Paradise Snare

[Aida Aquila]

​

A scene from the past...​

​

Aida Aquila sat silently, hands folded placidly in her lap. A new mission had her en route to Ylesia, a world with a very dark secret. Friendly forces in the area had given her use of a transport, a pilot, and even an A-Wing escort. It was more than she was used to, and perhaps more than was necessary. However, there was a small inkling of a feeling... something deep inside that told her otherwise. Blue eyes shifted to the side, finding the fighter painted with hues of dark green.

A quiet smile formed on her lips.

Yes, this was what she'd felt – him. The young man that had been assigned to give her transport an extra measure of protection, he was certainly more than just a pilot. Aida turned her gaze forward once more, watching as the vibrant tropical planet came into view.

“Please take me down to these coordinates,” She spoke to the man piloting her transport, and provided him with the coordinates that had been provided to her by a scout. “Once we land, I shall require a word with our escort – we may encounter trouble on the way out.”

Aida watched as the man nodded and transmitted the information to the A-wing.

Their landing spot was far from civilization, a platform of flat rock that overlooked the shore. From her view port, she could already see the blue splendor of the ocean waves, and the brilliant greens of the jungle flora. Aida stood, a graceful robe of white draped along her tall form. It was a breezy outfit, one that a woman on vacation might wear... or a pilgrim.

She stepped to the edge of the ramp when it lowered, the warm breeze whispered. Her brows lofted slightly, and Aida's eyes took in the landscape set out before her.

Paradise...


[member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

Before the Jedi, Before the Force, he was just… Cassius.​

Cassius’s green-painted RZ-1 A-wing interceptor drifted past white puffy clouds into clear skies. It kept a good distance from the U-55 Loadlifter transport, so that both could make maneuvers on the fly without interfering with one another. For what was probably the umpteenth time, the young pilot checked weather radar and scanners. Nothing, as far as the eye could see. Well, nothing hostile, anyway. Taking a deep breath, Cassius allowed himself to relax and settle into his cockpit a little bit.

Having only been an active duty member of the Rinn Starfighter Corps for about a year, he’d already flown countless missions. A lot of them were escorts just like this one, only he was usually buzzing around a much larger craft. He’d even seen combat by this point, quite a few times – pirates were always looking for a weak link in order to steal cargo.

This wasn’t a typical escort mission, though. They were taking a Jedi Master to Ylesia, a planet he’d only been to a few times, despite it being so close to home. Usually, it was a vacation spot for the pilots and crews, but occasionally, they’d chase away some pirates or smugglers.

The Jedi were still a foreign concept to him. Sure, he knew what they were, but he still didn’t understand them. They wielded the Force, some sort of magical force field that was apparently in everything. Although there was plenty of historical data to back this up, Cassius still had trouble believing it. Like his engineer parents, he was a very visual learner – he had to see it to believe it.

Eventually, they settled down near the coastline, and Cassius landed close by. Opening the canopy, Cassius climbed out, giving out a slight grunt as he was able to stretch his legs. He still wasn’t sure exactly why they were here, but he’d packed a small bag just in case it was for a longer trip than he thought.

He saw the Jedi as she descended from the ramp, in simple clothing. Hard to believe that someone like that could be some sort of all-powerful space wizard.

[member="Aida Aquila"]

 

[Aida Aquila]

Blue eyes settled on the young man that approached, her escort pilot. A breath of fresh air, she mused quietly. There was a raw, untamed quality to his presence – the mark of someone that lacked training in the ways of the force. It was quite a special thing to come across someone like this. Aida wondered if he even knew...

Meeting him at the bottom of the ramp, she gave a respectful bow of her head.

“Thank you for getting me here safely,” She started, placing the palm of her hand over her heart. “If you will walk with me, I shall fill you in on the situation.”

Aida wasted no time, having spotted the small pack on his shoulder. Little did he know, the young man was about to be recruited to help with her mission. Of course, she was quite used to working alone, but she would not turn away extra help – and this would also give her the opportunity to get a feel for this pilot's skills.

Her intuition whispered, and she listened well. Glancing sidelong at the blond man beside her, she had a very good feeling. There was... potential, she would simply leave it at that for now.

“This world, Ylsesia, is not what it seems.” Her eyes shifted to the splendor that stretched out before them, and the jungle that waited. “There is a troubling power at work here. It ensnares the minds of visitors and religious pilgrims... once they set foot in the jungle, they are unable to leave of their own will.”

A slight smile tugged her cheek.

“My name is Aida Aquila, and you are?” She paused, turning towards him for a moment. “Will you accompany me on this journey?”

