Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Mission Rotten Core

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D E A D M A N
XA FEL | SLAVE CAMP PERIMETER
MISSION VIDE CONTINUUM SERVUS VERSO || TASK FORCE NULL

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"That is why we're doing what we can today."

Pyke scoffed as he crouched alongside the Jedi, the two of them heavily obscured by the foliage. As he peered into the camp, his eyes lit up with cybernetic flickering. Interfaces and symbols began to write themselves onto the feed received by his optical nerve, marking out different strategic details of the camp's layout by what could be gathered from his limited perspective through the breach in the wall. Before a full analysis could be compiled, however, Pyke was distracted by the dead-ahead scene of the slave being caught by one of his handlers.

An elbow jutted to the side to nudge Xashe's arm, the offending limb following through to raise forward, finger indicating the happening before them. "That?" he contended in regard to her previous declaration, condescension clear in his voice. "Yeah, I bet you feel real helpful."

Why didn't anyone ever listen?

A wince contorted across Pyke's face when the guard seized the slave. "Well... he's fucked," he observed impudently. Quickly, his head snapped to the side to see the Jedi reaching for her weapon. "Hey!" he whispered sharply. "This ain't the time to stack fuckups atop one another. Let it go before you get us all knee-deep in something we're supposed to stay out of."




ALLIES | GADF | NJO | SLAVES | Cordé Sabo Cordé Sabo Xashe Tistya Xashe Tistya Nyla Ven Nyla Ven | OPEN
ENEMIES | BROTHERHOOD OF THE MAW | Joseph Torson Joseph Torson
 


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Tag: Jasper Kai'el Jasper Kai'el | Maran Maran

Dreidi watched as the other two Jedi wandered off to help the mother with her son. Looking around, she wasn't sure she should be left alone with all these people to help since she had no clue how to best help them. Hand out supplies was the idea but what if something kicked off? Or something terrible happened? Or she needed to make a decision about attacking some danger or just fleeing? Could she make the right calls. This was a little out of her depth, especially since she was questioning her instincts and years of Sith influence on what she perceived as Jedi actions.

Sighing as she watched the pair disappear from site, Dreidi knew that she had to figure out how to cope on her own. Handing out the supplies, she just kept reminding herself that she was here to do good, to help people and allow them to live better lives. She just had to focus on those goals and things could be alright.

As she turned to grab some more supplies from a crate to hand out, two guys started shoving each other and shouting loudly about queue jumping. With these people having suffered for so long and pretty darn hungry, it made sense that they feared rations would run out while they were still in need of food. Dreidi breathed in deeply, trying to think on the best way to approach it.

"Hey. Don't fight, there is still plenty of rations to go. There is no need to jump the queue and you need to conserve your strengths and work together not fighting amongst yourselves." Dreidi said as she tried to offer a calm, gentle presence to the heightened emotions of the people suffering.

 

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The Bastion
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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: The Bastion
Weapons:
Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Kahlil Noble BB-610 BB-610 Capris Halcyon Capris Halcyon Corazona von Ascania Corazona von Ascania

She already knew exactly what he was planning to do.

She jumped up and away from the bridge to reach the ramp without needing someone to catch her, knowing that Kahlil would be ready to handle the Drengir that were coming after her. When he appeared, all she did was lower her head, and flames extended from Kahlil's palm to burn down the aggressive creatures.

"Too close..." she flashed Kahlil an almost nervous smile before nodding, "I'll contact them but first-" She paused when her eyes shifted inside the ship and noticed the two Padawans. They were clearly relieved to have gotten out, but they were also worried about someone else. "Bee..." Valery frowned and rushed over to intercept him, so he no longer needed to move despite all the damage he sustained.

"Heyy, it's okay," she said, her tone soft and almost motherly, as she went down to her knees and wrapped her arms around him. It didn't matter that he was roughened up or that sparks flew from his circuits. Nothing was going to stop her from helping her little friend. "You did amazing, Bee. Thank you so much for looking after the others." Leaning back, Valery looked at Bee and gently traced over his head with her hand.

"I'll never replace you. We're going to get you patched up, take you to a droid spa and you'll be back home to play with Vera before you know it. I promise." She flashed a warm smile and shifted her gaze briefly to the others, both to reassure them and to check on them in the process.

