Mission &nbsp; [NJO Padawans] - A Cold Warning

Jem Fossk
Knights and Masters:

Valery Noble

The snap-hiss of Jasper's blade lit up the other side of the tunnel in its blue glow, the glow of both weapons now mingling somewhere in the middle.

"Don't patronize me, boy," she hissed at Jasper. Was he trying to enflame the situation? Thalia took a step towards the boy, a challenge in her step but a scream from the chamber beyond cut their argument short. At the same time vines slithered around Thalia's ankle and attempted to snatch the other two padawans as well. The tug was so sudden that she dropped her lightsaber, the green blade plunging the tunnel into semi-darkness, the only light coming from the crystal cavern ahead and the glow of Jasper's saber.

The was a flash of white light in Thalia's vision as her head smacked against the stone floor, her unconscious body dragged into the crystal cavern.

Corin Trenor · Jul 30, 2022

"Do I tell him three idiots fell into a hole and the dumbest one of them all dove in after them?" His voice thick with a humoured frustration while his face twisted into a sneer. He faced the mouth of the cystal cavern the Padawan strike team, as it were, arrived at to see it first seemed so normal. Undisturbed from the outside, with all the frozen ice that made the surfaces insead and the snow that was thrown in from the often unpredictable weather conditions; to vary from storm or no-storm, in either case the planet of Ilum remained thick with snow. "Yeah, maybe I will have fun with that."

"Eyes open," Corin called to those still with him as he tread forwards and into the cavernous tunnels. The crunch of snow underfoot traded out for the tap of a boot on stone and ice. It seemed as it had from the outside, at first. The crystal caves of Ilum looked to be undisturbed and untouched since all their participation the Gathering tradition, for those that had acquired their lightsaber crystal. In that moment, Corin became accutely aware that there were some still in possession of their training saber. Yet, all the same, the deeper into the caves the lot of them travelled, the less ordinary it became.

In place of the eternal sheets of ice and snow, there was stone. More and more of it. It seemed to have thawed out, melted, an unprecedented fact on a system as cold as Ilum. Especially in the caves. The air was warmer, hot even. An unnatural sense to entire sections of the tunnels. In the Force, all of them could feel it. It was an alarm, but as to what none could tell. Even as the tremors still reverberated inside.

"Yeah." He answered Jem absent-mindedly with far more focus on the area that surrounded them. His eyes shifted about, as if in the middle of a scan. "I can feel something, too. Something's very, very wrong."

Jasper Kai'el · Jul 30, 2022

Ilum
Tags:

Thalia Senn ,

Arlo Renard , Others…

Thalia Senn said:
"Don't patronize me, boy,"

As Jasper had been afraid of, Thalia went to strike him, but she didn’t get very far. A scream caught them off guard for long enough to stall the attack. Suddenly, Thalia was dragged off of her feet, knocked unconscious when her body was tossed into the wall. As she vanished into the darkness, her lightsaber’s blade extinguishing as it hit the ground, Jasper got a glimpse at what had taken her: The Vines. Worse, there were more on the way.

Jasper reacted quickly, pulling Thalia’s lightsaber to his hand and cleaving through the vines intent on dragging away him and Kai to wherever the other two Padawans had been taken. The severed vines shot back into the darkness, giving only a moment of clarity. Jasper, of course, didn’t need clarity. He was running towards whatever had taken Thalia and the other boy with no hesitation. The only question was if he would be going alone or not.

“I don’t know what that thing is,” Jasper began with a frown, “But I’m going after it. Are you with me?”

Iris Arani · Jul 30, 2022

Things were wrong. People were in danger below. Iris's gaze shifted down as the colors took on a panicked hue. Kai. The others. Danger. Fear. Pain. Her eyes narrowed. Whatever they were facing, there was no chance to help them, not yet. They needed to get farther down. She took a breath, trying to calm her thoughts. Trying to relax. Breath. Focus. Scan through the colors, find a way down. Find-

She blinked.

"They're gone. The crystals. They're gone."

Jand Talo |

Kara Jade

Kara Jade · Jul 30, 2022

Kara had heard stories about the crystal caves on Ilum, albeit they were from a ‘mercantile’ viewpoint. Of these sprawling caverns filled with dazzling crystals, split between various colours and shapes. She knew the Jedi cherished them, Sith loved to deprive the Jedi of them, and third parties sought them for the highest bidder.

So an odd feeling stirred in the young woman’s chest. Having heard a few of the other Padawans talking about the crystals. Typically, they’d travel here with a Master or two to find their own, to eventually be used in their own lightsaber.

Today just seemed to be an opportune time to get ahead of that.

