To Slay a Dragon

[Azula Tindara]

Jaani was beginning to lose his patience with the arrogant man in the store. By the teeth of the great Gooberfish Nashty, he'd even dressed in common clothes to go to the shops. They felt constricting and itched. Why would someone cover their arms anyway?

A few days ago he'd purchased a datapad with a set of software designed for people who were either blind, or with significant vvvv. Apparently no one had taken the time to write the software to translate basic into Gungan glyphs. Most Gungans simply learned written aurabesh, but Jaani had simply never found the time. The simple databad started on a search page and Jaani only had to say what he was searching for and it would read out results. However, when he'd finally found something of interest, he'd hit a stumbling block.

"Ok, so who do you have a mail account with?" the store assistant repeated, as if the words would suddenly have meaning for Jaani.

Jaani grimaced and repeated carefully to the assistant. "Mesa...have...no...mail...account."

"Right, if you don't have one you can't send this...[member=Mrrew] a message. Are you even sure this is even a real advert? It isn't even spelled correctly."

Jaani drew himself up to his full height, crossed his arms over his chest and stared the little bearded man down with his bad eye. The shop assistant looked to the side as if searching for help, but it didn't come.

Thirty minutes later Jaani had been shown how to use a basic mail client, had been set up with an address and the assistant had even thrown in some software for teaching infants to read and write basic. The shop assistant had tried to help edit some of the parts of the message that the transcription software had struggled with, but eventually had given up and sent the message just to get rid of the crotchety Gungan.

"Dear Mrrew,

Mesa sendin message over the nets to yousa advert for huntin bombad beast of the sea. Many years essperence crunchen undersea.

Tanken Yousa

Jar knee doo sun."

 

[Mrrew]

Mrrew took out his datapad as he heard the telltalle 'beep-beep' of a message, using a claw to carefully check his huttmail account. After reading the message, Mrrew read it again. And a third time, trying to make sure it wasn't some kind of prank mail, or holonet spam. After deciding it was real, and this was from one of his hunters in the Guild, Mrrew slowly replied...

To: Jar knee doo sun
From: Mrrew


"I assume you mean to capture the K'kayeh dragon, as it is the closest contract we have fitting the... description... If I am correct, you will need assistance for the massive creature. Due to teh importance and sheer credit value of this hunt, I will be assisting you in capturing the creature alive, and searching the Academy it dwells near. Do you have any further questions?

~Mrrew"

He tried to ignore the any typos and mistakes in [member="Jaani Doosun"]'s message. He was probably something with large hands, or something... He himself had enough trouble with datapads. He had just gotten into the habit of using a claw, and typing one letter at a time... Maybe this was a Wookiee, of something. Only time would tell.


(OOC:: i have a feleing i'm going to love this thread.... xD)

 

[Azula Tindara]

Jaani picked up his datapad, the little red flashing light indicated that it had a message. He pressed his finger to the on-screen alert and the transcription software started to read out the message. It struggled with pronouncing "K'kayeh" and had an odd way of dealing with "Mrrew" rolling the "rr" as some cultures did.

Jaani found the “reply” button on the terminal and started to enter his message which was sent across the net:

"Mer Roo,

Okie doke. Questions.

More details on how big and nasty the sea beastie is. No. wait. How do I go back? Oh well.
Howsa wesa. We gonna bring it back?
Where can we meet?

Jar Knee

Jaani took a moment to look over the message. Written in basic, he could only recognise a few words, but at least it looked about the right length. Hopefully he would send back a meeting point for a planet he recognised, or a set of co-ordinates. He had at least been shown some basic galactic navigation by his people before leaving his home and could read numbers in galactic. His own ship, a Doodad had an intuitive interface that used Gungan Glyphs, much like a Bongo.

At least he had a few useful bits of kit in his transport. A large, heavy-mesh net that could span an underwater cavern twenty metres across. Floating boomas could be attached to the net and would go off if something was caught in the net and struggled hard. He had a number of differently sized electropoles, both for hand-to-hand use and throwing. Jaani had held the record for longest overland throw of both electropole and booma for three of the last five warrior festivals.