Luckily, nobody else was badly injured.



 

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"Fight? Ha. No, no. No one here is willing to fight anymore. That's not what I need your help with."

Iris slowly raised a brow before glancing towards Zoar, but didn't make a comment. If anything, now she was curious just what this guy wanted. The blonde figure motioned ahead, towards a nearby hill line. His red eyes focused for a moment before glancing towards them both.

"They got a ship. Big freighter. We're going to steal it and get these people out of here."

Zoar Zoar
 

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Once Valery was on board Kahlil hit the latch, and the ramp closed. Silence, just for a moment. Then Bee. He turned his gaze to the little droid. It was the first time he'd actually gotten a good look. An Eternal? There had to be a story there, but it seemed whatever it was was a sad one. He said nothing as Valery sprang to action. There wasn't anything he could add, not as a stranger.

Asides, someone else needed his attention just as much.

He turned his gaze towards Capris, giving her a once over. Wounds, but nothing fatal. Not outwardly. The vision Valery had suffered still rang through his mind, the bits and pieces she hadn't had the ability to shield him from in their connection. He reached a hand out, gently patting the girls shoulder.

"You did good, Capris. Are you okay?"

Capris Halcyon Capris Halcyon | Corazona von Ascania Corazona von Ascania | Valery Noble Valery Noble | BB-610 BB-610
 

"You did great. You saved us Bee."

Doing her best to bury a flare of emotion, the girl nodded stiffly, slowly giving into a small, reassuring smile. “No one’s going to replace you. I can’t think of another droid who’d be gutsy enough to do what you did.” Allowing Valery the space to hug up on her astromech her smile faltered somewhat. He no doubt had a long and painful history before the Nobles. One where affection and appreciation were all but foreign concepts.

Kahlil was quick to draw her from her grim musings however, with just a simple pat on her shoulder. As rewarding as it felt to hear praise, especially from someone she was desperately trying to prove her worth to, the smile she offered in return didn’t quite reach her eyes. I could’ve done more. To resist, to fight back, to save.

“Yeah, I’m alright. I’ll walk it off.” Exhaustion coated her voice, but she dismissed it as easily as her injuries. She didn’t want to come off as weak, not to him. “Should probably work on my runes while I’m at it. That was uh- not what I intended to happen.” With something of a sheepish grin, the girl crossed her arms, her attention falling back to Bee a moment later.

Hopefully Valery’s words resonated.


 

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GENERAL RIDOR OF THE 222ND
CAMPAIGN TO CLOSE THE CORRIDOR || RELIEF RUN
XA FEL || GADF CAMP OUTSIDE SLAVE ENCAMPMENT
Adric Rocheford Adric Rocheford || Jem Fossk Jem Fossk || OPEN

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Ridor’s expression thinned, but in the darkness and mist, it was hard to see. The Force was saturated with impenetrable wickedness, but it was murmuring. Constantly. As though the invisible thread that connected them all, around the perimeter, and inside, were agitated.

<Save your more than, Knight Fossk. This is a delicate situation.

I’ll maintain the perimeter. The rest of you, go in. Limited contact, explanations or teaching only. You have just under an hour.>


She heard two clicks across her comms, and she knew through the darkness two of the troopers were confirming the call. Draper and Wilovi. Two operatives that were used to close-combat, and had seen the horrors of the Maw before. Steeled and intense, they slipped in through the narrow opening first. Dressed down for the occasion, cloaked and dirty, their movements in the night would not be too different from the slaves inside that mulled about miserably.

With a gesture, Wilovi indicated it was clear for Master Rocheford to advance, and with a fast glance, he tracked where Jem suggested she might be. He nodded in the vague direction of the Knight, hoping she could see him, and carefully moved closer into the camps.

Draper concealed a cough that was burning in his throat, choking it down instead. The air was thick with heavy fog, and worse, permeated the stench of neglect. Now they were further in, closer to the meeting point near the out building, it smelled acrid, smokey, and rotten.

Carefully, he knocked once on the corner, paused, and knocked twice rapidly. There were a few seconds of agonising silence, where breath was held, and then the reverse pattern was knocked back. Draper waited then, and within a handful of moments, a fragile looking Xa Fel rounded the corner. Once, he’d been a proud factory worker. Now, he was just a worker — stripped of all other identifying features save for his species. He was only thirty, but wear and tear made him seem closer to the end of his already-short lifespan.

He did not make contact with Draper, only nodded vaguely and stretched. At the end of his stretch, he let his hand linger, pointing to a corner on the building across the way with a deep enough hole for a drop off. Then he left.

Wilovi detatched to the nearest water outpost, prepared to administer the agents to purify.

Draper grunted into the comms, waited a bit more for the clear, and moved forward. The first thing he did was check the hole for any sort of trap or set up, found it safe, and lay in the first drop off package.

<I’d advise against contact or teaching tonight, Master Jedi.> The sergeant whispered through the comms. His voice sounded heavy. Sad, even. <Our friend there woulda stayed longer if he felt it safe.>

If they listened closely, they'd hear murmuring through the slave encampments. Reactions to distresses ongoing — the arrival of three unpredicted ships somewhere nearby on the planet, hostile interactions with a child and a slaver, and somewhere, hope of premature escape was beginning to burgeon.

All of this agitation made for an unsettling buzz.
 
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ᴏɴᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴢᴇʀᴏᴇꜱ

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| LOCATION: The Bastion |
| TAG: Valery Noble Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble Kahlil Noble | Corazona von Ascania Corazona von Ascania | Capris Halcyon Capris Halcyon |

The world was a blur, shattered in fragments viewed from a cracked lens, an assortment of colors and voices that the droid could only put faces to with the aid of his secondary photoreceptors. Victim of hysteria, struggling and whimpering as though every movement from the four other people onboard were primed to abuse him, BB-610 impulsively considered shutting himself off, not strong enough to stand and watch as his teammates- family - would strike at him and throw him away. If they were going to abandon him, then so be it, but he simply didn't have the courage to be conscious when his heart was broken for the umpteenth time.

And yet, to his surprise, that moment never came.


"You did great. You saved us Bee."

The grip on his chassis grew stronger, Cora's gentle voice soothing the paranoia in his system, words of encouragement anchoring him down to a calmer state of mind. In many ways, he couldn't believe it, optic dilating as it lay fixed on the young Padawan. Soft, delicate, she didn't hurt him - no chastising, belittling, threats, or otherwise. Her tone was genuine, and the pang at his core welled with emotion as the little processing power he had left was re-directed to his photoreceptors for the clearest view possible. That concern, that twinge at her lips as she held on to fleeting optimism, doe-like eyes glistening, wearing the girl's feelings on her sleeve. BB-610 cooed ever so quietly. She really was Valery's Padawan.

“No one’s going to replace you. I can’t think of another droid who’d be gutsy enough to do what you did.”

Head sluggish as it tilted to face Capris. The astromech had a much harder time reading her, especially without his systems fully operational in order to analyse the intricacies of the way she held herself. If Kahlil's Padawan had spoken a lie, however, it went completely unnoticed by the stuttering droid. Cora had already eased his nerves, and the artificial adrenaline birthed by the rising hope that this time, he would be okay, was doing its fair share of carrying in terms of interpreting the girl's mood. Circuits warm; not from overheating, but from a surge of comfort, BB-610 managed to chirp, thanking Capris. Both Padawans had known him for less than a day, and yet the fondness he felt was unrivaled in contrast to the bonds he'd made in The Eternal Empire.

"You did amazing, Bee. Thank you so much for looking after the others."

"I'll never replace you. We're going to get you patched up, take you to a droid spa and you'll be back home to play with Vera before you know it. I promise."

Valery.

Despite resistance from his own body screeching in protest for him to stop moving, BB-610 tried his hardest to inch closer to her, desperate for her embrace, jutting forth pathetically with damaged circuits. If he were organic, he'd have cried. Tears streaking down and plip-plopping on the Bastion's floor, chest heaving with de-synced breaths as every worry washed away. Slowly, BB-610 tilted his head, gently nuzzling against her, and even with a malfunctioning voicebox, the warbled tweets and broken binary still sounded happyy. Happy to see her, to hug her, to exist with her. To exist at all. To love, to feel; he was alive, he was sure of it, starved for affection and eternally grateful for how she provided it in spades. Every second, even in pain, was spent treasured when he was with her.

The gravity of the situation, nevertheless, weighed heavily on them.

Quietly, BB-610 mustered up the energy to exchange a glance that bounced between all four of his friends, a faint clicking as he nervously asked,


' Do-Does this mean we f-failed? '


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______________________________________________________________
D U L C E T
XA FEL | SLAVE CAMP PERIMETER
MISSION VIDE CONTINUUM || TASK FORCE NULL

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Cordé flinched when a second jedi joined their group. She seemed to already have a grasp on who they all were, and more than that, an update on where they were going.

Not being worried about runaways, and no externally mounted weapons visible seemed like a recipe for something brutal. The grip was tight and unceasing from the core of the camp itself — and the latest intel of ‘Almost no slavers’ was a ticking time bomb. They had to move quickly to take advantage of the ever-narrowing window.

At least the second, paler Jedi, was sensible enough to know the steps The Alliance planned to take.

The perimeter was quiet, dark, and unexpecting. It was easy for the four to get near — unfortunately, they were so near that an exchange was made. It was a natural reaction the Jedi had, but a foolish one. Helping without thought, where the consequences didn’t befall oneself, was ignorant. Worse, it defied their orders. And worse still, it immediately became dangerous.

Out of the corner of her eye, Cordé saw the motion of the Mirialan. Pyke saw it first, and held her back. Warily, Cordé kept an eye on the other Jedi. The ratio of Null Agents to Jedi had not been a coincidence.

Through the fence, things escalated. Interrogation morphed into aggression, and the boy who’d been standing and stammering out an unintelligible response was slammed down to the ground. The guard who’d found him was loud, and aggressive, and the boy shoved into the mud was stupid and terrified.

The commotion drew more than just the attention of the four Alliance personnel.

Hungry eyes of slaves who’d been suffering endlessly watched the commotion — and more dangerously, they saw the package. When the boy had been struck down, the contents exposed themselves.

One by one, cautious at first, slaves started to advance on the boy. At first, they were cautious, but quickly, they became more ravenous and wild-eyed.

“Nobody comes any closer —” The guard raised his voice, loud enough that he might draw the attention of other guards. “You take one more step and the boy dies!” The threat was true, the end of his savage-looking spike pinched against the boy’s neck. In an instant, it could be severed.

More of then than not, such proclamations would be idle. At least when it came to the promise of death. They'd be beaten, tortured, but never killed. The Maw's need for resources couldn't sacrifice the numbers.

But the way the guard held his pike, so tight that his knuckles were as white as the boy's eyes, suggested that his threat was a promise.

Typically, the slaves would have adhered to the command. Withdrawing pitifully for the opportunity to save one of their own, one of their youth — but this planet’s darkness had started to affect their psyche. Survival was no longer something of legacy and prolonging the youth, it was food in a package that had come from somewhere. Surely, there was more. That’s what they were whispering, that’s what their bellies and half-rotted minds motivated them to believe. That's what the darkness, the fear, the hate for their slaves, the situation, convinced them.

The guard’s hand twitched, digging the blade a little deeper to draw blood. He barked out, loudly, to draw the attention of fellow Mawites within the camp. It sounded inhuman, like a caterwaul.

The next few seconds were a frenzy of one bad thing after the other.

Each second that passed, Cordé silently condemned the actions of the Jedi. If only she had followed the plan, then there would have been enough for all of the slaves in this area. The exposure would have been controlled, managed, and not ——

!!!!!!

The worst thing happened.

Black dread seeped through Cordé’s body when the guard made his final motion. It didn’t matter how loudly she gasped, the shouts of the slaves overwhelmed any noise the group of agents and Jedi could have made. And their bloodthirsty rage was intermingled with the shouts of the guards (who were still unaware of what was happening in the offices — their creed remained to control those enslaved).

Terror was clear on both sides — the slaves turned on the guards, and one another, and by now, the guards had run in to get control over the slaves. It was like acolyte versus acolyte, evil and villains of opportunity turning on one another. Electric rods zapped, blades sliced, fists punched, nails clawed, teeth gnashed, blasters burst, and flames torrented. It happened so quickly; brutalism in its rawest form. The strongest of them shoved the weakest out of their way, self-preservation dominated their psyche, and the actions seemed split between escape, clawing for the rations, or just outright attacking the guards. It was unity's breaking point.

The slaves were the most dangerous version of desperate — blind rage and hunger consumed them, only further motivated by darknesses’ influence.

The parcel had only been a catalyst for the inevitable: The camp, and all those inside, would burn.
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ALLIES | GADF | NJO | SLAVES | Xashe Tistya Xashe Tistya | Pyke Lazar Pyke Lazar | Nyla Ven Nyla Ven OPEN
ENEMIES |
BROTHERHOOD OF THE MAW | Joseph Torson Joseph Torson
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Cora watched with wide, watery eyes as their little group rallied around the damaged, distressed BB-610 unit. Her own experience with droids had been limited, but she'd never encountered a bot as emotive as Bee. Wordlessly, the blonde nodded eagerly to show her support for the encouraging words of Capris and Valery.

Overwhelmed by the flurry of emotions she'd experienced in such a short span of time, Cora sniffled quietly, using the edge of her sleeve to swipe away the tears that had gathered on her lash line. Her hopeful gaze turned to Val, touched with warmth upon seeing the reassurance and affection she lavished on BB-610 while his chassis trembled in her arms. Cora's hands folded tightly together at her chest, one unfurling shortly to place on Capris' shoulder.

"You saved me too," She croaked out, turning her immensely grateful expression towards the other Padawan. No small amount of shame at needing to be saved encroached on that feeling of gratitude, but her lips twitched upward in a embarrassed smile.

Silence settled thickly over the group as Bee inquired about their mission status, and her focus bounced between Kahlil to Valery.

Capris Halcyon Capris Halcyon BB-610 BB-610 Valery Noble Valery Noble Kahlil Noble Kahlil Noble
 

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T H E_R O T T E N_C O R E

THE FINAL DAWN
XA FEL, CORE WORLDS




"This is Special Agent Torson to Task Force Raptor, commence Phase One of Project Blackout."
As soon as Joseph Torson gave the order, a first wave of half a dozen Troop Transports emerged from the ventral hangar of the lead Light Cruiser within Xa Fel's atmosphere making their way towards the Labor Camp in which Torson was currently located. First the Hand of Judgement would take over that Labor Camp and set it up as it's Headquarters on Xa Fel to carry out their purge before moving across the planet, removing the presence of unlawful groups of interests such as Slavers and Bandits that roamed freely across the planet.

From his comfortable position seated on the chair behind the desk of the now-dead Zygerrian Slaver who oversaw the operations within the Slave Camp, Torson had been admiring the view of the labor camp upon giving the order to begin their Operation. "What's the estimated time of arrival for our first wave of reinforcements." Torson inquired. "Approximately five to ten minutes, sir" one of Torson's Commandos responded. "Good. Until then, perhaps we should take the time to explore this camp and see how bad these Slaves have managed it." the Final Dawn Operative proclaimed. Torson then stood up, and moved forth to exit the office headed towards the exterior of the main building.

Eventually, Torson and his men reached the exterior of the main building proceeding to head towards a smaller residence complex to the right of the main structure which housed most of the slaves. However as they approached the building, the sound of distant shouting could be heard which only got louder and before long, the sounds of blaster fire could be heard. Instinctively, Torson took out his blaster pistol and motioned for his men to follow him. Something had gone wrong and the Final Dawn Operative knew too well it had to be a slaver who had overstepped.

As Joseph Torson and his men approached the source of the disturbance, they saw a trio of guards ahead of them also rushing towards the same area, only for them to get ambushed by a group of slaves. Immediately, Torson stopped walking forwards followed by his men, as they silently observed the carnage unfolding infront of them. The Slaves engaged in a brutal melee against the guards using whatever means were at their disposal to overpower them. From their position, Torson and his men could see the faces of those slaves, consumed by blind rage and hunger who in their desperation had lashed out against their captors.

As more slaves appeared further in the distance, Torson relayed new orders to his men upon realizing the gravity of the situation. "Fall back. They're too many of them and we can't take them even with our skill" he then turned around to head back towards the main building only to face a knife-wielding slave who tackled him, followed by another group of slaves with one of them even holding a blaster. One of Torson's Commandos quickly dispatched the slave who had tackled the Operative as more Commandos took point and proceeded to open fire upon the attacking slaves, killing several of them before they got even close to the group. The Slave with a blaster managed to land a shot on one of the Commandos who was only temporarily stunned before the attacking Slave was shot repeatedly by three other Commandos.

By the time Torson was on his feet, the trio of guards whom Torson and his Commandos had witnessed getting ambushed earlier were either unconscious or dead with more slaves rushing towards the Final Dawn Operative and his accompanying Commandos. Immediately, the group of Soldiers began to retreat rushing back towards the main building while dispatching any slaves that they came across. As they retreated, Torson opened a channel to his subordinate
Lieutenant Mithak, who was in charge of the first wave of reinforcements headed towards his way. "This is Special Agent Torson, a slave revolt seems to have broken out and we are in need of assistance. How long until your men make landfall". A few seconds later a response came from the other side. "Only two minutes left, sir." Mithak responded. "Good, have your Transports land right infront of the main building instead of the Air Field so that your forces can link up with me and my men. The sooner we crush this uprising the better."

Soon enough, the lights of six Final Dawn Troop Transports could be seen at a distance marking their imminent arrival to reinforce Torson and his men and put down the Slave Revolt before they could overwhelm the numerically inferior Slavers. Regardless of the outcome this would only benefit Project Blackout and would give the Final Dawn the justification it needed to place all of Xa Fel under complete lockdown as well as facilitating their plans to eject any other groups present on the planet even if they were affiliated with other subgroups across the Maw. Order would be restored on Xa Fel, one way or another through whatever means necessary.


Tags [GA/NJO] | Nyla Ven Nyla Ven | Xashe Tistya Xashe Tistya | Cordé Sabo Cordé Sabo

 

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The Bastion
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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Ship: The Bastion
Weapons:
Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Kahlil Noble Capris Halcyon Capris Halcyon BB-610 BB-610 Corazona von Ascania Corazona von Ascania

For another long moment, Valery just held Bee quietly and found her own comfort in their embrace. This mission had been a no-win scenario for them, but even with that realization, it was very difficult to accept what happened. So many people lost their lives down there, and if it wasn't for everybody working together, they would have likely been among the fallen.

It was only when Bee asked the question that had been on everybody's mind, that Valery got up to her feet and sighed. "We got here too late and weren't prepared to handle what was waiting for us. It's... difficult and I wish we could have done more to give those people a chance. But don't blame yourself for what happened," Valery said before she walked over and placed a hand on both Capris' and Cora's shoulders.

"You all did well to protect each other, and while we couldn't save those people this time, we will be ready to keep this from happening again." Somewhere, she also felt that she had failed today but realistically, there had been no way to save those people and bring them all out. There were too many Drengir, they had been ambushed and cut off, and it was likely that most people caught in vines already had been drained completely.

But she understood how it felt.


"We're going back to the Temple to rest and recover. I'll make a full report and we'll be figuring out new plans to tackle this issue."


 

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"We now know the threat. To be unprepared against something so dark would've normally resulted in casualties, not just injuries." That couldn't be understated. His gaze fell onto Bee, where he offered the droid a simple bow of his head in thanks. It was because of him the injuries they did receive weren't as bad as they could've been. Eventually his gaze turned back to Capris.

This time he reached up and ruffled her hair.

"We'll work on your runes. Don't push yourself any harder than you have been. There is a limit before you'll stretch too thin."

Valery Noble Valery Noble | Capris Halcyon Capris Halcyon | BB-610 BB-610 | Corazona von Ascania Corazona von Ascania
 
Jem Fossk Jem Fossk | Osarla Ridor Osarla Ridor

It seemed that for the moment calmness won over escalation.

Master Rocheford did not add anything more. Ridor had it under control and that was that. The Jedi Knight on the other hand... had things far less in control, that was for sure. It seemed odd to him. The sheer velocity of her feelings right as she passed him by. So strong. As if she felt particularly strongly about the plight of the Xa Fellians.

She was not one of them.

Why would she then feel so keenly?

Once the General gave him the go-ahead he gave her a nod. Then? A little salute accompanied by a wry curve upwards. Almost humor. Sometimes that was necessary even in dark moments like these.

How else would they continue?

<< Affirmative. >> Responding quickly to the Sergeant as he quietly made his way to the fringes of town. With some assistance from Wilovi he managed to track down Knight Fossk. He breathed steadily through the respirator. The heavy smog was still prickling his eyes, but he knew it was far harder on the villagers.

They had to breathe this in daily. With no respite.

"Who was your Master, Knight Fossk?" He asked quietly as he pulled his knapsack towards him. From out of it the Jedi Master pulled several purification tablets and other small things. Easier to use, no need to maintain and easy to hide as well. Adric was about to ask more, but then something in the Force contorted.

It was the loss of life nearby.

Adric looked up and attempted to pierce the shadows. But it was too far away. Until... it wasn't. On the other side of their village a similar situation was unfolding like what Cordé Sabo Cordé Sabo had witnessed.

Xa Fel natives pushed to their brink. Guards responding. But these guards... they didn't care about control. They were hungry for blood and they'd get their pound of it. Cries started, inhumane and too much, as knife-wielding overseers began to set-up an ad-hoc sacrificial ceremony. Perhaps it was to appease one of their dark gods... or to appease their darker moods, but the result was the same.

<< Ridor, something is wrong. >> Adric said hushed into the comms as he felt the pain and distress in the Force. << Do your men have eyes on where the screaming is coming from? >>
 

A hand rested on her shoulder. Cora’s. Blinking away a look of surprise, she turned to meet the teary-eyed albeit grateful Padawan.

“I-uh. Yeah of course.”
It was instinct to deflect the sentiment. After all, if Capris had done as instructed and stayed put, Cora likely wouldn’t have found her in the situation to begin with. But emotions were running high, and the other Padawan was clearly intent on thanking her. “No man left behind.”

In the next breath her hair was quickly disheveled.

The act of reassurance again had her surprised. She was used to evaluations being dished out cold; direct and curt without the edge of concern Kahlil offered. It was.. admittedly a nice change of pace. Flattening her hair back out with a small grin, she regarded her Master. “You got it.”


 

As the young man spoke, Zoar also turned his head to look down at his new Master. This... had not been the plan. He cleared his throat from within the armor, immediately out of his depth in conversation.

//Mmm... Okay. Steal a freighter. J-just the three of us?// The mech crossed it's arms, an intimidating motion, were he not doing it to make himself seem smaller. //Getting all these people out. That would be good... if we could do that.//

He fully rotated his upper half towards Iris.
//Can we... do that?//

- Iris Arani Iris Arani -
 

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Iris watched Zoar for a moment. How he reacted to the offered plan, his doubts, his hesitations. Nothing out of the ordinary, to his credit. Though he defaulted to her opinion. That made sense. She was the Master here, right? Her gaze shifted back to the blond man as she gave a single nod. "Sure. I think we can. Specially since I don't think you're a native to this town."

The red eyed man offered a faint smile before nodding his head in agreement. He reached down into some of the supplies, lifting from it the classic Mandalorian helmet. "You could say that. I've been helping the folks trapped by the Maw as often as I can. So, not really native. But I've been around enough."

That explained that. Her expression stilled for a moment. No deceit. No other false emotions. If anything, a Mandalorian on their side made it that much more possible to steal the ship in question. Her gaze lifted back up to Zoar, studying the Padawan. Not the suit, his colors. It was dangerous. But they'd done dangerous before. Without this level of backup.

"Y'know, it's a better idea then trying to convince the town to fight for themselves. As much as it'd do them good, they've been fighting just to live all this time. It's our turn to help that burden."

Zoar Zoar
 
ᴏɴᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴢᴇʀᴏᴇꜱ

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| LOCATION: The Bastion |
| TAG: Valery Noble Valery Noble | Kahlil Noble Kahlil Noble | Corazona von Ascania Corazona von Ascania | Capris Halcyon Capris Halcyon |

Failed. They had failed. The mere thought left a bitter aftertaste, and the cocktail of guilt, disappointment, and misery shared among them was palpable. For BB-610, it was a depressing truth that, against all sentimentalities, was backed up by sheer statistics: there was very little their group could have done. The damaged had already been dealt, and to have risked their lives further would have been suicide. There was, admittedly, some comfort in that, but BB-610 also understood that he was no Jedi - artificial, a machine, not tethered to the same level of grace and bound by honor as the Jedi around him. It was easy for him to relish in the positives of still getting to see his friends for another day, rather than wallow in the negatives of abandoning the dying people of Xa Fel. The astromech had no visceral sense of justice. He couldn't possibly imagine what it must feel like for the Jedi.

"We're going back to the Temple to rest and recover. I'll make a full report and we'll be figuring out new plans to tackle this issue."

Truthfully, he couldn't wait for them to arrive back to the Temple. BB-610 was in desperate need of a new chassis, as currently the act of seeing proved rather bothersome with the crack along his optic, and with the failing of his motors, the droid couldn't exactly move. A nice oil bath, some polishing... What he'd do to see Vera again and power off in the comfort of his own home. The Nobles were right, however. This fight wasn't over, no matter how much downtime it had resulted in. Their group had lost the battle, but they could still win the war.

Quietly bweeping as he insisted that things will be better next time, BB-610's power reserves finally started drying themselves out. With the whirring of overclocked processors slowly diminishing to a faint droning, BB-610 took one last look at his surroundings and, more importantly, the people beside him. Submitting to fatigue, BB-610's optic blinked its last blink, flickering from its usual blue and settling on a lifeless gray as his core finally powered down with a dull hum.

It was thanks to his friends that this rest could be had, taking solace in the fact that this time, he won't be alone when he woke.



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Cora bit her lip, gaze shifting between Valery and Kahlil, then Capris and Bee. It had certainly felt like a failure, but she had to acknowledge that the Masters were correct. They hadn't been prepared for such an overwhelming threat and had been fortunate to escape with their lives. Now that that the Alliance had a little more information on what they were facing, they could prepare.

She found a small measure of solace in the idea that they would return with a plan. A plan that would destroy the tentacled monsters and save whatever was left of Xa Fel.

Cora lifted her head and gave Valery a nod to convey her understanding, along with a sad, tired smile. Adrenaline was no longer pumping through her veins, easing the tension of fight or flight from her system. With her back to the wall, she settled down next to BB-610 as he powered down.

At some point during the flight back to Coruscant, Cora also powered down. Slumped against the damaged astromech, the Padawan would enter a light, troubled sleep.

Valery Noble Valery Noble Kahlil Noble Kahlil Noble Capris Halcyon Capris Halcyon BB-610 BB-610
 

"This ain't the time to stack fuckups atop one another. Let it go before you get us all knee-deep in something we're supposed to stay out of."

"Try and karking stop me."

The snarl was accompanied by hiss, azure radiance coming to life in Xashe's hand. She offered Pyke a momentary glance - a challenge, before crawling through the makeshift entryway. The basil form snapped upright, and subsequently froze. Horror enveloped every muscle in Xashe's body as the scene before them escalated. As the camp fell into chaos, devouring itself like a serpent.

"Yeah, I bet you feel real helpful."

"No,"

The word was laced with venom, as if sheer defiance might stop the turmoil unfolding before her. It didn't - but the defiance did lift the lock on her movement, but Xashe didn't know where best to throw herself. Master and imperial both went after their captives, and the slaves were half-crazed, going after anything with a heartbeat. The padawan's indecision cost her. Something hit her with a running start, barreling into her chest and knocking her back. Only with the quickest of footwork did Xashe keep her balance - but it was a wrestling match with the woman who had come at her, and for reasons only the force knew, seemed intent on making sure the Jedi never left Xa Fel.

"Stop." Xashe puffed uselessly.

Finally, a green hand clobbered the side of the woman's head, and her crumpled form dropped. Heavy breaths escaped her Xashe's chest as she regained balance. Instinctively, she gravitated to the brawl once more. She didn't know where best to place herself - but she was unable to justify pacifism. Smoke wafted to the sky above them, but it in no way hid the Imperial transports arriving.
 
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