Swamp Thing

[Kyra Perl]

Kyra's head broke water, the girl cough horribly in protest of the murky swamp water that had slipped into her mouth. The taste wasn't that much different than the vomit that was left behind, if she was being honest. But she was too busy coughing for air to tell Kat that.

She groped for the girl, just as concerned with keeping her up as she was herself. Who knew swimming involved your rib cage?

Tears of pain slid down her face as she made the trip in with wordless determination. It was too much effort to talk, and that remained true as she hit solid ground and found herself falling into a face full of swamp mud. "I'm fine, I'm fine," she finally rattled, her fingers still entangled in Kat's clothing.

Behind them, the ship made its final noises of metallic protest as the broken hull snapped off and sank under. She watched forlornly as the other half quickly followed.

"...You didn't happen to get a distress signal out in time, did you?" She asked, no hope to her tone.

 

[Tyra Ashen]

Tyra had barely made it out of the room when the sound of buckling steel greeted her ears. A loud crack followed by the sound of rushing water echoed down the halls of the ship. She knew exactly what it meant, but [member="Kyra Perl"] was the first to voice the danger.

As quickly as she could, Tyra ran back into the room and bailed from the vessel. She sank below the surface of the cold water momentarily before breaking the surface. Behind her she could hear the groans of metal twisting as the she began to sink. Without looking back she swam away from the wreck to keep from being dragged under.

She swam her way through the cold foul smelling water to the other Padawans. "Is..is everyone okay? Are we all here?"

 

[Kat Decoria]

Water filled the room and forced them to swim, which with the swamp water, was not one of the more pleasant experiences that Kat had to experience on her travels. She held back a gasp as she felt her body stretch and the cracked ribs worsen, she could feel a huge amount of pain shooting around the cracked ribs. It was hard to move her arm on the side that her cracked rib, as she swam to the surface Kat breathed the fresh air deeply and splutter. Crawling in the mud, Kat sighed, her clothes were dirty which was a shame as she kind of liked them.

Looking to Kyra, she shook her head, "I was looking for people to heal, I thought Acaadi and Ura were the ones looking to try and communicate a distress signal." She told Kyra as she laid on her back, clutching her side, cursing loudly as she held her side. "Damn, I think it might be worse now." Pushed her top from her skin, trying not to restrict her breathing. "Well, I'm guessing I will be able to see how I look as a brunette now?" Kat joked as her hair was covered with mud, turning the white hair brown.

[member="Kyra Perl"]

 

[Ura Iolar]

Ura looked at [member="Acaadi"], glad he was swimming a bit slower and making it easier to keep up. She felt like they had, somehow, don't pretty good so far.

"Well... I've trained with Force Merging with those outside my species, and Lervon, use it to coordinate when we come together to take on larger forms. Maybe... it would help us. At least with walking." She wasn't really sure about any other aspects, but it was better than no plan. She soon began get into the muck though, and it was clear that she wasn't enjoying it. At least [member="Kat Decoria"] got a chuckle out of her, and everyone else seemed to have made it out. That was at least one good thing today. Ura looked at Kyra for a moment, but didn't say anything. She decided to focus on getting to land, and being sure Acaadi wasn't going to drown.

[member="Auteme Denko-Durren"] [member="Kresslyn Cantor"] [member="Reggie Faayare"] [member="Kyra Perl"] [member="Tyra Ashen"]

 

[Acaadi]

"Everything was dead up front," Acaadi called back. "We've got no comms at all! Unless anyone has a comm-link that survived?"

Even then, he thought to himself, they probably wouldn't have enough range to get to anyone important. Perhaps someone at the nearest town. Perhaps the toydarians would send a speed, but perhaps they would let the crew die to grabworms and then come and harvest the ship for parts.

Acaadi turned towards Ura as he reached the bank. He placed a hand down to support his own weight. It sunk a few inches into the mud. He put aside his disgust and dragged himself through the mud until he could lie down flat on almost solid ground.

"Damn these muck-lakes," he groaned, still in a great deal of pain. "What would it involve?" he asked Ura. He wasn't quite sure what was being proposed. He was too tired and sore to cast his mind back through his lessons on the Force.

 

[Ura Iolar]

Ura slowly followed [member="Acaadi"] as he and her go to the bank. Honestly, it was relieving. They were safer. Everyone was safer now. Once she got up to the bank the Lervon sat next to where her friend laid, keeping her eyes closed for a second, and her crystal structure seemed to keep moving in an attempt to clean out the gunk. He then asked what was involved in Force Merging, and spoke a bit quietly.