[member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

As Cassius walked up to the woman, his mind raced as to how to greet her properly. Instinctively, his hand almost came up for a typical handshake, but he paused. Mystic types didn’t exactly shake hands, did they? They mostly bowed, probably… at least, that’s what he read in the limited selection of data-tapes that were available at the colony on Rinn. His hand went to his hip and he merely nodded at her as she addressed him.

“Sure, no problem,” Cassius said, and fell into step next to her as she began to walk. Already, he began to wonder why he was being informed of such a thing. Usually, he flew somewhere, helped with a pick-up or drop-off, and flew back. He wasn’t exactly experienced with matters on the ground. Sure, he had some survival training and blaster practice, but that was just in case he had crashed in hostile territory.

And yet, something about this didn’t seem so weird. It felt natural – maybe it was something the Jedi was doing, or maybe he was just always up for helping people. As she explained what they were up against, though, Cassius began to stare into the jungle depths. Unable to leave on their own free will? What did that even mean? His eyes were transfixed, glazed over as he thought about it in his head. He knew that weirder things in the galaxy existed – he’d read about them. However, as the son of two engineers, he always had trouble believing it, and had never experienced something like that for himself.

Her proper introduction snapped him out of his thoughts. Aida Aquila. “Cassius Droma,” he said, nodding to her. “Lieutenant Cassius Droma, if you care about that sort of thing.” Something told him she wouldn’t.

“And yeah, I’m in,” he said. With a pack of gear and a blaster strapped to his thigh, he was probably ready for anything.

[member="Aida Aquila"]

 

[Aida Aquila]

Aida's eyes remained on Cassius for a moment longer, and she gave a bow of her head at his introduction. “Well met,” She replied. Ranks generally meant little to the the traveling Jedi. For she had discovered that many titles were just that... titles, they were not a limit to a person's ability or skill by any means.

“Good to hear,” She said, blue eyes glinting slightly. “We should keep moving.”

Introductions complete, she felt better to continue the trek knowing a bit about the young man traveling at her side. Of course, even Aida herself was unsure as to what awaited them in the heart of the jungle, but she made a silent vow to keep her new companion safe. Aida generally liked to keep up an air of mystery, but she realized that keeping Cassius in the dark would do them no favors this day.

“It is rumored,” She said, parting some jungle foliage to clear a path. “That there are spice mines hidden near here. From what I understand, there does seem to be a connection between the pilgrims and the mines – just what that connection is, it is my hope that we can uncover that information.”

Though words she was about to speak were quite serious, there was an eerie calm written on her face. Glancing sidelong, she looked at Cassius.

“It will be dangerous.”

And, as if on cue, a low rumble sounded in the distance. Perhaps a Ylesian beast, a reek was stalking them. Or perhaps it was something far more sinister. Pushing through the brush, she offered Cassius a serene smile.

“Though, I have a feeling that you're no stranger to such situations – being a pilot out in this end of space.”

[member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius began to duck and weave around the thick foliage as they made their way into the jungle. His eyes were constantly scanning, looking for anything that could harm them. This was certainly different to flying out in space – in the black nothingness, there was nowhere for anything to hide from you. In here, though… who knew what lurked behind the trees and leaves? In hindsight, he should have brought something that would cut down the foliage in their way.

He cocked an eyebrow as Aida further explained their mission, telling him of the spice mines. “Maybe… maybe those being ‘trapped’ in the jungle are really just being kidnapped for labor?” the young pilot theorized, dipping low under a large leaf. It made more sense to him than some sort of mystical thing ensnaring the people that came here. Now the mission seemed a little clearer – recon the area, find out as much as they could about this spice mine, and tell the local forces about it. It was a mission he’d done a few times before.

That is, if everything went according to plan. Something felt different about this, that was for sure.

As the droning moan came through the jungle, Cassius’s hand instinctively slid towards the A180 blaster on his thigh. His pulse began to quicken a little bit – he was a little out of his element here. Aida made a comment about his experience with danger, and Cassius gave a bit of a chuckle to help alleviate some of the tension.

“I suppose… this certainly isn’t my first rodeo…” he muttered. As they continued for a little bit, Cassius caught a whiff of something. He paused for a moment, inhaling the thick, jungle air. “Spice,” he said. It was a smell he could unfortunately identify, due to prior time on some unscrupulous space stations.

[member="Aida Aquila"]

 

[Aida Aquila]

Aida gave a nod to Cassius, his theory was likely correct. Still, she was not completely sure if the pilgrims that ventured here were simply held by fear... or if there was something else at play. There had been no reports of escaped slaves from this world, which had initially made her hesitant. However, the strange stories – most of which had come from shady characters – was too much to ignore.

“Good,” She said, again fixing the young man in a sidelong glance.

Taking in a breath herself, she could certainly catch the scent on the air as well. And, there was a humming in the Force, a feeling that told her of heartbeats. They were getting close indeed.

“I sense the presence of many nearby.” Aida noted aloud, her blue eyes focused forward.

As the pair continued, Aida grew careful about the path she traveled through the jungle brush. Her movements lithe, graceful even. It soon became clear that they were nearing an encampment of some kind, makeshift quarters and... the mine. The people here were alive, but they moved slowly, and their eyes looked glazed over.

A group of slaves began to move past. Aida nodded in their direction, and then looked to Cassius. A brow rose ever slightly, a tiny signal to move. Using the force, she reached out to brush against the minds of the slaves... but something was not right.

“There is a strange power at work here...” Aida said, “It is as if their minds are closed to me.”

All around, the slaves milled about, completing their day's work without question or complaint.
[member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

Cassius kept low to the ground as they moved across the jungle, ducking under leaves and carefully stepping over downed trees. With the camp in sight, Cassius moved even slower, drawing his blaster and setting it to stun. Luckily, his green jumpsuit helped him blend in with his surroundings somewhat, but they wouldn’t fool things like sensor grids and perimeter defenses.

They were next to a path that led to a small landing pad, presumably where a freighter would come by to pick up the spice for shipment. A group passed, and Cassius pressed low to the ground, his eyes transfixed on the slaves as they shuffled by. They all stepped in line with each other, exactly at the same time. They were reminiscent of insects, carrying food to their hive.

“It’s like… they don’t even have a will of their own,” Cassius whispered. This was like something out of a holofilm – like some sort of mind control. Did that sort of thing even exist? Cassius wondered if the slaves would even respond if they revealed themselves, but he decided not to test that theory.

Overhead, the low hum of starship engines became louder until he could see a freighter peaking over the treetops – a Barloz-class heavy freighter. It was an extremely old design, but one that proved to be reliable over the centuries. It hovered over the landing site for a moment before touching down, its landing gear locking into place.

[member="Aida Aquila"]

 

[Aida Aquila]

Focused deeply as she was, Aida nearly missed the hum of a ship. Her eyes turned skyward, barely catching the freighter as it sank down beneath the canopy. If her intuition was right, perhaps this was a new batch of pilgrims.

In the distance, at the base of the mountain stood an altar. Even from their current position, she could tell it held some importance – unlike the rest of the compound it was heavily decorated. And, a strange creature soon took to the 'stage.' It reminded her somewhat of a Hutt, but this was something she'd never seen before.

As the creature drew a breath and pushed it out, a humming vibration was sent through the air. It was as if it was warming up, much like a singer about to put on a performance. But, this strange sound shook Aida to the core, and she could see that it had some effect on the slaves. Her fingers lingered near a delicate silver chain around her neck, and she lifted it over her head – a star-like set of crystals gleamed.

“Put this on,” She said, holding it out to Cassius. “It will protect your mind. I can hold my own.”

Her blue eyes flickered towards the altar.

“Let us join the crowd,” She nodded, watching as the slaves began to congregate. “Act as they do.”

[member="Cassius Droma"]

 

[Cassius Droma]

The large thing that took the stage on the altar wasn’t like anything Cassius had ever seen. It looked sentient in the way that it moved and carried itself, but it appeared like a wild animal. If someone had told Cassius that it was some sort of cross-breed between a reek and a Hutt, he’d believe them. It had massive trunks and a horn protruding from its forehead, and a gaping mouth filled with sharp teeth. The sound that emanated from it made Cassius’s teeth vibrate against each other for a moment.

He looked at the necklace that the Jedi offered him. Raising an eyebrow, he took it in his hand, inspecting it for a moment. Whatever was going on here, the Jedi would know about the strange and mystical more than he would, so he obliged. He tucked the necklace under his flight suit, as he didn’t want it jangling around and coming off if they needed to run.

The crowd of new recruits coming from the freighter were passing at just the right time. The two infiltrators easily fell into step. Since these people were fresh, they were still wearing clothes of all kinds, so a fighter pilot and a woman in flowing robes were able to fit right in. There was no talking as they made their way to the altar – everyone stared dead ahead. Cassius had to fight the urge to not look around at everyone.

[member="Aida Aquila"]