabriel Pryce , Ariana Du Couteau
Nearby: Justice Lesan

She wasn't close enough to the edge of the crevasse to hear the conversations. There was a rope dangling over the side. For a moment, it looked like a young woman – Jem – was preparing to assist. Then, there was more rumbling and the sound of utter devastation below. he brought a gloved hand up to cover a gasp, staring in disbelief as the efforts to recover the others was forced to stop.

Hollis felt a bit useless. But then again, what could she do?

Now it simply wasn't safe for anyone to remain. As Iris shouted for everyone to get back, Hollis took hold of Justice's hand. "C'mon," she whispered. The other, more experienced, padawans could probably sense that their fellows down below were alive. Reassuring, yes, but the thought offered very little comfort.

 

[Ichika Masudo]

♪ Drift - Mica Levi ♪​

No sooner had she asked her questions of those nearby her, and gotten a response, that the shaking started and a crevasse opened up, swallowing some of their number. Another, for some questionable reason, had jumped right in after them, but Daisy had shuffled well clear of the opening, in a sudden jolt of panic, her eyes widening at it all. Such a thing had never happened in the days she spent with her aunt and uncle on Arkania - the ice was largely safe - but here they were, three instances of the ice's instability being expressed in so few minutes, making futile the rescue effort as the crevasse closed off again.

But as she calmed herself, she could at least feel that no-one had been truly lost. With hope, the separation would be short, but Corin Trenor was right: there was nothing they themselves could do at the moment, without unacceptable risk both to those above and below, and they needed to move on to what should be safer ground. They could come back to this, later. Despite her initial assessment of him, he still kept his head on straight, and that mattered more, especially now.

As they started moving again, she kept her eyes, ears, and senses open, and thought about what further details came to them from all of this.Roots? That didn't make sense. And what was that sound? That heat? Already her first week was turning out to be something to really write home about.

Padawan Horde: Iris Arani | Jasper Kai'el | Arlo Renard | Silas Westgard | Hollis Orenn | Justice Lesan | Jem Fossk | Gabriel Pryce | Ariana Du Couteau | Sōla Taan | Inyak Yash | Kara Jade
Knights and Masters: Dagon Kaze | Valery Noble

​

 

[Silas Westgard]

<What is your problem? ‘If I have to deal with you both, I will’? Yeah, right. You’re just a kid like the rest of us. So stop talking like you’re the boss here.>

"I'm not the boss around here, and I doubt I ever will be, but it doesn't mean I can put you two in place" he said back calmly, just before beginning to turn his head "Just be-" Silas suddenly stopped and looked around, confused as to where his fellow padawan went. That's where he noticed the hole to the left of him, one of which had consumed Arlo Renard and some others "How convenient..." he sighed out, just before peeking over the edge to look down.

It was a long way down, but all that had fallen seemed to be unharmed or suffered little injuries. If Silas was the man in charge, he would have aimed to have gotten out straight away. Yet, upon looking down would have been incredibly hard to retrieve them at this point. Silas turned his attention to Corin Trenor who pretty much said to leave them behind. Unfortunately, the kid had the right idea. If they stuck to their training down there the individuals will survive. There was no point waiting around any longer, especially when there was a mission to complete.

"Cailen, we must leave them for now. Mark their coordinates down and we'll come back for them on the way back. There's still a mission that needs to be done" he said to the boy who was preparing to go in after them "Trust me, they'll be fine. If they stick to their training and trust in the force they will be safe" Silas said reassuringly.

"<<Everyone else seems to be fine for now Iris. I'll keep moving along with Cailen and meet with you soon>>" with that, he motioned to Cailen to follow if he wishes and begins walking ahead to continue with the mission given to them.

"We cannot linger any longer..."

Iris Arani Cailen Corso Arlo Renard Corin Trenor ​

 

[Thalia Senn]

Padawan Horde: Corin Trenor | Iris Arani | Jasper Kai'el | Arlo Renard | Silas Westgard | Hollis Orenn | Justice Lesan | Jem Fossk
Knights and Masters: Dagon Kaze | Valery Noble

Thalia's blade lit the way for the group of padawans through their subterranean pathway. Now that they were past the main chamber it seemed that vines of all sizes covered the icy rock walls. How did they survive down here? Moreover, why did they constantly twitch and writhe.