"It's sort of like two way telepathy. It requires those involved to be in sync, and can be a bit... invasive. It's a two way connection between minds, and it can't be held forever without consequences. The way Master Romi put it though, it's not that hard, and can be started by just thinking of the same basic thing and working from there." She then looked at the others, trying to see if they were ok. She looked back, trying to think.

"So... who's telling them?"

[member="Kat Decoria"] [member="Tyra Ashen"] [member="Kyra Perl"]

 

[Auteme]

The teenager's eyes quickly swung over the heads that broke the surface of the murky swamp water. One, two, three... seven, plus her, that made eight. "There's eight of us. There was only eight of us on the ship, right?" Her ears were still ringing, head was still fuzzy. She couldn't quite remember, but that seemed like the right number.

Her scanning of their environment couldn't stop there, though -- they were swimming. Auteme didn't much like swimming, and she wasn't very good at it, so it would certainly be a good idea to get out of the water quickly. She spotted a group of trees and what appeared to be some semi-solid land. It was better than nothing. "Over there," she called to the others as she began to paddle to the less dirty and more dry area.

 

[Kyra Perl]

Only eight of them, right? ...Right?

A face flashed before her eyes just as the last groan of the ship bubbled up from underneath the surface.

"Jeff!" She exclaimed, a bought of pained shock echoing from her.

Jeff had been on the ship, she distinctly recalled the way his full lips had wrapped over the straw of his...-- it didn't matter! Because she had felt out for more life forms before they left, and she had felt nothing left out there for them to save. Which meant...

She choked in shock, coughing up a bout of nothing. She hadn't exactly known the guy. But wasn't he at the club that night with them...

 

[Rayth]

"Alright," he said to Ura. He wasn't sure he wanted her to sense all of his thoughts. Acaadi had trained to try and fight off mental attacks, but not to segregate his mind and keep certain thoughts away. Fortunately he was too overwhelmed with pain and the horror of their situation to indulge in the usual mental distractions that occupied a seventeen year old.

"We should tell the others first. I can do it but you might need to..."

Kyra's call cut him off mid sentence. Acaadi propped himself up on his elbows. He could see her reaching the muddy banks they had claimed s a temporary home.

Kark. Jeff. Acaadi knew there was nothing he could do now. There was no way he could swim to the ship before it went under and its structure was broken. He still reached out with the Force. There was no sign of him. In a way, it was a mercy to know he had died in the crash itself.

Acaadi had been brought face to face with death before, but those had been nameless raiders. He hadn't been close to the other padawan but it was still someone from his life who was suddenly...not there. The young mirilian sat in stunned silence.

 

[Tyra Ashen]

Tyra made it to the small piece of dry land, if you could call it that. The ground beneath her sank under each footstep, making walking a little difficult. At least she wasn't swimming in that foul smelling muck anymore.

She heard [member="Kat Decoria"] make a joke about how she got to see what she looked like as a brunette. Trying to lighten the mood a little, she sat down beside the girl. "I think it looks nice."

Blue eyes glanced from Kat to the surrounding area. Swamp, that's all it was as far as the eye could see. She began to worry some about the situation. How far was the nearest settlement? They could be hiking for days and the conditions they were in would make it even more difficult. What would they do for shelter if it got dark? This place really didn't look like it offered much protection from the elements.

Her thoughts were disturbed when she heard [member="Kyra Perl"] yelling someone's name. A knot formed in her stomach at the thought that they left someone behind. She hadn't seen anyone else though, or felt them in the force. Did that mean they didn't survive the crash?

 

[Kresslyn Cantor]

After swimming, swimming, and even more swimming, I found my way towards water shallow enough that I could walk on and not have to swim through. My Heliost Clan robes were ruined at this point, so after I stood up I took them off and shoved them in my rucksack. They'd have some sort of use later. The cloth or something like that. We did have multiple healers in our little Padawan pack, but it was always good to have backup alternatives that were not as effective; but much more quicker. Looking around, there was one other right next to me and the others were catching up (@Tyra Ashen) Trying again to lighten the mood as well, I turned and spoke to her:

"Welp, at least we've got some sort of natural camo." I laughed, wiping the mud off of my face with whatever there was surrounding me that was dry. It wasn't much. All of our tech was shot and we'd have to walk to get towards the next piece of civilization.

So, while the others swam towards us, I sat down and tried to survey the area around us. Quickly, I fell into a meditation. This could easily be disturbed by anything on the outside, so I wasn't too deep in thought.

I tried to gather my thoughts.

 

[Ura Iolar]

Ura looked at Acaadi, able to tell he was nervous about the idea of Force Merging. He had the same look as when she told him there was some of her stuck in his leg. She nodded a little, trying to give off a calmness. "If it helps," she started, "I won't try to actively look through your mind. I just can't guarantee what will be shared." He then began to explain how he could say something, but that she might need to explain....