Unfortunately however, it appeared they’d all be out of luck.

Iris Arani said:
"They're gone. The crystals. They're gone."

Iris was the one who voiced the observation everyone was going to swiftly reach. There wasn’t a crystal in sight, not a single one. Kara frowned as she walked deeper, taking note of the same thing Corin had. The deeper in, the less snow and ice there was. Sure, the cavern entrance was at the whim of Ilum’s weather. But as far as Kara was aware, the tunnels should be just as equally snow covered.

Kara pulled her hood back, followed by tugging her face mask down to her chin. She sighed, closing her eyes and focused on the warmth hitting her. It was an oddity, but something she wasn’t going to dismiss after having trekked across Ilum’s icy terrain.

But then it pulsed, just like it had earlier with the quakes. In an almost rhythmic pattern, almost like-

“Machinery…” she murmured quietly. Kara’s eyes snapped open, looking around at the others. “The heat, it’s from machines! Deeper within the cavern.”

Which meant only one thing in Kara’s mind.

They weren’t alone.

Jand Talo

Arlo Renard · Jul 30, 2022

Thalia actually tried to attack Jasper. Kai wished he was surprised. But before she could make a move, she was knocked unconscious and dragged away by the vines.

It happened fast, too fast for either Kai or Jasper to properly react. As Jasper opted to follow the vines, Kai, his lightsaber activated in his hand, silently groaned. <Fine.>

While he ran, he tried to reach the others at the surface with his telepathy. He called out to Iris, to Silas, even to Corin, but their presences were beginning to feel insurmountably distant, the connection between them weakening. Things were going from bad to worse.

Jasper Kai'el

Hollis Orenn · Jul 30, 2022

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

Hand in hand with Justice, Hollis walked towards the caves up ahead. Unlike her normal cheerful self, her brow was furrowed and her expression quite solemn. The excitement of beginning a mission had dissolved into the very real possibility that some of their fellow padawans were lost in the tunnels below. It all hit home for Hollis; this was very serious.

She was thankful for Justice at her side, and she held a little tighter to his hand when there was another tremor. Taking in their surroundings, it looked like an ordinary cave – there were marks along the ground as if something had scraped through. Hollis hadn't seen the crystal caves in person before, but she'd seen a holo-image before the trip out to Ilum. This was... off.

And it wasn't until Iris spoke up that Hollis realized why... the crystals were gone.

Kara spoke up, too – and her revelation that machinery was likely the culprit. Of course, Hollis was the novice here. She didn't have the experience to draw from. Leaning close to Justice, she whispered, "this isn't good... is it?" Everything pointed to no. But Hollis held out a little hope that maybe things weren't as bad as they seemed. "What does it mean?"

Thalia Senn · Jul 30, 2022

Padawan Horde:

Jem Fossk
Knights and Masters:

Valery Noble

The cavern was vast, filled with kyberite glowing with veins of kyber and huge clusters of kyber, far larger than any used to power a lightsaber. It was still cool in the chamber but not nearly as cold as outside or back down the tunnel. There was no ice and the walls were covered in vines leading to a central point. A humanoid shape rested at the center of the cluster, their eyes closed, and what passed for their skin ashen and cracked like the bark of an old tree. The cluster seemed to pulsate, a vibrant turquoise light shining from between the gaps in the foliage.

The vines shivered and lowered Thalia and the other padawan into view several meters above the ground, taunting the Jedi. The boy's eyes cracked open and he spoke, but the voice was not the voice of a little boy.

"For hundreds of years I have protected this planet from those that would seek to follow the path of the Sith," the boy's voice thundered in the chamber. "Now, even the Jedi have betrayed me after all that I have sacrificed. You peel away the ice and stone and plunder my children from the walls of my home. Not for the noble building of a Knight of the Light's sacred blade, but for plunder. Drilling and drilling and cracking and stealing."

It brought Thalia forth and her eyes cracked open as the boy slumped.

"Never did I think the Order I gave my life to serve in the way that only I could attack our own sacred world. Steal the bounty the Force deemed us worthy to partake. Plunder the outer caves if you must, but all on this world will die before the Keystone is taken. It will be pulled from my cold, dead vines if it must be so!" The cavern rumbled as wooden pods burst through the stone floor and burst, leaving thick pollen in the air. It wasn't poisonous but what spilled from the pods were monsters of wood and foliage. They varied in size and shape but they all had caping maws filled with razor-sharp wooden teeth. Their tongues were made of prickly needles and their thorn-covered tentacles flailed about like a hungry rathtar's. From somewhere inside of the monsters a kyber crystal shone brightly in various colors. The Neti dropped Thalia and the boy and in moments they were both groaning and attempting to stand. When Thalia realized what was happening she instinctively reached for her lightsaber and found an empty slot. The Neti's eyes finally cracked open, revealing two milky white eyes, its eyes locking with each Padawans'.