"Gross," she muttered, watching a vine as thick as her arm slither between her boots and back into the ground like some massive serpant. She was trying her best to ignore Kai, but it felt like he was trying to bore a hole into her back, even though he probably wasn't and was probably just looking ahead for any danger. The other Jedi....Well he seemed a little more light-hearted than the rest of them.

More like Airsick, or worse, stormtoched. She shivered. With these two anything could happen.

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Ilum
Tags: Thalia Senn , Arlo Renard , Others...​

With the hole sealed off, they had nowhere left to go but deeper. The atmosphere was off-putting, with the roots slithering about in the darkness in a manner that made Jasper's spine chill. They were almost snake like, maybe more than plant in behavior. How they survived down here was a different question entirely. The duelist tried to keep his mind off of that, instead focusing on bypassing the interference the communicator was experiencing. No luck.

"That's strange," Jasper muttered to himself. "I can't seem to find a way to shake it. There's no way that this is the planet. It has to be a signal jammer..."

The question was, who would bother setting up a signal jammer on Ilum? It was a question that didn't have a clear answer. The Maw maybe? They would have need for the planet's kyber. Thankfully, he would have plenty of time to come up with a theory as they walked.

"This would be easier with Pyf here," Jasper sighed to himself under his breath. He wondered how the little droid was doing...

---

Pyf
Tags: Silas Westgard , Corin Trenor , Iris Arani , Cailen Corso , Others...​

"Idiot," Pyf scowled, his vocoder humming ever so slightly. "What was he thinking?"

Jump into a tectonically unstable planet? It was lunacy. Insane. Completely irrational. Unfortunately, this was also Jasper to a T, and Pyf knew it. A heart of gold always came with it's downsides. It just sucked that those downsides made the droid's life harder.

"That boy will be the death of me one day..." he sighed.

Now wasn't the time for holding grudges, however. The party needed to continue towards their objective, something Pyf was beginning to suspect was far more sinister. If the interference was the natural environment of Ilum, he would've found a way to circumvent the issue buy now. The droid turned his green eye, noticing Silas Westgard , who he recalled from his first visit to the temple as Jasper's sparring partner. He was with two others, a scarred girl and a ginger. Until he could return to Jasper's hood, they would have to do. He drifted over to the three Padawans, humming to get their attention.

"Mind if I follow you?" Pyf asked them. "My 'buddy' jumped down a hole."

 

[Cailen Corso]

A COLD WARNING
Cailen’s Training #3

Location: Jedi Temple, Ilum
Tags: Valery Noble ; Dagon Kaze ; Silas Westgard ; Iris Arani ; Jasper Kai'el
Soundtrack: Procyon

"Cailen, we must leave them for now. Mark their coordinates down and we'll come back for them on the way back. There's still a mission that needs to be done.”

Cailen pursed his lips, turning to his friend. He was about to protest, but stopped himself from doing so. Silas must’ve noticed, because he was quick to ease the Padawan’s nerves.

“Yeah… you’re right, Si. Let’s get moving,” he said, bundling the climbing rope and slipping it into his pack. As much as he hated to leave them there, he had to trust they’d be okay. Trust that the Force would lead them to safety. It had to.

For now, they had a job to do. Cailen joined Silas and the others, marching on toward their ultimate objective.

 

[Kara Jade]

Why did I have to open my mouth?

Of course, it would be Kara’s luck that a quake struck a second after she had spoken. Fortunately it was lighter than the last, unfortunately however it caused the pit to further cave in. She cursed, knowing it was now impossible to get down to the others.

It was at the very least good to know they were okay, according to the little telepathy back and forth that was going on.

"C'mon. We've got to keep moving,"

The obvious suggestion was voiced by Pryce, something of a pill Kara didn’t want to swallow. Sure, she didn’t know everyone very well, but she wasn’t one to leave comrades behind. It was unfortunately their only course of action right now, especially if they wanted to investigate and identify what was causing these quakes.

Kara turned on her heel, careful in her steps and followed behind the others. She was certainly not going to lead if they were going to focus on the Force to find a safe path forwards.

"Trust me, they'll be fine. If they stick to their training and trust in the force they will be safe"

The blonde spared Silas a glance hearing 'trust in the Force'. Kara had to instinctively stop her eyes rolling in turn. It was something she would’ve mocked before, well…before she actually became a Jedi.