Kyra then called out. One of the padawans didn't make it. Jeff.... A sadness could be felt from Ura. She didn't really know Jeff, but the fact that anyone died... after it seemed like everyone had made it.... It hit her finally. They could've died.... They all could've died!

 

[Kyra Perl]

No one really knew Jeff. He was kinda an enigma. A name to be said, uttered, but never actually found.

Maybe that was why he had died and no one had noticed until now. Either way, there was no way Jeff would be causing any more trouble out on dance floors... A fact which resounded deeply in Kyra.

She cleared her throat, forcing herself to pull back to the here and now. They had surviving to do. "Right..." She grimaced, forcing her body to stand in the calf-thick mud. It grabbed at her ankles, tugging off one of her shoes. She took a deep breath, unwilling to bend over just yet to pull it back out. "Up! Up! Everyone, let's get your butts up!"

"We need to get walking. Now. Anyone know what time it is? If it gets dark and we haven't hit a town..." Her eyes skimmed the group, pleading for someone to have any bit of skill with the wilderness. ....Or to even know which way the town was. "...Ura... had you gotten a chance to look at a map when you went to the cockpit...?"

It went over the padawan's head that the force could do a lot to guide them here. Fear clouded judgement, and all.

 

[Kat Decoria]

Her joke got some laughter but Kyra had realised something would damper the mood of Kat. Someone had been left behind, a Jeff. Kat wasn't sure she knew who this Jeff was but it seemed that Kyra and perhaps some of the others did. Kat stood up and held her side, starting to feel a bit more faint as the pain was getting tough to bear and she was getting concern about possible internal bleeding. She had tried to heal it best that Kat could with her limited knowledge but it didn't mean that her injury was getting worse from better medical care.

"Nearest town... Nearest town should be close." Kat stated, Toydaria was decently civilised. "I think... that way would be... would be best." Kat stammered as she tried to stand then collapsed back into the mud, feeling very dizzy and faint. As she looks around, Kat started to notice her breathing was getting weaker.

[member="Acaadi"] [member="Kyra Perl"] [member="Ura Iolar"] [member="Kresslyn Cantor"] [member="Tyra Ashen"] [member="Auteme Denko-Durren"]

 

[Acaadi]

Acaadi knew that they had to get moving. He wouldn't let them split the group just so he could stay in one place. He had a surprising amount of mental resolve built up for what was going to be an excruciatingly painful journey.

"Sun isn't so low yet," Acaadi said. There was a thick haze overhead so it wasn't easy to tell.

Taking a deep breath he tried to Centre himself. It wasn't easy with everything going on now and everything that had come before. Acaadi had to close himself off from his pain and the world around them, to try and find balance. Slowly, he sank into the flow of the Force.

And then he opened himself up, stretching out towards Ura with his senses. He was not sure how well it was going to work, but he had found that bright light that was Ura in the Force.

"We can't be too far from a town," he agreed as he stood. The crutch he had dragged through the mud wasn't going to be much use on this terrain. "If we don't have a direction get above this fog?"

 

[Ura Iolar]

Ura looked at Kyra when she asked about a map. The Lervon shook her head, looking at her friend with her glowing eyes.

"I'm sorry, Kyra, but there wasn't any power. No map." Acaadi noted the sun wasn't low, to which Ura nodded, and then noticed him trying to center himself. Her eyes slowly closed and dimmed as she focused on the Force. She opened herself like her partner had done, and soon felt him reaching out to her. Ura felt her fellow padawan, reaching out for him as well before doing her best to establish a Merge between them. Once she thought the link was good, Ura reached with her mind with a simple question.

"Can you hear me?" Simple, but needed. She had to be sure the connect was there. She was pretty sure at least. She was quick to stand with Acaadi, already finding it easier to coordinate. She did noticed his crutch though, wondering how he'd kept hold of it. "I'm no expert, but that doesn't look helpful in these conditions." It was then that she watched Kat collapse, and almost walked over to help before looking at Acaadi again, then back to her Echani friend.

"Kat! Are you... are you ok? Don't try to hide anything either." This was definitely a mess of a situation. Her and Acaadi had to stay close together, Kat was clearly injured, and she knew for a fact the Kyra was having a rough time. Reading the other was difficult for her though. She hadn't had time to get to know them well enough.