"It seems that I was wise to abandon the ways of the Order. The Bendu is truly the best path to a true balance in this life. This world does not belong to the Jedi any longer." The voice was sad, almost regretful as he spoke.

"Protect the Keystone! Destroy the Jedi and their machines!"

"What in the twelve seas are these things?" She shouted at no one in particular. The cavern rumbled again and one of the walls gave way to another set of tunnels. There were too many monsters. She swallowed. "Anyone else wishing to see the light of another day?" She said, backing up towards the other Padawans.

Jasper Kai'el · Jul 30, 2022

Ilum
Tags:

Thalia Senn ,

Arlo Renard , Others...

Thalia Senn said:
"It seems that I was wise to abandon the ways of the Order. The Bendu is truly the best path to a true balance in this life. This world does not belong to the Jedi any longer." The voice was sad, almost regretful as he spoke.

"Protect the Keystone! Destroy the Jedi and their machines!"

Jasper rushed into the chamber just in time to hear the plant creature say this, as well as watch wooden creatures with kyber crystals in their chest burst out of the walls. These creatures were clearly going to attack, but Jasper couldn't find it in him to fend them off by blade, especially after hearing the sorrow in the voice of whatever was ordering the wooden creatures. He simply turned off the blades in his hands. Again, the walls began to crumble, revealing yet another tunnel.

Thalia Senn said:
"What in the twelve seas are these things?" She shouted at no one in particular. The cavern rumbled again and one of the walls gave way to another set of tunnels. There were too many monsters. She swallowed. "Anyone else wishing to see the light of another day?"

"I have a plan," Jasper told them. It was kind of off-the-cuff, but it was better than nothing. He paused, handing Thalia her lightsaber. "You dropped this by the way."

Jasper lingered on the Neti's words for a while. They stuck with him more than even the mention of machinery. As far as this creature was concerned, it had been betrayed. Even if the Jedi had not been the cause of the Ilum's kyber being stolen, Jasper still felt somewhat responsible for the confusion the creature felt. He had just cut off a few of it's limbs, after all, making the being believe it was under attack even more so.

"Hey!" Jasper shouted, hoping the Neti would listen. "I'm sorry that things are confusing right now. I don't understand what's going on either... But I'll get back the Kyber that was taken from you, even if I have to fight the Jedi to get it. Of that I give my word. I just can't do that if you kill us. I'm sorry."

Jasper mustered every bit of strength he could, opening his mind to the planet. His connection was weaker than most, there was no doubt about this fact, but that couldn't be an excuse anymore, not after he had set his mind on getting back the kyber. With every fiber of his being, Jasper pulled down on a loose stone in the roof of the cavern, which had been made unsecure by the quakes. The boulder was brought down in-between them and the creatures, blocking their advance ever so slightly. Thankfully, the stone wasn't load bearing, but the gap left in the ceiling would definitely leave it unstable if another quake were to occur. Jasper was visibly winded, clearly over exerting himself to pull off what he thought was, admittedly, a mediocre feat.

"We have to go before the next quake," Jasper told them. "Call me stupid later. There's no time."

Jand Talo · Jul 30, 2022

Jand listened as the group in the upper tunnel spoke, the situation revealed through estimation and guesswork.

A lot of it made sense, the evidence was there, and it was obvious that the kyber crystals were missing, once attention had been brought to that fact by Iris. There were also additional quakes, and once more progress had been made down the tunnel, an underlying vibration could be felt. Not to mention the increased heat, which apparently wasn't common to the tunnel system at all, though Jand wouldn't have noticed that fact - it wasn't like he had much information about Ilum beyond the rudimentary.

Kara pointed out the presence of machinery, deeper down.

"Missing crystals, drilling machinery, disruption to the ecosystem," Jand muttered, as he looked to the other Padawans. "Strip-mining?"

And if the reactions to the situation were anything to go by, it wasn't the Jedi who were responsible.

"If there is machinery," Jand said. "It stands to reason there are technicians. And guards."

Jand reached down to his belt and pulled the lightsaber free from the clip; it wasn't his own weapon, it had been loaned to him by the Order, until such time he could craft his own. Yet, the lightsaber was perfectly functional and did what was required, it provided the Nagai a weapon that wasn't too dissimilar to those used by his species throughout their lives, so it felt comfortable to wield.

The weapon remained held, ready, but otherwise not ignited.

Not yet.