“Or, we can trust in them as in you know...people. In that they might find their own way out from below.”

Valery Noble | Dagon Kaze | Iris Arani | Hollis Orenn | Inyak Yash | Justice Lesan | Arlo Renard | Jem Fossk | Jasper Kai'el | Corin Trenor | Silas Westgard | Thalia Senn | Gabriel Pryce | Ariana Du Couteau | Ichika Masudo | Cailen Corso | Sōla Taan​

 

[Jand Talo]

The precariousness of the situation couldn't be more overstated.

The increasing number of quakes was a concern, thankfully shared by the majority, which told Jand that at least people were being realistic about it. For the most part. There still remained a few that relied on the Force in a literal sense, one that Jand had never really been able to understand or get behind, but that may very well have been due to his own upbringing - and the relatively short time he had been a Padawan.

It may also be my difficulty communing with the Force.

Nonetheless, when the interior began to shake - for a third time - there was a need to move, quickly. Jand had been behind the large contingent of Padawans, keeping the rear, and began to hasten his pace as large rocks and shards began to fall. The Nagai furrowed his brow, as he kept his dark eyes upward, and stepped left and right to avoid being hit from the dropped mass.

It certainly helped that his species had impressive dexterity and reflexes.

"I believe I am the last behind the group," Jand said to those ahead, as he caught up and reached the more stable position others had found. "I will continue to watch the rear guard."

Jand then fell silent as he listened to the discussions that took place. Differing opinions, some hesitation with how to proceed, but time was not on their side. When Kara Jade spoke up, the Nagai nodded:

"I agree, we must worry about ourselves in the present circumstance," Jand said in a low voice, as he looked ahead. "We cannot do anything to help those below. Focus should be on our own survival, until we can have an opportunity to regroup with the others further along."

Valery Noble | Dagon Kaze | Iris Arani | Hollis Orenn | Inyak Yash | Justice Lesan | Arlo Renard | Jem Fossk | Jasper Kai'el | Corin Trenor | Silas Westgard | Thalia Senn | Gabriel Pryce | Ariana Du Couteau | Ichika Masudo | Cailen Corso | Sōla Taan | Kara Jade​

 

[Jem Fossk]

"Too much talking, not enough walking," Jem tossed over her shoulder. The loss of several of them had put a strain on the otherwise tame mission. She could still feel the others down below, moving with energy that suggested they were safe. Or at least still alive.

She pushed to the front and bumped shoulders with Corin Trenor , shooting him a grim, teasing look. "Have fun explaining that one to Dagon."

She was just jealous Dagon picked him and not her. Maybe she could shove him into a hole and take over-- No. She swallowed hard and turned her head forward, her skin growing ashy as shimmied down a sharp drop in the corridor. It looked like the hallway had collapsed, then had been recreated with a... with a machine or drill or something. But that didn't make sense....

"Weren't these naturally formed?"

@whoever takes my hand

 

[Arlo Renard]

They were leaving them behind. Typical. Not that there was really much the other Padawans could do, but still… it sucked.

<Oh, and Silas?> Kai’s telepathy penetrated layers of rocks to reach the boy. <After I get out of here, I’ll put you in your place. Tuangsday, five o’clock, on the roof of the Thesh-Mart in The Works. Be there.>

Having thrown down his gauntlet, Kai followed behind Thalia and Jasper as they headed deeper into the caverns. The vines were alive and slithering around them, but they hadn’t attacked yet.

He listened as Jasper complained about the signal on his comlink being jammed and the absence of his droid, Pyf. It was the closest thing to entertainment he could get down here. The cold was beginning to bother him, despite his fur coat. Hopefully they wouldn’t be stuck down here for much longer…

Silas Westgard Cailen Corso Valery Noble Dagon Kaze Iris Arani Hollis Orenn Inyak Yash Justice Lesan Jand Talo Corin Trenor Jem Fossk Gabriel Pryce Thalia Senn Sōla Taan Ichika Masudo Kara Jade Jasper Kai'el​

 

[Thalia Senn]

Padawan Horde: Corin Trenor | Iris Arani | Jasper Kai'el | Arlo Renard | Silas Westgard | Hollis Orenn | Justice Lesan | Jem Fossk
Knights and Masters: Dagon Kaze | Valery Noble

​

Drip. Drip. Drip.