[member=Mrrew]

 

[Mrrew]

As Mrrew read the message, seeing the hunter talk about 'sea beasties' he became curious if he knew that the planet they would go to had 0% surface water... The Togorian shrugged, and replied.

To: Jar Knee
From: Mrrew

"The K'kayeh dragon has only been sighted a few times, but enough to assure that it is not mythical. It's a cretaure of massive proportions, said to have teeth as large as a Wookiee is tall. If we say the teeth are seven foot long, it's safe to say the beast may be as long as a large exogorth. ... We will have one of teh Guild's largest freighters pick it up. We can meat on the planet, Almas, if you have transportation. If not, we can meet at your location. Any other questions?

~Mrrew"

This should be inetresting, to say the least.

[member="Jaani Doosun"]
[member="Jaani Doosun"]

 

[Azula Tindara]

Jaani sat at the helm of his Gungan Doodad, looking through the screen at the planet below. Glyphs appeared on his viewport, bringing out information collated by the ship's sensors. However, it was his own feelings he trusted the most. Something was...amiss here. something that made Jaani want to turn his ship about very much.

That was strange. The experienced warrior had faced off against some of the largest denizens of Naboo's oceans. Not normally alone, but he had never felt quite like this before.

The Beast Hunter hadn't sent him landing co-ordinates, perhaps fearing the message would be intercepted and the haul grabbed by a rival. ‎Jaani settled back in his comfortable chair and waited. A pot of food sat on the console before him. It was never worth going into battle on an empty stomach, but soon he'd move to liquids. The Gungans made a fantastic, thick drink made of the nectar of a plant. Great for an energy boost before a tricky day!

So far his foray out into the Galaxy to find his place had been disastrous. Mocked for his accent, broken pidgin basic and species. He might die today, or he might take the first steps towards recapturing the camaraderie, respect and sense of accomplishment that had been lost at the fall of Otoh Gunga.

[member="Mrrew"]

 

[Mrrew]

Meanwhile, Mrrew's own freighter was travveling towards the planet as well. He'd arranged for one of the larger cargo carrying ships the Guild had bought to be made ready for transporting the dragon, but he came in his own small ship. The Togorian stood in his own little armory, checking all his gear. His Chiru rifle, loaded with SmartTranq. His dauntless combat blade swinging at his hip. His heavy balster pistol on his other hip. Dozens of pockets on his bandoleir and gunbelt both carrying ammo, and small supplies. This was going to be interesting.

About ten minutes later, the freighter landed carefully on the surface of Almas, quite close to the ruins of a huge domed structure, once a Sith Fortress. This was where a K'kayeh was last sighted.

The ramp of his freighter slowly lowered, makign creaking sounds as it did, allowing the Togorian to step out into the desert-like climate. According to legend, the creature lived in the underground lakes and rivers below the desert landscape. The nearest known enterence to the subtarranean complex? Through the ruins.

Mrrew waited for his partner.

[member="Jaani Doosun"]

[member="Jaani Doosun"]

 

[Azula Tindara]

Jaani’s ship followed the freighter down through the atmosphere. He watched the planet’s surface approaching below. The planet was almost uniform in appearance, his ship’s sensors reporting that one type of planet life seems to be completely dominant.

As they descended he saw a great dark patch; a blotch on the uniform purple that was visible from this height. Without even looking at their flight path, something told him that it was their destination. His ship slowed up as they passed over the wasteland below, and his uneasiness gradually built. The scanners reported a network of subterranean tunnels filled with water, but didn’t pick up any life forms. Taking a deep breath, he swallowed down his misgivings and moved to the back of his ship to prepare. He had a bad feeling he’d be going down into the dark to get this creature out to face them.

Unlikely to be much use against the beast, but still his preferred weapons; he collected his oversized Gungan shield and club. On his belt he hung six small glittering blue spheres. His the curved edge of his club he could launch the Boomas for a hundred metres, and they were perfectly good at stunning large creatures. On his back he slid a variety of sizes of electropoles. Two larger and heavier for using at close quarters, three lighter and more flexible for throwing over long distances. Again, they were well suited to stunning large animals, he had tuned them so they would discharge enough energy to kill him stone dead with one blast. He would take extreme care with them.

Finally, he wheeled out a large case. Inside was a net that could be would need to be set up. He had a net launcher, but it certainly had nothing large enough to even slow down a creature of this size. Small micro-boomers were spread across the surface of the net. If anything was caught and tried to struggle they would shatter and unleash their charge. At the very least, booma plasma left a glowing mark that would provide a target in low light.


Jaani stepped out from his ship onto the wasteland. The smell of methane was almost overpowering to his sensitive nose. He quickly went back into his ship and pulled out an air-purifier and fitted it over his nose. Gungan field technology was remarkably advanced, yet they had less experience with repulsors. He dragged the large crate with his net out of the ship and onto the sand, its pair of wheels leaving tracks behind him.

Approaching the massive, well-armed creature he assumed to be [member="Mrrew"] , he dropped his case and extended a four-fingered hand. Handshakes appeared to be the galactic standard for a greeting, anyway.

“Berry good to meet yousa! Jaani Doosun,”




OOC/ As the beast tracks Force-users I'm assuming it's going to come for me not long after we start poking around!

 

[Mrrew]

Mrrew smiled at the odd-looking ship as it came to land. His partner was here. The Togorian tooka quick glance at the ruins of once was a massive dome, before looking back to the ship as it landed on the sandy landscape. The client wanted the creature captured alive an unharmed, as well as any artifacts or relics that they might find in the structure. Chances are it had been picked clean by now, but the creature was probably still there...

Mrrew blinked at the creature as it stepped out of his ship.

It was a Gungan.

Mrrew mentally facepalmed. That explained the... typoes... on the messages. He'd seen gungans before while searching Naboo for wildlife, and studying the Narglatches. They were... err... Well, they were gungans. He hoped this one was a good hunter, at least...

The Togorian smiled, and raised a clawed hand roughly the size of the gungan's entire head, to shake.

"A pleasure to meet you, [member="Jaani Doosun"]"

 

[Azula Tindara]

Jaani took the claw in a firm, if slightly awkward, handshake. The Gungan's were a tall species, and he was exceptionally large for his kind. And still the feline had just over a foot in height over him. Jaani gave him a respectful nod on appearance alone. This was a warrior who had been out in the Galaxy hunting down the most feared species. What was his meagre experience of the monsters of Naboo?

"Dey'sa plan?" Jaani asked in his deep, throaty voice. "Nottin' showed up ona scannas. How far they roam? Wesa gonna wait it out, or go lookin?"


[member="Mrrew"]

 

[Mrrew]

Mrrew glanced up and down the Gungan, giving a closer look. A lot of weapons, mostly gungan-made, meaning he probably used them well. What appeared to be some form of grenade, little blue orbs, spears, electrostaffs.... Hmm. Mrrew made a mental note notto judge him based on his species.

"The client has asked us to collect nay sithspawn, artifacts, or relics that may be in the ruins. So we'll go through the ruins, and collect anything of interest. If we don't find the dragon by then, we'll go through the cave systems."

 

[Azula Tindara]

"Dis place...doesn't feel good," Jaani growled. With one hand he pulled up the box with the net, leaving it on its end. It could be set up later if there was time. His eyes swivelled to take in the ruins. There was nothing but open ground between them and the ruined fortress. It wouldn't take much of a stretch of the imagination to picture wondering troublemakers taking up residence. Perhaps he was being overly cautious based on a gut feeling.

Still, he reached for his personal shield with his left hand. He didn't activate it yet, but he kept it ready. His right hand went to his trusty club. The weight of it was reassuring. The thing had been with him for years, though some of his most lethal tests. It had survived well beyond what should have been expected of it, even surviving contact with the outsider-Jeedai's lightsaber at Otoh Gunga. He could easily drop a booma from his belt into the curved head of the stick and launch it a great distance if necessary.

Turning to the ruined structure, he cautiously advanced.

 

[Mrrew]

Mrrew noted [member="Jaani Doosun"]'s feeling. A year ago he would've dismissed it as nerves, butterflies in the stomach before something dangerous. He got that way when he was hutning the first Terentatek, when he hutned the Leviothon. But sometimes it was something else too. Mainly with force sensitives. They could.... they could know when something bad was going to happen. He knew several people, connected with the Rebel Alliance, that could do that. He wasn't aware if the Gungan was force sensitive or not- it dind't seem polite to ask- but he still made a note to stay wary.

The Togorian nodded, raising his Chiru rifle, and started towards the ruins.

[member="Jaani Doosun"]

 

[Azula Tindara]

Five metres high, the great black doors of the fortress loomed above them. The uneasy feeling in his gut started to build. Jaani placed his club over his shoulder and moved his shield onto his forearm. Age had not weathered the door itself, there was no sign or rust of wear. However, the hinges had degraded and rusted together. Jaani's first pull had no effect, but with one yank there was a crack from the hinges and the door gave. It swung open slowly with a groan. "Well there goes any chance of sneaky beaky," Jaani declared.

 

[Azula Tindara]

Deep in the crypts of the fortress, the spirit slowly reformed. Darsin was so very weak now, barely able to affect the corporeal world. He was still bound by his master's will. Even though he no longer possessed the power to strike down Jedi Knights, he had no choice but to start rousing himself to defend the fortress. How long had his sleep been? Intrinsically tied to the structure around him, he could sense that so many of the old traps had decayed over the years and would be of no help. He sighed. A gentle wail carried through the corridors across the remains of the fort. Concentrating hard, he lifted a single lightsaber from the floor. How his power had waned. In the past he had accepted mercy to be allowed to remain. Now he would take the blessed relief of dispersing into the ether of the Force, rather than being tied to this place for another day.

 

[Azula Tindara]

Miles away, both laterally across the planet and several deep under the surface, an ancient awareness was roused from its slumber. Trained to hunt and kill Force users who might disturb it's master's work, it instantly fixated on the life form far away. It had never been made with an awareness of time. It didn't understand the concept. As far as it was concerned it's Master could return at any moment. What it did know was that it was tired, so very tired. It lazily rolled across its nest and slithered into the water. It was in no rush.

 

[Mrrew]

(I'm beginning to love this thread.)

While somewhere underground a spirit formed, and somewhere not so far away a Dragon was coming to eat them, Mrrew stepped through the doorway where the huge doors had been removed from their hinges. He wasn't force sensitive. He never claimed to be. But even he began to feel uneasy in this place...

The Togorian slowly raised his Chiru Rifle, laying the butt against his shoulder, before glancing at the Gungan. "We stay together, and look for any artifacts or items of interest, until the dragon comes. Be alert for it, it could be coming in minutes or hours. And watch out for any Sithspawn- the Client seemed to think that the place was crawling with them." Mrrew slowly stepped into the darkness of the ruinde fortress, his eyes glowing in the dim light. His paws moved silently across the ground, stepping carefully around piles of rubble ranging in size to a small mess, to a small mountain. The creature could be anywhere. They had to be ready.

[member="Jaani Doosun"]

 

[Azula Tindara]

Jaani took a long slow stride across the threshold. Was that the wind passing through the citadel? It had sounded a lot like a scream! A long simple corridor stretched away from them. As he walked forwards he noticed a spiralling scrawl, in a language he did not understand, etched into the walls. There was a huge amount of text stretching from floor to ceiling. Jaani briefly pondered whether it was decorative or had meaning.

As he walked forwards there was a noise to their left, Jaani turned on his heel, activating his shield in a moment. Another noise came from their right and he reflexively turned again. The great shimmering shield covered most of his body.

Slowly he carried on. Shapes started to resolve in the darkness. He took a moment to take a closer look and wished he hadn’t. The skeletal remains littered the sides of the corridor. As he took another step forwards, he felt the ground give way. “Oopsie.”

Clunk……clunk…clunk…clunkclunkclunkclunkclunk

Jaani twisted back and forth looking for the source of the sound. A spike emerged from the wall on his right, but immediately slowed to a halt with a great screech. “Old. Broken.” He commented.



[member="Mrrew"]

 

[Mrrew]

Mrrew walked quietly behind the Gungan, holding his Chiru rifle high and ready to shoot over his partner's shoulder. His ears twitched at the distant sound... Sithspawn? Sure as feth didn't found like it... The Togorian's finger tightened over the trigger to his rifle.

Mrrew glanced at the inscriptions on the wall for a gfew moments, before pulling out a datapad from one of the huge pockets of his gunbelt. After a few flashes of light, a few pictures taken, Mrrew carefully tucked the datapad back into his gunbelt, and continued on behind his partner.

The client wanted anything from murals to Sithspawn. The inscriptions on the wall could mean something. Or, it could be a recipe for Sith tacos or something... The Togorian quickly looked up in the direction of teh clunking sound. And saw a spike jut itself out of the wall suddenly, only to stop a few inches from the Gungan.

"...This is why there's bones..."


[member="Jaani Doosun"]

 

[Azula Tindara]

Darsin had to admit he was enjoying himself. The simple pleasure of using his influence to make small noises all around the pair was surprisingly satisfying. Every time they jumped and twisted he had to suppress a chuckle. Still, it seemed few of the traps were still active - or at least lethal - so it was time to take a different tack. A few rooms away a crowd of shuffling Sithspawn were ready to be unleashed. They were sluggish from their slumber, but as more time passed from them leaving their crypts they became increasingly alert - and aggressive.



Jaani was tapping the floor ahead of him. He carefully probed each metal plate with his longest electropole. The last trap had decayed, but that didn't mean there wouldn't be more. A crack of light appeared ahead of them. Jaani dropped the pole and reached for his club, dropping a booma into the curved head. With a low ceiling he could still probably lob one a good twenty metres.

The crack of light extended to a rectangle of light, but framed in the centre was the silhouette of a man. The creature stepped out into the corridor ahead of them. It was human in shape, but stooped low. It was hard to make out any feature, but long protrusions covered its body. A low growl escaped its lips, and then they were suddenly three more framed in the opening. Jaani kept his shield before him, his right arm swung out behind him ready to swing.


[member="Mrrew"]

 

[Mrrew]

Mrrew walked slowly and carefully, keeping his rifle ready. His paws padded the ground noiselessly while his ears flicked every which way at the slightest sound. He knew there were dangers here. And he was not eager to die any time soon. The Togorian's head snapped up towards the door as a sliver of light appeared, instnatly sending his rifle's butt to his shoulder. One eye looked down the sights of the rifle, ready to fire. He was expecting a Tuk'ata, or prehaps a Hssiss, or something. Not a human. Or, for that matter a human with spikes. So this si what the client meant by sithspawn.

Mrrew flicked an eye towards his partner. "Try to keep as many fully intact and undamaged as possible. The more we get to the client, the more credits we make." With that, Mrrew's rifle flicked to the shoulder of the nearest creature, and he pulled the trigger. Rather then the expected 'pew' of ab laster rifle, or bang of a slugthrower, a tiny sound like a large slingshot soundede from the barrel. And rather then a bolt of tibanna gas, or a slug, a small dart covered in Taozin skin fired off. A dart sharp enough to pierce most armors, loaded with SmartTranq. Powerful enough to take down a Terentatek in one shot.

"One down."

[member="Jaani Doosun"]





(This is becoming a very fun thread. What kind of sithspawn are they?)