For all the trouble and obstacle surrounding Jand's use of the Force, his limited sensation of connection, other aspects - like combat and battle - came easily to him.

It was part of his culture.

"I recommend anticipating engagement."

Kara Jade

Ariana Du Couteau · Jul 31, 2022

Ariana Du Couteau, Jedi Padawan
Location: Ilum, Crystal Caverns
Action: Ready to Fight/Protect from another Quake
Outfit (Minus the right arm)

Ariana tentatively looked at the ground below her feet, and gingerly she tapped the icey floor with her left foot. It was rather strange that whoever excavated the cavern would have missed the obvious signs of instability. Clearly those people wouldn’t have been this inept, nor malicious towards Jedi. Ariana mused as she kept herself focused for any shifting movements of the ground below. Unlike whenever she entered sparring matches, she often felt like possessed a dancer’s grace; but when it came to anything else Ariana would catch herself stumbling at random times.

And to juggle the seismic shift phenomenon and group dynamics? Ariana looked between the others that remained on the above floor of the cavern. As the group continued to move deeper into the caverns, the young Du Couteau maintained a perplexed expression beneath her helmet. Arguments, Ego Clashes and other assorted pride fights were commonplace among the Nobles of Teta. The experience was certainly, in Ariana’s words, ‘an experience’, and to see something akin to it with the young Padawans among the group was a bit concerning.

The mission that the Padawans were set upon was to discover the disturbances and increasing hostility sensed within the caverns of Ilum. The increasing hostility part was certainly correct, and as Ariana walked alongside the rest of the Padawans, she began agitated by a sense of dread. One that reminded her when she had lost her arm back on Teta.

Iris’s voice broke through Ariana’s thoughts, her words were filled with a sense of similar dread of her own. If there was another group running around the caverns, then their own self preservation was lacking, with the instability caused by the crystal mining and all. But, what if they already left? The worry grew into a fear as Ariana looked above and around herself, her left hand tentatively ready to stretch-out and generate a Force bubble if needed.

“We have to be careful with engagement with any unknown beings lurking within the caves, if they planned to collapse the caverns after securing the crystals then expediting our exit and the other half of our group’s rescue will be needed.” Ariana briefly explained her worries, not so much to give ideas but an outlet to compartmentalize her fears.

||

Jand Talo ||

Corin Trenor · Aug 1, 2022

In the vast network of tunnels of the once-crystal laden caverns, since reduced to no more than barren and brown stone with the scarce few pooled puddles of the remains secluded into the low end corners, distant voices reverberated. Incomprehensible, muffled words. But words all the same with a notable Imperial accent attached to the pronunciation of what was said. The tremors continued to run rampant within, to shake and rock the Padawans as much as it had the tunnels that housed them - rocks had become dislodged and fallen, but par the course for an operation of this magnitude.

Corin made his efforts to guide them forwards as daylight bended around the corners, the once distant voices became clear with their insigificant chatter. Idle conversation in a brief moment of reprieve from the tremors, before what originated them blasted once more. It whirred with the crunch of a thousand stones, and as the strike team rounded the corner and found themselves positioned onto a ledge some distance from any individual, it was revealed to them. A hollow chamber nearly the width of the entire mountain range, a scar buried deep into the surface of Ilum in a perfectly rectangular trench that stretched on for as far as the eye could see. Fleets of drills mined at the remnants of the kyber caves, with large compartments that swallowed minerals whole.

Situated on their secluded ledge, near dead-centre in the middle of the trench's wall as it measured far above and below them, Imperial Stormtroopers could be seen on all levels. Positioned on ledges of their own, behind the viewports of the drills, on speeders that zoomed inside the hollow trench, and in walkers both retrofitted and the stock standard. But there was a clear primary platform, large than any other drill, no matter how mobile, which contained what seemed to be it's own garrison aboard it.

"Get down." Corin loudly whispered as he threw himself onto the stone flooring with the wave of his hand and behind the low mismatched wall of rocks that lined the edge of the ravine. His eyes peered over to witness as much as he could, thrown into an almost stunned silence as he shut his mouth in observation.

Jem Fossk · Aug 1, 2022

Disbelief hissed through Jem's teeth, her nostrils flaring as she ducked behind the wall like a shadow in the sunlight.

"Imperials..." She cursed, almond eyes almost round as she watched their movements from their concealed edge. There wasn't much room for anyone else to see and she didn't make space for them. The masters needed to know about this. Every inch of it. Corin wasn't the only one committing it to memory.

She whispered what they were likely all thinking. "What the hell are they doing with our kyber?"

Iris Arani · Aug 1, 2022

Imperials. The missing crystals.

