Once everyone had said their peace, Braze turned away, leading his entourage of Saram and Jasper back toward the armored speeder.
Behind them, the jungle swallowed the clearing, its dense canopy closing in like a set of jaws. The air was humid and heavy, filled with the hum of small insects and the distant cries of unknown creatures stirring within the foliage. The light was fading quickly beneath the tangled boughs, where vines hung like coiled serpents and the soil shifted with the rustle of things that crept or crawled. Shadows moved as if breathing, their shifting forms echoing the same unseen threat that grew whenever fear took hold, each ever-shifting shade holding the same unknown danger that seemed to come alive when paranoia ran wild.
With that, Okuma was left to his own devices among the trees, the wilderness watching in silence. The half Echani youth paused at the door as he stepped back into the transport, offering one final forlorn glance over his shoulder looking towards the man before sealing the hatch. The speeder's repulsors roared to life, churning up leaves and dust as it zipped away, disappearing down the narrow trail, leaving Okuma alone with what little they had left him.
He stayed bound, left to wrestle with rope and remorse alike, as none made move to untether him. The wilderness of Veridia was as dangerous as it was beautiful. The Dark jungles were vast, and untamed. Now Okuma had nothing left but himself, his wits, and his own thoughts for company.