 

[Kresslyn Cantor]

Who the hell is Jeff? I never met him or heard of him. It must suck to really go out in a way like that. Pretty much known but unknown to the rest of the people in the Silver Jedi Order. I mean, I don't know that many people but at least the few that I did know wouldn't forget about me in a situation like this. The other Padawans seemed quite dejected over his death for a bit, but he was quickly mourned and forgotten in a matter of minutes.

I, personally, didn't care at the moment. It honestly felt odd not being able to conform to the common feeling of sadness because someone had just died on the ship.

Oh well, I guess...

Suddenly, the quiet sadness was broken by a figure that had her head in the game. [member="Kyra Perl"] spoke up and tried to get the group going.

"We need to get walking. Now. Anyone know what time it is? If it gets dark and we haven't hit a town..." she said, stopping and thinking for a bit.

I couldn't answer the question about where the nearest town was, but it was definitely easy to tell somewhat what time it is. The smaller, yet still ugly, animals of the swamp they were in were all seemed to be headed into their natural homes, while the nocturnal creatures started exposing themselves.

"Well, it's around dusk. You can tell by all those guys coming out at once." I said, pointing and watching as birds, species unbeknownst to me, started crawling out of their nooks and crannies.

Almost as if on cue when the group would have been moving, [member="Kat Decoria"] started having problems breathing. Another problem, but not as big as the others.

So, I stood up (now covered in mud) and started to walk around, looking for some sort of vantage point above the canopy of trees.

[member="Acaadi"] | [member="Ura Iolar"]

 

[Auteme]

Sweet, sweet land. Auteme would be kissing the ground right now if it weren't for the fact that it was a really gross swamp and the land was probably unstable enough to collapse any moment. Still, it was nice to be mildly dry. The water wasn't too much of a problem considering how temperate the planet was, though it might be something they'd have to think about once night fell.

Also, the water was still kind of uncomfortable. The teenager found it rather weird to have her hair damp, so she tried to dry it out as she listened to the others speak. Another padawan... that was terrible. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the tree she'd found herself by, giving a short pseudo-prayer to the Force in hopes that whoever it was had passed peacefully and without pain. But next, they needed to work through their current problems among the land of the living.

Think, Auteme, think...

The more she thought about it, the more despair she had.

Those around her were injured or tired; even if they were lucky enough to have a town nearby (which they most certainly were not considering Toydaria's population and demographics) they'd have a tough time making it there, discounting the rough terrain and dangerous fauna. All of this was going terribly. "And we still don't know why we crashed," she said, concluding her train of thought aloud. After all, if there was a potential threat nearby that was after them, it would make everything a whole lot tougher.

"Could we take a break for a second? I can help you if you're injured." She gave a slight wave to remind people that she existed.

 

[Kyra Perl]

"No breaks," Kyra breathed to Auteme, grabbing at Kat to keep her steady. She spared the girl a concerned glance, worried she wouldn't be standing much longer.

In fact, Kyra spared them all a concerned glance. "Auteme, is it?" Kyra murmured to the padawan. "You look pretty okay. Physically at least. Don't worry-- I'll be there crying with you about this later, but right now we- we... we need to get dry. And find camp. Here, take Kat. You can heal her? I'm not sure what's wrong, just-..." Keep her standing?

Kyra gave Auteme a pleading look, feeling very much like a child playing in adults shoes.

She was no leader.

"Tyra?" She called out to the girl still sitting by Kat's side Tyra Ashen . Kyra took a deep breath in and out, steeling herself to the pain in her ribs. "Can you help me get my shoes out of the mud?" One pink foot hovered barefoot over the thick layer of swamp mud they stood in. A tear pricked at Kyra's eyes. She willed it not to fall as reached out for the girl's help.

"Everyone else start walking," she grumbled, pointing to the mossy treeline. "We'll go until we hit solid, and then we can plan from there."

 

[Kat Decoria]

Kyra was worried and she wasn't sure what to do with the ragtag team of Padawans that they were, Kat could sense that in the girl, attempting to lead but not sure how. Holding her side, Kat looked back at Kyra, nodding their head. They needed to keep moving forward, Kat looked over to Ura who showed concern about her injury. "I... I broke a rib or two." Kat gasped slightly as Kyra lifted her up then dumped her on Auteme. "Bone is a lot more consuming to heal, it would drain too much energy to heal it." Kat explained to Kyra, she had healed bone and ribs before, the energy it took was beyond a Padawan healer, at least in her understanding.

Kat moved slowly, not able to be very steady on her feet. "If we don't move now, then we won't find safety. Once night falls, it will be a lot harder to move or see. If we can find some food and drier land, then we can try doing a camp for the night. However, it would be better if we head in a direction. We can use the Force to help guide us the right way." Kat suggested, wincing hard as the pain increased. She really wanted to just slump down and sleep.