"Strip mining. Like the old wars. Like Jedha." Iris actually paid attention to history classes, here and there. Surprising. Her eyes narrowed as she glanced through, trying to find the colors she'd missed. So many more colors. Stormtroopers. Imperials. Her hand fell to her blade.

"We need to leave. Get the younger ones out. We need to go." She practically hissed her words in a whisper to Corin. He was in charge, right? Still? Yeah, they had to follow him, at least for now. These were a threat, not something simple. Actual danger. Her gaze shifted towards the others. Silas. Cailen.

"We go back the way we came. Get to the ship. Leave and call the Alliance. They're probably jamming communications."

Corin Trenor | @Others2many2tag

Kara Jade · Aug 1, 2022

That bad feeling in the pit of her stomach grew more apparent the deeper they went. Kara followed behind Corin and Jem as the group pressed on. New voices started to peek out amongst the rumble and shaking of machinery, growing increasingly louder. Indistinguishable at first, but there was no mistaking that Imperial accent.

Kara had been through one too many checkpoints in New Imperial space to not pick up on it.

But she opted to remain quiet, rather than revealing that knowledge. Stealth was paramount right now, at least until they could gauge what exactly was going on here. The answer was soon answered, as the group found themselves stepping out onto a ledge. Kara refrained from whistling, impressed at the size of the operation going on before her eyes.

Corin whispered an order, and the blonde didn’t hesitate to follow and fell to the ground swiftly. Far too curious for her own good, Kara crawled up to the edge, carefully taking a peek for herself.

“What are the NIO doing here?” It was a rhetorical question, given the vast mining operation before them. Iris’ initial words resonated with Kara, who nodded in response. “An operation this big, collecting kyber in mass? They’re planning something.”

Kara frowned though when the brunette mentioned the communication jamming. “Our communications were being jammed not long after we departed the Temple, remember? Master Kaze was cut off.” Which didn’t exactly give them many other options, other than what Iris had suggested. But then a moment sprung to mind, recalling back to when some of their fellow Padawans had fallen.

“Iris, you have telepathy right? Can’t you like…stretch that out and try to send a message to Master Noble back at the Temple?”

That was something Jedi could do, couldn’t they? Kara wasn’t sure, not was she on how capable Iris was with that skill. The blonde cursed quietly, her brain awhirl trying to figure out how they could get a message out sooner rather than later.

“Wait!” She hissed out in a whisper, quickly shuffling onto her side. Kara rifled through her pockets until she pulled out a datapad, one that Valery had provided the group before they had set out. “These have emergency codes right? Maybe they can get through?” She posed the question, not giving much time for anyone to answer before she made an attempt.

Jade to Noble. Cave is Impfested.

Jand Talo

Jand Talo · Aug 1, 2022

The mining operation was considerable.

Imperials were everywhere, with numerous stations and setups for the purpose, which was strip-mining the kyber crystals. It had been at the foremost of Jand's guesses back along the cavern tunnel, and was confirmed in stark obviousness with the present situation. Corin had called for everyone to seek cover, to avoid notice, which was followed by Jem asking about the operation and Iris voicing the realization of the Imperial's efforts.

Jand narrowed his dark eyes, as he began to assess the layout of the Imperial mining platforms. If they were to fight, it would need to be quiet, and in such a way that ambush was utilized in the most effective way. If there was time to observe, Jand felt confident he could begin to recognize patrol patterns and formulate strategic approaches. But, his eyes glanced toward Kara, as she brought out a datapad and mentioned emergency communications--

"No, wait!"

--to which Jand hissed and tried to reach out and stop the other Padawan from activating the comlink function. He only hoped he was successful, even as he shuffled across and closer, so he could explain in a low voice:

"Emergency communications tend to use burst transmission, which punches through jamming, and doing that could give away our presence."

Kara Jade

Hal Vaiken · Aug 2, 2022

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Shink.

Shink.

Shink.

The vibroblade slid against the stormtrooper's vambrance in perfect rhythm, honing the razor-sharp edge.

Like a butcher readying for slaughter.

He stepped out from the shadows, the cold gaze of his visor locked in with the hidden trespassers.

Shink.

Shink.

Shink.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... like rats -- always snooping around where they shouldn't be." the sergeant spoke plainly. "Shame you'll have to die so young, Jedi. And for what? Some crystals? Tsk."

Shink.

Shink.

"SCAR Squadron, each one of you owes me a hundred Jedi scalps--" he called out to those behind him.

Shink--

"Might as well start collecting now."

To be Continued...

SCAR:

Kelinna Tryn |

Margo Liaeris |

Castor E-196 |

Enigma Actual |

Katja Javik
SCALPS: