Private Smoke on the Water

[Amani Serys]

Bartyn's Landing, Lamaredd
Eloise Dinn​

---

The planet Lamaredd was a sparsely civilized ocean world, dotted with archipelagos and hidden by an asteroid cloud. It was an unintended destiation for most, as the asteroids forced travelers to drop from hyperspace and find refuge at Bartyn's Landing, the only spaceport in the entire system. But Amani and her padawan Eloise had come here deliberately. Several years ago, Amani had come here by chance when she was out exploring the galaxy. In a time when she was directionless and devoid of the Force, she found herself with an opportunity. She decided to stay planetside for several months, becoming a physician for a small village that had been suffering from a plague, even staying after it was gone. Her time here had been an unexpected boon, and she came to pay a visit to these old stomping grounds.

This time, with her padawan in tow. She hoped to get Eloise out of the temple and seeing new sights. Perhaps a look at how others lived would do her some good, and provide some new opportunities for lessons in turn. "Alright, once we're stocked up, we can head for the village. It's a ways away, so we'll need to hop back on the ship for an in-atmo flight." It was that, or take a boat. But that was riskier, and would take noticeably longer. "How're you feeling?" She asked idly as they walked across the docks.

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eloise looked a little tired, and her expression, normally set in a scowl or a smirk, was unusually flat. She observed the planet with a distant look in her eyes, like she wasn’t really seeing it.

"How're you feeling?"

“Not great,” she replied. “‘Friend’ of mine’s gone missing.” There was no mistaking the quotation marks around ‘friend’ that were present in her tone. “Nothing I can do about it, though.” Hopefully the work here on Lamaredd would help take her mind off things.

“You going to need my help with the heavy-lifting?” she asked, gesturing to the supplies being loaded onto the ship.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

"Oh," Amani's demeanor flattened awkwardly. She wasn't sure what to make of that statement or what Eloise meant by 'friend'. "I'm sorry to hear that… Who is this 'friend'?" She studied her Palawan's demeanor for a moment, trying to intuit some inner thoughts. Whatever they may be, she didn't seem to keen on dwelling on it.

"I won't say no to it," The healer managed a slight smirk, a polite way of saying 'yes, help'. Just as she leaned down to retrieve some supplies however, there was a screech of metal that pierced through the air. Several others in the area all turned to look into the sky. A ship was descending, gouts of fire and smoke belching from a breach in its hull.

"The Reef claims another," A local muttered solemnly, as if expecting such a thing. The asteroids no doubt had caused many crashes before, this was just another unlucky victim. The ship continued to fall, landing a ways off from Bartyn's Landing in a coastal jungle. Snapping trees could be seen and heard from here, as well as the loud crash. But then it fell silent.

"There was no explosion," Amani realized, "There could be people in there still alive." She turned to Eloise, then headed off, their new objective clear.

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

“Albrecht,” Eloise answered. “He went home to Ukatis to see his family, and no one has heard from him since.”

What she didn’t say, but which Amani might be able to glean through observation, was that she suspected the young nobleman had abandoned the Order altogether. If that were the case, chances were she’d never see him again. The one person her age whom she could tentatively call “friend” had ditched her without a word.

Well, feth it. Who needed friends? So long as she had work to do, she’d stay busy. Approaching the pile of supplies, she lifted a heavy crate with ease, carrying it over to the ship. During the trip back, she saw a burning ship streak across the sky. It crashed into the jungle, shattering trees and sending a cloud of black smoke billowing upward.

Turning to Amani, she realized what that meant. Rescuing survivors was more interesting than lugging boxes around, at least. She followed Amani aboard the ship, which then took to the air, speeding to the crash site.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

As Chief Healer, Amani had at least a passing familiarity with all members of the Order, Albrecht included. She knew who he was, and that he was Ukatian, but beyond that, she couldn't say much about the young man. "I see. I'm sorry," She wished there was more to be done. Eloise had trouble making friends given her abrasive nature, but beneath it was a girl with a heart. Whether Albrecht was a worthy influence or not she couldn't say, but losing a friend hurt all the same.

The crashing ship put everything else on hold. Amani started up her own vessel and quickly flew it over to the crash site. They were forced to land a bit further away than she would've liked, given all the trees, but they could sprint over in short time. The shipwreck was a smoldering mess, but still well enough together that there was a chance survivors remained. It was roughly the same size as Amani's ship, but noticeably older in make. "C'mon!" Amani tried to look for an open and, upon failing to find one, hopped onto the crooked docking port and telekinetically ripped the seal from its socket. A gout of fire shot out immediately after, forcing her to jump away.

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eloise mumbled something in acknowledgment, but didn’t say anything more on the matter. Truth was, she was sort of glad Albrecht was gone. He wasn’t a very nice person. But she was terribly lonely. She knew she’d done it to herself, by being abrasive, but she didn’t know how to change. Half the time people made her not want to change. It seemed an impossible situation—having some good friends might soften her rougher edges, but she couldn’t make any good friends because her edges were too rough.