"I can't seem to find a way to shake it. There's no way that this is the planet. It has to be a signal jammer..."

Thalia didn't like the sound of that. Jamming on Ilum?

"Be ready for anything," she said. "Lots of beasts live down in the caves where it's warmer." And if there were signal jammers, probably something- Or someone else and they weren't likely to be friendly.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The tunnel was quickly becoming less ice and more cold stone which surprised her. She'd always thought of Ilum as one big ball of ice. The roots were becoming more and more common as well and unlike the earlier ones had a little bit of color to them, even if that color was brown and muddy. One of the roots slithered far too close for comfort over her boot. There were lights in the distance, familiar and warm in her chest.

"A kyber cave!" The younger padawan that had fallen yipped with joy and ran off ahead of the group into the chamber. "Hey!" She was about to enter the chamber, the crystals, large and small, glimmering in the dim cavern. Something stopped her though. A sharp pain in her temples that migrated down through her eyes and to the base of her skull.

Tempest...Murrrrdererrr...

She turned sharply and glared at Kai.

"I told you to stay out of my head," she growled, saber raised offensively.

 

[Justice Lesan]

T R A I N I N G D A Y

Location: Training Room
Wearing: xxx
Weapon: xxx
Arm: xxx
Tag: Hollis Orenn | Valery Noble | Iris Arani | Dagon Kaze | Inyak Yash | Jem Fossk | Gabriel Pryce | Thalia Senn | Cailen Corso | Silas Westgard | Ichika Masudo | Ariana Du Couteau

Justice nodded when Hollis tugged on his hand and beckoned him to move on with her. His mind was busy running through the maps of the tunnels which had been etched into his mind from his studies. None of these matched them, which could only mean the quakes were changing them, or something else.

“They’re different,” he said as he followed the rest of the group.

He was still bothered by the bickering which seemed to be happening, but at least he could understand the tension between wanting to save the others and completing the mission. Inside himself he could feel it. Part of him wanted to dive into the hole after them while the rest of him was curious as to what was happening on Ilum. It was certainly not a fun position to be in, and Justice could only imagine how much more it was for their appointed leader.

He was responsible for them.

The thoughts were pushed out of his mind. Negative thinking or focusing on what Justice could not control was not going to help anyone, least of all himself. He turned and offered Hollis a smile just to make sure she was okay. What must this have been like for her? The first mission they went to, the pair got lost in a forge, now they were stuck in collapsing ice caves.

There was another small tremor. Justice squeezed the woman’s hand a little tighter. He did not want to let her go, not with uncertainty.

“There is nothing normal about this, and there is nothing of the force about this,” he said for the group to hear. “If this were a forest and we saw creatures acting frantic, leaving their homes, we would assume something was driving them out yeah… so why not here?”

It was a stretch maybe, but a logical one.

“Maybe it’s a literal disturbance.”​

 

[Silas Westgard]

“Yeah… you’re right, Si. Let’s get moving,”

"Agreed, my gut tells me we're getting heading into that's far bigger than us. Be on your guard, Cailen. Who knows what's ahead to greet us" he said to the boy, his hand gently moving the fellow padawan along in the same direction of the group.

<Oh, and Silas?> Kai’s telepathy penetrated layers of rocks to reach the boy. <After I get out of here, I’ll put you in your place. Tuangsday, five o’clock, on the roof of the Thesh-Mart in The Works. Be there.>

Silas slowly shook his head to the boy suddenly making his way into his mind as he began to move away from the hole. In all honesty, he didn't know why Arlo Renard was issuing such a challange. He was probably pissed off about the fact he was clumsy enough to fall into a hole compared to his counterpart. It wasn't his fault that he was too focused on berating rather watching his surroundings.

<<"Oh, grow up Kai.">> Silas telepathically replied back <<"Your immaturity is worse than some of the younglings the order have taken in.>>" The teen sighed and looked ahead. Valery Noble definitely wouldn't approve, but sometimes a lesson had to be learned far beyond the realm of Master and Padawan teaching.

Kai's challange was ridiculous in every word, but he wasn't the type of kid to back out of anything. For now, he'd save it until their assignment was over.