Private The Forgotten of Voss

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Sakadi stood patientlybehind the pilot of the modified SF-17 Heavy bomber. The spacecraft had once served in the planetary fleet of Boz Pity, as had its captain. Now, however, the SF-17 named 'The Redoubt' served as a simple passenger ship.

"Uh, hello?" The female Weequay uttered with her finger pressing down the comm's switch. "This is The Redoubt. Voss-ka, please come in." She glanced at her copilot, an adult Twi'lek male who had tried to hit on her several times in her time aboard their ship. "Must be busy." He responded with a shrug. "Cut off from the supply lines by the Sith and all" His hands moved over the control panel and within seconds, he brought up a holographic map of the terrain around Voss-ka. "As if the Sith are their worst problem." The Weequay retorted. "Word goes that the Bryn are looking in their direction too." And that's just the tip of the iceberg… Sakadi thought, her eyes narrowing as the lush orange surface of Voss became visible from the cockpit's window. The planet being cut off from the Concord's supply lines meant two things. First, the Concord couldn't send reinforcements to protect them against their hostile neighbors. Secondly, the large number of formerly Concord-employed soldiers, scientists, doctors and engineers were now all refugees waiting to leave this corner of the galaxy behind them.

"Yeah yeah, them too. Anyways, I found a place to land." The Twi'lek pointed at a small clearing in the forest south of the city. "Right. If they won't contact us, we'll just have to take care of it ourselves. With determination, she pushed the control yoke further down, forcing the heavy ship to descend. "Here's to hoping we don't crash into some skylane…" The Twi'lek mumbled.

Sakadi closed her eyes as the two pilots continued their conversation, and pushed her mind beyond the descending ship. She was immediately met by a wave of doubt, fear, uneasiness and discomfort originating from Voss-ka. And not just Voss-ka. As her mind's eye extended it's view beyond Voss-ka, the same emotions washed over her. And among them, she managed to single out a presence. One with a serious mind and a sense of responsibility. A presence aligned to the Living Force, like her own. And a familiar one at that.

" Mathieu Brion , it's been a while since we last met." Distance was nothing to the Force. And that singular fact was one the Sephi knew how to make use of. "Care to inform me of what's happening down there?"

 

[Mathieu Brion]

The Forgotten of Voss​

Location: Outskirts of Voss-Ka, Voss, Neutral Space
Status: Active, worn
Tags: Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

Walking undisturbed in a straight line was something which the Padawan had given up on long ago. The outskirts of Voss-Ka lacked the same level of infrastructure as the city centre, the roads were poorer and the city planning less well suited for traffic. It made for numerous smaller roads sneaking between the buildings, forming alleyways and bustling corridors of activity. It was not the bustling activity of a picturesque market day which he saw ahead of him, however. Soldiers, both ones wearing camouflaged autumn-coloured jackets and ones wearing the black and blue colours of the navy moved from one point to another. Some united in an effort to manually carry crates towards the city centre, others were scrambling up to the forest. The Morellian looked up over the treeline for a moment, noticing how a rugged heavy freighter took off, seemingly ignoring the usual safety protocols of waiting until other traffic in the vicinity was cleared. Instead, it headed straight towards the skies as other ships came in to take its place. It was clear that the organised runnings of everyday logistics had started to collapse, at least outside of the more organised city centre.

Standing a couple decimetres above many of his peers, Mathieu didn't struggle too much getting a good look over the crowd as he kept moving towards the treeline. Underneath his surprisingly neat robes, in large part due to the polytetraflouroethylene, his heavy armour laid in a worse state - while still fully functional, it was worse for wear, having helped him take multiple hits, both from collapsing structural debris as well as explosions. It matched his appearance otherwise too, as his normally golden blonde hair and light features were now darkened by dirt. Although the fighting that he partook in had not been on Voss, there had been little time to truly take a break from all that was happening. At least he was not alone - for most of the Concord personnel were in a similar state as him, a result of the supplies starting to run low and the desperation to get onboard an evacuation ship starting to increase. Stressed voices hollered commands at each other as medical supplies and food were directed up to the city centre while murmurs of getting a way offworld through more shady means could be heard from the trickle of people heading towards the woods where the freighter had just taken off. While Mathieu too, was making his way to the treeline up ahead, his intents were different.

A familiar voice echoed through his mind. It was one which he quickly recognised as Master Sakadi Marathi Sinvala, the woman whom he had been with during his second encounter with Ingrid. Following his first instinct, the Padawan quickly took a look behind him, only to realise how silly it had been, knowing how the Master usually communicated. Mathieu was far from seasoned in the communicative techniques of his peer and quietly whispered "It has" while trying to project the thought back to the sender. Continuing to wade towards the treeline, he kept shifting between mumbles and whispers to further communicate with her "People are getting desperate to leave. Even some of the old army crews are taking alternate routes" The Padawan's eyes were drawn to a few rough looking soldiers trying to haggle with a local for some food with raised voices and flaring tempers - he quickly reflected on what a shame it was to see men and women who had fought so hard to preserve the Concord now having deteriorated to this. The surface thought was soon dismissed as his mind quickly snapped back to why he was there for himself "Some have taken to scavenging for food and herbs in the wilds..."

Silence soon spread across their communicative channel as the large Padawan entered the clearing behind the treelines. Tents had been set up at its outskirts with army officials standing by to receive the supplies that came in whilst others lingered nearby in the hopes of catching a ride as the ship once more departed. His eyes studied the vessel for a bit as it, similar to the ship that had just departed, came in hot - if nothing else, allowing these pilots the freedom to operate on their own accord certainly seemed rather efficient. His pace slowed by the cargo ramp that slowly lowered itself, sparing himself a few moments to have a look at it "Some of them seem to have got in trouble, screams of beasts and what have you" he whispered, trying to convey the thought to Sakadi, unsure of whether they were referring to animals or the Gormak. There was a certain degree of interchangeability between the two, at least according to some.

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

"Has anyone gotten hurt yet? And are there any other Jedi down th-" The sudden exclamation of the co-pilot disrupted her telepathic bridge.

"Hey, what the!?" The Twi'lek exclaimed as they barely evaded a rugged freighter heading for outer space. "Easy now, keep her steady." The Weequay remained much calmer, her seat swivelling as she deftly guided her ship toward the clearing in the forest. "Does this happen often? Sakadi motioned. "In a place like this? Nope, it doesn't. Must be a real mess down there." The Twi'lek responded after catching on to her gestures. "People are desperate to leave, or so I've been told." The Twi'lek chuckled. "Doesn't surprise me one bit. I'm willing to bet that there are people down there thinking about stealing our cargo as we speak. " There was likely some truth in it. There were already people gathering at the clearing in the forest, waiting for The Redoubt to touch down. "They better not, else all they'll be leaving with will be an energy cell's worth of tibanna gas." The Weequay mumbled. "Alright miss Jedi. We'll be landing in a minute, so you best head for the ramp. Alask and I will drop our cargo here and leave in three days. Best be back before then, else we'll be forced to leave you behind" Sakadi nodded and parted from the pilots with a simple wave as goodbye.

What Sakadi viewed as perhaps the Redoubt's greatest design flaw, was the height of the ship. The modular bombing magazine had been converted to a small lower deck for passengers, and a decently sized cargohold below it. Currently, that cargohold was filled with large cages, each holding a couple of Nunas. In her opinion, the Nunas smelled worse than a Sarlacc. Something that had made sleeping on the deck above them everything but a delight.

The smell was something she was once again confronted with as she climbed down the ladder that connected the decks of the tall spacecraft. Despite the Living Force flowing through and mending her body, her waist still ached as she moved. It was a reminder of the fact that her injuries hadn't fully healed yet. Nevertheless, she managed to set foot in the cargohold before the ramp opened.

And when it did, the Jedi Master was greeted by many hopeful and distraught faces. Men, women and children of all species and ethnicities. Unperturbed, Sakadi strolled down the ramp, her lilac eyes scanning the crowd for a broad-shouldered man with blonde hair. She expected him to be hard to miss. The iconic apparel of the Jedi made them stand out after all. She herself was wearing long, flowing white robes with a brown overtunic, hidden underneath an earth-toned cloak. For once, however, she had decided to keep the hood of her cloak down. It would make it easier for Mathieu Brion to recognise her, for she admittedly had trouble finding him among the people. Of course, she could rely on the Force to find him. But she would admittedly feel embarrassed if it had to come to that. So, the Sephi just waited near the ramp of The Redoubt, hoping that the blonde Padawan would show up eventually.

 

[Mathieu Brion]

The Forgotten of Voss​

Location: Outskirts of Voss-Ka, Voss, Neutral Space
Status: Active, worn
Tags: Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

His eyes kept following the tip of the ramp as it was lowered down onto the ground underneath. There was bound to be some unevenness as it was now descending upon the forest opening as opposed to the more suitable landing pads by the city centre. A gloriously moustached officer holding a note block took a few tender steps towards the ramp, eyes peering inside to make contact with the ship's captain whilst his men stood back, ready to aid with the unloading and consequent transport of the cargo. Mathieu couldn't help but to notice the man's surprised expression upon seeing the contents of the cargo - slowly followed by a creeping sense of realisation. There was something which he did not seem to look forward to, but before he could continue to dwell on it too much, Mathieu saw a familiar figure.

Sakadi was living proof that a person could be impressive regardless of stature. Her smaller form would easily disappear in the crowds but there was something about the way in which she carried herself which made that seem irrelevant. Some people just had that air of stoicism to how they carried themselves, it was as if they were above the trivialities of the physical realm. Still, that was not something which would prevent the Padawan from approaching her - they had, after all, shared sandwiches together in the past. With a smile, he would steadily start to make his way towards the ramp, squeezing past a number of refugees on his approach.

"Master Sakadi" he hollered once having moved past the crowd and out into the small open stretch to the ramp. The officer took a step onto the ramp to talk to the ship's captain, or, at least who Mathieu presumed that the ship's captain was. The contents of their conversation remained an unknown to him, however. Had he wanted to, listening in wouldn't have been hard, but it really wasn't of much interest to him and so, the Padawan kept his focus on the Jedi Master to let out an enthusiastic "Hey!" as he got close, making sure to be loud enough to be heard despite the engines still running.

"I heard you were on the Red Dragon" his voice conveyed a sense of excitement and curiousity but he never stopped moving as he pointed to a path even further away from the city centre. It was still trafficked but less so by refugees and more by tired troops trying to figure how to get around the clearing and up to their stations. "Let's go over there, it's quieter and..." the large Morellian fell silent for a few moments, remembering that she didn't really need silence to make herself heard. It was hard not to feel silly but instead of changing course, he kept going with the original route "...easier to speak."

It would not be long before he was on his way, once more to push his way through the crowd and out to the somewhat more secluded path. It was less travelled but between the trees, a number of vehicles could be seen ahead. The speeders looked worn but all still had their engines running. "What brought you to Voss?" he asked but only paused briefly before interjecting to point to an empty speeder that just appeared behind a few trees "They're going to let me use that to go look for the missing troops" Another brief pause ensued as he let out a "Sorry" in case he had just cut her off.

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

A warm smile played about her delicate features as she finally found the tall Jedi among the crowd. "Hello Mathieu." She greeted him again as he approached. The young man had changed surprisingly little, if it weren't for the weary look in his eyes and his dirt-covered features, he would've looked exactly as she had remembered him. Not a day older than the Anzat skirmishes.

She glanced one final time at The Redoubt, as she walked alongside Mathieu. When her attention was drawn back to their conversation, however, she felt compelled to immediately raise an eyebrow. "Yes. People might hear me." She comment nonchalantly, poking one elbow at her much taller companion. "The Red Dragon." Her tone regained its serious edge. "It was a dark and dreary thing. I went to confront the Worm Emperor himself, but he slipped right by me after we managed to avoid its crash." Deep down, a part of her felt guilty for the fates of the Voss arm. She had been so close to engaging, and perhaps defeating the great evil in this corner of the galaxy. Any who fell victim to him now, suffered their fate because she had failed to stop him. Just like how I failed to stop Darth Carnifex, Lirka Ka and Maya.

"I am on my way to Ossus. So I am just passing b-" Her disembodied voice was silenced by the Padawan interjecting. Not that she was bothered by it - a part of her did not even want to tell him why she came here. That was why she just nodded in response. "Looks sturdy enough. Would you like to drive?" The Jedi Master communed, as she made her way toward the military-grade landspeeder. "Since I'm here now anyways, I might as well help you with it." She explained, as she gazed at what she presumed was a road for a moment. "Do we know what happened to the missing men and women? What their last reported position was, for example?"

Mathieu Brion​

 

[Mathieu Brion]

The Forgotten of Voss​

Location: Outskirts of Voss-Ka, Voss, Neutral Space
Status: Active, worn
Tags: Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

"Yes. People might hear me." Mathieu looked down to the Jedi Master moments after she poked her elbow at him. His mouth was half-agape and his eyes in complete and total disbelief over her sass. By now, he really shouldn't be all that surprised, for she held her own during their talk with Ingrid and she had never been one to back down from stating her opinion. But even then, he wasn't expecting what he received. The slightly opened mouth eventually formed something akin to a smile as he let out a careful chuckle. Mathieu wouldn't speak before the Master moved on to the topic of the Red Dragon, something far more grave than the jestful jab she had just thrown. Although his attention shifted together with the topic, this part of her personality would linger in his mind. Maybe this was one of those Masters who were more fun to hang around. Or perhaps she was the complete opposite. Time would tell.

As their journey continued, the Sephi would wonder if Mathieu was interested in driving. A question which had a rather obvious answer: Yes. But then, she did ask which, in his mind, was something of an implicit offer which was curious on multiple levels. Primarily, it sounded like she might be coming with, and as she continued communicating, it turned out to be true. Master Sakadi was indeed offering to help out. "Thank you" he said as his mind moved on to the second curiosity. If she was wondering if he wanted to drive, did that mean that she was offering to drive herself? The silence from the Padawan lasted a little longer than he was comfortable with "It's alright, you can drive" he said, trying to supress the caution that would otherwise undoubtedly have manifested in his voice.

Mathieu nodded upon hearing the second question whilst at the same time slowing down. Standing in front of the speeder, he waited to let Sakadi board it first, thus allowing her to choose whether she would pilot it or not. If she did, he would take the passenger seat and if not, he would drive without complaint. Regardless, the answer would come once they were in the vehicle "They were exploring some ruins by the Pelath-Ri Marches." The large Padawan paused for a few moments as he entered the coordinates into the speeder's navsystem "The ruins are from some old Jedi settlement from thousands of years ago. It's probably mostly just rubble now. Anyways, let me play you their last report. It's from 95 minutes ago." he said before accessing his datapad and commlink to display a holographic message.

A blue-ish hologram would appear from the small device resting in the Padawan's hand. A woman wearing the uniform of a naval officer appeared with the humming noise of a speeder engine mixing in with the background static noise. Her uniform was tidy and the blaster pistol looked clean, perhaps even unused. But the bags under her eyes and laxness of her lekku indicated that she was tired, still, she spoke with a deep rooted sense of hope "Ensign Lurch here. Just arrived at the north pillar. We're going to head south south-east. Dorlan thought he saw some movement in the structure when we came in so we'll be on our watch. If we're lucky, it might be some game, would fill our bellies for a bit." A warm smile appeared on her face as the thought of a full meal crossed her mind. The woman looked to the side as a voice could faintly be heard over the hum of the engine and static of the recording. "Why don't you come at me after I'm done with this report and you're done with speeder?" Her voice was less clear as she looked away but the friendly snark was unmistakable. "The new guy is doing well. Twitchy though, he fought in the frontlines on Onderon. Can't blame him but he might have brought an extra rifle. Don't worry about it, we'll return it to the armoury once we're back" the sentence was spoken with a smile. The humming of the engine soon disappeared from the hologram and an older voice could be heard in the background, shouting something about a vibroblade. Lurch tiredly shook her head before looking back at the recorder "We might have some more stuff to return to the armoury... We will check back with you in 45. Ensign Lurch out."

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Her brow furrowed. "Oh no, by all means. You may drive." She swiftly shared, unsure why Mathieu was offering. He didn't seem like the type who enjoyed the passenger's seat. As a final attempt to make her offer final, the Jedi Master lifted herself into the speeder's passenger seat.

To what came next, Sakadi would listen carefully. She was not unfamiliar with the Pelath-Ri marshes, but it had been years since she had last visited them. While she personally cared little for the passing of time, she was not oblivious of its effects. On a world like Voss, one that had belonged to Sith and Jedi alike over the last decades, the landscape was ever-changing. And often not in a good way.

"Never assume that a temple of ours or the Sith is rubble. I stopped counting how many of us came to regret that assumption." The Sephi was too proud to admit that she herself was among those people. But just like the others, she had learned her lesson.

As the recording played, the Jedi Master's focused gradually began to shift to the road ahead of them. The recording gave them some information. Names, faces, ranks and experience. But nothing seemingly substantial enough to go by. "Think they went toward the structure?" She asked calmly, suppressing her initial concern. Jedi structures and temples held less violent traps and defenses than Sith temples. But to call them accommodating…

"I'd like to suggest we search their camp first. Learn what we can, and rely on the Force from there."

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

The Forgotten of Voss​

Location: Outskirts of Voss-Ka, Voss, Neutral Space
Status: Active, worn
Tags: Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

The last words the ensign spoke came and the recording ended. The light blue shimmer which it had created disappeared along with the static noise it created. Suddenly, it was just the two of them as they kept speeding towards their destination. Mathieu was not the most skilled pilot by a long shot, but he had quite a few joyrides in his portfolio and was more than comfortable piloting the vehicle, carefully walking the line between fun and responsible driving.

The words she had projected onto his mind before he played the holorecording still lingered. His lips produced a smacking sound as his mouth moved - no words came, for he had not yet figured out quite how to put it. In Mathieu's mind, Sakadi was speaking of the value of the temple in terms of the force and the insight which could be gained by the grounds upon which it stood. Traps had not crossed his mind at all, and so, the words finally came as he awkwardly brought the old subject back to life "I was referring to the structural integrity and state of deterioration, Master Sakadi." his words were careful as he noted what he perceived as a misconception.

Mathieu answered the question she asked in the same breath, having perceived it before he managed to say take them back to the previous topic. "Kinda" His broad shoulders rose in a shrug "Probably depends on how big it was, but judging by the direction they went in, they'd at least pass it by up close, right?" His guess was as good as any and unless the Master had some particular insight into the matter, they would have to find out upon arrival.

Her proposed course of action was sensible. With a nod, Mathieu threw an eye at the GPS, "Just have to round cliff, we'll be there in a minute" he said as they dipped down lower in a descent whilst making a wide turn on a safe distance from the rocks and trees by the cliff wall. Upon arriving, a large relatively open field could be seen. A number of young trees sprouted from the ground, they were too thin to hide behind, even for someone with such a small stature as Sakadi. "That's some heavy shrubbery. Might find berries in there if we're lucky" his voice beamed of enthusiasm as they closed in on the northern pillar.

Landing, it became increasingly apparent that the other vehicle was of a similar model to their own vehicle. A military grade personnel carrier, this one, with a cabin and reinforced with armour plates. The doors of the speeder were unlocked but Mathieu lingered in the cabin for a few moments as he completed the shut-down procedures. "Let's see what clues they left" he mumbled before stepping out. Ignoring the area around it, he moved to the speeder directly. With a curious look and a careful pull, he determined that it was locked and said as much to the other Jedi. Moving about, carefully inspecting it from the outside, he finally bent down a few centimetres to peer through a thin window at the back. Seeing an uneven sheet, he made use of telekinesis to remove it. "Looks like they didn't bring that extra rifle she was talking about. But I can't see the vibroblade"

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Mathieu received a rather questioning sideways glance from the Sephi when he mentioned berries. She hadn't forgotten how the Padawan had stopped the arguing between Jedi Master and Eternal Empress with a simple offer of a sandwich. It made her wonder, was the first thing that came to his mind food, no matter the occasion? She decided not to ask - it seemed rather rude. That, and she was not particularly fond of small talk.

After landing, Sakadi at first followed Mathieu toward the vehicle of the missing personnel. It was another military-grade landspeeder. Not entirely unexpected, but it seemed rather excessive for an exploration party, considering the limited assets and equipment the Voss regiment worked with at the moment. "They might've been sent out here to do more than just exploring." Sakadi noted as she circled around the vehicle, her eyes drawn to the small yet noticeable laser cannon mounted on the cabin. And yet they left their armed and armoured speeder behind. Odd. She thought, now turning her gaze toward the shrubbery surrounding the vehicle.

A slight change in the soil's colour made her stop. She knelt down beside it, hand hovering over it for a few seconds. "I don't think they had the luxury nor the time to bring that extra rifle." She finally commented, her head turning toward the far end of the open field where a line of trees obscured their vision. "Could you do me a favour and check if they shut their speeder down manually?" She had a feeling it wasn't. Something had hit them fast and hard. That had to be the case…

Because she could think of no other reason why she found blood in the field.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

The Forgotten of Voss​

Location: Outskirts of Voss-Ka, Voss, Neutral Space
Status: Active, worn
Tags: Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

"Why's that?" the question came soon after her speculation on the missing group's true objective. A small oh soon followed as he saw her eyeing the cabin-mounted laser cannon. "It's probably nothing" he smiled "The dedicated transports are needed to carry more cargo, so we get to use the light armour." he reasoned and continued "Besides, why would they send a bunch of ensigns on a covert mission" To him, it was little more than idle chatter as area seemed calm in general and the vehicle well-secured.

That all changed as she stopped after having noticed the bloodied soil. His heart sank as a creeping sense of dread and sadness made its presence known. The Padawan tried to suppress it and keep a brave face. He had hoped that the task wouldn't involve death and tragedy but at this point, it was something which appeared to be rather likely. "I-" he paused, letting out a weary sigh before continuing "I suppose you are right, Master Sakadi."

With his arms crossed in front of him, Mathieu observed as Sakadi investigated the finding and gave her a nod as she asked him to check on the cause for the speeder's shut-down. With a jog, he returned to his own speeder and returned with a hydrospanner. Just ripping the panel off had crossed his mind but with the tool nearby, it was better to not damage the vehicle too much. It only took a few brief moments to open the hood "'s been off for a while" he mumbled whilst investigating the cold machinery until the switch was eventually found "It wasn't" The Padawan gave the Sephi a grim look "Either they ran out of fuel, or they were hit by ion or an EMP and couldn't restart it after. If it was fuel, Lurch would've mentioned it, right?"

Standing up straight, towering above the engines which he had been examining, Mathieu looked out over the ruin-covered field "If we can, we should probably start to move. They might need us sooner rather than later. Just need to figure out whereto. South south-east, right?" Of course, this didn't even touch upon the most startling discovery, the use of ion or an EMP - something which was to be expected from sentients, meaning that the threat could be so much graver. It was something which the Padawan didn't seem to have any desire to bring up. In truth, it was something which was much more comfortable to not think about at all. Still, his hand hung by his belt as he started to move, right by the lightsabre. While it was not a conscious decision, it went to show that he was indeed prepared for a sudden attack.

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Sakadi studied the edge of the forest with a calm and yet determined gaze, as she waited for Mathieu's input. When it came, she just nodded, her gaze still locked on the edge of the nearby forest. She knew it was the right direction. That much she could trace through the Force. But what it was that awaited them? She could not tell. It was like trying to untangle a knot. It would take time to unravel these secrets through the Force - time they simply did not have.

"Yes, let's move." Her response was curt, and her pace immediately quickened. The landspeeder could only carry them so far. What was left, required delicacy and perhaps a little stealth. Two important requirements a landspeeder simply did not meet. Luckily she di-

Sakadi was halfway through the field when her boot pressed down on metal. The device clicked, rusty cogs rotating under the weight of her feet. Oh.

Six trials of raised dirt moved toward her at incredible speed. Sakadi instinctively reacted. She leapt back, twisting her body in the air to perform an elegant backflip. From the corner of her eye, she saw the first two of the dark grey cylinders pop out of the ground. They came about a meter high - barely enough to keep her in their blast radius. Without hesitation, the Sephi seized them through the Force and flung them away. The other four, however…

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

The Forgotten of Voss​

Location: Outskirts of Voss-Ka, Voss, Neutral Space
Status: Active, worn
Tags: Sakadi Marathi Sinvala

The decision to move out was made speedily. It seemed as if they were in agreement and so, Mathieu walked with his hand close to his sabre, ready to act on sudden threats. Working with Sakadi was unlike working with some of the other Masters. For while they would work in tandem with the Padawan and form a bond, she picked up the pace and moved across the field more independently. Still, they were venturing in the same direction and he made sure to keep roughly the same speed as her, eyes closely scanning the ruins as they passed them by.

"Mines!!" The roar came as he heard a faint familiar metallic sound along with the click. Not only had Mathieu served on the frontlines against the Bryn, he also had a sizeable amount of military experience from his time with the Mechanised Kastolar Platoons and from his days as a Mercenary, before joining the Jedi. The memory of his first friend's abdomen being pieced by the shrapnel flashed by in his mind - but it didn't reduce his reaction time. While Mathieu was confident in the capacity of his armour, intentionally staying close to an explosive was never a good idea and thus, he rushed forth.

Just as he had made a leap and a step, Sakadi was already airborne, having made a backflip to bring her in the opposite direction as the Padawan who dashed forwards. The Master's speed and acrobatic acumen was much greater than that of the large Morellian. Their different methods in dealing with threats would soon become abundantly clear - for while Sakadi worked to prevent the explosives from even going off near them, Mathieu worked to mitigate the damage he would take. With impressive timing, he threw himself down onto the ground. The four remaining discs had already shot up and exploded above waist-level. The explosion itself wouldn't be the main risk in this scenario - for he was relatively far away with armour that protected against the heat. What would prove to be a threat, however, was the shrapnel that shot out from the cylinder.

The shape of the explosive conveniently ensured that most of the shrapnel would be shot out horizontally, perfect for taking out a larger number of troops or a spread out force - less so for taking out an experienced Mathieu Brion. With his arms covering his head, he felt the burst of hot air brush against his robes, soon followed by the shrapnel flung above his head. Of course, all shrapnel was not the same, resulting in the heavier pieces finding their way to the Padawan, impacting against his armour with blunt metallic clinging noises.

As the danger seemed to have passed them by, Mathieu stood back up to his feet. His already worn appearance now looked far worse with dirt - some of it burnt - littered across his face and armour. Several large chunks of shrapnel could be found still clinging to his left side as they managed to make a significant dent onto the armour plates. Mindlessly, he pulled out the largest pieces from his side. It was the piece that actually caused him pain - and the bleeding that ensued explained why - this piece of shrapnel had managed to pierce his armour. Even then, the Padawan knew his body well and could tell that the wound was minor. Instead of minding it and the drippletts of blood sneaking their way down along his bodyglove and onto the armour, he rushed over to Sakadi "By the stars, are you alright?"