She continued to push these thoughts down as they arrived at the smoldering crash site. Upon seeing the mostly intact ship from above, Eloise came to the same conclusions Amani did. “There could still be some people alive in there.”

As soon as they landed, they raced over to the ship. Amani started tearing it up with telekinesis, trying to reach the passengers inside. When she ripped the docking port seal away, fire burst out. Cursing, Eloise wished she had been able to learn pyrokinesis. Her mother had tried to teach her, but she didn’t have a knack for it.

“What do we do?” she asked, turning to her master. “Get water? Jump through the flames? Is there a fire extinguisher—?” She looked around frantically at the scattered wreckage.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

The fire was a problem. Amani had some experience with pyrokinesis, but she doubted it enough to manipulating a blaze this strong. They had to either search for another way in, extinguish it, or brave in. Amani opted for the latter. They didn't have time for the rest, "Stick close to me." She approached the opening once more, and raised a Force barrier. It wasn't direct control over the flames themselves, but it would repel them enough to achieve the same effect.

The bubble around them formed, and would be invisible if not for the clear distinction between where they were, and where the fire was. It licked against the barrier. Trying but failing to penetrate. The heat still sank through, immediately causing Amani to break out into a sweat. The entire corridor seemed to be ablaze. Hopefully the rest of the ship fared better. She pushed on, "You doing okay?"

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

As her master generated a barrier, Eloise realized what she intended to do. She moved closer to Amani, allowing them both to be encompassed by the bubble. It protected them from the flames as they entered the burning ship.

"You doing okay?"

“Yeah.” Eloise was sweating too, but her gaze was focused and determined. The whole ship seemed to be ablaze. “Someone’s alive in here. I can sense it.” They’d have to find them quickly, before they died from the fire or the smoke or some other injuries.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

"I sense it too," Amani focused on the direction of the presence, eventually stopping in front of a shut door. It was locked in place, likely due to malfunction, and required a manual opening. The mirialan reached her hand forward, and stopped, hovering it over the metal, which was blazing hot. If she touched it, she'd likely be losing a bit of skin in the process. But someone was inside, no doubt.

"Help me open this," Amani pulled out her lightsaber, and began cutting along the door's frame.

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eloise drew her weapon, ignited the green blade, and finished cutting the rest of the hole Amani had started. With a little telekinetic push, she heaved it open.

Inside there was lots of smoke, reducing visibility to near zero. The life she had sensed earlier was growing fainter. “Hold on!” she shouted, not sure if they were too far gone to even hear her. “We’re coming!”

Amani would have to take the lead, since she was the one creating the bubble, but the survivors probably weren’t far from the door...

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

The door was cut open and tossed inside, giving them easy access. Smoke billowed out, rolling off the barrier. The fire seemed more spread out in here, given the flames weren't right up on them as soon as they entered. "Hello?!" Amani called. Unsurprisingly, there was no direct answer. They needed to move quick.

Following the nearest life force she could track, Amani led the way through, until she nearly tripped on the barely conscious survivor: a male Gran. He was weakly squirming on the floor, near what appeared to be a communications console. The screen was damaged, but it still showed a waiting input for confirming SOS call. Amani knelt down and made sure he was breathing, then reached to grab him, "Let's hurry and get him out." They needed to come back for others, but they couldn't risk this man lingering inside the ship any longer, lest he suffocate or otherwise succumb to further injury.

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

There was a Gran lying on the floor, alive but injured, apparently having tried to send out a distress signal. Amani grabbed him.

Eloise looked around, reluctant to leave just yet. Sure they could come back, but every second counted when the survivors were choking on smoke. Sensing another even more faint sign of life buried under a pile of fallen debris, she used the Force to heave the junk out of the way, revealing the body of a blue-skinned man. Stepping out of the barrier, she held her breath just long enough to pick him up and drag him inside their increasingly cramped bubble.

“Alright, let’s go.” She winced, trying to adjust the weight of the body across her shoulders to a more comfortable position, with limited results.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

At the last second, Eloise recognized another life presence buried beneath a pile of debris. She removed it, and extracted an unconscious humanoid. "Nice work," Amani complimented, not waiting a moment longer to lead the survivors out. As they returned to their makeshift exit, a console exploded at them, shrapnel and fire immediately bouncing off the Force bubble with a loud pang. Amani exhaled nervously.

Once they were out in fresh air, the healer quickly jumped down and ran to carry the Gran over to a nearby tree, setting him down, "You awake? Can you tell me, is there anyone still inside?" She asked as she did. The Gran didn't speak at first, and Amani turned to head back for the ship. Before she took off, he sputtered to life,

"C…Captain…" That was all Amani needed to head back in.

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

“Where is the captain?” Eloise tried to ask, but the Gran had already slipped into unconsciousness. Helpful.

There were a few obvious locations where they could look for the captain of the downed vessel. The cockpit, namely. Following Amani back to the wreck, Eloise had a hard time discerning which part of the ship was which, it was broken into so many pieces. But eventually they did track down what remained of the cockpit.

“This had better lead to… romance, treasure, or high adventure, at the very least…” Eloise grumbled as she ducked into yet another fiery, smoke-filled hole to try and track down the elusive captain. “Hello? Can you hear me?”

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Once Eloise was back by her aside, Amani reupped her barrier, and delved into the fiery wreckage once more. Before long they came across the entry point to the bridge; The most likely spot for the captain to be. They ducked in through the faulty door, and found another smoking mess. Sight wasn't helping, so it was time to rely on the Force once again. There was a dim presence, which suddenly erupted with energy when Eloise spoke up, "Hello?!" A voice called out, hoarse and coughing, "I'm here! I— I can't move! I'm trapped!"

Amani quickly pursued, checking to make sure Eloise was keeping pace. They came to the nose of the bridge, now pointed downward and driven into the ground. The captain, a Mountain Nikto, was lying on the ground. He waved his hand weakly, "Please, get this thing off me!" He hacked. Amani looked down and frowned. There was rubble next to him, but he wasn't trapped under anything. One of his legs had been traumatically amputated in the crashes. Through some combination of pain, smoke inhalation, and likely some denial, the captain was seemingly too delirious to recognize the truth of the situation. Amani began to help him up when she noticed a beeping on one of the few still working consoles. It was flaring red, and warning about a breach in the engines. Distant rumblings grew into explosive pops. Then, a big one far toward the back of the ship. Then another.

"Eloise! Can you carry him?" Amani needed as much focus on keeping up the barrier as possible. She looked towards the bridge's broken transparisteel viewports, and nodded. They were gonna have to jump out. The explosions grew louder, as the rest of the ship continued to be destroyed in a chain reaction. When Eloise was ready, Amani leapt towards the opening, carried by the Force.

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eloise grimaced upon seeing the amputated leg. The guy didn’t seem to realize what had happened, probably still able to feel a phantom limb or thinking it had gone numb because it was pinned. Either way, they had to get him out of there.

"Eloise! Can you carry him?"

“What else are all these muscles for?” she asked with grim humor. Hauling the Nikto off the floor, she threw him over her shoulder and—

She heard the rumble of explosions elsewhere in the ship, and saw the direction of Amani’s gaze. They were going to have to jump out the window to escape.

Feth it. “Bombs away!” Eloise exclaimed, before telekinetically blasting what was left of the transparisteel and diving head-first out of the doomed vessel.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani didn't respond, but she silently appreciated Eloise's ability to remain calm under pressure. With the Nikto picked up, they quickly hauled their way out through the broken cockpit. The explosion hurtled in behind them, striking the back end of the barrier and adding a bit of unintended force behind their exit in the process. Nonetheless, they made it through. Amani hit the ground, the impact sending a shock through her legs. She stumbled and rolled, the barrier dissipating as she landed.

"You good?" She checked on Eloise and the Nitko again. The captain still needed some immediate medical attention with that bleeding leg stump of his.

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eloise landed just as hard as Amani did, though she fell on her back with the captain on top of her. Ouch, was that the sound of a rib cracking? She let out a wordless cry of pain, pushed the Nikto away from her, then took a few deep breaths to barrel her way through the agony and start healing herself with the Force.

“FETH!”

Then she hauled herself up, dusted herself off, and looked to her master. “I take the amputee, you take the unwilling smokers?”

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Eloise noticeably hurt herself on the landing. Amani quickly turned and approached, but the girl seemed to have a handle on it. She didn't really give a proper answer to her master's question, but a loud curse word followed by a call to action seemed clear enough. Amani looked to the Captain, "You can handle that?" She asked. The blood loss was severe, and would probably take a lot of effort to help heal. But she looked back at Eloise and nodded, "I trust you." If her padawan was confident she could do it, Amani wasn't going to waste time deliberating. Even at the very least, if nothing else Eloise could buy the man some time before Amani came in to support.

The Chief Healer made a beeline for the unconscious crew, purifying their lungs of noxious substance.

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

"You can handle that?"

Eloise, who was already starting to make a tourniquet, shrugged. "I've seen worse." Felt worse, too. It was all a matter of controlling her reaction to the pain, the disgust and discomfort of the situation. Despite often being characterized as overly passionate and sensitive, she was tough.

"I trust you."

"Good." She tied the makeshift tourniquet around the captain's stump of a leg, making sure it was tight enough to stop the flow of blood. He was almost certainly going to need a blood transfusion. "There's a plasma synthesizer back on the ship, right?" she asked.

Amani Serys​